I must beg your pardon, if you’re still here. I can’t even believe how long it has been since I’ve had a minute to breathe, let alone write and research. It turns out that the greedy landlord problem is growing on both sides of the puddle – and I have recently been a victim of it myself. I lived in the same place for nearly two decades until this month when I was forced out of what might have been the last affordable place in the Bay Area.

As you can probably imagine, this involved a whole lot of purging, overwhelming panic, and insane amounts of boxes. Picking through two decades (and three bedrooms) to downsize into an attic room has been challenging to say the least, and it has obviously taken all of my time and energy. There hasn’t been much left over for this blog lately and I truly regret that. This is the project I love best and the I look forward to a new routine that will allow for more time here again, once the chaos subsides a little. I am lucky enough that I have some wonderful friends to help with the real word stuff – but this blog is all me so it may take some time to settle in again.

To that end, I am headed back to Ireland in just a few weeks, even though I have no business doing so. My brain just needs its happy place and some more inspiration while it takes a break from the move and the huge change of lifestyle and location so I’m headed to my heart’s home. I could maybe have picked a better time, given that I’ll be near the border come the date of Brexit but hey, perhaps I’ll have a modern day story or two to write about when I get home. So if any of you are still on the island and you’d like to meet in real life, or if you have any suggestions about music, food, and places along the Wild Atlantic Way from Donegal to Cork let me know. I’ll be spending the first few days in the town I love so well (Derry) and the last few in Dublin so if you’re in either place, give a shout. Otherwise, a thousand apologies for the extended break – hopefully things will be better and more productive from here on out.

xxx