Christmas Images

Trixiella

Once upon a time Jenn and PJ were getting married. Trixiella was due to be out of the country and therefore did not receive an invitation. Fair enough. Now that she is back in the country the lovely kind hearted Jenn didn't want Trixiella to be the only girl not at the ball and she managed to squeeze me into her table seating arrangement (even though she did mess it all up for her). Thence delight and amazement on Trixiella's part, a rush to squeeze into a lovely black dress, a dash to find jewellery and shoes, and some hopping on one leg to get a hair appointment. And the scene is set.

As part of the last minute arrangements Trixiella went to the bank to organise a gift cheque (it's better than a crummy picture frame and more useful she thought). She met the groom in the bank and considering the wedding is due the following day was amazed to hear that he had been in work that day, hadn't fitted on his suit or even seen it yet and his parents weren't arriving until the day of the wedding. How laid back and relaxed is that she thought to her self and toddled off to get a card and give it to the blushing bride.

The bride was unfortunately not at home so Trixiella dropped the card into her post box and decided to be safe and not sorry and sent lovely Jenn a text message advising her she was very excited about seeing her the next day.



The reply went along the lines of yes I'm excited but the wedding's not til Friday.
Holy crap thought Trixiella I was all set to turn up at the church on Thursday with curls in my hair and wearing pretty but very uncomfortable shoes. It could have been a disaster...

My amazing exploding ear...

I was due to leave this fog bound, saturated wind blown rock on the 14th of December.

Due to reasons outside of my control but within my sphere of knowledge the decision was taken not to fly.

On the 12th of December I was sent to A&E to get puss (thats the nicest word for it honestly) sucked out of my ear.

I was told by every member of my mother's family that God didn't want me to leave and that was his way of telling me.

What does this make God? I can think of a few choice phrases that I won't repeat here for fear of drawing his wrath further on me.

And what does it make me? Psychic? Unlucky? A Physical wreck who is too crap to successfully leave once she has finally settled on a plan and a date of leaving? Or maybe I was actually just lucky, as it turns out I was needed here this weekend and in all honestly if I had been away would probably have come home anyway.

So the moral of the story is don't try to leave your family before christmas cause God will stop you. Amen.

Best Hen Night EVER!

We talked... naturally.
Drank too much, does it even need to be said.
Pampered ourselves.
Received and gave gifts.
Drank some more.
Ate well.
Danced til we couldn't breathe.
Sang til our hearts nearly burst.
Laughed til we cried.

My ears are still ringing, my muscles still ache, my stomach turns when booze is mentioned, and I'm still laughing when I remember what we got up to!

Secret Shame (the latest one)

I have in the past listed some of my secret obsessions and the accompanying sense of shame I have at these activities in the past. They have included James Blunt and Harry Potter and that's all I'm prepared to say regarding a recap.

My latest secret shame is one I think I probably share with a lot of people at the moment and it truly is morally reprehensible.

I am currently obsessed with I'm a Celebrity... Get me out of here!

It's a show for those of you not familiar with it that uses the battered egos of one time "celebrities" who are desperate to recapture the fame that was once theirs. They are dumped in the Australian outback in a camp with little or no facilities and have to compete in horrendous tasks involving muck, slime, creepy crawlies, spiders, snakes, jumping out of airplanes... the list continues, all in order to win food. The British Public vote for the celebrity who takes on the task and they can be very very cruel.

This year amongst others we have David Gest, Jason Donovan, Mylene Klasse, Dean Gaffney and Toby Anstis. They are the ones I had heard of before the show started, the rest were unknowns to me but as is to be expeceted I now know all about them! Hence why people do it I guess.

This year there's a woman call Jan Leeming on it who I believe reads the news in England, is in her fifties, moans constantly, and she is getting hammered in the tasks. At this stage she has been voted to do more horrible things in order to win food than anyone else in the history of the show. And worse still it's compulsive viewing.

I feel so bad watching this cruelty and yet I tune in every evening. I draw the line at lifting the phone though. Does that make it any better?

Nah didn't think so either?

Handy tips for applying for a new passport!

I finally received my shiny new passport today (Thank God!, time's really a ticking now you know) but that was not before there was a little drama and a bit of hair pulling.

So if you are planning to apply for a new Irish passport here are some tips to make it easier!

Photographs.
They have become very strict about photos. There is to be no messing anymore. You must face straight on, don't smile, slouch, wear glasses that reflect light, a head scarf or look in anyway like an individual! Be careful about the distance of your head from the top of the photo as well and you also have to have your chin and the crown of your head between certain parameters! It took me 3 goes and €18 to get it right!

The Guards
Don't believe them if they tell you your photo is ok... They really don't have a clue but are very convincing about it when you have three of them staring at the notice from the passport office on the wall and then your photo as they scratch their chins and pretend to know what they're talking about!

The Post Office
If you don't live in Dublin use passport express in the post office. They got mine to me despite having to send back my photos within 10 days. I'm well impressed.

So there you go. Basically get your photos done properly and you'll be fine!

The lesson for today is...

5 stitches + cool scare - one mole = Ow.

Next the equation will be:

More stitches - 2 moles + more ow = One goldy coloured scarf to cover scare on neck.

Lots of sleepiness and a little brain deadedness due to anesthetic. Bit of a surprise as I didn't think a local anesthetic would make you feel weird = something new learned.

QED: Countdown to the great escape is on.

Safe and Sorry?

As previously mentioned I had an appointment for a colposcopy yesterday, which I hadn't planned on saying anything more about, but have obviously changed my mind on that score now that the matter is over.

I think the best description I can give is to refer you to the Dentist scenes in the film The Little Shop of Horrors. There was a chair which looked comfortable enough to please a practiced torturer, instruments to make your eyes water and a silently eerie doctor who grunted nearly finished now and again when I began to look as agitated as I felt.



My brother who is a doctor, once explained to me that, while they may not be taught this outright in medical school they are certainly encouraged to consider their patients as pieces of meat. While I can sort of see the logic behind this outlook, as it protects the doctor from becoming too involved, I also found it at the time to sound callous and cold and not how I would like someone to view me. After all the phrase "a piece of meat" brings images of the carcasses of soulless mammals to mind, not a way I prefer to view myself, lets be honest. However despite having many encounters with the medical profession I have not once ever felt so mistreated. Until yesterday.

I was prepared for the torture chair in my own mind but not for the indignity that accompanied getting into it while the nurses fiddled with settings and pedals and things which weren't helping me feel any better about the said indignity. A gown would have been appreciated. A place to undress in private would also have gone a long way.

I was prepared for the telescope that they had to use but not for the student nurse who stood directly behind the doctor staring at bits of me I barely know myself by sight. And worse still grimacing, once things were under way and at a time when I was really trying hard not to show fear. The fact that she continued to stare at me once I was released from the chair as I tried to draw the few scraps of dignity I had left around me did nothing to further endear her to me. Maybe she was interested in the myriad of interesting scars I sport? If so she could have asked I have no problem telling my story and she might have learned something, but just staring at me was improper, and what's more it was unfair, after all I was just trying to get dressed.

I want to make it clear right now that I would still rather have gone through what happened yesterday then discover in 5 years time that I have cervical cancer, and too late at that because I was too scared to put myself through a colposcopy. That is a foolish way to look at this and not one I would advocate. I will do whatever I have to do to be healthy, I've seen too many doctors not to know the value of health and well being. That's not what this is about. What I have a huge problem with and am increasingly angry about is the indignity of it. I was made to suffer because the hospital was short staffed (I was told this by the very kind nurse who took me aside afterwards and helped me compose myself), I was made to feel like a freak show and piece of meat by a girl who should have known better, and I was made to feel irrelevant and pathetic by a doctor who didn't care. I'm sure not everyone experiences this procedure this way, and I'm also sure there are better ways of doing it, than what I experienced.

I'll get the results in 2 weeks time and I don't foresee that there is anything to worry about but then again it probably is better to be better safe than sorry. Right??

Tieing up loose ends

Do you remember way back in the dark ages I announced that I planned to create a babies blanket for the Peanut to celebrate his birth? It was a very long time ago and I will forgive you if you can't remember.

However the good news is that I have FINALLY finished it.

I would like to defend myself by stating that I am usually not as pathetically slow at producing such items, but summer time is not a good time for knitting or needle work (cause your hands are too sweaty), and then I was away for a few weeks, and then I became very lazy, and then I nearly finished it but decided to leave it aside for 3 weeks instead... and so it continued.

However I am pleased to announce that the said article is now complete!

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Ta Da!

Moose I shall be coming to visit shortly now that the shame has lifted!

Full Service Please

Right so far the boiler has been serviced, it was grossly ineffecient.

The car is due for a service on Wednesday.

The attic will be serviced with insulation in the next few days.

The garden has been serviced with a short back and sides.

And finally I am getting a full overhaul and service. The sad thing about that last statement is that while it's loaded with innuendo it actually refers to medical services...
Before we hit the road I am in line for a colposcopy (please don't ask) 3 mole removals and full dental check (I hope that's all it's going to be, but seeing how bad my luck is at the mo I'll probably have to get root canal work or something equally as hideous done). I am not impressed but apparantly it's better to be safe than sorry...

All Hallow's eve

The difference between the celebration of the night of the spirits in the Irish countryside compared to the cities is truly startling!
For the past ten years I have been used to battling my way through gangs of intimidating younsters flinging bangers at me, each other, the local cat, or old people. I've hated every one of them. The noise usually starts sometime in September and intensifies the closer it gets to October 31st.

Now I know Minister for Fun McDowell has put legislation in place that is supposed to make the sale and use of such fireworks illegal so this year maybe (I'm not sure I believe the hype) things were different in Dublin.



Here in the midlands however last night was bordering on a religious experience! It was surreal and heartwarming and fun and truly surprising. Neighbours of my parents had built a huge bonfire on the hill behind our house and once it was lit I could see it from where my house is which is at least 4 miles away. As I approached the fire the roads were full of children on trick or treating missions, and cars parked all the way up our road without an inch to spare. At the fire itself there was some chat but mostly a warm and welcoming silence with people greeting each other with a nod as they stared into the seering heat of the flames. From the vantage point we could see at least six other fires and the most amazing fire works displays, which illegal or not were breathtaking. Someone nearby had spent a lot of money to have such a huge and long lived display, it was beautiful.

As the night got colder we were all invited into the neighbours house for wine, tea, sandwiches, games the whole works. It was a fantastic evening and if the purpose was to keep the spirits happy then they weren't the only ones appeased and refreshed.

Is it true?? Is it really true??

Can someone please tell me if Michael Jackson, that is the Michael Jackson (aka Wacko Jacko) was/is in Moate, Co. Westmeath today???

Really?

And was he feeding his kids some Flahavans porridge while there?

Did Big Tom make an appearance I wonder to propose recording a duet? Well why not? If Michael Jackson is in Moate then anything is possible?

Crazy Night

Had a bit of a mad one last night and am in shock at how little pain I am in today!

The diet went out the window and the pizza came in!

Gill and Nick are off for 5 months and they were sent off with style.... I think.

That's about as coherent as you're going to get from me tonight...

On a lighter note...

The push to get properly fit, healthy and not squidgy is underway folks. To date I have lost 4 and half pounds and an inch from all over and that's just in 3 weeks of trying!

This week I have been mostly not eating bread!

I would recommend it as a course of action.

Cyprus 5 - Ireland 2

Devastating.

Embarrassing.

Depressing.

The Roman Holiday

I have finally managed to get some of my pictures from our trip to Rome up on Flickr, the link below will you directly to the set if you're interested.



I think this has to have been my most favourite holiday ever. I love Rome, I've been there 3 times now and hopefully will be back again at the end of this year, and I can't get enough of it.

In mid September the weather was perfect, it was a constant 30 degrees for most of the week, and the crowds weren't all that bad so it was absoloutely glorious! We adopted a policy of having one day in the city and the next day on a bus tour of some sort so that everyone (there was a group of us this time) could have a little rest on alternate days.

We tried one of those touristy bus tours that pick you up from your hotel, and ventured on the Christian tour of Rome (to keep the olds happy) but as it turned out everyone loved it! We visited St. Mary Major Basillica, St. John Latern and the Catacombs, and it was fascinating, the guide was excellent.


Ostia Antica

Other tours included a trip to Ostia Antica, the ancient, abandoned port of Rome, which I can't praise enough. If you go, bring sturdy shoes, hire the audio guide and spend the whole day there. We were there for about 3 and a half hours and didn't get past the amphi-theatre which is realtively near the entrance to the city!

We also traipsed all the way to Pompeii for a day on the train. It's not a difficult journey to undertake and if you are in Rome for any amount of time at all, you really should do this trip.
Pompeii is a bit crazy and has been completely over run by tourist groups and guides, but we found that if you get your map and guide book out and plan what you want to see you can by-pass the pushy groups and enjoy the place at your own pace. But if you don't have time to do this then do at least try to see Ostia, in my opinion it's much more impressive and a lot less crowded.


Pompeii.

On our final day trip we took ourselve off to see Hadrian's villa on a rainy saturday. It was very very impressive and the rain gave the whole experience a very romantic and personal feel.


The Lovely Boy took this shot at Hadrian's Villa, I think it's amazing.

While in the city we did the usual trips to the Colleseum, the Forum, the Palatine. As well as the Trevi Fountain, Capitiline Hill, the Parthenon, and lots lots more. We also indulged in very fine cuisine in the Jewish quarter amongst other places and generally relaxed and soaked up the atmosphere.



If you fancy something a little different I have to recommend the Time Elevator! It's a 5d cinema experience and we laughed ourselves stupid while there!


Where's Wally (or Trixibell) on the Spanish Steps?

For Gill

Here are some of the long over due Sligo pics!
The rest should be up next week!



Wind swept and beautiful!



Streedagh Strand, Co. Sligo

From the ridiculous to the obscene

I've had a few moments of sheer madness this week, which in hindsight made me laugh heartily and I think can be shared with the general public as an example of how life amuses me at times.

Firstly the ridiculous.

This morning there was a frog in my toilet.

I should have taken a picture but was far too busy jumping up and down on the bed and screaming for the lovely boy to come and rescue me. The problem with this scenario however now lies in the fact that I think we are now accomplices in Amphibian Homicide. We flushed him back down the loo. I say back because my worst fear is that he climbed up though the pipes, the happier option would be that he came through the window, but I'm prepared to accept the worst in this case. Like I said it's all a bit ridiculous.

My second story concerns the obscene.

Picture this, Trixibell enters the sitting room and starts to flick through the channels on TV. She gets to TG4 (the Irish Language station) she is confronted with Hector O'Heocaghain strapped in some sort of hamock in his boxer shorts being whipped by a dominatrix in a corset. The scene changes to another bloke (apparantly a Kerry footballer) bent over a table in his boxers also being whipped. Then Hector gets out of his contraption, while wearing a gimp mask and starts shouting and roaring about Meath beating Kerry some time in the nineties while beating the Kerry fella with some sort of a stick.

I was very confused.

Should I stay or should I go now?

I've just been flicking around my blog rolling list and have noticed that quite a few of my stalwarths have gone very very quiet or have disappeared altogether. What's going on in the Irish Blogosphere?

I found it difficult myself there for a while but have taken a huge step back and now care less and less about stats and visitors, (unless they leave a nice comment for me). I'm blogging for myself and generally not for an audience. I find that as I can't be here everyday it has become more difficult to comment on events of the day, or interesting news stories as they have usually passed into archive status by the time I get around to writing about them, I have lots of saved and unpublished posts to prove it! But that doesn't really bother me as I was always a little uncomfortable about adding my two cents worth, I can't understand why anyone should care what I think anyway! However the best thing about blogging I've found is that I now have a written reference for different stages of my life over the last year and a bit. Not everything has been included here and in fact recently a big crappy unhappy thing hasn't even been mentioned, but I know it's happened and I know I don't need to record anything about it. Besides it's over and this is supposed to be a happy place where I can play!

But I have to come to realise that blog pages have their own time span and usefulness. I will be abandoning here while I travel, although I have every intention of trying to record a taste of my adventures on another page, I wonder will I care enough to come back here when I return? Life moves on and I may too. But at least I'll have a record for posterity!

Aaaaaggghhhhh Feckin Internet

Right I'm finally here! It's taken 3 attempts over a similar number of days to get onto this flippin page.
Aaaaaaggghhhhh. Again for good measure!

Anyhoo have been up to lots of mischief in the intervening period between posts including, 10 days in Rome a girly weekend in Sligo, much lazing around and having fun!

I have loads of pictures to put up but due to the unstable nature of my internet connection you're just going to have to wait for them for a little while longer. My plan is to transfer them from my laptopto a memory stick and load them on Daddy's 'puter as he can access the ISDN line which for some reason my laptop won't do. But first I have to buy a memory stick.... It's all very complicated.

I am now going to have another hunt around for some sort of decent internet connection that reaches our house which is in the sticks. This is where I miss Dublin a little bit, but still not a lot to be honest.

Once we have that sorted the travel plans should follow... I hope.