The design is pleasing to the eye with its excellent affordability.

We’d offered to have them stay with us in this three-bedroom house, but they insisted they wanted their visit to be easy for me, knowing how much fussing I could do. Instead, we’ll make lunch when they arrive.

We met them on a cruise in November 2017 and have stayed in close touch since that time. We spent most days and nights together after completing the Rendezvous Bar for the Captain’s Club complimentary cocktails between 1700 and 1900 hours, 5:00 and 7:00 pm. We had such fun together and built quite a bond.

Tom and I and Lisa and Barry, friends we look forward to seeing tomorrow at noon.  For the link from the day this photo was taken, please click here.

While in South Africa, we had the most opportunity to see old friends than anywhere else in the world. We feel so fortunate to have met such lovely people in our travels. The excitement we feel about seeing our friends again is indescribable.  

But, here in Ireland, we didn’t expect to see anyone. In this remote location, it’s not easy to make new friends, especially when we haven’t been out much due to my recovery and the recent inclement weather.  

Also, a 90 day period in a remote location doesn’t allow enough time to build relationships, although South Africa was a rare location.

We’ll only stay at this property for 11 nights, and thus, the smaller size is okay for us for this short period.

We’ve arranged with Ann, our excellent cleaner whom we ran into at the grocery store today with her husband Michael, to come tomorrow at 8:30 am instead of the usual 9:00 am. By noon she’ll be done, and the house will look spotless and ready for guests.

It will be so enjoyable to catch up with Lisa and Barry. A lot has happened for both couples in the past few years, and no doubt, we’ll have plenty of stories to tell. They, too, are avid travelers. Barry is an airline pilot, which provides them with plenty of opportunities to fly worldwide.  

They are 20 years younger than me (not so much Tom, who is five years younger than I am), which is often the case with friends we’ve made. But, those 20 years are negligible and unnoticed in conversation and interactions.

In many properties we’ve booked, the bedrooms are located upstairs.

Today’s photos of the property in Monmouthshire, Wales is the last of the four-holiday homes we booked for the 62-nights upcoming in the UK beginning on August 23, 2019, and ending on October 24, 2019, when we’ll board Celebrity Silouhette in Southhampton for a 15-night transatlantic cruise, ending in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

John, the fish guy, stopped by yesterday with his truckful of freshly caught fish. We purchased Euro $50, US $56.47 of a variety of fish, including two types of smoked fish, which need to be reheated.  

Tom’s not much of a fan of eating fish, except for lobster or fish and chips, so I’ll be eating this on my own for several meals. We had to freeze multiple portions, which I’ll have at a later date since we’ll be dining out with Lisa and Barry both Thursday and Friday evening.

When booking holiday rentals throughout the world, particularly in or near busy cities, it’s often difficult to find houses or cottages. Generally, the most affordable properties are apartments, condos, and townhouses.

As we perused available countryside properties in England, we found many were a part of a grouping of converted buildings, including houses, barns, and other outbuildings. We have no problem with these types of properties.

The living room/lounge in the Falmouth cottage.

Avoiding apartments prevents or reduces being subject to the sounds of loud footsteps, doors opening and closing, and cabinets being slammed shut. Also, we avoid the noise of parties, loud talking, and a general lack of privacy.
Then, you may ask…why in the world would we like cruising when it feels as if we’re staying in a floating apartment? For us, cruising is a multi-faceted experience resulting in spending little time in the cabin.  

The social life we enjoy aboard a ship is outstanding! Some passengers order room service and spend a portion of their day in their cabin. Not us. As soon as we’re up and showered, we are out the door, only returning if we require a short nap or get ready for dinner.

The kitchen appears to be modern and fully equipped.

In most cases, on cruises, we spend most of our days (when not on tours) in the barista/coffee area, comingling with other guests, working on our posts handling any business or financial matters on hand.

It’s a short walk to the town of Falmouth for shopping and restaurants.

With a great VPN (a virtual private network) such as ExpressVPN, we can avoid other Wi-Fi users having access to any of our details and information. We feel entirely safe and protected logging in to any of our financial accounts and bank.

When off the ocean or river, we always prefer to live in houses where we can enjoy privacy and our routine, unencumbered by the needs of others.  

While searching in England recently, we encountered a few properties, but that included a shared laundry. This is highly undesirable for us. With our small inventory of clothing, we often wash every second or third day.  

Fantastic view from the cottage’s veranda.

We don’t want the hassle of waiting for an available washing machine and hanging clothing outside in a busy area. As we read details on the properties we selected, we entirely avoided these scenarios for which we paid a deposit.

We’re comfortably situated here in Ireland in a lovely private home, a distance from the owner’s home, with gorgeous green vegetation and ocean views. We’re reminded how important a secluded environment is to us.

Soon, we’re on our way to Carna for a few items we need for tonight’s dinner, and then tomorrow, we’ll do our extensive grocery shopping and a visit to the pharmacy for more bandages for my leg.

Have a pleasant day and evening. 

Photo from one year ago today, June 4, 2018:

Soon, there were nine until the tenth arrived. At this point, the three warthogs were on the scene; a mom, an auntie, and a tiny baby. For more photos, please click here.