In the early Noughties I was working in Ireland, on a new pharma facility being built at Dun Laoghaire (try pronouncing that to an Irishman without making him fall to the floor laughing). I was renting an apartment nearby at Dalkey, an affluent suburb on the southern edge of Dublin. Pop stars and tax exiles lived there. Didn’t see any celebrities myself but one day, Mrs.L saw a Rolls Royce pull up outside the pub where she was having lunch and in came Van Morrison, who sat at the next table. Perhaps you are a fan of Van the Man, and would be interested in Mrs.L’s opinion of him. "Fat, loud and boring" was the summary, which I found a bit sad because ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ is one of my favorite songs. My apartment was small but had a fantastic sea view. At the bottom of the road was the most expensive house in Ireland, later rented by Matt Damon and his family when they were stuck in Ireland during the Covid pandemic.
Befitting an affluent suburb, Dalkey had many restaurants. The best, in my view, was a family-owned Italian restaurant. The founder must have been involved with the Italian armed forces, the walls were covered with photos of WW2-era airfields and airplanes, and also a portrait of the wartime leader himself, Il Duce. The Irish would have had no beef with him of course, the Free State was neutral in WW2. For me however, it felt quite strange eating a meal under the cold stare of Benito Mussolini.
The food was good and perhaps another reason we kept returning was that we were always offered a free limoncello at the end of the meal. These days, thanks to a very productive lemon tree in our garden, we can make our own. Mrs.L likes to do this before Christmas, so I picked these lemons today for her. The rest will stay on the tree until late January, when I’ll invite the neighbors around to take whatever they want.
What a delightful story - and are those strawberries? They look like they could be but the leaves aren't right. Love your composition and how lovely to have fresh lemons to pick
Brilliant backstory, Tim! Infinitely interesting. Your photograph of the lemons in their red basket with what looks like litchis? surrounding them is inviting and beautiful. Makes me want to reach through the screen and pick a couple, smell them. I love the smell of fresh lemon. 😊
(So sorry about Van! I met the band many many moons ago when I was travelling through California and he looked really good at that stage of his life.)
@busylady@cocokinetic The fruits of Arbutus unedo, the 'Strawbeery Tree', but not related. Very common here in gardens and in the wild, but they grow in the UK, @boxplayer recently posted a photo of the tree in London and I said I would show the fruits. Edible, photogenic, food for birds, but they make a real mess in your garden.
They are edible, used for jams and fruit cakes mostly.
@laroque
Ha! 😂 I love your comments. You’re spot on about that 70’s thing, and yes a Rolls Royce is a fair enough reward for the trials and tribulations of becoming an aging rock star.
Loved reading your story and wondering all the way to the last paragraph what the connection was with your lovely image. Your time in Ireland sounds as if it was very interesting. I hope Mrs S's Limoncello making is successful. How lovely to be able to do this with your own lemons. We have Brussel sprouts from our garden - not nearly as glamorous!
Gorgeous image and how lovely to be able to make your own limoncello from your own lemons. Fab story - the mighty do sometimes fall. And nice to see the strawberry tree fruit.
(So sorry about Van! I met the band many many moons ago when I was travelling through California and he looked really good at that stage of his life.)
They are edible, used for jams and fruit cakes mostly.
Ha! 😂 I love your comments. You’re spot on about that 70’s thing, and yes a Rolls Royce is a fair enough reward for the trials and tribulations of becoming an aging rock star.