Starting the Reovations

Well, with the summer pretending to be here, without the nice weather, I decided that it was now or never to get the back garden started....

So, I got a guy in with a digger for the day to dig out all the plants and bushes, and to cart it all down to the back of the garden (or should I say field).

I thought this was the first step, so I could then see what I was starting with, but instead it just made me realise that there is WAY too much land there for me to start with myself, so I need some help :p

I walked down to the back of the garden and realised that there is SO much more land there than I could imagine with all the bushes and shrubs there. I also realised that the soil was pretty poor, so would need to haul in tons and tons of topsoil.

I did find these large rocks which I think are just fantastic. I asked mum about them and she said that they used to have them into a bit of a rockery and they would have little picnics out there when she was little. I thought that was just fab, so I am hoping that I'll be able to use them in my garden.

So, I've had the landscapers out to have a look at it and am waiting for them to come back to me with an idea on designs so I can have a look through and get a better feel for it... Fingers crossed!

Besides that, there isn't much else I've started on the house... I really need to start painting, but it's just hard getting started... I need some kind of kick up the ass!!!

I'm in holiday mode now, so I doubt anything will be done til after I'm back... Ah well, where's the hurry eh! ;)

Beach pics

Here are some of the pics I've taken the past couple of weeks at the beach....

June & July

My mum had to return again at the begining of June for a family funeral, it was so sad, but in the same way it was nice to have her and the boys here for a while. I managed to take some extra time of work at short notice, and spent a few days with them. My brother and his wife came up for the funeral too, it was good to see them, even under sad circumstances.

The boys had a great time here, they were wanting to go to the beach, but the weather wasn't all that good, so instead I got them a football and football net for the back garden which kept them amused, they thought it was great!

June flew through... all was quiet in the Friel house. I popped down to Laois for a weekend, which was great fun. I bumped into friends I hadn't seen in years, some of them more than 14 years ago! After that I nipped to Dublin to catch up with a friend from the UK, we spent a couple nights there which was great fun... then I hit the roads again, heading home.

I managed to get to London for a weekend as well... I had to go for a meeting for work in Aldershot on the Thursday evening, so I asked if they could book my flight home for the Sunday and I took the train to Olympia and surprised the family! Alfie and Morgan didn't quite know what to do, their little faces when they saw me were all confused... but quickly changed to smiles, and it was as if I'd never been away!

July itself was pretty quiet, I started spending quite a lot of time at the beach, taking photos and going for walks at least every other night... it's gorgeous there, so quiet and so few people... it's great to just unwind and think... even if there's nohing on your mind (pics in following post)!

Oh, and I also started a new job! I'm still pretty excited about the new job. I started at the end of July as Account Manager for the Inish Times, the local leading newspaper!!!! The team are great, they're a fab bunch and it works really well... Been there a couple weeks now already, and am looking forward to being there for some time!!!

Getting Settled, visits & goodbye Mr Tom

Before I started the job up in the call centre, I was starting to get very homesick, my day had no routine, no real drive... so one day, I just thought "I either get a job and settle down, or I go home right now"... So, I got up of my butt and got a job.

It was the best thing I could have done. Ok, the job wasn't exactly the greatest, but it was a regular time every day, and I got out to mingle with people - the thing I love to do!

I also joined a Martial Arts club here, it's great! The class I go to is run by a family friend and the people there are great! It's not a big crowd, which is even better.... we have a laugh and learn Jiu Jitsu, you can't beat it!

My mum, brother and the boys came to visit back in April, it was great fun... The boys loved it, we had some good weather too, so spent some time at the beach! I was able to take the time off work and just spend with them... mum was here for her birthday too!!!!

My first birthday here was a little strange... usually I would go round to my mums and just chill out, and then maybe go out with friends in the evening or the weekend following... This year it was just me, and little Tom.

I didn't really have anyone to celebrate it with, so I went to work and just tried to forget about it... that was easier said than done, with all my UK friends and family texting and calling to wish me a happy one, I ended up more homesick than I had been, and just wanted to go home.... The tears filled my eyes, and I just wished I was anywhere than here...

That evening I went to watch the kids play football in Rasheeney, it was good to stay outta the house, so I didn't get all down in the dumps, it was even better that the boys won!!!!

Some friends of mine from the UK paid a visit at the end of May, the 4 of them came on their motor bikes and did a littl tour of Ireland before ending up at my house...

Thankfully while they were here we had some great weather and were able to go out and see the sights, play at the beach for a bit, and enjoy chillin in the pub....


We found ourselves taking part in the pub quiz one night, we named ourselves "Smelly cheeses in the corner"!!!! :)

Sadly, on their last night, we were in the taxi coming home... as I got to the house I could see something in the road ahead, and my gut lurched... I knew it was Tom.

My buddy was amazing, he jumped outta the car and went to see Tom, there was nothing we could do, he'd died instantly... so he wrapped him in a towel and carried him back to the house. It was 3am, and that sobered us up instantly!!!

I was really taken heartbroken about poor little Tom, he and I had been through some tough times, and he was always there for me. He'd listen to me rambling on, and would just comfort me when I needed it. He was a good little friend, I would (and still do) miss him dearly.

Sometimes I think he came for a purpose, to get me through a tough patch and he did that... then it was time to leave? Sometimes I wonder if he had a happy little life with me, I sure hope so... we weren't friends for long, but it was a great friendship when I needed it most!

My biker buddies did Tom proud, they burried him in the garden for me, a nice quiet spot under the tree... I was glad that we found him, and were able to put him to rest... my buddies will never really know how much that meant to me.

Back up & running again

Hey!

Well, I have finally managed to reactivate the account to go with this blog, I'm not quite sure what the problem was, but hey, it's fixed now, that's what counts!

It's been quite some time since my last post, so I'll try and update this in as short a post as possible.

Have been here in the Emerald Isle since February - I had a great holiday in the USA over Christmas and New Year, and that left me refreshed for my new start!

At 4am on the 17th Feb, after quite a lot of fighting to get Tom into his box, Mr Tom and I packed ourselves into the car and headed for our new lives, not knowing what was ahead of us, but knowing that behind we had left a very loving and slightly heart broken family.

About 15 minutes into the drive I finally managed to stop the flow of tears and concentrate on the road ahead, my heart was aching having to leave my family behind, but I knew I had to give this a go, so I swallowed the lump in my throat, turned the music up and started to sing along.

We arrived here that evening and it was absolutely freezing, there was no heating on in the house for us when we arrived, so I made a start with a fire and snuggled up with Tom on the chair... It was -7 that night and similar temps the whole week... what on earth had I let myself in for?

Mr Tom wouldn't even go outside the door for weeks, it was just too cold... he spent most of his time as close to the fire as possible, or snuggled up with me if I sat for a moment.

We started unpacking our things and getting settled, and soon enough this old cottage began to feel like home.

We had quite bad weather for quite some time, lots of hail and snow, the wind at night was fierce, it's a good job I wasn't the kind to get scared easily at new noises.

I bought whatever furniture we needed, and got myself a little job out in the call centre, things were starting to form a routine, things were starting to look up!

Mr Tom finally decided that he was brave enough to go out.... so, off he went.... the first walk didn't last all that long, he had a quick ramble through the bushes out back, a quick scout round inside the garage and was back inside snuggled up infront of the fire again!

10th Dec 07

10th December 2007

Today was the first day I really felt like a stranger at my old flat. I’d not been out there since the day my stuff was collected, and I’ve been away setting everything up at my new home all of last week… so it was a bit of a shock when I felt such a stranger when I was driving out there this afternoon…

I came to town, and everything was familiar and the same as I remember, but also very different… I didn’t have the usual feeling of ‘being home’ when I got to town and turned into my road…

I pottered around and did the things I needed to, then locked up and headed back to my parents place…

I suppose it’s a bit like being on holiday, except there’s no pool, no beach, and no water sports…. There’s also no room service or mini-bar but hey-ho, it’s my ‘in between’ stage, and I’m content with that…

Oh, but I’d be happy if at least there was decent internet access… the internet here is dial up, which I could cope with, but the pc is not very happy at the moment, so most of the pages won’t open up… so it’s better to not even try – or else I end up getting very frustrated with it!

I hope you’re all getting your Christmas shopping done… and looking forward to seeing friends and family over the holiday period…

I’m looking forward to my holidays… only 7 more sleeps…