Our weekend tour of Ireland is now over. We are home and relaxing. The cats went along with us this weekend and needless to say, they are glad to be back home relaxing in familiar surroundings.
I have been suffering from nose bleeds lately, so we skipped the bike ride in the morning and went to see a local doctor. He said it was probably being caused from stress and fatigue and that I need to rest for awhile and stop trying to do so much. No traveling, no surfing, no exercising. Just rest and relaxation. Hopefully these nosebleeds will clear up fast because I don't know if I can stick to a do nothing schedule.
I actually saw some real Shamrocks this weekend. Although I didn't find any four leaf clovers or Leprechauns.
At night and early morning, near the coast, the fog would roll in and everything became eerie looking. The cottage we stayed in last night was alone in the country. The nearest neighbors were miles away. The fog rolled in and engulfed the cottage. When you looked out the windows, you couldn't see two feet in front of you. It was almost as if the rest of the world ceased to exist and we were the only two people left on Earth.
Because of the amount of rain Ireland gets, everything stays green all summer long. We stopped to visit some of my mates friends and their families along the way. Everyone is very friendly, but I noticed the closer to the west coast of Ireland you get, the harsher the Irish accent.
Sunday night, time to relax and get ready for another week of work. Since I am supposed to take it easy for awhile, I think we will try and see some movies in the theaters this week.
We decided to do some site-seeing this weekend. I am still amazed by the beauty of Ireland. I love the fact that I can go from green rolling hill countryside to the beach in a matter of moments. Everything is within driving distance and makes it very easy to take day trips. Tonight we are staying at a little cottage in the country. Its cozy and romantic. Although when the fog sets in, it seems a little eerie. Its has been a little chilly and we are both fighting off colds. We had a nice steak dinner at a local eatery. Now we are going to settle down in the cottage for the night and enjoy Saturday night. Tomorrow we are going to get up and take a hike on a nature trail nearby.
We just got back from the pub tonight and now we are listening to Sasa Kovacevic. Its very relaxing music and he is handsome to look at.
The weekend is almost here. This weekend, we are going to do some site-seeing around Ireland. We have not decided what direction to head, going to play it all by ear. But if it doesn't rain I am hoping we can get some surfing in. If it rains, we will just have to take our clothes off and run around naked in the rain. Ok, maybe not.
I had to go in to work tonight to deal with some computer glitches. Why do these things always happen in the middle of the night? I love my job, but I hate it when computers go down in the middle of the night. Yeah, I'm whining and I am allowed. I practically did a double shift today. I am tired, hungry, dirty. Time to go get a shower, eat some food, and take a long sleep.
I have been eating all the wrong things lately. So today I am going to try and eat better foods than what I have been doing. When I want a snack, I am going to eat some fruit instead of a cookie or something worse. Its not a diet, I am just changing the way I eat for a more healthy lifestyle.
I cleaned my fridge and cupboards out and got rid of all the junk food. I didn't realize how much junk food I bought until I saw it all sitting on the kitchen table.
I am off to work. Going in early today. Everyone have a great week. Another week of work starts, yippee.
Check this video out. I have never seen anything like it. Lions attack OX, then Crocodiles attack the Lions, then the OX attack the lions. Pretty wild stuff. For those who are squeamish, you can watch the whole thing. The little baby OX gets away, but you have to see it to believe it. You have to watch the whole video, it really is amazing what happens.
The annual Orange parade from Portadown to Drumcree Church of Ireland has passed off without incident this morning.
After a service at Drumcree Church, the Orangemen marched to a barrier manned by PSNI officers and staged a brief protest at the decision by the Parades Commission to restrict their route.
As in previous years, the return parade was banned from the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road.
The District master, Daryl Hewitt criticised the decision of the Parades Commission to restrict their route.
He also said that the Orange Order was prepared to enter talks with Garvaghy Road residents, chaired by an independent chairman, with no preconditions.
It is ten years since Orangemen were allowed to use the Garvaghy route.
In the 90's, the Drumcree event was marked by violent clashes but it has been free of trouble for the past three years.
There was a reduced PSNI presence to monitor today's events
LISBON (Reuters) - The Great Wall of China, Petra in Jordan and Brazil's statue of Christ the Redeemer are among the modern-day seven wonders of the world chosen in a poll of 100 million online voters, organizers said on Saturday.
The other four are Peru's Machu Picchu, the mountain settlement that symbolises the Incan empire, Mexico's Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, the Colosseum in Rome and the Taj Mahal in India.
The seven winners were announced at a glitzy show at Portugal's Benfica stadium following what is likely to be the biggest ever online poll at www.new7wonders.com.
"Never before in history have so many people participated in a global decision," said actress Hilary Swank at the presentation.
The New 7 Wonders of the World organizers say the contest was a chance to level the global cultural playing field and recognise the achievements of societies outside Europe and the Middle East.
The traditional "seven wonders of the world" all existed more than 2,000 years ago and were all in the Mediterranean region. Only one remains standing today -- the Pyramids of Giza.
Dinner was great. Food was delicious, the atmosphere relaxing, and the friends were very funny. We had a good time. The friends have gone to their hotel and we have been enjoying the night. When we got back to the flat, we made a Sunset Passion Colada. MMMM, very good. We drank that and have been enjoying the beautiful night, although it is wee bit windy. I have some soft music playing in the background and I heard this song just a few minutes ago and thought I would post it. Enjoy. I get to sleep in tomorrow, or today I should say. So I shall enjoy that.
Ok, I come out of the shower and me mate is online. He was yelling at me to get ready and now he is sitting here half dressed playing on the computer. Why I aughta.....
Anyway, here is where we are going tonight. Looks beautiful. Our friends from France will be here in five minutes, so I have to get dressed or they will be seeing the moon over Dublin if you know what I mean.
Tonight, we are going to meet two of me mates friends from France. They are visiting Dublin for the weekend. The four of us are going to go to King Sitrics Fish Restaurant at the East Pier in Howth, which is about twenty minutes north of Dublin.
Earlier today we took them on a tour of Dublin. Now as I mentioned, they are French. They speak broken English. Me mate speaks with a hard Irish dialec, and my speech is a mix of PA Dutch and Irish now. We are all fast talkers. With the four of us trying to talk, you had to listen very carefully to pick up what each person was speaking. We soon found out that as long as we keep watching each others lips, we are ok. If someone talks and you are not looking at them, you only pick up a brief bit of what is being said. It has gotten better as the day goes on, but give us some bevvies later and I am afraid we will have to resort to sign language.
Me mate is done in the shower and running around the flat yelling for me to get off the computer and get me shower. So I am off. I have to get a shower and then I have to dress up tonight. Apparently this place is a bit expensive and fancy. The place is right at the beach and I would be happy enough to get takeout and go sit on the beach and eat in crappy clothes. Ok, I just mentioned this to me mate and I got a dirty look. I guess he is trying to make me more sophisticated. But you know what they say, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy.
Ok, I seriously have to go now because he is giving me a gawk. Everyone enjoy your Friday night.
Just got back from the pub. We had a good meal of Irish Stew and Guiness. Now time to settle down for the night and watch some television and rest. The weekend is almost here. I plan on doing lots of sleeping this weekend. Of course, when I plan that, it never happens.
Valley Forge, PA - A Remembrance It's sad to think of all the men and woman who suffered and died during the revolution. Granted destiny and fate decided that a new nation would be born and no nation is born without blood. But if they were alive today to see how history has unfolded and that the nations of the USA, Great Britain, Canada, and Australia are now the closest allies in the world, I wonder what their thoughts would be?
And to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep our way life free from terrorists who wish to destroy everything we believe in, you will not be forgotten. I hope that one day the world will find no need to sacrifice their sons and daughters and the world can live in peace.
I am now back in Dublin, Ireland. I had a great time visiting friends back in the States and seeing places my heart is familiar with. We all went to Baltimore for a night out on the town. We ate some good old PA Dutch Shoe-Fly Pie and Chicken Pot-Pie. Went swimming with friends in the nearby creek. Nice cool water on a hot summer day. We shared lots of stories of the places I have been and things I have done and heard stories from my friends of what I have missed while I've been away.
When we went out and people heard me talk, they would ask me where I am from. In the past when I would meet someone from outside Pennsylvania, they would always ask me if I was from the South, because they said I had a southern accent. The locals in PA always knew it as the Dutch-German accent that most people in this area have acquired over the years. Now you add in the time I have spent in Ireland and my speech is really buggered up. My friends pointed out certain phrases or dialect that I have picked up and I tried to correct that while back in the states. But now that I am back in Ireland, I know it won't be long until I pick them back up.
During the end of my visit I spent a quiet moment out in the backyard with one of my best friends. It was late at night and everyone else had gone to bed. We took a walk out to the field next to the farm and sat in the grass on a nearby hill. The stars shone bright against the dark sky and we were even lucky enough to see a falling star, or it could have been a big bug flying fast and high overhead. We did have a little bit too much to drink that night.
As we sat on the hill that dark, quiet night we talked about life, specifically our lives. He mentioned that he noticed I was quiet at certain points and I seemed to just be watching everyone. I told him that at first it was strange being back there and I was just taking it all in. I felt like everyone was the same as when I left them, but I felt as though something had changed. I soon realized it was me that changed.
As the days went by, I felt myself getting back into the routine of the life I used to live with my friends. We went out to places I was familiar with, saw friendly faces and shared lots of laughs, hugs, kisses, and good times. But something was still different. During my last day there I spent a lot of time just memorizing the faces of my friends, the way they laugh and smile. I wanted to memorize little things about each one that I would be able to carry with me and remember some day in the future when I think of home.
Which led me to wonder about home. Where is home for me? Is home for me the area I grew up in Pennsylvania, the house where my parents lived when they were alive and where I was raised? Or is it my last apartment, or the new place I live in Ireland? I felt a little lost because I couldn't define one place to call home. My friend understood what I meant, but it wasn't a question he could answer for me.
Time goes by fast and before long my time in the States was at an end and I was on the plane back to Ireland. Part of me wanted to stay back in the states and the other part of me was ready to get back to Dublin.
When we landed in Dublin and I made my way through the airport, I was still feeling a little sad. I was once again so far away from the life I used to have. But life, fate maybe, has a funny way of showing you where you need to be.
I went outside to find my man who was waiting to pick me up. We have been dating for several months now. When I found him, he was standing next to his car with a huge, wonderful, beautiful smile on his face. His smile brought a smile to my face and my sadness started to fade away. When I got to the car, I heard the meowing of my cats. He had brought my cats along for the ride to say hello to me. When we got in the car they were loving me up, excited to see me as much I was to see them. Before we drove off, he leaned over and we kissed. He started the car up and we drove heading for home. Before long, my cats settled down for the ride and I sat there just watching him as he talked and drove. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. I wanted to just soak it all in, seeing him again made a feeling of peace come over me.
Later that night at home, we curled up on the couch together, me in his arms. My two cats snuggled beside us. It was at this point that I realized this is home. It’s not the building or the city that makes something home. It’s where you feel safe and secure from the world, where you can lean on the one you love and they can lean on you. Like the stupid saying goes, home is where the heart is. I have heard that saying many times and groaned each time I heard it. But I finally understand what that means. Back in the states, that will always be my hometown, the place where I come from. But home for me right now is right here, with my man and my two cats. This is my place in the world.
Our weekend tour of Ireland is now over. We are home and relaxing. The cats went along with us this weekend and needless to say, they are glad to be back home relaxing in familiar surroundings.
I actually saw some real Shamrocks this weekend. Although I didn't find any four leaf clovers or Leprechauns.
At night and early morning, near the coast, the fog would roll in and everything became eerie looking. The cottage we stayed in last night was alone in the country. The nearest neighbors were miles away. The fog rolled in and engulfed the cottage. When you looked out the windows, you couldn't see two feet in front of you. It was almost as if the rest of the world ceased to exist and we were the only two people left on Earth.
I love my job, but I hate it when computers go down in the middle of the night. Yeah, I'm whining and I am allowed. I practically did a double shift today. I am tired, hungry, dirty. Time to go get a shower, eat some food, and take a long sleep.
I am off to work. Going in early today. Everyone have a great week. Another week of work starts, yippee.
