Stunning springtime view from Dublin's Three Rock Mountain

I couldn't decide on a particular piece of cultural commentary this week, so I thought I would just do a general May update - spring has finally arrived in Dublin, and everyone is oh so happy about it!

There are outdoor movies in Dun Laoghaire, the soft serve ice cream machine has arrived at work, and bare legs have begun to appear under skirts.

The view out my window has changed dramatically; we moved into our house in February, when everything was leafless and dead. All of a sudden our back garden is completely green (with weeds, if I’m honest) and I can barely see the Luas tracks through the big green leaves on our little tree. Also, some pretty blue flowers popped up overnight outside our front door! They must have been planted by a past tenant.

At the moment it’s grey and rainy out – which is good because I have a lot of household chores to get done today – but we’ve had some really beautiful, sunny days lately. I even got sunburned on a recent hike up Two Rock and Three Rock in the Dublin Mountains. All the trees are in full bloom, making my walk to work so colorful.

And I’ve started playing tag rugby. Danny was joining a team organized by one of his friends, and I tagged (heh) along. I played rugby for a year in college and absolutely loved the game. I’m a relatively small person though, so I usually came out worse for the wear after every tackle I attempted – therefore a contact-free version of the game was very appealing. And it’s so much fun!

I had no idea, but tag rugby is insanely popular here: most people I’ve spoken to about it have played at some point, and the league is extremely well organized. A cool feature of the game is that teams are required to be co-ed, and at least three women must be on the pitch for each team at any given time. Also, women get more points than men when they score a try, so it really encourages female participation (and discourages boys from hogging the ball).

The league we’re playing in at the moment plays on a turf field at UCD, and it’s just the nicest way to spend a Spring evening. A shower was finishing up when we arrived for our match last night, and the most vivid, intense rainbow I’ve ever seen shone over the pitch for a few minutes! It was positively neon.

In other news, I finally got my act together and contacted a choir that rehearses nearby and asked if they were taking new members any time soon. I really should have done this months ago, as choirs almost always break for the summer, but luckily I got in touch at the right time and was able to go for an audition last week. I haven’t heard them perform, and I had no idea how high their standard was, but I got a call a few days ago inviting me to join, hurrah!

Singing in a choir is something I’ve done for most of my life, and I just enjoy it so much, so I’m thrilled that I’m going to be able to have that back in my life now. Judging by their photo on their website, there aren’t many members of this choir under 60, so hopefully I’ll make friends with some nice old ladies who will invite me over for home-cooked dinners, mmm!

Another American friend of mine is arriving for a visit tomorrow, and I have so many lists of places I want to take her and restaurants I want us to eat at and walks I want us to do, etc., that I have no idea how we’re going to fit it all in. I’m so excited for her visit, and I’m also looking forward to my own upcoming trip home in early June. Time flies.

I hope you’re enjoying your own city’s emergence into spring, wherever you are!