Yes, I've finally wandered back. For a couple of days there was little to report. I can't imagine you'd have any interest in grocery shopping, laundry descriptions, what I had for dinner or whether or not I'd stalled the car on a hill. And that describes last Saturday. Yawn!
Sunday afternoon I picked up Kathy Doyle, the owner and loaner of my current vehicle. She had not been to the Annacurra cemetery to visit the grave of her husband and son for a few weeks. Kathy was a very good passenger, and I shall not interpret her comment that I made the journey that usually takes her half an hour, in 20 minutes. My top speed was 80 kph, and the average speed would have been about 60. The road from Carnew to Annacurra is pretty good - it has a painted white line, meaning there is in fact room for two cars travelling in opposite directions, to pass without one or the other having to become intimately acquainted with a hedge or ditch.
The sun was shining and it seemed a waste to drive Kathy home. So, as was her habit, we stopped in to visit the Floods. I asked if we should phone first but that was not required. Jo and John welcomed us warmly with tea and cupcakes. I passed on both and had a glass of water. I don't think anyone noticed a tiny bit of drool at the corner of my mouth when I decided to forego the sugar rush promised by each of the perfect little nicely-decorated delights.
From there it seemed like a good idea to visit someone else so Kathy called to be sure that one or another family member was at home. No luck - everyone was otherwise occupied. So, being forced by circumstances we went to the pub.
Actually, it was her brother Jim's pub. We settled for sparkling water as befits a Sunday in Lent, and also meets the Garda's tolerance level for drinking and driving. The acceptable level of alcohol is 0.00. This has put a dent in the pub business and increased the income of taxi drivers. Does that balance out? I guess that's only if you own the pub and taxi.
Once Kathy was safely returned to her cosy home, I returned to the Barn (remember that is the name of this cottage) to prepare for Monday's rather more lengthy journey.
I have the Autoaddress app, specific to Ireland, which helps you find your destination and uses google maps to get you there. Street addresses as I know them, have no meaning here in rural Wicklow. It's my handy-dandy get-to-your-destination magic director. So, I decided to set it up for Monday's outing.
Are you bored yet? Feel free to tune out. I'll never know so won't be offended. I think I need some wine before I continue. I'll just step to the counter and pour myself a glass of kooliburra Reserve Shiraz. OK, so I'm supporting the Australian economy too. I'm very generous that way. Ahhhhh - that's better.
Should I wash my hands again or use the hand sanitizer? It's been over an hour. Then again, I haven't seen anyone during that time. Just heard that Ireland now has 24 cases, here in the Republic, of the somewhat-dreaded Covid-19. I'm not worried because there is adequate toilet paper in the bathroom and a couple of bottles of water in the fridge. Oh yes, and assorted food and drink. It's hard to tell how bothered folks are. Here in the beauty of rural Wicklow folks are still shaking hands, although I did bump elbows yesterday just in case. On the other hand, all St Patrick's Day parades have been cancelled. Trinity College which has a couple of cases, has closed access to the Book of Kells and the Long Room. Aside from hearing about stockpiling of TP, I really don't know Canada's response at present.
Back to Monday's adventures. The destination was the National Library of Ireland, in Dublin. I won't drive in Dublin so a plan was devised. I would drive to Greystones and take the DART from there to Pearse Station, quite close to the NLI. Take note Ottawa, Ireland has an amazing on-time transportation system of rail, light rail and buses. And they provide wifi on board. Woo hoo. For those who require constant access to their phones, you needn't worry about withdrawal or using too much data while getting around.
John O, who lives here at Minmore, accompanied me in the car. He doesn't drive and complimented my driving. I guess I've gotten accustomed to being a shifty character. It's so easy to impress those who don't drive.
Using Autoaddress, with the destination set as Greystones DART station, we set out towards Shillelagh. Once through the village, any resemblance to any route previously taken by me in a car or by John on his bicycle, faded into mere memory. We saw some lovely forests, long distance views, and entirely new roads not previously taken. Most did not have a line down the middle. Half the road is too narrow, sometimes not much wider than the missing line. But we did get to Greystones and even found parking beside the station. Cost: 2 Euro per day. Bargain city!!!
We had just missed a DART to Dublin so had to wait half an hour. We managed to enjoy a cup of coffee in the warmth of the tiny coffee shop instead of standing in the drizzle. And then we were off. John travelled only to Bray but I continued to Pearse Station from which I had "easy" directions to the NLI. Hah! Easy directions for me??? Oxymoron time. But I don't lack courage when it comes to asking anyone to tell me where to go. Lucky day - the person I asked was walking to the building beside the library. I trotted along in the rain, as fast as I could, beside this chap who had really long strides.
Genealogy alert for those still awake:
Acquiring a Reader's Ticket was easy, as was putting my bag in a locker, as was trotting up the stairs to the Reading Room. I was directed to a computer where I could put in my order for manuscripts – for my next visit. They must be ordered at least 24 hours in advance. At that point, my brain switched off but a staff member gave me good instructions on how to order. I forgot only one thing – timing. You can order only 3 items at a time and you must specify what date and time you will pick them up. I remembered the date part and left the default time of 11:30. I ended up ordering about 18 items (6 orders), all for the same time. Part of the order includes your email address.
Voila - those folks are really on their toes. Within a few minutes, I had confirmation emails and one a bit more personalized. It reminded me that I had ordered everything for the same time. Not only can you only order 3 things at a time, but you can also only pick up three things at a time. Luckily, the email included a phone number which I happily called.
The lovely lady in the manuscripts room remembered my orders and very graciously amended all the times to 15-minute intervals. Beginning at 9:30 am for Thursday. Fine. I am a more than a couple of hours from the NLI if I make great time. The time I'd have to begin the journey to Dublin was getting a bit on the Zero-dark-thirty side. So, I still had that phone number and used it again. Same nice lady at the other end. She assured me that no matter what time I arrived, the things would be waiting.
You may remember that I have a propensity for getting lost. Well, Autoaddress and a helpful stranger made sure that the first part of my day's travels went well. I was on my own for the return.
Retracing my steps – in the rain – towards Pearse St DART station should have been a snap. Well, I snapped instead. Luckily I wasn't far past the corner I had to turn when I asked another stranger if I was on the route to Pearse Station. I was not. But it wasn't far off and my rain jacket was still dutifully keeping me dry. I got to the station to check the schedule and time for my train. 15:04 on Track 2. It was on time. I got on board. I was heading for Greystones, the last stop. When we were quite a ways along in the journey I noticed that the sign in the coach said "Destination Bray". What? That's one stop too short. And that's where I had to disembark.
My lovely friend Lynne, who I was supposed to meet in Greystones anyway to deliver what I'd brought for her from Canada, picked me up at the Bray station and drove me to Greystones where I met John, after giving Lynne her packages of biscuits. We had a chance to catch up a little on the ride. We will reunite in a week or so.
The drive back to Minmore was uneventful following Autoaddress and quite a different route than the one in the morning. Views were nice, through the rain. We got home safely. The only news here was that Tuesday, today, we'd have no electricity between 9 and 1. I made it just in time to make coffee this morning. Couldn't even warm up the refill.
Last evening Kathleen had the Byrne family to her home in Bolinrush and we had a fabulous evening, talking for hours. A late trip to the Caredocs in Gorey with the other Kathy, had me home after 1:30. No details will be provided. All's well that ends well. I had the best sleep since my arrival and got up just in time to make the coffee before we lost electricity.
I'll start another post for today's adventures.
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