-- I'm back! I wasn't really itching to get home again, but neither am I disappointed to return. That's probably the mark of good balance: happy to have been there, happy to be here now.

-- When I got back, my mom had left a vase of tulips on my kitchen table (along with this one on my window sill). But, even better, she also left a pack of broccoli seedlings and one of cauliflower as well. Yes!

-- I really want to jump in and start getting the gardens ready for planting, but there's so much work to do. What I need is a truck; I have to get some lumber for building new raised beds and landscaping fabric and bags of soil. I also need somewhere to put all the sod I'm going to rip up. I'm not sure how those of you who live in milder climates get any major gardening projects done; I need a solid four or five months of being trapped indoors to work up the energy for this stuff.

-- I really am going to start making an effort to post more often from now on. Really for REAL. I think that means, strangely enough, spending much less time looking at internet computer websites and more time DOING things that I can tell you about. Starting. . . now!

Hello, friends from the internet! Would you believe that Rob was teasing me yesterday for picking a ToffeeCrisp for my afternoon treat (while he had a KitKat), saying that they're 'for kids'? And then today, as I headed out to pick up fizzy drink and crisps for our lunch, he requested Hula Hoops. But then I put the Hula Hoops of my fingers. Oh well.

We're leaving Ireland tomorrow, headed back for the marginally sunnier shores of England. Well, not shores. Middle-of-the-country bits. During the week that we've been here, we had about one full day of sunshine (broken into parts) and many days of gloom and rain. One carries on, though.

Yesterday, we took the train down to Waterford, which, while it was interesting and had a great big book shop, strikes me as the sort of place that would seem a bit grim even on a sunny day. I've seen much nicer estuaries. But they make nice crystal there, and the train down is Very Modern, so it was a good trip, all in all.

Next week: Oxford! Meeting author-friends! Book fairs! London! Seeing my pals! And more!

Oh dear, etc, etc. I seem to have forgotten about posting more often AGAIN. I do have an excuse, though -- I'm currently in Ireland. And to get here, I had to first go to the UK. And we have an meager internet allowance here; did you realize it's possible to have a time limit on broadband? It is!

Despite the brand new kitchen (which is fabulous in a brand-new sort of way), the house in Ireland is great for having all sorts of decor you wouldn't really expect to see these days. Like this fireplace. And the bed above, which is the room I stay in. Rob's parents bought this bungalow in the town where his mum grew up, and he says he remembers a lot of the bits and pieces from when he was growing up -- they've just migrated here, I guess.

In the three days we've been here, we've had two days of sunshine, which is rather unexpected. Today is cloudy, but I swear I can just about see sunshine trying to break through. I've had ginger biscuits and a potato waffle. There was a minor tea-mergency when I discovered that a leak in the kitchen (found and repaired shortly after the remodel) had left all the tea boxes crowded with mold. But A) luckily, I carry tea with me in my bag, so I was able to remedy the situation until B) we picked up a giant box of Bewley's in this gorgeous Orla Kiely tin. Hooray!

Okay, okay, I know I JUST said I was going to start making more of an effort around here, and then I scampered off without actually doing anything about it. But I do have good intentions. And today, I have not only an example of craft to share, but -- quite possibly! -- the chintziest craft I've ever indulged in. See:

I collected these shells from the beach on Sanibel Island, when my mom and I were in Florida in February. I always had the plan to make a simple sailor's valentine with them, but, like most things I do, it took a while to actually make progress from plan to action. The wooden plaque was about a dollar, the white paint even less, and the model cement I used to glue on the shells was about two bucks.

Is it me, or is there something about the magic of the seaside that totally permits the cheesiness of this kind of thing? I hope it's not just me...

My mom found these sand dollars (yes, they were already dead) on Fort Myers Beach. I'm still sort of missing that vacation, but I think I can cope, as I'll be on a plane to London by the middle of this coming week. Oh yes -- apart from the consecutive hours of utter motionless that account for most of my days, it's all go here!

P.S. -- I've already wished it to him in person (well, over-the-internet-in-person), but happiest of all the happy birthdays to Rob!