I'm still at home!

Dogs don't worry about the weather.

Well as you can see I didn't make it to Dublin yesterday. I have now experienced having my flight cancelled not once but twice in a day. There were no flights available today which was just as well because I hear on the news the airport had again cancelled flights. I have an early morning flight booked tomorrow but it really doesn't look too hopeful. I've spoken to Beccy and she has the children off school, the bus wasn't running, so conditions in Dublin seem to be much the same as here.

My neighbour is a great bloke he has cleared the road single handed everyday this week, only for it to be several inches deep in snow by the next morning (I took a sneaky photo of him hard at work).
I felt very guilty for not getting out there to help him. I chatted to him from my dining room window and apologised for not helping. I had to laugh when he sweetly said "don't worry-when I'm 60 odd I won't be doing it either". I wonder who he thinks cleared my steps earlier.

Embee managed to get into work today but arrived home early about an hour ago. I suggested he did a little snow clearing and he's thinking about it! If he does go out I will probably help-well I will as soon as I have finished this. Actually I think I can hear him outside so better go and show my face.


I decided to snap some snow scenes in monochrome.

Archives:
2008: Witty Wednesday-36.html"
2007: Was yours a top toy

Not a day of rest!!

Embee has been very busy today. The first thing he had to do was mend the cistern in the cloakroom. This involved fitting a new ball cock but it does seem to have resolved the overflow problem. I'm now anxiously waiting to see if the carpet will dry out without leaving any stains!

Doing this little job obviously put him in a working mood, because he then decided to go and try and repair our neighbour's gate. You would be right in thinking that you have read this before, he thought it was fixed the last time he did it, (I won't go into details but it might have had something to do with the 'old cement' not being a good idea~and no that was not Embee's doing!). I couldn't resist getting the camera out. He had no idea I was taking photos of his progress!


He went back after lunch and is now waiting for filler to set~ I think this is going to take longer than he expected! He's just come back in, and what was the first thing he did.......switch the TV on!!! But he does deserve a rest~(yes I am creeping!)~I've got to keep in his good books because I'm waiting for a shelter to be built to protect the tortoise's feeding area~ the birds keep stealing all the fruit I put out for them, and I cannot afford to feed the wild birds such luxuries!

Now I wouldn't want you to think I have been sitting around blogging while he has been working! I have done a couple of loads of laundry, washed floors, cleaned the porch, and the bathroom as well as getting all the green algae off the decking~ and yes I did take a photo to prove it!


It was my grand daughter's birthday a couple of weeks ago, but she is having her party today so I'm hoping the weather is as good in Dublin as it is here. Have a great time Mollie.

Archives:
2007: Name this tree

News Flash

Do you remember my recent dilemma about the prospect of loosing the trees opposite our house. My neighbour who was proposing to build an eco-bungalow in the grounds told me this morning he has pulled out. He said he had taken our views into account and he didn't want to cause any bad feelings. He has also found out that there are seven dogs in the house next door but it was our views on the trees that was really the deciding factor. I then felt really awful because I also don't want to cause any ill will or be the person to scupper his plans. I was just on my way out, when he stopped me, but said we would talk about it some more. So it seems we have no more to worry about and my mother is naturally very pleased.

PS. Isn't he a wonderful person to consider our views before his own plans I now feel very humble.

My dilemma

I have a dilemma the trees in the picture form the boundary of a property on the opposite side of the road from where I live. In winter they look a bit forlorn but later in the year they provide us with a 'green view'. The council are responsible for keeping the trees pruned and in my opinion they have allowed them to grow too high. That said, I'm not sure I would want to see them disappear completely.
Last year, the owners of the house tried to get planning permission to build a house in the garden but were turned down due to limited access. My immediate neighbour whom you may remember I have mentioned in previous posts (part of his front garden is visible in the photo) is keen to find a plot to build an eco-friendly bungalow.
I think you might see where I'm going. My neighbour has tentatively discussed the possiblity of buying part of the other garden to build his bungalow. So far so good but today when I popped in to take him some soup (he had an op yesterday) he told me he had got the planning officer out to re-look at the site. My neighbour had said that no one liked the trees and has been assured that the planners would raise no objection to the trees being removed (he is of the opinion it's because it will save the council money).
Here's my problem, I told him I would be sad to see the trees go completely but I feel they need to be lopped quite considerably. For my neighbour it's the problem the roots would cause for anything built on the land.
So if a planning application is submitted do I make a formal objection to loosing the trees or do I let it go as we are friendly with both neighbours. What would you do????

Good neighbours

A comment on my post yesterday from Devon immediately brought to mind an incident that happened last year and it's provided me with the topic for today's post. On one of my trips last year to visit Beccy in Dublin, my cabin bag got left behind outside our house. I thought it was hubby's fault, as he was putting the cases in the car, he thought it was mine and said I had left it there when I'd locked the door.
Anyway no matter whose fault it was, I only realised it was missing as we neared the airport (approx 6:30am), you can imagine the panic I felt as the case not only contained personal items but much more importantly it also contained my grand daughter's birthday present (a leather jewellery case). We soon realised that Mike would not be able to get home and back before the flight closed.
This is where my neighbour comes in, I felt sure David would not mind being woken up to take a look. At this point I was quite convinced that I would never see the case again. After all a smart blue roller cabin case full of goodies would be far too tempting for anyone passing by and we live on a main road. Luckily Mike has David's phone number on his mobile and I rang him; he didn't hesitate said he would go straight over and look. When I arrived in Dublin and switched my phone on a text message told me that David had found the case and was keeping it safe. This was an immense relief and I consider that I have lived next door to a very good neighbour for the past 20 years. So giving him a lift to the airport and helping out when he was incapacitated was the least I could do.

In case you are interested my grand daughter was very understanding about her birthday present and she didn't mind that she did not have it on the day. I was doubly relieved not to have lost my luggage because I had bought this particular jewellery case six months before after my grand daughter had admired it and I knew I could not get an exact replacement. So all's well that ends well.

PS I'm now so paranoid that I check/ double/ tripple check that I have everything when I travel but 'better to be safe than sorry' is now my motto.

I felt like the Ambassador's guest

A few weeks back I gave my neighbour lift to the airport, as he was off to sunny Lanzarotte for a two week break. Anyone who has been reading my blog since I started it will remember David who had his leg in plaster and then had a nasty fall. You may also recall that I used to take him the odd bowl of soup etc when he couldn't manage to cook. Going on holiday when he did meant he managed to miss all the storms. He came home having had a wonderful time in a five star hotel, and looking quite tanned, lucky him. Well, he was very grateful for the lift and the help I had given him so he brought me a little gift which was very thoughtful but quite unnecessary, particularly as he is a tailor and has done lots of little alterations to various garments sometimes free and sometimes for a fraction of the real cost. Any way I accepted the gift graciously and when I opened it I thought I was at the Ambassador's Party (do you remember the original advert. I found this video on you tube).
As you can see below I got my own mini version, very nice but no good for my expanding waist line.