Month: December 2003

Wednesday, December 17, 2003

So I’m fascinated with medieval saints, enjoy reading Latin and Old Irish, and should probably have been born around 1900.



But there’s another part of me that’s a complete geek, and loves the latest gadgets and gizmos. And this is the part that’s having fun with my new camera phone.

The built-in radio is a simple but brilliant feature that turns my long walk to work into a much more pleasant experience, as I drift along Mary St in my own world of classical music.

The camera seems like a useless feature, but I’ve started using it to capture tiny moments that ordinarily I’d remark on to myself, and then promptly forget. Like the mad colours of the veggies on the Moore St market (shown), or a nice sunset over the Four Courts.

Looking back through the spontaneous pics, Dublin looks different and better than the pessimistic view I tend to have of it now. How’s that for a feature – ‘this phone makes you like your surroundings more’.

Wednesday, December 03, 2003

Last night I rode my bike through the Phoenix Park, on my way to Blanchardstown.

On the way up, at about 5pm, the light was fading, and a layer of mist was gathering on the grass. With the moon rising behind me, it was a lovely scene.

On the way back, at around 6:30, it was dark and very foggy. On the bike track along Chesterfield Rd, you couldn’t see the tarmac beneath your wheels, and the fog prevented you seeing the way ahead. The lights from cars coming the other way made things worse, creating a bright white duvet to ride into.

With my front light illuminating nothing but the fog, I just kept the bike straight and picked my way along. It was great. Across the road I could just make out the ghostly lights of cyclists on the other track. Even the tearoom close to the Parkgate St entrance was fogbound and scarcely visible.

As soon as I was out of the Park, the fog disappeared, and you’d never have known there was such adventure to be had.