The Emerald Smile

I think I'd like to go to Ireland; sooner rather than later. We had a nice Irish couple staying a few times over the course of the year, and I got to know them quite well. I mentioned how lovely it would be to take the family over for an explore sometime and they offered us the use of their spare room if we ever want to 'pop over for a stay with the little ones'. And when I say 'spare room' what I actually mean is a converted stables on their large country property in County Galway. They showed me some photographs and it looks beyond stunning. Rolling fields, an orchard, and a house that must have been used in dozens of location shots for movies already, and surely will be if it hasn't. The room we'd use, I'm sure, would have a five-star rating on any review site and could easily cost thousands of pounds a night, and 'it's yours whenever you want it'.
Some people really are lovely and help to cast off my depressing, cynical, hateful view of humanity (a bit). I have their details and I said I would love to take them up on the offer. So last night I tentatively raised the idea with Philippa then handed her my phone with the photographs on, and the way the smile spread across her face as she flicked through them, and the way her eyes widened as she thought about the possibility of being there was wonderful. I think she had expected me to show her a run-down, rusty, dingy caravan on the edge of someone's muddy field.
We had an excited conversation about it and we're looking at the Easter holidays, or possibly June next year. We can pull Mathew out of school again for a week, and if I get the request in soon with Gavin he doesn't really have any reasons to refuse it. If he can't get a stand-in manager sorted out for 9 months hence then there really is no hope for him.

RC 25-9-24