Wet Irish Greetings

Saturday 25 July 09


Good day to all, family and friends,
You cannot be disappointed in the weather ,you just have to accept it and at present we are fighting at drowning, the drops that fall is so big that in 5 seconds you are drenched and that can happen several times a day without warning and in between you have the innocent sun shine, as if nothing happened. We woke up with brilliant sunshine only 8 degrees but no wind and no rain but by 10am that was just an illusion.
We are ever so privileged that another pair of swallows are building a nest in the much smaller garage now and the eggs in the donkey house should be ready for babies in a week’s time. We also have really a multitude of bird children in the hedges all around us, sometimes more than 20 would be on the wall outside the kitchen but the slightest movement scares them away and I am always too late to take a photo.
The roses are out of flower and new growth is present but with all the rain it is a disaster, the petunias are dying and the Nasturtium seeds just never really made it here and there we have a good one but overall not good!
The sweet peas have had it I pick nearly every day and the house has flowers everywhere but it won’t last!
Something that is really growing and I hope to have a few storks of orchids this year. That is off course inside and my orange orchard is coming along fine, Hope to transplant the little trees next weekend!
The vegetable garden is no more and the few apples left on the one tree might also drop because of all the water.
We plan to go to the Longford agricultural show this afternoon, if the clouds hold, we are still looking for a new gate and? new door ! Then we buy a new door for the house and transfer the old door to the new room and the next morning there is doubt and the front door stay where it is and we get another doo for the new room!
Barry just cannot sit still, the new room, (old garage partitioned) turned out to be lovely and the temperature of both areas has gone up with a good 5 degrees. It was always like a freezer in the garage. We have now decided to get a new gate, 2/3rds cheaper at the hardware store than anywhere else Isabel will know, we were looking at gates while she was here. It is still expensive but not far as deer as what we have been looking at and exactly the same! Isabel the gate with the elbow at the top, set of 7ft was €800 and today we priced them at the hardware store for €160 a par. Unbelievable!

Our Aunt ‘tante Poppie ‘had her 101st Birthday on the 23rd and we hope that it was a good and blessed day for her and the family!
There are a few birthdays coming up and I will start with Gerhard in Zambia known to us as Oubaas, 26th, Thilo Harding in Saudi 27th as well as my friend, Rachelle’s younger daughter Megan , Frik in Hennops river 31st and Gerlof and Renate from Br Mendel the 1st August,Wow! Happy birthday to all of you!
Work seems to be going on but for how long is debatable, I am not worried but there are staff who’s contracts are expiring in August and will not be renewed, if they are from out of the EU they can only get a VISA if they have a job otherwise the visa expires as well! We were warned that 6 more staff will be let go the 2nd week of August. We close the 1st week as always and then the announcements will start. Great anguish present as many nurses are gone already and admin staff will be next!
I sincerely hope that the Eloff family from Exeter are enjoying their holiday in SA!
Glad to know that Joy is safely back in Aus. and that she had a good time with family and friends in SA. Arnolda mentions the heat in Calgary , my what a wonderful experience, heat in the far North.
Sad about the fires in Spain and a heat wave expected there for the weekend.
Here the robbers have followed example and are taking the ATM’s out with bulldozers and destroy everything around it! Soft targets like at Petrol Stations and Super Markets have been hard hit!
They watch till delivery and then make hay!
Talk about hay the neighbour Jimmy O Shaugnessey went in and cut the fields behind and next to us last Monday after 2 days of relative dryness, and now the cattle are back and it is lovely to have them hang their heads over the fence.! Talking to us!
The nights are much longer and the days cut with a good 40 min since the turn of the sun and winter is on the way , leaves are starting to fall and the lustre has gone from the trees and bushes.
After 4 years playing the organ I hardly have to practise now as I know all the hymns very well but still have to play through them and enjoy it ever so much. Tomorrow we have our own minister and then he will be away for 2 Sundays and we expect visiting preachers for those Sundays, mostly from the North!
I hope that you all will have a blessed Sunday and a good week, again Happy Birthday to all who will become older and be always very careful, take nothing for granted, drive safely and take care!
Regards and greetings from a very wet Ireland( we should be use to it by now)
The Dunnes from Cranleymore