Irish Greeting

12 Dec 2009


Good day to all, family and friends,
So we speed to the end of the year and Christmas is on hands.
We only celebrate Christmas in a very close family way , we do not exchange presents because that means that precious monies have to be used for trivial things , we rather give each other the love and companionship that is needed to make Christmas a blessed time!
We have noticed that the recession is talking and there is much less hype about the mass commercialism that overtook this country in the years past.
The weather has stabilized and we are into our 3rd day of beautiful blue skies, bright sunshine even with the sun hanging low in the south there is a glimmer of friendliness on every-ones faces, we became very dark and gloomy in the weeks past, There are still parts of western Ireland that is totally under water, we cannot understand why the government did not declare it a an emergency state. They take children to school in a boat with an engine on massive lakes covering the farmlands; there are no roads to be travelled on!
We have been very fortunate that the water ran off the land as we live on a hill and our grounds are relatively small in comparison with other farm lands! We went to Castlecomer yesterday to pick up the last of the silver that was not sold and in spite of being winter it stays beautiful! The road is good and the traffic volume was remarkably low for a Friday and we travelled the 156km in 2 +1/2hrs. Some of the roads have not been converted to main roads yet and you slow down to 60km/hr.
There are no flowers to speak about at present, I took some time in the middle of the day on Thursday to cut out all the dead and rotten pansies in the baskets and they have already brightened up!
The birds are always a joy, their mannerisms are fascinating to watch and Barry hung the 2 peanut feeders where we can watch them from the 2 windows looking out over the back garden.
The bigger birds, the geese are ever so cute, they know me now and don’t run away any more but Barry they adore as he feeds them and take care of their accommodation! He cleans the donkey house 2x a week and gives them clean straw, they do not mess where they sleep and that makes the cleanup process much easier and the used straw is then placed on the compost heap and we hope that we will have excellent compost for the vegetable garden next year¬
I have not returned to work yet as the Dr did not think it a good idea, I have to consult with the surgeon on the 12th Jan to get the operation booked! So far so good, I am well aware that something is not 100% but copes well and with my fat free diet, the possibility of having another attack is slim.
I am at the point of baking Barry my 1st fruit cake and as soon as this letter is posted I will concentrate on the preparation of it all!
One of the many visitors brought us a fruitcake and he ate the whole thing within 4 days, it was not ‘n big cake but it seems as if I have neglected him grossly with treats!
We had our budget and people are furious, they did not increase personal tax but will take on scale from 4% for the lowest earners to 20% to the highest earnest in public service, a levy. This includes all social welfare pay-outs and the most vulnerable are the ones that will suffer the most! The banking fraternity laugh all the way because they are the ones that brought this terrible state on the nation and they still earn their millions in spite of the fact that the government had to bail them out of bankruptcy! The worst is that that they cut the duty on alcohol in order that the people will spend their money rather this side of the border than in the North. There the liquor is dirt cheap!
Many of the SA friends visited SA in the last month and the last of the family will also travel soon!
The wedding of Hessie and Attie’s oldest son Attie jnr and his fiancé is the great attraction and I sincerely hope that all will go wonderfully well! May the family enjoy blessed and wonderful fellowship!
I am still not on duty at church as Joy is doing the honours!
We send our fondest regards to our tante Poppie that will have her 101st Christmas this year and we pray that she will stay well!
It would be lovely to hear how the matriculants experienced their exams and those who were writing university exams, thinking of Thilo in Saudi especially, the wonderful achievement of the daughter of Haya and Kobus, Anneke. Is still to be praised! All the others that did so wonderfully well! Our heartiest congratulations!
All of you who are going to travel please do it safely!
Lock your doors! Be alert and careful in everything you do!
Do take care
Warm regards from a stabilised weathered Ireland!