Downings Day
I awake at 6:30, read until it's light out, then take Paddy to Downings beach at 7:30. The morning light is so soft, the beach feels sacred.
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Then home to make breakfast for mom. Slab of wholemeal toast with avocado and fried egg. We head off for our day, first snapping a photo of Doe Castle, which is near our cottage.
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Mom goes for quite a long walk on Downings beach. She is struck by the beauty, the sunshine, the blueness of the sky, the shape of the clouds. She clearly feels invigourated by the sea.
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She isn't the only one. Beaches bring out the crazy in Paddy, who just wants to fetch a stick/ball/frisbee, preferably one thrown into the sea.
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I climbed up a dune to take one more photo before we thought about lunch.
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We head into Downings village and check out McNutt’s wool shop then lunch at a nearby cafe above the pier and small harbour. While mom checks out gift shops, I go into Downings Beach Hotel for my first internet since leaving Belfast—confirming mom tested negative. We went back to the beach, one closer to town, for a shorter walk.
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On the way home, stopped at Boardwalk Restaurant. Tea and mom's first Bakewell tart.
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Home. Dinner spinach and mushroom turnover for mom, curry chickpea for me (both from Camphill). I made a kale, mushroom and tomato fry up with pomegranate molasses. Watched a game show called Catch Phrase and the Chaser.
Mom is really enjoying Toast, a memoir by Nigel Slater. She said it's funny and sad at the same time. It's bringing back memories of foods she hasn't tasted in years.
Oct. 2