wonderful weekend … busy week

A lovely relaxing weekend enjoying my new home. Went to Garadice lake with Brendan and Coco yesterday and marvelled at the ice that’s still on the lake … it’s like sheets of glass.

Coco was in dog heaven and ran and sniffed and checked everything out. I just strolled happily enjoying the quiet and the fresh air. I’d made us corned beef sandwiches with mustard and Brendan brought along a flask of tea … lovely.

I rang both my parents on Saturday as it was their birthdays.

Pa was 78 and Mum was 74 … they’ll outlast me for sure. Both are full of life and energy and I love them very very much.

Dad and I chatted away happily about all sorts of things. He’s always been so supportive of everything I do. And I’m green with envy as he and my stepmum Liz got a Wii for xmas … and they’ll never love it as much as I would!! Dad did say that he’s played golf on it.

He usually plays golf on Saturday mornings very early because of the heat. He didn’t on his birthday as it was in the high 30’s C … in the morning! He was born and reared in Ireland [as was Mum] but he can’t understand how people can live in this cold.

I was reared in Oz and can’t stand high heat … go figure.

I was cooking the corned beef when I rang Mum and we had a fine time exchanging recipes and she told me how Gran used to cook it.

Always lovely to talk with them.

And now it’s Monday and I plan an active working week:

• asking for advice and support from Leitrim Enterprise Board about Life Dreaming
• doing 2 days research and writing for my Dublin contract
• continuing the pr for my Blogsite Design workshops. My free ad in the Visual Arts Ireland enewsletter should get some takers
• talk with one of my SKIL2 mentors about interface design and getting someone to build the prototype
• do some online research and writing for Mary in Oz

I also want to email some family and friends and have a catch up … and Coco wants to go play outside … and there’s the marmalade to make … and groceries to buy … and dreaming to be done.

I’m typing this from my warm bed because … I can.

I can work and be comfy at the same time … and it’s Monday so I like to ease myself into the week.

I hope you have a lovely week.

slan

Liz

Aaaaah Friday

The week started brilliantly with the arrival of 2 friends, Miriam and Jimmy.

They stayed until Thursday as they tried a few times to get through the snow and ice to their home up the mountain.

Somewhere up there to the left!

It was a real treat having them stay here and we had some great chats and laughs.

They are great people and run Build Your Own Wind Turbine workshops in Ballinamore and an annual 10 day workshop in Gort that attracts people from around the world.

On Tuesday they became grandparents again when one of Jimmy’s daughters had her first child. They are now on their way to Cork and still haven’t seen their mountain home since before Christmas.

I loved being a hostess and cooking. I find cooking very relaxing and love to try new recipes on people … and Miriam and Jimmy were quite happy to try my offerings … even the Thai Green Curry with pasta instead of rice!

I also did a fair bit of work on the pr for my Feb 6 and 7 Blogsite Design Workshops and have a booking already!

I’m looking forward to more bookings when the Visual Arts Ireland enewsletter comes out next Tuesday. Nearly 50% of my previous workshop people booked after they read about it in the newsletter.

All the excitement of packing and moving and Christmas and lovely visitors … was bound to catch up with me.

Very tired the last day or so … and because I can … I’ve been having Duvet Days.

Having a lovely time roaming online and reading and taking naps and eating healthy food … and not planning or organising or thinking … just drifting happily.

Will feel fab tomorrow and get sorted to go into town and do some chores and take Coco for a long long walk. She did get to run around the field next door today and then she was quite happy to loll with me.

It’s the New/Dark Moon tonight … great for wishing and beginning new ideas and projects.

Have a wonderful weekend.

p.s Happy Birthday to my Mum and Dad tomorrow. I’ll be ringing Oz to say hi. When I was a kid that’s how I thought parents got together … someone matched people by birthdays. It’s as good a way as any I suppose.

Slan

Liz

Bitterly cold with ice … nice if it’s a Gin and Tonic … crap if it’s the weather

Yup … it’s the kind of day to stay cosy and warm inside.

Unfortunately I had to go into town [sounds like a bleedin' trek across the himalayas ... it's only 5 minutes in non icy weather] to pay the rent and get some more books from the library.

My good friends Miriam and Jimmy are staying with me for a few days [as they wait and try to get up the icy back mountain roads to their home] so we walked carefully in convoy into town.

As we walked down the road from the estate the army drove up to grit the roads … better late than never lads.

It’s slippy in town but it felt great to be out and walking even if the windchill factor is minus 5.

Dropped in and had a chat with Maggie … then off to say hi to the fab women in the Credit Union … then to the bank to pay the rent … then library to get books and say hi to the lovely women there … then Hi to Maggies Mum and Dad who have had no running water for weeks and still look neater and dapper than me!

Was about to slide my way home when I was hailed by Sharon Sweeny [Cannaboe Confectionery entrepreneur and wicked witch baker of my favourite carrot cake ... no Liz ... it is not a health food!] who offered me a lift back to my home.

Lovely to see her and I want to sent my best wishes to her mother who had a wee fall [like thousands and thousands of others around the country] on the ice and broke a few bones. It could be any of us no matter how careful we are.

Thanks Sharon for the lift and I have to give you a jar of honey that the wonderful Anne sent us from the Liz Biz beehive in America. The honey is delicious and I want to send a big hello and happy new decade to Anne. May you, your husband and bees all flourish and prosper.

Home now and enjoying the swedish cinnamon buns I made for the first time yesterday. They were delicious and I was very pleased to serve them to Jimmy and Miriam.

notice carrot cake in background?

I bought the best cook book ever last week and have been making stuff from it ever since. It’s a book that was commissioned by the Irish publishers Mercier Press from a food blogger … a young Irish lad called Donal Skehan. He writes a blog called Good Mood Food and I’m loving the cook book.

Tonight I’m cooking his recipe for Thai Green Chicken Curry and later on in the week I’m making big batches of 2 soups to freeze – Red Pepper and Tomato soup & Pea and Mint Soup.

And just in case you think I’m lolling around cooking … I am!

I’ve also sorted my office and have already booked Koh restaurant for a new round of Blog Design workshops in Dublin on Feb 6 and 7.

The workshops I did in November were a great success and I am really looking forward to doing more this year. The people I get to meet are really interesting.

The cost of the workshop is 80 euro and runs for 5 hours. People leave with a fully designed blog site and the skills to insert content and vids and photos and heaps of other stuff. People also get a 60 page info pack, chocolates and a fun learning time with me.

What’s not to love?

Someone sent me an email from an organisation [who will remain nameless] who is offering a 6 hour workshop in Dublin on setting up a blog and writing content … and they are charging 295 euro!!!

So I feel like I’m offering a quality bargain.

Coco and I are now ensconsed warmly inside and I’ve just put out heaps of bread for the birds.

All is well in my world.

Slan

Liz

p.s If anyone around town [or family in Oz and Singapore] has a Wii console they want to sell … I’d love to buy it. I really want to get the console, buy the EA Sports Challenge and just go for it in the privacy of my own home. You can email me – focusedsolutions1st@gmail.com

If there are none going I’ll buy one with the profits from my blog workshops in February.

When it comes to being physically fit I realised that I needed some new solutions to a very entrenched old problem. I decided to bring the exercise into my own home and make it varied and interesting with clear goals and feedback along the way … so that’s why I want a Wii.