I was planning on visiting Ireland until mid-May when I thought Brussels might be my next destination, only to be told one evening that the hotel was closing the next day!

To be fair to the hotel, they said they were aware of my ‘Luxurious Nomad’ lifestyle and so if I needed another couple of days to get things sorted, they would stay open just for me – I thought that was lovely of them.

So, I decided to make a return visit to Scotland – packing up my gazillion suitcases, getting everything loaded into Baby Jaguar, and headed for the ferry terminal at Larne in Northern Island – about four and a half hours away – just in time to catch the last ferry to Scotland.

It was at least encouraging to see a rainbow from my balcony before I left…

Driving along the highway was surreal… and at this multi-lane automated toll booth, not one other single vehicle – not one…

…and this ominous sign getting closer…

I also thought it strange to see strips of rain only falling in shards…

…but with my trusty travel bear, Montesquieu, I continued…

I have dreadful night vision, so was going to have to sleep in my car when I landed in Scotland as it would already be dark, but thankfully a dear friend said they would fly over to Belfast, I could collect them there, and they would drive us back up.

These are the images of a usually busy airport he sent to me…

We met up at a tavern near Larne, and Baby Jaguar was sitting alone in the parking lot…

…then off to the ferry…

Just in case you haven’t taken one of these, they are HUGE vessels – more the size of an ocean liner than what one would normally call a ferry…

…and you can see from the massive queue behind us just how empty it was!

There were in total seven cars only on the crossing.

We finally arrived just before 1:30AM… and the following morning looked like this…

I was encouraged to see this tree – it had washed down the loch in the last storm before I left, but now is actually growing!

…despite it being completely submerged at high tide each day!

Who knows what the future will hold for any of us, but I wish to each of you, my friends, a safe, healthy, and happy transition through this extraordinary time.

Sending love and prayers…

~ Bella

Exploring Ireland's Rugged West Coast

March 10, 2020 1

My darling pseudo-daughter, Bethany (she is actually the daughter of dear friends, but I have stolen her) came to visit with me during my stay in Ireland and we have been exploring, mostly by simply driving around and seeing where my beloved Baby Jaguar took us! This is Kylemore Abbey. …

Shoot for the Moon...

May 4, 2020 3

One of my favourite quotes is by Mr Les Brown: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars."  I was thinking about that last night when I took these photos... as well as each and every person who is dear to me... it…