Blog about nothing...

This update is not a blog of excitement, rather a blog of Korean BBQ, flatpack furniture & dog biscuits - just an average weekend in Ireland. So last Friday night we went out with the Dublin Hashers to a Korean BBQ Restaurant in Parnell St, Dublin. After a couple of pints up the road, we all sat down in Korean BBQ Restaurant #1, when the organiser of the group realised she had booked us into the wrong Korean BBQ Restaurant (the one she meant to book was just next door). So all 15 of us ended up sheepishly moving from Korean BBQ #1 to Korean BBQ #2, next door, while the staff looked on. I don't think Korean BBQ #1 was real happy with us, but what can you do? So we all proceeded to cook little morsels of meat and sweet potatoes on our Korean BBQ's and a good time was had by all. We left after the dinner, as Clare was flying to Boston on Saturday morning. I think some people partied on. Clare packed her new corporate rolling luggage, purchased at Luton Airport last weekend...
Early on Saturday morning, Clare left for Belfast (for her Belfast-Heathrow-Boston flight), and I started ripping open boxes of flatpack furniture from Argos, the incredible catalogue shop that sells everything. You pay at the counter, then wait for your stuff and they call your number - "number 39, your electric shaver is ready", "number 40, your flatpack furniture is ready" (no IKEA in this neck of the woods)... Things soon disappeared into a haze of screws, nails and allen keys, and 2 slightly flimsy bedside cabinets and 2 chest of drawers were finally completed by Sunday afternoon. Clare texted me at some stage to say she was eating bagels and having a Frappucino at Heathrow. I made a cup of tea. Another trip to fabulous Argos later for a couple of slightly flimsy matching bedside lamps, and all was done...
Sunday was grey and drizzly. I'd thought about taking some photos today, but in Ireland you learn never to make plans when it comes to weather. So after finishing the furniture and vacuuming up all the mess, I went for a drive across the countryside to get a few things from Marks & Spencer in Drogheda (they have good fruit salad and other yummy things). Also stopped at LIDL (like Aldi) to get some dog biscuits, and looked for a couple of electrical extension leads at Woodies DIY (like Bunnings), only to discover that they just don't do extension leads in Ireland. Weird. Anyway, the dog biscuits: The Saltings has a couple of resident dogs, who get very excited when you pull into the carpark in the evening, or try and eat your shopping, or try to jump in your car, or join groups of walkers along the seafront on weekends. They're not neglected, I think their owners are just out a lot. So I got them some biscuits, and next time I see them, they might get a biscuit from me (or Clare!)
Next weekend is the Paddy's Day long weekend (yes, we get Monday off in Ireland), and we're heading south to Cork and Bantry Bay for a bit of Irish sightseeing. Might even get stuck in some long weekend traffic. The days are getting much longer now. See you round.