Well here I am, coffee at hand, and it's my last day in Bunclody. The sun is shining, the snow has all but gone from the yard and apparently the roads are clear from here to Dublin. Well, they're clear if you take the right roads. My route will be somewhat altered to exclude the run from Ballycarney to Ferns. I'll drive a little farther south on the N80 to the roundabout at Enniscorthy and then loop back north on the N11 towards Dublin. I will miss nodding to Ferns Castle as I loop around the town on the highway.
Congratulations are in order for the entire country in dealing with massive amounts of snow with minimal amounts of equipment. Only Dublin airport had what appeared to be lots of plows, and even then got shut down. There was just no getting ahead of Storm Emma until she was good and ready. She took her time exacting her toll. It will take massive amounts of money to pay the bills and that does not include the time and fuel spent by innumerable farmers who cleared back roads and lanes so that their neighbours could get out for supplies. This is on top of caring for sheep and cattle who had to be brought in from the fields and dealt with constantly as the water pipes froze. Carrying buckets of water for livestock is nobody's idea of fun. In the midst of the chaos there were baby lambs whose arrival could not wait for the weather to clear. Undoubtedly many calves also made their first appearance as snow piled up around the sheds.
Grocery store shelves are once again stocked with bread and milk. I learned that while chocolate hazelnut milk is not ideal for coffee, it will do in a pinch. As an aside, it doesn't impart a lovely chocolate hazelnut flavour to the beverage at all and in fact, is not as sweet as plain milk. However, as my only hardship, this is meant as a comment not a complaint.
The strains of "Leaving on a jet plane" are rolling around in my head. I can't quite say "my bags are packed" but it's getting close. I've parted company with the big purple suitcase and many of the clothes that I've grown more than a little tired of here. Will I manage to get everything destined for Canada into the two carry-ons? One will be my checked bag and is bursting at the seams. As long as those seams hold tight for the journey I'll be content.
Yesterday I had a lovely salmon dinner at noon with Kathy D at the Carnew Community Care centre. After we'd finished eating, the gentleman sitting opposite me began his spiel as the local matchmaker. Say what? He finally decided, sensing my lack of interest, that I'd be too difficult to match up anyway. Whew!
In the evening I had a wonderful supper with Kevin and Eleanor Lee and their grand-daughter Millie. Kevin surprised me with news that he has access to some uncatalogued documents which may provide, for sure, the name of the ship my Byrne ancestors sailed on, and how much money they were given for their passage and for settling in Canada. Will the ship turn out to be the Progress? If so, it could pretty much confirm my assumption that it was "our" William who died at Grosse Ile. It may also reveal whether baby Jane made it on board the ship, or perished before the family sailed. Fingers crossed. I'll send him enough information so he knows it's the right family.
There are just a few tidy-up chores to finish here at Moss Cottage. The biggest is stuffing the suitcases. My return visit is already shaping up in my head so we'll see how the planning works out and whether and when I set foot again on Irish soil. So many mysteries remain.
Shortly before noon I'll load the car and head for Ashford to meet Margaret, Anne and Lynne at the Chester Beatty Inn for a late lunch. After that it will be a drive on the always-busy M50 to return the rental car and check into the Clayton Hotel for a relaxing night before departure. Given the potential for getting snarled in rush hour traffic tomorrow morning, I decided to spend my last night in expensive comfort. I have my single-serving bottle of Merlot packed and the cheese and crackers will join it shortly.
There may be a follow-up post before I take wing, or maybe not. All in all it has been a wonderful visit once again. I explored more wonders of this country that I've come to consider my second home. With castles around every corner and beauty everywhere you look, I'm already deciding where I'll point the car on the next visit.
No comments:
Post a Comment