There is something about bars and pubs in winter – they somehow manage to look very cosy and inviting, especially when it’s cold cold outside baby. I suspect this association could also well be forged from years of living in Ireland where I spent the evening every now and then with my friends at our locals (or elsewhere when mood struck us). Try as they may, they haven’t manage to make an Irish girl out of me yet. (I can mentally picture Dave’s tut-tutting at me for ordering only 7-up in Kennedy’s!)

Nonetheless, it didn’t stop us from having a good evening out, chatting and snacking while forgetting just how chilly it could get outside. Something I miss much is pub quiz sessions, where often the rounds would start well but as the quiz progresses, the results may also deteriorate, pending on the number of pints the quiz-goers have imbibed. They are always good laughs though, could get a tad competitive, but still remain in good humour.

I’m back in Wexford for a couple of days to see my family, and to say goodbye to the town that first hosted me in Europe. I spent only a couple of years there and yet I call it home more than I do with Dublin where I’ve live for just over a decade. Anytime that I need an escape from the city, off to Wexford I go. Unfortunately, it won’t be quite as easy in the future to do so. I won’t have just a couple of hours of bus ride to take, but I’ll have a couple of hours of flight to catch too.

The Sky & The Ground is a gastropub in town on the South Main St, which used to be the haunt of my uncle and I. I haven’t been there for a while now so I am not sure how they are doing nowadays. My uncle mentioned a while back that there was new owner to the place, but I can’t be sure if this is correct. Everything in my brain is a tad hazy right now. Not unlike the effect of this photo following the use of miniaturisation mode. ;)

Taking a break from going through all my worldly possessions (one really does accummulate without needing to give it much thought), I grabbed a late bus to Wexford for a wee bit of R&R. It may be viewed as running away or procrastination, I see this as an opportunity for some quality time with my family before my big move in a couple of weeks.

While things are still mostly bustling in Dublin, Wexford is another kettle of fish altogether. You do feel the recession here. Sure, Monday is traditionally a more quiet and subdued night, but the town felt dead in general. I was half expecting some tumbleweed to roll past me somehow. Maggie Mays may have live music this evening, but where is life heading for this country right now without a coherent working government in place?