Back from my travels

I had a wonderful little trip to Northern Ireland to see my sister Emily, her fella Adam and their dogs, Pu-Ki and Trigger, in their new home. Donaghadee is such a beautiful little place. It's on the north-east coast of the Ards Peninsula and it has lovely shops and its own lighthouse.

Emily, me and Sally

The Donaghadee lighthouse

We went for a walk at the nearby Ballywalter Beach which is so very pretty, and we also visited the Ulster Folk Museum which was marvellous. People in period dress doing heritage crafts in actual olden buildings? Right up my cobbled street.

Em, Sal and Pu-Ki at Ballywalter beach

Pu-Ki

Me with Trigger

Now I've remembered how to use an airport I can't wait to go back because I have to go and see Giant's Causeway and the Tayto Castle. Also, I need to sample more of Northern Ireland's delicious baked goods. Never have I seen so many different cakes and buns. We went out for dinner one night at Harbour & Company in Donaghadee and I had the tallest, most fluffy lemon meringue pie I've ever had. So good.

I want to eat it again

I travelled back to Southampton with Sally and my nephew Dylan, and stayed a couple of nights with them.

Enca, Sally's cat

On the way home I called in to see my friend Zeb. We had a lovely few hours chatting and catching up, drinking tea and eating the most incredible banoffee cake that she baked for my visit.

Behold the baked banoffee brilliance!

Since I've been home I've mostly been saying random words in a Northern Irish accent and making more black and white beads. Every day I've added the previous day's beads to a strand and I've been walking about with them in my pocket. I love having a strand of beads to hand like that. They're comforting in a worry beads kind of way.

I'm not done with the black and white beads just yet. I'm enjoying making them too much to stop so please bear with me while I get them out of my system.

I separated the mega-strand above into four smaller strands, each consisting of nineteen beads and at the time of typing I have two strands left.

Each strand is enough to make a bracelet just as they are, or the addition of a few spacers or accent beads will give you a striking monochrome necklace.

The black and white beads can be found in my shop.