Almost Neon

 When we moved to this area the first time, one of the things I noticed right away was the intense, vivid, deep colors of the hydrangeas. I love hydrangeas and years ago, we used to have a beautiful one outside our dining room window. It bloomed in a lovely periwinkle blue color. The same color hydrangeas were outside another place we lived here in Ireland. They're abundant here in all kinds of colors. But up here, the colors tend to be much deeper and intense--jewel-tone--instead of being more pastel. There are some of the latter, but more of the former. I've enjoyed looking at the new-to-me hydrangea colors as I've come across them. Today as were were on a walk, I saw one that was almost neon.

I'm told the color depends on the soil. Like all of us I guess, they bloom where they're planted and present themselves accordingly. 😏 

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A Small Slice of Life

 I've mentioned before that I really enjoy the bus rides we go on here, especially the ride between here and Gortahork--we take narrow rural roads, whether we're on the smaller Local Link bus or one of the larger buses. Each one takes a different road and each has different scenery. I'm developing favorite parts of each route. I find these rides so relaxing. Since we've been back, I've realized how much I missed the rocks, hills, views of the sea, and simply riding through some very, very rural areas. It's not that we weren't rural before, but this is a different level--as one friend said, 'You're in the back of beyond now.'  The other day we were on the Local Link. 

At this time of year, people are taking advantage of every dry day to get their turf cut, dried, home, and covered before the next rain arrives.

He was slow and as you can see, passing wasn't really an option for a while so best to just enjoy the ride without worrying too much about how fast the destination will be reached. Eventually there was a spot for the tractor guy to move over and the bus driver to pass. Shortly after we did that, we passed a small cottage with another tractor and trailer full of turf parked out front. People do light their open fires all year long, but they'll also want to get ready for winter. The wind can be fierce in this region as it blows off the ocean.

The sky was pretty typical of the sort we've been experiencing lately. I love a grey sky with puffy clouds--like a piece of abstract art. In spite of the clouds, we haven't really had much rain for a few days. This is apparently about to change as Storm Floris arrives, bringing unseasonably high winds and lots of rain.

Earlier in the week, we were in Letterkenny with a bit of time before we had to look out for our bus home. This means a visit to the charity shop. I don't know when they opened the one right next to the bus stop, but it was a genius move. It was a good book day. Bill got a bunch and I picked up 3 classics.

I'm always thrilled to find classics, especially the black Wordsworth Editions. I find they have excellent introductions (which should always be read after reading the book due to spoilers).

I've read Pride and Prejudice and to be honest, it's not my favorite Austen. But they had two copies of this and we had 9 books, so I would've been charged €2 whether I got the 10th one or not (the books there are priced at 5 for €1). I decided to give it another shot. I'm wondering if I'm just ornery and have an aversion to it because so many people are quite wild about it. I'll read it again and find out. I don't think I've read the Sherlock Holmes novels, although I've listened to radio dramatizations. I'll be interested to read these and the introduction. And I've never read Dracula or seen the movie the cover image is taken from. I think I did see Abbott and Costello Meet Dracula when I was a child, but that's about it.

One of the things I love about this cottage is the kitchen. I have so much counter space! It used to be that I kept my large slow cooker in a cupboard and when I wanted to use it, I had to move other things around to make space for it on the counter near a plug. Then it would be in the way, so I mostly used it overnight. Now it has a dedicated space on the counter away from the area where I do most of my work and it's within reach of a plug that I don't need to use for anything else. I can put supper ingredients in there in the morning and by suppertime, the meal is finished. Yesterday morning, I put in a whole chicken and some chunks of potato, onion, and carrot, turned it on high and 8 hours later, we had supper. 

Of course, there was leftover veg and plenty of chicken--I usually get 4 meals for both of us out of a whole chicken of this size. I add a small amount of water at the start and as things cook, a nice broth is also created. I pour this in a jar and usually use it for soup or gravy. This is the only way I've cooked whole chickens for years. For one thing, it's an energy efficient way to cook--it would take eons in the ovens I've had here, but I was doing it this way even before we came to Ireland. It comes out beautifully--falls off the bone and because it's not a dry heat, the chicken and veg do not dry out. I do like roasted veg, but this is a nice way to have them, too. 

So that's a random slice of my life lately--quiet, peaceful, and full of gratitude. It's a holiday weekend here, so of course rain is in the forecast and a potentially disruptive storm. I'll have all the rechargeable lamps, my e-reader, and my mp3 player charged up and ready. 

I hope August has been treating you well so far!

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July Reading Wrap Up (Second Half)

 Before I get to my 2nd half reading wrap up, I wanted to give an update on our electric company saga. Yesterday I got a corrected bill, which stated that it was replacing the previous bill. The correct bill is €113 lower than the incorrect one. Glad that's sorted. Now on to the books! My reading wrap up for the first half of the month is here.

Shockwave: The Countdown to Hiroshima by Stephen Walker (library book)

Here's how this books begins:

" For the rest of his life, Sumao Tsubori would never forget how beautiful the garden looked that night. The trees, the lake, the little rainbow bridge, the ancient wooden teahouses dotting the banks, the smell of fresh pine, the white heron sleeping on the rock. The perfect stillness of it all. Outside beyond the garden walls, the city slept in the darkness. In the blackout, it was almost possible to believe there was no city out there at all, no houses, no army, no war. As if he and Reiko, lying together under the stars, were the only people alive in the world. That is how he remembered it the night before the bomb." (p3)

This was quite a read. It does exactly what the subtitle says--looks at the weeks leading up to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima from a few weeks before when the bomb was tested, through to the aftermath and the next bomb drop on Nagasaki. The author concludes with a chapter on the men involved in the years after the war and what they thought of their part in this horrific episode. There were many ways in which I found this narrative chilling as well as heartbreaking. The people going about their lives as best as they could under the circumstances couldn't possibly imagine the horror that was heading their way. As I was reading, I kept thinking about how incredibly stupid war is and how we know this and keep on doing it anyway. I understand that the Japanese military people were incredibly brutal--not just at this time in history, either. I don't know whether dropping the bombs was justified. I'm glad I will never have to make such a decision. In the end, had they listened to one advisor in particular, they could have gotten the same terms of surrender before the bombs were dropped. It's also true that if the US hadn't dropped the bomb, then another country would have at some point. What was not ambiguous at all to me was some of the attitudes on the part of the (very unlikable) US military guys involved, who expressed no remorse and in one case, even celebrated this catastrophe decades later, when he reproduced the flight and the bomb drop at a Texas air show. That is obscene. You can have no regrets for your actions, be convinced that you did the right thing, and still recognize that it was horrific, even if you think it was justified. I don't think the slaughter of all those people is cause for celebration or entertainment, war or no war. As you can probably tell, this was a powerful book that will stay with me.

Death of a Bookseller by Bernard J. Farmer (library book)

This was the 100th title published in the British Library Crime Classics series. It's a fun read, which is set in the world of secondhand book dealing in London in the 1950s. In the book, Sergeant Wigan escorts a drunk man home, befriends him, and becomes interested in the man's trade, which is secondhand books. Some of these books are quite rare and the dealers and runners can be quite competitive. Still, Wigan's new friend begins teaching him about books and how to find desirable ones. They visit one another regularly. But one day, the book dealer is found dead. Wigan sets out to find the murderer of his friend with help from various others. The author had a foot in both worlds as he was a police officer and a book person, so he was able to bring that world to life. As I was reading, I was thinking about the book Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney, who is a rare book dealer herself and includes a lot about the book trade of the present day. In both cases, this adds a lot to the books.

Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie (Serial Reader)

I've been enjoying reading some of Agatha Christie's early work again via the Serial Reader app. In the case of this book, although I read it before, I had no recollection of it at all and in fact, I think I thought the plot was different than it actually was. It was like reading it for the first time again. It's not one of Christie's best works, but reading it little by little was a fun experience nonetheless. In the book, Anne Beddingfield has come of age running her father's household after the death of her mother. When her father dies, she learns that he left many debts, so house and possessions are sold off to pay them, leaving her about £87. She goes to stay with a family friend while she tries to find work. One day, while on the platform at the train station, she looks up to see a man near the edge. Suddenly a look of horror comes over his face. He takes a step backwards and falls. Anne finds a piece of paper with some numbers on it. What do they mean? And what is the ticket to go view a house all about? What's the connection to the dead body that was found there? Anne decides to investigate and with her £87, which is just enough to buy a ticket for a boat to South Africa, she begins her adventure. 

Abortion: A History by Mary Fissell (library book)

The title tells you what this is about. It's a very interesting look at how attitudes to abortion changed in different places at different times, going from a commonplace medical procedure that was accepted and not considered anyone's business but the pregnant woman's, to a punishable offence when both women and fetuses were considered male property. Older women explained to younger ones what herbs/plants they could use to encourage miscarriage. Hot baths, jumping up and down, and other physical things were also advised. Then, when women and fetuses were considered property of men, miscarrying was considered a theft of property. Surveillance was common (sound familiar?). Nonetheless, whatever the laws and attitudes at any particular time, women have always and will always find ways to have abortions. 

The Death of Mr Dodsley by John Ferguson (library book)

Another secondhand bookshop! This one is located in the Charing Cross Road and is owned by Mr. Dodsley. One night, he is found murdered in his office. The scene looks remarkably like the cover of a newly published mystery novel written by the estranged daughter of an MP. Is there a connection? Turns out that the owner had called in a private detective to look into another matter shortly before his death. He continues his investigation, expanding it to include the murder. Scotland Yard is pursuing their own investigation and there are some amusing conversations within the police hierarchy. I enjoyed this book, but didn't think it was as good as Death of a Bookseller above. That said, it was a classic mystery (first published in 1937) and books are central to the plot, so it was still a good read. And there was some lovely writing, such as this sentence, " Envy is not a soil on which love thrives." (p 66)

The Waves by Virginia Woolf (my copy)

Well, this was one of the strangest books I've ever read. I'm not really sure whether I liked it or not. At the moment, I can't see myself re-reading it, but I'm going to keep it, so you never know. The 'plot' involves the lives of 6 friends as they grow up, enter adulthood, become middle-aged, and grow old. There is a 7th friend, but he is only talked about, and we never hear from him directly. This is in contrast to the others--the entire book is a sort of stream of consciousness moving between one and the next. These inner monologues are interspersed with a poetic story about the sun rising over the waves and shining through the day until it sets again. It took me a while to get into the flow of the narrative as there are no breaks between one character's thoughts and the next one--as I read, I was trying to keep up with quick jumps between 'Susan said' and 'Louis said' and on and on. The exception to this jumping around was near the end, when Bernard 'says' for many, many pages. After a while, I could see who was speaking/thinking, but it did take a while. These were sometimes profound thoughts and sometimes observations of the surroundings, for example (not actual quotes, because I am too lazy to get the book from the bottom of my Woolf pile, but sentences like this): 'The crumbs are on the table. Soon, I will push my glass away.' The style was such that at first it wasn't clear to be that these were thoughts left unspoken--I mean, I do not think this way. But it was a different time and Woolf was trying to create a work of art, so that is perhaps not so important here.

The Mysterious Mr. Badman by W.F. Harvey (library book)

This is another bibliomystery--my third and most favorite one of the month. This one is set in Yorkshire and is quite amusing. Mr. Athelstan Digby is a delightful character. He is staying in a village near where his nephew, Dr. Jim Pickering, may take over the local medical practice. They plan to go hiking. Mr. Digby offers to watch the bookstore owned by the person he's staying with as he and his wife have somewhere to go. Mr. Digby is astonished when three very different people show up looking for a book by Bunyan--The Mysterious Mr. Badman. He's even more astonished when a young lad comes in to sell him some books and that very title is included. Why do people want that book? When someone takes the book from Mr Digby's possession, it's clear something weird is going on. Mr Digby and Jim decide to find out what. This was a fun read--quite an amusing caper, full of implausible episodes. I learned that the author published a book of interconnected short stories featuring Athelstan Digby, but the library system doesn't have it and it's not on Project Gutenberg. Maybe one day I'll find it. I'd definitely love to read it.

So that's it for July reading. I hope you had an excellent reading month, too. Here's hoping for more wonderful books in August!

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Starting and Hopefully Ending

 Yesterday, I wrote about my difficulties with the electric company, who was trying to stick us with a bunch of charges and taxes on those charges for 4 months before we moved in here. As things stood then, I was awaiting a response to the email I sent with 10 attachments--pictures of each page of the lease. This morning, I got a letter in my email from Edwin, saying that he had approved the change to the move-in date because what I sent him at first didn't have the necessary information (it did) and what I sent him yesterday did (it repeated what I'd already sent him. He told me that to complete the process, I should call Customer Service. I did this and ended up listening to the screeching trumpet again--I loathe that trumpet! Then some guy came on who sounded like he was a teenager. He asked how he could help me and I explained as concisely as possible. 'Hang on 2 seconds while I check your account,' he said. Then, 'Yes, the move-in date of 5 June has been approved. Hang on 2 seconds while I change that for you.' I waited. Then he told me it was done and asked, 'And is there anything else I can help you with today?' 'Well, yes. The starting meter reading needs to be corrected. And the bill needs to be corrected, because now that you've removed 4 months from it, it will be quite a bit lower.' This seemed to throw him a bit (?!). He said, 'Hang on 2 seconds while I go check on this.' I was back to the trumpet for several minutes. Then I was informed that he was connecting me with someone who could actually do what I needed. And it seemed that she did. She removed the old bill, she said, as well as updated the account to show the correct start date. She told me I could expect a corrected bill in due course. I mentioned the starting meter reading. She left to check on that and when she came back, told me the one I gave her was correct--they checked remotely for that day. I asked about the postal address, which was also wrong on the incorrect bill. Apparently the guy I talked to last week did actually fix that because it's right now. I was feeling pretty hopeful that we were nearing the end of this annoying episode, but after supper, I saw I had a missed call and a voicemail from the electric company. My heart sank when the woman said she'd like to help me with my query, but since she couldn't reach me, I should call. Sigh. I called. Pressed all the buttons. Answered the security questions. The guy asked how he could help me. I said I wasn't sure, but was told to call. He had a look. The call was just to confirm the corrected move-in date. I confirmed that the old bill had been removed and he said it had been--I tend toward believing this because I noticed that when I was at the start of the call, the automated voice did not tell me what the balance was, as it had done before. So we live in hope that things are on track now.

In order to reward myself between conversations with the electric company, I took a walk to the library late this afternoon. I had a backpack full of books to return and 3 to pick up. I am definitely looking forward to these, especially this one:

This one is a short story collection:

And the last one I picked up today--I've read at least one other book by this author and it was quite good. I've become quite interested in the similarities between authoritarian societies and how they succumbed to tyrants. I'm curious to see what he has to say about this time in history. Based on the blurb, it seems like some of what he describes will seem very familiar.

For tonight, I plan to start the Yorkshire bibliomystery. Have any of you read it (or either of the other two)? If so, what did you think?

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Nice Try

 This morning, with my first cup of coffee in front of me, I called the electric company--again. When we moved here, I did the usual stuff to start the account here. Because bills are sent every other month, I wasn't expecting one until mid/late August. Imagine my surprise then, when a week ago I found a bill in my email. That surprise turned to shock when I saw the amount. The shock turned to annoyance when I downloaded the bill and saw the problem. The billing period was supposed to start on June 5. They started it on February 5. This means that they stuffed lots of fees and taxes on those fees onto this bill. In addition to that, they had the wrong starting meter reading. And they had the postal address wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I called, pressing all the required buttons and answering the security questions. The woman went to investigate. She came back, thanked me for waiting, and the call got cut off. I called again. I pressed all the buttons. I listened to the screeching trumpet they have for their 'on hold' music--an insanely bad choice, because it does grate on the nerves and people are already not in a good mood when they're trying to contact this company. When the person answered, we went through all the security questions again. Rather than repeat myself, I told him I'd just been cut off. He looked at my account and could see what was going on. He told me that it sometimes happens that when people move out of a property and close their account, no one takes responsibility for it as they should. So I should send pictures of the lease pages with dates on showing the move-in date and the correct meter reading. He said he fixed the postal address. I sent the relevant lease pages, including the signature page which has a date on it. I first got an automated reply saying it would take 24 hours for someone to reply. In less than an hour, I had a reply saying that my email had been forwarded to the billing department and I should allow 5 working days for them to send a correct bill. No real surprise that the 5 days came and went without any further communication, other than an automated email asking me to rate my experience with customer service. Um, I don't really think you want me to do that right now, people.

So this morning, I did the whole thing again. The customer service person I was speaking to asked if I'd received any further communication. I said I had not. She told me that when she looked at my account, she saw a message saying they'd been unable to approve the change because what I sent wasn't proof enough. I needed to send the entire tenancy agreement. I told her that to do that, I would have to take a picture of each individual page and send it. 'Do you really want me to send you 10 pages of this stuff?' We went back and forth. At some points she seemed to indicate that I should send the 10 attachments and at others that I should send any page with a date. I asked her if it would work to have the letting agent who manages the place call and correct the issue. At first she said no. Later I said that since the problem seems to be that no one is on record for the four months between 5 February and 5 June, if he calls and sorts that out, that should solve the problem. 'Yeeeas, maybe,' she squeaked. She said she could extend the lock on the bill, which means they won't request the money from the bank for an extra week. She reiterated that I should send the lease today to the same email address that I sent things before. 

There were several things that irritated me about this whole thing. One of them was that when they decided they weren't going to correct the bill without further proof, they didn't bother to tell me. It seems like they were just hoping I'd let it go and they'd be able to stick us with the bill. We're not talking a small amount here, either. They are overcharging us by more than 100 euro.

I got off the phone, took a picture of each page of the lease, attached them all to an email and sent it. I contacted the letting agent and said he needs to contact them and sort out the 4 month gap. I have gotten no reply to my email--not even the automated one. Once again, I have no idea what is going on. I checked the account and the debit date is not showing that it's been extended. I have no way of knowing if they fixed the postal address because all I have access to is the mess of a bill with everything wrong in it. I suppose I'm going to have to start off tomorrow with another phone call to some poor person somewhere who is going to have to converse with a very unhappy woman who does not enjoy starting off her day with these conversations. If nothing else, maybe they'll get tired of me calling them. It wouldn't bother me at all if they are as sick of dealing with me as I am dealing with them! 

This whole gap problem seems to be increasing. We've experienced it before, but it was flagged before the new account was opened, so the landlord could pay what he owed. I noticed that they've started to ask who will be responsible for the account of the property we're moving from, which never used to happen. When we were leaving our apartment for the last time a few weeks ago, I knew the question would be asked, so I asked the letting agent who managed the place what name I should give. He said it didn't matter and I didn't have to tell them anything. I gave them the name of the management company anyway. They seem quite nonchalant about it, but for the sake of the person who moves in there next, I hope it's been taken care of. People have enough to deal with when moving--they don't need this kind of crap on top of everything else!

Late in the afternoon, we caught the bus for a nice ride to get some groceries. I do enjoy the ride and it was just what I needed--a dose of beautiful scenery.

this makes me think of those old signs that say 'if you lived here, you'd be home now' we had a little further to go

This landscape always fills me with a sense of quiet joy and peace.

And then, this wee Dublin doggy made me laugh--he always does. The person who does the video doesn't allow it to be played outside of youtube, so the link should take you there--it's a minute and a half of adorableness.

I had two audiobooks come in today--one was 2 weeks early--so I have a nice evening of listening and crochet ahead. I'll enjoy that.

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Outmatched

 I posted the other day about Donegal making it to the GAA All-Ireland Football championship match and all the excitement around their first appearance there in 11 years. It was not a good result for Donegal today. They were outmatched from the start. Lots of bummed people have a long journey back to Donegal from Dublin tonight. 

The son of our former neighbor, who is one of the best players on the team, went out with an injury in the first half, so we hope he's OK. It didn't seem serious, but I'm sure he was disappointed.

Many bars have live music planned tonight--and they get special permission to stay open late. I guess the atmosphere won't be very festive, but I'm sure the drink will flow nonetheless. People can drink and dance away their sorrow. I'm glad I'm not near one.

As for me, I have an artist talk to listen to while I crochet and a book to read, so I'm happy anyway. 😀

And now we head into a new week. Hope yours is great!

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The End :-(

 Today was the last day for the Bakery, the bakery/cafe near us. It's very sad. The owner announced that it was for sale shortly after we decided to move back here. I was chatting with her when our friend and I went there for breakfast as he was helping us move stuff. She was hoping to find a buyer that would keep the business going and keep the staff. It was a very successful business, as we knew from when we lived above it. It was an extremely popular spot for locals and tourists alike. And she worked so hard. In addition to the cafe, she created custom cakes, which she had to do after the cafe had closed. She was often there into the wee hours of the morning and during the Christmas season that we were there, she was downstairs all night on the night before Christmas Eve getting the Christmas cakes and other goodies ready to be picked up. We used to watch sometimes as she would carry a huge towering box out to someone's car and carefully place it safely inside. At some point after we left 3 years ago, she stopped doing the custom cakes and focused on the cafe because doing both was becoming too much.  But then there were some changes in her life that required her to be available for caregiving, so she decided it was time to sell. Apparently there were no good offers, because a couple of weeks ago she announced that while she'd hoped for a buyer and/or to stay open until the end of August, circumstances beyond her control meant that today would be the last day the cafe would be open. So, after 13 years, the Bakery has now closed its doors for the last time. 

Of course, I was not alone in my intention to procure some goodies one last time. A couple of friends were planning to come from 1 1/2 hours away on Thursday so we could head over. But the electricity people were installing new poles for the electricity supply and both our cottage and the Bakery were without power for a time, so she kept the Bakery closed. Yesterday morning, I walked over and the line was out the door. It's a small area at the counter inside and it was chaos. One of the servers was trying to maneuver through the crowd with a full metal teapot and a bunch of mugs to deliver these things to a table. She made it. When I got closer to the counter, someone bought the last chunk of soda bread and I thought, 'Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about her soda bread!' We used to love it. Then someone asked about the basket of quick breads and she was told it was banana bread. 'Oh yeah,' I thought, 'I'd forgotten about her banana bread. I'll get a loaf of that.' I was hoping for cheesecake, which isn't like the cheesecake I used to know--it's much softer and creamier here, but I love both. I felt like it was a lucky day when I asked what kind of cheesecake and was told that it was tiramisu cheesecake. I love tiramisu as much as I love cheesecake. Bill didn't want cheesecake, so I got him a brownie. I got the banana bread and a couple of squares of lemon cake, both of which we still have. That's because I woke up this morning thinking that I could go there again and get a couple of individual quiches to have for supper. I probably don't have to tell you that once I was in there, I noticed today's cheesecake, which was after all, on the shelf above the quiche. It was mint Aero today--this is a candy bar and it seems to be a popular thing to use biscuits (cookies) and candy in various kinds of baked goods. This is often quite delicious and so, in the interests of further research, I chose to get myself a piece of the cheesecake.

Yum, yum, yum. I got Bill a berry crumble bar, which he said was very good. So we still have our lemon cake and banana bread, which will be the last little bit of the Bakery that we will consume. But we will have the memories--of the delicious food then and now and of  the days we spent upstairs waking up every morning to the smell of her baking downstairs. It's going to be quite a transition for her and I wish her well. 

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