My phone keeps taunting me.

“Do you want to see your memories from this day, two years ago?” it entices/goads me.

“Sure why not?” I sigh, ever the glutton for punishment, as the rain batters the window of my home office, where I’m curled up in the same jumper I’ve now worn for five days straight.

(I like to call this sustainable fashion. Others might say laziness.)

And there they are. The pictures of the reflecting pools of the Alhambra palace in Granada. The glass of chilled tinto de verano at sunset.

I spent two weeks travelling around Andalusia in Spain, with a quick spin up on the high-speed AVE train to see my best friend, who had recently moved to Madrid

The winding streets of Seville, where I can almost smell the orange blossom and spun sugar again. The bustling markets of Madrid. The blue skies and broad promenade of Malaga.

Two years ago, my husband and I spent two weeks travelling around Andalusia in Spain, with a quick spin up on the high-speed AVE train to see my best friend, who had recently moved to Madrid. In truth, it was a bittersweet pilgrimage, coming so soon after the loss of our first baby, Danann, the previous October. But the sun – and distractions – were welcome and planning our itinerary provided me with a little focus at a time when the foundations of my life had crumbled beneath my feet.

At that time, COVID-19 was still a few weeks away from hitting Ireland; and changing everyone’s life forever. And little did I realise that it would be a long time before I’d leave Ireland again; and that I’d have to make the most of that vitamin D for the foreseeable future.

What I also didn’t know – more happily – is that I was going to be blessed with a second child, our daughter Fallon, at the end of that year. A little girl who brings her very own sunshine to the darkest days. Who needs Spain after all?

[...] in this week’s Living Life, I’m sharing some of the best places we have stayed in Ireland since our little adventurer joined us

COVID-19 plus parenthood has meant a change in how we travel; and in this week’s Living Life, I’m sharing some of the best places we have stayed in Ireland since our little adventurer joined us. Thanks also to the readers who shared their excellent travel tips with me for this article; if you have great places in Ireland to recommend, please drop me a line at maria@farmersjournal.ie and we will try to feature them in our staycation series over the coming months.

In the meantime, there are plenty of other articles to get your teeth into in this week’s edition. Flavian Obiero tells us about his journey from growing up in Kenya to becoming a pig farmer in the UK. Janine Kennedy asks if there is a plant-based future for Irish farmers. Ciara Leahy looks at the challenges faced by women who experience hyperemesis in pregnancy. Anne O’Donoghue continues her housing series. And Ilka Denker talks to dentist-turned-artist Laura Freedman.

Wishing you a great week ahead; wherever you venture.