Looking Forward

I'm looking forward to another busy week. Monday I am going to check into a small business around the corner where a woman does alterations and laundry to see what she has on offer. Tuesday I am planning to walk with the group over at the swimming facility across the bridge. Wednesday I have a doctor appointment to see about getting my migraine prescription renewed. He is right around the corner, too. Wednesday evening I am meeting a few of the TidyTown group to water the planters that we put together on Saturday. Don't know what I have planned for Thursday yet, maybe I'll be ready to pay a visit to the Garda. Friday I am planning to take a bus to Bennettsbridge where Malcolm and Roisin are keeping the jacket I bought in Kilkenny when I was here in August. It wouldn't fit in my luggage and I knew I would be back so I left it at the store. Malcolm will bring it home on Friday. I am spending the night with them and then returning here on Saturday.

As for today, I got up with every intention of lounging all day, but then decided I wanted to try Map My Walk here, so I got dressed and headed out. Generally the device sounds off each mile, but just about the time I figured I had about a mile in, she announced that it had been 16 minutes and that I had traveled .2 miles. Really?? I just kept walking and ignored her. It was fun at the end to see the map of the route I'd taken. At least that was accurate.

I was also wearing my fitbit and it seems to think that I walked about 5 miles. Who knows, at any rate  right now my fitbit reports that I have walked 11,878 steps and 5.44 miles. So much for lounging.

I have found one rather serious annoyance here. I need to keep my eyes on the deck when I am walking as dog poo is everywhere. Apparently they do not have pooper scoopers here. I do suppose the stuff is biodegradable, but I certainly don't want to step in it. The annoyance is not enough to stop me from exploring this lovely town, to be sure.

I stayed up way too late last evening watching two British murder mysteries. That meant, though, that I was able to FaceTime with Morgan in the evening. Such a little sweetie, but such a teaser! She and Dana were watching a movie with the lights out and instead of turning the light on to talk to me she wanted to play hide and seek. I did get to see her because she eventually turned a light on.

The weather here is what I expected except there isn't much change throughout the day. I check in with Wexford, Marquette, St. Ignace and Jackson. They all mostly start out the day around 55. The difference is that in those other places the high temps tend to be 10 or more degrees higher. Here there is only a 2 or 3 degree difference. Mind you, I am not complaining, just noticing.

I'm going to try to get an early night as I didn't get my 7 hours last night and didn't nap during the day today. Hoping for another beautiful day in the mid to upper 50s. Hope all is well in Michigan.

Tata....

A Busy Saturday

I began my day at 7:15 with a mug of tea and a toasted bagel. Then slowly got around and met the TidyTown Volunteers at the bullring. This morning was as much work as last Saturday, but it was a lot more fun in my opinion. We pulled the old plants out of the big round planters (except for the centerpiece) in order to replant new ones. That idea alone gives me hope for the mildness of the Fall and Winter here. Someone had already emptied out all the planters that are up on sills around the outside of the building.

This is the area known as the bullring.

This is the same area but closer to the market.

This is one of the big planters after we were done.

These turned out so well.

There was a window box in every other opening. Big job!

I took these photos after I'd gone home and cleaned up a bit and had a bit of leftover rice from dinner last night with a couple of over easy eggs over it. I went down to the bullring first so I could show you what we did in our couple of hours meeting this morning. Then we sat across the street with our tea or coffee and a selection of cakes and baked goodies from Joanne's before breaking up for the day.

For today's walk I decided to head up away from town and walk by the town hall and hospital. It was quite a good walk mostly uphill and my fitbit vibrated before I got back. Here are some pix I took on the way.

Here is the Spiegeltent from the street side.

  

Someone's driveway that I found to be beautiful.

The Slaney River which goes under the Wexford Bridge before emptying into the Irish Sea.

This says "Presented by the Metropolitan Drinking Water & Cattle Trough Association

This spot of color caught my eye.

Tell me you would ever have thought these kind of trees would grow in Ireland.

I love architecture like this.

I got home just in time for tea and cookies and then took a brief nap. I tried to nap on the couch, but still hadn't bought a throw to use, so I went to the ATM and got some money from CP Federal back home and headed for Shaw's. I'd been told that they had better quality goods and that there was a big sale going on. I got a humongous cuddly throw and two pretty nice bed pillows for €50, which I thought was a pretty good price.

I carried those home and then headed out to Dunnes for some food. I bought one of those little chicken pies that I showed in my shopping photo the other day. I can't believe how good they taste and they are only €1.49. I also bought a loaf of bread, some tea biscuits, some frozen mushy peas and some frozen fish sticks. I am planning to go to the fish market next week and try my hand at cooking something from the Irish Sea.

This is a quick shot of the fresh fish market inside the building where we planted this morning.

It's just about 7:30 and I am in for the night listening to music on the iPod and enjoying my place. I met some new women at the planting this morning and each one I meet is friendlier than the last. A couple of us talked about going to one of the musicals during the Fringe Festival. It will be nice to get to know each other better. After all, we can't do too much chattering when we are working. I definitely owe a big thank you and hug to Roisin for suggesting joining this group as one of the first undertakings in my new town.

Hope to have more for you tomorrow.

Tata.....

Fabulous Friday

Had an extremely busy day today. I knew that the Eircom installer was coming today, but the window was between 8 am and 1 pm. I decided to rearrange the furniture in the living room as I didn't like there being a chair behind the door. Of course, while I was moving furniture I swept. I love it when I have a good reason to clean - it gets me moving. I played music randomly on my iPod and really got a lot done.

The installer showed up around 10:30 to find that I had a box ready to hook the modem to, but the wall it is on has no electrical outlets on it.  We tried to reach the outlet in the kitchen, but the cord was too short. He had to go to the work area to set me up, so while he was gone I walked over to the hardware around the corner and brought an extension cord (they call it an extension lead).  So I brought a small bed table out from the bedroom and put it around the corner into the kitchen where it will be very handy to store hot pads and kitchen linens.

After I played with the wifi for a bit, I took a shower and headed out for my first walk of the day. I walked down Main Street where all the shops are and when I got to the end I walked down to the quay and then decided to go home a different way. I turned away from the quay on a street down at the far end, only to find that the Tesco store was there. Many people had told me it was pretty far for a walk. Huh? Oh man, what a store. The street level was parking and you had to go up on a very interesting gizmo. It is a combination escalator and people mover so that there are no stairs and you can take shopping carts up and down. Who knew?

I did a little shopping and then decided to try to find my way home a new way. I knew I just had to find a road perpendicular to the one I was on and turn to the right. Imagine my surprise when I had to walk about a mile before I finally found one. I was really thinking that I couldn't get home from there. Once I turned right and was on a hilly section, I could see the water so I knew I was headed the right way and before long I began to see familiar landmarks. When I got home I found from my fitbit that I had walked 7,744 steps so I planned to take another walk after dinner.

I made dinner and ate and then waited for about 6:15 so it would soon be dusk. I hadn't been out at dusk or later so this was going to be another adventure. As I was putting my shoes on my fitbit vibrated to let me know that I'd fulfilled my 10,000 steps (it is amazing how many steps you walk getting dressed, sweeping the courtyard and making dinner). But I headed out anyway. Here are a few pix that I took.

This is the Spiegeltent for the festival.

Here is it again from the side.

A sailboat out in the harbor.

I think this is a fishing vessel coming into port.

Got a little bit of lights and reflections on this one.

I'm meeting Philomena and some of the other TidyTown volunteers to plant flowers in pots tomorrow at 9 am. Then I think we are going out for tea. It is really nice to get to know some of the women in the community. There are men in the group too and they go out with us, but I think it will take longer to get to know them, except maybe for Aaron, one of the women's sons. He seems a pretty friendly lad.

I also called and made a doctor appointment today so I can show him the migraine medicine I take and see if he will continue to prescribe it. If I feel comfortable in the office, I will ask Townsend to send my records to him. And last, but not least, I signed up for insurance today - another pleasant surprise. In the event of any accidents that require a visit to what we would call ER I am fully covered, and any incidents that require hospitalization, I have to pay the first €75 and they pay the rest. The cost of this insurance which will be direct debited from my bank account is a whopping €82. I was paying almost $300 a month at home for less insurance.

Now I just have to wait for the policy to arrive in the mail and I am ready to go to the Garda and get whatever is necessary to be allowed to stay here indefinitely. I must say I was concerned when the immigration officer at the airport only gave me two months to fulfill the requirements, but things have just been falling into place.

Bonus, the doctor's office is between my place and the library - literally 2 minutes away on foot.

Tata....

First Two Weeks

I flew out of Detroit 2 short weeks ago, but I have crammed lots of experiences into that time. This town is really nice, my apartment is way more than I expected to find, and the weather has been really nice. We did have a misty day on Monday this week and a rainy day yesterday (I went over to the pool on the other side of the bridge today just to check it out and found out that the walkers did in fact walk in the rain). Today was gloriously sunny and I got my 5 miles in without hardly trying.

I got a reminder call today from eircom while eating sea trout at Simon Lamberts that they will be coming to hook up my broadband on Friday morning. Yahoo! Meanwhile, right now I am using my personal hotspot provided by my iPhone (new to me).

My list of things to do assigned by immigration is almost completed. I've gotten an address, a bank account (some hang ups over the cashier check having to be sent to the US before the funds will show up in my account - and it could take 3 weeks for this to happen), insurance, which I will be getting as soon as I have some funds in my bank account, and proof of my income. Then I will check in with the Garda and hopefully I can just settle in and enjoy this new place.

Today I spent a bit of time taking photos in my neighborhood that I thought you might enjoy.

This is my library. When I first saw it, I thought it was the Opera House

This is where I live.

This is the art center. It is right across the street from the library. You can see part of the library building behind the white van.

This is the street sign just outside my apartment.

This is a very pretty building on my walk to the arts center and library.

This is my corner pharmacy (or chemist as they say here).

I am meeting again with the TidyTown group on Saturday to do some plantings in an area they call The Bullring (I'm not sure why it is called that, but I will try to find out.). And I got a text from Philomena that we have been invited to the performance of Jack L (his last name is Lukeman, but he just uses his last initial) at Spiegeltent. I found some of his recordings on YouTube. He writes his own songs and is a bit of a crooner. I think I am going to like the show. It is on the 22nd of October down on the quay.

I'm having a blast here even though just about all I do is check out the town, work on the financial hassles and walk the quay. I've been cooking lots of fresh veggies and eggy breakfasts when I'm not eating muesli. The post office is back in operation and I've sent out a few things that I needed to get to the gas company and electric company. Now I need to find some post cards to send back to Michigan.

I'll tell you more about my financial struggles after I talk to the US Embassy in Dublin tomorrow. I am also going to have to talk to my bank to see if they have an alternate 9 digit routing number so I can have my pension direct deposited here. I'm not sure why they would have such a restraint on the system, but I guess I am going to have to work with it. Or I am going to have to find a bank in the US that does overseas transfers. Neither CASECU nor CP Federal do. Scratching my head.....If you know anything, spill it.....

Expecting more nice weather for almost the next two weeks - what a pleasure!

Tata....

Update Week One

So I've been here a week and am feeling right at home. I've found so many helpful people and shops here. I've already gotten my favorite pair of black yoga pants shortened and have done laundry and had my toes done.

I've contacted the electric and gas companies and am just waiting for welcoming mail so I can go to the bank and open an account. Once I have a bank account, an iPhone is the very next purchase; actually the 5s comes free with the €60 per month plan, then I need health insurance so that I can register with the Garda so I can live here permanently if I so desire.

I'm getting used to my apartment and am trying to decide (but will probably have to wait until I get a few bills) whether it is more economical to heat water with electric or gas. I have an open fire (fireplace) and I bought 3 fire logs for €3 and some matches so the first evening when I am feeling too chilly, I'll light one and see how it takes the chill off. They are supposed to burn for 90 minutes.

I've finally remembered that I have to turn on outlets before appliances will work and that my refrigerator is very small with a minuscule freezer so I must adjust my shopping habits. So far I've made chicken stir fry and beef stew with root vegetables. They were both delicious and I have leftovers for a few lunches.

I am just one block from the library, the opera house and the art center. I'm looking forward to much entertainment in the coming months. I headed to the library this morning hoping for a 9 am opening, but they don't open until 10:30, so I am having breakfast (2 eggs, mushrooms, grilled tomato, beans, toast and tea) in a small place called Joanne's where there is free wifi.

I must tell you about my landlord - originally I was to meet the husband because Eileen was going to be playing golf, but she had a sinus headache the night before and had a rough night. She is a very lovely, friendly, gregarious lady. She is about 10 years younger than I am and accepted me with open arms. She brought some bed linens from another rental she used to have before she sold it - I was expecting to have to buy my own, and I will once I figure out my budget. She also gave me some towels to use until I can do some shopping. They are mismatched, but do I care?

After we took care of the lease and exchange of euros for keys, she actually walked to Dunnes with me to help me shop and to help me carry my supplies home. What a gem? So far my days are spent walking and browsing, and my evenings are spent reading or watching the tv. I need to find a guide so I know what is on. Rather fun watching Good Morning London, but it is too much like US tv in that it is more fluff than news, for example, they are up in arms along the Thames where George Clooney is renovating an old castle. They are tired of the noise and heavy equipment. Really? Is that news?

My courtyard/patio actually would look out at this except for the lovely growth that keeps my space very private. Very little noise here.

I am planning to do a bit of shopping for household things today. They have a shop called Eurosomething that is a bit like a Dollar General where I am hoping to find bathroom cleaner and a waste basket for the recyclable things and one for the bathroom.

I will be trying to keep up the blog while I am without wifi, but it may become an every other day event rather than a daily one until then.

Feel free to leave comments with questions if I am not giving you the right stuff.

Tata.....I