Our weekend in The Emerald Isle

It is so easy to fall in love with the countryside. Simply because there are so many things to love.

At the break of dawn, the farmyard comes alive - the cockerel rouses everyone from their slumber, donkeys nuzzle into the grass, scouring for leftover foodscraps, chickens cluck restlessly in their henhouses, waiting to be fed.

Yet, despite the cacophony of animal noises, it feels peaceful. It is a refreshing change of sights and sounds for city folk like us.

And the house we put up at for the past 2 nights - it is a house to love.

Drumbeagh House, County Cavan

They say a man's home is his castle. For Michael and Carolyn Lane (Andy and Meiling's parents), Drumbeagh House (pronounced as 'Drum-baaa') would certainly be their royal residence. It wasn't the tidiest, nor the most spotless of houses, but it was warm and cozy and I fell in love with it. Completely.

From the hand-polished stone walls, the mishmash of holiday memorabilia that bedecked the shelves and dangled from wooden beams, the house extensions that were meticulously planned and constructed from scratch, to the assortment of happy, smiley family photos found at every corner of the house - each bore evidence that this was a much-loved home.

It certainly was a good holiday. We ate well, guzzled too many pints of Guinness and mugs of tea, chatted late into the night.

Unlike our other holidays, we didn't plan an itinerary, nor did we set any objectives for the weekend. We weren't there to see the sights or do touristy things. In fact, our only aim was to plant an apple tree. And that, we achieved. We did things at a leisurely pace, taking time to appreciate the quiet rustic life instead.

This trip was also more for us to spend time with our dear friends, Andy & Meiling.

We'd always said we would visit their house in Ireland before returning to Singapore. We wanted to leave our 'mark' at their place, something distinct to help them better remember us by. That's how we came up with the idea of planting an apple tree in their garden.

I guess that's what made it all the more important for us to make this last trip to Ireland. To plant our 'friendship tree' and thank the Lanes for being great friends, and an integral part of our lives in the UK. We will remember fondly the roadtrip to Cambridge, camping in Kent, exploring St Albans, playing with firecrackers, enjoying the summer sun at Dunstables, the numerous coffee and makan sessions...

It felt surreal, planting those trees. I couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness as we lowered the sapling into the muddy earth. What was supposed to mark a new beginning felt more like a final goodbye. All those months talking about planting those trees, and we were finally doing it.

I sighed a lot over the course of the holiday. By the end of it, I'd accumulated a sizeable cloud (think Moses) - some were sighs of contentment, others were just... heavy breathing perhaps? I love to kid myself.

But thank God for tea! Each mug delivered the warm comfort I needed. My 'hug in a mug', Andy jested.

I took 200-odd snaps in the course of 2 days. I didn't care. I want the photos to tell a story in years to come.

The trip has left me somewhat pensive. That night, as I lay awake, curled up in my London bed, I couldn't shake off those feelings.

And now, all I want is for them to go away.

(For full set of photos, view 'em here)

Stairway to Michael Lane's 'Faeryland',
lined with wild primroses