Irish Autumn Greetings

Friday night 2/3 Oct 09





Good day all family and friends,



English week and I hope I remember all I wanted to tell you. So many times the letter is all ready in outer space when I think of something else I wanted to share with you.



I am at present sitting in the ward and it is just about 9pm.



Baby sitting a patient who had an Abdominoplasty done yesterday and being a fairly big operation where they give you a beautiful flat tummy again, she had to stay over another night and being a patient of Harley Street (elite Cosmetic Clinic) she could not be moved to the old age home for the night . Cross infe3ction a reason but also because of the name ‘Harley Street’ and the contract we have with them in Ireland!



I am prepared for a lonely night, TV Times next to me so that I can choose which films I want to watch, a few sudoku’s and of course they never let me go free, a bit of accreditation work as well.



Going back to last week Saturday, we did go to the Monster Auction in Gowna, Isabel will remember well surrounded by lakes and we stopped at 2 lakes during her visit, one very tranquil and the water so bright that you can see every stone in it and the other lake was on both sides of the road, we drove underneath the road to get to both of them. The village is just really a cross roads with Pub , convenient store, petrol pump on the side of the road in front of the shop, a church ,cemetery a few unfinished houses in a housing estate. Outside town you will find the very well kept GAA grounds, with every amenity available to the Gaelic football and Hurling mad Irish.

The Irish very much keep Africa time and we started a good ¾ hr later than advertised but no was is worried and here I experienced for the 1st time an auctioneer that bids backwards.

Lot no 1 a single chair ( there were 750 items and each one was individually sold, and him spending at least 10 min on each item)

“Let start the bidding at €20 , not a sound, €19, still very quiet except the gossiping going on,€18 is the bid, repeated about 10x and with no reaction he goes 1 euro down until he got reaction at €2, it was an absolute disaster 3 hours later he was at no 107, which I likes very much and patiently waited for by going outside several time where the farm machinery was, and a second auction taking place at the same time as the partner in crime must have realised they will be there till Sunday night if he does not start outside in the mean time. He followed the same tactics of starting high and working backwards, so it happened that the other item Barry was interested in, an antique mower, came under the hammer at the same time as my Royal Albert tea set.

I was bidding inside and he outside with more success than me because the woman whom the tea set belonged to was buying it back and was prepared to pay whatever the price was going to be.

We also discovered that the auction were donations from the community in order to bring in some funds for the GAA of Gowna!

Only one horse, one pig for sale, no chickens, or geese as we had hoped. We also bought a fridge, brand new for a few €, everything

still there as the man who offered transport never arrived, so we will have to make another plan.



Sunday was Harvest Thanksgiving Service, and we had a full church Praise the Lord! To play the organ to so many voices was a great joy!! I played SA Psalms and Hymns from my big book which Isabel brought me and it was brilliant as interludes and after the service. Could not stay for tea as it was getting late and I had to get ready for work, so we missed out on all the delicious fat making cakes and had a boiled egg instead!



Left for Castlecomer just after 12.30 on Monday afternoon after I had a bit of a sleep, to attend the Antique auction where we had a few pieces for sale and were also in the buyers market.

Were in good time for viewing and booked into the B&B at 6pm to find out that that the family who runs the place does not believe in TV’s or even a radio in the room! We were there and that was where were going to stay. Very hospitable lady and a lovely room , a lovely bathroom, Direction back to Kilkenny to find something to eat and after a good supper wholesome veggies and a good piece of Sirloin steak we drove the 18km back to Castlecomer to relax and go to sleep. We settled at 8.15pm and I was very tired and not at least worried about the stupid ‘box’ absence went to sleep immediately and woke the next morning at 8 nearly 12 hours!

The house was an old school building and beautifully renovated with excellent taste in furniture. Ground immaculately groomed and a grand piano in the lounge/dining room! OOOOoooooo!!!! I so much wanted to sit in front of it and get going but behaved myself well!

Off to the next auction where we spend, in times of recession a few valuable €’s in the hope that after renovation we will get a good price for the furniture. We were very fortunate to buy an old, in need of work Bombay press, very much the same as the one Arnolda bought to take to Canada, if she still has it. Leather dining room chairs and a much looked for Persian carpet!!!!the rest were real bargains and in good condition. It will keep Barry busy for the winter months and then we will dispose of it in the spring!

Chests of drawers with marble tops and Georgian tables on casters which are very lovely and it felt good to be surrounded by things that are familiar to you.

We drove back in the last light of the day after a long day of bidding and not buying except when the price was right. Our own items were last on the auction and did not fetch the prices we would have liked but we did make a bit of money! and we are happy!



Home, sweet home and even sleeping only one night in a strange bed, made me appreciate my own bed very much!



By 1pm Wednesday the truck arrived and all was packed into the new room, very exciting, and every now and again we admire our purchases!!!



Autumn has arrived and for the 1st time today, in about 4 weeks we had rainy cloudy miserable weather with winds picking up now and promised to be blowing at 80km/hr during the night and with that the youngest of the nuns just left after she came to inform me of the fire that was outside!

The grounds of the hospital belonging to the nuns have quite a few acres under grass which were not cut for 2-3 years and this year with the better weather in Sept the man who always cut the lawns said he will cut the fields charge a small amount for doing it and then the bales would belong to him. So about 16 days ago the grass was cut and baled. Last weekend we had trouble with youngsters playing in the fields between the bales trying to set them alight. At 8.15 this evening the hospital received a call the bales are alight. Fire brigade called and 8 men bravely fought the fire which was started by these youngsters and apparently they stuffed firelighter into the bales, poured some fuel over it and there you had the most spectacular bon fire thinkable. When the fire got out of control the kids must have run away and left the place in blazes. Just 10.30pm and the fires are out. The nun took photos, and it was mighty flames reaching several 100ft into the sky. I knew nothing as I was typing and minding my patient, not looking out windows. Fortunately the fields are some distance from the hospital and we were safe but there were some houses quite near to the nearest bale that was set alight! So much for a quiet Friday night. Naughty children are every where in the world, but I must say there is an element of real un-discipline-ness

in Ireland that is frightening!

Lisbon treaty voting is over and the voting poles are closed and now we all wait in anticipation for the result! The Government is not a show piece of honesty and integrity and transparency has not surfaced here yet and they continue covering-up for each other

But I doubt if they will stay in power if the vote is ‘NO’



I will be off for a few nights until next Saturday night, looking forward to being at home and in the garden.

I have 9 new hanging baskets filled with winter pansies and hope to change the baskets in the front of the house, which lasted 6 months, during this time off!



The leaves are falling fast and the colours along the motorways and roads are beautiful!

I have waffled on long enough and wish every one studying; the very very best of memory ability, those who are waiting for rain like Jaco in Reitz, and may it pour as well as in poor dust drenched Australia.

The winter creeping nearer to the Canadians and us in Europe getting ready for the inevitable, wet, cold, and darkness of winter.



Thank you to all who answers my letters , Joy, Sue, and Thabo (Sam) I hope that you guys there in Brisbane make the best of every opportunity to enhance your knowledge!

Pauli in Hoedspruit, I enjoyed your letter, so please include me in future correspondence!

Always be watchful, never let your guard down, locked the doors and watch your step! Enjoy the month of October the most beautiful month of the year as Mimmie Coertze used to sing!



Regards to tante Poppie, and Birthday wishes to Hildegard on the 12th!



Greetings from the Dunnes in Cranleymore