Hi Lorraine, I have been out of circulation for a few days as I was attending the annual Youthreach conference so I am way behind with the news on your blog. Had 2 more ibs off last Wed which adds up to my first of many stones. The change of routine at the conference won't have helped very much but hopefully I will be ok next Wed. If I manage to stay the same I will be happy.
Jenny was in Manchester for the day yesterday for a Touch Rugby tournament. They won a trophy and played well so she was happy. She is heading to Austria skiing this afternoon and is going to Cheltenham shortly after she comes back-a good job she doesn't have a man in her life as he would never see her.
Claire's friend Louise is getting married in Dublin next Saturday so she is really looking forward to that. A college friend of hers is getting married in Kilkenny the following Friday so that's another outing to look forward to.
Stuart is still supposed to be in college but we will see how all that pans out at the end of the year.
I went to the Galway v Louth game in Drogheda yesterday with Aiden. Not a good experience-Louth hammered them with a final scoe of 17 points yo galways 11. Galway only scored 3points in the entire second half compared with Louths 9 points. I certainly didn't bring them any good luck.
Hope you get some work now again this week. Chat soon again hopefully

Howdy, I will have to try to sort out this skype business. It seems like its the microphone but on checking it it seems to be working. Eugene thought it might be to do with my broadband speed. So I will have to get onto eircom broadband. Its a balls!

Is there a lotto over there? If you could get your hands on that then ye coul d all live it up! Just home from work. I met up with a girl that had retired ,for the tea so I was late home. Dad had gone down to Nanas by the time I came home. No news. Hope you get a day tomorrow! Take care. Mam

Good to start of the week on Monday. I,l be hoping for a golden week for you. You are lucky to have a bed by the sound of things!
No sca here. Just home from work. Same ding dong! Take care.

Another album up today- all the photos from Alice Springs, Ayers Rock and the trip to Adelaide and Melbourne. Mam you should love them as they are full of blue skies!! There are lots of sunrises and sunets too and there's a photo of the swag in there so ye can understand what I was sleeping in!! Will hopefully get the rest of the blogs up soon! It takes forever to sort out the photos!

Hi Lorraine
Good to hear you got back safely to your original base. I had only a ib off this week as there were lots of celebrations for the birthday. I wasn't really having lots of forbidden food but my routine was all upset and I had a few glasses of wine and cappacinos. Hopefully I will have a better result next Wednesday.
The annual Youthreach conference is on next week from Wednesday to Friday so that won't help the routine either. It'sactually in Dundalk this year in the Crowne Plaza which means I won't get my few nights away.
Are the people you know in Melbourne people you were travelling with? Hope you will get work there. It's hard to believe that your year will be up in less than 5 months time.
Haven't seen Shell or Sarah since our night out so I think we will arrange to meet up again the week after the conference. No more news for now. Talk soon

Good that you got today as well. Just home from work now and we are heading to Eimhins 30th birthday party tonight. I.m afraid we are being a bit dull and going in our own clothes. No fancy dress around here! We will give you a report tomorrow hopefully on skype.

Dad says "problems problems problems" when I read about the washed pyjamas. Good you got the start back yesterday anyway and I hope it will continue. No great excitement here for Valentines day but sure we,ll cope I suppose! Noreen was supposed to come up today til Sunday so I am going down there now to see how she is. Nana is doing ok. No other sca so I will look forward to tomorrows blog. Take Care.

You have some great photos up there. Places your mother would love with blue skies and blue sea! Hope you got a call for work today to stock up the purse again for the next adventure. Alls well here. Hopefully we will skype again at the weekend.

Well Lorraine all went well in Westport. We met Shell and Shaun and had dinner with them. We went to Matt Molloys then and had drinks and an Irish music session. Great crowd there. the musicians were really good,but didn,t interact with the people really and there was only one song which some lad in the crowd wanted to sing and everybody joined in. Dad mentioned that if the likes of Matt Keane was there he would have the crowd won over with "yarns". We stayed there til about 11. I think this bit is really funny! We went back to our own hotel then for the last one! Shell and Shaun went to there hotel. We went in the door of the castlecourt, Bar packed , music flying, half set being danced, plenty of yahooing, looked up on the stage and who was there but Matt Keane on the guitar and Colm his son in law on the mandolin.They were flying it. You should have seen Dads face as they announced the last two dances. was hilarious! He thought he had enjoyed Matt Molloys but this was Flying with loads of people jiving mad for the last dance. Definitely no recession in the Castlecourt. But the clientele all looked like they were on the pension and had no worries bout work in the morning. Only bother they had was wiping sweat from their brow from dancing! If he is ever there again I think Dad will ask who is playing the music in the bar before he leaves.

Best of luck Margaret- looks like you are off to a good start!

Hi Lorraine,
Really enjoyed reading the blog but boy it takes some time !! Still raining in dear old Ireland. It's really miserable here today. I was amused by the comments about the Germans because Aiden tells me there's a german in me because I work eternally and tell people exactly what I think...I can be a bit too direct sometimes for some peoples liking.
Had another 4lbs off al Slimming World so that's 11 in 3 weeks which is a great start. I know it won't continue at that rate but I am feeling very much in control for now.
Mam and dad are away to Westport for an overnight. They are great for getting away.
No more news except that I am 59 tomorrow and am being taken out for a meal this
evening which I am looking forward to. Take care and I will write soon again