Snowboard fail

My twin sister was snow boarding in France recently.  Here she is in action - the best bit starts at about 30 seconds!!

Sunday Funday!

It was Mother's Day today in Ireland and UK so we called to both of our mother's with gifts of flowers, wine and chocolates.

We didn't stay for dinner in my mother's as she is having an operation on her back this Tuesday.  She was hosting my two sisters, my brother in law, my nana and my uncle for dinner so I didn't want to put more pressure on her by adding two dinner guests + dog!

After my mother's we called to Ciaran's mother.  She was delighted with her flowers but had already got a bunch from Ciaran's brother. He lives in Galway so he arranged for a florist to deliver them to her. Nice! 

Ciaran's Dad spoke to us about how much he enjoyed the Patrick Scott exhibition in the Imma so we decided to go once we left their house.

His works are spectacular and we whiled away the time looking at them.  

Scott passed away just before this exhibition opened.  He was 93 and seems to have had an amazing life.  Starting out as an architect he worked for the famous Irish architect Michael Scott for 15 years, and worked on the well known Bus Aras building -  he completed the main work on the stunning mosaic patterns in this building.  I also learnt that he designed the black and orange livery for the trains in CIE!

A very worthwhile exhibition to visit, do go if you get a chance. 

Happy Mother's Day to all you mammies - hope you had a great day!

Swan walk!

On Thursday night my sister and I saw a swan being walked down Baggot Street to the canal.

We joined in the walk and chatted with the group of people that gathered to help the swan get back to the water. It was like Forest Gump when he was running with lots of people joining the group and dropping off.

This guy in the high-viz vest was the main leader in Swan Walk (the swan had been in his garden!).  The swan was very calm but got very tired and had to sit down a lot - in the middle of the road!!!

This cyclist on the bike lent a hand.  He went near the swan with his bike to keep him walking straight.  He was the owner of the Brennan's bread (how Irish!) that is at the forefront of the photo - he put the sliced pan down to move his bike with ease. 

He picked up his stride as we got closer to the water.

And then when we finally got to the water the swan decided to not get in but eat the grass instead!

At this point we decided we had to leave him and the four of us who were left on the walk went on our separate ways!

My sister took a short video!

Daffodil Day

Today is Daffodil Day in Ireland.  The Irish Cancer Society sells daffodils, badges and products to raise money.

Last year was a complete washout - there was fierce rain storms and so earnings were right down.  The daffodils are sold outside shops.

This year they are selling a range of products including tea towels, teddies and note cards.

Look what I bought!

The Irish Cancer Society has had an increase in donations this year.  A large amount of money was raised by Daniel O'Donnell's wife Majella who bravely shaved her head live on the Late Late Show when she was diagnosed with breast cancer recently.

And now the No Makeup Selfie that is taking Facebook by storm has raised over 1 million euro to date!!!

Have you taken part in the No Makeup Selfie Initiative?  The concept is that you put a picture of yourself wearing no make up on Facebook and also make a donation to the cancer society.  Of course if you don't want to do that you can just make the donation!

Digital Marketing

I started a part time Diploma in Digital Marketing on Monday evening. The course is held in a Lecture Hall in Dublin City only 5 mins from my house - how convenient. The first lecture focused on social media and I found it so interesting.

I learnt so much including:

*  Google Alerts! Set them up - they are essential to monitor web traffic about you, your company or your competitors.  Know what people are saying about you online!  (Use inverted comma's to include your full name in the alert - or your businesses name)

* Optimize Linkedin - Use keywords that describe the industry you are in

* Use different tones for different platforms and be friendly but not familiar 

* Always respond when contact is made - this gives you the opportunity to convert a member of the public in to a customer.  Thank people for following you:  Make a connection

* Write for your reader but only put up what interests you.  If a piece of info bores you, it will bore your readers too.

* Prepare for a crisis - have a Social Media Policy

* Make a digital marketing strategy.  What are your goals?  Who are your audience?  What platforms do they use?

And finally if you are a business with a dated social media account that you never post to and it just has a load of old stuff on it, it is best to shut it down.  No online presence is better than a dated one.

Hope all of the above is of interest and if it is watch out for my post after next weeks lecture!

Helen Cody: Re-wearing your wedding dress!

Today in the Sunday Independent magazine there was a feature about designer Helen Cody and her new wedding dress collection. She reckons that wedding dresses shouldn't be left in wardrobes after the big day and should be so beautiful that you will wear it again and again!  I heartily agree with her.....

If I had worn this dress when I got married I would wear it at every opportunity!

All of these dresses were featured in the Life Magazine in the Sunday Independent and that is where I got the pictures.

Speaking of wedding dresses getting a few wears, check out my twin sister in her wedding dress.  She had a 1950's style wedding dress for her wedding in the Little Church of the West in Las Vegas.   It's hard to see but she is wearing a vintage head piece that I bought for her on eBay - it was a great find!!

Amy has reworn her wedding dress to a Christmas Party and a few other events.  How great is that???

Have you ever reworn your wedding dress?  If not, what did you do with it? Is it still hanging in your wardrobe?

 It used to be fashionable in Ireland to get your dress altered and turned in to a Christening gown for your first born.  I know in the States "Trash the dress" photography sessions are very popular.  Personally I would not like them to gain popularity over here,  I really find them distasteful.  I think it is shameful to ruin something that generally is so costly and has taken a lot of man hours to create.  

Unfortunately I have never got to wear my dress again.  It is a more traditional dress than my sisters so there is just no event that it would be appropriate for!

I should mention that my sisters wedding dress cost nowhere near the cost of some of the wedding dresses by Helen Cody pictured above.  As far as I remember she spent about €150 on her wedding dress in Debenhams.  It looks great for that price!

Retro glass coke bottles

Drinking coke from a glass bottle - tastes like the real thing!!!

I was watching a film the other night and saw a character drinking coke from a glass bottle.  I turned to my husband and said that there is nothing better than drinking coke from a glass bottle.

He agreed but also said that you never see glass bottles for sale anymore (except in pubs as mixers).

Well what do you know!  We were in the Blanchardstown Centre today and what did we see???  Coke Zero and Diet Cokes in glass bottles!!

I bought a bunch for my bar - I think they look quite adorable!

Can you buy coke in a glass bottle in your area? 

When you drink from a glass bottle does it transport you back to your childhood?!

Click here to see my all time favourite coke ad!

Ranelagh House is up for an award!

Last chance to vote for our house in the Architizer + Awards

****Public Vote ends on the 21st of March****

Apologies for repeating this post but voting ends tomorrow so hopefully everyone who wishes to vote will get a chance to do so!

The Architizer Awards are a global architecture awards programme that receives entrants from over 100 countries.  Our house is up against residential buildings from countries such as Norway, Germany and Japan!

There is both a jury vote and also a public vote.  To vote for us you can click this link which will bring you to the category our house is in - as you hover over the picture of "Ranelagh House" it should let you vote through Facebook (quickest way).  Unfortunately it is not the easiest to vote as they do make you sign up, I presume in order to prevent voting fraud??

If you have a minute to spare I'd love you to vote for "Ranelagh House" and even more importantly please ask your friends to vote too!!  Thank you so much in advance!  ;-)

Although it would be a long shot for us to win the public vote (I'm sure we must be up against some very large architectural practises) - how amazing would it be for a house from Ireland to win. I will be on a campaign from now until the 21st of March to get all the votes I can for "Ranelagh House".  I look forward to the results on the 1st of April!

Early to bed, early to rise...

Normally I work shift and have two late starts a week.  For the past few weeks I have been working straight days and I have to say I miss my two lie ins!

I've been noticeably tireder getting up to go to work and when I get home I look forward to nothing more than kicking off my shoes and getting in to my cosy moccasin slippers - small pleasures in life and all that!!

What do you look forward to in the evening?

A great St. Patrick's Day!

We didn't go in to the City to see the parade live but here are scenes of it on television just before it started.  How great does the Liffey look from O'Connell Street.

On to the way to my twin sister's we had to pick my younger sister from Heuston Train Station.  It was tough to get to the station as so many streets were closed off to traffic. It was great to see so many people dressed in green walking in to the city to catch sight of the parade.

Our President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabine being interviewed before the parade started.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin arrives in a carriage from the 1700's.

A 200 strong Marching Band from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Wow!

We went for dinner in my sister's house - she does great roasted veg!


Bones gets tired at these types of events as so many people are paying attention to him, giving him treats and petting him.


A great end to a Bank Holiday weekend but back to work tomorrow!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Ireland!

Yesterday we walked into Dublin city to the "Big Day Out" event in Merrion Square.  It was busy with lots going on for the weekend.

Bones wore his green hoodie.  On the back it says "Canine by birth, Irish by the grace of God".  

He got a lot of attention with lots of pets from children.

There was street performers,  vendors and a fun fair.  Great for families!

Later we went to a party in friends house.  I wore a green/gold colour dress to mark the date.

At the party there was a great sound system throughout the house. Here's a pic of all the songs lined up to play.  It was a fun night with lots of eating, drinking and dancing.  We chatted with lots of people and it was great to meet up with some that we hadn't seen in a long while.

Today it is looking like a gorgeous day.  The sun is shining and the parade is on at 1pm.  We won't be watching it live as we are going to dinner in my sisters but we may see it on the television.

Wherever you are in the world:  La Feile Phadraig Shona Dhuit!!!  (Translation: Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!)

St Patrick's Day 2014 #IrelandInspires

It's been an amazing St. Patrick's Weekend so far here in Ireland!

Ireland beat France yesterday to seize victory in the 6 Nations.  It was Brian O'Driscoll's final game playing for Ireland and I was so happy that he won.  I don't think we will ever see a player like him again.  

My sisters all watched the game from different locations but we texted each other throughout.  Katie was in Athlone, Co Roscommon where she lives and works for a large multi-national communcations/technology company.  Lydia watched the game in Zurich where she was on a layover - she works as Cabin Crew for an airline in the Middle East.  Amy would have liked to watch the match but she was enroute home from a snowboarding trip in Meribel, France.  


Later that night we had dinner in The Sussex which was very very good!  We really enjoyed the ambiance......from the minute we started walking up the characterful rickety old stairs I had a feeling it was going to be enjoyable.  We didn't have starters as we didn't feel ravenous - brown bread and butter was brought to us as we perused the menu so we nibbled on that.

We both ordered the fillet steak special with chips (fries).  I had mine with pepper sauce and Ciaran had his with "Sussex Butter"  - a wonderful herby melted butter.  Next time I will have the Sussex Butter too! We ordered out steaks rare and they were perfectly cooked.

All washed down with a bottle of red wine and finished with a shared Banana & Pecan brownie with vanilla ice cream.  The brownie was deliciously home made and the banana made it very moist.  Divine!

The Sussex is only a short walk away from our house and I think it could easily turn in to one of our favourite dining spots - we will be back!!

For photos of the Sussex Restaurant check out their Facebook page.

Hectic week!

Wow this week has been hectic with 10 hour work days for the last few days.  I've been so tired when I got home that I didn't even have the energy to read a single blog let alone write a blog post!

Anyhoo, 'tis the weekend now and even better it's a Bank Holiday weekend here in Ireland to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

To mark St. Patricks Day the Washington Post will be broadcasting a special celebration of Ireland.  Click here for more information - it could definitely be worth watching.  It will be streamed live in Ireland at 9pm and at 5pm in the United States of America.

We have a busy weekend ahead of us but right now I'm looking forward to a glass of wine with dinner!!

Hope you have a great weekend and do let me know if you attend any St. Patricks Parade!!

Men with moustaches

We watched the 1976 film "Lifeguard" starring Sam Elliott and his awesome moustache.

It's a thought provoking film and definitely worth a watch (available on Netflix) and has really held up well considering it is nearly 40 years old!!  It's filmed in Southern California on Torrance Beach.  Watching it made be want to feel sand between my toes.

Not a whole lot of men can get away with a moustache - along with Sam Elliott only Tom Selleck of Magnum P.I. fame springs to mind.

Can you think of anyone else who carries a moustache well?!

Getting organized

We've been doing lots of Spring cleaning.  I recycled all of our glass bottles.  Conveniently there are bottle banks at my new place of work.

There are also clothes banks to recycle clothes so I will bring some clothes I am throwing out to the banks over the next week or two.  Some of the clothes are too good for recycling so I will drop them off to be sold in charity shops (thrift stores).

I bought two expandable box files for all our paperwork in Reads of Nassau Street.

It was great to file away a lot of papers that needed to be stored.  Previously I filed them in folders but it was a pain to punch them and file them.  This is a much easier system and has tidied the house up no end!

I'm feeling pretty happy about this little bit of Spring Cleaning!

Architizer + Awards

We received really exciting news yesterday - our house has been shortlisted, from thousands of entries, in the finals of the Architizer + Awards!!  

The Architizer Awards are a global architecture awards programme that receives entrants from over 100 countries.  Our house is up against residential buildings from countries such as Norway, Germany and Japan!

There is both a jury vote and also a public vote.  To vote for us you can click this link which will bring you to the category our house is in - as you hover over the picture of "Ranelagh House" it should let you vote through Facebook (quickest way).  Unfortunately it is not the easiest to vote as they do make you sign up, I presume in order to prevent voting fraud??

If you have a minute to spare I'd love you to vote for "Ranelagh House" and even more importantly please ask your friends to vote too!!  Thank you so much in advance!  ;-)

Although it would be a long shot for us to win the public vote (I'm sure we must be up against some very large architectural practises) - how amazing would it be for a house from Ireland to win. I will be on a campaign from now until the 21st of March to get all the votes I can for "Ranelagh House".  I look forward to the results on the 1st of April!

Netflix

Yesterday I signed up to Netflix.  We are currently working our way through Season 2 of House of Cards.  We are gripped!! Episode 1 was practically unbelievable.  Have you watched it?  

Yesterday we ate in Noshington on the South Circular Road.  

How cute is the little milk bottle?! 

I ordered badly :-(

French toast with bacon and caramelized banana.  It was carb overload.....waay too much bread.  I didn't enjoy it at all. 

Ciaran had the full Irish.  The rasher and sausage were overcooked.

We liked the ambiance of Noshington but the food didn't encourage us to plan a return visit.

Clear out

I was having a clear out of a stack of magazines that were hanging around the house.  I recycled most of them except for all of the ones that had a feature on our house.

Click the below links to have a look at my blog posts on the articles:

Beautiful Kitchens - February 2014

House Beautiful - July 2013

Ireland's Homes Interiors & Living - June 2013

The Gloss Interiors - Winter 2013

Sunday Independent Life - October 2013

Sunday Times - June 2013

The marvels of HDMI

I mentioned in work that I was thinking of getting Netflix but that I didn't think I would be able to get a second HDMI cable up the back of my TV.  

It was a tough job to get the original cable in for my TV service box - I had to use a mirror to help guide the cable in to the slot. 

A colleague suggested that all I needed to do was take the HDMI cable out of the TV box and not the TV when I wanted to hook up my laptop to the TV.  So simple!!

Today I did exactly that and watched The Great Gatsby on DVD through my laptop.  HDMI is brilliant!!

I really enjoyed The Great Gatsby.  The book is one of my all time favourites and one can only say that Baz Luhrman has made a spectacular spectacle which captures the gloriously decadence of the roaring twenties and the jazz age.  Just splendid!

We had a great Friday evening with an early bird dinner in The Table in Portobello.  It was our second time here and although I  loved the ambiance and setting I think we didn't order well for our mains.  However, the bottle of malbec I ordered helped it all go down!

I'm currently in state of what I call "super woman" where I feel that I can do anything.  Common sense prevailed however and I came to the realization that I possibly was over stretching myself and over estimating my capabilities.  

Along with making arrangements to start a Diploma in Digital Marketing in the next few weeks, I had also signed on to train as a volunteer counsellor with a rape helpline.  I decided however that the time wasn't right for me to make this commitment so I pulled out of the training course for it.  I will revisit this volunteering opportunity in maybe a year or so as  I have to make work my priority at this time. I am currently assigned to working in a new branch that is opening at the end of the month so I am massively busy.  Along with my work commitments I am also having a small procedure carried out in hospital on Wednesday but hopefully I won't need any time off work after this.  All in all, I have a lot going on so I need to be careful not to over extend myself.