The place between trees and the sky

I was walking Coco at Lock 5 yesterday morning when I looked up … don’t do this if you’re driving … and started looking at the space where landscape ends and sky begins.

Lovely.

Sky blue and sunny … freezing … snow … and I love it.

It was so still and quiet at Lock 5 … after we had walked for a while I found a place to sit and just drift … Coco was happy to run and mooch around.

I had a massage at Enhance on Thursday … great masseur … thanks Helen.

It literally made me drifty and very very relaxed … I was tempted to just stay on the massage bench (it was heated) in the candle lit room with all the lovely scents … forever.

Slept for nearly 11 hours and then took Coco for a walk … some of my muscles were releasing toxins (part of the massage involves some lymphatic drainage) … so I just walked slowly and kind of drifty.

Back to the cottage to check a lot of emails that were waiting for me when I got home from Belfast.

Belfast was wonderful.

Many thanks to Dee for driving me to Enniskillen (then I caught a bus to Belfast) and then picking me up the next day.

Mucho thanks to Mags for dog sitting Coco … Coco got to have a sleepover at Mags and behaved herself fairly well. I don’t think Mags minded her and Millie racing around her couches in the dark for 2 hours when she went to bed.

Anyway … I had a very very successful series of meetings with the senior management team and managers of Depaul Ireland about SKIL2.

They were very supportive, interested & positive about the whole SKIL2 vision.

They also gave some great feedback that I will blend into the design and process of SKIL2.

Next step is to form the Depaul SKIL2 Team that I will be chairing … and synthesise an IT/Social Media survey I designed for the organisation to give me baseline data for longitudinal evaluation.

The Depaul CEO and Services Manager and I went out to dinner on Tuesday night and I had one of the best chinese meals I’ve had in Ireland.

They put me up in a lovely guesthouse that had the biggest bed I’ve ever seen … I want one.

The front of house person Janine was a delight. She is currently studying hospitality and she was a credit to her training … she was very polite and helpful. Thanks Janine.

It was fun in Belfast and I’m glad to be home again.

Friday afternoon we had out first Sunny Funny Garden day … yup … in the snow.

maeve took this photo

I put Coco on a long lead so she could be outside.

She has no idea what it is or does … so she just stands still … awwww.

maeve took this photo

Maeve and Alana Smyth turned up … the other kids were busy and Eoin is not well.

maeve took this photo

We lasted about 10 minutes … I kicked over some rocks … and then said to the girls ‘who wants a cuppa tea and chocolate cake by the fire?‘.

We moved with great speed into the cottage and chatted happily by the fire … a good leader always knows when to retreat and conserve energies.

Coco woke me at 7.45am today … on a Saturday… hmmmmm

Outside was covered in snow and very very cold.

I decided to not go back to bed and just get on with the day.

Baked a great breakfast and was sitting by the fire when Dee popped in around 9am for a cuppa.

I then spent 4 or so hours starting the cottage Spring Clean.

The whole lounge has been rearranged … floors cleaned … clothes washed … kitchen floors done …. dishes all washed … bathroom cleaned … floors ditto.

How do people do this all the time?

Sinead popped in to say goodbye before she leaves for Cuba and Venezuala … safe and happy journey dear friend.

Coco was so excited to have a visitor that she decided to pee … everywhere … on my clean lounge floors … and then walk her dirty paws thru it.

She’s lucky to be alive … and got sent out.

The fire has the lounge toasty warm and it’s lovely to be in such a tidy and clean room … worth the effort.

Tomorrow I plan to make orange marmalade from scratch and found a simple recipe … we’ll see how it goes.

Slan

Liz