By hook and by crook, by pure good fortune, quick thinking, the gift of the gab, and by being quick on our feet, we survived it.
But we really shouldn't be trusted to be let out on our own, with no responsibilities (except to each other), not having to clock-watch, no (adult-ish!) children or grandchildren to keep an eye on - or them, on us! - come and go as we please, not confined to set times for breakfast or supper or meals in between, and not answerable to any authority only our own.
A surefire receipe for disaster.
And it was delicious...!
We had the use of two mobile homes, one in Waterford, the other in Kilkenny, and we had two cars between the five of us so, all-in-all, everything more-or-less (!) worked out well for us ; the designated drivers were picked by the short straw method, a system which worked for us, and which also ensured that at least two of our number had their full wits about them on all of our trips to various big and small towns.
And there were many such trips to the different towns we visited, both in and around Waterford and Kilkenny, even though all venues we were in were on semi-lockdown, due to Covid. But, using our local knowledge and contacts, a knock on a side window can open many a door, so to speak!
We have always found staycations like this to be expensive, and this one was no exception : in our shared opinion, most of the venues we visited had increased their prices, some substantially, to make-up for their loss of trading abilities over the last eighteen months or so. The price increases were noticeable and, before we declined the service on offer, we made sure that our objections to same were equally as noticeable!
The weather was mostly good to us - we were, after all, in 'the sunny south-east' - and, overall, it kept true to its moniker, allowing us on more than one occasion to spend most of a day on a beach (excuse the fuzzy pic, top of article - must have been the mad heat that affected the camera lens...!), watching the world go by, and plotting our night-time assault on that same world! But our planned assaults had to be tempered by the fact that we were in either Waterford or Kilkenny, not in New York, so we toned things down a bit. Sort of..!
Anyway ; we're all back now, unmolested by any Covid (or other!) restrictions or State laws and 'normal' business will be resuming soon, both here - on the blog - and in what some consider to be 'real life' ie bills, work, timelines, babysitting/child-minding, dinners, teas, food shopping and etc etc and we need another break already..!
See ye all on Wednesday, 25th August 2021 when, among other pieces, we'll be writing about an IRA ultimatum to Westminster and an Irish republican operation in England that went horribly wrong...
1917 - 1981 : TWENTY-TWO IRISH REPUBLICANS DIED ON HUNGER-STRIKE.
Terence McSwiney, Cork, 74 days, 25th October 1920.
Michael Fitzgerald, Cork, 67 days, 17th October 1920.
Joseph Murphy, Cork, 76 days, 25th October 1920.
Joe Witty, Wexford, 2nd September 1923.
Dennis Barry, Cork, 34 days, 20th November 1923.
Andy O Sullivan, Cork, 40 days, 22nd November 1923.
Tony Darcy, Galway, 52 days, 16th April 1940.
Jack ‘Sean’ McNeela, Mayo, 55 days, 19th April 1940.
Sean McCaughey, Tyrone, 22 days, 11th May 1946 (hunger and thirst Strike).
Michael Gaughan, Mayo, 64 days, 3rd June 1974.
Frank Stagg, Mayo, 62 days, 12th February 1976.
Bobby Sands, Belfast, 66 days, 5th May 1981.
Frank Hughes, Bellaghy (Derry), 59 days, 12th May 1981.
Raymond McCreesh, South Armagh, 61 days, 21st May 1981.
Patsy O Hara, Derry, 61 days, 21st May 1981.
Joe McDonnell, Belfast, 61 days, 8th July 1981.
Martin Hurson, Tyrone, 46 days, 13th July 1981.
Kevin Lynch, Dungiven (Derry), 71 days, 1st August 1981.
Kieran Doherty, Belfast, 73 days, 2nd August 1981.
Tom McIlwee, Bellaghy (Derry), 62 days, 8th August 1981.
Micky Devine, Derry, 60 days, 20th August 1981.
Thanks for the visit, and for reading : see you back here on Wednesday, 25th August 2021.
Sharon.
