Something to think about...

Hope you are all having a lovely holiday!  I am, and it's not over yet! :-)

But aside from all the festivities, I attended a funeral today, an old aunt/sister-in-law of my Mothers, 88 years of age.  I didn't really know her very well, but I went anyway as you do to these things.  It was a sad occasion for her family especially at this time of year, and they all, Children and Grandchildren alike, paid her some lovely tributes.  They also brought up some gifts to go with her, on her journey.   Among them was her 'Sunday Purse', a purse she brought to Mass with her every week, in which she kept her lighter to light a candle.  How quaint!  Also included was her remote control, because she loved the TV so much and it kept her up to date with current affairs which she quizzed her Children on when they came to visit.  Clever lady!  Her glasses and a book were there too, because neither were every very far away from her hands.  Well read woman!!

So....that got me thinking.  The heathen that I am, I don't go to Mass, so therefore I don't have the 'Sunday Purse'.  And as I have told you all before, I don't watch TV very often, and even on the odd occasion that I do, there is no way I would ever be given control of the remote!  Needless to say, I am far too young to have to wear glasses (cough, cough)....

Would this make you think about what your Children/Grandchildren would offer as a gift or gifts for you?  I am afraid that after giving it some thought, I have come to the conclusion that all that my child will have to put in with me, is my laptop and a bottle of Cava!  Not much of a tribute!  But it's OK, I have also come to the conclusion that I still have time to correct this and give him something meaningful to remember me by!  I just better get working on it right away.

Oh wait.....I just thought, I do have a Saturday Night purse (the one that holds the money for the Cava!) but that's not really quite the same thing, is it....?

RIP Aideen, it was lovely to see your family today, and how proud they were of you!

Merry Christmas

Hello...
Long time no blog...

How have you all been?

Well, I've been really busy the last few weeks and I can't believe another year is over. Where did it go? Looking back, it was a weird year for me, with unemployment and uncertainty playing leading roles in the epic drama, and it was the complete opposite to 2010. 2010 was a good year with a really bad ending but 2011 was a bad year with a really good ending! I don't know which I preferred! So....what does 2012 hold for me? :-). Who knows?? Maybe Santa Clause will leave me a crystal ball tonight and then all my questions will be answered! Actually, thinking about that, I'm not really sure that I would like to know what the future holds...unless of course I could see next week's Lotto numbers!!

Anyway I just stopped by to say 'Merry Christmas' to you all and thanks for dropping in over the year. Normal service should be resumed in the new year. And speaking of new years, a very happy one of those to you all too!!

Have a lovely holiday, with whoever you are spending it with, be it friends or family.
Back soon....watch this space...
XX

Happy Birthday Kev!

There is a young fella called Kevin

Who today is ten...plus eleven!

Where did the years go

I really don't know

Seems like only yesterday that he was seven.

I remember a cute little baby

But the memories are a little bit hazy

Because every night without fail

he would wake up and wail

and lack of sleep drove his poor parents crazy.

Moving on to when he was two

his interest in music really shone through

with his 'Garth Brooks' phase

he would deep us amazed

but we prayed he'd get over it too...

Then school came much to Kevin's delight

He threw himself into it with all his might

In the school yard he played

with the new friends that he made

And they were all at his party last night!!

Moving on to when he was six

when he put on the old jersey and nicks

with one kick of a ball

in love he did fall

and with his beloved 'United' today he still sticks.

Then came the skateboarding fad

OMG that was the worst one he had!

With axles wheels and decks

he had our heads wrecked

When that phase was over, I was glad.

At last now to the good one we come

at eleven he discovered a drum.

Always so loud

but he plays to the crowd.

And despite all the noise it's great fun!!

So with the drums he gets into his stride

And when I hear him play it fills me with pride.

He's in a cool band

who are in great demand.

And success not doubt will be worldwide.

But for now in college he spends his time

And his days are filled with rhythm and rhyme.

For radio production

is now his seduction,

and who knows to what heights he'll climb.

So 'Happy Birthday' to Kev from us all

(And by the way, how did he get so tall!!)

So while we are all gathered here

Lets give a big cheer....

And with that I think I've said it all.

HAPPY 21st KEVIN

Love you!

XX

One day at a time...

First day at the 'new job'.

Glad that's over!

Like most people starting work in a new place, I wanted to make a good impression, so I chose as my attire for the day, a skirt.  Not my normal choice but usually a good choice for the 'offic-e look'!  Well, the skirt looked really trendy on the hanger, but when I put it on this morning, I looked more like a Nun then a trendy office person!  Oh well, no time to change now, it will just have to do.

Got there early and had to wait around for somebody to let me in!  Eventually got in, and was greeted by my new boss, who escorted me to my new office, down a long (old) corridor!  Oh no....not more corridors for me to get lost in.  He showed me into a lovely bright office with a few empty desks and gave me a choice of which one I could use.  Impressed.com!!!!  An office with huge windows and a choice of desk, no more dungeons or basements or fighting for a desk every morning for me.  I chose the desk beside his....mainly because it's beside one of the big windows and I have a great view of everything outside.  Imagine, I can see outside AND I have somebody to talk to, bliss!  OK I know for most of you this is the norm, but for me who has spent most of the last year in firstly alone in a Dungeon and then in a windowless basement, this is a HUGE novelty!!  So far I it's all looking good.

Back out into the corridor to be shown the next most important place, the coffee station!!  Very easy to find, it's just down the corridor, and to my added delight, I discover that there are only two corridors, which run parallel to each other, so there is no chance of me getting lost on the way back with the coffee!  Hurrah!

All I need now is some work to do.  No problem, there you go Siobhan, move that car out of the Showroom.  Jeez, am I dreaming, they want me to move and SLK on my first day.....could this job get any better?

Oh wait........Damn........I forgot about the skirt.  The SLK is three inches off the ground and my skirt is a three inches off my knee.....yikes.....this is going to take some careful maneuvering, and that's just me getting in and out of the car with three people I never met before watching me, never mind getting the car out of a tightly packed showroom!!  Oh why do I get myself into these situations!!  Now I really do wish I looked like a Nun, with a skirt all the way down to my ankles!!

Well I did it, I passed the first test, and I kept my modesty (and the car) intact!  But that's the last time I am going to try and make an impression on anybody, from now on I'll just have to be trendy in my trousers, and more comfortable in my SLK!  Oh wait.....have I got that backwards......should that be comfortable in my trousers and trendy in my SLK??

All right, it's not really my SLK, but I can look at it.....every day, and drool.....every day.....I might even park it outside the window, and just look out at it.....every day.....or I might even just look out the window even if there is no car......every day......BIG SIGH.....

A great compilation!

What do you get when you put together:

5 Guitars
4 Mandolins
3 Harmonicas
2 Grumpy old men with gray hair
and
1 Hurdy Gurdy

and if you also add a great Venue (Vicar Street), an enthusiastic crowd, a couple of drinks and a tin whistle, then you have the makings of a great night of entertainment.

And that's exactly what we were treated to last night.  I'm not normally a fan of Irish Traditional music, all that bemoaning our fate at the hands of our oppressors or lamenting our loved one's as they cross the Atlantic Ocean usually sends me running to the CD rack to look for ABBA Gold or Lady GA GA or Disco Hits from the 80's!!  But when the two grumpy gray haired men are Andy Irvine and Paul Brady then that's a very different compilation altogether.

I would be a fan of Paul Brady's style of music normally, but I wasn't sure what to expect from this duo so I was a bit apprehensive before the lights came on!  But once the music and the banter and the story telling started I forgot all about my apprehension and got right on with enjoying myself.  And I am not doing them justice calling them grumpy old men as they were far from that.  The stories told before each song were sometimes better than the songs themselves, especially the one about never bringing the woman that you love to your wedding!  And then there was the one about the Farmers daughter, the 147 soldiers, her mother, the dictionary and the word 'orgy'.  But I'm not going to tell you that story, you will just have to wait until they come to your town and go and see them and hear it for yourself!

And never again will I care when I play a bum note (or several) on my guitar, as the great Mr Brady a couple of times had to start a song over as he got it wrong.  He was also struggling with the 'technology' which was funny as it was an 'unplugged' gig, but that just added to the intimate atmosphere and made it all the more enjoyable.

I have to go now and re-think my CD collection.

Although, I'm not sure tho' that I can part with Disco hits from the 80's just yet......(I thing they play a Hurdy Gurdy on 'I Will Survive'.....)

Say hello and wave goodbye...

It's not unusual to say goodbye to somebody at an airport. And It's not unusual to be sad when you do.

So, if that's the case, then today I had a very usual day.

Once again I said goodbye to T2. And of course to my work mates. No more trips in the fireman's lift, no more getting lost in the corridors, no more sneaking up to the third floor to have a coffee (and a free chocolate) in The Chocolate Lounge. But on the plus side, no more having to take off my boots going through security!

Ironically, I am leaving a brand new building to go and work in a really old, but beautiful, one. Usually it's out with old and in with the new, trust me to get it the wrong way round...

The building may be old, but my job is new and I can't wait to start, so roll on Monday so I can say 'hello' and leave the goodbye's behind for this year!!

Go with the Flo....

Headworm for today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbN0nX61rIs&ob=av2e

"It's hard to dance with the Devil on your back"......

That's very true Florence, so I took your advice, and I shook him off!  So now I am ready to dance again!!  Roll on next week...  :-)


Go on, shake off your Devil....

Oh Lord won't you buy me.....

They say (whoever 'they' are) that good things come to those who wait.  Well....I waited, and I waited....for a year and a half....I waited....and then I waited some more!

And in the end, all that waiting has paid off, because I am now the proud owner of a full time, permanent and pensionable.....JOB!!

And not only have I got a job, but I am back in the Motor Industry!!

And not only am I back in the Motor Industry, but I am doing what I do best.

And not only am I doing what I do best, but I am also doing it for the 'Best'....

Because I am now....Sales Coordinator for ROI for Mercedes Benz!!!

And because it's far too early in the day to celebrate with Cava, I am going to celebrate with Chocolate Cake!!!

(The Cava will be later.....)

And the winner is...

One upon a time, after 14 years in the forest, Snow White decided that she had had enough of the high life as President of Ireland and she decided to pass on her crown to one of her dedicated followers.  Now, because this is not an easy process, she had to set the Seven Dwarfs, listed below, a challenge.

Grumpy - Martin McGuinness
Dopey -  Sean Gallagher
Sleepy - Dana
Sneezy (or should that be sleazy) - David Norris
Doc -   Mary Davis
Bashful - Michael D Higgins
Happy  - Gay Mitchel (Happy, Gay, get it??)

She decided that they should leave the safety of their forest and go out to the big cities and small towns across the land, and convince the good people that lived there, with their words and their actions, that one of them should be the next President.

So agreeing to this, they packed up their lunch boxes, got into their little mining carts and criss-crossed the country Hi-Ho-ing from one side to the other.

But like all good fairy tales, along the way, they got themselves into some trouble.

Dopey, was caught with his hand in a brown paper bag, he insisted it was just a bag of bulls eyes, but nobody was fooled.  Grumpy in his usual fashion wouldn't give anybody a straight answer to any questions that were put to him and huffed and puffed a lot.  Sleepy was so good at living up to her name that she was caught napping every time she was asked a question and fudged the answer.  Sneezy got himself into so many fixes with his 'nose for trouble' that he was eliminated very early on, he managed to get his hankey out and wipe his nose clean a couple of times but in the end he sneezed once to often.  Doc was so busy curing everybody and everything that she didn't know what was going on most of the time.  And as for Happy, well he spent so much time whining about everybody else that he the lost the right to use the name Happy and nobody was sure in the end who he was.

That left the people of the land very confused.  But being the civic minded people that they are, they went out and did their best with the candidates put to them.

And so, one Dwarf shone through by default, and the people of Ireland elected their next President.

Bashful himself......



Snow White has gone into hiding, and was last seen talking to a Witch and eating an apple....

And the people of Ireland lived happily ever after! (Knowing that they won't have to look at another TV Presidential debate, posters on lampposts or David Norris' teeth, for the next seven years!).

And then he goes and spoils it all....

I know I said that I wouldn't mention the Presidential Election Campaign again unless one of them did something stupid....

Well...

The very funny 'Fr Ted' referenced picture above speaks more truth than Mr Gallagher himself could!

"If I met the man....and if I took the envelope...."

If you heard this line delivered in a comedy sketch, you would roar with laughter, and we all did when Mr Gallagher delivered it in front of the whole country last night.

Another comedy moment was when Mr McGuinness suggested that Mr Gallagher should tell the truth....!  Honestly, my sides were splitting.

And as for Mr Mitchel's little tantrum when nobody would let him speak.  I was in tears (of laughter!)

I think somebody should make a sit-com about this whole campaign.  They would have so much material to use it would run for years!

Rain stops play...

You know how much I love complaining about the rain, well tonight I am not going to complain, no, I am not going to mention the floods, or the traffic chaos, or the fact that it has been raining now for two days, or the fact that the wind has blown the rain through my front door and I now have a puddle in my hall, or the fact that my rain gear and boots are still so wet from my brave attempt to walk the dog yesterday that I can't go out in them tonight, or the fact that I had an interview today and wore my best shoes and they got so wet that they are now my worst shoes, or the fact that my lovely straight 'iterview' hair had turned into that ball of fuzz that appears when it rains, or the fact that my dress got soaking wet and I looked like a drowned rat, or the fact that I dripped all over the shiny floor of the reception area of the office I was being interviewed in, or the fact that my poor car complained all the way home about having to drive through huge amounts of water on the roads, or the fact that it protested loudly by not stopping when it was supposed to (Yikes, scary!), or the fact that the Luas has been cancelled (and all the poor Britney fans have to make their way to the concert by some other form of transport), or the fact that there is no sign of it stopping....

Apparently we have had 90mm of rain and the previous daily record was 48mm.  Hmmm, this calls for drastic measures.

So tonight, instead of complaining, I am going to do something proactive and constructive.  Literally.  I have decided to build an Arc!

Of course having no idea where to start, I started with Google, and it very kindly offered me lots of options.  I chose a site which showed you how to build an Arc in a few easy steps.  Perfect!

I was just surfing the net for my nearest 'goforwood' forest, when I noticed a tweet from my friend.  But being engrossed in my 'work' I ignored her tweet and carried on with my study.  I understood the concept of the building part, (well I am working with engineers at the moment!!) and was making good progress until I came to the part where it said there would be no Wi-Fi on board and you would need a dove...

I checked my friends tweet (just so I wouldn't seem rude) and she said:

"Extreme weather = Drink!"

Excellent!  Again I don't want to seem rude, so I better not refuse.  But wait, dilemma!  If I don't finish the Arc, then I can't get out.....grrr....there's always a catch....

http://www.boston.com/news/weather/gallery/070209_ark/

Too late...

If only we had had these guys on the pitch, maybe our Rugby World Cup dreams wouldn't have been over so early....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycVVKBLC1sQ

Not again...

Oh no....not another break up....I don't know how much more of this I can take.  I'm still very fragile and wounded after the last one.  There is only so much of this that a girl can suffer!   It will certainly take me a while to get over this shock.  How will I cope.  It was so sudden.  No warning.

It makes me sad that nobody stays together anymore, not even for the sake of the kids!  I know in this case the kids are not young and will bounce back, but still, they should have been considered.

I don't know how I am going to fill my evenings now, they will be long and lonely.  I will have to take all the pictures down off the walls, and put away all the CD's that serve as reminders of all the lovely times that were spent while listening to them.

I'm very upset.

I know it will get easier in time...I know that there are plenty more fish in the sea...I know that better things are around the corner for me...but...but....there will never be another....


Westlife!!

Still nothing much!

Tonight my students, oh by the way the number has gone back up to seven, have finally reached the Holy Grail!!  We are now at the section that tells them all about the World Wide Web.  The bit they have all been waiting anxiously for.

I hope for their sake and mine, that their journey around the big bad world of the Internet is easier than the journey they had finding it!!  It's been hard work getting them this far, but I have enjoyed it, and they did make some progress.  Only one more week left, the e-mail section (yikes!), and then they are on their own, armed only with their course book, their notes and the (very) few pointers that I gave them.

But I had to try not to laugh out loud when we got to the section in tonight's chapter about blogging, if only they knew!

It said:

"A blog is a type of web site or part of a web site that can take the form of an online journal.  It is usually maintained by an individual who updates the blog with entries on some particular subject of interest."

Hmmm....So that's where I have been going wrong!

I do remember discussing subjects with my brother before I began blogging, and he gave me some advice, he said to write a blog, firstly it had to be interesting to read, and secondly somebody had to be interested in reading it (did he read tonight's chapter before I did??).  Actually, I'm not sure if that was advice, or his way of telling me not to bother.  Cheek!!

Well, as you can see, I didn't listen to him, and so, today is my 'blogging birthday'.  My blog is one year old.  Happy Birthday to me!  (I hope there's cake!!)  Well here I am, one year on, and I still haven't found an 'interesting' subject to blog about!  Unless of course, you find listening to me complaining about the weather interesting.  One of my first posts was a request for topics to blog on, and here were some of the suggestions put forward.  The suggesters names have been withheld, to protect the guilty!!

1.  October is a wonderful month!  -  Not a bad suggestion, but what would I blog about for the other eleven months!

2.  An Interesting shower -   Not a bad suggestion either, but what would I blog about for the other 364 days!

3.  The merits of decanting wine!  -  Another great suggestion, but that would only give me one day free from blogging....(maybe I could have the interesting shower that day!)

Eh...after those suggestions maybe I should have listened to my brother.  :-)

But that same brother, after reading my blog over the last year (he had no choice, I held him to ransom) encouraged me to send some of my writing to a magazine to see if they would publish it.  So, always looking for ways to prove one, or all, of my brothers wrong, I did!  OK, I know, the magazine probably gets 100's of well written interesting and imaginative stories everyday, and they are highly unlikely to even read mine, never mind publish it, but at least I gave it a go!  And, if anything comes of it I will let you know!  That's, of course, if there is anybody interested...

PS...the section on blogging also said:

"readers can visit the blog, and then if they wish, they can enter comments about what they have read in the blog" 


So!....I'll do again what I did a year ago and ask for some suggestions of 'interesting' topics to blog about...come on...what are you waiting for...get suggesting/commenting....or I may have to stop...

Oh wait...

Double the laugh!

Too funny not to share.....

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1tDTFf/www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D0-5QMRgXreY

Snow sorry!

I mentioned 'snow' yesterday in my blog while the sun was shining.  Today (in Donegal) it snowed!!  Do you think if I mentioned 'sunshine' in my blog today...

If you're reading this in Donegal, I'm sorry, I didn't meant it...I promise I won't mention it again...

Snow annoyed!

I woke up this morning to a beautiful bright crisp sunny day and to the sound of somebody mowing their lawn.  A really good day to be outside doing that.

So, if it's lovely and sunny and bright and nice enough to mow your lawn, why oh why are there Christmas decorations in every shop window in town, and why are the stores full of cards and wrapping paper etc.???  It's October for heavens sake!!

I'm so annoyed, and I am going out now in the lovely sunshine to walk the dog.....before it snows.....

Happy Friday!

Stopped for diesel on the way home....in a tiny garage...with only one pump....and a shop the size of my bathroom.  But!  When I went in to pay for my purchase, there in front of me on the counter top, to my surprise and great delight, was a box of Walnut Whips!!  Yummmmy...

I haven't seen one of those for years!  So I bought one (eh..maybe two) and I am going to walk the dog now, come home and then, put my feet up with a cup of coffee and indulge!!  'Cos I need some pampering after a very hectic week.

Happy Friday!  :-)

Why oh why...

I'm working in an Airport, as you should know by now if you have been paying attention!  So, therefore I have to go through security every morning.  And the weather is getting a bit cooler too, so it's back to wearing boots every morning.  And, as you should also know,to go through security at any Airport you have to tell them your mothers maiden name, what you had for breakfast, and promise your first born....oh yeah, and take off your boots.

So, why is it that every time I take off my boots, as if by magic, a well groomed pilot appears just behind me to go through security too?  And why is it that he never has to take his shoes off?  And why is it that I always always have a hole in my sock (Rusty, you are dead when I get home), just as the pilot notices me.  And why did I not notice the hole when I put them on this morning?  And why, even tho' I have taken off everything that could possibly make the machine beep, it still beeps....

So I get to stand there with my toe on view being frisked by a (very brisk) security guard while everybody else is held up.....

And....Why is there never a coffee around when you need one??

The right place at the right time...

My friend invited me over this evening to her house, to see her daughter dressed in all her finery before she left for her Debs ball!  And never being one to refuse a glass of bubbly, I got off work early and thought I would make a quick exit and get there just in time to see her off.

So, down the long corridor, into the Fireman's lift, up four floors, through two sets of security doors, along another corridor, out through the baggage hall, whizzed by customs, ran through the arrivals doors.....and..... straight into this:

Wow, the Irish Rugby Team's home coming!  What a buzz!  It slowed me down a bit but it was very exciting!  I even got to pose for a photo, but not with my camera as I didn't have one with me!  Typical, for once I'm in the right place at the right time, but without the right tools!  I am in this photo, you can just about see me, I the one trying to push my way through under the arrivals sign!  :-)  Anyway it put me in good humor and I skipped all the way to the car park like a 10 year old!  Or maybe an 11 year old...

But, there's always a downside, being slowed down by the crowd and posing for photos made me late!  So I decided to have another little adventure for myself and take the quickest way to my friends house in Sandymount.  The Port Tunnel!  It's been open since 2006 and I have never used it.  I am useless for trying new routes always sticking to the way I know, even if its not the most direct way!  So being tied for time, I gave it a go, and got to my friends house in about 15 minutes!  It did cost me €3, but who cares.  Again, I was in the right place at the right time, again without my camera but never mind, I got there just in time for the bubbly!!

After more excitement, and photographs, it was time to go home.  So, out of the driveway, around the corner, out onto the main road and...believe it or not, once again I found myself surrounded by men in green jerseys!  Lucky me, twice in the one day?  Were the rugby team following me?

Eh, no....no such luck!  Same green but different jerseys!   My friend lives close to the Stadium and this time I was surrounded by Soccer fans on their way to see Ireland play Armenia.  More pushing my way through crowds, but this time it was harder, as I was driving!!

Home safe now and after all that excitement, I think I need to lie down.

Oh Ireland won the match which means we qualify for eh.....more matches!!  And by the way, I think Brian O'Driscoll was wearing make-up, maybe he knew he was going to be in a photograph with me...

Dog gone....

Went for my usual stroll in the park this evening.  But as the nights are getting shorter, by the time I got home had dinner cleaned up etc., there wasn't much light left in the evening.  But I went anyway and thought I would get around the park at least once with the dog.

A short time down the path I noticed a guy acting strangely down near the river, he was going in and out of the shrubbery and sort of looking a bit shifty.  I kept walking and tried to avoid him.  But because I do a 'figure eight' around the paths I would eventually have passed him again.  So I just kept going and kept my eye on Rusty as he was running wild as usual, smelling every blade of grass like it was the first time he had ever been in the park.  It wasn't too bad out there, the rain had stopped and it was relatively warm.

Anyway came back around the path and Mr Shifty was still there.  He saw me coming and I began to get a bit nervous when he approached me.  I clipped Rusty back on his lead and started to walk a bit faster.  He called out to me, and I for some reason stopped and watched him come towards me.  Yikes!  Do I start to run now or do I stay and practice my self defense moves...

"Hi, sorry to trouble you, but you haven't seen my dog have you?"  (Either that's the best chat up line ever, or he really is looking for his dog). "He's a black and white Collie and his name is Rio"


I know Rio, I often see him in the park, but not usually with this young man.

Apparently Rio has been missing since last night and this guy has been out all evening looking for him.  He was very upset.  How awful.  And shame on me for thinking this poor concerned young guy was up to no good!  He was actually checking underneath the shrubs and bushes to see was his dog trapped in there as he sometimes likes to get into the water for a swim.  I felt duly remorseful for thinking the worst of this guy.  That will teach me to make rash judgments in future!  I offered to help but it was getting too dark to see anything much and he said he was going to go home anyway and maybe Rio would have turned up!

I felt really bad as I watched him walk off still checking the pathway alongside the river.  I hope they do find Rio and he doesn't have to spend another night lost outside.  Maybe somebody will have found him and have taken him in.  I don't know what I would do if I lost Rusty.

Although, sometimes, when I come home and realize that somebody (usually me) has left the kitchen door open and Rusty has run up the stairs and curled up on the end of my bed and slept there all day, or, when I find him standing up on the back of the couch looking out the window, or, when I find a sock under a chair with dog size bites out of it, or, when I see clumps of dog hair floating through my kitchen like tumbleweed, I might be very glad if he was lost....

It's all gone horribly wrong...

Oh no, I can't believe this has happened to me.  I came home early from a shopping trip today and found Kevin in a very compromising position.  How could he do this to me?  I'm in shock!  After all the years of monitoring, mentoring, encouragement and guidance, he has let me down. Our street cred has gone right through the floor.  How could he have let me down so badly, how did I get it so wrong...

I returned home and found him, not only listening, but singing along, to a....I can't believe that I am going to tell you this...to a....oh the shame....to a....(come on Siobhan, telling will help the healing process)....to a....to a Simon Cowell produced track!!

This one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJO3ROT-A4E&ob=av2e

When challenged, his explanation was that it was OK to listen to them because they didn't actually write it!!  I'm sure there is logic in there somewhere but I just don't get it.  The only thing for it now is to help him through this terrible time with love and patience.  Does anybody know the name of a good therapist?

Later that day, in a evil and sinister twist....

Then this evening, while making the dinner, listening to the radio, this track came on:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeWBS0JBNzQ&ob=av2e

And to MY shame, I found myself not only singing along, but I knew all the words and there may have been some dancing around the kitchen too (but I will only admit to that under extreme torture!!).

Maybe I am on the edge after my shock earlier.....Do you think the therapist would do 'two for the price of one'.....

Glad and sad!

Congratulations to the 'Boys in Green' (Soccer) and commiserations to the 'Boys in Green' (Rugby).  What a shame.

Even my newest little nephew got dressed up for the occasion!  He had to stay up very late, I hope he wasn't too disappointed.

Oh well, never mind, at least France beat England.  I'm not gloating, no really, I'm not....

Oops!

Oh dear, it must be the tiredness!  I forgot to wish our other boys in Green, good luck.

Our soccer team are playing Andora tonight in Andora!  So, Go (Soccer) Ireland!!

All this excitement is making me even more tired!  And I still have to walk Rusty.  Effort!!  Do you think if I gave him his lead he could walk himself....

Too tired to watch?

Unless you have been living in a cave or on the moon (or somewhere other than Wales, Ireland or New Zealand) for the last week, you will be aware that the Clash of the Giants takes place at 0600 tomorrow.  Ireland play Wales in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup.  Go Ireland!!

I saw Ireland play Wales last year, in a very enjoyable action packed game which Ireland won!  So when I am lying in my bed at ridiculous o'clock in the morning watching through half closed sleepy eyes, I will try to re-create the atmosphere of that match in my bedroom!  It will be hard to fit 80,000 supporters the two teams and officials in, but sure, I'll give it a go!! :-)  Gosh what a thought...

Although, even tho' it is my intention to set my clock early and turn on the TV to watch the game, it may be a challenge for me to stay awake for the duration, as I am very tired!  Self inflicted tiredness I'm afraid, as I was at a wedding yesterday and I am sooooo tired today.  All that effort getting ready, rushing to the venue, smiling for photos, standing around in high heels, eating, chatting, drinking, more smiling, dancing, more standing around in high heels, a pot of jam (don't ask!), more chatting, bad karaoke (eh...No!!  I didn't), more dancing (this time without the heels!) having a very enjoyable day, staying out very late and getting up early the next day for work, can make a girl very tired....

But If the game is half as exciting as predicted, then I don't think I should have any trouble staying awake.  So it's early to bed tonight, to be up bright and early in the morning to cheer Ireland on!!

Is it to early to go now.....zzzzzz

To learn or not to learn.

Well, I've hit the 'magic' number....6....that number where the pressure is on me (as if it isn't already)!!

Yes, that's the number that turned up tonight!  Gosh, was it something I said?

I know this is my first time 'out', and I'm on a learning curve, but I can't be that bad, can I?  I am assured by my mentor that this is relatively normal, and some may return next week, but it's very disillusioning.  And it's not doing much for my confidence either!

But as I said in an earlier post, I have to keep going back, and I will.  I had hoped they wanted to learn, as much as I wanted to teach them.  But obviously not.  Well, if they don't want to, then maybe I will learn something from this....

Math, I will learn math!  That will make me feel better, and less useless!  And then I will be able to write one of those brilliant riddle type questions which involve math, you know the type, (for example - If a man rides into town on a Monday, stays three days and leaves on Friday, how is this possible?)

Ah, that question, the one you could never get the answer to but the girl beside you would get it straight away, and even when she told you the answer, you still didn't get it.  And the girl in front of you would turn round and try to explain, and make you more confused.  And then the teacher would read it out again, slowly, while the rest of the class yawned, and you still didn't get it.  And then she would write the method and the answer on the blackboard in seventeen different stages, with diagrams, and you still didn't get it.  And all the class was held back, indignant, after the bell had gone, until you, the one person in the whole school who didn't understand, gets the answer right (in the end you actually just say you understand to save face!).  And then nobody would talk to you on the way home because it was your fault that everybody had to stay back after class was over, and missed the bus home....

Of course, that never happened to me, I always got the answers right straight away, that's why I am such a brilliant teacher now....

(PS...Friday is a horse!)

Congrats!

Big congratulations to Kevin for passing his Driving Test!! 

Well done! x

I'll have to get a picture of my car now to look at, because apparently, I'll never see it again now that he has the freedom to drive it!

That's one more thing off the list of 'things to worry about', but for some reason, that list never seems to get smaller...but never mind, I'll worry about that tomorrow!!  :-)

Careless and impatient...

I'm a very careless 'facilitator'.  I have lost another two students.  I'm sure I had them last week, but they were nowhere to be seen this week!!

So now I'm down to 9.  That number where they 'start bonding and helping each other', or so I am reliably informed!  I hope it doesn't diminish to the number 6, where they 'start to focus on the teacher for individual attention'!!  I'm told by those in the know, that 'desertion' is common at these sort of courses and I shouldn't take it personally!

Are my pupils deserting the sinking ship or did they just know that they had their first 'module test' this evening and decided not to show up for it?  Well we had to proceed with or without them, and the course books were handed out and the fun began....the questions were studied....there were some anxious looks....the pens started to write....the questions were studied again....the pens came to a halt.....the pens were chewed....the questions were studied again....the pens hovered over the page, trying to decide which box to tick....!!  Oh the pressure and the tension...did I explain it enough times...did I explain it correctly enough times....Come on guys, you can do it, don't let me down.

It was hard to watch them struggling a bit and not be able to help!  I kept wanting to jump up and explain something, anything, to somebody, anybody!  But I didn't, I kept my head down sat on my hands and didn't make eye contact and pretended to be very busy!  Every so often I would have a look around and catch somebody's pleading eye, or waving pen, desperately trying to catch my attention so they could get some help, get an answer and tick a box!  But I had to look away quickly and resist the urge to jump up and answer the question...

Anyway, it was all over in a few minutes, and I must have done something right too, as they all seemed to be able to answer the questions eventually (the answers were actually in the front of the book that they were writing in, and I might have told them that....oops!!).  Afterwards they did some of that 'bonding and helping' stuff which I was delighted to be able to join in with, and we were then able to move on to the next chapter, and try to get through it so we can do this all over again next week!  

I will have to learn between then and now, to have some patience or acquire some sitting still techniques so that I don't want to rush off my chair and help the first one that looks at me with a questioning glance!

Anybody got any suggestions??

Home-work!

I'm working from home today.  What a treat!

Kev is doing his driving test today and needed my car for the event!  So I am housebound, I don't mind, it's nice to be at home and have something productive to do!!  I know there is always something to do in the house, i.e. housework, but that's boring :-)

So instead of working in the basement today I am looking out at the rare autumnal sunshine pouring into my little garden. 

I haven't much time to write as my friend is coming for coffee..........oh wait.........I mean I can't write because I'm too busy with all this work I have to do.  (I hope nobody from work is reading this!!)

Best of luck to Kevin.  His test is at eleven, so not long to wait for the result now!   Hmm...if he passes does that mean that I will be housebound forever more....Yikes!!

Wat-er price to pay!

I was very tired last night.  My own fault of course, I forgot to go home early on Saturday night.  And I have flashbacks of a Karaoke Kab on the way home from town too....  Of all the taxi's in Dublin on Saturday night how come we got the one with the mad driver and the Karaoke machine.  Yes!  Of course I sang, it would have been rude not to, especially as the mic was handed to me so purposefully!  Try as I might, I can't remember what we sang, it must have been so bad that I have erased it from the hard drive in my brain, but I do remember it was a duet!  :-)  The taxi driver is probably in therapy now, at least his ears must be.  Well it serves him right for giving us the mic's in the first place.  I seem to remember flashing lights too, in the taxi of course, not my head!

Anyway, then I had an early start on Sunday morning, last day with the 'Grid Girls', the end of the competition and the winner to be announced and congratulated and handed the flowers!  Oh yes and some bike races too!  I was a bit hung over and didn't appreciate the roar of the bikes and being soaked to the skin for the second day in a row, but despite all the rain and noise, the winner was announced and there was another shower, of Champagne!  But, that's one shower I am always happy to be caught in.

All that excitement led me to be too tired (lazy) to be my usually well prepared self and make my lunch for today.  So that meant braving the Fireman's lift up from the basement and visiting the outside world.  Made it to the food counter, ordered my sandwich, bagel actually, and waited patiently in line.  Got to the top of the queue and my lovely cream cheese bagel was ready.  Got my staff discount (nice, thanks!) and was just about to pay, when I decided that I would like a bottle of water to go with it.

Suddenly the bill doubled!  Yikes.  I had already handed in some money and I got the change and a receipt, which I checked and to my dismay discovered that the bottle of water was 2.49 euro!  I then had a bit of a Victor Meldrew moment!  :-)  I didn't believe it.  I asked the girl to check it and she got annoyed with me, sort of understandable as there was a big queue!  So then I decided that I didn't want the water and asked for my money back.  I apologised to the girl and the woman beside me in the queue and stood my ground.  She then went, accompanied by a dramatic shoulder shrug, for the manager, because he was the only one who could give me my money back.  Which he did, eventually, in silence, after a lot of till receipt signing, huffing and puffing and long stares.

So that 'Irish' sambo franchise won't be getting my custom again, even tho' there was nothing wrong with the bagel!  I understand economics and I know they have to make a profit and I know it was lunchtime and they were busy etc. etc. but what's with the attitude (and the price of water)......!

So the moral of the story is don't stay out late, sing badly, or get caught in a Champagne shower all in the one weekend, unless you want to pay a fortune for water.

(Hmmm.....I wonder how many bottles of water it would take to buy a Karaoke machine?)

The President Factor!

I have decided, at great personal sacrifice, to forgo my usual Friday night glass (or two) of Cava with the girls, and stay in and watch the 'Candidates Debate' live on TV tonight.

I have done my research and I am now more familiar than I was, with the duties that being President of Ireland entails.  I already knew that he/she represents the people of Ireland, and signs Bills before they become Law, so after further delving I have decided that largely they are a 'meet-er and greet-er' with a ceremonial role for visiting Dignitaries.  So, basically they need to be well groomed and well spoken, and know that they shouldn't wipe their nose with the back of their hand before shaking it with Mr Head of Germany, or greet Mrs Head of Australia with "Story Bud"? (A very Dublin saying which is shortened from the longer greeting of "How are you and how is it going with you today, Buddy?").

So I will be judging (I feel like I am on the X Factor) each Candidate tonight on their ability as a Dignitary Greeter.  I hope my judgement won't be impaired by the glass of wine that I might have to drink while watching!

Oh wait.....I've just had an idea.  Maybe we should have treated this whole race like the X Factor and made them audition and give them tasks to do.  Like, maybe give them a line of Dignitaries to greet and put an 'ordinary Joe Soap' in the line and see do they spot him.  Or, give them a Bill to sign and see do they spot the very obvious legal mistakes!  And then we could have great satisfaction in voting one out every week!

I wonder is Louis Walsh busy tonight...



PS...I promise after this debate I won't mention 'Presidential Election' again, unless one of them does something brilliant worth talking about, or equally something ridiculous!

Not again!

They're back again.  It only seems like yesterday that we got rid of them.  And they are no different this time. Still no imagination, still no style, still no witty slogans.

Still watching me at the traffic lights, still smiling at me with a expressionless eyes, still following me as I walk the dog, still making a mess of our nice tidy streets.  How will the lampposts cope this time, they will bend under the pressure of so many new attachments.  And I will have to look at them for at least a month!

Having to look at them everyday is not going to help me make up my mind either.  Or get me to change it when I have.  Although I do have to admit that one of them made me laugh today as the it made the 'subject' look amazingly like Groucho Marks!  Actually on reflection, Groucho Marks would probably make a better candidate than any in the running at the moment.  (That's just my opinion!!)  :-)

Election Posters!!  Grrr....

The lampposts of the country will be bending under the pressure of holding up the posters of seven candidates.  Well, six, as Mr Gallagher has decided not to put any up.  Very 'Eco-minded' of him - still won't make me vote for him tho'!!

I have a month to make up my mind, dilemma!  Anybody any thoughts on this that would help me??  Otherwise it's Groucho for President!!

A shaky start!

Fourteen eager faces looking at me....

Gosh, I'm nervous!

Somebody once told me that if you are nervous about public speaking, that the best way to get over it was to imagine your audience naked....Well!  Hmmm, I added some extra clothes to some of mine, and hats and and scarves...

"Good evening everybody, my name is Siobhan and I will be your instructor for the next five weeks for this 'Basic Computer Skills' course".

Two people got up and left!  Yikes!!

OMG!  Was it something I said, I haven't even started and already I'm loosing pupils.  I followed them into the corridor and they apologised and said they were in the wrong room, there were here to do the 'Domestic Thermal Insulation' course, which was next door!  Phew...  TG for that!  As little as I know about Computers I know even less about Thermal Insulation, unless you count the long johns and vest that I wore under my clothes when it was snowing last December.  For a minute I thought I had been rumbled as a fraud before I even had a chance to do my best teacher impression, and they had left in disgust!

Well, they hadn't and I did get a chance to do my best Air Hostess impression as I then went through the emergency exit and health and safety routine (which I had practiced over and over in my bedroom with Rusty as my very enthusiastic audience!) with the rest of my pupils.  I'm sure I heard somebody snoring.

Then there was the roll call and the form filling and the handing out of the course work and booklets.  It was almost time for 'coffee break' and I hadn't even opened a book yet....

That was last night, and it went pretty well.  I think they understood me, well they didn't look at me with blank expressions all the time, and I even answered some questions, like, where were the rest rooms and what time did the class finish!  And, despite my nervousness, I think they even learned something too!

But, it wasn't all success, I did have one pupil who couldn't quite keep up.  I stayed with him last night while the others went for coffee and we went over what we had done again and again with me doing my best artist impression by drawing little pictures to explain the keyboard until he was more comfortable with it and understood it.  I thought I had been OK with him and was encouraged when I saw him come back tonight.  But my high didn't last too long, he stayed until coffee time and then said it was soul destroying for him as he wasn't able to keep up and he wouldn't be back.....

Not a very good start for me as a teacher, and a bit soul destroying for me too!   I feel like running away, but I have to go back next week, and I have to stay 'till the end of the course.  I'll just have to put it behind me and chalk it up to experience and remember to bring thicker skin with me next week, and maybe draw better pictures!

So, I started off with 14, lost two to Insulation and one to lack of confidence, I hope I can hold on to the remaining 11, as well as my sanity!!

Sunshine for President!

18 to 24 degrees!  Yes, that's what the weather people on the radio this morning said the temperature would be today.  18 to 24 degrees.  I thought I had tuned into the wrong station.  I had to get out of bed and look out of the window to make sure I was in the right country. 

It's wonderful.  A bit late in the year, but still wonderful!

I was going to listen to the seven 'Presedential Candidates' debate on the radio at lunchtime, but instead  I made my escape from the Dungeon, went up in the fireman's lift, and out into the beautiful sunshine.  And to my amazement, on the lawn at the side of the Terminal building, the sprinklers were on!  Sprinklers?  In Dublin?  Unheard of!!  As if we don't get enough rain!!  Although it was nice to watch them and listen to the sound of the water spraying, it made the sunshine even more enjoyable.  It reminded me of being on holiday in Rojales, sitting on the terrace in the evening, opposite the golf course, sipping Cava, watching the sprinklers weaving and hissing soaking the putting greens, getting them ready for the next day, for the crazy people who play golf in the sunshine instead of sitting at the pool or on the beach.

I suppose I should really have stayed downstairs and listened to the debate and showed some interest in the upcoming election, but it really is hard to get inspired by any of the candidates.  I don't know how I am going to vote.  But I will vote.  I will just have to hope that one of them will stand out from the crowd and 'shine' for me like the sunshine today.

I'll read through their manifesto's and whichever of them promises sunshine everyday for everybody, will get my vote!

Now, time to eat my 'Fit for a President' sandwich.

Food and sunshine, that's all I need.  Oh wait.....maybe some Cava too!

Indignant (I think?)

My cousin's husband posted this picture on Facebook.

Of course, being blond, I am highly offended!  They are now off the Christmas list, and I am deleting them immediately from my Facebook account.


PS....What's a 'maze'?

Bye, Bye Baby....

So REM have broken up!

I was never a big fan, in fact I wasn't a fan at all.  I did/do know some of their more popular stuff but that's about it for me.  I did however, find it amusing that their breakup made headlines on the evening news on our nation television station.  Is there nothing else going on in the country or world that could have been reported?

But that news induced a very interesting and funny radio program today about teenage crushes and bands breaking up, and how the two together can cause havoc to the emotions of boys and girls everywhere.  And not just teenagers, there were 'older' fans ringing in telling their stories about the bands they followed everywhere and the lengths they went to to meet their idols, and being crushed (emotionally not physically - although that did happen to somebody's foot at a concert!) when it was all over for the band!  I was amazed at how involved some people got with certain bands.

It brought me right back to my first 'teenage' crush/groupie-like state!

I was one of the Tartan Army.  The name given to the followers/fans of those five boys from Scotland.  I remember being allowed to go and see 'them' when they came to Dublin at the height of their popularity.  I was only about 14 or 15 and went with a few of my friends from school.  Imagine, I was allowed to go without my big sister!  (There is no way she would have gone to see them, she was way too cool for that lot, but she did bring me to see Queen a year or two later when they came to Dublin, after I had long since forgotten about my teenage idols, and gotten a bit cool myself!)  Anyway back to my little band of groupies, we were a sight to behold.  Covered from head to toe in Tartan and complete with stupid hair cuts!!  Tartan hairband in our mad hair and tartan scarfs tied around our wrists.  Of course we thought we were the best thing since....since....well since whatever was the best thing that went before us!!

I remember it as if it was yesterday, getting ready, ironing the tartan trimmed trousers, the ones that I made my mother alter to make them look exactly the same as the ones that the guys in the band wore.  The bus journey there, admiring the other girls tartan outfits (being secretly jealous if theirs were better than mine), queuing outside - in a very orderly fashion - being let in, screaming running for the best spot, having a coke, checking out the tartan clad guys, waiting, more screaming, more waiting, the lights going down, even more screaming, we could see their sneaker clad feet under the curtains (yes there were curtains on the stage) and then as the excitement built, the music started, OMG the screaming, and then the lights went on, and then we couldn't hear anything after that, only screaming......

Of course there was the fainting too!  Not me, no way, I wasn't going to faint and miss any of the excitement.  But the amount of people that did faint was crazy.  A constant stream of girls being passed over our heads towards the exit.  A girl from my year in school was with somebody who fainted.  She was a hero the next day in school....

The Bay City Rollers!  (SIGH!)  Gosh, when I tell people now that I liked them, they laugh!  But I am not ashamed (no really, I'm not :-/ ).  I just remember that mad night and the fun we had.  Of course I have been to many concerts since, and I have even heard the music at some of them!!  But I will never forget my first one....BIG SIGH!!  I remember crying into my little tartan scarf when they broke up, I was inconsolable... 

I think they are back together now and still tour, with a different line up, how funny is that?  Only nearly as funny as those tartan trousers, and ridiculous haircut I used to wear....I'm sure I have a picture somewhere.  I know I still have the trousers, I'm just waiting for them to come back into fashion!!

Clarification.

For those of you that expressed concern, I would like to point out that no dogs were harmed during the making of the muffins.

And Rusty would like to add, that even he has standards, and has long since learned not to approach anything slightly blackened that the small blond one takes out of that silver hot thing in the wall....

Woo Hoo!

The muffins were a disaster....

But who cares, Ireland just beat Australia in New Zealand!!!

WOO HOO!!!

And now I better get to work or nobody will get any dinner tonight, never mind dessert.

Go Ireland!!!!  :-)

Damn!

I just made some muffins and they are cooking nicely in the oven.

One of the guy's in work has a very nice wife who has a catering company, and as a treat she sent us in a box of her home made muffins during the week.  I was last to the box and all the double chocolate chip ones were gone by the time I got there, grrr, so all that was left were blueberry (which I like) and a new type that I had never tasted before!  Raspberry and coconut!  Delicious!!  Who needs double chocolate chip anyway!

I pleaded with my colleague to get the recipe for me, but he said if he gave it to me his wife would kill him.  Spoilsport!  So I scoured the net and found the perfect recipe.  I even had all the ingredients in my cupboard!  And as I am having guests for dinner tomorrow evening, I though this would be the perfect opportunity to try out this new recipe on them.

It was all so easy, just throw everything into a bowl and stir, then put them in the cases and into the oven!  Job done!

Was just about to turn off the computer when something caught my eye....I re-read the recipe.

YIKES!!

I forgot to put the eggs in!!  Oh no......

I thought the mixture seemed a little too 'thick', but as I have never made muffins before I thought it was supposed to be like that.....Damn!!

I will just have to wait and see what they are like when they are cooked....thirty minutes from now....damn again!!

Maybe I could just give my guests more wine and hope that they don't notice....

Oh wait.....I can always do the 'Rusty test' on them.  If Rusty eats them, then they pass the test, and they will be OK, right??

I hope none of my guests (or Rusty) are reading this blog........!

Jane versus the Helicopter

I am so glad that I tidied up my little patch last weekend, because, as the weather was so nice this evening I was actually able to sit out there for a while and read.  I was wearing a fleece and woolly socks, but it was very pleasant.....for a while.

A very short while....I went out armed with my mug of coffee, eager to get started and delve into somebody else's world for a while.  But, I didn't get to read as much as I would have liked, because just my luck, there was a soccer match on in the local stadium tonight, and even though I can't hear any noise from the crowd, the match finished at the same time that I went outside and then the crowd started to leave.  And, as after all matches, the police take over traffic control in the area and to my annoyance, especially this evening, they always seem to plant the helicopter right over my house.  Disturbing the peace over my little world.

It's impossible to ignore it or to block it out, so it distracted me from my Heroine of the day, Jane Eyre.  I wonder what she would have made of the metal bird in the sky?  That would be an interesting book to read, without the sound effects of course!

Anyway back to my book, I know I read it years ago, but I try as I might, I can't remember the plot.  I have this sudden interest in it again because a trailer for a new film based on the book, that I saw recently, prompted me to pick it up again and find out what the big secret is that her 'master' is hiding.  I wonder how long it will take me to remember?   So, I am going to read this book as quickly as I can, solve the puzzle, go and see the film, and then complain loudly to anybody that will listen, that it's not as good as the book!!

I had to stop reading and come in anyway, as it got dark.  But that didn't stop the helicopter!

I wonder who I could complain to about that...

I don't think so!

I've just read a headline:

Windows 8 'will change everything'.


Really?

Will it change my bed clothes every week?
Will it change the light bulb on my staircase that I can't reach?
Will it change the traffic lights to green every time I come to a red one?
Will it change a pumpkin into a glittering carriage?
Will it change night into day?
Will it change poverty to wealth.....sickness to health......war to peace.....crying to laughter?

No -  didn't think so!!

But, by using it, I know it will change the colour of my hair (from blond to gray).
And the state of my nerves (from calm to ragged!).  I'm still getting used to Windows version 1!!  :-)

I'm not reading any more headlines!

Swoon - Mr Moon!!

I don't watch much TV as I think you probably know
But feeling a bit 'off'-ish yesterday, thought I'd give it a go.
So I lay on the couch with a hot drink,
Right, what's this that's come on?....Eastenders I think!

It's years since I watched this 'soaps' stories unfold.
Is it just my streaming eyes, or do they all seem so old?
Some new characters but the same miserable old set,
Some old characters, have they not been written out yet?

And just like the characters, the storylines are the same
everybody fighting, and playing a dangerous game.
Not very interesting I think I'll switch channels,
there is only so much of this nonsense I can handle.

Oh wait, just a second, I can't change just yet
Somebody kinda interesting has just come 'on set'
Those piercing blue eyes and that crooked smile,
On a face I haven't seen in a very long while

That face, it's so familiar and really puzzling me
this is so annoying, whoever can it be?
I rewind, freeze frame, and stare at the face
The features are so familiar, but the name I can't place.

His character has been given the name Eddie Moon
But I'm sure as a girl, he used to make me swoon!
Is this Mr Moon a good guy or a cad?
Oh who the hell is he, it's driving me mad!!

A song keeps rattling around in my head,
"Hold me close" were the words that he said.
It's transporting me back to the 70's, I think,
and the words from the song, they're definitely a link.

I'm racking my brains, and I'm really perplexed
who can it be.....

OMG......It's David Essex!!!

Not a very nice gu(e)st!

Well Hurricane Katia has left us.  And she very kindly left behind some fallen trees and power outages, and some very disgruntled rail passengers who's trains services were suspended, in her wake. But, thankfully (very selfish of me) she didn't leave any damage behind in my garden!

She did, very kindly, help me across the road on my way to work this morning on her way through.  It wasn't exactly where I wanted to cross the road, but I couldn't refuse her help!!  And I made it safely despite her urging!  I'm glad she is gone now and I hope the people in Scotland are prepared for her visit.  That was just a small taste for us of what the east coast Americans got a couple of weeks ago.  Sometimes I'm glad we only do things in a small way in Ireland!

Goodbye Katia, and you're one visitor I hope won't call again soon! :-)

A tidy up!

I'm feeling a bit miserable this evening.  ("What's new" I hear you cry!!).  For two reasons.  The first one is thanks to the tail end of Hurricane Katia, which decided to change course and visit our Island before blowing herself out somewhere over Scotland tomorrow!

And like any impending visitor a 'tidy up' is in order.  So I had to go out and tidy up my garden furniture and put it all away.  I also put away the sun brolly!  Always a sad moment for me!!  I usually leave it out until at least October even tho it doesn't get much use after the end of August, but it makes the garden look nice and when it's gone back into hibernation for the winter, the garden looks very bare.

So I now have a very tidy, very bare garden with all the furniture safely locked up in the shed.  I wonder how tidy it will be tomorrow when Katia is finished whispering her sweet nothings all over our land??  Will all my efforts on Saturday have been in vain?  I hope not...

My other reason for feeling miserable?  I'm getting a cold, poor me...I'm going to take some Echinacea and with that, I'll need some TLC.

I checked the cupboard where I keep all the 'cures'.  (You know that cupboard, we all have one, the one where we keep all the 'stuff' that we buy and are determined to take to make us feel better and keep us healthy).  I know I have some Echinacea tabs in there.

Found them, well I found the box....it's empty!

I also found some Vitamin C - which is out of date!   And some Vitamin A & D - also out of date.  I also found some Calcium Magnesium and Zinc, some Cod Liver Oil and some Immunol, all, yes you've guessed it, out of date!!  Oh dear!  If only I had taken all of that stuff then I wouldn't be looking in this cupboard in the first place.  I did find some St Johns Wort.  I think I'll take that.  It won't cure my cold but it might make me less miserable!!

I think another tidy up is in order.....

So because of the distinct lack of cures in my house the only thing left is the TLC, and the best form of that I can think of, would be a hug.  Any volunteers?  (??)  Just one will do.  Volunteer that is, I might need more than one hug.....  :-)

Oops!

Oh dear, what a 'faux pas'!

The Dubs aren't playing Kerry until next week!!  Silly me, got that one wrong.  :-)  Oh well, it will save me wishing them well next week.  That will teach me to pay more attention in future.  Maybe I should tell my neighbours too, the one's with all the bunting and flags hanging out of their windows....Perhaps some Kerrymen have infiltrated my neighbours houses and put the bunting up a week early to confuse me!!  Oh well, roll on next week when the game really takes place!  :-)

And now, after an exhausting day of standing around smiling, engines roaring, and copious flag waving, I am exhausted and the couch is calling, time to do nothing for a couple of hours.  Bliss!

Sad and happy thoughts...

My thoughts today, like the rest of the worlds, are with the people of New York and anybody that lost somebody precious ten years ago.  I wish them well today.

And on a completely different subject, I have somebody else I would like to wish well to today also.  The Dubs!!  Today we play our long standing rivals, The Kerrymen, what a match that should be.

And speaking of matches, well done to our Rugby Team who won today in New Zealand!

And speaking of Rugby, I'm off to tackle a few cars, bikes and 'Grid Girls'.  Glad I'm not in one of those suits today....brrr.....

UP THE DUBS!!!!   :-)

The great outdoors!

A beautiful September day in Dublin today.

And I made the most of it.  I started with breakfast in town in the sunshine, with two former workmates, and finished with dinner of homemade vegetable lasagna made with fresh vegetables, donated by another friend who grew all of them on his allotment.

But in between, I spent the day in my garden, working.

For the last few years I have neglected my poor garden.  I used to love being out there digging my hand in the dirt, planting stuff and then the anticipation of watching it grow.  And I loved the summer evenings when I would spend time out there with the garden hose giving everything a good drink.  Very therapeutic after a long day at the office.  But the events of 2007 (marriage break-up!) left me with no interest in anything except survival!  Of course, being the trouper that I am :-) I survived!  But, unfortunately, not many of the plants in the garden did!

At the beginning of last year, when the snow had cleared and it started to turn into spring, I began to take an interest again and I had a look at the garden and realized that it was gone a bit beyond anything I could fix.  So I looked around for somebody to help.  I finally found somebody and together we came up with a plan to restore my little patch to its former blossoming self.  The plan being, him doing all the work, and me basking in all the glory!!  We agreed on the plants and where they should go and we agreed on a date for him to start.....and then.....I was made redundant!!  It's a conspiracy against me and my garden!!

Needless to say, once again the garden went straight down to the bottom of my list of priorities, and Joe the gardener had to do his best on a severely reduced budget!  And to his credit he did!  And to my shame, once again I neglected it.  But not as badly as I had done for previous years.  But I planted no flowers and all my flowerpots remained empty again this year.

So today, I spend the whole day riding them of the moss that had grown over anything that was left in them and cleaning them and stacking them up ready for next year.  I also painted two wooden boxes that my dad made for me and they are ready now for planting.

So today I got pleasure from the garden in two ways, one by doing some work out there, and the second by eating the rewards of somebody elses hard work in the garden.

I am determined now not to go back to my neglectful ways and made a good start today by planting loads of spring flowering bulbs.  So when they flower (hopefully) next year, that will give me a good incentive to plant summer flowers.  And then once again my garden will be back in bloom!!

You never know, maybe next year will be my year to 'bloom' too.....although I hope I don't need to be stuck into fertilizer to aid the process...

Stoned!!

Finished work early today and made it home in nice time on this lovely sunny evening to get to Cruagh for a walk.  What a treat!  It was really lovely up there this evening and it was a glorious way to end a very busy and stressful week.  It's a long time since I have been so busy and stressed at work.  But, I am not complaining, in fact, I am loving it.  It's great at last to have something to do where I actually put my brain to good use, instead of letting it wander and get me into trouble!!

I was too busy even to blog!!  Imagine!!  And I had no trouble getting to sleep at night as I was so tired from all the hard work.  Ahhh, poor me.  So all in all it was a good week, (except for the bit where I got splashed by the cars and beaten by the rain etc, but we won't talk about that) and hopefully next week will be just as busy.

But, while I was walking in the forest, I noticed every so often at the side of the track, granite stones of various shapes and sizes piled up in little heaps.  Curious!  There's always stones on the track and always granite, but somebody would have had to go off the track and look for the bigger ones that were at the bottom of each pile.  Curious-er!  And then probably dig them out of the moss and grass that they lie in all year round at the side of the track under the pine trees.  Curious-er and curious-er.  I wonder who did that.

Well, I know it wasn't the deer.  There are always 'piles' up there on the track that they make, but lets just say that their piles are a lot softer, and a very different colour, than the piles of stones!

I thought, maybe it was some clever Parent with a bunch of children, trying to keep them amused as they walked around the sometimes quite steep track.  Well, it certainly kept me amused as I walked quickly on to see where the next one was.  I was kinda hoping they were going to give me clues to some buried treasure or point me in the direction of a rainbow, you know, the one with the pot of gold at the end of it.  But they didn't have any hidden clues nor did they seem to point in any specific direction.  They just had ants underneath them.  I was baffled, but Rusty thought it was a great game and barked enthusiastically each time I turned over another pile.  Anyway knowing my luck they probably would have only led me to a naughty Leprechaun.....With attitude...And very probably an empty treasure chest...Who would put a curse on me...And turn my hair red like his....

So, since its Friday and since I have worked so hard this week,and can't solve the mystery of the piles of granite, I think I will lead myself towards my own pot of gold.  Or as you would probably know it better, a bottle of Cava!

Top of the Morning to ya!  (Hic..)

I'm not complaining, but...

You know how much I love 'commenting' (complaining) about the weather.  Well I have decided that I am not going to comment anymore because it has just become boring and we are all very aware at this stage that the weather this year has been cr*p, to say the least.  So tonight I am going to tell you how much I enjoyed my lovely walk with the dog that I have just returned from.

It was lovely to get dressed in full wet gear before I went out.  It was lovely to be splashed by the cars while waiting to cross the road.  It was lovely to be walking in a wet windy and deserted park with the trees bending over so far in the wind that I thought they were going to snap.  It was lovely to feel the rain beating against the back of my legs making them sting.  It was lovely the way the wind kept blowing down my hood and whipping my hair into my face, making my eyes water.  It was lovely the way the wind was howling so much that I couldn't hear the music playing through my iPod..  It was lovely to see the dog running through the puddles and the wet grass getting his paws all wet and muddy!

And it was really lovely when I got home to have a pile of wet clothes to dry and to see the dog shaking his wet and muddy fur all over the kitchen.

I love November!  Oh wait.....

A ferry nice day!

For the second time this year, I got on a boat and went to visit one of the small Islands off the coast of this big Island that I live on.  But, I had no intention, (or hope I never have to), of spending a night on this Island.  Because, I was visiting Ireland's 'Alcatraz' - Spike Island, Cobh, Co. Cork.

A tiny Island with a huge history.

You can see the Island from the dock at Cobh (pronounced Cove, for you Americans reading!) and could probably jump (if you were a giant!) over, but because of the tides, the ferry takes you round the other Islands in Cork harbour so you get a lovely scenic trip.

Cobh is also famous for the fact that it was the last port that the Titanic paid a visit to on her fateful journey.  But enough about that.  Although on our trip round the harbor there was a cruise ship from Holland parked?  moored?  tied up?  docked?  (I don't know the correct expression, so feel free to correct me) and it looked very imposing just sitting there alongside the quay, its highest point being nearly as tall as Cobh's famous Cathedral.

Anyway, we got to Spike after 10 minutes of sailing and were greeted by a very informative guide.  She gave us most of the history of the Island while standing on the dock.  But it was very interesting.  I'm not going to recount it all to you, you can look it up if you want at spikeislandcork.com.  She told us that the Island was a place of incarceration five times in its history.  People who fought for religion were jailed here.  People who fought for 'Ireland's Cause' were jailed here.  People who just fought with each other were jailed here.  But the one's who interested me the most were the people who fought to survive, and were jailed here during the Famine for stealing bread to keep themselves and their children alive.

If they survived their time on Spike then they were sent in Prison Ships to Van Diemens Land (Tasmania) for fourteen years.  If they died, which most of them did, then they were just dumped in a hole and covered up.  How awful!  This mass grave was discovered by the Irish Navy, when they occupied the Island, while they were excavating a patch of land to convert into a football pitch.  How sad!  But the Navy didn't build their pitch, instead they built a wall around the patch of land and put up a cross.  How nice!  There is currently a petition to have all the people who were buried there posthumously pardoned.   One prisoner famous political prisoner of the time, John Mitchel who did survive, wrote a book about his time on the Island, call Jail Journal.  That's going on my list now to read.

And for the second time this year also, I got to see a prison cell of a famous person.  Earlier in the year on a trip to Paris, I saw Marie Antoinette's in the Concierge, where she was kept before she was beheaded.  I thought it was grim when I saw it, but it was five star luxury compared to John Mitchel's which was nightmarish.   Just a small wooden board on the floor for him to sleep on and a window about a foot wide.  It made me really sad.

I've probably painted a miserable picture, but it really was a very enjoyable and informative trip.  Especially for the guide, as she was treated to some 'extra' bits of information from my very clever Father, who was able to tell her that John Mitchel was eventually rescued by his friends who sailed to Tasmania and brought him to America, and eventually he got home to Ireland.  She probably knew that already, but she was very gracious!!  He did make me laugh.

And believe it or not, there was also a concert going on on the Island.  So, after all that doom and gloom we were able to sit in the sunshine in the courtyard in the center of the prison walls on a beautiful lawn, and listen to some great music.  What a lovely way to finish the tour!

And for the second time this year, I was on a ferry with some musicians!!  Some of them were finished their set and got the ferry back to the mainland with us....this is becoming a habit!!  I might have to visit another Island soon.

I wonder which one it will be......hmmm.......Lanzarote?  Barbados?  Jamaica?   Tasmania??  Eh...Not sure I would last that long on a boat, no matter how many musicians were on board!!  :-)

What's in a name...

Quote from the New York Times:
 "wife and three children of Qaddafi enter Algeria, Government says..."


Quote from Reuters:
"Libya rebels say will seek extradition of Gaddafi Family from Algeria..."


Quote from the Irish Times:
"Gadafy loyalists urged to fight on..."


I am definitely "confused.com"!!  Are these three reputable news publications talking about the same person, there couldn't be three of him, could there?  Or have their 'spelling' editors all gone for a tea break??

So being curious as I am.  I googled the spelling to see who was right..  And to my surprise, they all are!  Apparently it is estimated that there are 112 way of spelling his name, jeez, just as well there aren't 112 of him!  The spell checker seems to like the Qaddafi version the best, so does that put the NYT out in front?

Anyway, it make me think about my own name, Siobhan (pronounced Shove-on).  There are a couple of 'correct' ways to spell my name too (does that make me like Gaddafi, Gadafy, or Qaddafi, Yikes!!!).

Siob̊an (old Irish spelling, the dot over the 'b' because they didn't have a 'h' in their alphabet)
Siobhán  (the proper Irish spelling with a 'fada' over the a)
Siobhan (the most widely used version)

There you go, a bit of useless information for you, unless you know a few Siobhan's that you want to impress!!

I just use the more common/modern way Siobhan!  But never mind the spelling, you should hear how some people pronounce my name.  The funniest example being the Koreans that I used to work with who called me Cy-O-Ban!

You should have hear what I called them (when they were out of ear shot of course!!). :)

Apple Pie anyone?

A great day for me and for the Dubs!

I finished my bedroom and the Dubs finished Donegal!  I'm very proud, of being a Dub and of my bedroom!

And after all that exertion and excitement, I did something very calming.  I went outside in the sunshine and picked the apples off my apple tree.  There are loads this year, and they are already starting to fall so I wanted to get to them before the slugs did!  Time to make some Pie!

Then I sat on the couch and watched 'Elbow' (accompanied by a string quartet) live from the Reading festival with my son.  And ate Maltesers!  I like this sitting on the couch eating Maltesers so much I am going to stay here and watch Muse, they're on next!

Apple Pie anyone?

One thing led to another.....

Just had my breakfast outside on the deck on this lovely sunny Sunday morning in Dublin.  Sat there for a while, (a long while) until a big black rain cloud came over and hid the sun from my view.

I sat there in the sunshine trying no to think about having to finish painting the room I started yesterday.  It's beginning to look good,  and should look very nice when I am finished.  But, you know when you go to do something, you always find that there is something else that needs to be done, well I have that problem now, but it was of my own making.

Yesterday before I started painting, I thought I would take down the window blind so that I didn't get paint on it.  So I pulled the string to roll it up, to make it easier to take down, and the whole blind landed at my feet in a heap.  And not only the blind, but the brackets that hold it in.  And not only the brackets, but half the plaster from the window with them.  And not only that blind, but it took the one beside it with it and the brackets and plaster from that one too.  And they also left me with a nasty gash on my arm as it hit me on the way down!  Boo Hoo! :-(

Then after I cleaned that up, I decided to move the bed into the middle of the room so that I would have a clear path round the room to paint, and as I pushed it, I heard a loud crack.  I didn't feel any pain, so I knew it wasn't one of my bones!!  So I peeped under the bed and discovered that one of the wooden lats underneath the bed had given way and then it too fell in a heap.  So I fell in a heap on top of it. I am worn out before I even start.  This room is out to get me!

So now I have a big bandage on my arm and a lovely (nearly) painted clean room, with a broken bed, that everybody on the road can see because I have no blind on the window.  Later today, when I finish painting I have to go and look for a new blind, because the old broke in pieces when it landed.  And then I have to go and look for somebody who can fix the plaster.  And then I have to go and look for somebody with a drill who can refit the blind for me, and hopefully fix the bed too......Effort!!

At least I didn't get paint on my shoe and walk it all over the house......oh wait.....

The sun's back out......Is it too early for a drink....?

Bah humbug!

Well...we lost...to those pesky English...I'm lost too, for words!

I'll just have to pin all my hopes on Dublin beating Donegal tomorrow!

Up the Dubs!

I might have to go out tonight and drown my sorrows.....

Weekend winners!

Congratulations to Conor Niland, he has just qualified for the main draw of the US Open!  And we may have a second Irishman not far behind him...

Could this be the start of a winning streak for Ireland this weekend!!  Let's hope so...

Good luck to the Irish Rugby team tomorrow, playing our arch enemies, The English!!

Oh, and best not forget Dublin playing an important match on Sunday too!

I'll be glued to the TV!!

Rusty and the sock!

Yawn....nothing like a big stretch to get you going after a long lazy nap.  Suppose I better get up and see what's going on.  Hold on, just have to scratch behind my ear a bit....ah...that's better.  Maybe I'll just stretch out here again while I think of something to do.  I might go outside and scare a few birds, show them who's boss.  Or I might have a look out the front window and see if that pesky cat from across the road is lying in the flower bed again, and stand in the window menacingly staring at her, or I might chase a few flies for some fun.  No, I get bored with that, they fly up high where I can never get them.  Or, I might go and investigate what's on the menu for today, see has it changed since yesterday.  They have no imagination with my food, it's the same thing in the same bowl in the same place at the same time, every day!  Or, I might just lie here and have another yawn or a stretch or a scratch or a nap....

I can hear some chatting from the two in the other room, one of them, the small blond one, is looking at that silver thing that she sometimes has on her lap, she never wants to go for a walk when she is looking at that thing, so I don't like it.  I try talking loudly to her, but that makes her hands go up over her ears and her hair stand on end, well it always stands on end as far as I can see, and she has the cheek to complain about mine being all over the place!  The tall dark one is lying on the couch, watching that square thing in the corner that has the funny colours and makes noise.  It makes more noise than I do, but they never give out to it!!

Sometimes, when the small blond one is not here, the tall dark one lets me up beside him on the couch.....but when the blond one comes in I have to jump off quickly, act all innocent, run over to her and sort of pretend that I am happy to see her, oh the indignity!  She never notices that I've been on the couch, but she does put her hands on her hips and speak to the tall dark one in a loud voice, he just laughs....I don't understand what the big deal is anyway, they spend all their time lying on the couch so why can't I?

Actually, I'm feeling a bit energetic, I think I'd like something to play with.  I know, I'll get one of those nice soft things that those two put on the end of their legs, they are good for chewing and throwing in the air.  And I know just the place to get one.  Hmm...the only thing is, it could prove a bit difficult tho, as after I've retrieved it, I'd have to get it past the two legged creatures.  Nothing like a challenge, or a cat to chase, to get me out of my bed! 

OK, I'm off my bed, give myself a quick scratch and a shake, quietly does it now, walk past the two of them and don't make eye contact.  I wish my feet wouldn't make such a clicking noise on the floor, maybe I should wear some of those things they put on their feet, instead of playing with them.  Made it to the stairs, they don't seem to have noticed me.  Up the first flight, quick pause at the top to look back and see if they have spotted me.  I can hear laughing, but no one is following, right, up the next flight.  And hurrah!  I've made it to Mecca, the place where the dark one sleeps.  (Sometimes when the blond one goes to work and forgets to close the kitchen door, I come up here and have a nap with the tall dark one).  And what a load of treasure there is for me here.  Soft fluffy things all over the floor, some of them look like they have been here for a while!  Oh no, I can't decided, too much choice, and I don't have much time.  Should I go for a white one or a black one.  Or a white one with a black stripe, or a black one with a white stripe.  I stand still and listen, do I hear movement from downstairs?  Quick just grab the nearest one and make a speedy getaway.  A white one it is, and down the first flight in double quick time.  Now, this is where it gets tricky....

I stand at the top of the last flight of stairs and wait for a minute, listening, all is quiet.  They seem to be whispering about something.  I make my way slowly down the next flight, and peep round the banister.  The're not looking at me and they are laughing at something, good, they don't seem to have noticed me.  I'll just nip in behind this chair, careful not to drop the soft fluffy thing.  Well whatever is keeping them occupied must be very funny, because they are laughing their heads off now, and it's helping me make my escape.  I'm going to have to be fast now.....right.....over the arm of the couch......under their legs.....through the door.....across the kitchen.....heading for the back door... . they've noticed, and they are after me....nearly there.....the garden is in sight......don't look back.....made it.....DAMN!!  The door's locked, grrr, should have checked that before I tried to make my escape.....turn around slowly.....they are behind me now.....quick, drop the fluffy thing.....(no evidence, no crime).....dart under the kitchen table.  I'll  just sit here looking innocent.

The blond one picks up the fluffy thing, the dark one picks me up.  The blond one is talking again with her hands on her hips, what's her problem, maybe the dark one is in trouble!!

I'm certainly not in trouble cos I am now on the couch beside the dark one being tickled for being such a clever dog!!  I think, after all that excitement, that a nap is in order.....