I like having some free time

It is very rare for me to have a few free days.  In the summer we go away to the boat as often as possible so it is only during the Christmas break that I get to have days at home.

This week it has been so mild that I've even been able to do a bit of gardening.  My project for this winter is to move all the raspberry canes from one side of the garden to the other, thus freeing up space in the vegetable patch.  Today I managed to move some of the canes but have now run out of space to move them to.  What I need to do now is move the heap of compost I bought in the autumn from the front garden to the area I want to plant the raspberries.  It seems like a lot of effort, but it should be worth it when finished.
The other project for this week has been to get started on making a new flag for Knocknagow.  The current one is getting a bit dog-eared as the felt that makes up the lettering hasn't liked the windy and wet weather it has met in the last few years.  Carolan and I made it and I realise what a good job we did when I started to de-construct the current flag.  Now I have to make one that is even better!
Yesterday we went to visit Knocknagow in Ballinamore, where it is waiting to have some work done to it, including putting on a wheel-house that will protect us from the elements when we are steering.  We were a bit anxious that it might have taken on water following the severe frost.  Even though it has been over 9C for a number of days now water must take longer to thaw than elsewhere as the whole harbour was still full of thick ice.  Anyway, the boat is still floating, so that's a relief.

Happy new year, everyone.

One home, two still to come

Anyone reading Carolan's blog will have learnt already of her frustrations at getting home, but she managed to  beat the weather and arrived here safely at 9pm yesterday.  The road from Limerick to Cork got progressively worse as we went south of Limerick.
Tomorrow Andy is due to arrive in Cork so the journey has to happen again.  The trouble is that information on the real conditions is scarce.  Sometimes reports suggesting an area is bad are not accurate, and the opposite is also true.
We've just been chasing creatures around the kitchen.  There is a chewing sound in one corner so we've checked everything near the sound and can't find anything.  We've blocked holes in the skirting board now so hope that if there are little furry critturs around they'll give up trying to get through.  The dogs should ensure they don't have a chance, but I wouldn't be on them.

and 2 more

2 more ice creams made - another raspberry yoghurt, and a walnut coffee ice cream.  It will have to be sorbets tomorrow as I'm running out of cream.

A low record

Minus 13C last night.....

An icy week, and ice cream in the making

We had the dreaded Japan audit this week, and came out with flying colours.  Today we had a visit from one of the most senior people in our big company, and he was very happy with what he saw.  The scary thing is that he was anticipating something totally different from the reality.  However, that's one more convinced that we make good products and run a good show.  That's a relief.
We had at least 30 US and Japanese visitors this week.  They were all as surprised as we were to find ice, and even a bit of snow, here in Limerick.  We got off very lightly compared to other parts of the country.  Mind you, it is worth sticking to the main roads as any side roads are unexpectedly slippy.  The road from Castleconnell to Lisnagry was very slippy this morning, in spite of the non-freezing temperatures.
My exciting purchase today was a new cover for my ironing board.  I can now iron without getting the marks of the metal base stuck onto my blouses.  I celebrated by doing some ironing so am feeling very smug about being ahead of where I normally am at this stage of the weekend.
Christmas is coming, apparently, and that means I'm supposed to have a stock of ice cream in the freezer.  Today I've made chocolate chip ice cream and raspberry yoghurt ice cream.  On the list for making are:
- melon brandy sorbet
- more raspberry yoghurt
- blueberry
- more chocolate based ice cream
Anyone who is going to be here for Christmas is welcome to put in an order for their favourite type if these aren't on the list.
Leavy has a new duvet bed that b bought for her today.  She's spoilt!

Would you believe

I received a letter in the post today with an Tanzanian stamp on it.  Who do I know in Tanzania?  How exciting, I thought.  Well, would you believe but that it was from my "good friend" Charles Taylor (jnr), son of the former president of Liberia.  He writes from a refugee camp in Tanzania and says his father is being held against his will by the UN for "alleged offences of war crimes".  However, his father has confidence in my personality and thinks I can help with a business opportunity.  All I have to do is to contact him by email.  I won't give you his email address as I really have to claim this 30% of $177,000,000 for myself so that I can give up work and live the high life.
It's -2.8C here at the moment, but no snow yet.  They have snow in the north and east of the country.  It wasn't fun scraping ice off the car both on the way to work and on the way home.  A few more days of this is promised.

5 months of silence

I was looking at Sam's blog and noticed that mine is down at the bottom of the list of blogs he follows.  I'm surprised he hasn't thrown me off by now as it seems that it's 5 months since I wrote here.  The longer I leave it, the harder it seems to get to return, and yet I love reading  other people's musings.
Winter has set in today, and we woke up to a light smattering of snow.  This must be the earliest I've seen snow in this part of the country as we normally don't get any, and last year's was after Christmas.  This time last year we were wading through water and our village was cut in half by floods.
We went on a long walk with some friends and dogs across the frosty fields earlier.  It was lovely going "scrunch, scrunch" under-foot.  We explored the ruined castle at Doonass and watched crazy kayakers who didn't seem to mind turning their kayaks upside down in the freezing water.
Now that our friends have gone away I decided to settle down to a lazy afternoon of watching the repeat of the "Late Late Toy Show", the annual extravaganza of toys that are shown off on the Late Late Show.  I think, though, that something must have happened in the world outside our house (maybe something crazy like the country going bust) as it looks as if the TV schedule in the newspapers does not equal the schedule that is actually showing.  I may have to watch it on iplayer instead as it just isn't done to miss it.
Meanwhile, the dogs are snoring after their long walk.  Pippa has curled up in her little nest and is emitting very loud noises.  Leavy is sitting on her leather chair that now only has 3 legs.  If she stays still it won't fall down.
Now that I've procrastinated enough I'll find my sewing and make some progress on it.  Au revoir.

No visit

The "state" visit is cancelled as my Aunt Elizabeth isn't well and needs minding, so our expected visitor has headed over to Essex.  Unfortunately that means that the cleaning job Ian and Brian were going to do in advance of her arrival is kinda unlikely to happen.  Of course they'll need to do it to be ready for Carolan and Andy visiting next weekend....
I've just been watching that long tennis match between Isner and Mahut.  I don't understand how they can keep going for so long.  I get exhausted just watching them!  I think that what should happen is that the people in the next round should stand down in their favour so that they both get through.  It seems it has so far been the longest ever tennis match in a major tournament.
The Queen is going to visit our President, it appears.  How exciting!

The story of my life at this time of year

It's elderflower time of year.  Ian and I picked loads of elderflowers so I have cordial and champagne in the making.  It smells good!  Here is my champagne recipe, courtesy of "selfsufficientish"

8 litres (2 gallons) water
1.25 kg (2.5 lbs/5 cups) sugar
8 large elderflower heads
4 Lemons
4 tablespoons mild white wine vinegar

Boil the water and pour over the sugar to dissolve it. Cool and add the elderflowers, juice of the two lemons, slices of the other two and the vinegar. Cover with a cloth and leave for a day. Strain with a fine sieve or muslin cloth, squeezing the flowers as you do to release more flavour. Store in screw top bottles.

It will be ready in about 10 days to a fortnight and should be drunk within a month. <-----This is the part I'm at.  Do you think it will be ready in time for Carolan to taste?

Also, in the garden I have mange-tout, lots of types of salad leaves, garlic, scallions and various herbs.   Coming along nicely are beetroot, red onions, peas, broad beans, sweet corn and raspberries.  For some reason my runner beans are struggling with the running bit and aren't getting far off the ground.

Leavy goes head on

Ian was throwing a ball for Leavy and Pippa over at the Castle Oaks field, and the little friendly dog from the nearby houses was joining in the play.  Leavy has this habit of racing straight at people and dogs and stopping just before she reaches them.  However, maybe his little friend also does this.  Suffice it to say, they met head on.  The little dog raced off home.  Leavy looked stunned.  Next thing, though, she was gone too.
Ian hadn't seen her race so didn't even know where to start to look for her, so he decided to head home to leave Pippa there before going off on a search.

The story has a good ending.  Lo and behold, when he arrived home there was Leavy sitting waiting for him, looking very bemused.  Is there any chance that she'll get sense as a result of the incident?  The mind boggles at what would have happened if a car had happened to be passing when she raced across the road, as Leavy doesn't understand cars.

My aunt is wending her way down here the weekend after next.  She is attending a wedding in Glin that is likely to be the talk of the town, so we are the staging point.  She'll be here for 2 nights, and most of 3 days.....  She has only been to our house once before.  I don't think she is too fussy about housekeeping, but I'd better do a decent tidy before Carolan and Andy visit the following week.  I know they're bound to notice everything!

I was afraid that my mange-tout plants were turning out to be sweet peas, but they now seem to be developing the correct shapes, with the bonus that there are flowers at the top of the plants so that the garden has a small bit of prettiness in it.  At the moment the fare on offer from the garden includes loads of different kinds of salad leaves, and some spinach is ready for eating.  Red onions are coming on well, and garlic will be ready for Carolan's visit.  It is very pleasant and mild at the moment, taken with a salad.  Tomatoes are beginning to show themselves in the greenhouse, but the plants are mainly growing like triffids.  I have to breathe in when I walk into the greenhouse so that I don't knock something down.

Oh - and I planted some bedding plants in the shower base, locating it in front of the shed near my car.  The colours on the flowers aren't very nice but at least it makes the shower base look as it if is meant to be there.

It's elderflower time, so the next few weeks will be spent making cordial.  Unfortunately the local places I used for cutting the flowers last time have all been pruned back in the last year, and even the tree near the Meeting House has been cut, so I'll have to go further afield.  The blossoms are coming along nicely, though are later than last year.

Off to the boat now, heading for Rossmore.

In shame

Carolan is putting me to shame with her artistic and creative blogs.  I'm making progress, though, with my tapestry of a canal boat that she gave me for my birthday.  Appropriately enough, I've been doing most of it while on our boat.  I'll bring it on our holiday next week.  It's great therapy.

Leavy is looking out the window with suspicion.  She doesn't trust anyone any more.  You should see how fuzzy her hair is from the wash she had earlier today.  Leavy and hair-driers don't match so she ended up staying wet.  Pippa was also washed and is sleeping off the exhaustion of it all.

Gerry Ryan

I'm watching the Late Late Show.  They've put on a show that is a tribute to Gerry Ryan, who died suddenly earlier today.  It's amazing to discover who was really friendly with him.  Pat Kenny seems to have been particularly close to him, which is a bit surprising.

Ian did it!

This time last week Ian was sure he wouldn't make a deadline for handing in his dissertation for this coming Thursday.  Today he handed it in, two days ahead of schedule.  Brilliant!

I intended to stick to my schedule of cycling to work twice a week, having started up again only last week.  It was zero degrees this morning, though, so I'm afraid I'm not going to make my twice this week as I need the car tomorrow and Thursday.  I chickened out on Monday as I was too tired from my trip to Dublin in the early hours of Sunday morning to catch a ferry.

The poor seeds in the garden and greenhouse are likely to suffer from the cold nights.  If the volcanic ash falls on us maybe it will be warm enough to heat them up again.  Or, maybe not.....

My thought for the day

Here is what I ended up saying to Yearly Meeting (well, approximately):

I was asked to speak at the first of an open series of evening discussions that we held in Limerick, and spoke under the title “Quakerism – development of thought and action”.  I found I needed to prepare carefully, reminding myself of the Quaker history I have been steeped in all my life.

This reading, and the discussion series, led me to further reading on the people and history of Quakerism.   I realised that early Friends came up with some amazing ideas and practices that have stood the test of time.  Listen to the peace testimony as presented to Charles II in 1660……..

We utterly deny all outward wars and strife, and fightings with outward weapons, for any end, or under any pretence whatever; this is our testimony to the whole world.  The Spirit of Christ by which we are guided is not changeable, so as once to command us from a thing as evil, and again to move unto it; and we certainly know, and testify to the world, that the Spirit of Christ, which leads us into all truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, not for the kingdoms of the world.

Would we come up with something like that now?  The words may be old but the spirit shines through.

Over the years our Quaker brethren have come up with all sorts of innovative thought and action that was ahead of their time – in my profession of human resources management I particularly feel we owe thanks to the Quaker businessmen of the 19^th C who thought of the welfare of their workers and introduced pensions, healthcare and the concept of holidays, items we now take for granted. 

That brought me to wondering whether we are set up to support new and creative thinking that challenges our current ways of living.  We seem to spend a lot of time doing business.  Does that sap our energy?  Do we step lightly to business meetings knowing that we will change the world?  I suspect not.

Having said that, I have always loved our business practices – the way we carefully consider items such that we can move on together.  I wonder, though, whether we need to re-think how we carry out our business, and harness our spiritual energies, in our new age of electronic communications.  How should we harness the benefits of technology in communications?

·         Imagine being able to have a meeting without moving location. 

·         Imagine doing this and retaining our Quaker discernment and sense of the meeting in decisions.  European Young Friends hold their committee meetings on Skype.

·         Imagine holding Meeting on the web.  Some isolated European Friends already do this.

·         Imagine being inclusive of all those younger members who find business meetings difficult, or don’t find them practical to attend.

·         Imagine putting our annual epistle into 140 characters on a Tweet and sending it around the world. Would it be read more than our current epistle, and what message would it hold?

·         Do any of you enjoy the Quaker discussion groups on the web?  Or, visit our web site that has so much care and attention given to it? Or, use the Quaker resources on line to find something, or for inspiration?

·         Imagine having a query that dealt with electronic communication?  What would it say?

      Do we think carefully before sending an e-mail, considering the impact on those who will receive it?

      Are we inclusive in our communications, arranging within our Meetings for those who do not have access to e-mails to receive the communication?

      Is everything we send necessary for the receiver?

      Is this the best way to communicate, or should we speak first?

Many meetings send minutes around to everyone by e-mail.  At a recent meeting in London they were looking for e-mail buddies to ensure those without e-mail don’t miss out on communications. 

Some may say that use of new technologies will exclude older Friends, but I believe that we currently exclude younger Friends by not using them.  

Of course it doesn’t make sense to do everything electronically.  We need to meet.  We need the camaraderie and the sharing that happens person to person.  Our whole being centres on the presence in our Meetings.  Something stirs when one or two are sitting in the presence of God.

Maybe, though, our occasions for meeting could be freed up a bit more from business if we used electronic processes more for the routine. 

What would we do instead when we meet?

Our meetings may then be free to consider matters of overall policy and thought, and new ideas.  I particularly enjoyed a recent session in MQM where Cork Friends arranged for us to talk to each other in groups.  I’ve been attending MQM for years and still hadn’t had a chance to have discussions with Friends from other Meetings, always going to QM to attend to business or listen to someone talking to us. 

I thought it would be worth considering what the “Tweet” would be for what I’ve just said – so no more than 140 characters:

Early Friends were inspirational.  Would new technologies free us up to let the spirit shine through?  Are we ready to meet this challenge?

Has spring sprung?

We are warned of a cold week ahead.   I planted all sorts of things this weekend and my greenhouse is almost overflowing with seeds.  I'm going to have to find blankets to wrap up the pots if the promised freeze arrives.  The weekend was so nice and mild, and fresh growth is showing all over the place, so it will be a terrible pity to go  backwards.  I suppose, though, it gives me an excuse to postpone, yet again, returning to cycling!

I really ought to be working on my "thought for the day" for delivering at Yearly Meeting.  There's always tomorrow..

My new car is cool

I had a great weekend in London with Carolan, and visit to Ian in Bristol.  We packed a lot into the weekend.  "Oliver" was great, and I highly recommend it if you are in London.  I made it to the theatre with 1 minute to the start.  That was pretty good going considering that I left Shannon at 5.15pm and flew to Heathrow.  The show started at 7.30pm.

Anyway, on my return home I had to go to a meeting in Cashel in Monday.  I managed to end it early on discovering that my new car had finally arrived and was available.  It is hard to believe that it has green credentials when you look at its size, but I've just bought a tank-full of diesel and the dashboard tells me I should get 1,100 kms from that fill.  We'll see!

Yo to London

I'm going to London tomorrow and am really looking forward to it.  Carolan and Ian, here I come!  Timing is tight as I'm attempting to get from Heathrow to Drury Lane in under an hour, and that's assuming the plane arrives in on time.  I hope to make at least some of the performance of Oliver.

Saturday is Carolan's birthday, and we are going to visit Ian in Bristol.   I've just discovered my "feeds" aren't working and that there was a treasure trove of Carolan's blogs from this week to read.  What fun!

My new car is still not available.  It's next week now, hopefully on Monday evening.  I'm looking forward to getting it.  It's a Skoda Superb Greenline, and is much more eco friendly than my current Honda CRV.  I've enjoyed the Honda, though.

4 minutes to go

In 4 minutes "Ugly Betty" starts.  It hasn't been on for a couple of weeks so I need my fix of it.  Then I'll try making phone calls again to find speakers for EMEYF gathering.  I have collected names of a number of victims, so now it is a matter of getting them to answer their phones.

You should see my new curtains in the living room.  They are light green, and long enough to lie slightly on the floor.  I got them ready-made at a price that was probably cheaper than getting the old ones cleaned.  In the event that we decide to put the house up for sale these little cosmetic improvements will, I hope, sell it quickly.  I am an optimist!

It's still freezing here in the mornings.  The last few days have had clear blue skies all day but it has been cold outside unless you are in a sheltered area with the sun pouring down on you.

I'm hoping to get my new car on Thursday evening.  If it isn't ready by then I'll have to ask b to collect it so that I can have it on my return from London.  I just hope that the Aer Lingus cabin crew don't go on strike before I fly.  Fingers crossed....

Oh, here's Ugly Betty.  Bye!

iPhone

I got it in the end, having overcome my anger today following a nice, friendly Meeting this morning.  Now I have an iPhone with a cool, red cover on the back, and a plastic skin stuck on the front.  It even works!  The person in the O2 shop who sold it to me was really nice.

So much to do, so much for iPhones

Have you ever had so much to do that you don't know where to start?  This seems to be the case in all aspects of my life at the moment and it has left me a bit paralysed.  However, today I've started off with some of the things I haven't had a chance to do for some time. The first thing was a hair cut.  Then I called in to work for half an hour to do a couple of things that will make my work easier on Monday.

One of the most satisfying has been having a big bonfire.  I've had a big pile of hedge clippings and raspberry canes that have collected since the autumn.  They dried out nicely over the last couple of weeks and this morning was actually dry - and a Saturday - so I set them alight.  I got most of the fire burnt up before the rain came.

Of course, the hardest things to get to are those that require creative thinking.  I promise I'll get to that CV, Ian!  My head needs to clear first.

Castleconnell is a lovely place to go for a walk.  There are always other people out walking too, and sometime someone stops and has a chat.  I met a woman on the foot-bridge who stopped to chat, saying she hadn't seen me for ages.  Neither of us had a clue who each other was, but we had a great chat, and even exchanged names.  She and her husband moved to Castleconnell 20 years ago and live on the opposite side of the river from us.

I know you don't really want to hear about my iphone story, but I'll tell it to you in brief.  I decided to order an iphone on line in the O2 shop.  In the process I ticked the box to say that I wanted to retain my existing number and move to the payment plan that was required for iphones.  The only difficulty in ordering was that they didn't have a box to allow me to say that I was already a monthly paying customer of O2.  There were boxes to tick if I was moving from other companies, or even from a pre-pay O2 plan, so I just chose a box at random and ticked it.  It appears, however, that good, paying, customers of O2 are not allowed to order from the convenience of their home.  As I had difficulty working out which SIM card I was to use I rang the help-line.  I was told I was a very bad, bold, stupid customer and that I was to go to a post office and return the iphone immediately.  Then I was to go to an O2 shop (note- they'd be unlikely to have a phone in stock) and buy one there instead.  I protested, but to no avail.  Suffice it to say that I am extremely angry.  I have now returned the phone via a post office but am seeking an alternative way to buy an iphone with another phone company, or maybe I won't buy one at all.  It's disappointing, as it was my little treat to myself.

This evening we are going out for a meal with Joe and Nikki in Killaloe.  Last night I met up with my Avocent pals.  What a social whirl!

A domestic weekend

Let's see, what do I have to show for this weekend? Here's the list of tasks achieved:
- loads of ironing
- pruned back the raspberry canes
- made some sour dough bread
- hoovered around the house
- washed the hall and living room floor
- about 3 loads of washing (not sure how it managed to build up)
- cleaned the oven - a job I hate
Is that all? It seemed more than that.

I've been enjoying lovely Lush baths over the last few weeks. I'm going to have another one in a few minutes. I think that's a relaxing way to finish the weekend.

Next weekend the plan is:
Friday - Jonathan and Ian arrive in Dublin. I go to Late Late show with Jenny.
Saturday - Brian, Carolan and Andy arrive in Dublin. Everyone goes to 90th birthday lunch with Granny and Grandpa. C and A stay in posh hotel, while the rest of us find a floor somewhere. Jonathan goes to Paris.
Sunday - visit Gran for the "Christmas" visit. Carolan and Andy fly back to London. Ian stays in posh hotel. Brian and I head home.
Monday - Ian heads back to Bristol.

Are we back to "normal"?

It was lovely to step out into the garden today and be able to dig up some parsnips. I actually felt like doing some gardening, though I'm afraid I don't have the time this weekend. Maybe I'll get a start on it next weekend. The first thing to do is to cut down the raspberry canes...or, maybe, to clean the slippy patio area...or, have a bonfire....or, write a list of priorities and have the satisfaction of ticking them off as I get the tasks done. It's always important to put an easy task on the list, I find, so that the list reduces quicker.

We've been very lucky in getting through the cold and wet weather. None of the family got stuck while travelling to or from here over the Christmas period. We had no water for a few days, but no broken pipes. The boat is still floating and its engine is fine. My parents' house at Kilgarvan didn't get broken pipes. Some kind person seems to have emptied their water tank for them so that nothing would freeze, so Brian was relieved to find the place dry and warm when he ventured up there yesterday. The one bad thing that happened is that my mother slipped on Thursday and has fractured her wrist - so near to the end of the freeze-up!

We looked at cars today. Only one of the dealers quoted me a price based on trading in my Honda CRV. It was such a low price that it really isn't worth getting a new car even though I would be moving to a lower emissions category. A couple more dealers are due to get back to me on Monday so we'll see whether they are consistently gloomy with their prices.

Pippa is snoring! Leavy is hiding herself on "her" black chair. All is peaceful (well, except for Pippa's snores).

We're going out to treat ourselves to dinner this evening. That's an unusual event so I'm looking forward to it.

Snow, nearly as forecast

We're blanketed in snow today, but you would be hard pressed to make a snowman. It fully covers the ground but isn't very deep. It isn't as cold today (nearly as high as freezing) but the cold ground means that every bit of snow that reaches it is staying there. The birds are very busy feeding themselves outside our kitchen window, and we keep replenishing supplies.

It looks as if we won't have water until temperatures go up to about 4C as the pipes will be slow to melt. Most others on the road have water so Brian has been getting buckets of water from them. The only positive is that it means I can't do any washing, or washing up, or cleaning the cooker, so I've done some other useful tidying things instead.

The bigger freeze

It went down to -8.8 last night, and is still -6.6 at 10.45am as I write. I turned on the washing machine and it didn't work, and we've now discovered that we have no water coming into the house. Disaster! The interesting thing is that we did have water for making coffee this morning so it seems like this has happened since 9am. The Ryans say they have water, so where next?

Snow is due tomorrow, and we're told the cold patch will continue until next weekend at least. Will we have got used to it by then and learnt how to cope, or will everything grind to a halt? We've had cold patches like this before, in 1964 and 1983, and they went on for longer....

Emptying house

We're down to 3 of us plus the dogs at the moment, and Ian is heading off on Friday morning, weather permitting. Kristin seems to have made the boat just on time. Her bus was due to be in Dublin by 6ish, but actually arrived just before 8pm. The traffic was chaotic due to snow. This was on time to get the bus out to Dublin port, so we assume she will be safely on the boat by now.

So, it's back to routine from next week. Today is Nollaig na mBan, or little Christmas, the twelfth day of Christmas. Traditionally in Ireland it is a day for women to put their feet up and hand over the household to the men for the day. I've been to some nice gatherings on this day the last few years so it is disappointing that the cold weather has meant this year's plan has been cancelled. I was looking forward to meeting some interesting women.

Back to work

With temperatures varying between -3 and -4C this morning, I returned to work. I settled in quicker than I expected to and can see this is going to be a very busy year. It's snowing lightly outside at the moment, though it has not been too cold during the day.

They valiantly go...

Carolan and Andy headed off onto the icy roads and have made it as far as Dublin. Let's hope tomorrow isn't too bad for their journey through Wales and England.

It's very depressing that we are coming to the end of a lovely, peaceful holiday. Thanks to everyone for making it so nice.

Well, we've survived 2009

Indeed we have survived it well. What I'd like for 2010 is more free time to visit family and to spend in leisure on Knocknagow. Unfortunately that would mean having to give up what is a lucrative occupation, but maybe this year I will gain the strength to do something different, and be ready for the consequences.

Kristin arrived yesterday. It was a well planned surprise for Ian, and the real reason I was attempting to make a nut roast. So, the full family is here now, all 8 of us (that includes the 2 dogs!). It's very cold outside so I think we'll just batten down the hatches today and enjoy the splendid feast Brian has planned for us.

We'll also enjoy the second of the "Three men in a boat" series on BBC 2. They've picked a nice selection of modes of transport so far - a barge driven by a Bollinder engine, an amphibious car, a cycle-rail vehicle, and now they are on Reggie Goodbody's amazing wooden sailing boat. Mullingar pulled out all the stops for them, with a very good-humoured festival in their honour. It's a new view of Mullingar, and may help to show the citizens of Mullingar the value of the Royal Canal route once it is re-opened for the full circle.

I've just been listening to a fascinating, and emotional, interview with Lord Mountbatten's grandson. He was on the fishing boat that was blown up by the IRA, killing, inter alia, his twin brother and his grandfather. I'm sure it is available for listening to on Radio Eireann on the Ryan Tubridy show for today. I recommend spending 20 minutes of your time to hear it.