Greetings from an Icy Ireland

6 December 2008



Saturday afternoon.





Good day to all,



It is just 2.30 pm and the ice outside the back door has just about melted now all. It is very cold but the sun is shining brightly, no wind, not even a breeze, and skies are brilliant blue not a cloud in sight, Perfect weather. !!!!! The weather man said that we are going to experience freezing fog???? I just want to know how that works? Does the fog freeze and we will all be in an ice cube tonight???? never mind as long as I can get to church tomorrow I will be fine.



We are ever so blessed to be here in our own warm little place…the birds are also very thankful for our presence as Barry feeds them 2x a day…it is fascinating to watch them, that we do from both the kitchen windows and the 2 windows in the sun lounge where the sun shine in most of the day and makes it a haven of snugness…back to the birds.. We have now most of the insect eating, berry eating birds having a diet of bread crumbs, and dog food, they love the dog food and as it is cheaper than wild bird seed and lasts a bit longer the feeder and the eaters are happy!

For desert they get a seed ball every Monday which lasts about 4 days, more for the smaller birds than the vultures (Crows and magpies)

Being winter there is not much colour around ,only inside we are waiting for the amaryllis to flower and my orchid of course….outside we have a shrub outside who in confusion started to bud , but alas have now become ice buds and will most probably fall off. In the southern hemisphere the colours of the bougainvilleas on the farm on the Limpopo must be lovely! I was there this time of the year 2005…on the 16th I will be in Ireland 5 years!



Coming home yesterday morning there was a beautiful rainbow so very bright and close, it felt as if you could touch it I was amazed at the brightness of the colours and just I wanted to open the window it was gone!!! Like a fairy tale!



On the political front, I looked at Gordon Brown on the TV at 1 pm news and he looked 80 years old. Unbelievable what stress can do to you, here our PM and his 2nd in queue are just getting fatter and fatter they must be comfort eaters and as the early budget has now nearly been rewritten and scandal after scandal emerge of money wasting the HSE (health department) are closing hospital wards and units one after the other. The shops in Northern Ireland are blooming as every Irish with a bit of money in his pocket leaves the republic to go and shop up north…we do not buy big ,,,and do not believe in Christmas presents and decorations.. We will leave the shopping until the New Year.



Tomorrow is Sunday and the best day of my week! I could choose the Hymns and big Stephen is preaching…small Stephen is the minister and big Stephen assists.

We hope and pray that all who participate in going to church will have a blessed experience and those who do not …you truly miss a lot…..



I thank all those who wrote long letters short notes and interesting picture albums for their contribution to our lives here in Ireland, it is always most welcome!!!



Birthdays …none in my book but then I know there are quite a few out there who‘s names I do not have…best wishes to you.

Isabel, I hope you enjoy your visit with Joleen!

This is all for this week…..enjoy the summer, we hope it rains where it should and that all who are travelling will arrive at their destinations safely!



Regards from a rather cold and freezing Ireland



Barry& Christina( Stien…etc)