Tuesday thoughts......

Well the first full day of the holidays and the plans I had made for today may have to be shelved.  A cycle to the village of 3.5miles and coffee with a friend will have to wait for another day as the rain is lashing against the window panes and wind is howling.  However this can be turned into a positive by doing something else.  I have decided to write up some of my blog, and do some advance reading for my archaeology fieldschool which runs from 20th-31st August next.  Its part of Yr2 Stage2 archaeology module but the fieldschool has to be run during the summer months.  Its a completely new aspect for me, and I'm so looking forward to the hands on aspect of it, however, at the same time I'm quite nervous about my ability to complete this aspect successfully.  Nevertheless I have felt this way before when starting new challenges and usually have a successful outlook so this will be the way I look at this challenge.

Namaste
Marie.

Holidays ahoy

Another early start to get on the road to the house in Kerry.  Left at 07.30 am and arrived at 12.30 pm - 5 hours door to door which wasnt too bad, despite the rain which we encountered once we arrived in the Kingdom.  A quick unpack dodging the raindrops and a welcome cuppa.

Hit the bed for a few hours and feeling a lot fresher and ready to rock and roll.  Out to dinner tonight to celebrate the first night of the holidays.

Hope all are well, namaste.

Marie.

Wet and windy Sunday

Well a very bad start to Sunday for me.  I was up early to drop my student to the bus for the airport - her flight was at 7am and she had to be at the airport by 5am for Ryanair flight to Modena.  We drove to the bus and sat in the car waiting for its arrival.  By the time it arrived it was 45 mins and when I got back into the car it was completely flat !! Needless to say I was in a bit of a panic and stayed in the car to see if it was miraculously restart itself but unfortunately it didnt so decided to walk home which wasnt too far but it was 4.30am in the morning, dark and quite cold.  Happily when I went down to get it sorted out at 11.30am with OH it was OK, not clamped or ticketed.  Thank you universe :)

Spent the day relaxing, OH in Kerry, DS1 at work and DS2 at boyfriends house.

Namaste
Marie.

Thursday & Friday together

Yesterday was a busy day and I didnt get to post anything so decided to amalgamate the two days into one post :)  Up early to meet with my brother to discuss some legal docs then headed into the city centre for an eye test at SS........... you know who.  It went well and I did need an upgrade on my prescription so I chose a really cool pair of tortoisehell frames with reactive lenses which go dark in the sunshine saving me putting on and off my sunglasses and reading glasses every time I want to read something.  Brilliant !! I feel they suit me well and they will be ready for collection when I get home from my holidays in Kerry which are starting on Monday 30th July. Looking forward to the trip

Yesterday afternoon I met up with a couple of college friends and we had a nice lunch in town.  Then we went to the Hugh Lane gallery to see a Home Rule exhibition.  We had a lovely hour or two strolling around the gallery, also visited the Francis Bacon studio which is housed there and I couldnt miss a chance to see the beautiful Eve of St. Agnes stained glass window by Harry Clarke which is also housed there.  I absolutely love it, its so beautifully delicate and the colours are gorgeous.  It hard to imagine that they are done in glass and its not a painting.  The story is from the Keats poem about Porphyo (hope thats the spelling)

Friday ended up being a rest day due to the late hour that I got home last night (1am .... ahem)  I attached a picture of the stained glass window but it dosnt do it justice.

Namaste

Marie

Wednesday Weekly catch up

I am always in good form on Wednesdays as I always catch up with the gang from college for coffee and a chat in a local cafe.  Its a great chance to see how everyone is doing over the summer - some weeks there are only a few people and then other weeks we have a big turnout.  However there is always a small core group who go almost every week and we usually end up  planning day trips and events.  For example tomorrow we are going to the Hugh Lane Gallery in Parnell Sq to view an exhibition on Parnell and then possibly lunch/drinks to finish off.  It means I get to go to places I would otherwise never go to alone.

I feel genuinely lucky to be in college and to have met such a great group of fellow mature students.  It was such a help starting out last September as we had already done the Access course together and went on into UCD.  I know going forward at college and even after graduation we will still  be good friends and meet up regularly to catch up - I sincerely hope so anyway :)



Once again thank you universe.

Namaste
Marie.

Dreary Tuesday

Well such a difference 24 hours makes, yesterday we were baked, today we are drizzled upon.  Ah well, what can you do except get on with it?  Today I had an early appointment with the Dr. for a check up on blood pressure/thryoid, that sort of female stuff.  Decided to get myself started on HRT for a month to see how it goes, havnt been sleeping very well despite exercising and cycling, exhausted when I go to bed but sleep wont come :( and as for the hot flashes :)

Today was a stay at home kinda day, tidying, putting away clothes, decluttering and that sort of thing.  Two DD's were at home so all together which is a nice change.  Now they have gone out to various activities and I am home alone with the doggy.  Too wet to take him out so he's kinda dejected looking and has just began to howl which generally means he's feeling low............. AWHHHHHH poor thing i'll have to suffer the wet to take him out for a walk.

Time now to prep dinner and then i'll take him out for 20 mins.

Namaste

Marie.

The day has finally arrived............

July 23rd the first step in registering for Stage 2 at UCD :) Easy enough, just go into the website and choose joint majors and thats it............ for today at least.  Cannot do anything else until 1st August.  Thank goodness, was dreading it but seems OK......... thats if I got my facts right :)  Ah well.  Why is it we always doubt ourselves when it comes to doing stuff?  At least I sometimes doubt myself and my understanding of things.  Will have to make a new resolution to stop doing that.  I have got this far in my life so I must be doing many things right, not just some things.  Lesson learned.

Thank you universe.
Namaste
Marie.

Sunshine on a Sunday

What a wonderful warm sunny day we had today............. us Irish are obsessed with the weather, talking about it, complaining about it, no matter what the weather is, we always discuss it.  Anyway today was one of those rare summer days, sunshine, warm breeze, and just bliss. Went for a walk with DD1 for 50 mins with doggy in tow and it was lovely to be out and about.  The rest of the day was spent prepping the big Sunday dinner which we always have about 6pm and this evening it was no exception.  However due to the heat it was oppressively warm in the kitchen and had the patio doors fully opened all afternoon, in fact even now at 8pm they are still open.  Outside I can hear gulls calling so perhaps there is a storm out at sea, they usually come inland when that happens.  Some very big gulls are sitting on our wall, my they really are huge up close.

Anyway wanted to put something up today, I have been falling behind in my 'daily' posts.  Have to try harder.

Namaste
Marie.

Thursday catch up

I have been AWOL for the last few days for no apparent reason other than I've been spending time with my youngest daughter who is at a loose end with her boyfriend being away at the moment :)  We went for a cycle/walk yesterday with the NEW BIKE and walked along the river bank with doggy on lead.  We took some cute pics with him in the basket of the bike which i'll try to load on here.  Spent the rest of yesterday and today with my mum who is still very traumatised about the loss of my dad on 9th June last.

Today in the pm spent some time tidying up our back patio and washing outside of patio doors.

All in all quite a productive few days in different ways.

Namaste

Marie.

Monday madness

Up early this morning in a spring cleaning kinda mood !! Strange !! Washed the kitchen patio doors inside (as outside it was lashing rain :( ) .  The kitchen seemed lovely and clean and bright again. Decided to do some more cleaning up and tidying so spent a couple of hours getting mess sorted out.

In the afternoon decided to go up to the bike shop and collect my new bike.  Its a beaut and I also bought a top of the range lock to keep it safe.  Cycled up to UCD library to get used to the bike and return some archaeology books.  Its lovely to cycle, very secure and comfortable.  I must say it made me happy to be on the bike, out in the air and exercising.  Hopefully the weather will enable me to get out on the bike daily and get some exercise.  I plan to make the bike part of my daily routine and use it to get around my local village doing chores and errands, and not just use it for exercising.  It has a lovely big basket on the front so I can put lots of stuff in and carry home.  I will probably look like a crazy older woman on my bike but I don't care !!!

Happiness is being on my bike.  I'm in love :)

Namaste
Marie.

A sad....ish.... Sunday

Sunday was the day we had a memorial mass for Dad, who died on the 9th June last.  We call it a 'months mind mass'.  It was at 10am on Sunday and myself, my daughter, my mother, sister, brother, sister in law and   my best friend attended the mass.  It was a lovely sunny morning and afterwards we went to the graveyard to put some flowers on the grave.  It may sound a little sad and sombre and it was somewhat, but it was good to be there and remember Dad.  He gave us so much for so many years and we loved him SO MUCH.

Afterwards we headed to a local bistro in Bray for brunch which was a lovely treat.  I had french toast with maple syrup and honey roast bacon.  Yum.  A couple of pots of tea finished off the brunch beautifully and we headed home.  We had just about got the best of the day as when we returned home the rains came..........again.  Spent the rest of the day relaxing, drinking tea, and having a lovely Sunday roast of pork with roast potatoes, leeks, and turnip.

Spent the rest of the evening watching TV and watched Wallender with Kenneth Brannagh which I'm getting into.

Namaste
Marie.

Sunshine on a rainy day Saturday

Hello :)

A late afternoon invitation yesterday meant I had a lovely Friday pm with another good friend who has a most beautiful home and we spent a lovely few hours sitting in her conservatory which was filled with gorgeous furniture, candles, books and bric a brac.  It overlooks the gorgeous garden which is full of trees in full foilage and flowers and plants.  We chatted continuously and enjoyed a few glasses of vino.  It was great to spend time with her and she had her fire lit and her heat on, due to the unseasonal coldness of the day.

It turned into a late night and I didnt get home until 2.30am :)  Despite the lateness of the hour I was up early this morning and went for a long walk with bobby and then called into the bike shop to admire a bike I am thinking of buying.  I negotiated a good price for the bike and cannot wait to collect it on Monday morning.

Called out to see my mum and sister this afternoon and had some lunch.  Relaxed and enjoyed the all girls company for a few hours then called up to the graveyard to see Dads grave with my youngest daughter.  Home at 5.00pm and didnt have to cook as we ordered a chinese take away.  Enjoyed another episode of The Hollow Crown which finished at 10.00pm.

Namaste
Marie.

Unlucky for some.........Friday 13th July

Evening all, just a quick few lines this evening.  Met with a good friend this morning in a local cafe/restaurant which opened not so long ago.  Disappointingly the service was tardy and not overly friendly.... the coffees were cold and not the cappacinos we were expecting, rather they appeared to be lattes ?? When we queried why there was no choccy bits on top of the 'cappacinos' we were told by the waiter ' we dont put chocolate on our cappacinos' so no joy there then.  It wasnt overly expensive but it was very disappointing to get such service, indeed my friend had to return her coffee to have it reheated which took ages to be returned, in the end she had to go in search of her hot coffee.

Suffice to say on returning home I sent a mail to the cafe concerned and received a very nice response which offered 2 free breakfasts and hot coffees all around.  I hadnt sent the mail to receive a freebie but it was nice to get one all the same.  We will give it another whirl next Friday.

Have a good weekend/evening.

Namaste
Marie.

Thursday and abundance

I had arranged to meet an ex work colleague who is a good friend and we met up in a local coffee shop for breakfast at 10.30 (well brunch really :).  Had a lovely breakfast of granola with yogurt and banana and a white coffee.  My friend had porridge with honey and a tea.  A most enjoyable hour and a half spent chatting and catching up.  On my return to the office (my former workplace and her office) she gave me some freshly laid hens eggs from her hens, some angel guidance cards and some items for my daughters school uniform as well as school books.  Talk about abundance in my life.  The universe is bringing all good things to me.  Know that this is a friendly universe indeed.

As well as the aforementioned abundance the sun was shining so I was able to bring bobby for long long walk along the river and back home. A veritable feast of abundance today and its only 3.15 pm so far.
Thank you universe.

Namaste
Marie.

Tuesday Sunshine :)

After a dull start the sun has finally come out  - hurray - in celebration decided to splash out and get my hair coloured and blow dried.  The result was nice so decided that a little bit of additional retail therapy was the order of the day so headed up to Dundrum Town centre with my daughter where we browed in Penneys for a little while and spent a little on some bits and pieces to make the day complete.

Home and the sun is still shining.  Time to take the little dog out for his second walk of the day today to enjoy the sunshine and put out some damp clothes that have been vainly trying to dry indoors for the last 2 days.

Enjoy the sunshine as long as it lasts.

Namaste
Marie.

Soggy Sunday July 8th.

Sunday morning and another wet start which was a disappointment after Saturdays lovely sunshine. It was a stay at home kind of day with prepping Sunday dinner - making coleslaw from scratch, stuffing from scratch, peeling potatoes and vegetables for cooking with the roast Chicken which is a Sunday staple in chez Marie.

Walked the dog for 20 mins in the local park/grounds of the Jesuit community nearby.  It was good to get out and stretch the legs for a while despite the misty spilling rain.

Watched the tennis with G and Mum who arrived about 5pm - poor Andy Murray, I was up for him to win especially with the Queens Royal Jubilee this year but sadly it wasnt to be a fairytale win for him against Federer - he played some of his best tennis - but Federer was just too good on the day.

Sunday dinner rounded off with a visit from Guilia's parents (our Italian student) who were over for the weekend from Modena in Italy.  Very nice people who very kindly brought me a beautiful bottle of strawberry flavoured Balsamic Vinegar, a local delicacy from Modena.

Early to bed at 11pm to enable me to be up early Monday morning.

Namaste
Marie.

Edinburgh enjoyment

Just back from a whistle stop visit to Edinburgh on Thursday 5th July.  After catching the red eye Ryanair flight at 6.35 am myself and 6 of my UCD buddies headed for Edinburgh.  After a much needed breakfast in Garfunkels on the Royal Mile headed for Edinburgh Castle which didnt disappoint despite the inclement weather.  Plenty to do and see in Edinburgh and much to our surprise the Queen herself was visiting Edinburgh on the same day (she must have heard we were visiting :) and the crowds were swelled by curious sightseers vying for a view of her outside St. Giles Cathedral.  This was obviously the reason we were unable to visit Holyhood House - one of the must sees on our list -  Prince William and Kate were also in town - however time pressures meant we hadnt time to stay around to catch a glimpse of them -  we then headed to the Art Gallery off the Mound where we spent an enjoyable hour having coffee and perusing the art works - such as Raphael and Lippi -  as well as the Gift Shop.

A trip to Mary Kings Close followed which entailed an enjoyable hour underground exploring the old world streets and houses (if you could call them houses) under the guidance of our expert guide Catherine.
We then embarked on an open topped bus excursion of Edinburghs heritage (very blustery on top !!)
which culminated in a visit to the Grassmills area for some much needed refreshments :)  Sadly it all had to come to an end about 6.45pm when we had to leave for the airport :( A quiet perusal of duty free which resulted in a trio of galaxy bars for loved ones at home in Dublin.  Arrived home safe but extremely tired at 11.30pm.  After a welcome cuppa straight to bed.

Namaste
Marie.

Monday musings for 2nd July.

Its been a while since I posted.............. 3 weeks plus a few days ............... due to the loss of my dad and stuff going on as a result of same I have not been of a mind to.  Tonight however I decided to get back to blogging however small the entries may be.  Its been another difficult weekend trying to look after Mum and the worry of this is taking some degree of a toll on myself and my DS.  However onwards and upwards.
Today was an 'at home day' spent pottering around the house, tidying, sorting, doing household chores.  Just as well really as it was raining torrentially for most of the day.  Also sorted out financial stuff with SW which was good.

Tonight it will be a shower followed by an early night with my latest book ' Tolstoy - A Russian Life' which I have started a few times and failed to finish so am making that my goal - finish reading Tolstoys life story.  Wish me luck all.

Namaste
Marie.