CHRISTMAS MORNING

We spent Christmas with Adam in Wales as usual. This year he has moved to a new parish and Christmas morning was my first visit to one of the churches in his new parish. This visit did not make a good impression on me I am sorry to say but not through anyone's fault.

A few days before the pipes had burst on the heating system and of course on Christmas morning there was no heating. The church is a fairly big building with a high ceiling and I have never been so cold in my life! The poor organist's fingers kept going numb from the cold.

If you look at the picture below you can see the hunched cold look on the people's faces, I hope they get their heating fixed quickly.

A COLD AND FROSTY MORNING!

THAT LOVING FEELING!

How do you know someone loves you?!!


I was getting the dinner the other night - yes I said I WAS GETTING THE DINNER! I just could not open a jar of pasta sauce no matter how I tried so I yelled out CAN SOMEONE COME AND OPEN A JAR FOR ME and all three of my menfolk came running!

Of course I could be sceptical and it could just be that they were hungry and wanted to make sure their dinner would be ready soon!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

MY SLAVE

It had to happen one day.....

Geoffrey is officially a slave! He is taking part in the production of the opera "Aida" as a slave which is being held this weekend in the o2 Arena, Dublin and the Odyssey Belfast and in true slave tradition is unpaid!

EXHIBITION

Below is one of my paintings which you will find in the exhibition opening at the Kilmantin Art Gallery in Abbey Street, Wicklow. You will also find a fantastic display of paintings and craft items, all by local artists.

We are having a gathering to open the exhibition at 5 o'clock on Saturday and if you are passing and see a happy band of people enjoying themselves do drop in and help yourself to some wine and mince pies and hopefully take something beautiful home!

MY FAVOURITE SPOT

NATURE

Nature is really cruel.

Our blackbird had returned to our garden and he had a "wife" Geoffrey and I have been watching them these last few weeks bouncing between the shrubs and chasing each other through the long wet grass and making quite a noise. All that came to an end this afternoon. Geoffrey was watching the male blackbird hopping through the grass when suddenly there was a flurry of fur and a lot of noise and a cat shot out of the grass and bolted over the fence with the blackbird in his mouth, it happened so fast we could not do anything to save it. The poor female is just sitting on the top of the wall being very quiet, we will have to keep a good eye on her so that she does not go the same way as her mate.

SUPERSTITION

As I was saying recently - bad things come in threes - they don't - they come in fours. After the heating failing and Adam's car mishap we have now been hit with two jolts in life and I am keeping them to myself!

I must now think positive and get in the right frame of mind to sell my wares on Sunday at the craft fair held every year in my home town. The fair is held every year in a local hotel in a big room with a (closed) bar in one corner of the room - guess who bags the bar every year as it is in a good position with good lighting and lots of space to hang pictures!!

WICKLOW HARBOUR

MISERY

Its been a horrible week. First Adam rang to say that his car was a right off after an accident with a bollard. He was ok thankfully but in dispair as he needs his car to get around his parish. Then the heating went - again.

I have spent all week chasing heating engineers who made all kinds of promises and then simply did not arrive, all the time getting colder and colder. I was so cold that I could not paint as my hands were just too cold. Finally I asked a fellow artist friend if she knew someone and she gave me a name and we rang him on Sunday (yes I know but we were SO COLD) and he CAME AROUND a few hours later AND GOT THE HEATING GOING, the relief was mighty.

Then Adam rang to say that he had found a car, at the right price and would be mobile again in a week.

There is only one niggling thought at the back of my mind - I am superstitious, don't things come in threes?

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

This time of the year,getting ready for the Christmas craft fairs I take part in, I knit more than I usually do. This year I am making bracelets with a thicker wire which is very difficult to knit with. The wire is quite stiff and my hands are quite sore so I have taken a break and am enjoying painting my favourite spot in Wicklow - the harbour.

Apart from being busy with my crafts it has been a busy two weeks. Adam was home from Wales for a week and then Simon came home for the weekend. Geoffrey and I rattle around the house when we are here on our own and when the boys come home it takes a bit of getting used to! Our heating had packed up on us so it was a cold visit for both boys, although thankfully heat has been restored in the last few days.

AGE IS RELATIVE

Yea, they say age is relative but not when it relates to you!

Adam is home this week as it is his birthday, he will be 36 today and it makes me feel ancient! It seems only a sort time ago when he was born, it certainly does not feel like 36 years.

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME

You know when they say "Don't try this at home" when showing a stunt or something, well I can now say the same about a stunt of mine.

We have had a mouse in our attic space and I had put a radio loudly playing opera and when everything became silent I presumed that the mouse had moved on. Well,I was wrong, and the poor thing has died. How do we know it has died? I will leave that up to your imagination but suffice it to say we now have to sort out the roof space - pronto.

MUSICAL TASTES

Well it worked! Our mouse does not like opera! No sign or sound from the roof space thank goodness. I wonder do all mice not like opera or would it have been the high notes opera singers get up, I suspect the latter.

DO MICE LIKE OPERA?

We have a mouse in our roof space, I live in a dormer bungalow and our "attic" is a space that runs down each side of the house under the roof space and a mouse has just moved into one side. The space is full of my youngest son's toys which he will not part with along with a lot of other stuff of his and it is impossible to find the mouse in all of that. It might also be a field mouse which are protected and I would not kill so I have resorted to an unusual method that my father tried in our old farmhouse. He used to put a loudly playing radio into the attic to get rid of the mice and it always worked!

So now I have a radio blaring out opera in the hopes that the same trick will work on this mouse. I don't know what I will do next if I find that he likes opera and stays!

KILMACURRAGH WOODS

Went for a walk to one of my favourite places last Saturday. Wandering along the flower border it was lovely to see plants I remembered from my childhood. It is never crowded there - lets hope it stays that way!

PINK POM POM

MEET GEORGE!

A RIGHT LEMON!

I havent been blogging lately as I have not been feeling very well.

I had realized that I have been grumpy and Geoffrey has been very patient with me but I did not realise how short a fuse I had!

I was getting the dinner the other night - grumbling as usual - salmon cutlets. Getting them ready for the oven I was trying to open a lemon squeeze bottle and just could not open it no matter how I tried. I finally lost patience and flung the bottle across the room, it bounced and bounced again and ended up in the front room on the carpet spilling out all over the carpet and a rattan mat in front of the fire.

Today when it finally dried I found out that lemon does not stain!

Phew!

A SUNNY MORNING

Saturday morning was lovely, warm and sunny and the butterflies thought it was a lovely day too.

Our front garden was full of butterflies flitting to and fro through the shrubs and I got some lovely shots of some of them, they were so happy feeding that they did not fly away which was great

OUR GARDEN VISITOR

IN A CORNER OF OUR GARDEN

NATURE'S SURPRISES

We do not use any artificial sprays or fertilisers in our small garden so that the wildlife visit us in safety. We do daft things like letting our onions and sage go to seed and the bees love this and on a sunny day the buzzing of bees can be heard. But we have noticed that in spite of planting shrubs that butterflies like we have had very few visit in the last few years so there was much exitement when a peacock butterfly landed on the sage. Unfortunately by the time I got my camera it had flown off, I remember some years back coming home from work and seeing the front of our house covered in red admiral butterflies! I sat in wonderment and counted them and got up to the figure of 35! Of course when I opened the car door they flew off but I have never forgotten that sight.

SUMMER

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

These last few weeks have been busy in our household and I do not know where July went!

My day on the railings in Wicklow was very successful and it was a happy day for all of us selling our wares. Its lovely to chat to like minded people, sharing ideas, where they get their framing etc. I always learn so much. The weather was very kind to us and there were lots of people looking at the pictures which was great.

Simon moved into his flat and has just made a few fleeting visits to us, we have just had some friends visiting from New Zealand who left yesterday and we have finally got the house to ourselves.

I now have the task of updating my filing system which I have neglected since the beginning of the summer so that when Geoffrey yells "where's the ESB bill" I can hopefully put my hand on it!

A MAD WEEK

This last week has been busy and a little mad.

Simon has been very unwell all this week but had to keep going as he had appointments to keep and was also busy packing and setting up his new flat with his girlfriend. In the middle of this he also found time to help me set up a web page for a small business we have, but it has been a gruelling week. The web page we did has already produced results with gives me great satisfaction.

Tomorrow I hope to go out on the railings in Wicklow to sell my art(weather permitting) and I had hoped to have a new small painting but have just not had the time.

CARE FOR THE CARERS

Adam rang the other night "just to talk to someone" - he had just come back from conducting a funeral for a baby and had struggled to give the parents some comfort which of course is impossible and he just had to talk to someone to settle it in his mind. I am glad I was there for him to talk to.

PAINTING

After looking at the painting below I decided to take out the waves. This style of painting is not my usual style but I decided to try to paint in brighter colours as I love bright colours myself, its hanging in the gallery in Wicklow, lets see if someone likes it!

WICKLOW HARBOUR

RAILING AGAINST THE RAIN

The Leinster Fleadh is being held in Wicklow Town this weekend and as the town is full of people us artists were invited to show our wares around the railings on the main street by Wicklow Town Council.

Myself and a half dozen others spent today anxiously watching the weather - anticipating rain and having plastic sheets ready to cover our pictures when it rained. We made it to around 3.30 when the heavens opened and then we had to call it a day.

The streets were full of people and some artists had quite a few sales (including myself) so it was not a total washout!

Tomorrow I am thankfully indoors - on duty at the Greystones Arts Exhibition where I have three pictures.

RED SAILS

I went round by the harbour on my way home after the dentist this morning to cheer myself up and found the harbour full of red sails. It really is a lovely sight. The red sails belong to a sailing school and I love to watch them sailing to and fro around the harbour under the watchful eye of their instructors.

I quite forgot to feel sorry for myself!

SAILING SCHOOL IN WICKLOW HARBOUR

WICKLOW HARBOUR

This boat with the lighthouse in the background is one of my favourite scenes to paint

THE FLOWERING BOAT

BACK TO PAST

Geoffrey is doing his extra bit in the new series of the Tudors, poor thing had to get up at 5 o'clock this morning to be on set early, it will be a long day and very tiring especially in the heatwave we are having at the moment. I have had to pull up my socks and get back to housework and cooking, I will try not to grumble!

MR AND MRS ROBIN

Our pair of robins had disappeared a few weeks ago but are now back flying to and fro to their nest in the ivy with beaks loaded with worms. We wondered if robins reared two families.

It is really interesting and funny to watch them as they have got quite cheeky and do not fly away as much now when they see one of us in the garden or at the window in the kitchen. Most of the time they fly to the nest in stages, flying from shrub to post to shrub until they get near the nest, although the other day I saw daddy robin on the grass in front of the nest with a huge worm in his beak and when he took off vertically up to the nest he was not able to make it and had to reverse and fly back around in stages until he was near the nest and could fly in to it. They have also chased off all other birds and when some poor birds do venture into the garden they fly at them and create such a noise the visitors soon fly off.

SELLING ART

I spent Saturday and Sunday on the boardwalk between O'Connell Bridge and The Halpenny Bridge selling my pictures and cards - with Geoffrey's help. It was not a successful weekend for me, only selling some of my cards. This was only the second weekend for this venture and I hope it picks up in the future. The weather was not very kind to us but I met some interesting people and got to talk to fellow artists and pick up tips from them, which is no bad thing.

Monday was spent recuperating!

ON THE LIFFEY BOARDWALK

GEOFFREY ON THE LIFFEY BOARD WALK

WILD LIFE

Growing up in the countryside I am more aware of the wild life around me than city dwellers and love to see the antics of our animals friends.

Coming back on the ferry from Wales the ship was surrounded by a pod of dolphins a really lovely sight, but the image that has remained with me from my trip to Wales was the daft duck on a lake in St. Fagan's Folk Park. Watching this black and white duck lying on his back flecking his webbed feet, gently floating in amongst his upright brothers and sisters was funny to see.

JUST DUCKY!

MOVING HOUSES

Simon and I are just back from Wales having gone over to Adam to help him move houses - his new home and church.

His new house is much bigger than his last house but full of steps with a marble one leading from the hall into the diningroom which interested me. There were boxes everywhere as he has gathered a lot of stuff over the years and it will take some time for him to sort himself out. We (mostly Simon I admit) worked very hard but only made a small difference to the house. He has moved into a small terrace opposite a hugh grave yard, his two cats have settled in well but next door has five cats and there is much swishing of tails when they see them from a window!

His licensing service was a low key service which was fine as it was not too long! One of his friends from theological college came down from Bristol for the service and sat with Simon and myself during the service and it was funny to see how many people only talked to him (as he had his dog collar on) and ignored us! A coach full of parishioners from his "old" parish came to the service which was lovely.

His new parishioners are very friendly and laid on a spread for us in the church hall after the service. Watching Adam working his way through the room chatting to his new parishioners amazed me - a bit like the queen, he had a word for everyone!

ADAM AFTER HIS LICENSING SERVICE

ADAM WITH ANDREW, HIS VICAR AND ROBERT, HIS ARCHBISHOP

MOVING

Am off today to Wales to give Adam a helping hand with moving to his new house/parish. I usually travel over to him on my own but this time Simon is coming with me as he is needed for the heavy stuff! It will be nice to have a travelling companion.

WICKLOW HARBOUR - SUNSET

EXPERIMENTING!

I have been experimenting lately with bright paints working in a very different style, not sure about it though.

Below is one of the results - the others are in the bin!

WICKLOW HARBOUR

AT THE BOTTOM OF OUR GARDEN

A robin family have taken up residence in the ivy growing on the wall of our garden. It is lovely to watch the parents flying too and fro feeding the babies in the nest. Daddy robin does most of the feeding flying down to the grass and dragging worms out of the ground and flying back to the nest. He often spends a few minutes perched on a post in between worms and tonight both parents perched on adjoining posts "talking" to each other - you can just imagine the conversation " I can't wait until they fly the nest, I'm absolutely worn out......"!

FRIEDA

BURNT OFFERINGS

I am NEVER getting the dinner again! The casserole I made yesterday overflowed all around the sides of the dish and down onto the floor of the oven, I couldn't figure out why there was a smell of burning as I checked the meat and it looked ok but when I took it out of the oven I saw what had happened.

I have spent all day today cleaning the oven and the casserole dish and I have a headache.

HAPPY DAZE

I had to get the dinner tonight as Geoffrey was out again doing his extra bit in Fair City.

This is a chore for me as I hate cooking so after putting a casserole in the oven I was grumpily peeling spuds in the sink which is just under a window overlooking our small garden. I heard a blackbird call and looked up to see a male blackbird perched on the shrub growing on the end wall, we inspected each other through the window and then he hopped down on the lawn all the time carefully checking around him and then hopped under the garden bench and started feeding on the bird food in the grass there. As I turned back to my task I found I was smiling and we all had spuds for dinner that night!

FASTER PLEASE!

I have decided that the sooner Simon learns to drive and passes his test the better.

Yesterday Geoffrey spent all day on the set of Fair City and came home exhausted around 11 o'clock, shortly after he came in Simon rang from Dublin asking could he be picked up from the Luas stop in Sandyford so I got ready to pick him up. Geoffrey tried to explain how to get to the stop and I was just not sure so as it was now after midnight we both decided to go - me driving and Geoffrey resting in the passenger seat!

He's a good chap and I do not begrudge having to pick him up - it was just the day that was in it and the hour of the night, its not a good idea really to have a bewildered middle aged woman wandering around the street of Dublin after midnight!

GRACIOUS IN DEFEAT!

Simon has settled in at home and has decided to finally learn to drive which I agree is good as he has the time now while he is looking for work.

We sat down and discussed it, he asked his father to teach him - phew! I would not have made a good teacher - ok that's settled. Now which car would he like to learn in? I held my breath as he sat first in Geoffrey's car and then in mine (reminds me of Golidlocks and the three bears!) and then asked if he could learn to drive in mine as it is the smaller of the two and easier to manoeuvre - of course I said yes, I love my little car but there are times in life when you have to give in gracefully!

STAR STUCK?

Eating my dinner tonight - which Geoffrey had prepared earlier (I hate cooking remember) which was a chicken risotto, I noticed something sparkling in the rice. I picked it up and found that it was a small gold metal star! How it got there we do not know and I suppose if I had swallowed it I probably would not have noticed as it was small but it had sharp edges so maybe not!

Geoffrey can now claim to be a star cook!

FINALLY FINISHED MY PAINTING!

THE SEAGULL AND THE TRAWLER

ME, MYSELF AND NO ONE

Today I am on my own in the house which is great - Geoffrey is out again acting in Fair City and Simon is down in Tipperary with his girlfriend and I have the whole house to myself - GREAT! I have been trying for about two weeks to finish a painting which I can finally do now. I might even have time to start another one!

OUT AND ABOUT

Spent part of yesterday displaying my wares on the railings of a local park as part of Arts Festival Week.

I met some lovely people and it really gives me a boost when someone says they like my art. I did sell a small amount of my cards and prints which added to the day. I was joined later in the day by two artist friends and we sat and nattered in the sunshine - all in all a good day.

A STATE OF CHASSIS

Simon's home and the house is not the same, Geoffrey and I have had the house to ourselves for years and we are all three trying to fit around each other now and its not easy. Simon is not bad considering he has been living an independent life away from home for sometime. For the last four or five days I have been trying to finish a painting but it is still there unfinished. Yesterday Simon was in the attic sorting out all his stuff which had been put away for the year he was away - every so often - BANG BANG! as he dropped something, so I gave up!

His girlfriend has been staying here for the last few days and they have just left for her home in Tipperary so I will go back and try and finish the painting.

FAITH RESTORED

Sometimes things happen that really restore your faith in humankind.

My phone rang yesterday and this Welsh lilting voice explained that he was ringing from Fforestfach - which is just down the road from Adam's house - and that he had found a phone and he was ringing the number called "mum's phone" he said he had scrolled through over 100 numbers and felt his best bet was "mum"! When I explained that Adam was the curate in the nearby parish he said that he would go down immediately to the parish hall and return the phone - this he duly did which was really lovely of him and a much relieved Adam had his phone back which as you can imagine had so many contacts on it that if lost would have made life for him very difficult not to mention the cost of the phone itself.

THE WANDERER RETURNS

Simon came home yesterday, when he arrived he gave me a big hug which was lovely but he felt so skinny! He and Marie Therese looked exhausted, they had flown directly from Tokyo through Heathrow and had been on the move since 11 the previous night.

It is great to have him home and I am not complaining but he is eating rings around him! He has fasinating stories to tell and he and I have spent the day looking at his photographs (the modern way on his laptop!) as I have been to most of the places photographed.

PARADISE?

Simon rang yesterday from Auckland as he and Marie Therese were flying out to Nadi in Fiji the next day and because the resort they are going to does not have electricity and his phone has just died he will be out of contact for about a week. Slipped in amongst the conversation he talked about the political situation there at the moment as there is a bit of unrest going on. I am not to worry, they checked the latest on the situation there and registered with the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and they are going straight to their resort and staying there! Not to worry! right!

FLIRTY GERTIE!

IT'S A GREAT LIFE!

Its a great life being an extra!

Yesterday Geoffrey was paid to spend the day drinking Guinness and singing with a local band in a well known Wicklow pub. A Belgian soap company have been filming in Ireland and they wanted a group of Wicklow "locals" to drink and generally look as if they were enjoying themselves in a pub setting - which of course Geoffrey was well able to do! He came home with a smile on his face having had an enjoyable day and being paid for it.

I spent the day trying to paint sheep - I have a commission to paint farm animals - cows and sheep, the cows were no problem but I am having difficulty getting the sheep right - at least one of us had a good day.

THE EASTER BUNNY

AS ITS NEARLY EASTER

TURN AROUND AND ...........................

Watching Adam getting ready for a service still feels strange, as he robes up he slowly changes and I see him in another light.

GETTING READY FOR WORK

HOME TO THE UNFAMILIAR

I havn't been posting lately as I have been over in Wales with Adam.

Geoffrey met me off the boat on Thursday, the sun was setting and he strangely had his wrap around dark glasses on so I did not study him until I got into the car and when he turned towards me I got a shock! For most of our married life he has had a beard and when he turned around this strange pale face was looking at me and I have to say I do not like it, he looks much better with a beard. He has had to shave it off for his latest movie part which is set in the 1930's where he was told they do not have beards. Its a strange life living with a movie extra!

LOVE IS BLIND?!!

Geoffrey has been nursing me patiently all week, he must have the patience of a saint! When I am in pain I get VERY grumpy and when I cannot eat (I love my food!) I get even grumpier so this week was a trial in patience for him but he passed with flying colours. I don't know what I would do without him though.

COLOUR ME BLUE!

I have spent most of the day today trying to dye a sweatshirt I bought a while ago in Malta. It was a pale grey and I had got some paint on the inner sleeve so I thought I would be clever and dye it dark blue - right! As I said I had bought it in Malta so it had another language on the label so did not know exactly what material it was - first mistake. I have dyed things before very successfully but followed the instructions carefully as usual. Our washing machine is in our garage so I have spent the day going in and out to the machine, each cycle takes ages. When I finally took the garment out it was a muddy grey and the rubber around the door of the machine was covered in blue dye - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

LEAVING THE FLOCK

Adam is moving from the small parish he has been in for around two years to take up another position as curate in another parish. He told his congregation this morning which he was not looking forward to doing and talking to him just now I get the impression that it was a shock for them and that both he and the congretation are sad that he is leaving.

We have been having long conversations on the phone about this and I do try and give advice being very much aware that I know nothing about the inner workings of the church and also aware that it is important not to dictate but to listen and try and get Adam to tease out what he wants as we talk, I hope that first of all that I have been of help and comfort and that the decisions he has made while we talked fulfill his needs and that he will have just as lovely a congretation in the new parish as he has in his present parish.

KILMACURRAGH WOODS

Spent this morning wandering around Kilmacurragh Woods - a lovely old garden near where I live - I got muddy and wet but no pain no gain!

SNOWDROPS

FLOWERY VISTAS

A LOVELY CARPET OF SNOWDROPS
AND DAFFODILS AGAINST A
BACKROP OF THE WICKLOW
COUNTRYSIDE - LOVELY

A ROUND THE WOODS

I HOPE THEY LEAVE THESE LOGS
WHERE THEY ARE AS THEY MAKE
A GOOD DISPLAY

MAN AT WORK

I came across this man working away
at the side of the lake, the
reflection of his yellow jacket
in the lake made a bright splash
of colour

BACK TO THE FOLD?

Simon is coming home - there is something wrong somehow about your grown-up son having to live with his parents. I am really torn about this, delighted that Simon is coming home after nearly a year away but worried about him having to live at home for a good length of time while he looks for work that will be difficult to find. Geoffrey and I have settled into a routine in the house and I hope we will all get on.

WICKLOW SAILING CLUB AT NIGHT

DO SEAGULLS HAVE KNEES?

Looking at the photographs I took the other day I noticed the gull's legs and I got to wondering if they have knees?! Come to think of it I have never seen a seagull kneeling!

A SEA GULL'S KNEES?

ROSEMANTIC

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

OVERLOOKED

Today has been warm and sunny and my feet lead me to the harbour when the weather is like that and when I saw a yacht tacking too and fro across the harbour I started taking shots. After a while I felt I was being watched and looked around and spotted this fellow below. He was quite friendly and posed for me - I think he is lovely!

A SEE VIEW

RECYCLING?

I knew I would do it one day and I have!

I have been tackling the housework every so often which I HATE HATE HATE. The other day I had cleared out all the junk from the "study" and put some by for recycling so today when I gathered it up I just dumped it down in the recycling centre without checking it. Later when I was printing my cards I ran out of ink and found that I had thrown out a full cartridge by mistake, so no printing today - damn!

CHICKEN-LIKEN!

Today I spent some time in the gallery doing my members duty behind the counter and came home at tea time cold and ready for a quiet sitdown. I was comfortably dozing in front of the television when there was a hugh rumbling bang. I shot out of the chair thinking the roof was caving in. When my heart finally stopped thumping and I calmed down I realized that it was just a hugh clap of thunder, I felt a bit silly - just like chicken-liken in the children's story believing that the sky was falling down!

A WINTER WONDERLAND

It snowed today and I dashed out with my camera to take photograps. A blanket of snow changes everything, I haven't seen snow for years and the children on our estate were very excited, running around gathering up the snow, I suppose they have never seen snow before.

SNOW WEIGHT

BERRY COLD

FAIR CITY

Sitting watching "Fair City" last night (which I had recorded earlier as I was out) a figure crossed across the screen that I recognised - Geoffrey! It was not a total surprise as I knew he had done some outdoor scenes a few weeks ago and I had been waiting to see him on the "big screen". I can't wait to see the new series of the "Tudors" with him in it - in the background of course.

I am going to have great fun introducing him "this is my husband, he is an extra"! My sister introduces her husband as "my first husband", now I can go one better!

THIS ACTING LARK!

Geoffrey was off again acting yesterday in Fair City. He was doing a "Noddy" piece for them - driving up and down the set in his little red car!

GIFTS FROM ABOVE

Adam and I went across to North Dublin yesterday to visit a relation who has been in hospital for a long time, a visit I find difficult and upsetting. Adam is a wonderful companion to have on a visit like this as he prays so gently with them and it is amazing to see the results sometimes but this visit was however not so peaceful and we left a little upset. We were driving out of the hospital grounds and I was looking at the sea and saw the beautiful sunset - and the day settled into perpective

SUNSET OVER NORTH DUBLIN BAY

MY LAST CHRISTMAS PRESENT

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

FAMILY TRADITIONS

Like all families we have certain things we do at given times - I suppose you could call them rituals. On New Year's Eve Geoffrey always heats up the mince pies and sausage rolls he has made earlier and we have them with a drink or two around the fire as the New Year is rung in. This year we were missing Simon but he managed to ring just before our midnight and was with us so to speak as the year was rung in, it made it so much better. He sounded homesick, I will have to try and ring him today or should I say tonight as there is a ten hour difference so I will ring him late tonight. He had been watching the fireworks over Sydney Harbour earlier and was just going to have his breakfast as it was Boxing Day with him, I think by the sound of his voice he had been up all night!

GUESS WHO LOOKED AFTER HIS TEETH!

SIMON WITH FRIEND