Lazy days

b responded to the dogs' barking this morning and this meant that I didn't go downstairs until after 10am. This is unheard of! I'm reading a very good book called "The Northern Clemency", and I was immersed in it once b had brought up a cup of coffee to me. The book was shortlisted for the 2008 Booker prize. I've gradually worked my way through all of the shortlist, with only one left to read after this, and I've enjoyed them all. There is something of substance in them all, though it is hard to describe why they should appeal beyond other novels or writers.

The last few days have been very lazy. Monday and Tuesday were a bit depressing. I had to force myself to do things I had on my list. Today, however, I seem to have a bit more energy. It is also slightly warmer outside, which helps when one of the things I wanted to do was to prune all the raspberry canes.

I had my first failure in the ice cream making stakes today. I tried to make caramel ice cream, but it turned out to be disgusting. I think the cream curdled as I was adding it to the caramelised sugar, and may be sour, but I may also have burnt the sugar too much. Anyway, I ended up throwing it out. I should have used all the cream sooner. I've been trying to make one kind of ice cream each day, to try different flavours. Yesterday's was pear.

There looks as if there may be good news on the Dell front. Nicky Hartery, who managed Dell until a few months ago, seems to be putting together a package designed to buy the plant and continue running it as a going concern. Let's hope this works, as Limerick will have a bleak year ahead if it doesn't.

Happy new year to everyone.

Home

Everyone is home now - so, Happy Christmas all!

Nearly there

Well, the weekend is over and I don't have to go to work tomorrow. What joy!

The dogs think they are in heaven as they are getting lots of attention from Ian. He actually strokes them where they like to be stroked, and sits on the couch with them while they spread themselves over him. This hasn't happened to them since he left to go to UWE.

Tony and Isolde spent the weekend here so it has been busy enough. We've eaten well, and consumed alcohol in a slightly larger quantity than normal. I dressed the Christmas tree (it's quite small!) and had some decorations left over to make some of the rest of the room a bit festive with tinsel and baubles.

Tomorrow I intend to go into town to do some shopping, and will visit Dunnes to see whether they need help packing bags in aid of Adapt House. They may be OK, which gets me off the hook.

Ian and I have just watched Ian's new Dara O'Briain DVD. Dara really knows how to get the best out of an audience.

Ian tells me he was in the front row of a Colin Murphy show recently and had questions fired at him - he seems to have been able to bamboozle Colin with his answers.

Pippa is making jealous growls at Leavy as Leavy is very comfortable on Ian's knee and Pippa wants it all for herself. Leavy is cool about it, though.

It's our new engine

See - this is what will power Knocknagow in the future. It's very small, but I'm assured it will work. We'll have so much space in the engine room, particularly now that we have taken out the huge diesel tanks, that we will be able to put extra beds in there (...or something...)

The capital

I'm just back from a couple of days in the big smoke. On the way up on Sunday I drove through snow, and I think there has been just about every kind of weather since then.

I visited Dundrum shopping centre twice. It is a tiring place, and I didn't find much there. However, I did find a Little Red Riding Hood coat at half price. I've been looking for something to replace my frayed grey short coat, and this red one was just sitting on the rail waiting for me to buy it.

Only 3 more working days until Christmas holidays.....

Lists

It's very easy to write lists, and even easier to ignore them. I have a short list of things I must do today, so why is it that I am allowing myself to do everything except what I really have to do? The list stares at me and makes me feel guilty. On the other hand, I did try to deliver to St V de P and they weren't open, and I have looked at the front room and decided to procrastinate. The hardest item on the list is getting prepared for the meeting I have tomorrow with the selection board for the new Principal. If I didn't know how to do selection I might have an excuse, but I've made a career out of a profession involving it, so I just have to get down to it.

Ian got his new phone. It's very exciting! And, I got the Ryanair reminder that he is due to fly on Friday, so he must be coming home soon. Carolan and Andy have a very long journey, and sea voyage, the following Tuesday, but they'll eventually get here. Does anyone have any ideas on what they'd like for dinner that day? Sam has already told me they don't want (or, is it, deserve?) presents for Christmas, but I suppose we ought to feed them.

Anyway, I need to stop this procrastination and get to my tasks. Oh, and by the way, they just said on the wireless that Liz Nolan had a baby boy this week so that must be why she hasn't been heard on Lunchtime Choice for a while.

Don't tell the kids

Don't breathe a word to Carolan and Ian, as they won't believe you anyway, but we have a Christmas tree. It is only 10th December and we have had it for 2 days already. Do you think this Christmas thing is getting too much for us??

and it's only Monday

Having had a sleepless night due to a bad earache, I arrived in to work and logged on. Within minutes a person arrived who had had a row with her boss on Friday and was still apopleptic with rage, and stressed out. This was the start of a day I'd rather forget, and a week that I hope will get better. During the course of the day I got angry with a person who was complaining that the €300 worth of Christmas vouchers he had received were useless to him; had to suss out what looks like a case of bullying; kept trying to stave off my earache and sensitive head; and had to listen to a manager who was offering all sorts of bonuses to his staff while everyone else is tightening their belts. Anyway, tomorrow has to be better.

Warwick and Queens', Cambridge are competing against each other on University Challenge currently. This provides a nice diversion.

What am I going to do for Christmas presents? Help!!!

Up and running

Well, I'm up and running on my new Toshiba laptop after a false start on Thursday evening. The first laptop they gave me had no wireless card in it so I had a frustrating few hours trying to follow the instructions the man in the shop said I needed to follow before bringing it back. b brought it back yesterday and got a replacement. I've been installing things this afternoon. b came home from a seminar he was at in Ennis and has been working on transferring my e-mails to the new system. It's all very cool, and it is great to be able to work away with no wires, and a good battery.

I spent this morning tidying rooms upstairs. It's amazing how dust manages to get into unused rooms. I dusted C's and I's shelves and the bits and pieces they have on them. It wouldn't be good for them to return home at Christmas to neglect! There are clean sheets and duvets on the beds, and the rooms are cosy. The trouble is that it may be too early, and I may have to do it all over again before they return.

The same applies to the dogs. They were groomed this week and look very well. Goldie looks very different. Chunks of hair had been coming out of him for the last few weeks and I think the groomer has done a great job of removing the rest. He looks a lot neater, and is shedding less than he was. Leavy looks all shiny, but it won't last as she doesn't seem to know how to keep herself clean.

I was at the office party last night. One of the advantages of being the oldest there is that I'm allowed to slip away early. It was enjoyable, held in Patrick Punches, but it is good to cut while the going is good.

This evening we're going out for a meal with Janet and Jerry. We haven't been to see them, or vice versa, for a few years, and I'm looking forward to their company. It is freezing out already so we'll have to be careful with driving. There was a spectacular red sky this morning, which is always a warning. I've seen red evening skies before, but it is rare to see such a morning sky.

What will I buy for Christmas presents? I don't like shops so had better get on-line tomorrow or I'll be too late for Christmas.