This 'n' That Blog

Lost Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 18:34:00 +0000

Sadly, I lost all of the picture from my blog :(
I think I know how it happened, but I won't be able to restore them, it would take me weeks.
I may start a brand new blog as I'm so disappointed about what happened to this blog.
If I do, you'll be the first ones to know.
Thanks!

Getting Fired from your Job - Should you Laugh or should you Cry?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 23:41:00 +0000

How many of us have been fired from a job and how many of us are still wondering why it happened?
And were you upset? Did you cry? Did it seem like the end of the world to you or at least the end of your part of the world?
I recently went through this experience in a job that I had been so much looking forward to doing and that I had made many sacrifices for.
I was fired unexpectedly with no warning whatsoever.
Was I upset? I was devastated! Did I cry? I shed buckets!
As I had only worked for the company for 6 months, there was nothing I could legally do about my dismissal under UK labour regulations.

The first couple of days were tough, but the kindness and constructive advice of my daughter helped me through the worst of it and allowed me to talk about my situation in detail. At the end of the weekend, I had formulated a plan, revamped my CV and was in the process of setting up a Facebook page for my translation services https://www.facebook.com/ASBurkeTranslations.

After those initial couple of days, I was still close to tears thinking about the injustice of what had happened to me, but the tear-free periods were on the increase.
And then I sat back and reviewed my work situation of the last 6 months.

Had I been happy in my job or had I been trying to kid myself? - Admittedly, this job had challenged me and allowed me to use many of the skills I had accrued over the years. I did a good job too and the results are visible to all that visit the company's e-commerce website, which I translated, from English to German. In addition, I dealt with a lot of the backend work for the website, worked on SEO and wrote some articles for the News section on the website.
Yet, despite all this, I wasn't happy. The manageress of this small company who had hired me (there was no HR Department) didn't really like me. At first I merely had a gut feeling about this and then I felt more and more convinced of it. I even went out of my way to try and address any possible issues, but I now have to admit that she sadly lied to my face and went behind my back to prepare for my dismissal.
Yes, I have to say that she won't ever be my best buddy, but a month after I lost my job I'm nearly jumping for joy. I now realise that I would have never been happy in that company as the manageress in question is a control freak who would not tolerate anybody else's success or happiness. - Inferiority complex has sprung to mind, but don't tell her I said so.
So while I'm still looking for a new position or some freelance translation work, I have to admit that the tears have turned to laughter and that I'm glad I don't have to work for a company any longer where I felt like I had been fitted with a straight jacket.

Jimmy Savile - from BBC Star to Social Outcast

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 23:26:00 +0000

Hard to believe how Jimmy Savile has fallen from grace within a year of his death at the age of 84. Anybody who grew up in England or lived in the UK or Ireland in the 1970s or 80s would have certainly known this eccentric celebrity who made people's wishes come true in Jim'll Fix It. He raised millions for charity and was one of the BBC's biggest ever stars.

Jimmy Savile in his hayday

Apparently, there had been rumours about him liking teenage girls that little bit too much, but there had never been enough proof for any kind of prosecution.
Now we have every reason to believe that Savile was a sexual predator preying on young teenage girls and possibly even younger girls and boys. He used his celebrity status to lure those kids into his BBC changing room, his caravan, his Rolls Royce or even the nurses accommodation in one of the hospitals he appeared to have access to whenever he so desired.
The BBC bosses are horrified as the flood gates opened in the aftermath of an ITV programme on Savile's sexual preferences which was aired in October this year. Savile may have abused in the region of 300 young people over a 40 year period and some of these incidents happened on BBC premises. There appeared to be enough evidence for a BBC programme to be screened last December in which a woman described her ordeal with Savile when she was only 14 - but this programme was axed by the BBC in favour of an all singing all dancing Boxing Day review about the late Jimmy Savile, fund-raising guru and favourite of the people who fixed it for so many kids.
Some of the girls he fixed it for are now going to sue his estate.

It's been a while...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:42:00 +0000

Yes, it's true, I haven't been blogging in a long time. The reason: I moved from Ireland to the UK in April 2012 and life has taken its own course. I haven't really had much time to blog but will rectify this from now on.

I've been living in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, UK since May this year and I love it! I moved over here bringing my young dog Sammy (2 years since August this year) and through walking with Sammy I've met lots of people. Being a highly populated area, there are usually people out in the park(s) with their dogs at any time of the day, and what do dog owners do when they meet? - They chat while their dogs are playing.

In Grosvenor Park, Tunbridge Wells, a lot of dog owners meet in a certain part of the park and sometimes we have as many as 15 dogs play together, usually peacefully. We now even have a Facebook group with over 45 members.

As my husband is still living and working in Ireland, I feel so fortunate that I've met so many friendly dog owners here in TW. I've made some new friends and acquaintances, and with my dog Sammy being happy too, I feel that I'm quite fortunate living here even after losing my job a couple of weeks ago.

More on all this later. - I'm back and will be blogging again.

Motorcycle Mama or Motorcycle Mania?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:10:00 +0000

Over 4 years ago, I decided to give up motorbiking in Ireland because of the dangers or riding bikes on Irish roads, yet a year ago I got my 500cc Yamaha Black Max scooter out again and have been riding it since with ever growing enjoyment.
In June this year, we visited a friend who has a 650cc Suzuki motorbike and for the first time in years, I went for a spin on a "proper" motorbike again. That should've really been the end of that, shouldn't it? - Wrong!
Two weeks ago, just before my birthday, I bought a Honda Varadero 1000cc motorbike. The dealer was rather surprised, I think, as it's not the norm in Ireland that motorbikes are being sold to women and certainly not to women in their 50s.
So I picked up the bike last weekend and went for an extended spin. A fine bike with plenty of power. Being a fairly sensible biker, I took it easy as I have a healthy respect for the bike and what it's capable of.
And yesterday, I went for another spin as the weather was nice and sunny, perfect for a motorbike outing. We rode to the West Clare peninsula leading to Loop Head, a very windy spot with a light house surrounded by cliffs and the Atlantic. Nothing but water between here and America.
On the way back, we took a shortcut, a narrow country road of the kind you wouldn't call a road at all in some other countries. My husband was riding ahead on my scooter as his bikes are off the road at present and I followed. I didn't know the road well and had forgotten that there is a very nasty sharp blind bend going downhill. I entered the bend and was concentrating on manoeuvering the bike around it when I saw a car coming towards me. I swerved and got out of its way, but this car was followed immediately by a jeep. I knew I was going to hit the jeep unless I managed to get the bike out of its way quickly and in doing so, I toppled it over.
Next thing, I was lying on the ground with the bike on top of me trapping my left foot. 'This is it', I thought, 'my foot must be broken', as it was twisted at an angle and I couldn't move the bike off it. I was shouting for my husband to lift the bike, but he was down the road and had only just realised what had happened. The driver of the jeep stopped and came running towards me. He managed to lift the bike far enough for me to get my foot out from underneath it.
By then my husband had arrived and after getting me up on my feet, they put the bike in an upright position.
Strangely enough, I was able to stand and even walk. My motorcycle boots had protected my foot from injury.
However, I was badly shaken as this was the first time I had a near collision with a vehicle and the first time I dropped a heavy bike while riding it.
Still, after few minutes I got back on it and rode it home.
After examining myself, I discovered that I merely had a few bruises but was otherwise uninjured. But the effects on my psyche were a lot worse than my bruises.
I told myself (and my husband) off for riding on such a narrow single track road with a bike that I hadn't yet fully mastered.
I started getting feelings of self-doubt asking myself if I'd been too ambitious in getting such a big bike at my age.
I wondered if I should've stuck to riding my scooter instead of getting a bike again.
Etc, etc.
Now more than 24 hours after the incident, I've started feeling more positive again. I talked to a friend of ours who teaches motorbiking and advanced driving and he gave me some sound advice. I was afraid that my mishap might prevent me from getting on the motorcycle again or that I might be terrified of narrow bends etc.
However, I think with practice and patience, I will be able to get back on track and hopefully enjoy many more fantastic motorbike outings here in Ireland and abroad.

I'm qualified :)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:14:00 +0000

I've just been notified that I passed my exams and that I'm now a fully qualifired Gym & Fitness Instructor. Don't have my actual results as yet, but as I've passed, I'll be allowed to work as an instructor and get the necessary insurance.
Getting something off the groud will be difficult in the current economic climate in Ireland, but I'll be advertising and hope to get some clients either for personal training or to do fitness classes for mature adults.

More crazy Meerkats...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:26:00 +0000

And here are more of your crazy meerkats. I reckon "Compare the meerkat.com" and "simples" are going to become catchphrases, certainly in the UK and Ireland:

And here we have an official bloopers video:

And the finished product:

And then we have the epic story of the heroic meerkats:

You've got to admit, these adverts are among the best one around at present.
And for a laugh, why not log on to http://www.comparethemeerkat.com. It exists!

This is sad!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:20:00 +0000

Whatever next...

Women to blame for earthquakes, says Iran cleric

Just when you thought thinks couldn't get any worse: now women are blamed for earthquakes!

A senior Iranian cleric says women who wear revealing clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for earthquakes.

Iran is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, and the cleric's unusual explanation for why the earth shakes follows a prediction by the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that a quake is certain to hit Tehran and that many of its 12 million inhabitants should relocate.

"Many women who do not dress modestly ... lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which increases earthquakes," Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi was quoted as saying by Iranian media. Women in the Islamic Republic are required by law to cover from head to toe, but many, especially the young, ignore some of the more strict codes and wear tight coats and scarves pulled back that show much of the hair. "What can we do to avoid being buried under the rubble?" Sedighi asked during a prayer sermon last week. "There is no other solution but to take refuge in religion and to adapt our lives to Islam's moral codes."
Related Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/apr/19/women-blame...leric

The Power of TV Commercials or how Adverts change the English Language

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 11:28:00 +0000

Well, I'm not going to write a dissertation on the subject here, don't worry. Just a few examples on how TV Commercials coin new catchphrases.
I'm only talking about UK commercials here as we see a lot of them in Ireland by watching UK channels on Sky.
One of the best known catchphrases would be "Should've gone to Specsavers" by the UK based chain of opticians. Everybody in the UK and Ireland appears to be familiar with this catchphrase. Here is an example of one of their ads using the well-known children's TV character Pat the Postman:

My current favourite has to be the series of ads for comparethemarket.com. I love these meerkats and am always trying to get the sound they make at the end just right ;) "Simples" is certainly becoming a new catchphrase fast, at least in myhouse... As these commercials are sooo funny, I will show you 2 of them:

And last but not least, here's McDonalds. Not enough with being partially responsible for child obesity in the Western World, McDonalds have also created an easy to remember slogan "I'm loving it". Very clever advertisining on their part:

More will be added as I think of them, so check back here often.
Enjoy!

Hey Alan and others

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:21:00 +0000

These are mad animal videos. Check 'em out!

Don't you just love them?

Does this make me a Mama gamer?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:06:00 +0000

This is a continuation of yesterday's post with a link to my daughter's blog.
As mentioned before, I still enjoy computer games and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Didn't I even read somewhere that gaming is good for you as a stress busting pastime?
As my daughter mentioned in her blog, I started playing games when I purchased a Sega Mega Drive in the early 90s. No, tell a lie, the first computer game I ever played was a demo version of Prince of Persia in 1989 or 1990. Someone gave me a copy of it on floppy disc and I played it, sneakily, when I wasn't busy at work. I used a word processor at work but didn't have a PC at home in those days. The game was in black and white back then and it fascinated me no end. Got my adrenalin going too as it was a very exciting game for someone who'd never played a computer game before.
Next was the Sega Mega Drive. The reason I bought it was that I had fallen into the awful habit of playing fruit machines (slot machines) in London and in Kent where I owned a holiday caravan at the time. Anybody who has ever played fruit machines will know how addictive these contraptions can be. I simply couldn't afford to waste my hard earned money this way. During that same period, I also enjoyed the odd arcade game. So I decided to buy a Sega Mega Drive and "wean" myself off the fruit machines. - It worked! I haven't played a fruit machine in nearly 20 years.
I bought Mega Drive games when I could afford to, games like Sonic I and II, Streets of Rage, Fantastic Dizzy (was that the name of that egg going on quests and adventures?), Sonic Spinball, Ecco The Dolphin and many more. One game that was brilliant and was ahead of its time was Flashback, a RPG with great graphics and complicated moves but so difficult to play that you needed cheats to advance in some levels. And there were some strategy games like Mega Lo Mania, a game that I played until late into the night.
I suppose I stopped playing my Mega Drive Games when we got our first Windows PC in 1998. I then dicovered the amazing world of the internet and didn't regularly play any games except for the likes of Solitaire and other card games. Then I came across a demo of the first Age of Empires and I was hooked again. Bought the game and ended up buying several of the follow ups. I have to admit, I still play the AoE games now and again as I think they're fabulous. Tried to play similar games like Settlers and AoE clones, but I like none of them as much as the original games. I also played games like Theme Park, Theme Hospital etc., but I found that they drove me mad after a while.
Another series of games I enjoyed playing were Commando and it's sequels. I enjoyed the challenge of finding ways around crazy obstacles in these warzone games.
Then I discovered the massive online RPG Runescape which I played for at least 2 years on a regular basis. My daughter who had gone to university by then, played World of Warcraft which I never tried to play as our internet connection would have been too slow for it.
There have been lots of other games I haven't mentioned, but they would've mainly been games I didn't enjoy that much:
Prince of Persia for PC (lost some of the old excitement), a new Prince of Persia for PC (from the last few years) which has nothing to do with the old game.
Myst which I couldn't get the hang of and lots of other games that didn't grab my attention.
Some games I like, but they're slow moving and can be frustrating, games like Lost, the PC game.
I recently bought Alone in the Dark and Jade Empire (Special Edition) which I quite like as well.
My new laptop has a decent graphics card, so I should be able to play some of the fast new games if I get bored with the games I have.
Boy gamers, girl gamers, male and female gamers, where's the difference? If you have a competitive nature and you love a challenge, you can play any game you like. I'm not particularly keen on games with lots of gore, but that doesn't mean I'm happy to play cute pink "girlie" games. Playability, challenge and excitement is what matters to me when it comes to games.
Looks like I'm not gonna settle down in front of the telly with my knitting in the near future.

Girl Gamers or shall we call them Women Gamers?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:21:00 +0000

My daughter has just written an interesting post for her new blog. As it's late at night, I won't comment on it right now but will just give you the link:

http://witty-remark.blogspot.com/2009/12/girl-gamers.html

As she mentioned me in her post, I must admit that I still enjoy computer games. More on this later. Watch this space!

The Coldest Winter in the West of Ireland

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:20:00 +0000

...or so it seems. Nobody here can remember another winter with so much frost and ice for such a long time.
All over the Christmas period, many people were housebound as walking outside or driving was hazardous. A thick icy blanket formed on every yard, path, minor road and pavement, and with Ireland not being used to this kind of weather, it stayed there. Environmentally dangerous salt was deposited on the main roads by gritting trucks, but all the minor roads and pavement remained covered in ice.
Old people couldn't leave their houses for fear of having an accident and even younger people had a difficult time getting about. There were lots of accidents on the roads and how many people slipped and injured themselves is anybody's guess. I myself fell twice on the ice and I know of an old man who died after slipping and falling at Christmas.
The worst thing was that the ice was melting and when the frost came back, it would freeze over again. This happening several days in a row and resulted in a shiny and extremely slippery surface covering just about everything outside.
And just as the last of the ice was melting away, the snow started coming down.
This evening, things are not too bad as the snow has started melting (in our area, that is), but the night is supposed to be cold again. That being the case, we could find ourselves on another ice skating rink tomorrow morning.

Back to School!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:15:00 +0000

Nearly 4 weeks since I started my course as a Health and Fitness Instructor and we had our first continuous assessment exams today. Hard work! I never went through the Irish school system, but I remember from when my daughter went to school here, that exams are "write write write" within a short period of time. So I wasn't surprised that it was the same in my university course:
1/2 hour to answer 5 questions in writing, with explanations plus a diagram in 2 parts for one of the questions. Just about got it finished before time was up.
And then in the afternoon, we were examined on a 5 min aerobic warm-up, not just doing it but teaching the moves to a group of classmates, including queueing and safety instructions.
It all went well though (I hope). I know I passed the aerobic warm-up assessment and hope that I also did ok in the anatomy and physiology exam this morning.
Only 2 weeks to go before the next exam and lots of practical and theory work to be done for other modules in the course. Didn't have a phantastic social life before I started the course, but now I hardly even find the time to post to my blog :(

We call it "Tappie"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 17:23:00 +0000

This is the little bird who still taps on our windows every morning. We've decided to call it Tappie.
This picture refers to my post about Reincarnation. Please check it out!

Have you got Soul?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:11:00 +0000

It just occurred to me that I haven't actually written anything about music in this blog. How could I forget?
Just going through some songs I have in my iTunes and on my iPod. I have a very broad taste in music and listen to lots of different genres. However, I think it's the soul tracks that have made the biggest impact on me over the years, or so it appears. (Why do they call it R&B these days?)
So I thought I'll put up a few tracks here of artists and songs that I like. Hope you enjoy them too.

Richard "Dimples" Fields, a lesser known artist who sadly passed away in 2000, only 59 years old. He recorded quite a few albums and did a few duets, the best known one is probably "She's got Papers on Me". Here, however, my all time favourite "Jazzy Lady".

Another great singer is undoubtedly Willie Clayton who I only discovered recently. He's been around for a long time, but someone I missed this fantastic singer. Here's a great duet he did with Pat Brown: "Equal Opportunity". He's sung a lot of great ballads, so make sure you check him out.

Sometimes it's hard to define what exactly Soul is. I'm sure cleverer people than me have analysed and written about soul; but for me it's the feeling that is brought across by the singer, so some of the songs I'm mentioning here may not be pure soul but could be classed as ballads or blues or jazz. I don't think there are any clear cut lines. The question is: does it really matter?

Here is the famous late Lou Rawls who I had the pleasure of seeing live in London. He sadly passed away a couple of years ago. He did tons of good stuff, but this video shows the great man live in concert with "You'll never find":

I'll leave it at that for today, but if I haven't bored you and if you like this kind of music, please check back here soon as I'll be continuing by personal voyage of Soul Searching.

Do you believe in Reincarnation?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:46:00 +0000

No, don't worry, this is not going to be a philosophical post about reincarnation but rather an account of a strange thing that's happened here:
For the last month or so, I've been waking up every morning to the sound of ...hammering. That's what I thought it was to start with. But the only person who would use a hammer in our house would be my husband, so when he's lying next to me in bed, he can hardly be doing DIY work at the same time.
So I investigated the noise.
And there it was: a little bird, a great tit to all accounts, was hammering against the window with its beak, flying up and down outside the window and pecking at the glass. It looked like it was trying to get into the house.
Since my first observation, this has happened every morning and sometimes during the day as well. The tit flies to different windows of the house and starts pecking. Not one morning has gone by without me waking to the hammering noise.
We have been talking about this at home and the most likely explanation we've come up with is that this bird is, well, a reincarnation of a person or animal who lived in our house some time in the past. We first said this jokingly, but the more we think about it, the more sense it makes.
The only animal that has died here in the last few years is our cat who was allowed in the house, but she wouldn't have been in the upstairs bedrooms. But it's those windows in particular that the tit pecks at as well as the living room downstairs. And it positively looks like it's trying to get into the house.
Our house is an old house and many generations of people have lived here over the decades, so assuming that reincarnation exists, why shouldn't it happen here?
I'd be most interested to hear from people who have observed something similar. Or maybe there's a zoologist among you who has a perfectly reasonable explanation for this bird's behaviour?

I posted a picture of the little bird in this blog 31st October 2009.

Bike Trip through North Clare

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:29:00 +0000

September hasn't been a bad month in Ireland compared with the summer we never had. So this afternoon, my husband and I set out on a bike trip around North Clare (the county we live in). First we went to Lahinch, a small seaside resort with a beautiful beach. Lahinch has in recent years become very popular with surfers.
We then went on via Kilfenora, home of the famous Kilfenora Ceili Band, and on to Lisdoonvarna, where the annual Matchmaking Festival takes place. It's actually on at the moment and the town was decorated with bunting. We were too early to witness any activities as most of the "dances" are taking place later in the evenings and at night. I've never been in one of the pubs or venues during the festival, but I found a nice video clip on YouTube (funnily enough from the BBC in the UK) which illustrates what the Matchmaking Festival is about:
Lisdoonvarna Matchma king Festival
We carried on through the Burren to Ballyvaughan on the North Coast of Clare which forms part of Galway Bay. The panoramic shot shows part of the Burren with Ballyvaughan and the sea in the background.
We stopped at Monk's Pub in Ballyvaughan, a well-known pub and seafood restaurant for a bowl of seafood chowder and then took the coast road via Fanore to Doolin. Doolin is a famous tourist spot for traditional music and you can take a boat to the Aran Islands from here where people still speak Irish.
On the way back, we passed the famous cliffs of Moher which can be seen in the video clip about Lisdoonvarna and went back via Liscannor and Lahinch.
A nice round trip of over 150km. The weather was kind to us and the sun came out near the sea, so we had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.

Photos:
Photo 1: Our bikes in Lahinch in front of the leisure centre
Photo 2: View from the Burren towards Ballyvaughan and Galway Bay
Photo 3: I'm sitting on a wall by the pier in Ballyvaughan
Photo 4: Sitting inside Monk's Pub by the open turf fire
Photo 5: The boat going to the Aran Islands from Doolin

Amazon.co.uk Widgets

On yer Bike!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:18:00 +0000

One thing I've been meaning to write about is bikes. No, not push bikes, although I've always enjoyed cycling too. I mean motorbikes and anything on 2 wheels with an engine.
I've always loved bikes. As a teenager, I lived in Germany and as soon as I was legally allowed to, I got a "Mofa" at the age of 15. It looked like a little moped but the engine was restricted to 25km/h and you didn't need a licence for it. It was an ugly little red thing that often wouldn't start, but I loved it.
My second motorised bike was a moped restricted to 50km/h. A licence was required for riding it, but you were only tested on the rules of the road, and the insurance for these bikes was cheap. It was a shiny blue Peugot bike. I had it for several years.
Got my first car in 1975, but went back to cycling in 1977 as I'd moved to West-Berlin, a city with an abundance of public transport and great cycle routes. The only motorised thing I drove during the next couple of years was a Mercedes taxi for a living and to finance my studies in Berlin.
Around 1980, I took motorbike riding lessons and passed my test. A friend of mine had a Yamaha XS 650 for sale which I purchased. Now that was something else! I did a good bit of touring with that bike, but my most memorable trips were from Berlin to Ireland in 1982 and in 1984. Both times, I was the rider and had a boyfriend on the back of the bike. And both times, we made it back safely. I must have a rummage to see if I can find any old pics from the trip in 1984 as the bike was packed so high, it's a miracle the wind didn't blow it over.
When I moved to London in 1985, I reluctantly sold my lovely bike to a friend who subsequently crashed it only 3 months later :(
For years after, I didn't have a motorbike and didn't think I'd go back to biking as my daughter was born in 1987.
We moved to Ireland in 1997, and after a couple of years, my husband who had always had bikes, was talking about getting a motorbike again. I advised against it, but only a few weeks later, he bought an old Kawasaki Z900. He was so pleased to have a bike again and asked me to come for a spin. Reluctantly, I got on the back of his bike (only the 2nd bike I'd ever been on the back of one) and off the went. Well, we didn't get very far. After about 8 miles we stopped and I told my husband that I wasn't at all happy on the back of his bike. When he suggested that I should get my own bike, I just laughed...
3 weeks later, I'd purchased a Kawasaki 400cc Eliminator and felt great. We went on a few outings and a couple of times I took my daughter on the back of the bike. That's when I noticed that the 400cc engine wasn't really up to much as the weight of 2 people slowed it down. I mentioned this to my husband who suggested upgrading, but I couldn't find anything I liked at the right price.
Sometime later, my husband mentioned that he'd seen a great bike for me in Galway but wouldn't give me any details. So off to Galway we went, and then I saw it:
A dream of a bike, next best thing to a Harley: it was a cruiser, a huge Suzuki 1400cc Intruder. I have to admit, it was love at first sight, but I told my husband that the bike would be far too big for me. And too expensive. But I went for a test ride down the road...and the rest is history.
That bike I rode for several years. Did a lot of shorter trips in Ireland with it and went to to the Continent in 2004 via France, Luxembourg, Germany, Holland and Belgium. A mammoth trip of 3500km in 15 days or so. My husband had upgraded his bike as well and rode on his own motorbike.
In 2006, I had a lot of problems with tendonitis and decided that the Intruder was getting too heavy for me. Riding it on the Continent would've been fine, but the Irish roads are fairly bad and very narrow and winding especially in the countryside, not the ideal roads for a big heavy cruiser. So for the first time, I downgraded and went for a scooter. What? A scooter? you might say. Well, actually, the Yamaha Black Max 500cc is classed as a hybrid as it looks like a cross between a bike and a scooter. Very zippy with fairly big wheels and a sleek appearance, I liked it immediately.
We travelled to Germany via England in the autumn of 2006 with 2 bikes and had a great time.
However, a couple of years ago, I decided to give up biking in Ireland. The main reason for this was that there are so many lousy drivers on Irish roads and that so many bikers get killed in this small country. For various reasons, we were considering moving to the UK again, and there, I thought, I'd be able to get back on my bike.
That was before the recession and now we can't even think about moving as the housing market in Ireland is dead and selling our house at a decent price would be impossible.
So all the while, my poor Black Max was gathering dust in the garage and I couldn't bear to think of it. In addition, my husband was walking around with a long face every time the weather was nice (which is rare enough here), as we couldn't both go for a spin on our bikes.
So this week, 2 years after making my decision not to ride a bike in Ireland anymore, I changed my mind and registered and insured the Black Max again. And for the first time in 2 years, we went out for a leisurely spin in the Irish autumn sun! Lovely!
Pictures:
Me and my Yamaha 650 XS in 1981 approx.
My Suzuki 1400cc Intruder
Me and my Black Max taken in Kilkee, Co. Clare, today 19.09.09.

Climbing to the top of Mullaghmore in the Burren

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:18:00 +0000

Yes, I was in the Burren again. Those of you who have read my previous post on the Burren will know what I'm talking about.
Well, as I've mentioned on various occasions, we had no summer again in the West of Ireland for the third year running. For the last 3 months, from the beginning of June to the beginning of September we had rain every day. Not necessarily for the whole day, but we had some rain every day. Very frustrating!
And then, 4 days ago, the sun came out. Normally it comes out when the kids go back to school, but this year it was delayed by a week. But now our summer is back, or should I say it started in the autumn? We've had a pleasant 17 to 21 degrees today, warmer in sheltered spots, blue sky and sunshine, yippee!
So I donned my walking boots, grabbed a couple of my dogs and set off for the Burren. I expected to see a good few people out walking, but it was very quiet. Many people would have spent this Saturday at the seaside after such a rainy summer.
I'm not usually overstruck with what our local council does, but they actually did a good thing by marking out some walkways in the Burren. Previously, you had to find your own way which was fun, but you could easily injure yourself when walking over the rocky ground, especially when you were trying to walk over grass and shrub covered rocks. Many a time I've slipped and nearly twisted my ankle as the rocks are very slippery when wet.
Not so today. There was a little bit of mud in places, but most of the path was dry. Now, this is not a walk to want to do without proper hiking boots, but if you're kitted out and fairly fit, you can master the walks they've marked out. They are between 4.5 and 5.5km long.
For the first time in several years, I climbed to the top of Mullaghmore today in beautiful sunshine. I met a couple of people coming down from the mountain, but nobody else was going up and I had perfect solitude when I reached the top, a wonderful experience. And looking around, I couldn't see a single soul except for my 2 faithful hounds who'd accompanied me.
Pity my photos cannot portray the peaceful silence up there, nor can the camera really show how high up you are on Mullaghmore (I think you're climbing 140 metres in height between your starting point and the top of the mountain).
Enjoy the pictures! This time I've included a picture showing the "Father Ted House" in the distance, nestled among the hills around Mullaghmore in the vicinity of the village of Kilnaboy, Co. Clare.

Internet connection still up the creek

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 11:56:00 +0000

Unfortunately, my internet connection is still up the creek and I haven't been able to get online at all since last night. Will they ever fix this?
I'm really stressed out and I'm sitting here in my vehicle in town with my netbook on my lap dealing with my emails. Needless to say, I'm not in the right frame of mind to post to my blogs.
More to follow as soon as I can access my internet from home again.

Netbooks save PC industry from collapse

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Do you own a netbook?
I bought a netbook at the beginning of 2009 as I though it would be handy for carrying around when I'm out and about, rather than carrying my much heavier laptop.
I must admit, I'm still delighted with it (Samsung NC10). I'm a real gadget fan and like my mobile phones and computers, but I'm not as keen on the latest smart phones and touch screen phones as I used to be as many of them are awkward to use:
Maybe the font is too small and can't be adjusted, or the touch screen makes usage more time-consuming, or writing emails is long-winded as you have to use T9 or regular texting. Some of the phones have QUERTY keyboards, but they are so small that you can't type on them.
The netbook, however, has it all in my opinion:
You can type on their keyboards and send emails easily, you have a fairly decent size screen for using the internet and can watch movies without ruining your eye sight. In addition, the current generation of netbooks run on Windows XP. This takes up less space than Vista and is more reliable. And with the advent of Windows 7, netbooks will really come into their own.
I don't have to rely on my phone for emails anymore when I'm out and about as my netbook boots up in seconds and with the help of my broadband modem or wireless hotspots, I can have internet access in most places.
Looks like many people have similar requirements, as the netbook has saved the ailing PC market:
Netbooks save PC industry from total collapse

Muhammed Ali looking for his roots in Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:16:00 +0000

Yes, Muhammad Ali was in Ennis yesterday and I missed this once in a lifetime chance to see "The Greatest". He was a sporting hero and famous boxer, then called Cassius Clay, when I was a child in the 1960, and he's still a name that most people are familiar with. He visited the Turnpike in Ennis for the first time in his life to look for his Irish roots.
Mind you, to catch a glance of him would've been rather difficult as there must've been thousands of people packed into the county capital for this special occasion.
I had of course been aware of his visit to Ennis (10 miles from where I live), but I'd already booked a short but well needed break in Northern Ireland), so I wasn't around when he came to Ireland.
Here's an article from the RTE News about Muhammad Ali's visit to Ennis:
Ennis honours Muhammad Ali

Broadband? What's that?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:42:00 +0000

If you have a decent broadband connection, count your blessings! (and feel sorry for me)
Ireland in some ways is way behind the rest of Europe and this is most apparent when it comes to broadband connection in rural areas.
When many other countries started getting broadband, we still had to use dial-up. Then we had an ISDN connection which improved things somewhat and we weren't kicked out of the internet quite as often anymore.
Every few months, we would check if our landline telephone provider Eircom had made any changes to the telephone lines in our area, hoping that eventually we would be able to get broadband here. No such luck! They just couldn't (and can't) be bothered to bring broadband to the rural areas in Ireland as opposed to the UK where you find proper and relatively fast broadband connection in remote areas like the Scottish Highlands.
We were delighted when the "broadband modems/dongles" appeared on the market a couple of years ago. "Broadband" via a mobile device - Wow! - Only "Wow" it certainly wasn't. Problems, problems and more problems. Slow speeds, network problems, even slower speeds, unusuable speeds, no network connection at all, you name it.
2 years later...and still no joy. Eircom are not improving the lines in our area, so home-based broadband won't appear here in the foreseeable future. Still stuck with the so-called broadband modems which use HSDPA technology. In the spring of this year, the Irish government decided that this technology was good enough (and cheap enough) to bring broadband to many parts of rural Ireland and awarded the National Broadband Scheme contract to the operator we've been dealing with for the last 2 years. Believe it or not, but we aren't even part of this National Broadband Scheme and we live only 15km (10 miles) outside Ennis, the nearest big town and county capital.
I've made some contacts within this company (the mobile broadband operator) over the last couple of years and they have done a lot to help us with our problems. Our modems were upgraded and we've got so-called repeaters installed which are supposed to boost the signal. For about a fortnight in July, we had the pleasure of a near decent broadband connection with 1 - 4mb download speed and were able to stream videos for the first time ever. Then the problems started again.
Today, I'm very lucky indeed to be online as I haven't been able to get on the net in the last 26 hours on the laptop in my home office. Had to drive into town this afternoon in order to read my emails (the modem worked there, different mast for the signal).
Eventually, we managed to get online on one of the computers in my husband's office in the house, but although we have 2 modems which we pay for on a monthly basis, we only managed to get online with one of them and at appalling speeds (waiting for pages to load, etc.)
Fun?...Not. Unfortunately, we're fairly stuck for alternatives. There are other operators using these "broadband" modems in Ireland, but they don't cover our area. I've seriously considered moving, but would you give up your house for a broadband connection?
Watch this space for more rantings and ravings :(

The Age-Defying Diet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:48:00 +0000

I just posted this article on my Venus with Weights Blog. As I think it's a really good article about nutrition, I decided to post it on this blog as well. Hope you find it interesting.

I borrowed this article from Core Performance, an American Sports/Fitness/Nutrition site:

The Age-Defying Diet

Joe Kita August 7, 2009

image via flickr

I now have enough evidence to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that my mother was trying to kill me. She kept a can of grease under the kitchen sink that she repeatedly recycled for frying things—like her potato pancakes, pork-kraut roll and even mince bologna. For breakfast when I was in grade school, she’d warm a tray of pecan twirls and instant black coffee, then puzzle over why I got D's in conduct. Any meat, like steak or chicken, was always boiled first (“to get the scum off”) and then cooked. It wasn’t until I was well past puberty that I realized a good steak was dark and juicy rather than the color and texture of rhino hide.

I weighed 200 pounds when I left home at age 21, and my cholesterol and sugar were already high. Fortunately, a succession of jobs in the health-and-fitness field educated me about proper eating, and I slowly changed my diet. Now on the brink of turning 50, I weigh 175 pounds and have no significant health problems. In her defense, mom didn’t know what she was doing nutritionally and, when it comes right down to it, neither do most people. So I won’t prosecute.

But I often wonder if I’d be in even better shape if I hadn’t eaten so poorly for almost half my life. What if there was an Age-Defying Diet just like there is an RDA for nutrients that could keep us forever fit, slim, strong and energized Well, with the help of Jose Antonio, Ph.D., CEO of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, we’ve created one for you—an eating plan that strives to deliver all those benefits and can adapt to any lifestyle. Here are the components:

1. Eliminate (or significantly limit) processed foods.

“This is 90 percent of the battle,” says Antonio. “If it doesn’t occur in nature, then try to avoid it.” The closer a food or drink is to its natural state, the more beneficial nutrients and fewer artificial ingredients it contains. It’s like premium rather than regular fuel for your body. (Click here to watch a video of resident nutritionist Amanda Carlson explaining this concept more.)

2. Maintain a 40/30/30 diet.

This means 40 percent of your calories should come from carbohydrate, 30 percent from protein, and the remainder from fat. There’s no need to count calories and start a spreadsheet, though. “Eating shouldn’t be about mathematics,” says Antonio. Just ballpark it.

3. Eat fish at least three times per week (and lean meat the rest).

“Fish is the most important food,” says Antonio. It not only supplies protein and healthful fat, but it also contains heart-protecting nutrients such as omega-3s. Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, cod and mackerel are best. To prevent developing fins or bankrupting yourself at the sushi bar, eat lean chicken or beef the remainder of the week. Antonio points out that people who replace a percentage of their carbs with an equivalent amount of protein or healthy fat (while keeping total calories the same) automatically lose body fat and either gain or maintain lean muscle mass. “So weight and body composition isn’t a calorie issue, it’s a food-choice issue,” he explains.

4. Eat more nuts, avocados and eggs.

All these foods were once considered bad for us, but we now know they contain beneficial fats and, in the case of eggs, additional protein and essential nutrients. (Eggs won’t raise cholesterol either.) For more, check out this primer on healthy fats.

5. Make colorful fruits and vegetables your major source of carbs.

This means eliminating or reducing processed breads, pastas, rice, cereals and snacks such as cookies and crackers. The more colorful the fruits and veggies, the better they are for you. Eat plenty daily. Bonus: You’ll be able to quit lugging around a water bottle because you’ll be naturally well hydrated.

6. Organic is nice but not necessary.

Antonio points out that there is no scientific evidence that organic food is any more healthful than non-organic. However, here’s the trick: If you eat more organic fruits and veggies because you think they taste better or your conscience is clearer, then by all means pay the premium to build better eating habits.

7. Eat three meals per day and two snacks.

Notice that we didn’t say “graze your way through the day” or “eat five meals daily.” That intimidates people. Most of us don’t have time to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, let alone brunch and linner. So take the pressure off yourself. Eat as you’re accustomed to, and then just add a healthful mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack. It’ll keep the edge off your appetite and steady your hormone levels so you’ll be less likely to give into cravings or overeat at mealtimes.

8. Take a daily multivitamin and 2 grams of creatine.

The former is insurance for those days when we’re too busy to eat right. The low-dose creatine, which is available in capsule form, has been shown to not only help maintain lean body mass but also boost brain function. Check out our complete guide to creatine to learn more.

And that’s it. Notice there isn’t anything wacky here—nothing worthy of a new diet book or a Kirstie Alley commercial. It’s just a solid eating plan that anyone, regardless of age, can maintain for life. And that’s the key: Diets fail because they aren’t sustainable. This one is.

About The Author

Joe Kita – Joe Kita is a noted writer, editor, motivational speaker and teacher. He authors the blog "One Small Change" for CorePerformance.com.