This weekend I visited Dunnes Stores which is a local Department Store here in Ireland. I hadn't visited in a long time and I was very impressed with their homewares. Over the past few years they have introduced new ranges including Paul Costelloe, Consider by Helen James and Carolyn Donnelly. It is more expensive but the items are definitely higher quality.

From looking at the above images, it is probably obvious that my favourite is the Carolyn Donnelly range as it full of pastels and floral patterns, all so bright and cheerful.

{All images from Dunnes Stores}

Here are some of my holiday photos from Palma de Mallorca which I forgot to share with you. Look at those wonderful blue skies. The Cathedral of Santa Maria is spectacular and a real landmark in the city. It has a nice relaxing atmosphere. Have you been to Mallorca??

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. I'm having a quiet one as I have the cold... The weather has been awful the past few days. Thursday it snowed heavy and Friday it was freezing. I didn't go to work Friday as I have the cold and the roads were slippy. I have over 40 minutes drive to work each way on narrow back roads. I'm snuggled up now on the couch with a blanket and a big mug of tea. I felt really housebound so went out for a stroll about. Here are some images from my walks over the past week...

This was my local road on Saturday.... nice winter sunshine but very cold...

This was a view out the window today just after dinner, it was beginning to get foggy and very cold. A lot of the snow has melted however there are still patches in the area. 

 More of the snow and ice...

 The flooded lake which was taken earlier in the week..

And a view back towards the village, spot my shadow.... Enjoy the rest of the weekend and keep warm and cosy wherever you are...

So here they are the top liked images on my Instagram in 2015.
In first place is this beautiful photo I took of the coastline at Cinque Terre in Italy. We visited in late September and had a great time.

I am delighted that my second most liked image from Instagram last year was from Ireland and it is Glencar in County Leitrim. This is a lovely tranquil setting in County Leitrim beside the famous Glencar Waterfall, claimed to be one of the most romantic places in Ireland. 

Hello everyone. We are all now settled into the New Year. I still haven't got use to writing 2016 though. This is the 8th year I will be blogging which is difficult to believe.... (almost a decade!!) When I first started All things nice... I wasn't sure what I was doing or what blogging even was. But here I am 8 years on and still blogging away. I never liked facebook so didn't bother with it but I have a twitter account, pinterest account and instagram account. I have connected with people from all over the world, from all walks of life and with all sorts of interests. I am grateful for this connection with so many others as it can be a bit lonely living in rural Ireland particularly during the long winter nights. For 2016 I hope to continue my blog, become more organised, keep on top of house work and keep positive. The photos below are all bright and colourful and reflect my mood as we embark on the New Year. What are your hopes for 2016?

Photos from top left; View of Central Park on Allure of the Seas (the world's largest cruise ship), a colourful handmade wooden carousel, my new floral Joules wellies and modern stained glass window in Saint Mel's Cathedral, Longford, Ireland.