January - The Last Post

Okay so I am doing a cheat here, backdating this post to the 31st of January, I don't know what happened but time just ran away from me and I have not been able to blog.   So my last post I told you about all my woes, well I still don't have my car back, but one of my colleagues at work has been fetching and dropping me ever since and he has been absolutely wonderful.

This morning I woke up over and hour late which meant that both D and Em were late and Em got to school an hour later than she should have.  It was my fault though, I was reading a book that Lisa bought me ages ago "Wild Irish Women" and really enjoying it, so it's Lisa's fault I couldn't put it down and overslept.  Then I had this really weird dream that I was in the Outback in Australia with my friend Colette and I was in a car trying to take photos out the window, while the car was driving really fast.  Weird.

So onto the week-end in Galway, we had loads of fun however I was exhausted by the time I got there even though I got to drive down in style in the Merc SLK, I was the first person who retired.  We only arrived down at about 8:45 as there was an accident on the M50 and basically got down checked in and then went off to dinner in the dining room.  After dinner which ended at about 11:30 we all went off to the pub in the hotel, there was this little old man playing country music to a handful of people, well I say he welcomed us as we started dancing and singing to his music.  And what is it with "Galway Girl" everybody has to either sing it or have it as their ring tone down there?

Saturday morning after a nice breakfast I took a walk with some of the girls along the promenade, then went back to the hotel for a cappuccino and get ready for my facial with Dianne.  After facial I headed into town, had to go get Em a present and of course Dianne gave me a shopping list of booze to buy.  Anyway got back to the hotel and Elaine came back (my room mate) we had a good old natter, then Dianne arrived and we laughed till we cried (can't remember if she was sober at all over the week-end), then we all got ready for dinner out on the town.

8 o'clock the taxi's arrived and we all went into town for dinner, after dinner off to a pub - the town area was very much like Temple bar in Dublin people spilling out onto the streets, it was just to busy for us so we headed back to the hotel and the residents lounge.  After one Baileys I think I head off to bed at about 2:30 a.m.

Breakfast at 9 and in the car with Dianne @ 11 to head back to Dublin, so all too soon the week-end was over.

ADELE - 'Make You Feel My Love'

Galway Girl - Mundy with Sharon Shannon (H.Q.)

GALWAY COUNTDOWN 4 DAYS 2 GO ...

Things I must be thankful for ...

I am Thankful ...

1. I had toothache and and abscess that was very painful, but I am thankful that I had the freedom to see a dentist and the money to pay for it.
2. Em broke her arm I am thankful that it was only her arm that broke and that she is still alive and well and brings joy to me every second of the day.
3. My car broke down and needs loads of repairs, I am thankful that I have a car that takes me to work everyday and makes life a lot easier for us.
4. I don't particularly like my job, but I am thankful that I have a job which helps provide the food we put on the table and the warmth we get from the house we live in and the clothes we buy.
5. I will always be seen as an immigrant in Ireland because I wasn't born here, but I am thankful that I was given the choice to live here, that I can walk freely down the road at midnight without having to watch my back and that I have made some fantastic friends in the last 10 years in Ireland and especially ones that have offered to fetch and drop me in my time of need. 

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues.
-- Cicero 

At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.
-- Albert Schweitzer

Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough.
-- Oprah Winfrey 

The Victim

Blue Monday

So yesterday the 17th of January 2011 was declared Blue Monday, I only heard that on the news this morning and truly it was for me anyway.

I headed to the dentist for my 9 a.m. appointment, luckily left home at 8 as I was stuck in traffic for 45 minutes, then when I got in they told me the suction machine was broken and if I wanted a proper check up and clean I could come back at 6 p.m. which I did, got there at 5:50 in fact only to be told that there are 2 emergencies and would have to wait, eventually got seen at 7:30 so by the time I got home, Emily was sleeping.  To top it I need a Root Canal and about 4 fillings ... luffely !

Em had a fall at school yesterday and long story short she was in trouble with dad and when she complained about a saw arm he dismissed it, however this morning it was still swollen so off to the clinic and x-rays and doctor she came out with a plaster cast and a broken radius.

Plus I had an absolutely cr@p day at work .... so I do believe in that one blue Monday a year and next year I am staying at home on that day!

Weird World

Okay, tell me is it only in Ireland or is the world just weird, I was listening to the news this morning and the ruling party in the FF government of Ireland are having a "secret" ballot tonight in a motion of confidence for the current Taoiseach (that's Irish for Prime Minister).  However, the Minister of Finance has publicly declared that he will support the Taoiseach along with other members of the cabinet ... HELLO!  That doesn't sound like a secret to me, so why the hell are you having a SECRET ballot then, or do you just LIE to the public about your support and then stab him in the back in the secret ballot???  Something doesn't make sense, but I am sure some Irish person will be kind enough to explain it to me.


Then there is something else that just p*sses me off totally, the fact that criminals get "FREE LEGAL AID" according to the media, I wish they would stop using the term free legal aid and change it to "Legail aid paid for with tax payers money" because that is exactly what it is, just like anything FREE in this country someone pays for it and it is normally the tax payer, not so ..... so please stop using the word FREE so FREELY!

Okay I was going to complain about old news, Radio Nova reported on a couple who updated their Relationship status on Facebook right after they took their vows,  today but this story is months old, so get with the program and tell us the New NEWS, not old NEWS.

It's not that I am grumpy but just a few things that I don't fully understand.

Movies, Movies, Movies

I don't often get to sit down and watch movies on TV but I must say that this week-end has been a great movie week-end, I still never did the filing or get round to the accounts but I did watch.

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" which I had never seen before and thought was absolutely brilliant.

"Gulliver's Travels" in the movie house as I mentioned previously

and today I watched the old classic

"Smokey & the Bandit" with Burt Reynolds - can't believe it's over 30 years since the movie was made.

Crazy Photographs

Have just been going through all my thousands of photographs and found one of Emily that best describes my wonderful child, mischievous, funny, full of fun and personality and a heart of gold.

And here is a stunning pic that D took last year in Portugal

Johannesburg / Sandton Motorway 1970

Someone sent me these photos a while ago and I had forgotten about them, as I kid I remember driving with my dad to some of his construction sites on this motorway and there was nothing now.  It would be great to get some after photographs to follow the "Before" ones here:

Week 2, 2011

The only good thing about the weeks going quickly is knowing that our big trip is only 12 & 13 weeks away, in the meantime I went to the dentist on Monday and turns out I will probably have to have a root canal on a top molar which will cost 825 Euro, so this is going to be put away for another time.  I got plenty of anti biotics and pain killers which I only really needed for the first 2 days.

Oh yes, this week I had to do the late shift so was working 9 to 18:30 which I didn't mind because there were hardly any calls and on 2 occasions I was told to go home, which unlike when you are doing the 8 a.m. shift doesn't seem to happen.  So getting to aerobics on time on Wednesday was brilliant, because I had sent a complaint to the Gym about the instructors always being 15 minutes late and uninterested in giving the class, so I worked extra hard and used muscles I never knew I had especially those in the tummy area but Thursday and Friday I suffered ... oh the pain ... but well worth it.

I am hoping to now go back to my normal schedule of Aerobics on Mondays and Wednesdays and Gym on Wednesdays as well. Also the great thing about the gym is since it was bought over by Energie Gyms it has had a face lift, so clean and they have got a finger print scanner to let you in, which has gotten rid of all the riff raff.

Friday was a horrific day, clients with all kinds of obscure problems, I could not wait for the bell at 17:30 and I was out of there, 13 weeks on Friday and I would have been at my destination already!

Oh yes my friend Lisa got her new fancy car this week as well, Red Peugeot 206 with Black leather seats, makes me feel like I need a new car.  Hopefully she will be coming to show it off to us today, and I had better see if Joe & Carla are coming round for pancakes.

Later ... have an awesome next week all of you!!!!

Quote of the week:  "Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life."

- Bertolt Brecht

Gulliver's Travels

I've never read the book, so had no idea what to expect and I sort of rail roaded Emily into going to see Gulliver's Travels (always make them think it is their idea), so the three of us were off to the movies.  I didn't realise that Billy Connelly was going to be in it as well, which meant it could only be good.  Thoroughly enjoyed and recommend to everyone who is looking for something light hearted to see.

Cricket World Cup 2011

Found this really cool website:  When you click on a country all the games pop up http://www.cricruns.com/

Toowoomba Flood 2011.01.10

2011 - 1 Week Down ...

Oh my Gosh, I meant to do so much this week-end, have to get the accounts in order and what did I do - Well Saturday I slept late, had to meet my friend Carla for Breakfast at 10:30 on Saturday and only crawled out of bed at 9:15 so a bit of a scramble to the shower and get dressed, and then I just spent the rest of the week-end feeling sorry for myself, I even missed getting the Tooth Fairy to answer Em's letter on Saturday night because I went to bed so early.

Thank Goodness D remembered to get the Tooth Fairy to take the tooth and leave some money, else we would have had one devastated child this morning.

Well lets hope I can get the tooth sorted tomorrow and take care of the rest of business next week-end after all there are only 2 week-ends to London and so much to do.

Ow the pain

I seem to have an apses on my tooth and it is so sore, I mocked D about 2 months ago when he had one and now God is getting his revenge on me.  I spent all morning trying to find a dentist that is open on a Sunday and left 3 messages at emergency numbers, but no one called me back.  I guess I just have to endure the pain until the morning when I can eventually get to a dentist.

I swear I will never mock anyone again!

London Calling

Woo Who, our Christmas party is finally being organised, yes we were supposed to go away the 2nd week-end in December but unfortunately the Support & Development departments had to work (which is half the company), so it was postponed to the last week-end in January.

January is our busiest month of the year and we are open from 8 to 6:30 each day for support as it is the start of the new tax year and all the budget changes have gone out.  This was my first week back and doing 8 to 5:30 shift so I am totally whacked.  Anyway good news is the company event away, we are leaving on the Friday evening, fly to London, party, party, party ... then Saturday "Dirty Dancing" the show at the West End, Saturday night dinner and party and then Sunday midday fly back to Dublin.

Should be pretty fun because all the fun people are going with, don't know how we are going to cope on the Monday but we will just take it as it comes.

Oh yes, I think the boss has organised our own capsule with Champagne on the London Eye, should go down a treat - hope we are getting some pounds to spend too.  My dear friend "M" will be home from SA and hopefully I might get to see her!

Can't wait, so now have 2 trips to look forward to in the first half of the year!

Oh yes and have to organise post Christmas lunch with all my ex Building Society mates, so many Christmas arrangements cancelled because of the snow, but with all this happening, I guess January won't be a long month after all, but may still be cold only minus 5 at the moment, so I am off to my nice warm bed with my nice warm electric blanket waiting for me.

Nightie Night!

It's a New Year

Happy New Year 2011