Blogger, Writer, Traveller
I was in Borris yesterday, buying a few essentials. I have job interviews next week, and I've been backpacking for almost six months. No makeup, very little jewellery, and my watch had stopped.
And I'm going to have to get used to wearing tights again, which will be a bit of a shock to the system, but can't be helped. A sacrifice one has to make to earn a living again.
The total came to 28.49 euros.
"Do you take credit card?" I asked. ...continue reading "Doing Business in Borris"
Since last I wrote I've been scouring the internet for work and house sits in London. I plan to settle there for a while - six months or longer - and thoroughly explore one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world. Stay tuned!
(If you know of either a house sit or a job in London, feel free to contact me on jennie@jenniereid.com.au.)
My time in Ireland has been fascinating. I've explored much of the south eastern corner of the country and seen some of the rest of it. I've also spent a great deal of time in contemplation. In many ways, these ten weeks have been my equivalent of a retreat. Although I would not describe myself as a conventionally religious person, I feel closer to the spiritual aspects of the universe than I did when I arrived in April, exhausted and emotional after the combined effects of the Dorset Disaster and missing my plane. I'm stronger now, and excited about the adventures that lie ahead. ...continue reading "Last Week in Ireland…"
I'm coming to the end of my stay in Ireland, and also to the end of this cycle in my life. Almost a year ago I had a reasonably serious health scare. Everything is fixed now, but at the time it brought home to me how tenuous life is, and how big a world exists beyond the borders of our daily routines. So I cashed in some investments and headed out into the world with no definite plans or aims or goals except to see as much of the world as I could, while I could.
The last six months fall into two distinct stages. The first stage, from January to March, was spent in Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. I'd never experienced anything remotely like the Malay culture and climate before. Although the climate was hot, it's very different to the hot, dry summers of Perth, Western Australia. Spending time in a place where I was regularly the tallest, the fairest skinned and often the oldest person was enlightening, to say the least. I made lifelong friends, and came to terms with different cultures and religions. ...continue reading "Thoughts & Feelings"
I'm trying out a different look for the blog. Hopefully it is cleaner, more modern looking, and easier to read.
A couple of days ago I took this photo in the field next to Clasheen, the house I'm taking care of at the moment. I looked out of the bathroom window, these poppies had bloomed over night and just begged to be photographed.
Just over two weeks left in Ireland! I'm planning a couple more trips before I leave, so watch this space.
I spent last Friday on the smallest of the Aran Islands, Inisheer, also known as Inis Oírr in Irish or Inis Oirthir or Inis Thiar, depending on the website you use. Many names for a very small place.
Looking back, I wonder how a lump of limestone at the edge of the Atlantic can be such a magical place, but it is. I spent most of the day walking country roads edged by stone walls. Like the rest of Ireland, there's a surprise around every corner - a boy leading a horse, a wall of wildflowers, a view of a lighthouse or a shipwreck or an ancient fort. ...continue reading "A Day on Inisheer"