Never ending winter #MicroblogMonday

A friend shared this image with me recently and it made me chuckle. The weather has been so up and down lately. We had some quite warm days the other week where it even reached 17 degrees (62 Fahrenheit) and was lovely and sunny! I noticed lots of flowers had started to bloom - pretty snow drops and crocuses, and I started getting my hopes up that the coldest winter days were already behind us.

However it all changed again and now today it's a chilly -2 (28 Fahrenheit) with a bitter wind. There was even some snow falling yesterday! I am very much ready for winter to be over and for Spring to arrive.

Christmas in Ireland

We made it over to Ireland for Christmas 2022! The last time the whole family were together was Christmas 2019 prepandemic. It was so lovely to see everyone again. Since we are a big group (with 5 grandkids) we decided to go to Center Parcs in Longford for 5 days over the Christmas period. That worked out really well. We stayed in two lodges beside each other, around a ten minute walk from the "village". Most of the restaurants there have play areas for kids which is great.

Loads of the activities had booked out super fast unfortunately but my Dad still managed to book the Santa experience for us which worked out really well. Mini was a bit shy and barely answered him but we got some nice photos. They have a lovely spa at Center Parcs in Longford and really big indoor pool. The Christmas decorations around the forest were beautiful. So the whole thing felt really Christmassy.

Pizza night!

Spending time with her cousin

We went to the Jungle Book pantomine in The Gaiety theatre one afternoon and another day we went to a fun fair in Dun Laoghaire. We also met up with several friends and spent time with relations. So nice to see people after 3 years! Unfortunately my sister and her family came down with a bad cold/flu during our trip so there were several days we weren't able to meet. That happened with some of my friends too. Then hubby also got a cold towards the end of our stay. (and myself a few days later!)

Overall though it was a wonderful visit and I felt sad saying goodbye to everyone. Hopefully we'll be able to plan lots more trips over to Ireland this year though!

5 things I love about Christmas

Spending time with family and friends
Without a doubt, for me the best part of this season is spending quality time with loved ones. Hubby and I typically take turns spending either Christmas or New Years with each other's family and it's always so nice to spend that time together. Considering the fact that I live hundreds of miles and overseas from my family in Ireland, this makes the time we do spend together even more special. Now at some point we will choose to stay at our house in Germany and create new traditions around that but in the meantime we'll be enjoying going back and forth between our relations. 

Creating your own traditions 
I love the fact that everyone can decide for themselves what traditions they would like to uphold. For instance with my family in Ireland we have taken to wearing our silly Christmas jumpers and taking funny pictures. We'll also play games like trivial pursuit or Cluedo and watch Christmas movies. Or maybe we'll spend all morning in our winter pajamas. The nice thing is, anything goes! I've written a bit about our traditions in Ireland versus Germany before.

The food
Ah the food, the glorious food....! Germans don't do mince pies and that's one thing I really miss each year so when we make it over to Ireland we'll go crazy eating them and buying some to bring back to Germany. (Hubby loves them now too!). Heated mince pies in custard or cream are even more delicious. The Christmas dinner itself is also yummy. We typically serve turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, Brussels sprouts, roast vegetables, roast potatoes...And because it's the holidays, there's always an excuse to eat lots and lots of chocolate.

The Christmas spirit
This time of year it's nice to make an extra effort to think of others less fortunate. There are usually collections for Christmas hampers where you can donate food items in the supermarkets and at work. You can give to charities and/or visit your local nursing home. Now of course people can do charitable things all year around but I'm often busy with various things and this time of year really reminds me to stop and do something nice for others. 

Being off work
I like my job but it's still work and it is nice to have time off to relax and regroup! The way Christmas and New Year's fall means you can usually end up with two whole weeks off without having to use up too many of your annual leave. 

Honorary mentions - all the Christmas parties and get-togethers - it's a nice excuse to catch up with friends before the end of the year. Germans celebrate Christmas like no other with their wonderful markets - they are really beautiful.

Those are the first five things that came to mind.. What would make your list? Maybe I'll follow up with the five things I *don't* enjoy about Christmas, haha...

Blue Monday survived #MicroblogMonday

So apparently today, the third Monday in January, is known for being the most depressing day of the year for a lot of people. That's why it has therefore been nicknamed, "Blue Monday"! Probably due to some of the following reasons:

• The weather is usually crap. Here it's been cold, grey and dark.


• Everyone is still broke after Christmas and there's another week to get through before pay day.


• January can be a bit dull. There isn't much happening after the Christmas party season and most people are detoxing and off the booze now anyway.


• Plus if all that isn't bad enough, it's a Monday!

Actually my day wasn't too bad. Not any worse than most Mondays! The GerMann and I have booked a one week sun holiday for mid February so it helps having that to look forward to!

Did you survive Blue Monday?

Winter wonderland

You know you are addicted to blogging when you go out for a walk in the cold with the sole purpose of taking photos for your blog! I awoke today to find a beautiful winter wonderland. On opening the blinds I must admit my first reaction was actually "Oh no, it's snowing!" Last year we had snow in Germany for months and I was completely fed up with it by the end! It also caused me to miss my flight home for Christmas, so I now have cooler feelings towards the fluffy white stuff.

Up till now the winter here has been lovely and mild.Similar to an Irish winter but without all the rain. That is the kind of winter I prefer- cold but dry with fantastic blue skies. Here's some photos I took last week.

However there are Artic winds coming to Germany this week and the weather is about to get A LOT colder. As low as -15 degrees even! Elderly people are being advised to stay inside. I was actually surprised at the number of them I saw out and about just now, many even cycling, ignoring the advice and not looking too bothered. Lots of very active pensioners over here!

Despite my initial negative reaction on seeing the snow outside, there is something really beautiful and majestic about a blanket of pure white snow everywhere. It is so lovely at this stage before it gets all mucky and icy!