Sandy

(Photo: Reuters/Gary He, via The Atlantic)

We emerged from Hurricane Sandy completely and utterly unscathed, so to say we consider ourselves incredibly lucky is an understatement. I thought this piece nicely captured New York after Sandy - we live in the completely normal part, up on our hill in the Heights, where the worst we experienced was the roof creaking ominously over our heads while the winds and rising waters wreaked havoc elsewhere in the city.

Today, like yesterday, we're working from home in our pyjamas, but it's hard not to be distracted by the stories and the photographs (also here and here), which bring a lump to my throat.

...so lucky.

Breeze

We've had plenty of visitors lately, providing us with ample excuse to walk the city and to visit the The High Line - the best place in the city to catch a breeze and a few snaps in this interminable heat!

a day in the sun

We ate cheese, walked by the river, had a little pick-er-nick and did some knitting (me) MIT OpenCourseWare (him), bought some more cheese, and walked home. What a glorious day!

Friday night lights

twenty-three | And the earth moved...

An earthquake in New York? Who'da thunk it?

ps. Apparently Californians find the East Coast reaction to today's earthquake hilarious.

twenty-two | life in time lapse

Sometimes I feel like my life is lived in time lapse, with anything between and week and 3 months between snapshots.

June | Québec City, Canada | Cirque du Soleil and Cirque du Cerveau

July | J+G, Begur, Toroella de Montgrí and Pals, Spain

July | Rossnowlagh, Co. Donegal, Ireland

July | Central Park, New York City

July | Birthday Carairinhas

August | Adirondacks

twenty | special

What a beautiful night.. Thank you, all!

seventeen

While the entire world was gripped with Royle Wedding fever, we spent last weekend wandering around New York, chilling out with our friend Richie. The weather was beautiful, so we checked out the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival in the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, enjoyed a few beers (at this fantastic beer store in Brooklyn), a yummy brunch in a new Harlem restaurant, followed by another leisurely stroll through Harlem and Central Park...










...all in all a great weekend, apart from a miserable dose of hay fever! And we had a much happier weekend than my poor mum, who had to deal with the stress and worry of terrible gorse fires that were threatening to encroach on our home. Thankfully some long-awaited irish rain finally seems to have brought them under control again. And some people question the reality of climate change!?!

six | Groundhog Day

Last night we enjoyed our fourth opera (of five) at the Met - a priceless wedding gift from Simon's uncle and aunt. How lucky are we?! The opera was Simon Boccanegra, and it was really fantastic, particularly the sets, which featured some superbly realistic lighting effects. I have to admit to being very uneducated with regard to opera before we were treated to our season passes, but with each one, my appreciation is growing in a way I would never have anticipated.

This morning we awoke to an ice storm. I have never seen one of those before - it was exciting enough to get me out of bed to take a picture... only of our fire escape though, I didn't brave it outdoors! The temperature rose significantly during the day, so when I went for a run this evening, I was constantly pelted with shards of ice falling from the trees. We're really getting put through the gamut of winter weather here this year.. I'm finding it very hard to believe Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck's predictions of an early spring!

Tonight I made a cake for a birthday celebration... I hope I can get a picture of it tomorrow before it disappears!

3:55:34

Not as fast as I had hoped, but not bad either. It's a whole week later now and my legs still aren't right!

August

August was a big one, with trips and visitors. Make a cup of tea and settle in for a long post!

It started with some crafting...

July

July was a killer, there's just no getting around it. I know I've moaned about it a lot already but the incessant, unbearable heat is the reason I have very little to show for July! In fairness, it genuinely was the hottest summer on record. We had to renege on our green/frugal principles and buy an air-conditioner (and use it, almost every night!). It really made me question whether I want to live in New York long-term.

Of course, that state of mind didn't last long... how could it, this is New York!? So what did we get up to (when not moaning about the heat)?

We picnicked by the Hudson on the fourth of July, and had a great view of the fireworks...

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We went to visit Manny in Baltimore, for beer, oysters, guitars, and Lars' awesome jalapeño cairirinhas. Indeed.

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...And there were birthday celebrations, brews, and old-school bowling. Happy days.