31st December 2009. One day left!

The Deenery with its completed extension and the remains of the demolished barn in the foreground.

2009

It's 31st December and in about 20 hours time we'll be saying goodbye to 2009. I can't say I'm sorry. Of course, it's not all been bad but it has been a bit of a tough year for us. I suppose the extension has been the main worry and the neighbours' complaints. Hoorah that it's all over now and we're going to reap the benefits of the new build in 2010.

The Winter weather has also been pretty grim with frosts, snow and then ice, oh, and floods of course!! We have been waiting for the plague of frogs or locusts but so far we seem to have escaped those.

Our nice neighbours, who have a 4 wheel drive car, spent Christmas with relatives in Dublin. They returned home the night before last and ended up skidding on the ice up on our main road and putting the car in a ditch. Luckily some helpful lads came past and helped them out.

It rained a lot yesterday so we decided to try going to Galway today. It wasn't too bad and much of the road had at last been gritted - presumably fairly recently. Galway itself had clear roads, but it was sleeting and snowing while we were there, so we didn't stay too long. We checked out the Tesco sale and stocked up on food, then ran the gauntlet of the sleet across the car park back to the car. The journey home was a bit hairy as it was snowing quite hard, but luckily we made it without incident.

In our absence, Buster had emptied one of the bins and a box full of balls of wool that I had foolishly left on the floor! Well, it all looked rather like spaghetti and Jim and I spent some time trying to unravel it all. I still have a couple of woolly birds nests to try and make sense of!

I have been cutting up material ready for some collage, Artist Trading Cards and maybe a new rag rug. I have re-joined our ATC group - we still have 10 members but not quite the same 10 and will start our alphabet all over again in early January. I really enjoyed it last time and now I have found all my missing things, I should have lots of supplies to work with.

My camera has lost the ability to focus, which is why there aren't any new photos today. Jim has said I can use his instead so I will do that from now on.

Tomorrow evening we are staying in and have bought some nibbles and dips to eat. That'll suit me down to the ground. I have been suffering with an almost constant headache for a couple of weeks. Hopefully they will clear up soon - or it'll be a new year trip to the doctor - not a good start.

I am loving being in my new studio and hope to get the sewing machine set up soon so that I can have a play with it again.

I have really enjoyed blogging this year and making so many wonderful and new bloggy friends. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2010 - I have a feeling it's going to be a good one.


Me and my birthday cakes, September 2009.



February 2009, the flooring for the extension had just been laid.

And the first photo above, the completed extension, December 2009.