Pete and Lilly

Pete and Lilly,
originally uploaded by skyring.

I had dinner tonight in Dublin with a beautiful young lady. The absolute highlight of my trip so far.

A cold, rainy day in Dublin. Overcast as my plane pulled in, and barely more than mist when I checked into my hotel, and when I went out shopping for emergency underwear, to tide me over until my baggage arrived I felt kind of special, because all the locals were clad in heavy jackets. Waving umbrellies mostly.

And I was wearing a short sleeved shirt. Tough Aussie takes on Irish weather and wins. I was striding along the street, sneering at all these pansies in hoods and leather and fur.

But the mist became drizzle and the Dublin streets turned into winter. Eventually I was pretty much forced into buying some Arctic explorer gear to ensure I'd get back to my hotel.

And getting back was vital. I had a date with a delightful young lady, and her daughter. Oh, and a bloke who had some minor involvement.

Seriously, it was extremely kind of SirRoy and Yokospungeon to drive all the way into the centre of the city where parking was non-existent, on a cold night, just to say hello.

I couldn't stop smiling with happiness. These are two of the sweetest, warmest, funniest people I know, and their freshly-hatched daughter has chosen her parents well.

It was so good to see them come in through the door, SirRoy hefting a massive multi-featured stroller up the steps. I had eyes only for the infant inside. She was fast asleep from the car ride, wrapped up tight against the cold in something fresh from this season's fashions for the modern miss.

I didn't have the gifties I'd selected in Canberra a few days ago - they were on their way from Singapore - but instead I handed out Tim-Tams, which seemed to go down well.

We had drinks and chippy meals in the lobby. I was given a book and hugs were exchanged, to be passed on to BookCrossers around the world. I've got a list somewhere.

And all too soon they were off again, facing a long drive home.

Best part of all was getting to hold Miriam Lilly. Looking at the picture, I think I need some fine-tuning. It used to be that I could pick up a baby and it would just fall into the right position.

Thanks, SirRoy and Yoko. Seeing you absolutely made my day.