The time has come to start saying goodbye to what has been our 'hood' for the last 5 years. I don't want to be too sentimental about it.. but I can't escape the feeling completely. I did realise very well yesterday afternoon that it was my last commute from Dublin to Greystones on the 84X... that I wouldn't be cycling/racing down the hill any more to make it for the 8.30 AM Dart because I missed the last bloody (...) expresso. Commuting will change; the girls' crèche will change... Sophia will start school not long after we will have moved but most of all, our direct environment and neighbours will change. And now, two days before we will get the keys to our new house - our own house - I realise more than ever that we have had a fabulous time in Delgany; not just because of its location, right between mountains and sea, but mostly because of the lovely people we have met during these 5 years.
In Dutch we have this saying 'beter een goede buur dan een verre vriend' which translates to something like 'a near neighbour is better than a far-dwelling kinsman' and that has proven to be right once more. Our close neighbours, the people in our estate, the people we met after our two baby girls were born, the mums, the playgroups, the crèche and even the Dutch/Irish contacts... It's only 15 minutes further down the country, so you know what: I just hope to stay in touch with you all! So no goodbye, but, see you soon!
