They've all gone away

We said goodbye to Carolan today. She flew off to Liverpool, courtesy of Ryanair. The airport in Shannon was very busy when we got there, mainly due to Ryanair flights coming and going. Destinations on the outbound side that were checking in included Liverpool, London Gatwick and Paris.

We started the day with an early morning visit to the market to search for Indian herbs for C before she went. The market was pretty empty, so no joy on that one. We thought we'd go to The Wild Onion to have breakfast but discovered it was closed too, opening again on 8th January. Instead we went to Relish on Thomas Street. We met up with Karen (by arrangement) so enjoyed her company. b then returned to the car to read papers and mind the dogs while C, Karen and I went around shops looking for a coat for C. No joy on that one either, so we headed on to the airport at about 11am.

Having left C to go to her flight we headed to Cratloe Woods to walk the dogs. It was pouring when we got there so we waited a few minutes until the rain/sleet died down. We then went for a shortish walk as it looked like it was going to pour again. It did, immediately after we reached the car, so our judegment was good.

On the way home we called in to PCWorld to buy a flat screen for b. It looks nice, and will save a lot of space on his desk. I haven't yet seen it in action.

I've spent most of the afternoon tidying up the house. I chopped up the Christmas tree so that I can burn the bits on the fire I will eventually have in the vegetable garden. That made a great mess, following which the hoover came into action to clean up the floor and surrounding areas. I cleaned up the fire as well, so the big room now looks neat. Next I gave the sofa in the living room a good clean (I'm sure the dogs appreciate that!), as well as the room itself. Finally, I went upstairs and changed sheets on C's bed. The washing machine is running as I type. The final task will be to empty the dishwasher, which has just finished running.

So, it's been a busy day so far, and it's only 6pm. I must see if there is something worth watching on TV tonight as I think I deserve some relaxation.