valeriesbookofme

Golly I am tired tonight! We had a really busy day. We went into Carlow town to return a pair of sweatpants that R. bought and didn't like. I also went to the Bank of Ireland and started up my bank account. They do things very differently here than in Sierra Vista. There are no tellers for simple deposits or withdrawals; the bank branch in Carlow consists of four ATM machines and one international exchange cashier. And three personal bankers who are extremely helpful. I discovered that you don't make a deposit, you make a lodgment. Weird, eh? We went to Tesco's after the bank to get our every-other-day food shopping done. Small refrigerators--have to be careful in buying. We also bought some new "orthopedic" pillows that will hopefully help our neck issues. Bought a couple of pre-made sandwiches and ate them in the car when we parked at Duckett's Grove. Duckett's Grove is a ruined 19th century great house whose owners kept redesigning the original house ...

Kilkenny. How I love Kilkenny! It is a medieval city that has two cathedrals and a castle as well as loads of restaurants and stores. We came here in August and loved it so today Richard suggested we head back there as it was such a nice day. I worked on headstone recording in the Cathedral for awhile and for the rest of the four hours we were there, we just wandered around the city, had lunch at a great restaurant and spent a long time in the Roman Catholic cathedral, St. Mary's. Hope these photos demonstrate why :) No blog is complete without a mention of food. Had a good tuna melt sandwich at Petronella on Butterslip Lane--one of those incredibly narrow pedestrian cobblestoned lanes where you can practically put your arms out and touch the buildings on either side. And who was Petronella you ask? Sadly she was the first woman to be burnt at the stake for heresy (i.e., witchcraft) in Europe; in Kilkenny in fact i...

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016 Just a short post today. The shirt that Richard bought at the Lauren Outlet store in Kildare didn't fit him so we decided to go as soon as the mall opened this morning. After Mitzi's shortbread spree yesterday, we decided it would be safer if we took her with us. She stays in the back seat and seems quite content to be brought along. On our way, we had to stop for some horses: These narrow roads are something else. And we share them not only with horses but also with sheep: I think Richard drove along for about a quarter of a mile with flocks of sheep just grazing or sitting beside the road, completely ignoring the cars. I wonder how many accidents happen in this particular stretch? The sheep have done quite a job on grazing the land around here so that it looks like a moor.  We arrived in Kildare Village and people were already starting to stream in. We had unfortunately (and accidentally) used the receipt as kindling the other nig...

Monday, Dec. 26, 2016 I was so tired this morning that although I got up and let Mitzi out and gave her breakfast, I went back to bed about half an hour later and slept another two and a half hours! Woke up at 10:30 with the sun shining in the window. A day not to waste--sunshine is so precious. We decided to go to Emo Court, which is about 26 miles away. Not a long distance but on narrow winding country roads it took 45 minutes. Before going to the gardens, we stopped at The Heritage Golf & Resort for a leisurely lunch. One of my Facebook friends wonders if we spend all our time going from restaurant to restaurant. Well, eating at our current residence isn't that exciting (although I have finally mastered the oven for reheating things and the grill for toasting.) We have decided to budget one meal out per day for now. Especially as there are so many things that we can do on a sunny day! Emo Court was only 3 miles from The Heritage. There were loads of people enjoying the...

Sunday, December 25, 2016 Merry Christmas to everyone! It is quarter to ten at night so my first Christmas in Ireland is almost at an end. Mitzi woke me up very early in the morning--the downside to no longer having a doggie door. I put my boots on my bare feet, threw my jacket over my nightgown and went out into the courtyard with her. I wish she would go alone but maybe it is better I go with her. There are chickens and geese in a pen just off the courtyard and if the owners ever forgot to lock the gate.... Anyway, came back inside. It doesn't get light here until just about 8:15 a.m. and it was grey and drizzly anyway. I made a substantial one-pan breakfast of bacon, fry bread and eggs. I am getting very good with using just one fry pan and every other day the saucepan for cooking noodles. Spaghetti bolognese and salad continues to be the fare we eat at the house. Richard has said several times he will try to figure out how to light the oven but we probably never will befor...