Back much Better, Meal Out Treat. 30.7.08

It's been lovely and sunny with a cool breeze today. Fabulous. I couldn't do much outside as I was preserving my back, but by the afternoon it was much improved. Hoorah!

I had a phone call this afternoon from Ann Broderick, founder, with her husband of a huge furniture store, Brodericks, in our local village. She is the one who runs the cafe I've gone on and on about, where you don't pay for anything, just donate if you feel like it! She'd often said we must go for a coffee one day, but suggested I go to her house at 6.45, so it was obviously a meal out. Woo Hoo.

Jim ran me to her house (large, lovely) and I was driven to the Ballyline Bar, not too far away. We enjoyed a great meal and conversation there. Ann is obviously a regular as they all knew her there. Apparently she used to go there for lunch every Thursday with her husband Mickey. Sadly he died not long ago and she was of course devastated. The food was great, fish and chips for me and chicken Caesar salad for Ann. It was a bit difficult for me to hear as there was music playing and a hurling match on the tv, then a crowd of men arrived in a mini bus, so the volume got louder.

I was driven home and offered a glass of wine. Jim arrived to pick me up but I said he had to go in for a glass too. He had been in the middle of his dinner and I said he could warm it up, but it was omelet! Ah well, he came in anyway and we stayed and chatted and laughed for quite some time. It was a delightful evening all round.

When we got home, Jim had made me a photo frame to decorate, and it's lovely. What a man.

Jim took some rather lovely photos around Doorus today, so I'll post some, they were, after all, taken on my camera!

Oh, and he did warm up his dinner and eat it! Rubbery omelet, 2 sausages and home grown potatoes. He must have been hungry...







A lovely shot of Buster















Buster looked very alert









BlackJack is a panther!








The first Gladioli in bloom




























A gorgeous Cactus Dahlia





Fritillary butterfly on fern



















Jim planted the 9 lavender plants on top of the fairy hill
I had weeded it first.