definately autumn

This week, I have been very happy that I finished my hat since I have worn it every day. It is definitely autumn. The mornings have been a bit more brisk and the evenings have that distinct chill in them. Today I headed home about 6:30 and the sun was setting! There are also very pretty leaves on the ground and trees.

Now, I really need to finish my "slipper socks" and make the hand warmers so that my hands don't freeze as I wait for the bus...

Spring!!

Last week, I left work a little late, after 6:00.  I looked out to the right and saw a sunset.  It was actually really pretty.  The clouds were all pink and purple and color was splashed across the sky.  On Tuesday, I walked out of work about 6:30 PM.  I could still see!  It wasn't totally dark out.  And the birds were chirping.  There were flowers blooming on the trees and from flowers in the ground!  The air feels lighter. The sun feels warm.  I don't need my scarf during the day.

Surely, it is the beginning of spring.  Which means "summer" will be coming soon!

Signs of Winter

This week, I have noticed that it is getting dark considerably sooner than it was even last week. There were a couple of days that I came home in the dark and the latest I worked was 7:00 PM. This morning, I left the apartment at 7:40 AM. It was dark out. While on the train, I got to see the sun rise. I cannot remember the last time I saw a sunrise. Sunset, yes, sunrise, no. It was quite pretty coming over the water. I wasn't very happy that I was awake before the sun rose, though.

There have been other signs of winter here lately. First, the leaves are changing color and falling off the trees. I know that is really a sign of autumn but autumn means that winter is coming. Another sign is the temperature variation throughout the day. The mornings and evenings are fairly cold as I have been wearing a scarf. The daytime can still be comfortable, but I have had to turn the heat on at night.

This year I am sort of looking forward to winter. I like to wear my thick sweaters/jumpers and it is nice to have a soft scarf wrapped around your neck. I also like my long winter coat. I only hope that Christmas is snowy this year at home so I can truly have a white one, unlike last year where the snow melted a couple days before Christmas.

Nice walk home

The weather has been comfortable and sunny two days in a row in Dublin! I have taken advantage of both to walk home. Yesterday it took me an hour. Today I walked from further away and walked along the coast by the sea for an hour and 20 minutes until I got to the Dart line and took the train the two stops home. My feet hurt but eventually I will walk it the whole way.

On the way out of Raheny towards the coast, I discovered a park. I think it is St. Anne's but I am not sure since it wasn't labeled. It was all nice and wooded and beautiful. I don't know if it was shorter or not but it was a much nicer way to walk to the coast. Today the tide was high so I got to walk by the water instead of the seaweed coastline. There is still a lot of seaweed but at least I could see waves. I really need to start bringing John's digital camera with me so I can take pictures as I walk.

As I was walking, I reflected on how my life has changed since I moved to Dublin a year ago (next Wed). I am a lot more active now and work less. I would never have walked an hour and 20 minutes to get home back home. It wouldn't have been a nice walk either. I would go for hour long walks but it is different when you are walking home from work. I can't really explain it, it just feels nice to be free to take the train or the the bus or walk home. I am not tied to a car. I also really like the topography here. I get to see the sea and "mountains" on a regular basis. Even though we live in the center of the city, in 30 minutes train ride, you can be out where it feels like the middle of nowhere. That was one thing I really missed about Chicago and loved about Minneapolis. In Chicago, you can be in a park but always hear the traffic. You have to drive on the freeway for at least an hour to get out of the the urban area. In Minneapolis, they have a couple parks that are along the river and have managed to be hidden away from traffic. I used to walk over to the park and spend hours by the river in the summer.

Let it Snow!!!

As I have mentioned before, the weather here has been unseasonably cold. In fact, it snowed three times this week! Tuesday it snowed for about 30 minutes over a couple snow falls (stopped then started again). It got heavy at times but none of it accumulated. It snowed during a presentation I was giving and I got distracted by my happiness at seeing it.

It also snowed a bit on Wednesday. Not very much, just flurries wandering around the sky. Still it was snow. Today it also snowed. It was the perfect snow. It was the big snowflakes that fall gently to the ground. They were fluffy and so white. If they actually accumulated, it would be the perfect snowball fight or snowman snow. When I got all excited and mentioned this to my mates, they laughed at me and looked at me like I was crazy, especially since it is March and supposed to be spring.

At first it didn't accumulate at all. While in the office, it started to snow harder and it actually stayed on the ground for over a minute. By the time I left work about 20 minutes later, there was a slight dusting that looked like frost. While on the bus I listened to a Chris Isaak version of "Let it Snow" because I was so excited about it. When I got home 30 minutes after that, it has switched to rain. :( Unfortunately I didn't have John's camera with me this week so I couldn't take any pictures of it.

In related weather news, it also hailed here at least twice in Feb. It has been strange weather lately. I wonder when it will start getting warmer. My mates have told me that frequently it is warm enough to not need a jacket on St. Patty's Day. That is only a fortnight away. That also means that in 2 weeks, John will be home in Dublin for good. Hurray!

brrrr

It has been pretty cold here for the past few days. Ok, by cold here, I mean it might be about 30 degrees F. Even though that isn't that cold compared to where I am from, the wind and dampness get into your bones and it is hard to warm up. My apartment heat isn't working very well. I have sweat pants and two shirts on with heavy socks. I am still not warm. My bedroom is a bit warmer because I keep the door closed and have a heavy duvet. I think I am going to go in there soon. Hopefully it will warm up soon.

Spring is coming, though. Days are getting longer here. It is still light about 6:00 PM and it is getting light about 7:30 AM when I walk Caineal. There are also some flowers sprouting up and buds on the trees.

weather

John and I are going to Barcelona for a long weekend in a couple weeks. When looking up the weather forcast for the month and averages, I noticed that weather.com also posted the length of the day for Dublin and Barcelona. John did more searching for me for Chicago. Anyway, here is the weather information for tomorrow for the three cities:

Chicago:
hours of sunlight: 9 1/2
Forecast high: 40 F
Forecast low: 30 F

Dublin:
hours of sunlight: 8 hours, 3 minutes
Forecast high: 48 F
Forecast low: 38 F

Barcelona
Hours of sunlight: 9 hours, 32 minutes
Forecast high: 53 F
Forecast low: 42 F

This hour and a half difference in sunlight between Chicago and Dublin could explain why I am having trouble adjusting back to the earlier darkness. I got used to an extra 1 1/2 hours of sunlight while I was home and I want it back.

It has also been rainy and dreary here. It was grey while home but not nearly as dark as here. I guess spring really is starting. When it is gray and raining, I remind myself that the actual amount of rainfall per year is higher in Chicago. It may rain more days here (not sure but guessing), but Chicago gets more quantity of precipitation. I don't know which is better...

spring is coming

Today as I was leaving work about 5:45, I heard at least two birds chirping. It was dark out and felt like winter, but the birds were chirping. I also heard some birds last week. Surely that is a sign of spring, right? The weather today was coldish. I think the high was about 40 Degrees F and the low about 30. When I looked at the weather this evening, weather.com said that it felt like 32 degrees. The highs this week are in the middle 40s. That is warmer, I think. Spring officially starts Feb. 1st I am told. The seasons aren't based on the soltices here. I still think that is strange but I guess it is just different. Actually, since the weather is getting better, I think I like it. But more importantly, it is getting lighter longer. It isn't as dark at 8:30 when I am walking the dog/going to work and it isn't totally dark until 4:45ish (was 4:00 in Dec.).