Ellie modelling 2 of her presents
Tuesday, 25 December 2007
First Christmas in Ireland
We celebrate with a very quiet and relaxing day... Champagne and presents, a late dinner, crap telly and lots of lazing around.
Ellie modelling 2 of her presents
Ellie modelling 2 of her presents
Saturday, 22 December 2007
Tuesday, 27 November 2007
Power tools
Today I had my first go on the chainsaw !!!!!!!
Bloody marvellous and very therapeutic. Everyone who's stressed should be allowed a go on a chainsaw.
Bloody marvellous and very therapeutic. Everyone who's stressed should be allowed a go on a chainsaw.
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Oh Deer
well look at the lovely chap who visited us at 8am today...
excuse the shaky photo - it's hard to take pics through the kitchen window, but you can just about make him out.
excuse the shaky photo - it's hard to take pics through the kitchen window, but you can just about make him out.
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
New job
Started my new job today as the school gardener. Very flexible hours... basically when I see something that needs doing, I go and do it.
Plenty of weeding and pruning to do - and lots of space for planting in the spring.
Added bonus of lots of fresh air and sunshine... never had that in the NHS !!
Plenty of weeding and pruning to do - and lots of space for planting in the spring.
Added bonus of lots of fresh air and sunshine... never had that in the NHS !!
Thursday, 1 November 2007
RIP Dolly
Well, sadly as fast as Jean got better and was let out to play agan, Dolly deteriorated rapidly. Steve went to pick her up and she just sat on his hand. Her comb was purple and floppy and her eyes closed.
There were no obvious signs of distress. We fed her some drops of water out of a syringe every half hour, but it was clear she was in a bad way, so we brought her inside in a box for the night, and at 11pm, she just slipped away.
And yes, we cried.
Our first chicken death. Poor Dolly. RIP
Dolly the Bluebelle and Twinkle the Gingernut.
There were no obvious signs of distress. We fed her some drops of water out of a syringe every half hour, but it was clear she was in a bad way, so we brought her inside in a box for the night, and at 11pm, she just slipped away.
And yes, we cried.
Our first chicken death. Poor Dolly. RIP
Dolly the Bluebelle and Twinkle the Gingernut.
Monday, 29 October 2007
Hen hospital
Jean's no better so on the recommendation of a neighbour, we ring the vet. Lovely chap who agrees to look her over. Does and X-ray and it transpires that she has egg peritonitis (an egg formed in her abdominal cavity)
He gives us a couple of calcium injections to give her at 12 hourly intervals. I've never injected a chicken before, so this is daunting, but we manage.
She does appear a bit more perky, but we keep her in the box till morning.
Meanwhile, Dolly the Bluebelle seems a little off colour and won't come out of her nest.
He gives us a couple of calcium injections to give her at 12 hourly intervals. I've never injected a chicken before, so this is daunting, but we manage.
She does appear a bit more perky, but we keep her in the box till morning.
Meanwhile, Dolly the Bluebelle seems a little off colour and won't come out of her nest.
Sunday, 28 October 2007
Poorly hen
Let the hens out of the eglu today and Jean (the black one) is staggering around and keeps falling over.
Start Googling "hen falling over" but don't come to any conclusions, so we pop her into a cardboard box filled with straw and pop her in the garage to rest.
Start Googling "hen falling over" but don't come to any conclusions, so we pop her into a cardboard box filled with straw and pop her in the garage to rest.
Friday, 19 October 2007
Gathering winter fyoooo-ellllll
Today our central heating arrived for winter.
5.5 tons of turf
I can't really describe how much turf is in 5.5 tons... and wish now I'd taken a picture...
Suffice it to say - it's a lot. And John who delivered it in a tipper lorry had to dump it on the yard, on a tarpaulin. Then it had to be stacked in the shed. Despite trying various implements to speed up this task (snow-shovel, fork, spade) it was too hard and lumpy, so the only way to shift it into the turf-store was by hand. It took 3 days. Mainly Steve, with Ellie and I helping. But YAY - we have enough to heat the house and the hot water till spring.
This will be supplemented by the logs that were left behind by the previous owner. However these are still in a stack on the driveway and require chainsawing and then splitting and stacking.
But not today !!
5.5 tons of turf
I can't really describe how much turf is in 5.5 tons... and wish now I'd taken a picture...
Suffice it to say - it's a lot. And John who delivered it in a tipper lorry had to dump it on the yard, on a tarpaulin. Then it had to be stacked in the shed. Despite trying various implements to speed up this task (snow-shovel, fork, spade) it was too hard and lumpy, so the only way to shift it into the turf-store was by hand. It took 3 days. Mainly Steve, with Ellie and I helping. But YAY - we have enough to heat the house and the hot water till spring.
This will be supplemented by the logs that were left behind by the previous owner. However these are still in a stack on the driveway and require chainsawing and then splitting and stacking.
But not today !!
Saturday, 13 October 2007
Oops
Washing up today and I managed to break a wine glass into my hand and slice open my knuckle. Flipping cut won't stop bleeding, so I wrap it in kitchen roll and go out to find Steve who's on the road at the front talking to the neighbour. Just as I get to him, I start feeling faint and promptly pass out on the driveway.
Great way to make a first impression
Great way to make a first impression
Thursday, 11 October 2007
First day at school for Ellie
Today Ellie went off for her first day at Dromindoora National School. She's in Second Class, the only girl, with 3 boys.
The motto on the mural reads "Open our hearts. Broaden our minds."
The motto on the mural reads "Open our hearts. Broaden our minds."
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
and we're IN
thanks to the lovely lads from GB Liners removals at Leeds.
They gave Steve their mobile number as they were doing another removal in Kilrush, about 40 minutes away, so that when we got the keys we could let them know.
Steve texted them at 10:00 and by 14:30 they were unloading the wagon.
By 18:30 all the furniture was in - even the piano, and after telling the crew they were welcome to leave the van on the drive overnight rather than kipping in a layby, they headed off for a couple of well-deserved pints while we went in search of tea, then came back to assemble our beds for our first night in the new house.
They gave Steve their mobile number as they were doing another removal in Kilrush, about 40 minutes away, so that when we got the keys we could let them know.
Steve texted them at 10:00 and by 14:30 they were unloading the wagon.
By 18:30 all the furniture was in - even the piano, and after telling the crew they were welcome to leave the van on the drive overnight rather than kipping in a layby, they headed off for a couple of well-deserved pints while we went in search of tea, then came back to assemble our beds for our first night in the new house.
Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Limbo.
From 9am on the dot we're ringing the solicitors to find out what the hell's happening.
Finally at 11am - we've completed (YAY) but the amount transferred is £300 short. (BOO)
To cut a long story short, the solicitor agrees to sub us the difference and pursue it from the buyer's solicitor so we can proceed with our currency exchange and completion this side.
More phone calls to the currency dealers who promise faithfully that they will push very very hard to get the money to the Irish solicitors before 5pm (none of this 3pm banking cut-off here)
Big thanks to Colm at Foreign Currency Direct who is as good as his word, because at 16:45 the money has arrived with the Irish solicitor..... but....
it's 5 EURO and 37 cent short (receiving bank's charges we think)
We can't complete till it's all paid, so after a scuffle round for the massive deficit, we drive off down to the solicitors office and slap the coins on the counter triumphantly. Maureen makes a phone-call and the house is ours !!!!!!!!!!!
Steve rings the vendor who's at the house clearing away the spectacular mountains of beer cans remaining after the farewell party and arranges to collect the keys. It's happened, and it's OURS.
Finally at 11am - we've completed (YAY) but the amount transferred is £300 short. (BOO)
To cut a long story short, the solicitor agrees to sub us the difference and pursue it from the buyer's solicitor so we can proceed with our currency exchange and completion this side.
More phone calls to the currency dealers who promise faithfully that they will push very very hard to get the money to the Irish solicitors before 5pm (none of this 3pm banking cut-off here)
Big thanks to Colm at Foreign Currency Direct who is as good as his word, because at 16:45 the money has arrived with the Irish solicitor..... but....
it's 5 EURO and 37 cent short (receiving bank's charges we think)
We can't complete till it's all paid, so after a scuffle round for the massive deficit, we drive off down to the solicitors office and slap the coins on the counter triumphantly. Maureen makes a phone-call and the house is ours !!!!!!!!!!!
Steve rings the vendor who's at the house clearing away the spectacular mountains of beer cans remaining after the farewell party and arranges to collect the keys. It's happened, and it's OURS.
Monday, 8 October 2007
What a day...
well... crossing the fingers didn't work...
One cock-up after another today
In a nutshell - the completion didn't happen as planned by noon (do they ever ?) and I had to leave Durham at 12.30 at the latest to get to Holyhead for the 17:30 ferry crossing. Despite several phone calls to the solicitors, nothing. Trusting the new buyer (doh) I left him a key and popped mine through the letterbox as I left.
Mobile phonecalls to the solicitor at every other layby down the A19, A1, various service stations on the M1 and M62 "Nothing yet"
Got to Holyhead at 17:00 and handed over my printed reservation slip to be told I had £110 to pay on my ticket !!
"No - there must be a mistake. I paid in full over the phone when I booked 2 one-way tickets - one for my husband last night and one for me today"
Looking under Steve's details, both payments had been credited to his ticket (??) and I was allowed on.
Keep phoning the solicitors until the mobile signal disappears and they have all gone home - no completion. Nagging voice in the back of my head "You shouldn't have left the keys"
7pm - we're in Dublin. I heroically try and navigate from memory - end up going onto a toll-road that I shouldn't be on and do a scary U-turn... end up missing a turn-off and end up on the M50.
For readers not familiar with the car-park that is the M50 - think M25.... twice !!!
After a brief detour down the N4 and another U-turn we head off down the N7 heading for Clare. It's dark, pissing down with rain, we're tired and hungry. Not the idyllic start we'd envisaged, but hey.
22:30 we arrive at our friends' in Bodyke - drink tea and then wine and fall asleep in our clothes.
One cock-up after another today
In a nutshell - the completion didn't happen as planned by noon (do they ever ?) and I had to leave Durham at 12.30 at the latest to get to Holyhead for the 17:30 ferry crossing. Despite several phone calls to the solicitors, nothing. Trusting the new buyer (doh) I left him a key and popped mine through the letterbox as I left.
Mobile phonecalls to the solicitor at every other layby down the A19, A1, various service stations on the M1 and M62 "Nothing yet"
Got to Holyhead at 17:00 and handed over my printed reservation slip to be told I had £110 to pay on my ticket !!
"No - there must be a mistake. I paid in full over the phone when I booked 2 one-way tickets - one for my husband last night and one for me today"
Looking under Steve's details, both payments had been credited to his ticket (??) and I was allowed on.
Keep phoning the solicitors until the mobile signal disappears and they have all gone home - no completion. Nagging voice in the back of my head "You shouldn't have left the keys"
7pm - we're in Dublin. I heroically try and navigate from memory - end up going onto a toll-road that I shouldn't be on and do a scary U-turn... end up missing a turn-off and end up on the M50.
For readers not familiar with the car-park that is the M50 - think M25.... twice !!!
After a brief detour down the N4 and another U-turn we head off down the N7 heading for Clare. It's dark, pissing down with rain, we're tired and hungry. Not the idyllic start we'd envisaged, but hey.
22:30 we arrive at our friends' in Bodyke - drink tea and then wine and fall asleep in our clothes.
Sunday, 7 October 2007
And the chickens depart.....
Sunday teatime.
And the second part of the emiration begins. Steve's booked on the overnight ferry from Holyhead along with our 3 hens, (Dolly, Jean and Twinkle, in case you were wondering...)
Dusk falls and we pop them into their "Eglu" (fantastic henhouse) to go to sleep, then pack the whole lot into the back of the car, along with their food, Steve's food, sleeping bag etc. and so Steve starts the migration.
Eleanor & I have an early night, and I keep my fingers crossed that the completion of the house sale scheduled for noon tomorrow will go smoothly.
I spend the night getting texts "I'm on the ferry" and in the morning "I'm in Ireland"
Steve will drive to our friends' house in Clare where they will temporarily lodge the hens till we complete on our new home and move in - supposedly Thursday.
And the second part of the emiration begins. Steve's booked on the overnight ferry from Holyhead along with our 3 hens, (Dolly, Jean and Twinkle, in case you were wondering...)
Dusk falls and we pop them into their "Eglu" (fantastic henhouse) to go to sleep, then pack the whole lot into the back of the car, along with their food, Steve's food, sleeping bag etc. and so Steve starts the migration.
Eleanor & I have an early night, and I keep my fingers crossed that the completion of the house sale scheduled for noon tomorrow will go smoothly.
I spend the night getting texts "I'm on the ferry" and in the morning "I'm in Ireland"
Steve will drive to our friends' house in Clare where they will temporarily lodge the hens till we complete on our new home and move in - supposedly Thursday.
Friday, 5 October 2007
The day has arrived...
well at 8.30am, the removal van arrived outside our County Durham home to pack up all our worldly goods. It was hard to get my head round the fact that the next time we'd see them would be in another country.
There was a bit of teeth-sucking from the removal-men and some "Oooo, we'll never get all this lot on the one van", despite our having parted with loads of stuff (including Steve's beloved Harley Davidson) in the weeks leading up to today. There were some tears from me "What if it won't all fit ?" What would we leave behind ?
They were marvellous. Everything and the plants went in - the wagon headed for the storage depot in Leeds for the weekend and we settled down on sleeping bags with fish & chips and a camping telly till Monday.
There was a bit of teeth-sucking from the removal-men and some "Oooo, we'll never get all this lot on the one van", despite our having parted with loads of stuff (including Steve's beloved Harley Davidson) in the weeks leading up to today. There were some tears from me "What if it won't all fit ?" What would we leave behind ?
They were marvellous. Everything and the plants went in - the wagon headed for the storage depot in Leeds for the weekend and we settled down on sleeping bags with fish & chips and a camping telly till Monday.
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