Lovely birthday party, yesterday

I was at my friend's son's birthday party, yesterday - he's 2.

M (my friend) made this lovely tractor cake, and I helped by melting and mixing the chocolate and butter =D It looked awesome, and it was really tasty as well.

There were lots of family and friends - some I had met before, some I met for the first time. It was a really enjoyable day and evening.

I had driven the route from my place to their place a number of times. It's a really straight route, on the map, but mostly typical Irish country roads, so anything but straight when you're actually driving..

However, I had never actually taken the same route home as I'd always continued to Bray (via Naas, Blessington, and Wicklow Mountains), spent the evening there, and taken the M50 home, later.

Soooo.. It was a really good idea to take that route for the first time, in the dark.. =D

Going there, I've always had Google directions on the phone, just in case.. But it wasn't connecting, yesterday. Still, I had no trouble remembering the route, I was just a bit concerned about coming home, later, if it wouldn't connect again.

I left for home at 10:40pm, and to my relief, Google directions did connect.. I was doing fine, all the way to Kilcock, but then the directions took me through Kilcock - driving the other way, the route sort of goes around Kilcock..

I'd only ever driven through Kilcock once, in daylight, going the opposite direction, and at the time, without Google - I was taking M home, and she was giving me the directions. So, this time, I was relying on Google, not seeing the screen as I've no phone holder, just listening to the voice instructions.

After one turn, there was nothing, but that's how Google directions rolls. If you're on the correct road, and there are no turns, there's just nothing until you have to turn again.

I started wondering if there was something wrong as I felt like I'd been driving a while, and the road was way too good, and I felt that I should have made a left turn already, like, ages ago..

And, tada, I found myself in Maynooth!

O...k........

When I was waiting at red lights, I had a chance to quickly check out the phone screen, and the route had gone grey, and Google was rerouting.. Well, thanks for that, Google..

I turned back, and stopped at the outskirts of Kilcock, to reset Google directions.. But then I sort of did a couple of extra loops around Kilcock as Google was giving me arseways directions, and Kilcock also has arseways road markings (seriously, go there in the dark, and figure it out..).

Eventually, I was on the correct route again, and the rest of it was familiar.

The last part of it (until reaching the bigger roads before Dunshaughlin) was very foggy, too, but at least at that point, I knew where I was going! =D

It took me an hour to drive home! (It only takes about 40 minutes to drive there..)

Anyway, totally worth it =)

I'm in love with their youngest kitty.. ♥