Bread and water!

I'm on a sun bed,  with the ocean on one side of me and a swimming pool on the other...

I'm sitting on a raised sun deck and when I look down, I can see a guy snorkeling in the clear blue sea below me, his flippers making little splashes and the yellow tip of his snorkel peeping in and out of the water as he bends his head down further to catch a glimpse of some interesting sea life.  And when I look up I can see a yacht perched just off the headland that's jutting out into the water, there are people jumping off the back of the yacht into the water.   I can also see a speed boat ripping through the water, leaving its white wake behind it,  and another smaller boat top heavy with people in diving gear on their way out to sea... Seriously, one of these days I am going to learn to swim, then I will be out in the speed boat (or the yacht) instead of sitting on the shore being envious...

Hello from sunny Malta!

I'm not going to give you a history (or geography) lesson on Malta, you can look it up for yourself if you are interested.  But even this little Island, that has been invaded by just about every empire over the course of its history, was not quite ready for the invasion of the Irish last Friday.  We immediately set up base camp at the pool and it was full steam ahead with our occupation.  A battalion of women from Dublin are not a force to be reckoned with, which the pool attendant learned very quickly and seemed resigned to his fate.  And the poor waiter at breakfast on Saturday morning surrendered almost as quickly under the barrage of requests for tea bags!  Can we Irish not go anywhere without a cup of tea?

I don't drink tea.

I don't eat rabbit either, but it was on every menu I read, and seems to be the local delicacy.  So, Instead of the rabbit  I tried the other local delight, ftira, bread made the Maltese way!  A bit like focaccia, but nicer!   I might have to eat more of that...

Over the last few days, to get my bearings and to see some of this Island, I took the bus down the coast.  Past the salt flats, past the look out towers dotted around the island, passed the imposing forts, as far as Salima and Viletta, where I got off the bus.  On each trip my hair got a sunshine blow dry and by the time I got off the bus I looked  like I had stuck my finger into a socket and got an electric shock!  Oh well, I'm on holidays so who cares.  It was pretty windy on the upper deck of the open top bus, but a treat to be able to sit up there, in the sunshine.  

I did all the touristy stuff, had the history lesson, took the harbour cruise, had a look in some of the 365 beautifully ornate churches that are all over these group of islands, and also checked out those lookout towers and forts that are as much a part of this island as the churches.  Religion and armies, they always seem to be intertwined in history!

I also, on the recommendation of a friend back home, took a ferry to the smaller island north of Malta, Gozo.  He told me it was like going back in time.  Well, he wasn't wrong...

The ferry trip was lovely, not long, only about 30 minutes.  I stood up front to look out at Gozo as it approached.  That was Ok and lasted for about five minutes until I was asked by a group of Turkish students to take their photograph.  That was also OK, until they all handed me their cameras and phones, only about thirty of them.  I didn't learn any Turkish, but they learned some Irish swear words!  We were at Gozo before I knew it.

My friend was right.  Initially the ferry terminal on the island looked like any modern ferry terminal, but a few minutes out into the country side and I could see what he meant.  

I could have been, except for the sunshine, in the west of Ireland.  It was like driving through Connemara.  Mountainous, rocky and tilled fields on either side of the road, all sectioned off by little dry stone walls.  The only thing missing were the sheep.  In fact I didn't see any animals at all.  Obviously I didn't expect to see any rabbits, but lamb is another item on every menu, so there must be some of them around somewhere? Hiding from the invasion of the Irish no doubt.  

Anyway despite the lack of grazing animals, I enjoyed my trip round the island, through the very narrow streets of the little towns where the new buildings have been built in the same architectural style as the old ones to keep the character of Gozo intact, all the way down to Xlandi Bay, where we had lunch.  We sat in a restaurant so close to the waters edge that I had to shield my ftira bread and goats (don't know where they were hiding either) cheese from the spray every time a wave hit the little wall beside us.  But I'm not complaining, it was glorious to be able to sit outside, in the sunshine, eating.  And again the water I was looking into was so clear that you could see right to the bottom...

As usual, I will be sorry to be going home leaving the sunshine behind.  I'll have to learn how to make ftira so I can relive the experience at home.

As i said, I didn't learn any Turkish, but I did learn some Maltese (from a German)!

So reluctantly,  it's 'sahha' from Malta, for now...

RIP?

So, the 'Iron Lady' is gone...

Well, what can I say?  Her relationship and dealings with the Irish people while she was in office are well documented, and as I was taught not to speak ill of the dead, I have nothing to add to history...

But I was very pleased to see my brothers and sisters reaction.

They, like me, didn't 'speak' ill of the dead.  No, instead they posted some tunes on Facebook!!  So far we have had:

Elvis Costello:  Tramp the Dirt Down
The Beat: Whine and grine - Stand down Margaret
Madness: Blue Skinned Beast

What rebels they are!!  They made me smile...

I'd like to add my contribution, it reminds me of, and sums up, the Maggie era, and it might make my family smile (for a different reason!!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WhhSBgd3KI

Up Up and a-weigh!

Read this today...

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/asia-pacific/airline-introduces-charges-based-on-people-s-weight-1.1346731

I like the bit that says that we are "bigger wider and taller than we were 50 years ago"... Well I certainly am!!

What next?

Will we have to stand beside one of those height restrict-er things that they have in all the fun parks that decides if you can go on the ride or not?

Or will they have a cage like thing that they will slot us into, like thy do with our bags, and if we don't fit then we don't fly?

So they are going to make you weigh in again at check in, to make sure you are the weight that you say on your ticket?  Hilarious!  That should make things run smoothly.  I wonder will it be like a weigh-in before a boxing match, where the boxers strip down to their boxers!!  Remember your mother always told you to wear clean underwear before you go anywhere, just in case... Well, if you are flying with Samoa airways then you will be glad that you listened to her!!

Diet starts Monday....

A sheep from a goat...

I'm on the edge!

The edge of the world!

Yesterday I got on my trusty steed, or in reality, into my little Ford Fiesta, and drove west.  And I keep going until I reached the edge.  I'm in Keem, Achill Island, "The West", Ireland!  I can't go any further, unless I get in a boat.

Yesterday on my drive here, I felt like I was the only one on the road, as after I left Longford behind there wasn't a car in sight.  Amazingly at one point I passed a Michael Jackson look-a-like scare crow, complete with hat and 'Michael' pose.    I had to do a double take, some very inspired farmers live in the Midlands.  He (the scare crow) was so realistic I nearly stopped to get an autograph.

I also saw the sun go down some where along the N5, which was quite nice.  I drove right into it...

Anyway, yesterday I felt like I was the only one on the road, but today I felt like I am the only one in the world! Keem is beautiful. I can't describe it in words so here is a picture of what is on one side of the road:

 And here is a picture of what is on the other side!

My pictures don't even do it justice.  If you really want to see what this beautiful place looks like then Google the artist Paul Henry and his pictures painted during his time spent on Achill will describe the amazing views much better than my words can.

I decided to park my car in the very well placed car park on the side of the cliff, and follow that little stream in the picture down to the beach.  It took me under a bridge that looked like it had Cathedral arches it was so high.  I had to walk in the water under it, then down the side of a boggy cliff, along the side of the beach and lastly right down to the shore, where the stream cut through the sand and made lovely patterns on the beach.  I felt like a mountain goat.

And speaking of mountain goats, I had to manoeuvre my way around what I thought at first were goats, but later found out that they are actually 'black faced horny mountain sheep'.  (Seriously, that's the name of their breeds, google them too!)  You would think that by now I would know a sheep from a goat, but it was the horns that confused me!!  Well, Not only were they on the side of the mountain, looking up from their chewing and peering at me strangely as I made my way down, but they were all over the road too.  You can see one of them in my picture.  They sit in the middle of the road, usually on a bad bend where you can't see them until you come round the sharp bend and they are right in front of you.  Its really freaky at night when you pass them and your lights shine on their eyes... And they don't move either!!  No, they were there first, why should they move for some day tripper down from Dublin...

I drove back along Atlantic Drive, once again avoiding the ill placed in the middle of the road sheep, to Keel, where I had lunch in a coffee shop surrounded by arts and crafts.   I could see another beach through the bay window where I was sitting and couldn't resist it.  It is such a beautiful day, sunshine and blue skies, a few clouds and wind, but I am at the sea, and on an Island, so that's to be expected.

And purely for my entertainment of course, surf school is in session on the beach. 

They're all mad of course.  I'm staying this side of the waves, although they are (the waves that is) trying to entice me in by lapping around my boots...But judging by the squeals of excitement and the jumping up and down, the surfers are enjoying being bashed by the Atlantic.  And I'm enjoying watching...

I came here to visit friends that I haven't seen for over fifteen years.  Somehow, I don't think it will be another fifteen before I come back!

I'm really enjoying sitting here on the beach, squinting out over the Atlantic trying to catch a glimpse of America, but I have to go, because I have a date.  A date with a TV, a bar stool, a glass of wine and some Rugby players.

Last night the Irish Ladies Rugby Team (!) beat the French, (well done ladies), so come on lads, for once on your life, try to beat the ladies at your own game!!

Headworm for today

I've been working at home now for four or five weeks.  And so far I love it.

As you can imagine there are loads of advantages, like not having to get up so early, not having to rush through the shower avoiding getting soap in my eyes, not having to rush through breakfast avoiding spilling it on my suit, not having to rush through the traffic avoiding the traffic cops, not having to rush through the building to get to my desk before the boss does!

There are other advantages, and of course, there are disadvantages too.  But we won't mention them today...

The thing I like the most is being able to listen to the radio while I work.  I like to listen to the chat shows.  I love the people that call in with madly random stories completely unrelated to what the host is talking about, I often wonder do they realise that they are telling millions of listeners and not just the host.  Anyway, besides the crazy listeners and their crazier stories, I also like to listen to the music.  

Here's one they have been playing over and over for the past few day and it's become my 'headworm'.  So I though I share it with you and it can play in your head and be your headworm also for the next few days.  You can think of me looking out my window, smiling and singing along (and working hard!) when this comes on the radio...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBumgq5yVrA

What a rush...

Meat the victims...

It's not often that we Irish are credited with a 'first' (and I say that as a very proud Irish person).  But we were the first country to 'out' the horse meat/DNA scandal.

Don't get me wrong, we love horses in Ireland, and we have a reputation for breeding quite a lot of champion race horses.  It's big business here.  So no offence to the horses, but, if it says beef on the tin then we want beef in the tin (or burgers, or Lasagna or whatever other products the equine DNA has been found in), that's a given. 

So what a stone we Irish have overturned.  I was going to say 'what a tin of worms we opened', but well... 

So, anyway, yesterday the boss of Iceland (the frozen food supermarket chain, not the country!) was forced to apologise for his offensive remarks when, in an interview, he discredited the results of the Irish Labs that tested his burgers.  When asked why his burgers passed British tests for equine DNA but failed the Irish ones, he replied:  "Well, that's the Irish isn't it"...  He later apologised and said he didn't mean to be disrespectful to the Irish people.

Cheek!!  Never mind the Irish people he was disrespectful to our Cows, and he should know what's in his own burgers.  

Well, in light of his remarks and with all this talk of horse meat, I wondered how the cows were feeling.  So I did a survey, and after speaking to several (Irish) cows, this one picture tell the true story of the feelings of the real victims in this scandal...

I apologise for their language, but as you can imagine, they are understandably annoyed!!  

I wonder how the horses feel as the cows have been getting all the credit for being the tasty meat in the burgers etc.  Somebody should ask them, 

I'm glad I'm vegetarian...

Happy Valentines Day!!

  Roses are red

but, sometimes white or pink.

Violets are blue,

much prettier, don't ya think.

But who cares about flowers

on a day like today,

a big box of chocolates,

much tastier, I'd say

Or maybe some champers,

now that would be cool!

All those lovely bubbles,

over a bottle you'd drool...

What about dinner? 

But, if only you could cook.

There's always a restaurant,

no problem, quick book!

Oh wait, maybe a song.

sung by a favorite.

You could download the track

and on your computer you'd save it.

Hmmm...perhaps a card

that's the 'norm' for today.

(...watching for the postman

you'd hope and you'd pray...)

Valentine wishes to you all,

and I hope that you got

one of the above,

or perhaps, the lot!!

So have you guessed yet

who's writing this rhyme??

No...it's not her!!!

It's your mystery Valentine