BEACH DAY

 

I have been in the city of Sligo since September 2025, and only last week I managed to go and check out the Strandhill beach. It was the perfect combination of me being on leave and in the mood, and the weather being agreeable. I got into the S2 bus and told the driver I was going to Strandhill for the first time, and he pointed out that the beach is on the last stop. It was a 30-minute bus ride. I enjoyed exploring the rest of the city. I was so excited to see the blue sea, the blue sky, and hear the sound of the waves. It was extremely serene. I sat on the nearest bench and enjoyed the scenery. I had packed a sandwich for breakfast, and having a meal with a view was very enjoyable. I took a walk down to the other side of the beach, passed the pebbles, and reached the sand. There was a surfing class in progress. It was quite cold and windy to even think about walking on the sand barefoot. The first thing that came to my mind was how my 3-year-old daughter would enjoy this beach day. 

She is a lovely child, and she has learnt to walk the streets at my pace and catch the public transport; she even has a sense of direction. For example, when we go towards the public library, she gets excited and runs ahead. We try to play inside the house, draw, and do various things, but somehow we end up spending hours in front of the screens. I try to organize outings for the weekends and spend quality time with my daughter. She enjoys playing with her doll, bunny, and other stuffed animals. She has a set of cups and plastic cupcakes where we have pretend tea parties. We enjoy drawing and painting. I can't wait for her to finally figure out how to colour objects individually. She goes crazy for the K-POP demons and sings and dances with them. Her speech has been a bit delayed, but she is slowly getting there. Only now she is making simple sentences such as I want to sleep, I want food, etc. Her favourite foods are toast with butter, chocolate of course, fruits, chicken, meat, fish, and chips. The other day, I made rice and tuna, and she completely omitted eating the rice and finished the tuna. 

She has coped very well with our immigration to Ireland. She finally started preschool in February 2026, after 5 months at home. She was not worried about getting in the transport lady’s car and going to her new school. She enjoys playing with other children. Even though she is a girl, she likes playing with cars and dinosaurs. When we moved to the new house with no bathtub, I was wondering how I could convince her to enjoy the shower. We succeeded with a bucket of foamy water and some toys, and she enjoyed playing in the shower. Potty training has not been consistent, and she still has a nappy on most days. But we have had successful days with the pants staying dry. 

Finally, on a sunny Sunday, we made our way to the beach. It was a pleasant bus ride. She understands the sea now and was even pointing out the baby sharks to mommy! We had lots of snacks while enjoying the view, plus feeding the birds and the seagulls. She would get very excited to see the dogs being walked, and would greet all of them. She did very well walking on the pebbles, and we found a lovely spot to play with the sand. I am looking forward to making more memories with my baby girl.