MARCH 9TH – MARCH 29TH
The week of Monday the 9th did not bring any exciting events to us. On Saturday the 14th I went to Cork to play hockey. I was still sick unfortunately and not feeling very enthusiastic about the match as we were going with only 11, and we were going down to play a team that thrashed us 8 – 0 three months earlier. Em decided to stay at home, something that she would regret. It was a fantastic game, and after going down 1 – 0 we came back to win 5 – 3. It was fantastic! We were so thrilled with the result. That night we went to the pub to have a couple of drinks - it was only a small get together and Em and I were home by midnight.
On Sunday after a nice pancake breakfast we went into Limerick city centre to watch the International Bband Parade. This is an annual event a couple of days before St Patrick's day. It was okay, but nothing spectacular. A few marching bands and a few pipe bands. We just spent the afternoon at home.
On Monday the 16th, Em and I both worked (lots of other people from work took a day's leave). It was a strange day as we had the Tuesday off - St Patrick's Day is a public holiday here.
On St Patrick's day we headed into town for the parade. It was a beautiful day. Sunny, warm, and no wind... and it stayed like that all day. This was the first day of full sun since we arrived in Ireland. It was great. The parade on the other hand was not as good as the weather. Nevertheless we enjoyed the experience (watching the crowd was more amusing than the parade). We went to a Dolan's pub for a bit of lunch, a Guinness, and to listen to some traditional Irish music. It was a relatively quiet day for us but we just enjoyed having the day off with such great weather.
The remainder of the week was also fantastic weather. It was a run of 4 nice sunny days in a row, which might have been the only summery weather we'll see here! Lets hope not!
On Thursday night, the 19th Nicola and Amanda arrived from London to spend a long weekend with us. It was great to have visitors again. On Friday, we sent them sightseeing while Em and I went to work. The girls took a bus down to Cork for the day – they went to Blarney Castle and kissed the Blarney stone, as well as nabbing some Irish souvenirs, and visiting a market in Cork. That night after dinner, we took them to the Curragower, our favourite little pub, to show them a proper Irish pub, and to see some live traditional Irish music. Yet again we were not disappointed, and although it was not a long night, we all enjoyed it.
On Saturday we were up pretty early as we had a big day planned. We drove to the Cliffs of Moher first. Em and I went there with Caf Bear, but the sea-fog had rolled in, and it was a white-out within five minutes of arriving. We thought something similar may happen, but we got lucky and the weather stayed clear. The cliffs were much more impressive this time around - they seemed to have grown. After having a really good look this time, we were back on the road, and drove to Galway through a scenic area called 'the Burren'. It is a beautiful, but rather rugged area of West Ireland. It follows the coast line, so for large parts of the journey you are next to the coast. It is hilly countryside, and completely covered in smooth grey rocks. They were barren, with nothing growing on them. As unexciting as it sounds, the Burren may have been the most spectacular are we have seen in Ireland.
After negotiating the windy, bumpy roads, we made it to Galway where we strolled the cobbled streets in the warm sunshine, and enjoyed a pub meal for a late lunch. After a couple of hours there we were back on the road to Limerick. That night we were treated to a fantastic passionfruit custard slice, thanks to Amanda. She has a reputation for her cooking skills, and in particular her desserts. This is something I have experienced before and she did not disappoint. It was fantastic.
On Sunday Nic and Amanda were flying out in the afternoon, so we decided to stay relatively close to home. After a pancake breakfast we took them out to Lough Derg, a small lake surrounded by hills and castles which Em and I had been to before. Again it was so nice to be out in the countryside on a nice sunny day. From there we took them to the wedge tomb, and then the Grange stone circle.
Once we had finished there we came home for some lunch and then dropped the girls off at the airport. It was great to have visitors for a while and show them around. Any other visitors will be warmly welcomed!
Monday again, and back to our normal working lives. Again it was an uneventful week. We were getting excited during the week though, as daylight saving was starting on Sunday the 29th.
On Saturday the 30th I had hockey in Cork. This was my final game for the team - the season finishes in April, but we are busy with trips away. As this was case, Em came to watch. It was quite a nice day, but very windy. After a rather slow start, we ended up taking a 2-0 lead, only to surrender this for them to level it up at 2 – 2 with 5 minutes to play. Luckily we got a good break, and with some nice passing we scored a simple goal to win the match 3 -2. It was a very pleasing way to end for me. After the game we stayed behind for the food that you get as a travelling team. We were given chips and deep fried sausages, which I'm not sure actually had any meat in.
After getting back to Limerick, and getting a few things together we headed out to Ennis to Tina and Dirk's house for their leaving get-together. We didn't get out there until around 7pm. Em drove the van out, as she had picked it up from the mechanics. This was her first real drive with the left-hand steering, and as I followed her out, I have to say she drove it pretty well. When we arrived, there was one other family there. Dirk and Tina had had visitors all afternoon. We had a nice evening, good conversation and a fantastic dinner. We were all pretty tired by about 11:30, so went to bed then. Earlier in the evening, Em and I Skyped with my Mum and Dad, who were at my Aunty Jen's – their first time using a webcam. It was very nice to see them, and talk to them, as close to in person as you can get when you are half a world a part.
On Sunday, after a fantastic cooked breakfast, I watched Dirk do an oil and filter change on the van, so I would know where everything was when it came to me having to do it. Unfortunately it was very windy, and raining, so it was not a nice day to be outside. It was good to see how it was done though. In the early afternoon we left Dirk, Tina, and the kids, and came back home to spend the afternoon at home.
Unfortunately we lost an hour because daylight saving started, but fortunately, we now have more daylight in the evenings. It's even more of a novelty after the extra-short days that we had over winter.
March was a pretty quiet month really, but we have a very busy April ahead – we'll be away from home every weekend. It should make for some very exciting adventures and great stories ahead.
