Big Breakfast!

Well after an eventful night where I got barely any sleep I got up and cooked a big breakfast for two of Ciaran's squash friends.

Last night was bad because I didn't get to bed until about 1am when Ciaran came home.  Then close to 2am I heard someone attempt to break in to the Smart Car.  I looked out the window and saw someone run away.  I shouted out the window something like "The guards are coming" or "I've called the guards".

I then rang the guards who took all details and said they would ring me back shortly.  I got back in to bed but about half an hour later I got a call from the station to say there was a plain clothes guard outside my house and would I have a word with him.

I went out and chatted with the guard.  We reckoned it may have been a homeless person looking for somewhere to stay or looking for valuables in the car (we live about a mile from the city centre so this seems reasonable) - they were hardly planning on taking the car for a joy ride given it's size and distinctive look!!

I felt kind of bad for the homeless guy.  Guard said that they had a good look around and that there was no one around.  He checked I was ok and then assured me that I could call the station again if there was any further disturbances.  He then left and I went back to bed.

I had forgotten to silence my phone and so at 6.30am my sister who lives in Oman (different time zone) texted me.  I was so panicked and on edge because of the earlier incident that I rushed for the phone and would you believe I fell out of my bed!!!  I l knocked my head on the locker beside the bed but didn't hurt myself  too bad (found a small bump on my head when I was in the shower) as I put out my arm to break my fall.  Quite funny.  I don't think I've ever fallen out of bed before!

And then I got up at 9am and cooked eggs, beans, rashers and sausages for the lads.  I was glad to be up and active.  Below is Cleo who came over to play with Bones.  What a cutie! 

Pod Casts - who knew?!

The lads in work are mad about listening to podcasts so when they heard I had upgraded my phone (having not been able to listen to podcasts) they told me to download this particular one called Serial about an investigation of a 15 yr old murder case.  

I was warned that I could find it addictive and I was probably going to end up listening to the whole 12 in a row.  They are right!  I am hooked. It's a fairly gripping story.  I listened to the first episode in the car on my drive home from work and straightaway went on to the second while I was making dinner.  I'm looking forward to the weekend when I can listen away to my hearts content!

Cake - Starring Jennifer Anniston

We went to see "Cake" starring Jennifer Anniston in Rathmines Omniplex last night.  I had heard that she had put in a great performance and I thought so too.  The character was a chronic pain sufferer and you certainly believed it from the way she acted.

In my opinion this film was heart wrenchingly good.  I love an LA story and the sets were amazing.  The main character lives in an architectural gem of a Mid-Century Modern home and the film is worth going to just to see that house alone!

We had a photo shoot in our house today so that was partly the reason why we went to the cinema last night.  I had the house cleaned spotlessly so I didn't want us to mess the house if we stayed in.  

The photo shoot went well, it seems, and they will be back on Monday to do some filming for a soon to be broadcast show on RTE.  

Look at the amazing flowers that the Production Team had delivered to me this morning.  They are stunning - what a nice surprise!

Here's a few pics of the house before the crew arrived.

I love Lillies.  Here are some waiting to bloom in a retro looking Carolyn Donnelly vase.  

Breakfast is served!

Since we moved to this house we have not had a toaster.  This is probably down to the fact that I don't eat toast and also because we don't generally eat brekkie at home.

This weekend we have a squash player staying with us so I bought a toaster.

I also found this Le Creuset Marmalade Jar in TK Maxx.  It's the same colour as my Butter Bell so I was delighted to find it.  Both will be perfect to use at the big breakfast spread I will be serving up this weekend!

Funny story - as I was paying for my jar, the girl on the til admired it and said "All the Le Croissant stuff is lovely"!!!! 

Tips for Decluttering and Tidying

So after following the KonMari Method and tidying my drawers yesterday and discovering how much space it made I decided to get in to Ciaran's press and give it a going over.  Would you believe I was able to fit an extra 7 pairs of trousers into this drawer after I refolded everything?!!!

Here is one of his sock drawers all neat and tidy.

Over the years I have developed habits to keep my house neat, tidy and decluttered.

Here are my top tips:

* Donate books you know longer read to the library or a charity shop.  If you want to read them again in a few years you can always borrow them from the library!
* The same is best for DVDs & CDs - donate to the library so you don't have to store them.  If you are unwilling to do this, you can always throw away the cases and save space by storing them in plastic sleeves in a file.
* Use a cleaning products caddy to carry around the house (for further ease you can have one caddy that is left in the bathroom and the other is left in the kitchen)
* Wipe down the toilet and bathroom sink with disposable cleaning wipes every morning - a few swooshes and you keep on top of the dirt - it makes it so much easier when you are doing your big weekly clean
* Also squirt a small bit of bleach in to the toilet once daily to ensure it stays pristine clean
* Put away, not down - when you are finished using something, put it back where it belongs (I tend to find this the hardest to do)

My most important habit is the "One in, One out" rule.  
* If you buy something, you need to throw something out.  
You can also ask yourself "Do I really need this?" before you buy it.  More often than not the answer is No!

Life Changing Tidying: The KonMari Method

I borrowed a book called "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up" by Marie Kondo from the Library but brought it back before I ever read it.....what a mistake!

Anyway as luck would have it I was reading someone's blog yesterday and they made mention of a video referencing it.

You can check out the video below to see how to go about folding your T-Shirts and once you get the idea you can set about tidying your clothes drawers, like I did!

The above two drawers were the ones I sent about tidying first.  I presume most people's drawers look like this?  

The clothes are all folded in on top of each other and you can't see anything really except for the top layer of items.

I tossed all the clothes out on to the floor and began folding.

Look at the difference!!!

I can see everything at a glance!!

I even managed to get a few extra things in to these drawers so not only does it make everything easier to be seen it also gives you extra space.

As well as tidying KonMari gives advice about decluttering.  She says you should throw out anything that does not give you joy!

Let me know if you decide to follow the KonMari method for organizing your clothes.

Peperina Garden Bistro, Dunville Avenue

Ciaran is playing in the Squash Nationals this weekend so we needed to go get a quick breakfast before his first game on Saturday.  He suggested Peperina on Dunville Avenue which we had been thinking of going to for awhile.  

Our first impressions were positive and the staff were very friendly and pleasant.  We arrived just before 10am and it was quiet - I'd say we got there just before the morning rush.

Size wise it reminded me of a lot of little restaurants that we used to visit when we were in Key West.

Both of us ordered the same thing - poached eggs and toast (2 eggs cooked anyway for €5.50) with black pudding (additional €1.80).  

Pancake Tuesday

Happy Pancake Tuesday!

I did a little pancake cheat by buying ready made pancake mix by Odlums which all you need to do is add milk to.  I know you are probably thinking that pancakes are the easiest thing in the world to make but with both of us working, I will always take a short cut if possible!

It is so convenient to use and there is no clean up either!

It's pancakes for dummies - all you do is fill the milk up to the mark on the bottle and shake and then they are ready to pour.  You don't even have to transfer them to a jug or use a ladle to put the batter on the pan.  Simple!

I bought the American style pancake mix but there is also a thin crepe variety.  

I made a large stack of pancakes for dinner!

I ate mine with bacon (rashers) and maple syrup.

Pancake Tuesday is a big celebration here in Ireland and marks the start of Lent.  

Do you celebrate Pancake Tuesday?

Ground Espresso Bar - New Cafe in Next, Blanchardstown

On Friday I met two friends for coffee and cake.  Marguerite suggested we go to the new cafe in the Next Store in Blanchardstown.

The new cafe is called "Ground Espresso Bar" and I thought it was very good!  I had the most amazing Salted Caramel Brownie which they heated it slightly and served with cream (my only complaint was they charged 40c extra for the cream - seriously, why do so many places nickel and dime you like this?!)

Marguerite had a grilled cheese sandwich.

Yvonne got a chai tea along with a Rhubarb and White Chocolate scone which she said was very good.

I wish I had taken a photo of the cafe as it really was quite hip!

Valentine's Weekend

Fun day yesterday.  At 2pm, Amy and I went to see "Fifty Shades of Grey".  We had decided to go on Friday night so I had booked the tickets online as I was afraid it might book out quickly due to the hype of the film.

We both enjoyed the film (it's a typical big budget Hollywood film) and it certainly is a better film than book!!

Later on that evening we went to the play "A girl is a half-formed thing" which was also a book prior to being made in to a play.

This play was so intense and it was quite surreal to watch it after having seen the silliness of 50 Shades earlier on.

It was a one woman play and the actress, Aoife Duffin, who played all the characters was incredible.  I found it very poignant when she played her older brother who as he regressed her voice became babyish while he got sick and began to die.  Very moving.

This was an intense and gripping play that was extremely harrowing to watch in many parts but I thought it was excellent. Particular elements were very Irish and perhaps it may not translate well to an International stage or maybe, on the other hand, what I think are Irish stories are actually universal world wide family stories. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

My twin sister, and I, are meeting Kasey and Alex to go see a play tonight for an "Anti-Valentine's Day" event.

However, we could not let the day go completely unmarked so we got a little gift for the two girls - two L'Occitane hand creams in a cute tin! 

Blog Early, Blog Often

When I started blogging I was interested in getting more readers and hits on my blog.  

I googled different ways to do this and generally the view is that to get lots of blog hits you should

* Blog regularly

* Blog good content

* Get Guest Bloggers to write posts

* Link up with other bloggers

* Share blog content on Social Media

I try and do all of the above except for the Guest Bloggers (however I have got Guest Blogs for the blog I manage in my workplace).

I have noticed that if I do not blog regularly my stats take a serious nose dive.  I think this is due to Google and its algorithms whereby if you are not adding content they are not placing you at the top of searches.  

Therefore in my humble opinion it is essential to blog often.  A daily blog post tends to make sense.  I endeavor to do this, but as you can see, whether I succeed is quite another matter altogether!

Many of my blog readers have their own blogs with huge readerships.  

What are your tips for getting views or hits on your blog?

Dry Shampoo Reviews

Although my hair is very straight and generally easy to style it is also unfortunately very oily.  It needs to be washed every day and I often need to freshen it up with a dry shampoo (particularly when I have had it blow dried in the hairdresser).  I also think that Dry Shampoo adds volume to my hair, which I tend to need as my hair can be very flat.

I've tried out a few different Dry Shampoos and I have to say that I find Batiste (which has been made since the 1970's) to be the best.

However, I have tried other Dry Shampoos which are generally cheaper than Batiste.  Recently I used this Garnier Dry Shampoo.  It says on the can that it is Vanilla Milk flavour and is for mid to long hair.  I was disappointed though as I didn't find it effective and to be honest I didn't like how it made my hair feel.  On  positive note, however, I did like the scent of this product.

Boots used to make a really cheap basic brand that was completely rubbish so I wasn't too convinced that this new Boots brand (see below) would be any use.  I chose to buy the "Paradise Island" flavour (I love tropical smells) which is very nice and has hints of coconuts to it possibly.  

Wow was I surprised when I used it.  It smelt great, made my hair look and feel so good and was very reasonably priced too - I think it was actually the cheapest Dry Shampoo on the shelf!

Do you use Dry Shampoo - have you got any recommendations?

My final tip is that Dry Shampoo is great when styling freshly washed hair in an upstyle - if your hair is too shiny just spray a little dry shampoo in!

Ennio Morricone, 3 Arena - Dublin

Awhile back I wrote about getting tickets for Ennio Morricone who was due to play on December 12th.  Unfortunately, the concert was cancelled and then rescheduled for now.  It felt like forever for the new date to come but finally the day was upon us!

Ciaran had to travel to Limerick during the day and I was afraid he wouldn't be back in time.  I felt it would be too rushed and put too much pressure on him so I didn't book a restaurant but instead made arrangements to cook at home before the concert.

He got home from Limerick in plenty of time but went for asleep at 4.30pm and then I made dinner for about 5.30pm.

We got a taxi at about 6.30pm as I was afraid the traffic would be bad at the venue.  Traffic was fine because we had left so early - we were inside by before 7pm for the 8pm show.

I brought my Tommy Bahama flask with me because Ciaran tried to convince me that there would be no vodka for sale, only wine and beer.  We hadn't been to this venue since it was called the Point.  Of course it has had a major overhaul since then and has been through two name changes from the O2 to the 3 Arena.  

When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised by the venue.  It is superb and had full bars and a range of concession stands.  There was even a prosecco concession where you could get a glass of prosecco for €7.  I just bought a bottle of Ccoke Zero for my vodka.  During the interval, I had a drink from the bar.  I didn't want to get another vodka as they only had Absolut (bleugh) so I had a Malibu & Diet Coke (1980 called - they want their drink back!)

When we entered the seating area, Ciaran asked me to guess the capacity (he had already googled) - I said about 20,000 which wasn't a bad guess because it actually holds 23,000.

The show began just after 8pm with the choir walking on to stage (possibly about 70 singers) followed by the orchestra (by my count there was about 80 musicians).  Then the maestro himself walked on the the stage (very jauntily for an 86 year old) and with a quick bow the music began.  

Do you know Ennio Morricone?  I would imagine you are familiar with many of his pieces from films including "The Mission", "The Untouchables" and "Once upon a time in America" and of course "The Good the Bad and the Ugly".

All of the songs were amazing but I especially liked Come Maddelena and Abolisson.  My favourite, however, was Here's to you  which was sang as the first encore - the crescendo that it builds up to is sensational and to see it live was breath taking. 

I think that Gabriel's Oboe from The Mission holds a special place in many Irish people's hearts as it was used in an Aer Lingus ad (the National Airline) in the 1980's at a time of high emigration in Ireland......the music is very poignant.

Inherent Vice - Dazed & Confused

Last Sunday we went to see "Inherent Vice".  We intended going to the 1.30pm showing in Cineworld but Ciaran took the dog for a walk a short while before we were due to go.  By chance he met a friend in the village and they went for a cup of coffee together.

This meant that we only arrived at the cinema at 1.25pm.  The line for tickets was long and there were only 2 people servicing the queue.  I hate being late in to a film - I love playing "Guess the trailer game" (which I ALWAYS win, I should add!) so I checked what time the film was starting in the Savoy Cinema which was only a short walk away.

It was starting at 2.10pm so we left Cineworld and headed to the Savoy.  But guess what?!  They showed no trailers!!!!  I was not happy!  Then to add to that the film was not as good as we had thought it would be.  Let's just say the below pic from Gracia magazine pretty much sums it up!  And at one point I just about fell asleep except for the fact that Ciaran nudged me to wake up  :-(

Have you seen this film - what did you think of it?

In other items of note a friend posted a link on Facebook to these amazing looking pastries.  OMG!! Sticky buns with bacon!!!  

What do you think???

The Key Notes' Barbershop version of Ireland's Call on the Right Hook

On my drive home from work each day I tend to listen to George Hook on The Right Hook.  


Today he had The Key Notes on his show and they did this awesome rendition of Ireland's Call.  

Do you Yik Yak?

A big interest of mine is Social Media and Digital Media.  I'm always interested to hear about new social media and to get in and use it at the start before it takes off (or dies as can happen!)

A colleague of mine told me about Yik Yik and I thought it sounded intriguing.  Here is a fairly good explanation of what it is and how it is used. 

For me I like to use it to share good solid local information eg. Starbucks are selling off their Christmas stock for 50% off or that cinema tickets are only €5 on a Tuesday night in Rathmines Omniplex.....and indeed these are the types of "yaks" that have garnered me the most upvotes and "yakarma".  

Typically attracting college students there is surprisingly not so much rubbish to wade through to spend a bit of time on the app hanging out and passing the time! Hugely popular in the USA, I think it is beginning to take off in Ireland in particular areas near to universities and student hangouts.

The success of Yik Yak in my view will very much depend on the type of user it attracts going forward and of course whether is can monetize itself and how it will do so.  Big questions hang over it at this point, I think.

Let me know if you try and let me me know what you think.  Personally I think it can be hit and miss depending on where you live.  I live about 2 miles away from a large university so Yik Yak is fairly active in my area.

Blue Sky View!

This is the glass skylight to he birch ply wood clad room at the top of our house.

During the year the glass skylight got extremely dirty.  From time to time Ciaran and I climbed out on to the house roof and with a long pole we attempted to clean the skylight.

When we arrived back from Abu Dhabi over Christmas I noticed that the glass skylight was spotlessly clean.  We reckon that the freezing temperatures (below minus 4) froze water on the roof and took the dirt with it when it melted and ran off.

The skylight allows for a lovely view of the sky and this room is one of my favourite places to go when it is raining heavily.  It is relaxing to lie on the ground and look up at the rain battering the house!