Brrrr. That’s the vibration from my mobile phone. Anne has just texted me. “You should check rue Princesse for today’s pic.” Have I told you just how wonderful my friends are? They are keeping an eye out nowadays for anything that may be of interest to me and send tips my way. She was, however, being mysterious. It means I do need to check this out myself.

As soon as I turned into rue Princesse, I couldn’t stop giggling. And silently thanking her for knowing me this well. Two French rugby jerseys in gigantic size are hung over the street, reminding everyone that France is still in the game and on path to compete for the Webb Ellis Cup. They would have to defeat Wales tomorrow to be in the final, against either Australia or New Zealand. Nailbiting stuff!

Ps: France fell at the last hurdle, losing the Rugby World Cup by 1 point to New Zealand on 23 October.

The home to Irish rugby in Dublin reopened last summer in the form of Aviva Stadium. I don’t know if I can even label it as an reopening per se, because truly, the old Landsdowne Road Stadium was demolished before this new glassy structure was put on site as replacement. It is, in essence, a brand new stadium, with the seating capacity doubled in comparison to the old stadium. Pretty impressive.

However, I am more charmed by the row of red brick houses along Landsdowne Road. Unlike many parts of south Dublin inner city, where Georgian architecture dominates the landscape, these houses are Victorian. The bricks used and stacked form much of the exterior styling and embellishment. No frivolous carvings, no fancy columns, no unessential portico. Perhaps I simply have a soft spot for red bricks – they look natural and timeless, no repainting required.