Chasing the Winter Solstice Sunrise

Hello lovelies!

So today is the 21s of December which marks both 4 more sleeps to Christmas and Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I always find that both Winter and Summer Solstice tend to fly by unnoticed so this time my sister and I decided to get up early and try get a few snaps of the sunrise.

Getting up at 6:30AM. Not a good idea. 

Happening to spill a bucket of paint in the shed whilst trying to get  out the bikes. Also not a good idea.

However after a dead quite, pitch black bike ride through the empty village we set up the camera and waited for the sunrise to begin. 

And then it was time to brave the cycle home with defrost the fingers and toes with a warm cup of tea.

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx

Through my iPhone: Howth Head

Hello lovelies!

On Friday my aunt and uncle finally had their visa application to live in the US approved which is fantastic since they had been preparing and toing-and-froing with the embassy for over 6 months, so it's definitely well deserved. Sadly, on the other hand, they'll be moving over to the US while myself and my sisters are away in San Francisco and we won't be seeing them again until Christmas :(

To celebrate and also share our last goodbyes we all went out to a lovely thai restaurant called Mao in town and then for some froyo afterwards ;) After dinner my dad decided to go on an impromptu road trip out to the coast to Howth Head and walk along the pier. As I frustratingly didn't have my proper camera with me I tried my best to get in some good shots with the trusty iPhone!

I'm just so graceful I know. Thanks Eimear for taking about 5 photos of my bum!

 Top- Pennys

Jeans- River Island Amelie Jeans

Shoes-Zara

Necklace- Brandy Melville

 Forget 'legs or sausages' on the beach, I'll settle for sitting on the pier wall.

How beautiful does the sky look? We were really blessed with the weather last night and it stayed relatively warm, by Irish standards, for the whole night so we could walk around and explore until dark. I know everyone complains about the weather in Ireland but let me tell you, if you can catch the Irish coast on a nice day you're in serious luck.

Thanks for reading,

Ciara xx

Sunday Morning Hike at Glendalough

Hello lovelies!

So I have just sat down with a cup of raspberry and cranberry tea after a shower and a long morning of hiking. Usually to keep fit (ie still fit into my jeans) I go on the cross trainer everyday for a bit but last night I realised that no matter how many episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashians I watched to keep me distracted whilst enduring 30 minutes of hard breathing exercise really is quite boring. So in order to spice it up a little bit I suggested going for a bit of a hike with my parents in the mountains of County Wicklow.

Glendalough really is a beautiful area and if it's a nice day I would recommend it to anyone who was looking to waste a few hours exploring the countryside  This morning at 8 o'clock however, it was cloudy, cold and frosty, the way I like it.

I thought I'd show you a few of the photos I took whilst we were here. Be warned I've tried my hand at playing with the contrast and saturation so they may seem a bit rough ;)

We passed this poor chap puffing his way up the mountain as we were on our way down. It seems he finally got to the top. 

We were also lucky enough to run into two of the locals.

We spent a good 3 hours hiking up the back of the mountain surrounding the lake, coming back down to cross the valley and walk home along the black coloured water. It's a great workout for anyone who like me, gets bored quickly of the gym and doing the same exercises over and over again. Plus getting out in the fresh air and appreciating how gorgeous Ireland can be is a reason in itself. 

The only thing I would suggest is to wear lots of layers, especially if you're going up in the morning or it's a windy or cloudy day. You work up a sweat quick enough but as soon as you stop for a break you'll start to feel the chill.  

Thanks for reading,
Ciara xx