In Dublin's Fair City ...

I guess I have been really luck, things just seem to have a way of working themselves out. I finished work at the end of June last year, just before I did there was a company looking at buying an HR system and they came to the company I was working for so I could give them a demo.

I told the guy I was leaving and gave him my number. So as luck would have it, while I was on holiday in Croatia he phoned me and asked me if I was interested in coming to work for them. The contract was only supposed to be for 3 months, but I have been there on and off now for almost a year.

The best thing about the company is they are multi national, so no favouritism or nepotism that you find in a lot of Irish owned companies. I sit in my office and hear different accents every day, our ex Country manager who is still on our floor is from Belgium, and he has this wonderful Flemish accent. Yesterday there were a whole lot of French guys on the floor, the day before the guys from Holland where there. I must say the dutch accent makes me a bit sad because when I hear them speaking it reminds me of my mom's family, who have mostly all passed away now. But the accent is so similar.

A lot of my mom's family would speak what they called "High Dutch" and the NG Kerk and their bible were all in Dutch. Anyway I am getting away from the point of this post.

So, I have two weeks left at this company and it has been absolutely wonderful working there, their offices are based at Spencer dock, now back in 2001 when we arrived in Dublin, the dock areas were full of old dingy warehouses and it was dark and dangerous. Since then it has been revived, most of the old warehouses have been knocked down to make way for new office blocks and apartments.

The Liffy runs right past my work and yesterday there were people yachting. I am sure going to miss working there, but I have a funny feeling I will be back in that area.

Work

I started working last week after being home for just over 2 months, it was quite reluctantly that I took this job, but on the other hand I feared that if I didn't the opportunity may not present itself again.

It's actually been great, I get in at 8 in the morning and then work till about 1:00, the office is situated down near the Dublin Docklands just off the Liffey, it is really stunning compared to the first time we ventured down there 7 years ago and everything we really derelict. The whole area has been given a face lift and "The Point" where they have a lot of concerts with big international stars has been renovated and is now called The O2 Arena in the point village, this is because they are building a village with shops and a mall and all kinds of stuff.

Em does Ballet & Song, dance and drama on a Saturday morning at the National performing arts school or NPAS and this is down in that area as well. Bono from U2 is building the U2 towers and the whole place is becoming the next trendy place to go in Dublin.

The traffic is a bit of a nightmare but in order to get as much done as possible and then go and fetch Emily and then go home and do everything else, I have to use the car.

The company I am consulting to at the moment is really nice and yesterday the Director gave me my very own office which is a few doors down from the CEO's office, who is a lovely man from Belgium. My office is bigger than my ex directors office and has a little conference table, everyone there treats me with so much respect it just feels so different and I am really liking it.

Tomorrow I have to work the whole day but it will be my first full day I will be working since June, so I guess I shouldn't complain - will take my Camera in and get some photos and post them here.