Back In Ireland

Strange being back in Dublin for the first time in more than a year. Though it's not actually that long, it has been my longest stint without being back home and it was a shock to the senses to feel just how cold it was. Of course complaining about sub 10 degrees weather just makes those I'm talking to scrunch their faces in a "what the f*** are you talking about" manner. The skin is peeling off the soles of my feet as I'm getting used to being back in shoes full time, and the faintest tan that I was cherishing on my toes will soon have vanished to be replaced by my usual year round pasty white. I'm dreading having to contact recruitment agencies over the next couple of weeks, trying to negotiate an interview for a job in London. As well as meeting up with family and the few remaining friends in Dublin, I've already watched the Royal Family Christmas special, dodged crowds of rowdy students on their way to Funderland, glimpsed rain-drenched Christmas lights through car windows and been abandoned by public transport in the freezing cold. Just like I never left.