Visitors Part IV

In the three weeks before mom arrived, I was in Derry two weekends in a row. First to visit Julie, whom I haven't seen in a long time. And second to attend her mother Hilda's 90th birthday. Hilda has four children, nine grandchildren, and one great grandchild. Almost all present and accounted for, plus lots of neices and nephews and neighbours. Maybe 90 people? Including the Mood Swings, a woman's singing group of my old school mates. They sang songs from the 40s that the older people in the audience sang along to.

Mom arrived 19th August, a Monday. The weekend before, I atteneded swing dance classes with a visitng American instructor who was very good. So my weekdays in the past two weeks were a blur of cleaning, painting a bathroom and trim, renting a Rug Doctor to clean rugs, working and walking Paddy. All free time spent getting my trip logistics straight. We're going to do Dingle Peninsula and the Ring of Kerry and use public transport, so much to get sorted in terms of train and bus schedules, rental car, hotels, etc.

Aug 1-18.