Back!

Well the jaunt round Europe was great! Lots of highs, very few lows, and plenty of colour (except my skin, which has resolutely stayed pasty...). I have to get around to developing my pictures (in a dark room, with chemicals and stuff, it'll take a while) but you can see Annie's excellent photo diary on her site, and Niamh's pictures are on mine. I think a good summary of the style of trip it was is: I completely forgot that we visited the amazing Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna until I looked at Annie's pictures... Or maybe that's a better summary of me now that I think about it...

Anyway I've caught up on sleep, and am currently taking advantage of my uncle's internet connection.  Many's the time I've sat here online, though for most of those other times I was working for him - life was hard back then. 

Seamas and Niamh were over at my place at the start of the weekend, which was fun.  In showing them around I took a critical glance at mo cheantar and almost all the negative parts are recent.  The river is choked from some haphazard idiot farmer dousing it with  fertilizer (making it far less romantic a location than I had imagined...), and the village looks fine apart from the  infectious bacterial colony of ugly houses.  Seamas recorded us (siblings) and we burned a CD for the parents. 

I've been trying to sort myself out for Finland, and all is not going very well.  Everyone I'm supposed to deal with is on holidays, including the travel agency, the accommodation agency and my boss to be!  I'm supposed to be there in a week and I have no flights and no where to stay.  On the upside I shouldn't need dental work for a while having been given the all clear about 2 hours ago :) 

That's about it for now.  I've been living very much within the extended family circle the last few days.  I'll definitely make it up to Dublin some time this week.  I really have to arrange to meet as many people as possible - especially Sean and Annie and Ian if he's in the country- it's been so strange not seeing them for so long after the trip...

Take care :)