'Tis the Season

....no, not holiday season yet! It's only September!! Although, Brown Thomas, the biggest department store in Dublin, has already put up Christmas trees.

The season I am talking about is the Harvest. I know I mentioned this in my last post, but this goes much more into detail. The girls at swimming this week we asking me if Peadar was done planting potatoes. I corrected them saying, no "harvest is about cutting the wheat (also known as 'drawing corn') and then gathering straw, planting more wheat, then digging the potatoes. Potatoes don't get planted until spring."

The looks I got were priceless. Ask me to explain that a year ago and I would have laughed. So harvest is here, and Peadar leaves before I wake up in the morning and I'm often asleep before he gets home. He is working so hard to get everything done while the weather is good, because when it's bad, well, you'll see below.

Peadar, his "harvest beard", and his nephew Joseph in the tractor

There is a condition going around the farm right now, something I like to refer to as "harvest beard" which is caused by having no time to shave. Stop by The Yard, which is home to all the machinery and grain stores on the farm, and you well see plenty of "harvest beards" walking around the place. 

Have you ever been lucky enough to play Giant Jenga at a bar? (It's a great time).

Well Peadar and his colleagues (farmer pals? co-workers?) fellow crew members play Gargantuan Jenga every day with straw bales. Remember when I mentioned how poor weather can make things go very badly on the farm? Well check out what the rain did to these bales of straw. It caused them to get wet and heavy and eventually the whole mess toppled like Jericho. 

A whole morning's work, ruined. But straw stacker extraordinaire Daithi (pronounced dah-hee) was able to make it right again. He is Peadar's cousin and also works on the farm. 

On Saturday, I decided it would be nice to see my boyfriend in the daylight, so I went and joined him on the tractor for a few rounds. Check out the video below:

Heavy Machinery Action

Gorgeous shot of some straw that has not been bailed yet. The Irish countryside is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

This machine is a bale-chaser. It collects bales (8 at a time) like in the video above. 

Those of you who know anything about farming are probably wondering where the picture of the sweet machines, the harvesters, are. Well Pad was on straw duty the day I joined him in the fields, so that is why I am focusing on this part of the action.

Giant shed full of grain. 

I can't believe I am actually putting a picture of this in my blog, but another part of the harvest season means the critters, aka: effing spiders, are out in force looking for warm and dry places to shack up. And unfortunately, they have decided that every entrance way into my building should be infested.  I am a Stage 5 arachnophobe, and the thing about us, is that we actually like to feed our fear. Like when I Google Iraqi Camel Spiders.  For example, Peadar called me to warn me not to go out the particular entrance this guy was chilling at, and what do I do? Go and take a picture of him and have nightmares for weeks! 

We even found one inside our apartment, which made me have a panic attack. And several times I have not been able to actually enter our building until Peadar comes down with a golf club and kills a few. I just stand there crying until he gives me the all clear. Peadar, and Google, assure me that there are no poisonous spiders in Ireland. However, just the fact that these are called "Wolf Spiders" makes me want to die. 

Lastly, I was hanging out a Peadar's house over the weekend when a crane/stork wandered into the yard, causing the dogs to go ballistic. Eddie (Peadar's Dad, pictured above) caught the birdie before any damage was done, and walked him up the lane way to marshier ground. I actually think Brandy (their Irish Setter) was scared of the bird, but Max (the well-trained chocolate lab) would have gone in for the kill. So genius that I am, decide to take the dogs for a walk not too long after this happened. Can you just imagine the dogs finding the bird, the bird pecking at them with his beak, me fighting the dogs off with the stick yelling "you do not hurt the birdie?" Well, yes, that happened. And in case you were wondering, the bird lived.

 I think. 

I hope.

Love,

Amanda

Remember 9/11

A Laborious Day!

Happy Labor Day to all Americans back home! 

A day to celebrate the working class, the start of the NFL season, the end of summer and back-to-school! Unfortunately it will be a labor-filled working day for me, since it is not a holiday in Dublin, however the sun is shining (finally) and the harvest is in full swing, much to Peadar's delight that they can finally get working. Unlike the USA, which has drought conditions, we have been swamped with rain here in Ireland.

The morning paper recently had a front page article about a Matchmaking Festival in Lisdoonvarna, where people go to find love. I kid you not, this is an actual quote from the story, "But Mr. Daly, who still uses a tatty 100-year old diary to conjure up love matches, said he expects there to be more rich pickings for bachelor farmers than ever before at the 200-year-old singles fest. He explained that farmers are more in vogue than ever: 'A few years ago a fella's looks were important. Now since the recession, even if a fella has missing teeth, but has a house and his mortgage paid off, he could still attract a good bit of interest.' " Hilarious!


Dublin has played host to some great outdoor events in the past few days, including the Emerald Isle Classic football game Notre Dame vs. Navy, and the Tall Ships Festival.

The Emerald Isle Classic was held in the Aviva Stadium, and was the most fun I have ever had at a sporting event! There were so many Americans there, a girl who graduated from University of Illinois one year after me was sitting right behind us! Ciaran (Pad's bro, in the Cutler jersey) and his friend Doug were loving on all the funny traditions the fans were participating in, and especially the theatrics from the Notre Dame Marching Band, who were sitting right next to us.

Summer in Dublin has been close to non-existent weather-wise, the rain and cold has been pretty abysmal. However before I left for my 5 week long biz trip, I was able to get one sea swim in on a decently warm day at Windsurfer's Pier. The water was freezing and I came in almost dead last (but was on a heavy handicap- I couldn't start until 7 minutes, 30 seconds after the race began) but it was great to get in the ocean and work on my open-water training!

Peadar and I also recently hiked out to our future home, Westown House in the Naul (Pad's hometown village). It is completely derelict, but has amazing views of the countryside. We want to buy this place and do it up. A girl can dream, right?! :)

I was back home in Chicago on my birthday (July 27th) for my friend Andrea's wedding. I was a bridesmaid  along with my friend Kristen (see picture below) and 4 others. Check out the bride and her beer on the party bus after the ceremony. I love that picture! Congratulations to Andrea and Shawn Shotts!

I know I have been neglectful about updating the Dublin Connection since the Spring, but I blame work and my world travels! I just arrived back 2 weeks ago from being gone for almost 6 weeks. Hitting up San Francisco, Sonoma, Seattle, Chicago, Michigan, Aspen, Dallas, NYC, and Germany on the way! After the wedding in Chicago, which Peadar flew out for, we were able to do a few days in Silver Lake boating, tubing, and off-roading on the dunes. We then escaped to the Double JJ Ranch for some R&R. If Peadar weren't a tillage farmer he could definitely be a rancher. 

   

The funniest part of the whole trip was getting Peadar on a horse. He has no affinity for them whatsoever, so after some convincing, I got him to come with me on a private trail ride. It was the funniest 30 minutes of my life. Especially because his horse was named Dumbo, and cantered sideways. 

I was also able to get away for a few days to my sanctuary, Aspen, Colorado, to see my aunt, Nancy Lovendahl and uncle, Scott Keating. 

This is the view from their backyard in Old Snowmass. Sabe is their beautiful rescue dog. The property is called Hey Dude Ranch.  

We also got to stay in an amazing private cabin on the back of AJAX for a night.  

Private lake at the cabin.

Hiking on AJAX

 

The most interesting part of the Aspen trip was mushrooming (and not in the way you are thinking right now!) I didn't think I would be that into it but I was like Sherlock Holmes up there on the mountatin hunting these bad boys.

That's all for now folks! I will keep you updated more consistently this fall...

Happy Labor Day and Happy Harvesting. 

Lots of Love,

Amanda

New Year, New Beginnings!

I went in the office to do a few hours of work on Saturday to catch-up from being gone on my business trip to London last week. Peadar then called me to tell me he got locked out of the apartment and was going to the pub to wait for me to come home. Now, Pad's plan for Saturday after work (yup, farmers work on Saturday) was to watch rugby anyway, and under normal circumstances he would probably love to chill at the local (pub, but people in Ireland just say the "local"), drinking away and enjoying the games. However, he is training for a 10k obstacle course run this Sunday and was trying to avoid the drink!

4 pints later....

I went home and rescued him with the house key. We had a big weekend and all, seeing as I bought a new car AND we signed on a new apartment! But more on that later, let's begin where we left off last. 

I was at Peadar's last weekend and something that could only happen in the country, happened. A Sunday "Tractor Run" was on, where farmers gear up their brand new tractors or old vintage models and drive through the countryside at 5mph. Check out pics below...

Yes... they are still coming....

 

And there are so many more I didn't even post! Bet you don't mind ;)

Peadar also had a birthday recently, turning a ripe 27 years of age. But don't say he is getting old, he hates that when people say they are old when they are still plenty young. We decided to have a country-western party "fancy-dress". Fancy-dress for all my Americans, is not dressing up fancy, as in formal, but dressing up for a theme! So we asked everyone to come in full-on plaid shirts, braids, cowboy hats, daisy dukes, you know the style! We cleaned up the apartment nice and pretty, and I even had the local florist do some wheat stalks for me to add to the effect. It was a bit of a farewell party to the apartment too, since we are moving out in a week or so!

Makeshift Bar

Sunflowers, Cadbury Heros Chocolate, "Why Every Man Needs a Tractor" and a Cow Milk Jug (The last two items courtesy of Suzanne Keating. I think my mom sends me anything that has to do with farming, tractors, or Ireland. But we love it!)

Note the wheat stalks. Very important. 

Saloon doors! Too cute!

Now that we are moving out of our place, we have grown to love it even more! Even though we can't wait for the extra space and the upgrades of the new apartment, but 6 The Anchorage, Townyard Lane in Malahide has done us proud. 

Catherine Whyte, Rockin' Out. 

I catered fried chicken, mac and cheese w/ bacon, cocktail sausages and green been salad for the party so my Irish friends could get a taste of good ole' country American cooking. The funny party is I'm from Chicago, which is a city and no where near the south, but for some reason I am obsessed with all things country. I guess it works out that I am dating a farmer then! Who would have guessed? From country club to country pub! I was too busy running around all night to take pics so thanks to Pad's bro Mick's GF Lindsey for the great party pics below:

Peadar and I

Ciaran (Pad's lil bro) and his GF Jane

Pad's Oldest Bro Ned and his wifey Joan

Cousin Dermot and Brother Brian. They're all related around these parts. Big Irish Catholic families!

After Peadar's birthday party I headed straight to London for a business trip. boxPAY were exhibiting at the Digital Content Monetization conference at the Tower Hotel in London. Check out our booth and my colleague Paul below.

We went out for dinner one night to a nearby pub and there was absolutely no one in it! We were the only people eating, it was the strangest thing.

But later we went to a bar called the "Dickens Inn" which was super cute (it looked like an old 19th century hotel) and had loads of people in it. It was on St. Katherine's Docks and there were some pretty sweet sailboats and yachts in the harbor.  

The view from our hotel was straight onto the Tower bridge. I have been to London twice before this, once to sight-see and once to Chelsea for another biz trip. But I never got the chance to actually go into the Tower of London, so on a lunch break Paul and I decided to pop in. 

Toture Device. There was actually a sign in there that said "Torture was actually rare in London back in..." blah blah blah I don't believe it! 

Henry the 8th Suit of Armor

We also went to look at the Crown Jewels, which you are not allowed to take pics of, but I did snap a picture (above) of the vault doors going into the exhibit, which I thought were pretty mission impossible-esque. The jewels were cool, but just seemed so excessive and unnecessary. Just made me think of people sitting pretty on their thrones of gold when there are starving children out there.

When I got back from London, I had scheduled a drivers test for the next day. I can drive on my American license for up to a year, but the insurance is brutally expensive on it and I have already been here 8 months, and it takes like 6 months to get your Irish license. Americans- never complain about the DMV again, Irish bureaucracy can be much worse! First thing, you have to pay 40 quid (slang for money, i.e. Euro)  to take a written exam and get 35/40 questions right. Once you send those results in you can apply for a provisional license, which you have to drive on for 6 months. Then you have to take an independent eye test and apply to a waiting list to take your actual exam. It's a process. So anyway, I made the mistake of scheduling the test less than 12 hrs after I got back from my week-long trip and the result is below:

34/40!! I needed a 35 to pass. Failed by 1 question, 1 stupid question!! Well, no matter, I can still drive anyway for a few more months. I haven't been driving at all since Pad's car is a stick and I only drive automatics. So I solved that problem on Monday by buying my first car completely on my own! No help from parents anymore, I am a real grown up. I feel so old! (Sorry, Peadar).

It's a Suzuki Jimny! Basically, a baby Jeep. If you took my old Jeep from the States and chopped the back half off of it, you would have this little weapon. She's a grand car, and a good fit for me too. I wanted an SUV to sit up high (helps my car sickness on the curvy roads), but here cars in general are much more expensive than the states, especially SUVs. For example a new Ford Focus over here is 22,000 EURO. Yup, you can thank government sales tax for that. On top of that, you have to pay car tax every year as long as you have the car. So in addition to petrol (Americans, read: gas), car insurance, and a car loan, you also have to pay a motor tax. It's the environmentalist mentality as well. For example a 1.3 liter engine has a 333 EURO tax, but a 2.3 liter engine has a 925 EURO tax. Anything 3 liters or higher pays 1,683 EURO in tax, EVERY YEAR. To put that in perspective, a Jeep Cherokee typically have a 2.8L or a 3.2 L engine. So choose your engine size wisely! And pray for me driving on the opposite side of the road over here :)

In other fantastic news, Olive had her baby finally! She was 16 days over her due date! Meet Joesph Edward, a healthy big baby boy at 9lbs 9oz. (Potential nickname oppty: Jedward, for any of you Irish people who know who they are) He's not chubs at all though, just very long. I'd say he's going to be quite tall when he grows up. Conrats to O and Finn :)

Alright, hope you have enjoyed this nice long blog. It's the start of a new year, and there a lot of new Firsts for me here in Ireland. I hope all is going well for my friends and family back home, leave a message and let me know how you are getting on. I will post some pics of our new apartment after we get settled in next week! I'm off to Derry in Northern Ireland tonight for my first swim meet since I've joined the National Aquatic Center's Masters Team. 

Lots of Love,

Amanda