A touch of frost

Let's talk about the weather for a change.

That's a joke - anyone who has spent any amount of time in Ireland will know this; talking about the weather is something of a national pastime here. Well, perhaps not so much talking as moaning about it. It's either too cold, too wet, or occasionally (once every 7 years or so) too hot.
Although it should be noted that I, personally, have never complained about this place being too hot.

But it's winter now, and last Saturday Hubby and I went out around midday to do some shopping. 30 Metres down the road I made him turn back so I could get my camera. You just don't see frost and fog like this in South Africa.

So these are for you folks who are complaining about the heat back home...

The first clue: Frozen flowers outside my front door

The not-so-green grass of home

Some of you may recognize Malahide Castle

Ducks getting themselves in a row... I'm guessing they've figured out the time has come to head South!

A cold and lonely crow

I didn't get any photos of the fog around our place; there wouldn't have been much to see in a photo except white noise, after all. But here is the midday sun:


So, which hemisphere would you rather be in right now...?

only the nose knows

It's late and I have almost the entire wing of our office to myself. Daylight is but a distant memory and I only have the hum of the air conditioning for comfort. I am waiting patiently (?!) for something to finish running on my PC so I can go home.
Despite the fact that it is very much Winter here now, the windows are open and an icy breeze is whispering in from the blackness outside. I have my long woollen coat wrapped around from my waist to my feet, and a pashmina (or shawl, for those of you men who still don't know what a Pashmina is) blanketing my upper body to fend off the chill.

Yes, it's uncomfortable, but will I close the windows?
Not a chance!

You see, there appears to be a plumbing problem nearby and the maintenance guy has been 'fixing' it for 2 days now. The floor is ripped up and the area is cordonned off like a crime scene. A grimy lake lies beneath the open floorboards and every time the dude does one of those mysterious things that plumber-type people do, it seems to release a cloud of gases that stink in a very similar manner to the way sulphur stinks.
And all of this is about 6 feet away from my desk.
Delightful.

... and all of a sudden in a freakish turn of events, the thing I was waiting for has finished running on my PC...
I'm outta here....!!!!!!

ask a stupid question...

I went for a short walk in my lunch hour today, and was stopped in the street by a couple of people from a local radio station. They were asking people if they thought it was possible for women to balance a career and family.
Oh the pressure! I was like a deer caught in headlights. Say something intelligent, woman!!!
I'm sure they picked me because I looked like a professional woman, (not THAT sort of profession!) attired as I was in my black wool coat and matching hat - the only other people on the street were men and a shabby-looking bag-lady so I guess I was the obvious choice given the question. I managed to come up with something that sounded reasonably intelligent, and then the guy stuck a microphone under my nose and asked if I would mind repeating what I had just said.
How the hell should I remember what I had just said???! The trouble is I don't really have an opinion on the subject so it was really hard to try and recreate the bullshit I had just finished burbling. Urgh, I felt like I was brain-dead.

In hindsight, what I should have said was this:
Of course it's possible - millions of women the world over do it every day. We kind of have to, if we want to have a house, and food on the table. But it's not ideal, at least for most. I think it's a case of priorities. Some women are committed to serious careers - and in that case I would guess that their family life would suffer, at some point, especially if they work long hours on a regular basis. Sure you can hire a nanny or whatever but you would end up spending time at work that otherwise would be spent with your family.
On the other side there are women who work only because they have to, and all their energy is focussed on their family. Those women are unlikely to be high-powered corporate types because given the choice they would sacrifice work to be with their family instead.

But anyway, I think it's a tired and irrelevant question.
Perhaps a better one would have been something along the lines of, "How difficult is it for a woman to have both a career and a family, and still maintain her sanity and identity?"
I'm sure they'd end up with much more interesting answers.

beware the dreaded lurgy!

I am surrounded. They're all out to get me, I swear.

I avoided it at work, but then it started with my stepson, spread to my husband, and now my stepdaughter has succumbed too.
They're sniffling, sneezing, coughing and making those yucky noises particular to those afflicted with colds & flu.
Nice.

And they've taken over the house, let me tell you. Right now 2 of them are in the lounge, all nice & cozy in front of a crackling fire, snuggled up in soft blankets, one on each couch. I was tempted to join them but it feels like I'm under attack by a viral army when I'm in there.
I would retreat to my bedroom but Hubby has been sleeping off the sickness there for most of the day and I just know there are some horrible little germs hanging around in there, waiting to pounce on me as soon as I settle on the bed.

So I am banished to the kitchen / diningroom, which was fine by me this morning when the sun was in the Eastern sky and filling this side of the house with glorious warmth. Now, though, it has moved over and the November cold is creeping back out of it's hiding places, shimmering up through the tiled floors and gradually reclaiming me, feet first.
Oh well, at least I have a radio in here, right?
(Yeah, I know, kudos to me for looking on the bright side.)

So here I sit and if anyone is interested in hearing my thoughts today, that's easy:

I am strong and healthy; I am strong and healthy; I am strong and healthy...

After all, it's never too late to try this Mantra thing, is it?!