nerinu

A beautiful day in the neighborhood.....

2005-05-20T08:26:09Z

Well, its been a while and surprisingly alot has happened. Seriously, the life of a stay at home Mum is eventful but, well, boring.

Firstly, the wedding was fantastic. I looked smashing in my fake tan, big hair, makeup, and dress. Everyone keep coming up to me and saying "Wow, you look gorgeous...I didn't recognize you".

Secondly, my parents visit was great fun. They were at the wedding and had a great time. We also toured around Dublin, Waterford, and Killarney. I had never been to Killarney before and I just fell in love with it. So beautiful. If there was anyway I would move there in a flash. Sadly, they left for home on Monday. They are missed by everyone here.

Thirdly, a craft shop bought some my jewellery!! It was very exciting and a little intimidating. They only bought a little but if it goes well (fingers crossed) they'll buy some more. Its a nice start.

spring cleaning

2005-04-22T15:33:00Z

I hate cleaning, and I hate spring cleaning even more. Whats worse is spring cleaning with a very busy two year old who insists on trying to grab at everything withing reach. It makes an annoying task take about twice as long as it should. Thankfully the longest task, the kitchen spring clean is over. So its down hill from here on in.

In the midst of this Spring clean I am also getting ready for my parents visit and a wedding that I am chief bridesmaid for all while my busy boyfriend works 12 hour days. Looking forward to the weekend.

where, oh where is my attention span.....

2005-04-16T19:00:09Z

Today our friends decided to give us a parenting break and have taken Roisin for a sleep over. During the short time that she has been gone I have discovered some fantastic facts. Firstly, it does not take me several hours to clean the kitchen and tidy the sitting room. It actually only takes about 20 minutes. Second, an hour of non-parenting time is such a relief that it feels like a day. Third, I have the attention span of a goldfish. I have become accustomed to being interrupted every few minutes so when I'm not my mind starts drifting from the task at hand. Fourth, it really is the little things that make life worthwhile....like putting the remote controls and dvds on the coffee table and not the top shelf of the bookshelf. And finally, you spend time as a parent wanting a break and when you get it you spend ages talking about your child and calling to check up.

What happens in Mullingar.....

2005-04-03T19:30:13Z

Hens nights are madness....pure and utter madness. Imagine 14 women all on the town, all in various stages of intoxication, with matching t-shirts expect for the bride to be who is dressed up in a 50's poodle skirt.

It was great fun, as most Irish parties tend to be. I swear the Irish have an extra lobe of a liver....they drink so much I'm certain that someone will die or in the very least spend the next day hanging over a toilet but it never happens. They are truly a separate species.

jewellery

2005-03-24T23:31:46Z

Today was a bit of a nerve racking day. Baz, being the amazing boyfriend he is, offered to take my jewellery to his work place. There were 24 pieces in total. Since this was my first time selling jewellery I had low expectations....I figured that if one piece sold I would consider it a success. Well, I was so happy when Baz came home with only 6 pieces left...almost all of them sold!!! I am just so happy!!!

Dada ball poo poo

2005-03-24T13:35:43Z

Roisin, who is in the process of potty training, has apparently decided that going poo poo in her potty just isn't challenging enough. Today she came running into the kitchen saying "Dada ball poo poo" and proceeded to bring me to the bedroom where Baz's football resides. Indeed Dada's ball was poo poo....a perfect little turd deposited on top.

hen parties and weddings

2005-03-23T12:44:38Z

the first weekend in april i'll find myself at my first ever hen night. tis an expensive affair seems that the cost will hit about 300 euro. madness. apparently willy straws are all the rage at these things.

the wedding is fast approaching and i am looking forward to that but i am looking forward to my parents visit even more.

Consequences

2005-03-01T14:38:38Z

Well, the bad news is that I was not successful in attaining my full drivers license. I missed out by one point....one point. I have reapplied and now have to wait approximately 7 months for my next test. Fortunately in Ireland everyone drives on their own on a provisional license anyways. So really the consequences for me aren't too severe.

crunch time

2005-02-23T10:22:50Z

Jaysus, I am so sick of reversing around corners and doing 3 point turns. Only 2 days until my driving test and I can't wait for the stupid thing to be over. Honestly, I dream about the roads of Birr. As a bonus I now know how to check the oil, steering fluid, brake fluid, windscreen washer fluid, and coolant.

nerinu @ 2005-02-08T13:52:00

2005-02-08T14:00:45Z

So I had my first driving lesson. I opted to do the test in Birr since it has a high pass rate. But since I live in Dublin this was the first time that I had driven in Birr. Not good since the test is now just over 2 weeks away. Driving in Ireland, I find, is a bit more of a challenge then in Canada. The speed limits are about 20 Km faster here, I'm driving a standard (pretty standard here....hee hee), and the roads are much more organic not a whole lot of urban planning. I spend a considerable amount of time wondering if I have right of way, if I should stop/signal etc.

After my lesson the instructor, armed with the knowledge that I can only come to Birr for 2 more weekends before my test and no doubt recalling my pitiful attempt to reverse around a corner, advised me to cancel my test date and take more lessons. Not too encouraging but I have decided not to postpone and to try really hard for this test. I figure that is I fail I am only out a few Euro but I would have gained a lot of experience. So on February 25th at 9:15 am to about 10:15 am GMT please reflect on me....though chances are that everyone is sleeping then.

Tests and Parties.....

2005-02-02T15:30:41Z

Roisin is now officially two. She had a great birthday party on Saturday. Had loads of cake, cookies, sweets, and other treats. She recieved 2 very funny books from her Aunt Charlene and Uncle Aaron; a lovely new outfit from her Canadian grandparents and, of course loads of other stuff from all her Irish relatives and friends.

Much to my surprise the wait list for my driving test has been reduced....significantly. I applied sometime back in July and was told to anyicipate a test date in April or May. Yup....very efficient system. But I have recieved notice that I now have a test on February 25th. So that means that I have to drive down to Tipperary every weekend until then to take a lesson or two. Fortunately, contrary to what the song asserts it is only 2.5 hours away. Fingers crossed that I pass on the first go.

Almost an anniversary

2005-01-25T15:01:14Z

In exactly 5 days I will celebrate living in Ireland for one year. Wow, time flies. So here are the

THE BEST THINGS ABOUT LIVING IN IRELAND (in no particular order)
1. No CNN
2. The winters are much easier to handle. No snow, just loads of rain.
3. The Irish are very gregarious and polite to a fault.
4. Round abouts....the best thing to happen to driving.
5. The Euro is such a strong currency that I almost always win on the exchange rate
6. Since my daughter has an Irish name (Roisin) no one pronounces it as "Roy- Sin"....its "Row-Sheen"
7. I had to unofficially drop the E from my last name. I mean its pointless anyways.
8. Living in Europe
9. Living in a small country is great. In 4 hours I can cross the whole country. So refreshing when you're from Canada.
10. Ireland is non-smoking in all enclosed work places...that includes restaurants and pubs.
11. Having loads of family near by.

But, of course, there is always a flip side....

ANNOYING THINGS ABOUT LIVING IN IRELAND

1. Having to learn to drive a standard on the left side of the road....and having to do a driving test...ick.
2. The houses don't have basements....storing stuff in an attic is a pain.
3. No one takes their shoes off when they come inside. This is one of the wettest countries on earth. It just doesn't make sense.
4. Its the third most expensive country in Europe to live in....only Iceland and Finland outrank it.
5. Having to pay for health care sucks.
6. Maternity leave is 3 months.
7. No Tim Hortons coffee shops. I brew Timmie's every morning but its just not the same when it isn't in that brown cup.
8. Its not a very multicultural place. Thats means lack of ethnic foods. I'd kill for vietnamese food and some Korean sea weed.