I didn't blink so I managed to see the sun today

An early bedtime last night and late awakening this morning took care of the jet lag and the totally sleepless night on the plane. The morning weather was not worth opening the curtains for, but it was worth a couple of cups of coffee to get me off to a good start. There wasn't enough liquid in my Overnight Oats, but I ate it in slices anyway. Almost tasty.

I decided to walk around the block. Note to self: find out if there is a block first. Turns out there isn't. The street around the corner is a dead end. Anyway, it was drizzling and very windy, so I was happy enough to cut it short when I got back to my "own" place. 

The afternoon weather, after my nap, was somewhat more pleasant. It was just misty, not showering, but I took along an umbrella which I used as a sidewalk tapper as I strolled along. 

Having watched hours of videos on iPhone photography, and learned that my phone is more sophisticated than its owner in what it can do, it was time to do some experimental snapping. I didn't see anyone I knew but did get and return several friendly greetings. I don't know if the greetings were followed by quiet snickers, as I snapped pictures of things I'd never have thought of capturing if I hadn't watched those videos. For example:

Just some moss on the church wall

Different moss on a different wall

Goes without saying, but was spotted on a gate.

I could, but won't bore you with more pictures taken along the main street of Carnew. Instead, I'll show you some of the flowers in my front yard. First of all - the house. It has a roof, by the way. 

My current location on Coolattin Road in Carnew, Co. Wicklow

And just a couple of hundred metres down the street is the location of the reason why I'm here

You can see from that picture that we had some blue sky and sunshine today. It lasted about a nanosecond but it was very bright, if not warm. Neither is it really cold, and, in fact, because of the dampness, it feels colder than it is.

So, in my front yard, I tried to take some snaps of the lovely plants and flowers. Wouldn't it be nice to look outside in Ottawa and see flowers at this time of year? Some of you have noticed the odd crocus, but today I saw tulips down the street. Be patient, Ottawa will have some soon(ish). I don't have a close-up lens, but I managed to get quite close despite my camera showing the message "Move farther back."

Hellebore

The perfect Camelia; the white ones are still buds

Hellebore, according to the iPhone

Tonight will be quiet with another early bedtime but somewhat later than last night. I want a relatively early start tomorrow. The plan is to go to Beyond the Trees at Avondale. I expect the camera will get quite a workout. And I won't forget to just enjoy the surroundings either. I'll try to be there when it opens at 10, so I can get home and have a nap before going to the theatre tomorrow night. This is a description of the play.

Eccentricities of electronics impacted internet and phone access so ...

Well, the flight was smooth and on time and the luggage arrived with me. I got the rental car with no problem, and then the fun began.

Before leaving home, I thought I had purchased a phone, text, and data plan for my cell phone using my Irish SIM card. I am able to use the same number as last time because it has been less than six months. After some initial struggles, I was able to get on the Dublin Airport Wi-Fi, set up Google Maps to get me to Carnew and get underway. It's a good thing it downloads the maps.

It's not that I don't know how to get to Carnew, where I'm staying. The problem is exiting from Dublin Airport and knowing which lane to be in for the several roundabouts that finally spill you onto the right motorway leading (hopefully) to your destination. The roundabouts are so large that they have traffic lights and go madly off in all directions. With Google issuing instructions, it's not a problem. The real problems were yet to come.

Picture this - I left the airport in my unfamiliar but spiffy rental car at 8 am. This is a large city. Yep, first gear was all I needed for about half an hour. I was on the right road drifting slowly along until we got to the exit for Tallaght. Traffic speeded up to normal then. If you are that curious, or bored, ask Google where it is and how far it is from Dublin Airport. 

Subsequently, the only hiccup on the drive was the weather. It was alternately pouring rain, drizzling, stunningly sunny while still raining ... well, you get the picture. The windshield wipers are exhausted.

Having arrived at my destination - to see Mary Harte at Carnew Community Care Village - I had to exit the car. The seats of this little beauty have raised "lumps" that one has to surmount to perform that exit. I was tired after a totally sleepless night, stiff from so much sitting, and parked at a slightly tilted angle so that I had to get out "uphill." I did a quick visual survey to be sure nobody with a smartphone was filming this little episode to entertain others on YouTube or whatever. The coast was clear, so I clambered up and out. It only took a few minutes.

After a nice visit with Mary, a couple of slices of toasted brown bread (yes, THAT brown bread) and a cup of coffee, I got instructions from my host, who generously lent me her home for my stay. The key was under the mat, as I'd been told. It turned easily in the lock. But the door wouldn't open. This is particularly fun on a rainy day with a suitcase now sitting on the ground. Eventually, although I didn't know why at the time, the key magically worked. 

In the past, I've been baffled by the locks here. They are very secure. They've kept me securely outside of my accommodations on many occasions. The secret to this one is you have to make more than one turn of the key as it clicks over, twice, and then a tiny little extra turn before you gain entry. But now I know. And the suitcase didn't leak while it waited patiently.

Mary had provided a Wi-Fi hotspot, which worked a treat for my phone, but the laptop would not and still does not, connect to it. Unless on Wi-Fi, I could not use the phone.

Insert hours of frustration on a support chat from Vodaphone, typing first to a robot who offered a nice selection of issues, none of which covered my basic problem. I'll spare you the details, but after a very long time, it was determined that my payment had not gone through when I'd topped up the plan from home. By this time I had a live human being on the other end of the chat line, and he provided a link to do the top-up. The robot probably went back to tormenting other people whose issues were not on its approved list. All good until the final step. My VISA requires two-step authentication for online transactions. Very safe. However, I had the Irish SIM card in my phone and VISA sent a verification code to my Canadian cell number. It was not set up to give me the choice of text or email to verify. I can't do anything about that from here. How was I going to use the phone when out and about? How could it provide a hotspot for the laptop?

Off I drove to Coolruss to ask for suggestions and maybe pay them to use a credit card. It turns out that all I had to do was go to a shop about 200 yards from my current "home", give them €20, and I'd be good to go. That's done now. All good with the phone. 

But then, when I tried to use it as a hotspot for my laptop, the darn computer wouldn't accept that hookup. I've done this many many times at home. Arrrggghhh. However, my phone gave me an alternative - just connect the phone and laptop by a cable and Bob's your uncle. Done now. 

I retired early, brain-dead by that point, and slept for a long time. My bed has an electric blanket. I've never had one and I think I'm in love! It was perfect, and being on a timer there was no danger of being fried alive while I slept.

After a refreshing shower and a cup of coffee, my day has begun. It's closing in on noon, and of course, it's raining. Tomorrow is supposed to be dry, so it's time to make a plan that involves the outdoors. 

So, I'm catching up on email and generally hanging around the house today. The rain seems to be taking a break so I'll go for a short walk. I've done my grocery shopping and will be well-fed. The long-term forecast indicates that the waterproofing on my jacket will be worn out by the time I get home, so every day, I will have a plan A and a plan B. Stay tuned.

Gearing up for the next chapter, full of drama, in County Wicklow

The packing is underway, reservations have been made and I'm celebrating the Spring Forward by heading to Ireland once again.

This visit was a spur-of-the-moment decision to attend the South Wicklow Drama Festival. I'll be based in Carnew, and my evening plans are already made. The program holds great promise. A great bonus is that I will be there to celebrate St Paddy's Day by watching the parade and, later on, lifting a pint of the Black Stuff in Jim Byrne's pub.

I'll have time during the day to practice some of the iPhone photography tips I've been trying to absorb over the past few weeks. Of course, I'll visit with the cousins when the lambing doesn't interfere. If all goes well, I can catch up with some friends, too.

Almost time to wander home but ...

Last night in the cottage. All is calm as I type this but Storm Debi is to roar across Ireland overnight and tomorrow morning. Driving conditions will be awful. Falling trees, winds up to 100 KPH and driving rain are expected. I foresee a late return of my car. Better safe than sorry.

I had a lovely day today with Mary Harte at Ann and Tom's place. Ann cooked a lovely dinner and when I was about to say it's time to leave, some of the Kavanaghs arrived so we extended the visit. I took Mary back to Carnew and made my way "home."

Just the packing up to do now. I will be ready to depart tomorrow when the roads are again declared safe to drive. This area won't be hit so hard, but I'd be heading into rough weather en route to Dublin. The schools are closed until at least 10 am and people are advised to work from home if possible. The storm puts a fitting end to this visit. I arrived at the tail end of Storm Babet. We were more or less bypassed by Storm Ciaran, and Storm Debi will usher me out. I imagine flights will be affected tomorrow. Luckily, mine is on Tuesday. I'll be staying at a hotel near Dublin airport tomorrow night.

So I bid adieu to another Irish adventure and will resume my travel narrative at some future date.

Genealogy alert

No real progress with finding another generation back, but some sources have been examined, found wanting, and crossed off the list. More to come. New sources found. More research in December at the National Library manuscript room. No, not me, but a trusted researcher. Who knows what will turn up.

No, not washed away

As I type it's raining heavily, in the daytime, although it's been mostly dry since last weekend. There have been some overnight showers and that's the schedule I wish they'd keep. It has been  chilly, dry and often sunny. I guess the daytime rain just couldn't stay away too long.

There's really nothing much of note that has happened this week. No socks went missing in the laundry, no morning coffee was abandoned, the recycling was recycled. I've been in and out, visiting here and there and had some of the Byrnes over for pizza and sweets on Tuesday evening. Had dinner yesterday with Mary and Mai at Carnew Community Care where Mary lives. 

After dinner we played a variation on Bingo that I've never seen before. Instead of numbers on your card, you had song titles. As a song was played you had to cross it out if you found it somewhere on your card. A card fully crossed out was required for Bingo. I won twice, along with several others, and for the €2 fee to play, I ended up with €4. Not a bad ROI. Now I have to plan how to spend that princely sum. The best part was that they used old music, mainly from the 50s and 60s, popular songs and folk songs. It was fun.

Once BINGO was done we adjourned to the dining room. Afternoon tea was available along with a three-tiered plate of savoury and sweet goodies. After all, it had been almost two hours since dinner. Who wouldn't need to top up the day's calorie count?

And then, late last night, there was the battle with the moth! Just after lights out I was aware of something flapping around that was bigger than a fly. So, lights on to figure it out. I was reasonably certain it wasn't a bat, and it was not. Huge sigh of relief. If it had been a bat I would have adjourned to the car. 

It was a moth or possibly a small butterfly. And it was an elusive critter. After a while when I was the the one flapping about, wielding my jeans as a moth-swatter, I remember that moths are attracted to light sources. The bedside lamp was on and while it did venture around the room, it had been more or less in the neighbourhood of the lamp. Near my head. Not ideal for sleeping. 

OK, the challenge was on. I turned on the ceiling light and turned off the bedside lamp. That's when I captured this photo. The critter was too pretty to consider execution.

As it happens, my bedroom is a loft with two skylights. One of them opens. That's where I took a photo on a sunny morning last week. You might have seen it. But I digress, the ceiling fixture, now the temporary resting place of the moth, is not near the window. BUT, I could move the bedside lamp. And I did. Then I turned off the ceiling light and turned on the lamp. Sure enough, the moth was attracted. 

Next step - open the skylight. OK - nothing happened. I began flapping the jeans again in the direction of the moth. Eventually it took the hint and flew off into the night. Problem solved. Skylight was closed. Lamp was returned to its habitual place, turned off, and the pursuit of sleep resumed. 

Today is a writing and research day. Maria is joining me this evening in pursuit of her branch of the Byrne line. I've recently come across some Byrnes who may be brothers of our ancestors. Hope springs eternal. Maybe I can put a couple more puzzle pieces together. 

So, I've managed to put off the writing once again. Ah well ...

The clock is possessed.

Well, maybe not possessed exactly, but it does frequently jump two hours ahead. And then the next time you look, it's exactly correct. I had noticed this several times over the last week and wondered if perhaps I'd gone bonkers. No need to comment on that. I have never actually seen the time change and because it makes the leap forward and back on a schedule unknown to me. I won't sit and stare at it for hours hoping to see when it happens.

Last night, since it gets dark very early and I'm just getting used to that, I felt quite tired. I looked at the clock which was reading 10 pm. Not too early to go to bed. So, I got ready. As I was about to settle down for the night I happened to see the screen on my phone - it was only 8 pm. The clock had done it again. Ah well, that gave me more time to read and I started to feel more awake. 

This morning it was fine, reading the same as my watch and phone. This afternoon I had someone in for a cup of tea and at 10 to 4, the clock agreed with my watch. I told John about the discrepancy and of course he had no idea what was happening.

So, I emailed the manager of the cottages. This was the reply:

It's supposed to be connected to some global wifi clock somehow.

I'm actually not sure how it works but I've heard it doesn't work great.

Anyway, it's not possessed! it's just badly designed.

He offered to replace it but I said that since I have other sources for the correct time to simply ignore it.

At dinner time, according to my stomach, my watch said 6 pm. The clock, by then, said it was 8 o'clock. Whaaaat? Just a few minutes ago I took a picture of the clock and another of my watch. See!

The clock reports the time

And just after the clock, I took a picture of my watch

So, no need to retire for the night. It's not so late. I wonder what time will be displayed when I wake up tomorrow.

Wonder of wonders, tomorrow could be the third day in a row without rain. I feel an outing in the offing. Well, at least a little grocery run. Maybe I could find a walking trail that's dry enough to use.

Slan.

Where did the weekend go?

Friday's lovely day was offset, of course, by the weather on Saturday. Let's just say it wasn't nice. Sunday was a decent day, starting out cloudy but brightening up soon enough. I collected Mary Harte in Carnew and we drove to St Brigid's church in Askamore for the 11 Mass which was celebrated in part for Mike Byrne's Months Mind. The whole family was there. Here's a 360 degree video of the view we enjoyed. Everywhere you look here, the scenery is stunning. 

I couldn't upload this video but here's a link that should take you to it. If the link doesn't work directly from this post, copy and paste it into the address bar in your browser.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/enx1h41ejr5hwl26h3aiz/398493519_6846988905395468_7650591111049376469_n.mp4?rlkey=ogm5qgkehlsyy93kdhbexfgu7&dl=0

We adjourned to Jim's pub in Carnew for a great reception with delicious vegetable soup, brown bread, sandwiches and cupcakes. Luckily for me, coffee was on offer as well as tea. I met a lot of cousins I'd met before and many that I hadn't. I hope one day that some will visit me in Ottawa.

The remainder of the day was spent reading and watching tv. I retired early and slept well. I also forgot to put my hearing aids on the charger when I went to bed.

Now it's Monday and it's wash day. The laundry is on the drying rack in my sunroom. It would not enhance the look of the courtyard if I were to put it outside the front door. I'll be sticking close to the cottage for a while, having forgotten to charge my hearing aids last night. 

My plans for the day were to stay in and do some more writing. But that sunshine is beckoning and here I am without a plan to enjoy it. It's only 8C but I have warm clothes. 

Genealogy warning. Read on at your peril.

I have long wondered about the correct spelling of a surname. One of my ggg grandmother's first names was Bridget, and her surname has been transcribed and guessed as: Loughnan(e), Longham, and this morning I think I got it right: Loughran. I was excited after seeing the name on a website that produced family names in Ogham script and also in Irish. I've yet to find the Irish other than the Ogham script is longer. My best guess is that it is the Ogham script version of the spelling in Irish. Anyway, scrolling through to see how many of my ancestral names had already been produced, I came upon Loughran. They seem to add to the collection as people request particular surnames. That name rang a bell and now, scrutinizing Bridget's marriage record, I think that is probably the correct spelling. 

Alas, I've not made any further progress finding out about her family, but in Quebec in 1842, I did find a John Loughran, farmer, in the Deux Montagnes region near Montreal. Bridget had married and lived in the Eastern Townships, but it's not that far away. Her father had been John. The John in the record was part of a family of 10. So, more research will be done trying to track down further information. I guess it's time to get a one-day access to the Drouin Collection where I'm more likely to find Quebec records.

I'll say farewell for the moment and start digging into records again. It's always easier to do research than to write, so the writing will be deferred, at least for this morning.