ONCE - Falling Slowly

The girls and I have just finished watching an indie movie called "Once" and this is the feature song, in fact the song won an Oscar although not without some controversy. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

"The song was nominated at the 50th Grammy Awards for Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media; it lost to "Love You I Do" from Dreamgirls.[4]
The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song on 24 February 2008, ahead of the choral gospel song "Raise It Up" from August Rush and three songs from the modern Disney musical Enchanted.[3] The song's win marked the fourth year in a row that the Oscar winner had not been nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. For some time, the song's eligibility for an Oscar was in dispute, because it had been performed and recorded prior to the release of Once[3] The Academy ruled that because the song had been composed for the movie, and the prior public exposure during the long period that the movie took to produce had been minimal, it remained eligible.[2] The Academy had ruled likewise on a similar controversy involving 2004 Best Original Song nominee "In the Deep".

I loved the song when I first heard it, and although the movie was a low budget one, the girls and I thoroughly enjoyed the 'humanness' (is that a word?) of it and the fact that it is all set in Dublin and we have walked so many of the streets that appear in the film. Enjoy!



And I have to share another one with you...I had not heard it until I saw the movie, but WOW, the kids and I just looked at each other and got covered in goose bumps, her voice is so full of emotion. If you would like to know more about the movie here is a link to Wikipedia, copy and paste it (don't you just love it?) -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Once_(film)

Fostering

When I was introduced to Tippin I had to lie on the lounge floor to get a look at the black and white mother of two hiding under my sofa. The sight of anyone at the glass doors to the lounge sent her into a small hissing fit or a mad dash for the security beneath the furniture. A week later this blog post is being interrupted by her stretching out across the computer desk talking to me begging for a scratch. She has certainly made herself at home and we can here her all day talking and meowing all over the house.
Her two little boys Davey and Oliver have three very capable mothers, two of whom have realised that raising kittens is very hard work. Unfortunately there are downsides to kitten fostering.
The biggest hurdle? The litter box. The cats are not allowed outside so when we got the cats we also got litter trays and cat grit. WELL. It stinks, unbelievably and to make matters worse we cannot leave windows open for fear of escape. Of course I have to open them a crack and we remove what we can and flush but I have never seen anyone empty the room as quickly as Tippin can after a visit to the red tray in the corner! And yes we do change the litter...frequently.
We also spend a lot of time sweeping or vacuuming up litter as she is a very enthusiastic digger - I guess even she knows that she needs to bury that awful smell as quickly as possible!
Kittens are very busy little things and I have even had to remove them from the dining room table! At least puppies cannot claw their way up to places animals are not meant to be. Of course when I walk into the lounge and see one curled up on top of the Sky box (it is warm) and the other sleeping under the coffee table it is kinda nice! But they certainly are a handful and a good lesson for the kids. Yikes, Tippin is back on the desk demanding attention...as nice as this is I think I will risk being called heartless and admit that 7 weeks of cats will be long enough, and yes for the kids too!

Jason Marz - I'm Yours

At last a Friday song again, and this happens to be one of those cheerful ditty's. Whenever it comes on the radio Jess enthusiastically twists the volume button and we all enjoy.

Wednesday was market day in Port Pollensa and I wanted to have a look and see what they had, so even though we woke up to magnificent blue skies and decided that the beach was the place to be, we set off for the market first. I loved it, so many stalls selling so many things, clothes, jewellery, nuts and dried fruit, fresh fruit and vegetables, barrels of olives and more. Jess and I both found lovely pieces of jewellery and then I chose some olives and we got some fresh fruit and vegetables for the apartment. By 11h30 we were done and on our way to join Don and Maura who had gone straight to the beach earlier in the morning, it was Maura’s last day with us and they had more records to smash with the bat and ball, they got to an absurd 4 digit number – apparently it was a very good bat and ball set!
We spent the entire day at the beach, finally leaving at 17h30, Maura had to get ready to leave and Malcolm made a salad for us all to snack on because we were planning on going for dinner when he and Don got back from the airport at around 21h00. Jess had choice of restaurant and she had chosen Dakota – American style, looked a lot like the Spur steak houses to me! She had also specifically booked a table on the ‘island’ right next to the water, which was a fabulous location but the wind was a bit chilly and considering the kids and I had waited an hour for the table there was no way that we were settling for a more sheltered spot! Of course we were waiting for Malcolm and Don too, so we had no choice BUT to wait…but still! We did not really mind waiting anyway, people watching was fascinating and it was great to sit and chat in such a relaxed way. Passing the time!
Thursday was same again, except the kids bought blow up tubes from a shop and spent a lot of time bobbing in the sea. Don and Malcolm played bat and ball and I soaked up sun and read my book. We all went for an early dinner to Simbad – Kristin’s choice, when she had spotted macaroni cheese on their menu her decision was made. Malcolm and I had the paella which was much too salty, and for me to say that is BAD!!! Kirstin had an amazing macaroni cheese; we all declared it the dish of the night. After dinner Malcolm made yet another trip to the airport to drop Don off, shame he had been having so much fun he did not want to leave! The girls and I strolled into town and got ice cream cones and slowly made our way back to the apartment.

Memorable OJ...

Tuesday was another cloudy beginning. We decided to take a drive to a town called Deiá because I had discovered it in my book, "1000 places to see before you die" (or die trying) and a friend of Maura's had also recommended it. We had hired a Peugeot 206 so fitting the six of us would be challenging, but it was a mere 40 km's away so we knew it would be a short drive with a big pay off, if reading the description in my book was anything to go by!

We headed off in a cheerful fashion but arrived in Deiá weary, hot, nauseous and bothered. Our journey was through the mountains, absolutely spectacular but as the roads were narrow and unbelievably serpentine so it had taken us over two hours!

"The road is long, with many a windy turns..............."

We did stop at a viewing spot and drank in the view, sadly the pictures do not do it justice. There was a little shop carved into the wall of the mountain and a Spanish lady stood and pressed oranges, selling the freshly squeezed juice to tired and thirsty travelers. Kirstin and I sat on the wall and sipped our juice - and proclaimed it the most memorable orange juice we have (and possible would ever) ever drunk. Slightly refreshed we continued on our journey - still believing that our destination was JUST around the corner. Little did we know that our stop was around the half way mark!

We walked around the little village and finally settled on a spot for a snack and a drink and referred to the map to find a route home that did not involve more mountains. We discovered that we could head back towards Palma and then take the motorway back to Port Pollensa, a long way around in mileage but we KNEW that there was NO way we could face those winding roads twice in one day! Our decision made we all squashed and folded our way back into the car and headed home, arriving back in Port Pollensa a mere one hour later!

Plotting our next move on the map!

By the time we got back it was about 17h00 but the sun was shining and it was so hot that we all headed down to the beach for a swim. Don and Maura also had their faithful bat and ball and attempted to break their record of 260 without missing...it was fascinating watching them, they find their rhythm and then it is back and forth for AGES..

Dinner was the usual long slow walk and Don made the decision and we had dinner at a place called Totts, offering a 3 course meal including a glass of wine, beer, soda or sangria for €15 per person.

Beach holiday beginnings

Sunday morning we woke to a familiar sight...clouds. I didn't care, it was warm and dry and we were on holiday! The coffee I had bought the night before was revolting; I do not think that the lime scale in the kettle helped so the kids and I wondered down to find a spot for breaky. Malcolm headed off to the airport to collect Donovan and Maura and the girls and I sat in the heat and soaked up the peace of the island. The spot we chose for our breakfast was across the road from the beach so the view was amazing. The girls ordered fresh orange and that is exactly what they got - the Spanish know how to serve up fresh juice.

After breakfast all the shops were begging for little miss shopaholics attention (that would be Jess by the way) and so we wondered around poking our noses into interesting spots and before we knew it Malcolm was back from the airport with two hungry bodies, so it was back to a restaurant to feed the travelers. We ended up at a place called Simbad and the owner was so friendly and the cafe' con leche (coffee with milk) was a huge improvement on the poison back at the apartment so we elected it the coffee spot for the week.

By the end of breakfast the clouds had dissipated and we went back to the apartment and changed into beach gear and headed down to the sand, warm sea and sun. Kirstin did not like swimming in the sea, she hated not knowing what was below, but when the whole gang headed out to the buoy she swallowed her fear and went along with everyone. I watched them from the shore, after lying in the sun the warm sea felt cold and I was rather hesitant getting in and before I knew it their heads were bobbing very far away; by the time I swam out to join them they were turning back! We all floated around in the gentle swell enjoying the experience of the extra buoyancy because of the salty water. Our surroundings were breathtaking, the beach was perfect and we knew that this would be a fabulous beach holiday.

Later in the evening we headed toward the port for dinner, there were so many restaurants to choose from and Maura suggested that every night a different person could pick a place, we all thought it was a great idea and gave her first choice and so it was that we all found ourselves eating pizzas and salads at a corner Italian place that boasted the best pizzas in Pollensa. I find the bases of the pizzas strange, it is more like a pastry then a dough, very thin crust and very little tomato base. It was a delicious pizza, just not what I am accustomed too. After dinner we strolled around for a while and got ice cream cones for everyone and then headed back to the apartment. Our first full day on holiday had been fabulous!

Let's start at the very beginning...

Hola! Where do I begin? The flight was FULL and left on time. Jess and Kirstin managed to get seats next to each other but Malcolm and I were scatterlings of Ryanair - he upfront and me near the tail. I got a middle seat, between two guys from USA on their way to Palma to celebrate a 40th birthday party. We had a great flight, J the 6'1" guy was really nervous of flying which was highly amusing because he is a pilot - well in training and only in little planes! By the end of the flight I had been invited to join the 40th birthday party celebrations - with 91 guests I guess another bod is no big deal!
We landed 30 minutes early - half an hour extra holiday I cheered, little did we know the inefficiency that is Palma airport meant that the 30 minutes were spent waiting for stairs for the plane! Ah well. No amend that too...another 3o minutes wasted waiting for our luggage - I think Palma owe me an hour.
Next was the car hire and that really peed me off. We had to go to a central meeting point and find a person in a yellow shirt. It felt a little like the Amazing Race- which incidentally I have discovered I would SUCK at. Then we had to go outside and look out for a mini bus that said Centurio (or something close to that) on its side and we would be whisked off to the car hire place 5 minutes from the airport. Sadly we are not as pushy as most of the other families utilizing the car hire service so we miss out on 2 busses (they only hold 6 people – you do the math when faced with mostly FAMILIES) and by the time we get to the car hire place it is 18h45 – and we landed at 17h00!!!
Next is the drive to Pollensa – uneventful besides driving on the WRONG side of the road!
We missed the grocery store by a minute – as I ran in they turned the lights out….right now I hate my Mallorca holiday!
Finding our apartment is slightly challenging – the garmin is not doing her job, but only because it does not recognize the street name we input. The restaurants are overflowing with happy patrons as we drive around aimlessly and my stomach is beginning to remind me that I have not eaten since 13h00. This annoys me because by the time we find our apartment the places will all be closed – it is now close to 22h00…an open Spar! Wahoo – milk, wine, bread, ham, cheese and coffee – sorted!
Stroke of luck! Malcolm asks a woman if she knows where our street is and it turns out we are only a block away, this is superb news and if I had a tail it would be wagging furiously. Once we locate the apartment complex the next trick is finding our door “E” with a key tacked to it. The hunt is over after about 5 minutes with Kirstin triumphantly holding the coveted key. We had also spotted a really great restaurant around the corner that was still open, so after dumping our luggage and Dublin clothes (jeans) we legged it down to dinner.
The restaurant was great, across the road from the sea (of course we soon realized that these are a dime a dozen) and we sat and ate al fresco. I decided to have fish, Dorado was part of the 3 course menu on offer and Malcolm said it was a fabulous game fish. I think a Dorado is a different fish altogether in Mallorca because there was no way the little guy winking up at me from my plate was a game fish – and yes eyeballing me because it was WHOLE!!! Game fish meant a nice fillet or a steak in my mind, not a teeth to tail on my plate affair so I ate it with caution and yes to be honest…long teeth, but I did eat it. Of course I also did leave a fair bit on my plate so there was no way I was missing out on my third course and when they mentioned crème caramel that definitely sealed my calorie counting fate. It was also a spring board to many more dinners ending in something sweet - a habit I do not often indulge in, the constricta style jeans I am wearing today have reminded me of my bad holiday eating habits - ah well.

Hoooo Boy!

Wow, it has been a while - I just feel like I have nothing interesting to say on my blog..but then I think, did I ever?
Work has been hectic, we have been short staffed for ages so it has been challenging but a new staff member joined a couple of weeks ago. She is still in training and I feel sorry for her because it has been slow going as we still have to do all the usual work and try and teach her!
On Saturday we fly to Majorca/Mallorca (depending on who you are talking to!) for a week of sea, sand and sun and we are looking forward to it immensely. We are staying in a self catering apartment which looks really nice, Malcolm booked our holiday this year so I am just going with the flow. It feels really strange as I am usually the one doing all the organising but now that I am working I do not have as much time on my hands, Malcolm did for a while but now work has got very busy for him too as he is running with a finance project.

Kirstin and Jess are now young ladies, and make me very proud, Kirstin is almost as tall as I am and although she still enjoys her go kart is definitely more of a GIRL. Gone are the days when she did not brush her hair before leaving the house, invariably with a chocolate moustache!
A trip to the mall is not like it used to be, outfits need to be co-ordinated, make up applied (mascara only for Kirstin - have given up saying no) and hair fiddled with. Jess writes her last state exam tomorrow and then the summer holidays begin, although Kirstin has been enjoying her summer holiday since the end of May! Jess has been home when not writing exams and I think she adopted the holiday spirit so I am not sure how keen she is to see her Junior Cert results in September! We have had some fabulous weather and it is really awesome to have daylight until after 22h00...summer in SA may be longer but enjoying daylight for 5 hours after work is brilliant, albeit short-lived!
Now I am afraid it is time to do a bit of cleaning, got home and baked peanut butter chocolate chip biscuits with the kids...kitchen needs my help!

Love Actually..

A song from one of my favouite movies...especially because Liam Neeson, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are fabulous!!

Flora mini marathon - Done and dusted

I did it! Finished the Flora Mini marathon! Before I even began the marathon I had to walk 1.5 km's to my luas stop which was teaming with women in running gear, man paradise!

When I got into Stephens Green I decided to visit the ladies, avoiding porta loos being my primary reason. I battled to get into the shopping centre because of all the people and once I made it up 2 flights of stairs and saw the queue for the ladies I made a hasty exit. I guess 40 000 women clog up a mall with ease...

I walked down Baggott street to the meeting point and nipped into Burger King - no queue for the ladies there! I met up with two of my colleagues and we made our way to the starting point. Interesting!

If you could see the sights I saw! The shoes some wore, would cause the feet to roar! (Sounds a bit like Dr Seuss there) Okay seriously then...for a 10km mini (I know) marathon may I present you with the image of a woman in HEELS - yes I promise it is true. Women walking in skirts, jeans, women looking ready for a night out after the leisurely 10km stroll. Well at least it helped pass the agonising 35 minute wait in the sweltering sun! Katie and I had a good gawk and an even better giggle. And then we were off! I was VERY nervous as Katie had been training and I did not want to get left behind because her husband was looking after my purse and phone (Kirstin did not want me to leave home without a lifeline...for her) so I mentally prepared myself for hell..."When you get that stitch, keep going, when your calf muscles are screaming, keep running, when you can hardly breathe, keep breathing, etcetera" and then I surprised ME. I could jog the course, I discovered that the reason I can only make it around the block is because I start too fast! I run instead of jog. I had a marvellous time! I confess to being very relieved in the beginning because with 40 000 women we actually could not jog but then things began to open up and Katie began to move...and I kept up! In fact I think I could have jogged more than we did! It was extremely hot so we decided to take it easy and did some walking but in truth I wanted to keep practicing my new found ability to JOG!!! Of course being sprayed with water by firemen along the route gave all us ladies that little bit of extra reserve energy required to push on through! I now have my first mini marathon medal and plan to start a little collection I think!

After the marathon I caught the luas home, jam packed full of other sweaty smelly women! In fact I hoped I could make it all the way to Windy Arbour for the odour! I got home (another 1.5km walk I MUST point out) and the first thing I said to Kirstin as she opened the door was "Do I smell?" She sniffed the air rather carefully, came in for a closer whiff and confidently said no. "How about under my pits" I asked lifting my hand to the heavens. She backed away slowly but I really did need to check... and so the poor child came in for a cautious sniff again and a relieved (and surprised) look crossed her face as she declared me smelly free. Perhaps I need to work a little harder next year??

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Bliss

I cannot begin to describe the fabulous feelings that are welling up inside me and all because we are enjoying our fourth day in a row of pure blue skies and marvelous rays of sunshine; according to google this pattern is set to continue until Wednesday, perhaps longer but our home page only give a 3 day forecast.
To attempt putting into words how beautiful Dublin is when the sunshine is difficult, but I think I have raved about it in varying degrees in previous posts.

We have a park across the road from work and on Friday Alan, Artur, Demi and myself all bought sandwiches and went and found a beautiful spot on the grass amongst hundreds of other like minded people and ate our lunch. We soaked up the sun and the atmosphere, appreciating the beautiful day that we had been given.
After work we all headed to Diceys beer garden and I enjoyed a shandy with my team, soaking up the sun again! It was amazing standing there in my short sleeved shirt and skirt, watching people in summery gear streaming into the garden, all the more cheerful because we were looking ahead to the 3 day weekend!

Malcolm was enjoying a sports and social event at The Kingston Hotel near his work and they also sat outside enjoying the first days of summer. Sadly he spent a lot of the beautiful Saturday with a wee thumping in his head but on Sunday he got to enjoy another fab day outdoors playing cricket. This morning he heads off for Mullingar to play cricket again, this time on a private estate, yep some guy with a little bit of money has a cricket ground in his garden where games are played, apparently it is a lovely setting...I bet! Maybe Malcolm will take some pictures today and I can post them on here at a later date.

For now I am off to enjoy another fantastic morning, and a small matter of an unprepared for mini marathon....

Run Natalie Run...

Or walk! I am taking part in the Flora women's mini marathon on Monday. It is the largest women's race of its kind in the world. Wow. I tried to do a bit of training, walked home from work a couple of times and attempted (poorly) a run around Marley Park. I THINK I managed 1.5 km's....and walked the rest. Two hockey tournaments in May have to have helped right?

This morning I spent a very pleasant morning with Katie, we went to the R.D.S and collected our race numbers and then wondered around sampling all the things on offer. They had a Wi Fit section and I had my weight and BMI checked...my BMI was in the ideal range - woohoo!!! I did a whole lot of little tests and eventually my fit age was revealed...32! Happy little camper moi!!!

Perhaps a 32 year old version of me will manage a jog? Worst case scenario...a scenic walk around Dublin at 15h00 on Monday, and at least we raised money for our charity through work! I will actually try to jog a lot of the course, wish me luck!