Friday Song

On my way to work this morning - late night text asking me to help at the shop, not my new job, this came up on my Ipod and memories came flooding back from years ago...have a great weekend everybody. I am going on a date, with Kirstin. Jess is going to her first teenage disco/social and Malcolm is going to a wedding afters party...busy little family this!

Nine Eleven

There are so many theories out there about what REALLY happened that day seven years ago, it really doesn't matter, who did what. It was tragic, that human beings can plan, plot and scheme to take so much life in such a shocking way.
I remember how quiet that day got, the skies empty, the silence all encompassing, the shock amongst us all, seeing the smoke from where we were living in Rye, Westchester County. It was a day that took so much from everyone, a day that caused so much death and destruction. So very very sad, so very much lost; innocence, freedom, trust.
We also got to see the human spirit at its best though, the reaching out of people to one another, the helping hands, the pillars of strength and those are the memories I like to hold onto.
That day will be forever in my mind, it changed the path of our lives, even though we suffered no tragic loss of life, and set us on a new journey, a trip we did not really want to take. Sometimes we still reflect upon that day and marvel at what happened, and what could have been....

Not in the mood...

I am not feeling up to blogging, I am finding this difficult to comprehend as I always find something to write about. Admittedly it is not that exciting a lot of the time but at least I get it done. The last couple of days I have not been able to come up with ANYTHING. Then I got a phone call from the recruitment agency a few minutes ago, so I have some good news. Apparently they have made their intentions VERY clear to the agency, they want me on their team, they cannot make an offer until all the checks are done but I have been told under no uncertain terms that I am the person that they want. I know that the checks will come back fine so I am now absolutely confident that the job is MINE. Oh boy, my days of leisure are seriously numbered....

Dig Deep

I did it, I managed to refill the hot air balloon and we went out again and joined everyone for drinks at Russell Court Hotel - it was a near miss because the weather was lousy and Malcolm and I had decided that it would be our guide, no rain = PARTY. The gods obviously wanted us to spend a night out and so they arranged for a temporary respite of leaky skies, lucky us!

The evening was great, we even ended up going down to the nightclub and I finally drank a JaggerBomb, having avoided them thus far. I think the 4 glasses of wine had made me a little too

pliable and I tossed it back like a pro.

At 2h30 my sensible husband (more like expert, as he has done late night stints in Dublin - this was my first) and I made our exit, any later and a taxi would have been very difficult to come by because all the night clubs close at 3h00 and then it is mayhem on the streets!

Full of Hot Air

Yep, that was last night...this morning I am a deflated balloon, tired and I have a sore throat and I am reading my wine induced post shaking my head and wondering whether I made any promises to F and J (2 lovely ladies - sisters - from Northern Netherlands - more about that in a bit) regarding me pitching up for drinks tonight...Rose also invited me to 51 and although I do remember making no promises, she did ASK first.
The comedy night was gas (as they say in Ireland) and I met some new people that M works with too. One of the ladies F commutes back to Holland every 4 days to be with her daughter and partner - UNBELIEVABLE - all that travelling every week, AND it is not like she lives near a major airport, she flies into Amsterdam and then has a 2 hour commute to her town!
Mmmm and I am worried about the impact my 9 - 5 will have on my kids....who are at school from 9 - 4 MINIMUM...and often sport or clubs go on until 5:30, they probably wouldn't know I was working 9 - 5 if I did not tell them.
Off for my eye check up now...have disturbing moments of blurriness every now and then so I hope all is okay. The weather is absolutely foul today, raining, windy dark and dreary, bed and a good book would be a most excellent option...

Rock on weekend...oh and the Friday song...

Yes...it is 01h00 in the morning, I have had 4 glasses of wine and I probably should not be sitting in front of the computer...BUT. We got a lift home with Paul after a fantastic evening of comedy...listening to Tony Law, at Queens pub in Dalkey, who is funnier than the videos I found on You Tube but ANYWAY....on our way home this song was playing on the radio and so Idecided it would make a most excellent Friday song...have a fabulous weekend folks...I sure will. Tomorrow night looks like a ripper, drinks at a hotel in Dublin followed by who knows what, a Saturday coffee morning with someone I have not met before and who knows what else may come along...lunch anyone?

Practice makes perfect

With this sentiment in mind I headed off on a cold blustery evening (I do not want to believe that winter is already on its way...) for my second hockey practice. We started off with the usual warm ups and then did fitness training for a while which found me pealing off the sweat pants and the track top to expose shorts and a t-shirt, in THAT weather I never thought I would be UNDRESSING. Exercise is great, makes the coldest evening in months warm and comfortable!
I kept up the pace and was impressed that I coped as well as I did, especially when I heard the coach asking one breathless complaining team mate how old she was...when she told him I was again reminded that I am not the spring chicken I once was...she is HALF my age, my word I could be her MOTHER!!!!
Oh well at least I have Heather, she is close to my age! Speaking of which I am off for a breakfast with her and Meriel so best I sign off now and get the house in order before I go do the desperate housewife thing...

OH....

Tracy just sent me a link to a website: http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

Click on it and find out what song was the No 1 hit in the USA on the day you were born, this is fun thinks I....until I discover my song and I protest, why of all things is this my song? I am looking for the meaning...and looking...and looking. I think I will share the names of the songs of every decade of my life thus far because they are just a lot more interesting...

1982 - I love rock 'n roll (that's more like it)
1992 - Save the best for last (say no more!)
2002 - Ain't it funny (what's funny?)

Oh okay then, here is my birth song, listen and have a good giggle and afterwards look up your song and tell me in the comment box, what song did you get?

It's BACK........

The trailer for season 4 ....




Oh yes it is season 4 of Prison Break and it aired tonight and we sat and oggled the TV for the extra long first episode - 1h40 minutes of Michael Schofield and Link...LUCKY ME. As usual it kept the pulse high and .... ooohhh I cannot say more, not sure whether the season has started in SA yet...Lee Ann would kill me if I gave it away. What I will say is that Gretchen looks like a kitty cat compared to the new Mr B-A-D ass, he is spine chillingly evil. So you know where I will be on Tuesday nights for the next while - booked a spot in front of the TV!!

Rejuvination

And so the sun sets on another day and I think back to the morning, the pleasant drive that found me at Avoca in Wicklow. Joined by Tracy, Rose and Mandy where we enjoyed a couple of lattés, well I enjoyed one, my second one sat unfinished on the table, somehow they had managed to mess it up horribly and I discarded it, not worth drinking or eating something that does not taste good. It was a fantastic morning, the sun was shining and we even went and sat outside on the new patio enjoying the view of the gardens. Sadly they had no mixed berry scones this morning so I lost out but I made up for it on my way out by getting a take away, a salad made with broccoli, baby tomatoes, feta cheese and nuts..it was divine! I hate standing there waiting to pay, all the beautifully presented food lying there begging to be tasted...oh I do love Avoca!
Now I am feeling a little more invincible again and not so tired...such an easy bunny to please ;)

SIGH......

My favourite fridge magnet EVER, and boy do I feel it at the moment!!

Weekend roundup

Market Bar was great, apparently unusually quiet but perhaps that had something to do with the mass exodus from all over the country to witness the Electric picnic. Malcolm's colleagues ALL wimped out, not one arrived but of course MY friend Kelly showed up, after she saw a facebook update on where we were going and commented on it which allowed me the opportunity to invite her, thank goodness, always more fun in a group!
We sat at the bar and had a good catch up and then Kelly told us about The Cellar at Fallon&Byrne - a wine bar where you can choose from an extensive list of "wine by the glass". Malcolm was in the mood for wine and as it is my drink of choice anyway we all voted for a change of venue.
The cellar was lovely, much quieter but the atmosphere was pleasant and we ordered a liver paté, a cheese and meat selection, both with warm crusty bread and smoked salmon on brown soda bread. We all sampled all the goodies and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine, there was only 1 rosé on the menu and as I had been drinking white at Market Bar I decided to try it and it was good enough that 1 turned into 2!
We behaved ourselves enough to leave in time to catch the luas home which was quite an accomplishment...for Malcolm, he normally has to catch a taxi home after a stint in Dublin, what good influence Kelly and I are!!!
Of course we got home and ended up talking in the kitchen until 03h00 so we were still exhausted on Saturday morning.
Malcolm had to drag himself off to cricket and I went to help Carla as she has just moved into a house that needs a lot of scrubbing! We washed walls and skirting for a couple of hours and I think we made a difference, although there was just so much to do!
Sunday and Malcolm was off to cricket again and I spent the day pottering around the house, catching up on washing and then I fetched Carla and we went shopping for bolts and washers for the house and then I took her off to Lidl to show her how to shave her grocery bill by a couple of hundred a month! Example? I bought a punnet of premium quality nectarines for €1.99, at M&S half the size punnet would be €4.99...Tesco might be €1 -€1.50 cheaper than M&S and that is just one example, enough home economics!
And I guess that was my weekend, not quite fits into a nutshell but hey!
Oh...and today is the most magnificent day, blue skies as far as the eye can see, sadly I have to work but at least i get to enjoy my walk and the sunshine at its best...