ODKM Architects

If you are a regular reader of this blog you will know that my husband is partner in ODKM Architects.

Currently ODKM are doing a drive for Likes on Facebook. If you are on Facebook, I'd love if you popped on over to the ODKM page and clicked like!

By becoming a fan of their page you will get updates of all of their projects and get to see pictures of lovely things like the recently completed and very funky "Pottery House"

In other exciting news,  my twin sister's house features on the Ikea Website this coming February.  She renovated her house from top to bottom and put in a nifty little cocktail area.  There is even a great picture of her and her cat Harry.  I'll be sure to put up a link to her feature as soon as it goes live!!

Brother Hubbards, Capel Street

We had a great Sunday!

 

We started with breakfast in Brother Hubbards on Capel Street (upon a recommendation from a work colleague).  I really wanted to like this place - it has got great reviews in the papers and is turning in to a bloggers favourite. 

 

The minute we got the menu we were at a loss.  It was hard to see any options that were low carb high fat.  We ordered short Americanos while considering the menu further (we brought our own cream for our coffee).  Eventually I chose the Breakfast of Champignons and Ciaran chose the Greek Style Omelette (leaving out the olives).  We both left off the bread.

 

 

The food was good but the setting wasn't at all comfortable for brunch.  We were seated in the middle of the floor on stools at a tiny table.  I had brought along the papers but we couldn't read them.  All we could do was eat and run.  Really quite unsatisfying for a Sunday morning.  Ciaran was most unhappy I think.  After being in Belfast from Friday to Saturday he had really wanted a chilled out brunch on Sunday.  He says he is choosing where we go next Sunday!!

The bill for our breakfast came to €23.  Yesterday, two breakfasts in The Fumbally was €16.  I think Brother Hubbards is about 30% over priced.  Sadly we won't be back.  Although the food would probably be good for dinner, I just couldn't see us enjoying the setting over a bottle of wine.   

 

After breakfast we called to Ciaran's parents and then on to my mother.  My mother showed us the huge tree that blew over in her garden during last weeks storm!!

 

Later we went to the 6pm show of the really excellent "12 years a slave".  Wow what a film!  I won't be surprised if it wins best picture in the Oscars.   

 

And then finally I sat down to blog while watching my guilty pleasure - the Duggars in 19 Kids and Counting!!!  (Oh dear!)

 

Retro Nation

You might be wondering what's going on here!!

What I'm up to is collecting a prize that I won on Facebook from Retro Nation in the Stephen's Green Shopping Centre!!

 

This is what I won:  A Friends Travel Cup and Mug

 

Here is the travel cup - I love it!

 

And this is the mug which I gave to my twin sister.

 

 

And while I was in Retro Nation I bought an Elvis mug for Ciaran!

 

Retro Nation has a great selection of quirky items - here's what they are about (from their Facebook page):

 

RETRO NATION - iconic gifts and accessories. Great gifts with great memories. Memorabilia plus current iconic branded gifts from mugs to magnets, cufflinks to canvas art, lunchboxes, sandwich and collectors tins, tea towels to wallets, playing cards to money boxes, trays to tea pots and a wide range of bags from such memorable names like - Star Wars, Sesame Street, Batman, Rainbow, Hanna Barbera cartoons, Dr Who, Warner Bros., Star Trek, Vespa, The Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Superman plus loads loads more......that's RETRO NATION.

 

If you are in the Stephens Green Shopping Centre pop in for a look in Retro Nation!!

Gabrielle Designs - Paddington Bear

Currently in The Ark in Temple Bar there is a V&A Teddy Bear Exhibition.  Along with Mr. Bean's and Bono's bear there is a Gabrielle Designed Paddington Bear.

Gabrielle Designs was a small English company that made Paddington bears from 1972 until the late 1990's.

I have a Paddington Bear from the 1980's.  He is a little bit tired and worn and has lost his hat and label that used to be attached to his coat. He is a hard stuffed Paddington.  Many of the later produced Paddington's are soft stuffed.

His boots have paw prints on the sole and PB printed in reverse!

This Paddington Bear was made in Britain.

How cute are his wellington boots?!

 

A teeny weeny hand sized Paddington

Printed on the red boots are "Made in Korea". "China" is printed on the blue pair of boots.

As a child I loved reading about the marmalade sandwich eating Paddington Bear  - he got up to such great adventures! 

Did you read Paddington Bear books??

Big business for florists!

 

I took these pictures of the florist in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre at 8.50am this morning.  They were setting up for probably the biggest day of the year for florists everywhere.  Its the 13th of February - the day before Valentine's Day.

 

 

There was even some prospective customers this early in the morning!

 

The florist had a really lovely selection of flowers.

My younger sister has recently started to learn how to play the ukulele - check out this video of her singing a Spice Girls song.  She's not bad!!

Ireland is currently recovering from really bad storm yesterday.  250,000 were with out power and today there are still 150,000 without electricity.  The roof of Limerick Boat Club got ripped off in the high winds.

Seemingly Met Eireann is forecasting that we will get another battering tomorrow with expected floods too.

Tidy Desk Hoard

I have been giving my desk area in work a good clean as I am moving branch shortly. 

In the drawers next to my desk I found the most bizarre collection of items!

Item 1:  A disposable camera (the development date on it is 2010!!)

Item 2:  A bag of 9 dice (there was a receipt in the bag - the dice were bought in Jan 2009)

Item 3: A barely used pair of leather/tweed gloves (I vaguely remember getting these for Christmas and then promptly losing them......or so I thought!)

Item 4:  A photo of me kissing the Blarney Stone the weekend of my friends wedding in Blarney, Co Cork (this was taken in 2007)

I only cleared 1 drawer today - I can't wait to see what is in the 2nd drawer!!

Feed your pet!!

We feed our doggy Gain which is a dry dog food that is made in Ireland by Glanbia.  Normally I buy it in Petstop which is conveniently near where I currently work.

As I am changing work location shortly I knew I needed to consider an alternative to Petstop.  My sister had recently blogged about a new pet food supplier that had just been set up by acquaintances of her husband. My sister had ordered special weight loss food for her cat and was very pleased with how promptly it had arrived so I decided to order from Feed Your Pet too.

I was pleased with how easy it was to make an order and when the food was delivered to Ciaran's office he remarked how polite the delivery guy was. 

I intend to order from this place in the future I just need to be a little more organised and do it before Bones food had ran out like this time!