Ireland day 0132. Monday 07 February 2022- Domestic

Ireland day 0132. Monday 07 February 2022- Domestic
Today’s summary Went on a run first thing then spent most of the rest of the day cleaning, tidying and cooking before meeting Val from the airport in the evening
Today’s weather Overcast but quite bright.   No sun or rain.  Moderate westerly breeze.  About 12C
Today’s overview location
(the red cross in a circle shows where Val and I are at the moment)
Close-up location
(Click button below to download GPX of today’s walk as recorded, or see interactive map at bottom with elevations corrected):
Third Demesne Run
Commentary

When I am left to my own devices, it’s amazing how quickly my living space can degenerate into a state of disorganised bachelorhood.   I moved the laptop and monitor into the sitting room so I could slob on the sofa and watch Netflix, which of course brought with it a magnificent tangle of wires, cables, adapters and crumbs.   Personally I can’t see anything wrong with having an electronic birds nest on the coffee table but Val doesn’t seem to like it and as she’s coming back from the UK this evening, I thought I better do something about it.

Once the electronics were sorted out, I noticed that I could barely see out of the windows because so much grime had accumulated in the quarter year since I last cleaned them.   So out came the Windolene and elbow-grease so now the windows are, temporarily at least, transparent.   Next on the list was the hoovering.   That dust that I was going on about last week has reappeared – even though there has been only one of me here for most of the time since I last did the vacuum cleaning.   And I thought I was pretty clean too!  Evidently I must be responsible for shedding skin prolifically though I must admit I haven’t really noticed becoming particularly reptilian lately.

Then finally, I had spotted some interesting pink bacterial colonies developing round the plughole in the bathroom sink.   While I was idly curious to know what would happen if I just let them grow a bit, again, I thought Val might not share my enthusiasm so I zapped them with bleach and left them to their untimely demise.

By this time after a morning breathing dust and chlorine, I thought it would be a good idea to go out for a quick run.   I actually managed to get round the demesne a bit faster than the last two times I’ve done it – perhaps the chemical cocktail helped propel me to new highs.   I actually quite enjoyed it and being grassy the whole 4km, its a good route which shouldn’t do too much damage to my fraying cartilages.

I’d promised that I’d have dinner ready by the time Val returned this evening, so after a quick shower, my next task was to try and rustle up a beef casserole which would go nicely with the Supervalu Malbec that I had pushed the boat out and bought last week.   I’m not good in the kitchen and so even doing something as relatively straightforward as chopping and cooking vegetables can be a stressful experience.   Still I stuck with it and after about an hour of toil I managed to get everything into the casserole dish and safely into the oven.  Phew.   I hope it tastes OK.

After this whirlwind of activity, I paused for a late breakfast / early lunch then went into town to pick up some shopping and also to collect a book on Irish Ancestry that I had ordered from the library.   Only after all this was done could I finally grab a cup of tea and some biscuits and do the bit of reading that I had been looking forward to all day.   I was pleased to finish off a short book on Irish history that I’ve been dipping in and out of over the last few weeks – you can see the details in the photos below.   It was a good read and it’s given me at least a reasonable understanding of the framework of history in this island.

I think I had better sign off at this point.   Last time Val returned from the airport, my attempt to meet her went disastrously wrong.   Her flight was early and my bus was late so we ended up missing each other completely.   So this time, to avoid a similar calamity blighting my reputation for ever, I am going to set off a couple of hours before I actually need to.   And, just checking my watch, that means now.

See you tomorrow!

 

Today’s photos (click to enlarge)

Looking a unjustifiably smug I think, after dragging myself round the castle demesne at a sluggardly (is that even a word?) six and a half minutes per kilometer this morning.   I can’t believe how slow I am! Tonight’s dinner undergoing the transformation into something edible in the oven this afternoon
Just finished reading this.   I’d give it 4.5 out of 5: very readable, informative, and commendably short.   A bit light on detail in places and out of date in that it doesn’t reflect Brexit, but a nice manageable size.   Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the history of the emerald isle This is the next project.   We need to start researching Val’s Kilkenny connection, and Grenham’s book is apparently the definitive work on the subject.   With this and Ulysses, I think our grey matter will be working overtime for the next few weeks
Dinner in preparation.   Look away now if you’re a vegetarian
Interactive map

(Elevations corrected at  GPS Visualizer: Assign DEM elevation data to coordinates )

Total distance: 4595 m
Max elevation: 30 m
Min elevation: 10 m
Total climbing: 75 m
Total descent: -75 m
Total time: 00:30:28
Download file: Third Run Round The Castle Demesne corrected.gpx

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