Morocco day 2; Ballooning

 For a truly special adventure today, we booked a hot air balloon trip! We had to get up at the crack of dawn, but it was absolutely worth it to be in the desert for sunrise. We watched the balloons being set up and inflated before taking off ourselves for a breathtaking 50-minute flight.
 Click here for the full 'ballooning' album.

Morocco day 1; Marrakech

Usually, we spend this time of year in the Low Countries, but this time we decided on an adventure in Marrakech, Morocco! These first pictures capture the essence of this bustling city: open-air butchers with cats patiently waiting for scraps, the iconic pink walls, donkey carts, and intricate geometric tilework. It is truly a feast for the eyes!

After exploring, we chilled for a bit on the rooftop terrace of our Riad before enjoying a delicious, authentic meal at Limoni restaurant.

Sport Statistics

2025 turned out to be a great year for cycling and swimming, with some big improvements over 2024! My running was down by about a third, but that was because I had to take a proper break to recover from an injury. The rest definitely paid off, though—running feels so much better now, and the best part is having way less pain the next day 😁

Year	Cycling			Running			Swimming
	km	hh:mm	kph	km	hh:mm	pace	km	hh:mm	kph
2016	2,300	89:01	25.8	1,364	119:45	05:16	54.4	21:24	2.5
2017	5,861	206:46	28.3	1,406	129:27	05:31	169.3	64:34	2.6
2018	1,780	73:42	24.1	918	81:11	05:30	22.6	08:47	2.6
2019	2,273	94:55	23.9	271	25:55	05:31	61.9	26:42	2.3
2020	2,202	89:01	24.7	593	55:13	05:35	34.6	13:44	2.5
2021	4,012	153:12	26.4	827	82:30	05:59	24.8	10:39	2.3
2022	3,501	130:13	26.9	870	86:06	05:56	55.0	23:10	2.4
2023	3,718	136:02	27.3	1,035	104:47	06:05	53.0	22:24	2.4
2024	3,894	148:32	26.2	1,047	107:23	06:09	57.4	25:02	2.3
2025	4,002	147:04	27.2	658	67:20	06:08	68.8	30:09	2.3

Post Christmas Run

It’s always good to run off some of the excess after all the festivities—even if it’s just to get a bit of fresh air and clear the head. I got a lucky bonus this evening, too: a beautiful sunset at the turning point. It was the perfect way to wrap up a busy couple of days.

St. Stephen's Day Party Restored!

After yesterday’s break from tradition, we brought back a massive favorite today. For the first time since COVID, we finally had our big St. Stephen’s Day party! Paula hosted everyone in Tullamore, and it was honestly so great to catch up with so many faces we haven't seen in a while. You can see some of the boy cousins in the photo below—it was brilliant to have the gang back together. Thanks Paula!

Christmas Day

 Breaking with tradition can be a breath of fresh air. This year, Giselle and Douwe didn’t insist on tearing into their presents at the crack of dawn Instead, the girls headed over to church in Killucan for mass with some of the Nugents (some over from Australia). . We ended up having a late breakfast and saved the gift-opening for afterward. It made for a much more relaxed and peaceful Christmas Day for everyone!

Last Club Spin

Despite breaking my chain halfway we had a great last club spin on the greenway!

Tea & scones halfway and Pints after we were finished, not our usually behavior but our last spin of the year was a good excuse!

Using a bit a AI Magic I created below picture 😁

A mad crowd, we all agree 🤪

Crann Calendar

Oh! I totally forgot, but I'd actually entered a photo competition run by Crann (that's Irish for 'tree'), an amazing organization that promotes planting native trees here. I didn't actually win any prizes, but I was absolutely thrilled to get the post from them today and find out that they sent me a copy of the calendar and their magazine! Plus, my photo made it into the 2026 calendar!

Christmas Decorations

Rudolf is back! He's sitting in his usual spot on the banister, keeping a watchful eye on the Christmas tree—which, by the way, Giselle and Douwe have once again decorated absolutely beautifully. The Christmas season has officially arrived!

Advent Calendar

For Douwe and Giselle, Christmas officially kicks off when the big reindeer advent calendar appears! It's our tradition to load those 24 drawers with a pair of chocolates for each day. This year feels a little different, though. Since they'll be at college for the first two weeks of Advent, they won't be here to grab those treats every weekday morning. Adulting means delayed chocolate gratification, I guess!