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.