reflection of the year

Well lads,

whats the craic? this trip to Ireland has been really great and I am kind of goin' to miss it when we get back sure.so I've really liked havin' the oppurtunity to meet new people and see new places. It's been grand. Sure I`m really lookin' foward to comin' home and seein' ye all. MY favourite part of comin' 'ere was the trip to France. Well I think its been a grand year over 'ere so.

bye now lads,

Seamus

"Well Boy"

Waterford has its own way of speaking, and we are all looking forward to letting a few sayings slip once back in 'Austraya'. Some of the standard phrases we've had to learn are;
"Well Boy, what's the Craic?" i.e. What's happenin'
"How's she cuttin boy?" i.e. How are they hangin'
"I'm after going to the bank" i.e. I have been to the bank.
"It's sorted" i.e. I will think about doing that, as long as you don't ask me again.
"No bother" i.e. I'm glad you're happy, 'cause I haven't bothered to do what you asked.
"Grand" i.e. sort of OK in a mediocre way.
Some words can be added freely at the end of sentences, eg "so", "sure" {usually without the "to be..."}as in "Right you are, so" "It's cold enough, sure"
Well, now, I'll cop on and start practicing my accent {be warned, Waterford don't have your diddleeioh sound much loved by Australian mimickers - I may not tolerate being told I don't sound Irish...}

Da Tings We'll Miss

As we now contend with the reality that our adventure is near over, I have to confess to sentimental pangs. A few of our recent gatherings have given me that pensive sting - the Ferrybank Athletics Christmas party reminded me what an oasis the club was for much of the year, having grown fond of my fellow coaches, and the crop of young athletes I worked with.
I'm a bit attached to the local penchant for switching road signs to confuse the unwary visitor - you may notice a library in the background of the photo of Seamus. Check where the sign points...

We had lovely Irish hospitality at the Murphy's house near the tiny town of Dunhill. Sally and Con and their children have been a consistently sunny part of the landscape this year, being some of the athletics stalwarts who have brightened our year.
Christmas day involved gatherings with Claire and Riche, from next door at Bob's Lodge, and of course one final family get together with the pillars of our Irish experience, Jane and Ciarán Bailey, and their three children. It has been great to have somewhere we feel at home despite the trials that have characterised 2008.

Even the narrow country lanes, which at first were an edge of the seat driving experience, now feel like a home away from home, and have left an indelible impression of Irish life.

The thatched rooves and pretty little fishing harbour of Dunmore East...

The big thing that I'll miss about the country is the feeling of history and culture, especially the music culture that lives in the pubs. We don't have anything to match it at home {but we do have pokies...}
In a way I am relieved to be having mixed feelings about heading home - to get to this point and be simply burning to get out would be too disappointing to record.
{So well done EIRE!}

Cold Christmas

After a childhood spent wondering why Santa Claus gets so rugged up in the middle of summer, we have enjoyed getting back to the roots of all the wintry traditions we displaced people / invaders have kept alive in the Australian Penal Colony.
Christmas lights can be viewed in all their splendour from about 4.30p.m., a bit of a change from the after midnight mass tour we take in Nowra.
Waterford has decked itself out prettily for the season, as has Dublin. After various recommendations from friends and neighbours we booked ourselves in for an overnight stay in Dublin to see how it scrubs up for the commemoration of Jesus's birthday. {Delightful when dry, we discovered}
Boy, is it cold when it's cold; we have had several days of slipping around on icy roads, while admiring the 'winter wonderland' effect of frost capping everything in sight. We often have to spend five to ten minutes defrosting the car before heading for work in the morning.
It's kinda nice as a one off...

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Australians say, 'merry christmas' but the Irish say, 'Noiligg Shona Duit'!I was the only person who could answer what merry christmas was, all the irish kids didnt even know!!2 nights ago we went to a christmas disco for the athletics, it was really fun. But it was really sad to say good bye to them all!! I only have 2 more days of school, it's really bad we only finish 2 days before christmas!! We got our christmas tree and did the best we could to make it look good without having our stack of christmas decorations!!It will be MUCH different having christmas in the cold and without family but we do get a special visit from the Andrews and the Brodies!!We miss you all and I wish you a very merry christmas!!lots of love Niamh!!!

Merry Christmas!

Hi everyone!
Merry Christmas!
Well, it's the end of the year. Sometimes i thought it would never come, but now we're getting ready for christmas and it's nearly time to go home!
I only have one day left at the Mercy Secondary school and then I am starting at Loreto next year.
My principal gave me a Waterford crystal vase as a going away present at a surprise party for me. I didn't know but they had invited mum to come and gave speeches and everything about me. It was kinda embarrassing but nice.
The Irish really go all out for christmas and there are loads of cool lights in town and there is a carousel in the middle of the town square that looks really magical at night.
I'm really looking forward to christmas and my birthday and I'm really excited that the Brodies are coming to visit!
The end of the year is flying and it won't be long untill we are on the plane home.
I can't wait to see everyone again so bye 'till then.
BY IMOGEN

The Marshalls of Chippenham

One of Dom's oldest friends is his pen-friend acquired in 1979 or 1980, Rachael Marshall nee Martin. It was a risk of sorts for our first face to face meeting to be a three night stay for the whole tribe at the Marshall family home.

Any apprehension about this step into the unknown was briskly swept away by the warmth and generosity of our English hosts {so like the photos after all!}. Paul, Rachael and Max entertained and guided us through big name tourist attractions and charming English cultural traditions, and even slept on the couch to keep us in luxury.



Chippenham is but a stone's throw from Bath, which I would have to say gave a good account of its attractions for visitors. The Roman Bath tour is a genuinely high quality tourist experience, for children and adults alike. The proximity of centuries of human history manifests itself with real potency. Bill Bryson's commentary is entertaining and informative.



Stonehange, also in the neighbourhood, is a less complex attraction, notwithstanding the air of mystery tourist operators have worked hard to imbue it with! Nevertheless, and despite the freezing conditions that greeted us, it too exceeds expectation. The place has grandeur, and has been ably preserved.
Our children enjoyed the open space, and a bit of a run around with their bouncy new friend Max Marshall.



The town of Bath was very charming to walk around. The photo above is taken looking up-river towards the Putney Bridge.

Windsor- home of QE2 and the Aussie Andrew's

After spending a few excellent days in Shakespeare country (Stratford Upon Avon and the Cotswolds..where we played in snow in a picnic spot on the side of the road)and a half day in Oxford we sat stationary on the M40 in peak hour traffic UK style heading to stay with our aussie mates Simon and Lisa Andrews.


The Andrews were gracious hosts and exemplary trip planners, launching us to Windsor Castle, London in all its glory, and a range of local attractions {including a great little italian joint where we caught up with Elle {little sis} and Nick.
All that we saw reinforced the "better to conquer than be conquered" mantra - notwithstanding moral objections to this interpretation of history.




We all agreed Betty Windsor has more stuff than she needs.
Simon's car tour of local attractions is worth the visit.

Holidaying on the Island next door

Mid term break has come our way, giving us an excuse for one more holiday abroad. With Dom being half pommy what better destination than the UK for the Frawley 6 and our Opel Zafira. We caught the Irish ferry from Co. Wexford to Fishguard in Wales on a fairly windy rough day. Three hours later we were driving through the stark countryside of Wales feeling like we were back in Ireland. The highlight of our stay in Wales was a full day play at 'Oakwood' a theme park set in country landscape of Southern Wales. Being cold and slightly wet and end of season time we basically had the park to oursleves and had a ball.



To everyone's delight there was a scary ride to suit all comers. Dom was especially thrilled to find a huge timber roller coaster modelled on the old 'Big Dipper', formerly of Luna Park in Sydney. There was also this thing called "Speed", which instead of the slow creaky uphill to launch your 60 seconds of terror, took you up precisely vertically, then as you flung over the precipice actually went back inwards - beyond vertical, then off to loops and corkscrews before the safety of the terminal. Good photos all round. For South Coast types, Oakwood is kinda like jamberoo off its training wheels.

Kids'n'Sport

Our life is fairly busy with trips to and from a myriad of sporting commitments, the most recent ones are represented here; Above is Imogen about to clear one of the early heights in the All Ireland Combined Events athletics. It was a good chance to check out the facilities in Dublin for Ireland's premier athletes. Bring on the renovations.

Below are the boys getting ready for their Martial arts lesson. Both thoroughly enjoying their new art and have already been awarded their first belts (Imogen is also involved and showing her stuff by impressing the Sensei with her strong high kicks...probably from all that jumping!)



Below is the line up from our club for the Waterford County Cross Country championship {featuring Niamh far left}. The bright sunshine and half soggy track are far from representative of most of the season - forget the sun and add an extra foot or so of mud, some frost and sleet! It is a great challenge and should toughen up the young runners, those that survive.....or turn them off for life!

Ireland by Road

Above is a photo looking across the River Suir from the Quays at Waterford. The girl's face you can see is about 40m high, installed for one of our festivals by an Austrian artist.
Below another shot from the car - showing the blue and white festooning that preceded Waterford's appearance in the All Ireland Hurling Final. The flags, which appeared on almost every building in the county, only get used every 40 years, the frequency with which the local team makes the final.



One of the great stereotypes of Irish life is the idea that you spend half your life trapped behind assorted tractors on narrow country lanes. In our experience this is only partly true, as the pictures below show...



You can actually be trapped behind tractors on fairly wide roads too.



We have to admire the optimism, and outright peculiarity, of some of the signage. Our local favourite is the one which states "Major Junction Ahead".The sign is reproduced here, followed by a photograph of the "Major Junction" at peak hour.



The man and his dog were running late that day.




This last snap is just around the corner from Bob's Lodge. Any morning en-route to work we can catch something similar from this angle.

Wonders of Waterford

Waterford is of course famous for its phenomenal crystal factory - now a refined shadow of its once gargantuan self, but still a great attraction for parents and children alike. One of the master etchers is seen going about his work in the reflected rainbow colours of a celtic cross. A similar design is very popular through the cemeteries of Ireland.
Niamh and Seamus fancy they might yet get their hands on one of the many championship trophies the local crytal works have been commisioned to produce.



The factory tour was well worthwhile, with the colour, heat, hazard and range of skills on show for us.



Less known, but arguably more remarkable is the 'magic road' en route to Mahon Falls. At this point, a peculiarity of global {or at least Bermuda Triangular} proportions finds you at rest in your car beside a 'raggy bush', where people have tied keepsakes or cloth of many hues to earn good fortune with the local fairies. These fairies manifest themselves by driving your vehicle backwards UPHILL while the engine is turned off. This is as true as I have a leprechaun before me. Remarkable.



This is our transiently stationary car beside the raggy bush, before some unknown force propelled us back up the hill.



Our gifted local tour guide, key to the magic of the road, Moira, is pictured above with a hoard of Frawleys and the Mahon Falls behind.
The scenery behind the mob below is the Tasmania-esque view from Mahon Falls, south to the coast. A beautiful place, made more so by the sparkling sun we experienced {and of course by the scruffy sheep dotting the mountainside with their blue painted rumps...}

Last Lone Locum

It was with a degree of frustration that Dom agreed to trudge off once more to Dublin for some locum work, with another delay of the official opening date of his Waterford job. This being potentially my last chance to take a photograph of some of waht Dublin has to offer {such as the courtyard of Trinity College, above, home to the 'Book of Kells'}, I remembered to pack the camera.



My home for the week was the delightful 'Central Hotel', onn Exchequer Street, adjacent to the bustling pedestrianised malls of the Grafton Street area. If you're going to be lonely, do it with plenty of people around! By a miracle of rare device, my first evening in Dublin the sun broke through the clouds - in a state of stunned excitement I raced into the streets with camera in hand to capture this most peculiar of events.



It is hard to describe how truly lovely Ireland is when the bright gentle sunshine puts smiles on faces all round. Even the centre of the city transforms its mood and its sounds. There is a special elation that you can't seem to reproduce in places that enjoy a surfeit of sun. {Have I mentioned what it's like when it's cold and dark?}. I joined the throngs in The Temple Bar {above}, an atmospheric part of the city, where there is always some busking to be heard, and tourists queue to photograph the quaint shop fronts of the local pubs.



Determined to enjoy the sun from all angles I walked until dark, pointing my lens at anything of interest! This is where digitial beats film every time. Daniel O'Connell astride his famous street, with the infamous needle sculpture poking the sky behind, the variety of shopfronts looking surprised in the sun, the facades to the north and south of the Liffey. It all looked so clear and crisp - would that I could share it with Maggie, but perhaps we'll have another chance...



I had a slow, pensive walk to Heuston Station on the sunday morning, along the South side of the river, thrilled at the realisation I have become fond of this city, so far from home, and so different, but charming in its own dishevelled way. This time I walked with some reason to feel optimistic that the remainder of my year will find me in the company of my family, with work but a short commute each day. Wishful to the last!

Mo's London Trip

Hey. It's Mo again. From the 1st to the 3rd of August, i went to visit aunty Elle and uncle Nic in London. I flew to Luton in the afternoon on the 1st, and was greeted at the airport by Elle, and then Nic. We went back to their house for the night.
In the morning, we got up (duh) and had brekkie. We went to Portobello Rd markets, and looked at loads of cool (and a bit of weird) stuff. There was antiques, paintings, clothes and jewellery.
Then Elle and I caught the tube (yeah, i know) and went to Buckingham Palace. Not only did we go to it, we went IN SIDE it. It was absolutely amazing, so posh and fancy and BIG!
Afterwards, we met up with Nic at a fancy hotel place and had high tea which was very delicious. Sandwiches, cakes and scones. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
We then went to covent garden, we I was taken to the best shop ever, the Australia shop, where I was treated to some Milo, chicken Twisties, Redskins and Maggi noodles. Just some of the things which aren't available in Ireland.
Then the grand finale of the day, a surprise location, which turned out to be a Kylie concert!!!! It was AMAZING! Needless to say we had a late night and a bit of a sleep-in in the morning.
A much slower start no Sunday. We went to some flower markets, where we had bagels for breakfast. Then we looked around the flower markets with a crazy man auctioning flowers. Very good fun.
Then off to Camden markets. There was a lot of clothes, crafts and pretty much everything, not to mention an awesome mask shop. We had a lot of fun trying on some masks.
Back to Elle and Nics flat, where i packed up and we went to the local pub to look at photos on the laptop.
But then, the worst part of the weekend, I had to go. Off to the airport and back to Waterford.

That weekend was so much fun. Thank you so much Elle and Nic.

mallorca/majorca/mayorca/craggy island

When we went to mallorca/majorca/mayorca/craggy island we had lots of fun and food and it was much warmer than ireland and we enjoyed swimming at the beach and in the pool (even malachy swam). One of the days we were there we went to mini-golf (NO COMMENT). After mini-golf we went to Malachy's favourite restaraunt in the world...............TABU where you could get a meal, a drink, an ice-cream and a lollipop all for 4 euro on the kids menu. after dinner at......................TABU we went to the beach and jumped off a concrete platform on to the sand on the beach and we saw a slingshot ride!!!!!!!!






!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BY SEAMUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



and mac



Harbour wall, Portal Nous



Cathedral at Palma

niamh's birthday

hi everyone!!!
I had my party on the 7th of August even though my birthdays on the 6th of july!!
I had all my friends over and had lots of games!!! We went to laserblast and just played at my house (bob's lodge) ....and would you beleive it, my next door neighbour was last to come!!!



this is all my friends singing happy b day!!!



this is me, Laurie and Sophie



this is everyone except jill who went home already!!

A Taste of Home

Imagine our delight when we heard that Joey Jo Jo (love the new name Stuey) and Bazza were coming to the UK for a buisness training workshop. Luckily they had a few days spare to fly over and see us. We met them at Cork airport and drove them to Bob's Lodge via the stunning South East Coastal road. We had a brief reprise of good weather as we enjoyed a champers/beer on the deck of the Cliff hotel enjoying the Irish seaside at Ardmore in southern Co Waterford.




We gave Jo and Baz the crash introduction to Irish culture and environs, explaining that having 'brilliant crack' doesn't mean you remind someone of their builder or plumber, and that if the sun is shining there will be a rainbow somewhere. We also explained that Ireland is perhaps the sunniest place in the world - it being sunny ten to twelve times a day. The proof of all three came about with a wonderful day's golf and revelrie at 'Mount Juliet', as guests of Jo and Baz's local buddies, Bryan and Adrienne. The golf course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, was so beautiful I expected to find lawn bowlers practicing on the fairways.

We decided to take the visitors to see downtown Waterford and do some local sightseeing. We began the afternoon with a nice simple Thai lunch that turned the events of the day rather dramatically as I had another near death incident with the dreadded peanut. The ambulance was slow enough for the others to enjoy their food and shed some tears at the spectacle of an [almost] anaphylactic mother. By happy coincidence one of the ambo's was the father of Niamh's friend Neasa, and the doctor in cas a bloke Dom had worked with at 'Caredoc'. All ended up well, with prompt and competent care via Waterford Regional Hospital...