Another Catch Up, Christmas is Coming...

Gold and Black Baubles in a shopping Mall in Galway.

Oh life is just too busy at the moment! The weather's been very frosty, so I've taken more photos which take time to sort out, crop, etc.

Galway Trip

Jim and I went to Galway for the afternoon on Wednesday. It was damp and cold, but we still enjoyed it. I love the shops when they are all decorated for Christmas and took a few photos with Jim's camera. I managed to get a few Christmas presents too, but still need one more shop before I'll finally finish.

Unfortunately, when I was heading round a corner, I slipped and fell and took a lump out of my knee! I didn't think I'd done much damage as I was wearing jeans, but when I inspected, there was blood everywhere! However, since then it has healed pretty well thankfully. I must be getting old!

Here are a few photos from Galway:


The river runs through the centre of town and it was a raging torrent. The light was fading but if you click on the photo, you can see the flow under the bridge.

This was taken on the other side of the road and the river had huge waves! It made me feel weird, as if I was on a boat, looking down at the water.

I think that says Happy Christmas!!

Pretty blue trees

These fabulous clocks were in one of the many splendid shops in Galway

Together with these fantastic Santa decorations. I wanted them!!

Inside one of the shopping malls
This shop had huge baubles in the window - I thought they were amazing.

Another of their windows.

Yes, they even had a Marks and Spencer!

Supermac's, the Irish MacDonalds went to town with their lights.

The gold and black baubles in the top photo were my favourite. The shopping centre they were in contains Tescos.

Do click on any of the photos to see all the details.

Our Temporary Bedroom

We have been sleeping in the spare bedroom for a week now and it's lovely and warm and comfortable. Jim had a bit of trouble sleeping one night as did I another, but we seem ok now. Here is a photo of the bed, lampshade and curtains:


The teddy by my side of the bed was a 60th Birthday present from our friends Ivor and Maureen.

I'm not so keen on the large mirror Jim has put on the wall, especially when I'm getting dressed.

Theatre Visit

Tonight we went to the theatre in Ennis. The play we saw was performed by the Druid Company from Galway. We had previously seen this company perform a play called The Cripple of Inishmaan and it was brilliant, so decided to take the opportunity to see them again. The play tonight was 'The Gigli Concert' by an Irish playwright, Tom Murphy and is thought to be his greatest work to date.

It was a much heavier work than the previous one we had seen, very wordy and quite tough to watch at times. There were only three characters, two men and one woman and all the acting was quite superb. This is a brief synopsis of the play:

The Gigli Concert is widely regarded as one of Murphy’s masterpieces. It deals with seven days in the relationship between dynamatologist JPW King, a quack self-help therapist living in Dublin but born and brought up in England, and the mysterious Irishman, a despairing construction millionaire who asks King to teach him how to sing like the great Italian opera singer Beniamino Gigli.

There were moments of high drama, comedy, passion and pathos. All three characters had invented stories around and about themselves and these fantasies unravelled as the play progressed. I found some of the dialogue hard to hear as the songs of Gigli were often played whilst the actors were speaking and with my hearing difficulties, that didn't help. However, it was a super evening and a fine production which I am glad we made the effort to go and see.

A Few Other Photos

When I took Buster for a walk to the lake the other morning, it was as smooth and clear as I have ever seen it. I will post just a few of the 'reflection' photos I took as a result.


This is a joiner of Lough Graney. Please click on it to see the details and reflections.


The edge of the lake was frozen and Buster couldn't understand why he couldn't drink from it as usual. I had to throw stones in to break the ice so that he could have a drink!

Tree Reflections.

Lough Graney

Buster reflected.


Flagmount Reflected in Lough Graney.

The ice at the edge of the lake.

I could have taken photos all day except I was cold, especially my hands. I took loads of frozen leaves and grass and frozen posts! I think this particular post has gone on long enough though. I do hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and keeping warm.