Election Count Day

After dropping her husband off at the airport (he's gone on a ski trip with friends) Amy called to me just before 9am. She brought me a lovely gift of a pack of limited edition nespresso pods (look at the great colour - so pretty!). We straightaway made Baileys coffees and then set about making breakfast.

For breakfast we had scrambled eggs made with this bottle of O'Egg liquid egg that I had bought in Supervalu the day before. It is super convenient and I shall purchase again!

We spent the morning eating brunch and drinking vodka OJ's watching the election count. But it turned out to be a long time before results started coming through. In my sister's constituency, it was about 11pm before the Tanaiste (Sub Prime Minister) won back her seat by a tight margin. My constituency only elected someone today on the 7th count!!

We vote by Single Transferable Vote (or Proportional Representation) here in Ireland which is quite complex and counts are lengthy. Click here to read all about how our system works. I think Malta is the only other place in the world who uses this system.  Although quite complicated it is a brilliant system and it can mean that there can be really exciting moments throughout the count.

And today as the dust settles and the TD's are being elected we are beginning to see that no one party has a clear majority. It looks like a government will have to be cobbled together.....but I have to question what parties will work together.

.......We could be back at the polls in 6 months time.

Little Kitchen Leeson Street

On Thursday afternoon I attempted to get a table in Tribeca for 7pm that evening.  They could only offer us a 6pm spot which I wouldn't be home from work in time for.

I then rang The Little Kitchen on Leeson Street and got a table for 7pm.

When we arrived we were offered a choice of tables.  We chose the window seat which, even though was near the door which blew cold air on us as people arrived, was a nice place to sit with a good view of the street.

I liked this restaurant from the get go.  It's a small place which I always prefer as it reminds me of a lot of the small really good restaurants that we go to when we visit Key West.  It is also BYOB which is always a good option (I took a bottle of French wine from the our wine rack - and to be honest I can't even tell you what type it was)!

We enjoyed all our food and definitely shall return soon.  The only dish we wouldn't order again is the lamb.  As we walked home we agreed that the lamb had been cooked well but that we just aren't really in to it!

Here is what we ate...

Donegal smoked haddock chowder, chorizo and wild samphire

Risotto of chili, roasted red pepper, prawns, garlic and soft herbs

Slaney River, Slow roasted lambshank, roasted yellow squash andvanilla, twice cooked root vegetables,treacle gravy

Sesame crusted tuna with mussels (this was a special with a €5 supplement)

Half-baked chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream

Funday Friday!

Yesterday, Amy and I had been invited to a friends house for brunch. We both took the day off work so that we could meet for brunch and then head off for the day. 

Brunch was arranged for 10am so I got the bus to Blanchardstown and met Amy at 9.30am and then we walked to our friends house. 

Our friend had her table laid out so nicely and she cooked us delicious pancakes. As well as having lovely food we had nice conversation and chat. It was a great brunch!

We also had fun posing with this giant chimp!

On a side note, Amy and I received our results from a DNA test we did as part of a twin study we were involved in about a year ago. It confirmed we are 99.99997 % positive identical twins. I have to say we do look fairly alike in the chimp pic!

Afterwards, Amy and I took the bus to the city (we mistakenly got on the 37 which took us all around Carpenterstown & Castleknock and took way longer than the 39A which we should have taken) and went to the train station to pick up Amy's annual train pass. We then hopped on the Dart out to Blackrock. The sea views were so nice! We had a drink and some spicy pawns before getting back on the train and heading on to Dun Laoghaire. We stopped in to another pub and had a drink here too as well as some lovely BBQ ribs and corn on the cob. 

To get home, I got the 46A bus while Amy luckily caught a train that went all the way to her station without having to switch trains n the city. I got back to my house about 7.30pm where I picked up the dog and my polling card and headed to the polling station and voted in the general election.

After an enjoyable but long day, I went to bed with a glass of wine and a good book! A lovely end to a great day.

We have a new front door

Here's our new front door.

It's been painted in "Railings" by Farrow & Ball and the brass ironmongery are the original ones that were restored and re-polished.

Here's the door at night time

And here it is during the day

It's very different looking from our red door and I'm very happy with it. The big difference is the comfort levels with this door being fully sealed and also having a dummy letter box.  It doesn't let any draughts in which makes a big difference as our house so open plan.

Penneys Haul

I met up with my best friend and sister this morning for a chilled out brunch in The Great Wood in Blanchardstown. Most people seemed to be eating and then leaving quickly. Not us though! We were there from 11.30am until 3.30pm. It was fun and it was a great catch up.

Afterwards, Amy and I went to Penneys to browse the Summer stock for our upcoming trip to Key West. 

Amy got a nice pair of flip flops and birkenstock style sandals. We both got sunglasses and I also got two bargain bikinis! The triangle style suited me better but I also bought the bandeau one in order to stop tan lines building up.

All of the below was €14. You can not beat Penneys for price!

Low Carb Shepherds Pie

I've been trying out a few different low carb cauliflower dishes over the past while so decided to make this Low Carb Shepherds Pie.

I didn't add carrots or peas to the mince meat base which was a pity as it would have added a bit of colour.

The mashed potato substitute is made using cauliflower mixed with butter and cream.

Cheese is added to the top.

Looks tasty - can't wait to eat it!

Snoring solution!

I finally resolved to do something about my snoring and generally unsettled sleeping. After speaking to the pharmacist in Boots in Rathmines I bought these Breathe Right nose strips.

And guess what?! They are so effective!

I haven't snored since I've started wearing them. I also feel that I have a less disturbed sleep over all. They are comfortable to wear and the concept is that they keep your airway open in order to prevent snoring. They make your nose look a little puffy/swollen when you are wearing the strip but that subsides when you take it off the next morning.

Here I am fast asleep with my nose strip on. My twin sister took this photo when she stayed over with me last weekend. I look pretty peaceful!

I had a browse on the Breathe Right website where there is a video explaining how they work. I also see that you can get a free sample of the nose strips if you live in the USA. 

Benefits of a post box

Here in Ireland, it is not so common to have a post box for postal deliveries. Most people have a letter box on their front door and post gets delivered through this. It's convenient for all as driveways are small in Ireland so the postman does not have to walk far between houses (well in Dublin, anyway!).

Awhile back our neighbour switched out his front door and no longer uses his letter box. He attached a smart post box to his house wall beside the front door.

We are getting a new door so I also decided to not get a letter box cut out but to attach a dummy letter box to the door and to use a post box to receive mail.

Here are the benefits:
* No draughts from the letter box (this was the main reason I chose to not have a letter box on the door).
* The dog doesn't find letters on the ground and chew them
* I don't get woken by the postman when he makes an early morning delivery
* I can place junk mail directly into the recycling bin from the post box

Can you think of any other positives to having a post box?

 

I got my post box for €149 in Knobs & Knockers. Cheaper options are available from places like Argos or hardware stores, but the one I chose is solid and made out of a heavy metal and I think will be durable and should hold up in the Irish climate.

As you can see when I unlocked it today there was only one letter with the bulk of delivery being junk mail.

I "delivered" the junk post straight to the recycling bin at the end of the row of my bins.

After I had bought my new post box I discovered that An Post now have a new service called the "Delivery Box" where they will deliver parcels to you and also pick up your post. You don't have to sign for the parcels as they scan a barcode on your box which indicates delivery and you will then receive a text to let you know a parcel has been delivered. This could have been an option for us but it would have had to have been fixed to our wall for security. I think, rather than attaching it to the railings at the front of the house. It's very convenient and well priced at €69.99.

Click here to see a picture of the An Post Delivery Box.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

I've had a lovely day so far. When I woke up I was surprised by a lovely gift of sweets and perfume by my husband. 

"Chance" by Chanel - a lovely choice. And smells really nice too!

 And a velvet heart of Butler's chocolates! What a nice treat!

My sister and I had been admiring this particular box of chocs when we were in Butler's yesterday so I was delighted to receive this.

The selection inside is really good, a fantastic mix of Butler's chocolates.

After getting out of bed we went around to Starbucks on Waterloo Road. We were going to walk to the Leeson Street one, as we can sit out under heaters with the dog, but it started hail stoning when we were just about to set off.

When we got to Starbucks I ordered the Valentine's Special of a Triple Hot Chocolate, buy one get one free.

After we came home from Starbucks we opened the Hot Tub for the first time in months. We got a new deck in the courtyard and it was only finished up and ready to use on Friday. 

I'm so happy with the new deck. It's made from a composite material and the colour is called "Cape Cod". It's definitely got a New England feel to it. It's fresh and clean looking and best of all it is maintenance free!

It felt so good to be back in the Hot Tub and I think Valentine's Day was the perfect day to have it back working.

Brass Ironmongery - Before and After

We got a new front door fitted last week (pics to follow when it is painted). 

As well as getting the new door we planned on fitting new brass ironmongery to the door. I visited "Knobs & Knockers" in Dublin City in order to buy a new door knob, door knocker, letter box as the old ones on our front door were very badly tarnished after years of neglect.  See the picture on the red door - this is how our door knocker looked.

In the shop, I showed the old knocker and said I was looking for something similar. When the shop assistant saw it, he said I would be mad to replace it, that "it was an old Dublin knocker" and that he would give me the name of a company who would re-polish it.

So in the heel of the hunt, I bought a new bell, new numbers and a new postbox (we are not using the letter box for post to prevent draughts) from Knobs and Knockers. We then sent the knob, knocker and letter box off to be re-polished.

Look at the results!!

The company we used to polish the brass was James Healy Ltd in JFK Industrial Estate in Bluebell, Dublin 12. 

I'm glad to have a before and after picture as the difference is fairly substantial.

What I'm doing....

I'm listening to...Jimmy Buffett
In preparation for my upcoming trip to Key West. I have it playing in my car and my twin sister was delighted to hear it when I drove her to the train station after we were in Ikea yesterday. You can see what we bought in Ikea by reading Amy's blog post.

I'm reading...."Ireland Says Yes - the inside story of how the vote for marriage equality was won".
It's an excellent read and brought me right back to last May when the marriage referendum was passed in Ireland. Tears came to my eyes as I read the chapter about #hometovote.

This is a library copy but I may buy my own copy.

I'm hanging out with....Bono!

Amy and I visited the Little Museum of Dublin today. It's a little museum on Stephen's Green and is a worthwhile place to stop off at if you are visiting Dublin.

It's very cold here in Ireland so you can see that I am bundled up with a big scarf! And now I am at home chilling and staying in warm and dry out of the wind and rain that is raging outside. Bliss!

Spiralized Vegetable: A Low Carb Alternative to Pasta

I've been seeing recipes all over the net using spiralized courgettes as a low carb alternative to spaghetti. Along with the recipes I've seen websites selling gadgets that spiralize the courgette for you. 

It all looked a bit messy to me so I was happy to see ready prepared spiraled vegetables for sale in Dunnes Stories this evening. I'm sure this makes dinner prep far easier so I might try them some day.

There was a selection of spiralized vegetables including beetroot, courgette and sweet potato.  

Have you eaten vegetables like this? How were they - does the courgette make a good substitute for noodle?