Water's edge

Up early to get some work done. Glorious sunshine outside made me increasingly restless and anxious to get out for a walk, which I managed to do around 2.15. I drove out to Clontarf and parked short of the Bull Wall, planning to walk from there to the end of the breakwater and back again.

Some nasty-looking clouds had already come sweeping in as I left home, but they didn't seem too threatening. It could be described as 'bracing' as I walked along the seafront, but when I turned onto the Wall itself 'bracing' was no longer an adequate description. A ridiculously strong wind was blowing at right angles to the bridge, my coat tails were fluttering madly, blipping felt like taking my life into my hands as I struggled to stay steady ...

But I hadn't done at all well last week in terms of fitting in the walks I'm supposed to do every day, and I was determined not to let a little bit of wind put me off. Things got worse as I reached half way and began to wonder if I should cut my losses and turn back, but that felt that giving in, so on I went. The nasty-looking clouds were far from overhead, but still their rain was being blown across the bay, at a force which made the drops feel like mini hailstones as they hit. But still I persevered ...

Over an hour later, I was back at the car, hair ridiculously wind-blown, cheeks glowing from the effects of the wind, feeling ridiculously proud of myself for having made it all the way to the end of the Wall and back and far superior to the wimps I passed along the way who were sitting in their parked cars looking out at the elements.