Bank holiday weekend in Ireland, perfect time to catch up with mary beard’s Meet the Romans on BBCFOUR. No one can bring ancient Romans to life like Mary Beard can. Refreshing to hear about the lives of ordinary citizens: what they did for living, their dwellings, names.

Caught the first breath of autumn chill on my walk through the War Memorial Gardens in #Dublin today.

My mind keeps drifting back to the news of Aldina Jahic’s murder in Mostar. She was a bright, shining star, a young woman who was going places. A terrible, terrible end. n1info.ba/english/news/m…

On my mind today: people who move through the world with presence. Hands -on, attentive, able to look around and immediately sense what needs doing and who needs support. The ones who steady others in a crisis, bring people together. I wish I am that kind of person.

I love Brendan Behan’s line: “Listen with some more ears!”—meaning you’ve misheard me :-) #amreading his collected short prose, my Christmas present.

Picked up Totally Dublin mag at ContainerCoffee, hot chocolate in hand, and followed Anthony to the bench outside, in the shadow of the old windmill. We sat wondering at what hour on New Year’s Day Guinness changes the year on its gates. When will the 5 be painted over by a 6.

Browsed Netflix for a good while before deciding what to binge today. It’s a quiet, sleepy day, and I’m feeling a bit tired. So The Crystal Cuckoo it is, the “small town with secrets” genre with eerie folk-horror elements. Might be just the right thing.

Brendan Behan’s mother: “I’d like to see Paris before I die.” Behan’s father, in response: “Not much chance of seeing it afterwards!” 🤣🤣🤣 #irishwit

The moon is nearly full, moving slowly in the sky, above the roofs and the tree branches. A woman walking ahead of me stops to take a photo. On her phone camera, the moon is big—mouth-openingly bright and round. On mine, it is only a tiny dot, easily mistaken for a street lamp.

If you’re in Dublin, the Picasso: The Studio exhibition at the National Gallery of Ireland is worth a visit! The mix of paintings, sculptures, and ceramics is impressive, showcasing Picasso’s range and imagination up close.

The record player needle got stuck mid Bill Evans, one fragile jazz phrase looping into itself. We’d just bought the vinyl, how did we manage to scratch it already! Anthony reached for the dust sponge, swept the record gently until the music stretched forward again, flawlessly.