Out with the old........... in with the new 2013

Well its finally arrived, 2013 is here at last and hopefully brings with it renewed vigour and hopes for the future.  Happy New Year to all.............. here's to the next 365 fresh new days.


Namaste
Marie.

Friday 28th December

A quiet one today at home......  up late and then did some grocery shopping, despite having had all that food for Xmas, running low on essentials.  Dropped up to LIDL and got some bits and pieces.  Returned home and had some home made soup, bread and tea.  Then went out for a walk with the dog down to the Bank and lodged some Xmas money.  Home again now and relaxing for the evening.  Watched a very good drama last night on BBC1 called Restless and part 2 is on tonight.  Bring it on!!  Photo harks back to August when down in Glendalough on an archaeological fieldschool - clean the stones on the cairn.

Namaste

Marie.

Thursday and the sun is shining, the sky is SO blue

After a dull, dreary and wet stephen's day today has dawned bright and sunny.  So off to do a long walk to blow away the cobwebs and the calories consumed over the last number of days.  Other members of the family are staying on in bed and sleeping off their late night last night.

Once I've blown the cobwebs away its back home to make some nice soup from the turkey stock I made last night. Lots of veg and spices to bulk it up and make it even more tasty.  Yum :)

Following on from that I'll be starting a mega declutter today  !  Starting with all my semester 1 modules, and bits and pieces that I no longer need, as I'll be starting new modules on Jan 21st, although I learned a valuable lesson last year, do not throw away notes as they may come in useful this year.

Namaste .

Marie.

The feast of St. Stephen.......

Its hard to believe that christmas day has come and gone and now its St. Stephen's Day.  Although yesterday was extremely relaxing and it was lovely to have a formal table and everyone sitting down together, the food and drink is now consumed and its left over time:) However I love this day as its still christmas but quite so formal and no cooking is required as its left overs for lunch, dinner and tea!!!

Dinners are plated up ready for eating, the turkey carcass has been stripped and the bones are making stock for soup and there is no waste :)  A couple of images of what was the table and xmas cake yesterday.

Namaste,
Marie.

23rd December.. the countdown is well and truly on.

Its really begun to sink in that Christmas day is just around the corner.  In order to be ready and organised on the big day I did my last few bits and pieces today, flowers for the neighbours, wrapping and packing up gifts to be handed out around the neighbourhood.  We are very lucky here in our cul de sac as we have a lovely group of neighbours and we all go to each other's houses on the 25th for a bit of festive mixing and mingling, but only for a short while.  This year we will have my brother in law, sister in law and neice for christmas lunch (well rather later than lunch time,) so beforehand the mixing and mingling will go on for a while.  Sadly we will be missing our eldest daughter Ellen who is in Oz for the forseeable future.  Nevertheless thanks to the wonder of skype and social media we are able to keep in touch on a weekly basis, or even more frequently with mobile phones etc.  So its not all bad.  But she will be sorely missed when we sit down to dinner.

Tomorrow early in the morning I will prep all the veg, starters etc in order to free myself up on Christmas day to only have to simply turn on the oven to cook the turkey and ham.  In fact the ham will probably be cooked already on Xmas eve as my OH likes to have some ham sarnies on xmas eve to start the ball rollling so to speak.

All I have to do tomorrow will be to get my hair done and go into town to meet OH and DD2 for some bits and pieces of Christmas shopping (a present or two for me perhaps!!)

Happy Christmas to all and here's to a prosperous and contented 2013.

Namaste

Marie.

Friday........... Winter Solstice and the end of the world .not

Well the dreaded day has finally arrived.............. with a whimper and not a bang thank goodness.
As it is the winter solstice today there was a lot of interest in Newgrange this early am but unfortunately it was very misty and dull so the sun didnt get to enter the passage way as it was hoped.

My day started with a lie in and up at 9am . Followed by breakfast with mum.  We then headed out for a walk and a bit of air before she heads up to Donegal on the bus.  It will take 4.5 hours approximately so she should get to Killybegs about 5.30-6.00 - she will be tired.

I was very lucky when I went into town as the traffic was OK and I even got a spot right outside Busaras, or as close as is possible to it as there is no parking outside.  Thank you angels!!

Mum headed off and I headed to the supermarket to stock up on all the Xmas trimmings, cream, custard, ice cream, cake, etc. as well as veggies, starters, etc. to make it a festive feast to remember.  Now all I have to do is go through the house and tidy, tidy, tidy, wash, wash, wash, dust, dust, dust.......... ah well its nice to have a nice clean house.  Of course not forgetting the turkey and ham, which will be collected on Monday afternoon.............early,

Namaste

Marie.

Dark and dreary Thursday

But only weatherwise!! Had a lovely morning with DS1 up shopping in the local shopping centre.  To my surprise it was not incredibly busy so we didnt spend a lot of time queuing  up to pay, although Eason's did have a rather long queue that moved very quickly. Got all the bits and pieces in about an hour, which was good going.  Came home on the Luas (no parking and queuing to get into the car park - there's that word again).  Lunch of home made veggie soup, crusty bread and tea, Delicious.

This afternoon will be spent relaxing and chillling with laptop and iphone.  Lazy day.

Tonight off to Bray to collect mother for night, she is heading up to Donegal for Christmas on the bus.
Prior to that its grocery shopping time............ now perhaps i'll wait until the am to do that ????

Yes....:)

Namaste
Marie.

Tuesday........... and a week to go to the day

Just one week to the day to go to Christmas Day.  Seems like it was only Christmas a while ago.  Where has the year gone to?  It will be here before we know it and over just as quickly.  All the preparations, effort, money spent and boom its gone.

Glad that my exams are now over and now comes the chance to catch up on the dust and dirt.

Time to get cracking on beautifying and decluttering the house.

I love a good challenge.  At least the lad below is already beautified for Christmas.

Namaste

Marie.

Wednesday 12.12.2012

Today is a special day or rather date, 12.12.2012.  It will be the next century before it will be possible to have such an alignment of similar numbers again in the one date.  So it is the last time in my lifetime i'll see such a numeric alignment :) Gulp!!  Ah well so what.  Just watching an amazing documentary about Dr. Ruth Gruber an American Jewish woman (now aged 96) who has had a fantastically interesting life.  I want to do more with my life and be a writer so thats what i'm going to do!!  Watch out 2013 !!

College is now finished for the semester and I am in the middle of exams.  I have had one, another one tomorrow then one on Saturday.  I am lucky this semester as I have had a lot of assignments and 4 were due in the last couple of weeks of November.  So that's why I have so few actual examinations.  Nevertheless a lot of study and work has gone into the revision and hopefully it will be enough to get good grades.

Namaste
Marie.