Sunday Thoughts

Twas ten days before Christmas and all through the house not a present was wrapped and very few were even bought! I’m not at all organised this year, but my favourite phrase ‘it’ll be grand’ springs to mind, and it will be grand. Mind you if I hear one more thing about a turkey I will probably scream! Long story!

It’s been another busy week, we’re still running around delivering books, the end is very firmly in sight now as we only have a very limited number of books left, and when they are gone, they are definitely gone. https://buythebook.ie/happyout

We have recovered from Storm Darragh, the pine tree in the garden sadly didn’t recover and myself and himself spent much of Monday afternoon manhandling the thing to try to remove it completely. Andy had a brainwave of bringing into the front and decorating it, but as it was about 10 feet high and just as wide that wasn’t going to happen. So, in the end he hacked so branches off it and put them in a water butt and covered them in about 3000 Christmas lights (that might be a slight exaggeration). I’m telling you I had aches in places that I didn’t even know I had for the next few days!

I was in Carrick on Shannon this week, I had to deliver some books to The Leitrim Design House (the photo above was taken that morning), and it was a great excuse to visit Fika, one of my favourite places for breakfast. I had a vegan breakfast, I’m not vegan but I don’t like eggs and sausages (I know, I’m fussy), so the vegan breakfast was perfect, and it was so filling.

On the way home I stopped at Ardcarne Garden Centre, and it was like stepping into a winter wonderland, the place is a credit to them and well worth a visit. The photo at the top of the blog is in Ardcarne.

I went to Ballina yesterday morning, a new café opened, and I was really looking forward to visiting it, and probably writing about it. It didn’t happen though. My friend came along with me, and it was so lovely to have company on the drive as it’s usually just me, myself and I. We were there bright and early, but the café put a sign up to say they were opening an hour later, no bother off we went and did some shopping, we went back again and there was a queue. No bother again, we were going to wait, until a lady came out complaining about ordering 25 minutes ago and still not getting her food, and we were quite hungry at this stage, so we decided to go somewhere else.

We hopped into the car and went off to another place that I knew was good. We arrived just after 10.30am but breakfast stopped being served at 10.30, and brunch wasn’t served until 11am. So, it was cake or nothing, and neither of us wanted cake. I don’t understand why we couldn’t have breakfast; the staff were there, and the kitchen was open, and it wasn’t like the place was packed. Anyway, at this stage I was starting to feel like Michael Douglas in Falling Down, and my friend was starting to think I just grab pics off the internet and say I’ve eaten in places!

Off we went again. Third time lucky right? Wrong. The next place just did takeaway coffee and cake. So, we gave up on Ballina and headed back to Sligo, and had a lovely breakfast in Grá Bistro, Dromore West. It was worth the wait.

This morning, I had another breakfast out, this is becoming a habit! This time in Susie’s Bistro in Tubbercurry Golf Club with another lovely friend. It was wonderful. Although I will never understand how people sit at the table right beside me when the rest of the place is empty. Anyway, apart from that it was fab, and I loved seeing the golf playing dog too!

That’s about all my news for now, thanks for reading and I hope you are all keeping well.