And a wonderful day it was

There's no better place to be on 17 March than in Ireland. And no better place in Ireland than among the relatives. And it didn't rain, and it's not raining now. 

Around noon I found the Byrne connection at Jim's pub in Carnew, where they had gathered to watch the parade. 

Jim the publican, smiling at his customers

It was very much a country parade and lots of fun. 

They drive tractors at a very young age here; but fear not, he's on Daddy's lap

The biggest smile in the crowd

Carnew Community Care, a senior living facility was the official grand marshall as it was celebrating 40 years of service. It's kind of like a village within a village. All the residents live in their own "cottage" and make some of their own meals. It's always an option to have dinner in the Centre and share the companionship of your neighbours. And those dinners are delicious and filling. 

After the parade, we returned to the pub, where I had a Guinness and, of course, more conversation. The antihistamines kept my very runny nose in check, and I hope I didn't spread this cold to too many people.

Let it settle, top it up, let it settle and then enjoy

In the evening, I enjoyed dinner at Coolruss and a very rural experience of Jim bringing a little lamb into the house to be bottle-fed. He was the smallest of a set of triplets and his mama could only feed two. Today, they hope that a sheep whose lamb died will accept him and continue with a more natural feeding.

Dinner time for the little lamb

To back it up a little, the play on Saturday night was "I do not love thee, Dr. Fell." It was a great comedy which was a take-off on the encounter groups in California in the 70s. The characters were all well-played, and the psychiatrist/group leader produced an amazing American accent. I would have believed she was a California girl, but she was not. The adjudicator liked the play as well, and that's important as her comments and rating will determine whether the play will end up in the All-Ireland finals in May. 

It had rained all day and I caught up on my reading. There was nothing to be enjoyed outdoors for sure. Yes, I finished my book and started another. I came reluctantly to the e-reader but it's perfect for travellers. I will never run out of something to read.

Today is a bank holiday to make up for St Paddy's Day falling on a Sunday. However, the stores will be open at least from noon. I'm having company for dinner, but don't tell anyone that I'm going to purchase the entire meal and "cook" it myself. Ahem. The kitchen is well-equipped but somewhat unfamiliar when it comes to creative cooking. At least, that's my excuse.

I'll be off shortly to see what I can find to explore in the vicinity. However, as I look out the kitchen window, I can no longer see the nearby hills. Fog is rolling down quickly, and it could be that the promise of a dry day was too optimistic. Maybe I can go madly off in a different direction and stay dry.