At Worldcon last year Fiona made friends with two other girls of her age. They bonded over Minecraft. Unfortunately the three girls all live in different countries. But our holiday to Ireland this year brough Fiona close enough to meet up with Rowan, who lives in Cork. Fiona had been excited about this FOR MONTHS ever since Minecon 2015 was announced back in February, and we started planning our summer holiday around it.
We met up with Rowan, her brother Oscar, and her mum Sam in Tramore on the Tuesday 14th July. (Alex stayed home at the cottage.) I think that both sets of parents were a little apprehensive about meeting again, and how the girls would get on after a year of not being very much in touch. Right from the moment we met up on the windy and rainy Tramore promenade, though, it was like they had never been apart. We had some lunch at Misty’s diner on Strand Road while the worst of the rain passed, went for a long walk along the beach (watching the surfers, picking up rocks), and then let the kids indulge in a bunch of rides at the amusement park. Just before we split up to head home later in the afternoon, the kids had some great fun trying to avoid getting soaked by the waves as they crashed into the concrete ramp from the promenade to the beach.
In fact, we all had so much fun together (adults, too!) that we decided to meet up again later on in the week. Huge success.
It’s certainly hard to overstate my satisfaction at the day.