In the Rear View

 We finally got to the end of another life chapter yesterday, as we went to Glenties one more time to meet with the letting agent so he could do a final walk through of the apartment and we could give him back the keys. It was a long day for us, involving 4 buses and a lot of waiting time, but we did errands and had some really enjoyable moments. One of those enjoyable moments was riding out of town on our third bus of the day. Even after a decade spent in rural Ireland, I am still amazed sometimes at how much bus service there is. Glenties was perfectly adequate in that regard, but not as good as the other places we've lived. Locals in every place we've lived have grumbled about the bus service, but we always tell them that where we came from, it wouldn't be possible to go anywhere on the bus because there simply weren't any buses. But I digress. 

As we were waiting for the letting agent, a new issue popped up in the apartment. It was lashing down rain and I started hearing drip, drip, drip near my chair. I looked around and saw water dripping from the edge of the window well. I had some paper towels, but they weren't going to be adequate. Of course, we had no bowls or pots left in the apartment and unlike every other place we've lived, this one had none of that stuff when we moved in, so I grabbed the crisper drawer from the fridge and placed it on the windowsill, leaving it sticking out a little. That worked. When I showed the letting agent, he seemed unconcerned. We'd already told him that it seemed like water was getting into the building somehow and he said he'd tell the owner. I suspect they need to do some work on the roof, but thankfully, this is not my problem.

By the time we left the apartment, it was still raining, but not as heavily, which we were grateful for. Still, we and our full backpacks were getting wet, so we sought shelter as best as we could. Because it was early evening and Monday, the one or two cafes in town were closed, so we couldn't spend some of our 2-hour wait time having coffee or anything. The grocery store was closing and they pulled down the gate that leads to the car park in back, leaving a small overhang above. This offered a little bit of protection from the rain so our packs didn't get any wetter. There we stood to wait for the bus. At different times, women stopped to see if we were OK because they were concerned seeing us there and wanted to know if we needed a ride. It was very kind of them.

The bus came, we got on, and took a ride to the next town on our itinerary, where we had another 2-hour wait. This time, we went into the Apache Pizza which was right at the place where the bus let us off. It used to be a different restaurant and is right next to where we used to live. We figured that, given the size of the old restaurant, there must be some tables where we could sit and get some supper, even though Apache is mostly a takeaway. The guy said he'd open up the dining area for us. So we sat there for over an hour and were thankful to be able to do so. Neither of us had pizza. Bill had fish and chips and I had a chicken thing. Both really hit the spot on the day. The bathrooms were not as clean as they could have been, but at least they were there. I thought I was locked in for a minute when I was leaving, because I tried a door and it was locked. Then I realized I was trying to open the wrong door and was relieved when it opened. The short hallway was totally dark, but I got out OK.😂

As we were waiting for the last bus of the day, a guy came to wait for the same bus. We struck up a conversation. He said he was from Africa (he didn't say which country in Africa) and has been in Ireland since 2023. He commented on how great the people and the landscape are--we wholeheartedly agreed--but the weather is still hard for him. He's used to a much hotter climate. We were the only three people on the last bus out of town. The driver is a guy we knew from our last time living in this village and he's great. He pulled up right at the entrance to our front walkway, took our backpacks down off the bus, and went on his way. We were so happy to be home. We got our damp, tired selves inside and I put the kettle on. It was almost 10:30 pm. It was one of those times when a big mug of strong, hot, black tea really hit the spot.

As we were on our way home, the rain stopped, the clouds parted a little, and the sun was setting. This seemed appropriate--not only was the sun setting on another day, but it was also setting on the almost three years we spent in Glenties, which had a few bright spots, but was often highly stressful. I wasn't sorry to leave.

Now we can concentrate on finishing the things that need to be done regarding the move. Today I closed the old electricity account. Tomorrow a new window is being installed in the bedroom. As always, I wait and see if action matches the words that are said to me. The window was supposed to be done before we started to move in, so I hope it actually gets done. I'm looking forward to getting all these little tasks done so I can settle into a new routine. 

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