Westport – The Tidiest Town in Ireland

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….2 days away from the hustle and bustle of Dublin

Heuston Station in Dublin. We decided to catch the early train to Westport so that we would have some time to explore when we arrived.

On Thursday, July 18th we booked out of our hotel in Dublin and took a cab to Heuston Station to catch our train to Westport. The train was fantastic. The seats were comfortable and we had a table between us where we could rest our electronic devices, books, magazines and drawing pads. The best part was that we had access to WiFi on the train, so that we could check our emails and write to our family back in Canada.

When we arrived in Westport, 3 1/2 hours later, we walked from the train station into town. Along the way, downhill (thank goodness), we walked past a huge stone wall and growing in between the stones we noticed these lovely flowering plants.

We found our bed and breakfast easily and even thought we were too early for check in, the owners kindly let us drop off our bags so that we could explore the town and get some lunch.

Westport is very much like Niagara on the Lake in Ontario. It’s very touristy and the streets are lined with numerous pubs, restaurants, cafes, and gift shops. All the shops are decked out with flowers and the streets are very clean. It literally did win the Tidiest Town award.

A beautiful small river runs through the town and on the south side, next to the large Catholic church a cozy pub, called the West Pub, advertised their prize winning chowder. Not only did it win once but two years in a row. It sounded like the perfect lunch to me. I wasn’t disappointed. K had a bowl of mussels and he raved about them; said they were the best mussels he’s ever eaten. High praise coming from someone who is very particular about his mussels.

After lunch we checked into our room. It was very small but they had managed to squeeze a king size bed, a dresser. wardrobe and two night tables into this tight space. It also had a self contained bathroom with a toilet, sink and toilet. It was beautifully finished in tile from floor to ceiling. With the windows closed the room was absolutely sound proof from the street below but because there was no air conditioning we had to open our window. This wasn’t a problem the first night but on the second night (Friday) we were entertained by the sounds coming from the pub across the street.

We spent the rest of the day checking out all the stores. K purchased a new over the shoulder bag to carry his camera and our lunch and water for the hike we had planned for the next day. I bought myself a cap to keep the sun off my head. It never occurred to me that Ireland would be so warm and sunny when we were packing our bags for this trip. Luckily the cap was only 4 Euro but I could easily have spent 40.

We were in a bit of a quandary as to what to do for dinner. We didn’t want a big fancy meal and we didn’t want fast food or junk food. We came across a small cafe that advertised a cheese board and wine. Perfect! Well almost perfect. Two things that we were really missing on this trip were fruits and vegetables. After our meal we stopped in the local grocery stored and picked up some veggies and dip and a couple of apples.

Our first night in Westport was quiet and relatively uneventful, outside of losing our package of ham from the window sill. To be continued……..

Getting Back to Normal

Posted on July 27, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….with fitness and eating

We did an incredible amount of walking when we were in Ireland but my eating patterns were out of whack for me. I rarely drink beer so when we went to pubs I would have a pint of cider. I would rarely drink more than one glass and half way into the trip I realized that I could order half pints. With most meals I ordered mineral water but occasionally I enjoyed a glass of wine and one evening my husband and I shared a bottle of wine that came with the meal.

We were hoping we would be able to have a few light meals in our hotel room and only eat out once a day. We quickly discovered, however, that our rooms did not come with bar fridges and we couldn’t keep anything cool. One evening in Westport we went into the local grocery store to buy some vegetables and fruit. We also bought a small bottle of salad dressing and some ham to put into our salad.

Earlier in the evening we stopped at a small cafe and enjoyed a platter of cheese and a few crackers and a glass of wine. After we brought our selection of veggies and fruit back to our room we discovered we weren’t as hungry as we thought we would be. We ate the raw vegetables and hummus.

What were we to do with the salad, ham and dressing that we purchased? I think I’ve mentioned this before but Ireland was going through a heat wave while we were there and the hotels don’t have air conditioning. Well it was a few degrees cooler outside the hotel than in the room so I opened the window on the second story and placed the perishable foods on the window ledge.

The next morning the ham was gone. When I looked down to the street I saw the ’empty’ ham container lying on the sidewalk. We’re not sure what got on the ledge but there were a lot of very large blackbirds in the area. Do they eat meat?

Today, before breakfast, my husband, Frances and I started up our usual 5 k walks again. Frances was in a bit of slump since coming home yesterday. I think she was missing her buddy, Lucy. Going for a walk to the lake was just what the doctor ordered. Frances was in a better mood after she had her swim and K and I were energized for the rest of the day.

I’m Back Home

Posted on July 25, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….after two glorious weeks in Ireland

We just got off the plane a little over two hours ago. I went through all the mail, threw away things in the fridge that I should have tossed before we left (yuck!!!), picked some vegetables from the garden and charged up my laptop. I’ve really missed the laptop. The iPad was okay but it gave me a lot of grief when I tried to keep up with my blog. I think I will write a critique about using an iPad when on vacation.

I’m anxious to upload the photos from my camera. I wasn’t able to do that with the iPad. I’ve a lot of wonderful moments and photos to share. Give me some time to sort myself out here at home (friends to phone, family to visit, and laundry to do) and I need to organize my thoughts and not repeat things that I have already posted.

First thing I need to do is go to the drug store and see if I can get some over the counter medication for pink eye. My poor husband managed to pick up a nasty case of it on his last day in Ireland; how or where he contacted it we’re not sure but I don’t want it. Poor Mr. Burgerhead. Don’t ask. It’s a name his cousin’s sons came up with after we spent some time with them. K actually loves the nickname and we miss the boys already.

The Full Irish Breakfast

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….still suffering from jet lag but this breakfast keeps me going for a good part of the day

On Friday, when we arrived in Dublin, we got a taxi and drove to my husband’s cousin’s home near Phoenix Park. Our plane arrived at 9:30 in the morning and unfortunately we had next to no sleep on the plane because passengers near the front decided to party all night long. It was the noisiest flight that I’ve ever experienced. It was going to be a very long day.

Fortunately, our hostess, P, made us feel right at home and quietly and almost effortlessly made us a great full Irish breakfast. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this protein heavy breakfast, let me describe it for you. It consists of the following meat: black pudding, white pudding, sausage, and ham or bacon. Of course there are eggs.

This breakfast kept us going but by 2:00 in the afternoon I had to take a nap. Kevin lasted a little longer but he crawled into bed soon after. We got a few hours of sleep and then we stayed up till 11:00.

The next morning we were up at 4:40. We just couldn’t sleep any longer, even though we were still tired. I think we were a little bonkers. While P slept, we drank 2 pots of tea and ate a couple of slices of soda bread. When we figured out that there was no alarm system we went out into the garden and did a few exercises. Still restless, we decided to go for a walk through Phoenix Park.

The walk is just what we needed. We went for about 5.7 km. When we got back to the house, P made us our second full Irish breakfast. What a life! We’re still experiencing jet lag and I’m hoping after a good night’s sleep tonight I won’t be dozing off in the middle of the afternoon or at the table during meals.

Canoeing

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Mama Cormier

This is the last of the stories I wrote on the weekend. In hind sight I’m glad I took the time to write then because over the last few days I’ve been very busy getting ready for our trip to Ireland. We leave tonight.

Canoeing to the Northern Most Tip of the Island

….to try our hands at fishing (casting style)

It was hot today but the lake was cool and calm. Perfect for a ‘long’ canoe trip. Well it seemed long for a novice like me. I was placed at the front of the boat and I paddled on my left. D was at the back, in charge of steering and her daughter was in the middle.

We packed the fishing rods, water and kneeling pads into the canoe and I put my trusty little camera into a ziplock back to keep it from getting wet. We all put on our life jackets (we were travelling over very deep water) and tied down the extra paddle, the bailing bucket and all our gear….safety first.

Getting into the canoe was a bit challenging. It was then I realized how tippy this vessel actually is. I started to worry about my camera. If we did tip it would go straight to the bottom of the lake. Once we were all in place the paddling began. There was a slight ripple on the lake on the way to Salt Cove (a name we made up years ago) and D had a bit of trouble keeping the canoe on track. The trip to the point took us over an hour to complete. As we got closer the water became very shallow and we had to look out for rocks sticking out of the water.

We were able to beach the canoe relatively easily and we walked over the stoney shoreline to an area where we thought the fish might bite. We were using casting rods today and artificial bait. I had never used either. The actual fly fishing was very relaxing and I can see why people like it so much. A few times I thought that something was nibbling on my fake worm but I think that most of the time I was getting caught up on the rocks. Both D and her daughter swear they saw fish in the water but all I saw were the reflections off the water made by the sun.

After almost two hours, we called it a day and got back into the canoe. By this time the water was as still as glass and the paddle home took only an hour. Empty handed and exhausted we pulled ashore and were greeted by D’s family. Funny how the fish stories of the ‘one that got away’ start.

No fish for dinner tonight but I was famished. It was almost 9:00 o’clock before I ate. I had a huge kale and cabbage salad with cold chicken. It was no fresh bass, pickerel or lake trout but it did the trick. Maybe we’ll have better luck tomorrow. D wants to go to the lighthouse side tomorrow and cast a few lines there. Hmmmm, isn’t that where the bears were last seen?

Going Fishing

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Mama Cormier

Written Saturday, July 6, 2013

…..I can’t remember the last time I did this

Today I’m getting into a canoe and paddling over to and around Salt Cove to go fishing. I think the last time I did this I was a child. I remember liking the experience, even putting the worms on the hook. Today I think we’re fly fishing, so we’re not using live bait.

D keeps saying we’re going to catch our dinner. I know there are fish in this lake but because it’s so big the only fish that I’ve ever seen caught were with a net. I’ve bought some great lake trout from the local fishermen. Until this week I’d never seen fish caught with a fishing pole. Both D and her daughter went out earlier in the week and came back with a 14 inch bass, well that’s what we think it was.

The only other time that I’ve ‘caught’ a fish in Georgian Bay happened several years ago. I didn’t use a net or a pole. In fact I just picked it up off the beach. D and I were walking along the shore when we spotted this beautiful fish. It was dead but the eyes were still clear, there was no odour and there were no marks on the fish itself. We just happened to have a plastic bag with us so I picked it up and took it to my neighbour to see what he thought of our find.

W was amazed at the size of this lake trout. We took it back to his cottage and he brought out his scales. It weighed in at 8 pounds. He opened it for us and gutted and cleaned it and cut it into numerous steaks. The flesh inside was clean and we couldn’t see anything wrong with it. We debated why it ended up on the beach and the best scenario that we could come up with was that it had been trapped in one of the fishermen’s nets, died in the trap trying to escape and then was washed ashore with the waves.

That night we shared our ‘catch’ with W and his family and we invited cottage friends over for a feast. My favourite saying of the day came from our friend C from down the beach when she told all her neighbours that she was going for a dinner of ‘road kill’. That lovely fish fed over 10 people and we all lived to tell the tale.

The Month of June in Photos

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Mama Cormier

Saturday, June 1st – Fun Fair

: Our principal taunting the boys and girls

: Professional griller

: Inflatable slide

: What a good sport!

Saturday, June 8th – High School Reunion

Sunday, June 9th – Girls on the Run 5k

Wed, June 12th – West Conference Girls’ Soccer Finals

Thursday, June 13th – Forest of Reading Celebration

: Finished accordion journals

: …. Luke’s journal

: Drama workshop

: Lunch…..pizza

: Thanks for being expert readers

Saturday, June 15th – Opening the Cottage

: View of the island from the dock

: Enjoying first breakfast at the cottage

: Taking a break after opening the cottage

: View of the cottage from the lane

Wednesday, June 19th – Spring Concert

: Folk Dancing

: Line Dancing

: Shaking those hips

: Modern Dance based on a story that students chose to tell through movement

: Grade 1/2 choir

: ‘Modern Ruins’ dance

: The Junior Choir

The report cards were printed, proofread, reprinted, copied, signed and sent home today. The grade 5s had their farewell ceremony yesterday and today were away for their fun activity day. Today the rest of the school had their Fun Day and a colleague and I spent the morning clearing out the computer lab so that construction crews can come during the summer to remove the wall and enlarge the library.

I’ve returned 90% of all the artwork that students produced in my art classes and students have returned most of the books that they took out of the library. I’ve started removing the books from the shelves that will be moved during construction. Only one more day with the children and then the staff party, followed by one more day of meetings and closing down our classrooms for the summer.

…….busy,busy and only a few things left on my to do list. Phew it’s almost over and then I can start planning for our trip to Ireland.

My Son…..The Next Jamie Oliver?

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…….you decide

My son lives in the Netherlands, so whenever he posts anything on Facebook I have to check it out. Today I came across a video that he posted on YouTube. I’m not sure what he’s cooking but he does seem to have a flair for the flambé.

My entire family seems to have the cooking gene. My father loved to cook and for a short time he and my mother had their own catering business. For 17 years I taught Family Studies and demonstrated cooking techniques to my young students. When our youngest daughter expressed an interest in becoming a chef my husband supported her by cooking along side her and together they experimented with new recipes and techniques. Even after she decided that cooking was not what she wanted to pursue as a career, my husband continued to play in the kitchen and to this day he still prepares most of our meals.

Even though she decided not to cook for a living, my daughter and her husband are both foodies and they love to entertain and prepare elaborate and interesting dishes for family and friends. My oldest daughter is also very capable in the kitchen and both her and her partner have prepared some memorable meals and enjoy competing in cook-offs that J’s family hosts on a regular basis.

Our son has lived on his own for quite awhile and is basically a self-taught cook. He has shared some very tasty dishes with us when he visits and he isn’t afraid to try new and sometimes ‘dangerous’ cooking techniques, as you will see in the video. Take note of the paper towel roll behind the stove….could have been a bit of a disaster. As my husband said upon viewing the video, “That is so B…..”

Deep frying the turkey.

My husband stirring the tomato sauce that we eventually canned.

My Irish soda bread.

G preparing her homemade pasta.

A feast at my oldest daughter’s and partner’s home.

A Day of Fun

Posted on June 1, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….at the school’s Fun Fair

It didn’t look good …..the forecast that is. The weather station called for rain, thunder and lightning. The parents had worked for months to make the day perfect for the kids. Now it looked like everything might have to be moved inside.

It did rain early in the morning but the sun gods were on our side and a couple of hours before the fair was to start the skies cleared and the everything went forward as planned. I promised my principal that I would go to the fair to keep her company and support the community. I actually love going to the Fun Fair. A lot of former students come back to the fair and it’s great catching up with them and seeing how much they have grown.

One of the highlights at the fair is the dunk tank. Every year our principal volunteers to sit in the tank and lets the kids try to dunk her. This year our gym teacher also volunteered. The kids love it and in grade 5 they are allowed to sit in the tank as well.

: Our principal taunting the boys and girls

: Down , down…….

: …..down she goes

: My friend P and gym teacher

: No one is safe in the dunk tank

: What a good sport!

Another popular activity is the Cake Walk. Hundreds of cakes are donated. Everyone stands in line to do the cake walk. Ten participants at a time walk around the room to music and when the music stops everyone stops on a number. If your number is drawn you win a cake. For some reason my principal thinks I’m lucky and I had to play the game 14 times before I won her cake.

In the meantime M, my principal tried the Cake Walk and won on her first try. One of the kids also gave her one of the cakes that they won so in the end she let me keep the cake that I won.

The fire department and the police department come by with their trucks and cruisers and let the kids sit inside their vehicles. Just as I was taking pictures of the kids around the fire truck the department got a call and had to leave in a hurry. They quickly got the kids out of the truck and put on their fire fighting gear. It was interesting how the boots and pants are stored on the truck so that when they step into the boots the pants are ready to be pulled up efficiently.

: Getting the kids off quickly

: Ready for action

Other activities included the bouncy castle, inflatable slides, free cotton candy and sno cones, making candy skewers and decorating pots with a tomato plant to give to Dad on Father’s day. There was face painting, wheels of fortune, fish ponds and hockey. BBQs were set up with hamburgers, hot dogs and corn being professionally grilled.

: How many candies in the jar?

: One of the happy volunteers

: Hockey game

: Inflatable slide

: Professional griller

Congratulations to all the parent organizers and the hundreds of volunteers for pulling off an amazing event. Everyone present had a great time and the kids will remember and cherish these memories for the rest of their lives.

The Best Mother’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….despite the crazy weather

Spending time with my adult children is the best way to celebrate Mother’s Day. Unfortunately this year two of my three children are out of the country so having them all together was impossible. The day, however, was close to perfect.

It started with breakfast in bed, made lovingly by my husband; strawberries and yogurt, a feta and spinach omelet, bacon, toasted baguette and great coffee. Later in the morning I got a long distance phone call from my son who lives in Rotterdam. It was so nice hearing his voice and catching up on all the news in his life. I could have talked much longer but my husband and I were invited for a special lunch at our youngest daughter’s apartment.

Lunch at G’s and B’s place was relaxed and informal. We had a smorgasbord of cured meats, cheese, fresh bread, a citrus fennel salad and a rapini pesto with olives. After lunch the weather had cleared and the sun started to peak through the clouds so we decided to take the dogs, Lucy and Frances for a long walk through Sherwood Park.

My son-in-law and the girls.

The weather held out for our walk and actually started to warm up. Earlier in the day we experienced rain showers, gusty winds, cold temperatures and on the drive to the apartment we drove through a torrent of hail. When we returned to the apartment we stopped at Dufflet’s (situated just below the apartment) to pick up a couple of tarts to share and enjoy with our coffee.

On the drive home the weather changed again. The temperature dropped, the wind picked up and it rained heavily. Just before arriving home it started to hail again and people on the street were covering their faces and running to find some kind of cover.

When we arrived home I got back in my car and went shopping. I needed to buy some things for school but that particular store closed as I drove up. At that point I decided to check out Marshall’s and boy am I glad I did. I needed a new spring coat that I could wear with dresses and skirts. I found that perfect coat plus 2 skirts, a short one and a long one and 3 summer tops.

When I got home my oldest daughter ‘skyped’ me from Argentina. Like her brother it was so nice to hear her voice but also to see her face. We had a few problems with the video portion of our exchange and we had a couple of laughs when the screen froze on a silly expression or when it started to loop over and over again. My day was perfect. I had a special moment with each of my children. Thank you, all! Love you!