Greetings from a daffodil flowering Ireland

26 March’11

Good day to all, family and friends!
We experienced brilliant weather since Tuesday, blue skies, bright sunshine no wind with afternoon temperatures reaching 14-15 degrees until this morning when the promised cloud cover was blown in from the sea over most of the midlands. A dry day but the wind has a severe nip in it and in spite of the fact that we sat outside most days, drinking in the glorious sunshine with short sleeve shirts on-we had to haul out the cardigans and jackets once more!...it is not over yet!
We are surrounded with daffodils and I already picked a bunch of 20 yesterday and you cannot even see that I harvest so much!
Next to the road, as far as you drive, you are greeted with yellow bright flowers-planted years ago and every year the yield is better than before!
In great hope we went yesterday to our Garden Centre in Abbeylara, and again we were either to late or the flowers has not arrived and we left empty handed and drove on to Cavan where there is a Woodies and they have a good gardening section! The selection was somewhat better but not up to Barry’s standard. We did get new baskets and linings but still no flowers! The end of it is: no baskets in front of the house yet and except for the yellow of the daffodils no other colours in our garden. The wild plum trees are covered in blossoms and so are the fruit trees! Hope the fruit will be better this year than last year!
We stopped feeding the birds peanuts and that means that they have deserted us; our faithful little Red Robin who has been part of the garden for the last 6 years still sings his heart out if you enter his territory. The starlings got the fright of their lives in the new shed and departed speedily after their encounter with Barry! The Blue Tits who knows him well does not mind him and found their old nest of last year and started to line the same with everything soft! There are no new birds to be seen! Some 60 km away from us they heard the coo-coo calling, now very rare in Ireland.
Our visiting cats have been finicky with their selection of food! The grey tabby cat eats anything but the black cat pulled his nose up at the pork sausages! We do not eat pork sausages but it is part of the food I bring home from the hospital! Not because we do not like them, they are actually delicious BUT the fat contents are above all limits and therefore we abstain!
At the hospital things are moving – the ward on the 1st floor has been opened and all day cases are now admitted into that ward called Alverna and overnight cases stay in Assisi ward. This new CEO is on a collision course with the staff and he claims that there are too many staff on the wards, he does not understand the concept of patient: staff ratio and whenever he comes up to the ward he finds a staff member in the office which according to him is : overstaffed!! He would not listen to reason or try to understand. The nurses work extremely hard and are very loyal but he is busy rubbing them up the wrong way and you do not do that with an Irish Nurse! You are asking for trouble!
Being on night duty kind of protects us from his scrutiny at all hours but he promised that he will arrive unannounced!
I am missing church tomorrow as I have to attend a refreshers course in BLS Instruction! The whole concept of ABC is changing worldwide from 2nd of April!
The Irish does not have much respect for Sundays, they regard it as just an extra working day to finish what was not done during the week! I have to leave here at 6am to be at the hospital where a colleague will pick me up and together we will travel further inland to Klinnard! We have to register at 08h45 and be ready at 09h00 for a marathon session until 13h00! And back another 2 ½ hours!
On the political side a report was published by the “Moriarty” investigation regarding fraudulent transactions that took place between businessmen and then ministers in government14 years ago, about the purchasing and selling of a mobile phone licence! Many of the people discredited in the report sits now in ministerial posts in parliament! What a disaster! With the news that Portugal’s Government collapsed during the week and the Euro now in jeopardy the problem of the interest, the Irish have to pay on the money borrowed from the IMF is now pushed on another week! The new prime minister seems to make friends as far as he goes and we hope that it brings forth fruits in favour of our financial dilemma.
The war in the Middle East is terrible and the Poor Japanese people are really suffering tremendously! We are so privileged
to live such secure and safe lives! My heart goes out to them!
Thank you for the lovely letters received during the week, all news is greedily read and digested! The farm news is wonderful and I hope that the new driver will be as good as you expect him to be Hessie! How are the newly married couple in Melbourne doing? Has Nine Kruger found a job yet and we hope that when she does that it will be good and that she will be happy!
Haya, how are the future parents on your farm getting along!? Hope all is going well! Joy , I love to hear from you and hope that you are keeping well! Laurel, I have not heard from you in many a month! Hope you are all doing well! Nanette and Brandon, always so wonderful to hear from you Nanette and the lovely emails that arrive in my post box! Retha, what has happened to you! Miss you terribly! Sonja seems to have fallen of the earth!
Birthdays coming up are as follows:
Isabel, Happy birthday for the 28th! May you experience good health and great joy this coming year!
Anette from Mendel and Anke has her birthday on the 30th Paul could you convey our best wishes to your sister!
My new car drives like a dream much heavier in weight and secure on the road! Being a diesel we will now experience a different fuel consumption which might be very interesting!
Road tax a laugh at €104 per year instead of €475 for the petrol car! It also has a proper spare wheel and not a miniature racing driving-car replica, as was in the old car!
Any-one who possibly can, living in the Mullingar Longford region, please try and attend the Hymnal Service in honour of the wonderful blessing of the new organ! 10 April @ 3pm! Tea will be served afterwards Corboy Presbyterian Church!
This brings me to the end of this letter with my thoughts always with those who are not well, those who are going through difficult times and those who are recovering from illnesses! Nicholas we hope you will be soon a 100% and that the examinations of the 6th will be good! Marthie’s Mom who is recovering after her big operation and to those I do not know about! May it go well!
Be always careful and aware of your safety!
Love and warm regards from us in Cranleymore, surrounded by daffodils!
Barry and Christina