We arrived in Wexford to drizzly weather but it didn’t matter as we were inside most of the time catching up with our friends Fritz and Vincent at the Friary where I cooked them all Wiener schnitzel and Brat Kartoffel. We stayed a couple of nights with Barry and Louise and their two delightful daughters Sarah-Kate and Leila so had a lovely few days in Wexford despite the weather. Barry and Louise are very busy preparing for the 11day shows in the Spiegel tent starting on the 23rd October in Wexford.
Leaving Wexford we got the news that Peter my teacher friend of over 30years and Maurice’s friend died suddenly on the 1st October. He emailed me the day before he died so it was a big shock. A sad and lonely end after dedicating his entire life to helping so many young people with their education and employing people and looking after them financially over his 30 odd years in Indonesia. He was unable to keep his teaching position as he had turned 71 and had to move back to Bali at the same time.
Back in Dubiln the weather was the same but again it didn’t matter as we were not sightseeing. We had a lovely meal with Brigid O’Brien (another of Maurice’s cousins) before heading for Ballivor and Mary again to prepare for the 30th birthday party for her twins. We got stuck into the preparation and cooking of 2 hams,6 kilos of beef bourguignon, 7 layered salad, pumpkin salad, loaves of garlic bread, trifles, lemon cheesecake and a birthday cake. Three of us managed it all and Mary very kindly treated me to a pedicure which I even had time for the day of the party. Maurice was a bit out of action (no washing up or cutting up of vegetables) after taking the very top off his middle finger with a mandolin cutting potatoes. We bandaged it up as best we could and an examination by Jennifer (a nurse) the next day and quick trip to the pharmacy where the chemist was pleased with the wound, a new dressing was administered and Maurice was told to stay away from the spuds! The party was a great success and it was lovely to be with a big family – Mary, her six children and their partners, her granddaughter Beatrice and other family and friends. I stayed up chatting with Mary and her daughter Jennifer until after 2am.
Saturday 5th October was a beautiful warm sunny day and we drove back to Dublin in the late afternoon and stayed in Dalkey again (Caroline and Barney were in Nice) and left Ireland at 8.20am on the Stena line to Holyhead in Wales and for the 5hour drive down to Torquay to be with Michael and Ruth who have a timeshare down there.