A somewhat more eventful day

Will a 12-hour sleep banish jet lag? You betcha. I was ready to roll at 10 am, having gone to bed at 10 pm. Eight hours should suffice tonight.

I agree it was a late start but a phone call from Mary Egan got things underway. Would I like to play golf tomorrow at Coollattin? Of course. And a tee time of 10 am would suit me just fine. I needed to call Eilish to set things up. 

My phone works on Whatsapp but the golf course doesn't use the app, so a personal visit was in order. I ended up confirming my appearance tomorrow, booking a buggy in case my feet don't enjoy the ups and downs of what they consider a flattish course. Well, except for the hilly parts, I guess it's flattish. The Par 3 in the walled garden is flat. Terrifying but flat. There's a small raised green that is more than adequately bunkered. It's certainly reachable from the tee but did I mention it's small? Photos tomorrow.

I have borrowed clubs, but no balls, tees, green repair tool, ball marker or hat. That has been remedied. Surely the five "previously enjoyed" balls will be enough. The weather forecast isn't what I'd call perfect. But we won't have to worry about the sun in our eyes. We might have to enjoy a few showers for about an hour. I'll bring along my raincoat, which isn't exactly typical rain gear. And I don't have waterproof shoes with me, nor did I bring a second pair. 

Eilish told me that I'd be playing with really nice people? As far as my experience goes in Ireland, everyone is lovely. And then I found out it's actually some sort of competition. Yikes. I will never have used these clubs, have a regular (slippery?) glove to use, and will have zero practice before teeing off. Ah well, it will be lots of fun anyway. I'm betting I can find a pint of Guinness when we're done

It could happen that my shoes will become acquainted with the hair dryer for a while later in the day tomorrow. Stay tuned. The only other footwear I have with me is a pair of sandals and they are not suitable for wandering away from my cottage.

Then there was a short trip to visit Bob's tree at Coolruss. It's probably at its peak of redness as you can see. I stop by to pay my respects at that tree on every visit. Planted in 2009, it shelters some of my Dad's ashes.

I'm not one for posting pictures of my meals, but here is a photo of my substantial late lunch. Seafood chowder with brown bread. Very filling and I could have waited until about 7 to have dinner, but I didn't get that chance.

Sorry this is not horizontal, can't change it here

I headed to Carnew to visit Mary, my oldest cousin who is closing in on 100. She still lives more or less independently. I arrived about 3:30. We chatted for a while and then I thought she was preparing something like tea and biscuits. Oh no - this is the wrong Mary for a wee morsel. She served a dinner of chicken, potatoes, carrots and beans (think baked beans) at 5. I protested that I was still digesting my lunch, but her selective hearing kicked in. Protests fall on deaf ears anyway. Eating dinner was not an option, it was an obligation. The main course was accompanied by a wee tot of Port and followed by endless offerings of apple tart and tea brack. 

Just as we started to eat, some friends dropped in to visit Mary and they stayed and chatted and helped to consume several rounds of the apple tart they had brought, along with the bread which Mary had on hand. While Mary was in the kitchen, we managed to smuggle 4 slices of the tea brack into my purse so she'd think we consumed it.

I asked Mary what time I could possibly visit and not get fed. Of course I knew the answer. No time. She will always have food for company and you simply can't refuse. And she absolutely refuses any help at all. You'd have to tackle her just to carry a plate to the kitchen, and tackling is not appropriate behaviour towards one's elders.

A friendly genealogy guru was expected to visit me around 7, so I had to make my excuses and leave by 6:45, promising to visit again. Next time I'll fast before showing up.

Genealogy alert:

John O came over as planned and he had some suggestions for tracking certain of my ancestors, but eventually we agreed that the Walsh family in question might never be identified positively in Ireland. However, he showed me ways to explore some of the resources I already knew about and we made progress on the Kehoe line. I think I've found them in Clonegall. They have living relatives in the same area. I've been in touch with them before but we couldn't decide on a connection. It's a pretty sure thing now.

It's late now and I have to be up and about for golf, so I shall bid you adieu for today.

A"Mews"ing myself today

Today's journey was to Aldi in my Audi - and that killed about an hour. I made it without having a coffee when I woke up - possibly the first time I've gotten behind the wheel while suffering caffeine withdrawal. 

Actually, if I'd had a coffee for each awakening during the early hours, I would have been hyper-caffeinated. Unlike other visits, I did not fall asleep early, despite being awfully sleepy, nor did I sleep long. I did manage to tack on a couple of hours after being awake from 4 to 7:30. So, after 9, I finally decided to get up and start the day.

Sometime after the third awakening around 6 am, having opened the skylight window a bit, I captured this beautiful sunrise through the opening. The magnificent colours didn't last long so for once my timing during a "golden hour" was spot on.

A beautiful view to start my day for about the third time, then I went back to bed

There wasn't much photo-worthy at Aldi, as I'm not much interested in posting pictures of food. I stuck to the task of buying essentials, and even without a list, I remembered milk for coffee, and enough food for the next four days. You gotta love prepared soups, salads and dinners. AND ALDI'S SIGNATURE MOSER ROTH CHOCOLATE! Yessssssss - they had my favourites. The price has gone up considerably, as has the exchange on the Euro, but sometimes you just have to buy something that's been whispering your name. Hopefully, the price will keep my consumption somewhat controlled. 

The plan had been to play golf with Mary Egan this afternoon, however, I was still so sleepy after the brief sortie, that I begged off and hope we can manage a game another day. Instead, I had a nap. 

After that bit of shut-eye, I did a bit of online research to prepare for meeting with some genealogy contacts, in between nodding off again. Determined to stay awake, a walk outside in the rather fresh air, I wandered around Minmore. Each new season brings new views and new attractions within 100 yards of my current digs. What would I find today? 

It was cool and a bit overcast but dry!!! And there were mushrooms galore of many sizes and shapes. I got quite excited about finding one that seemed to have polka dots. Closer inspection showed that bits of the top "skin" had been removed in a remarkably organized pattern.  I do remind you that my brain was still on "wake up you fool" mode and possibly I wasn't seeing clearly.

But there were a few other gems - like the last rose of summer

And a spot of FUNghi

And then there was this - looking and feeling like a fallen pinecone tree, hiding among the vines. The undergrowth was so dense I couldn't decide if a couple of branches had been cut and dropped there, or if it had really taken root. Do you know what it is? All will be revealed in a later post. But do go ahead and busy yourself with research if you like. Or show off with a comment if you already know.

And this being Ireland - the compulsory photo of sheep, as seen through a holly bush

At one point I glanced at the ground and saw something that looked familiar. It's a shame I don't have an open fire on which to roast my two chestnuts. Then again, it would hardly be worth the effort for two.

Genealogy alert: (read as an insomnia cure)

I made a few possible discoveries online today, using sources I dig into all the time, but just finding the right name in the right timeframe does not mean you have the right people. As it happens, none of my ancestors had unusual names.  In fact, they all seem to have had the most common surnames in their areas of origin. And they all liked using the same restricted list of first names. Surely there's a Thaddeus or a Persephone or an Augustus back there somewhere, along with every Mary, Edward, James, George, Arthur, Eliza and Margaret, just waiting for me to discover them. 

My fingers are crossed that when I meet my Athy connection, he might be able to confirm the information with more certainty. This time, my Whelan ancestors were the subjects du jour. The others just have to wait their turn.

Blame the fatigue for the short post, and thank the familiar roads for the successful shopping trip. The excitement should ramp up in the coming days. One meeting is planned for Sunday to see if we can sort out a Byrne connection, and dates have yet to be added to the calendar for a couple of other lines in Co. Carlow - McDonald and Walsh for the most part. Then there are the .... OK, I'll keep you in suspense and save Kilkenny for another day.

Sadly, I've eaten my allotment of chocolate for today, so I'll just go to bed – after a bit of yoga to promote a good sleep.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles and now back in Eire

This trip was quickly planned and made possible by the availability of buddy passes from WestJet courtesy of my friend Jesse. The seat was Standby and fortunately, there was a nice middle seat in Row 12 with my name on it. My seating companions were quiet, the flight was a bit bumpy (rather like driving over the potholes in Ottawa), but I would not say turbulent. And I managed to fall asleep for a few hours, missing whatever was on offer as the meal around midnight.

Saturday, 27 September was a busy one. Thanks to friend, Peggy, I was driven to the train station to start the adventure. Thanks to VIA rail I had a lovely trip to Toronto. The only problem was I had chosen my seat as one facing forward, in the direction of travel. I guess someone forgot to tell whoever attached Car #1, to turn it around. I ended up facing the direction from which we had come. Ah well, I didn't really notice as my attention was diverted to the Detective story I was able to start and finish on the trip.

In Toronto's Union station I got directions to the UP (train link to the airport), used my Presto card, and travelled to Pearson International. There I enjoyed a supper at Fionn MacCool's pub. Fionn (pronounced FIN) was nowhere to be found, probably because the ceilings would have been too low for him. If you don't know what I'm talking about, look him up. 

Security screening was a breeze - I got to keep my shoes on, they didn't even ask if I had any liquids and instead of an invasive pat down because of my titanium knees, I only got a lovely dose of x-rays as I stood in the machine. Can you see my nice warm glow?

I briefly met with Jesse, whose flight was heading to Edinburgh and she walked me to my departure gate and introduced me to staff. That is probably what got me the good seat. Thank you WestJet folks. I gate-checked my carry-on and only had to deal with my backpack on board. With the number of carry-on suitcases jammed into the overhead bins, this was a good decision on my part.

It did necessitate waiting for my bag to appear on the luggage carousel and surprisingly, the wait was pretty short. Thank you again WestJet for the careful placement of my bag.

Then it was on to Budget for my rental car. There was a shuttle of course but standing in the sunshine waiting for it was no hardship at all. Picking it up, having satisfied their many requirements, was also painless. If you are over 75, be warned. There are lots of conditions to meet in order to actually drive away. But wow was this car worth it. I'm now driving an Audi with bells and whistles I'll probably never learn about.

All of this activity was interrupted, and still is, checking on the Ryder Cup. It's looking very promising for the Europeans. Hurray! This despite the nasty heckling US fans.  

Once in the car I relied on the Waze app to guide me out of the airport. Well, I don't know who is the voice of Waze but it's not the voice of anyone who knows that route. I drove in what I soon realized was the wrong direction, found a friendly driver at a service station, followed him to the correct turn for the M50 and after that it was a breeze.

I thought I had turned off Waze and turned on Google Maps. I hadn't. Once on the M50 both apps were telling me where to go. By that point I was OK for directions but couldn't turn off the apps while driving. Then, to add a lovely few minutes, Waze started telling me, time after time, without interruption, Turn right onto Hwy 132. Again and again and .... Finally, grateful I had an iPhone, I asked Siri to turn of Waze. Siri couldn't understand me over that repeating voice. Eventually she did and then only Google Maps was providing "guidance."

All was well until I turned from Castledermot onto the Tullow Road. Suddenly my guiding voice told me there was a 5-minute delay or slowdown. Yup. I seemed to be in the middle of old cars and tractors, and one old mini-tractor, heading to some sort of show. 

Now what I have not said, is that I hadn't had any coffee and had slept a mere three hours or so - managing to miss both feeding opportunities on the plane. 

I got to my first destination of Egan's so I could meet Tomas, the new baby. He's beautiful and at seven weeks is keeping his parents on a great schedule - for him. And Lar made me two large cups of delicious coffee and Mary provided a delicious ham and cheese sandwich on brown bread. Music to my mouth.

Paddy and I talked about some family history issues which I'm going to pursue in more detail while I'm here. Mary Egan brought up the subject of golf. AND, we're going to play 9 holes at Coollattin tomorrow. Yay. I knew there was a reason to pack the newly-acquired Interclub shirt.

A brief visit to Coolruss provided not only a lovely chat and a piece of very tasty apple tart, Mary gave me chicken and potatoes for supper. I'm enjoy them now. And, there's bread and butter for toast in the morning and some fruit. Everyone is already spoiling me.

Thus ends today's rather wordy "much ado about nothing." Bless you if you've read this far. I promise to be more interesting in future posts.

And now I'll say Good Night and hope I manage more than three hours. I want to be sharp for the golf game. Maria has kindly lent me her newly acquired clubs and I have the honour of being the first to use them. Irish hospitality knows no bounds.

And now back to the Ryder Cup. I want to know that Europe won before I retire for the night.