Holidays

We're just back from the wilds of Horst after 4 very relaxing days with the sister and her boyf in Holland. There's nothing quite like a holiday. Espeically after the last week that we had. Between the kid going for a late night swim to the leaving cert results to working loads, we needed a break. And over with the sister was great. Catching up on all the news, pottering around the small town she lives in and lots of socialising. I got some cool gifts, the latest mr potato head which I shall post a picture of as soon as I upload the pics. I know you can't wait to seem the picture :) I got some really nice gifts from Mammy2's family including a boxed Garth Brooks set of cds. Lots and lots of country music.

The holiday was great, I was offline for all of it and loved it. Apart from on the first day when my shoulder started complianing about not being used. I think it works the opposite way around. It gives out when I don't do work. But I didn't miss it at all. We relaxed, read a book, a whole book I mananged to finish. I was determined. It was a funny one for a change and not about irish history. It came recommended from the sister and we have a very similar sense of humour. Her mates were very nice and chipped in and got me a model Hew Holland. A lot bigger then the ones I have, and they got me a new holland shirt and a stickers as well. I was well chuffed. There's also a picture of it somewhere and I'll see if I can find it when I upload the pics.

Its strange as this time last year I was over, but I was no-where near as relaxed. I guess mentally I was in a different place as those therapist people would call it. We caught up with a lot of the sister's mates, sat out in the sun, went for a lovely Indian meal and lots of chilling ;) We even managed to catch some of the GAA. One of the sister's mates is from Meath, but we don't hold that against her and Meath were playing Cork in the first of the All Ireland sem-finals on the Sunday. We got the train to Eindhoven and found an irish pub there. There were about 14 screens in the place and we found one that was showing the GAA. I won't launch into a rant about our national sport. There's no need as you already heard it all before ;)

The kid was in grand form thank god. Otherwise, we'd have brought her with us. She stayed with the boyf for the days that we were gone, so at least we knew she would be looked after and when he wasn't around, his lovely mother was. Just the pampering she needed. We rang her on the Sunday and she was all chat. She's back tonight I think. She seems to be on the road to recovery thank god. Whilst over in Holland chilling, and with no work to distract me , I get to thinking about all the stuff that's happened. Work is good for avoidence tactics. I processed a lot of it and am still not fully over it I think. I guess its like there has been one thing after another for the last 4 years, that now when its calm, its strange. But I'll talk calm any day. Right now the highlight of any week is a Saturday afternoon on the couch with Mammy2 reading the paper. Yes, I am that boring :)

As a complate aside, if you think I am nuts, then you should be worried about my co-workers. One of them cut out this cartoon this morning for me, with the following saying:

You have to admit - there's no rule on the books saying a meerkat can't play rugby.

I need to get it on a t-shirt!