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As some of you will know I'm a course through work. This course has eight modules to it and yesterday and today we began Module Two. Intellectual Disability Studies. 

What we have learnt over two days could have been taught in half a day. We were basically taught how to fill in a work book. A work book that comes with a second book. The second book teaches you how to fill in the work book.

This is why I've had to suffer a tax increase and pension levy! A pension levy that only health workers, teachers and the guards are having by the way! Why only us? Because we're public servants and our job is secure! No it fucking isn't! My job is just as at risk as those in the private sector! Wankers!

Anyway, aside from spending the 1st morning filling a page with stars we did actually learn a few things. Nothing eligible for work or the course but still learning is learning.

I have learnt that some people who work in our industry are judgemental bastards who may not harm a client or service user but given one story I've heard I have to wonder what psychological damage they are doing! Thankfully this is no one in our service!

I have learnt that he who shouts loudest wins. Wrong but true.

I have learnt that my manager, even with his faults, is far superior to others and I'm damn lucky!

All the names have been changed in the following stories.

Story One

Patrick works in a different county for a similar organisation. Every day he deals with young adults who need support due to a learning difficult or physical disability. A few weeks ago he headed off on a train to visit some friends. He told us this story:

"While waiting for the train two guys went passed me in wheelchairs. A train came in, not mine by the way, people got off and some got on and then it left. The two guys in the wheelchairs didn't get on. They head off the platform and as they passed me I said about how disgusting it is that they couldn't get on the train. They said they didn't want to they just waiting for someone and I said sorry as they head off. The next train comes in, again not mine, and a girl in a wheelchair gets off. She looks around as though lost and confused and I assume she's looking for the two guys. I head over to her and say "Your friends have just gone down there," and I point off the platform.
"What?" she asks.
"Your friends. The two guys. They head off the platform. I think they're over there," I tell her.
"I'm sorry I don't understand."
"Are you looking for two men in wheelchairs?"
"No!"
"Then why do you look so lost and confused?"
"I've got off at the wrong fucking stop!"
As I sat back down I saw the two guys on the other platform talking with a man who just got off the train."

When Patrick told his story the people sat around him in the lecture room actually laughed but talking to one of the other girls we were both amazed at his attitude. He'd made two incorrect assumptions that if he'd made at work he'd be reprimanded for. First off why assume that the guys couldn't get on the train just because they didn't? He didn't get on two trains! Should we assume he was stuck to his seat? Secondly how dare he assume that because she was in wheelchair she must be meeting the other guys!

Now, for someone who has never worked with anyone with any form of disability or had any connection with anyone with that background I can kind of understand how that assumption might be made and I'd be forgiving but this guy works with people who need support due to a disability! He should know better! How does he still have a job?

 

Story Two
Janet, like Patrick, works in a similar field with a similar client base in a residential house in a different county for a different organisation. There they have someone who goes home one weekend a year. The family have applied for a grant for an extension to their house so they are better equipped to cope with this resident when he goes home. He goes home without support! I don't mean that they kick him out the door and say "Seeya Monday!" but I mean that no staff stay with him. He has a sufficient level of independence and enough family support to cope without staff. So, one weekend a month a year he goes and home and the family are applying for a grant to deal with that weekend better. A grant of €35'000 has been approved.

Questions:
1. Have assessments been done of the family home to see if it's already suitable?
2. Have the family been assessed to see how good the family support is?
3. Has the awarding body seen the plans of the current home?
4. Has the awarding body seen the plans of the proposed extension?
5. Will the family take the client, their son, for more weekends once extension is built?
6. Has the client been asked if he wants to go home more than one weekend a year?
7. Has the client been asked if he wants to stay in a purpose built extension?
8. Has the client been consulted at all with regard to any of this.

The answer to all of these questions is the same. No.

Why is Janet not speaking up? If this family are getting the extension they should be able to care for the relatives themselves. From the way she spoke it sounds like he is independent enough to look after his own hygiene needs and can even make himself meals and drinks he just needs support in certain areas that even the most basic family could cope with - especially with a €35k extension!

Yet another reason why my wage packet has gone down by over 10% since April and will go down again as of October!

Story Three

Tommy used to work on the docks works in a similar environment to Janet and Patrick. His manager insisted that one of their clients be given a mobile phone and taught how to use it. Tommy argued there was no need but the manager forced his hand. Given how many times the client uses the house phone it was deemed that €10 credit a week would be plenty and the client was taught how to use it and how to top it up. Everything went swimmingly. The client knew how to use the phone and how to top up and knew that €10 a week was plenty. Six months later a review takes place, as it does with our service users as well.
"And how is he getting on with the mobile phone?" asks the manager.
"Oh fine. He puts his €10 credit on every Friday and that lasts him the week," replies Tommy.
"Can I see the phone?" asks the manager.
Tommy goes and collects it and hands it to the manager.
"How do I get the balance up?" he asks.
"I'm not sure," replies Tommy, "why?" "It's mid week, I just want to see if he uses it all by the weekend and has nothing for the week."
Eventually they work out how to get a credit balance. The balance is €236 euros. It would appear the client never uses it. There are only four calls in the call log, all to the house phone, all dated six months ago when Tommy was teaching the client how to use the phone. The client thinks that whether the phone is used or not he has to put €10 on it.

Whether you are dealing with someone with learning difficulties or not there is a simple thing you can do to make the person feel respected. Ask!

It doesn't matter if the person has a diagnosis of Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Fragile X, ABI or self-diagnosed fake bi-polar! You still ask, you don't decide for them! Even when you know they can't make the decision themselves you still go through the motions of asking because this could be the one time they know what they want and are capable of deciding! If I asked one of our service users if he wanted to get on the bus with another service user he'd say no! He'd flatly refuse! He knows his mind. He knows if he wants tea or coffee, cheese or ham and he knows what clothes he wants to wear. I don't make these choices for him. He makes them. He makes them because I ask him to!

Now the client Tommy was dealing with was even more capable of making his own choices than the lads I deal with. Our lads couldn't have a mobile phone. Three of them can't verbally communicate well enough and the other wouldn't be able to learn how to use it. The manager was at fault in Tommy's story and he should have been reprimanded for it. I agree that Tommy is partially to blame for this as he obviously didn't teach the client correctly but did anyone ask him if he wanted a mobile phone? No they didn't! The manager just decided to do it one day and no one could argue about it. With that in mind why did Tommy have to pay the client back €230? Just tell the client to start using the phone to use up the credit and stop paying €10 a week! Tommy argued but was told either pay it back or they'll take out his wages.

Fucking managers!

With what I've heard over the last two days I can honestly say the place I work in is fantastic. No, I'm not saying that's because of me, but yes I am going to take a small bit of that credit. The staff (99% of them!) are damn good at their jobs and they need telling that! Maybe it's the training we've had, maybe it's the support we get, either way I could happily assure all our families that their loved ones get the best care. Christ, we put up with beatings and go back for more! We get covered in shit and don't quit! We spend our own money on the lads and give up our own time to go out with them and not get paid for it.

We rule!

Sometimes I get bored.

Right now I'm on a course through work and during some group work, when we'd actually finished doing the work, me and another guy on the course got to talk about lunch and what we were planning on eating.  One thing lead to another and we started talking about the things we had eaten in the past.

I revealed that I'd once eaten what looked like a prawn cracker but turned out to be a sperm cracker at a fetish exhibition.  I've no idea what fetish this fulfilled but it didn't taste all that bad although I was little shocked when I found out.  

So as I'm as bored as hell here are some facts about semen.

Semen Facts:

- It can stain. Always wash in COLD water.

- A black light will show semen.

- A single ejaculation has an average of 200-500 million sperm in it.

- Semen is okay if you are on the Atkins diet.

- The average speed of a shooting ejaculation is 23 mph.

- A woman's mood can be elevated to 'happy' by frequent exposure to semen.

- Pineapple, watermelon, cranberries, and sweet fruit can improve the taste of semen.

- Semen is usually a cloudy white fluid that within 30 minutes becomes runny and clear.

- A chlorine type smell in semen is normal.

- The taste is slightly sweet due to fructose.

- The taste of semen tends to change slightly from person to person.

- A study conducted by American scientists in Newscientists.com among 30,000 men over eight years found those that ejaculated most frequently have had significantly less chances of getting prostate cancer.

- Semen contains small amounts of more than thirty elements, including fructose, ascorbic acid, cholesterol, creatine, citric acid, lactic acid, nitrogen, vitamin B12, and various salts and enzymes.

- Blue whales produce four hundred gallons of semen with each ejaculation.

We arrived to view the venue at 10.30am as booked and we're greeted by the duty manager. I knew the events manager wasn't available as she'd already told me the night before that she wouldn't be about but I only wanted to look at the rooms and maybe get a price so it didn't matter too much.

The events manager, Niamh, had told me that the dates I wanted had already been pre-booked by two other couples but they were only pencilled in so she'd call them to see if they'd made their mind up. I explained to her that I'd rather have my party on the actual date of my birthday what with it being a Saturday and all that but I'd be happy to change it if need be. I'd happily have it the week before or even week after if it meant I could have the venue I wanted.

I've been to the Galway Bay Hotel quite a few times now. The Duggan's wedding, meetings, nights out for drinks and such like and I've always been impressed by everything. Quite literally everything. The place always looks stunning, the staff are always nice and friendly.

It's all that which makes me want my birthday there.

It's all that which makes it so much worse when the treatment we got today was so awful.

I don't think I've ever felt more unwanted! If I didn't know better I'd swear she was trying to stop us from booking the place. I came home with a couple of brochures on a different hotel, miles away in County Westmeath, rather than gorgeous Galway.

I didn't get a price but I did get a brochure on booking a conference. Interestingly enough Niamh told me that if I wanted a seated dinner the room she had in mind will hold 250. I told her there would just be a buffet and she said that it would hold many more then. This was great as it was the room I wanted.CED736FFD/view-of-galway-bay-just.jpg" alt="view-of-galway-bay-just.jpg" />
Today the duty manager tells me it will only just hold 200 and not really many more for a buffet. The website gives a third figure.

She also told me that they try to save Friday, Saturday and Sundays for wedding so could I possible have my birthday midweek? Well no, not really, I want it at the weekend so my friends can come!

So now I have a dilemma. I really want my 40th at the hotel but I don't think I want the shite (look I said shite and not shit!) service or weekday party.

Do I compromise or do I find a different venue?

I think I'll end up finding a different venue given that I've still yet to hear off Niamh or anyone else. All I really wanted was a price but overtime I ask I get fobbed off with another question.

What makes it worse is that the course I'm attending today is the same hotel and I'm heaven. I'm sat in the lounge looking out over Galway Bay and the Atlantic Ocean and it's lovely. I want the bloody party here but I will not have it midweek. As if she'd even suggest such a thing!

Today I'm off to view the venue for my 40th birthday in 2013. Yes I'm planning well in advance but I want it at the Galway Bay Hotel and it gets booked up REALLY quickly. So quickly in fact that the date I want (June 1st) is already pencilled in for someone else, two people in fact, but she's going to contact them and see if they really want it or not.

So for your information..

Quite literally EVERYONE is invited. If you can read this then you're invited. Now although you're invited you will need a ticket. I need to know numbers for the caterers so I'm going to give out tickets rather than invites that way I can know who and how many are coming and I can stop gate-crashers. Yes, you will need a ticket to get in. No ticket, no party. Harsh, maybe but I'm paying a fortune for this place and the food and the entertainment so I think I'm entitled.

Well more details on how to get a ticket and all that will be available shortly but I'm off to look at the room now! Oooh excited!

Two facts about me:

- Sometimes the smallest things amuse me.
- I find some facts and figures interesting.

With both of those in mind I did some blogging research, which is something I'm going to look into on a bigger scale so expect a post begging for help.

With a certain blogger, who I just want to push underwater repeatedly until they promise to never blog or comment ever again, I found the following facts amusing.

- In the last seven days they have done twenty four posts. That's just under 3.5 a day.
- Of those entries only three got comments.
- Of those entries that comments there were only two unique commenters.

Of course all this is based on public posts as I'm not (thank fuck) privy to private posts.

Two things to note...

Number One - I didn't give the video that title.
Number Two - That's Galway that is!

 

Of my one hundred and eight friends…

 

 

- I've met 33.33% of them.

 

 

 

 

- I've lived with 2.77% of them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

- I knew 9.25% of them before blog.

 

 

 

 

- I've slept in the same room as 7.4% of them.

 

 

 

 

 

- I've had sex with 1.85% of them.

 

 

I've sat here for the last ten minutes trying to work out what to blog about.

I did have a clear idea in my head but then I started reading a few blogs and realised that if I wrote what I wanted to write I'd upset a few people and I didn't want to do that. I know it sometimes looks like I'm out to offend everyone possible but that's just not true. There are some people, some bloggers in fact, I'm quite happy to offend - anything that moves them further away from this blogging site is good for me - but I don't want to write something that may annoy friends or people I think a lot of. Especially when intonation can often be difficult to show in a block of text. I suppose I could tell you what I've been up to this week? Well, since I last blogged anyway.

Monday, our two year "living in Ireland" anniversary I did nothing but play World of Warcraft. I could have dome something more constructive but I didn't.

Tuesday I was in work all day. It was the 40th birthday of one of the residents in another unit and he was having a party in a local pub. Although all our lads were invited they weren't all going. Only one of them went in fact and I took him down there, walking instead of getting the bus. He had a good time, seemed to enjoy the music and the atmosphere and was golden on the walk back. More staff should interact with him like this but they don't and I really couldn't tell you why.

Wednesday I started my course that work have sent me on. It was interesting enough and I knew a few people there but a lot of the content is stuff I've done before in one life or another. Still, I'll come out of it with a nice qualification at the end.

Thursday I was off so I spent the day working on my web site and getting very frustrated with technology. One minute everything works fine, then next it decides to get up and walk out the room leaving me wondering what the fuck is going on! Technology can be like that. I'm still not sure who's fault the failures are but I know it's not mine or Brad. This is all down to the hosting company and ex-hosting company of our web domains. One is great but can't do much until the other, which is shit, gets doing as they promised.

Friday, today, I've had to call in sick to work I woke up with a pounding head. I woke up the first time at 4am and then again 6.30am and stayed wake then. I'm doing that a lot recently. Not sleeping and waking early that is. I did think that I wasn't sleeping because of the attack at work playing on my mind but since the meeting I've felt a lot better about all that so I really don't think it's that. I'm sure it'll come out eventually whatever it is. The last thing I want to do is start worrying about what is worrying me!

I'm off work tomorrow and Sunday but I have a project to work on for this course. I have to give a five minute presentation on anything I like as long as I can connect it to work. I've chosen sign language as I know enough about it and I can easily relate it to work. One of the ideas I've had is to actually sign the first two minutes or so of the presentation and use powerpoint to project subtitles and images etc. What do you think?

Well Bert is cooking a nommy nommy chilli for our evening meal so I'm going to go now and see how far he's got and what time it'll be ready.

TTFN

In the last two years I have:

- Not been offered jobs I was suitable for.
- Been offered jobs I didn't want.
- Seen Brad lose his job.
- Had a car breakdown on my three times within a month.
- Been attacked at work around twelve times.
- Been injured at work causing a hospital or doctor visit three times.
- Been disappointed by the ideal (or so we thought) house falling through.
- Sold a car and bought a car.
- Swapped a car.
- Had suspected viral meningitis which turned out to be two different things which together show all the symptoms.
- Made some great friends online and off.
- Been to Berlin twice.
- Travelled back and forth to the UK for one reason or another.
- Got to Level 80 in World of Warcraft.
- Seen my friends and family have babies.
- Seen my friends and family get married.
- Seen my friends and family die.
- Eaten just under a tonne of food.
- Slept approximately for 3650 hours.
- Watched every episode of Buffy, House, Supernatural, Fringe, Harpers Island, Prison Break, Heroes, Dexter and Ugly Betty.
- Got two years older.
- Lived in three different houses.

The most important thing I did in the last two years actually happened on this very day two years.  At 9.30am Brad and I set off in two cars packed with animals, plants and valuables to start our new life in Galway.

It's been fantastic.

 

Happy Anniversary to us

See more of these here.

I hope you're as amazed as I am!

In the March of 1994 I hosted my first Oscar's party. I'd seen the idea on an american television show at some point during the previous year and decided I'd like to do it. My partner was going to be away so I'd have the house to myself so I invited all my friends round. It meant most of them taking a day off work or college or uni but this would be a party fit for a queen, and they knew it, so most of them didn't mind missing a day. It actually turned into two days as they needed the day to sleep as the Oscars weren't going to be starting until midnight!

It was to be a theme party. One of many I attended or hosted during my twenties, in fact the last theme party I attended was my own thirtieth when the theme was dead celebrities. The theme of this night was "Hollywood!" - a typical Oscar theme really. Quite a few came as Marilyn Monroe and even more turned up as Clarke Gable but there was only one Errol Flynn.

In he walked, smooth and suave, really playing and looking the part. So much so that it took me a few seconds to realise who it really was. Ashley had dyed his hair darker, away from his natural blonde, and grown a real mustache rather than painting one on and in his suit he looked stunning as Flynn. He smoked once a month, if that, but that night he'd gone the whole hog and bought filterless cigarettes but spent the night coughing while trying to keep in character.

I hadn't told people they had to keep in character but Ashley had decided that if he was Errol Flynn for the night then he really would be Errol Flynn. His partner at the time, Ian, had come as Alfred Hitchcook with cushions stuffed up his shirt to fatten his very skinny figure out. He wasn't too thrilled to find out Ash was playing the part fully because that meant he go no "attention" all night. Well, not in front of the guests anyway.

Derek, the guy I was seeing behind my partners back (naughty me!), and myself had decided to come as failed actors so dressed as waiters. Derek's idea of wearing roller-boots didn't go down too well when he flew across the kitchen and threw lager all over Rita Hayworth (it's not often you can say that!). An hour later she was paralytic and taken home by her date anyway. Nicola her name was and no one liked her. She hadn't actually been invited but had invited herself and it was kind of hard to say no to her. It wasn't really that hard to say no, many people said it to her all the time, she just didn't seem to hear it!

As people had arrived they'd been given a sheet with the nominations on and had to tick who they thought would win in each category and as the awards ceremony started these were dished out for people to mark. I remember getting very pissed off when Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett didn't win but was pleased that Schindler's List took Best Picture. I can also remember getting very excited and emotional when Deborah Kerr got an honorary award as I'd loved her as Emma Harte in A Woman of Subsance and so had Ash. In fact the two of us, and just us two, cheered when it was announced. I don't think Deborah Kerr actually won an Oscar other than that one. I could be wrong, it's been known! I can't be bothered to check.

Hours later the ceremony had finished and those that were staying found a place to sleep, those that weren't said their goodbyes and headed home. Ash & Ian were supposed to be sleeping in the spare room but someone else had beaten them to it so the four of us top & tailed in the massive king size bed Paul (my actual partner) had bought a few weeks earlier. It was hours before any of us actually got to sleep as we lay there laughing and giggling about stupid things, all of us too pissed to care about sleep.

In the morning there were bodies lying all over the place and I hadn't realised just how many people had actually stayed over. The place was a tip with as many bottles lying about the floor as bodies! I heard Derek get up and get in the shower so i thought I'd join him rather than face the clearing up. The bathroom door couldn't be locked as the catch had been broken for months so I just tip-toed in and announcing loudly that he wasn't to drop the soap flung open the shower curtain only to find it was Ash in the shower and not Derek. He joked about me joining him but I left, giggling, and walked into the bedroom to tell Derek and Ian what I'd just done.

I've never once questioned why Ash & I didn't end up together. As close as we were it just didn't seem right yet I can often recall my mother, and his, talking as though it was a forgone conclusion. I guess fate proved them both wrong.

A few people helped clear up and once the place was back to normal we had something to eat and the headed off to the pub. Darts, cards and drinking games followed and yet another night stumbling home drunk and laughing about what a good night we'd had. Ash & Ian stayed again but this time they got the spare room as there was only the two of them. Ian took Ash back to uni the next morning and Derek took himself back to his halls of residence. The party was officially over, the house was actually clean, so after sorting out some work for later I say back and watched A Woman of Substance on videos that I borrowed (on a long-term basis) from my mother. I have them on DVD now, and To Be The Best, and as I write I'm thinking I may have to go and starting watching them once I've posted this!

N.B. It's been four months since Ash died and I still miss him and I still cry when I hear certain songs. If he'd been alive I probably wouldn't have spoke to him in the last four months anyway but I always knew I could. Now I can't and I hate it.

"How long will it take to get to the airport from here?"
"Forty-five minutes usually but as you don't know the road I'd give it an hour."

With this in mind I was content in the knowledge that if we left at 10:45pm we'd get to the airport in plenty of time. You can imagine the state I was in when at 11pm Brad was still munching away at steak/chop/kebab (delete as appropriate) from the barbecue and telling me not to worry and that we had plenty of time.

We did, but not because he said so, but because the flight was delayed. It seems every Ryanair flight anyone goes on, other than us, is delayed. Ours is always early or on time but never late.

I love meeting people at the airport. Seeing all the human interaction and knowing I'm going to be part of it soon. Seeing people smile as they step out of arrivals into the arms of a loved on. Seeing people nod as they see a sign with their name on and know they car must be for them.

Mostly I love it because it means people are coming to visit and I love it when then happens. Even when its people you haven't seen for a while, years in fact, friends who you really care for but for one reason or another you don't see as often as you should, if at all in some cases!

I've often found it remarkable how friendships built on one common interest can grow.

I joined blog many moons ago (when the "made by you" was "beta" and I was a founder member not a pro!) and began adding people to my friends list. They were only online friends though, not real people, so if I never blogged again it didn't matter. Then we got that step closer in AIM or MSN or GoogleChat and these people became semi-real. They were still only virtual friends and although I was growing quite fond of some of them they were still strangers to me who I only knew through blog.

Then I exchanged contact details with one of these virtual people! He gave me his phone number so I gave him mine. As nervous as I was it still didn't matter as he was still only a virtual person. Someone who was never going to ring as in the real world he didn't exist.

This changed when I looked at the screen and saw "I'm calling" in the chat window. I held my phone in my hand and suddenly got all nervous. "Brad, you know that scouser from blog, the one from the Wirral, writes for the metro or some other free rag up there?"
"Yeah," came his reply.
"He's about to call me!"

Before the conversation could continue the phone was ringing. I was half tempted to hang up and then type a chat massage to him saying something like "sorry, foster kids need me!" or something like that but instead I actually answered. What's the worse that could happen? We could actually become friends (lovers in the future x) and call each other again? We might meet? He was still going to be a virtual friend, he was still going to be that scally from blog!

A while later I made the mistake decision of doing an open blog invitation to my final birthday celebrations while living the UK. A few bloggers actually took me up on the invite. My real friends, those not virtual as the bloggers were/are, thought we were all swingers from some internet porn site but in reality we were a group of people with that one common interest.

These people, the scally included (who had an incredibly beautiful woman with him and I've still no idea how he managed that one!), suddenly became real. I'd read all about them, spoken to them on the phone, exchanged emails but now they were sat in front of me.

Things on blog really changed then. The people I was reading about became actual people. There were real, they had substance and I was beginning to feel ever closer to them. They, and others, became real friends.

"But how do you know them?" she'd ask.
"Through blog mother, we all blog together!" I reply.
"Well that just sounds mucky!"
"It's a diary mother, an online diary and people read it."
"Could I read it?"
"You could but you might not want to."
"And you all know each other from there?"
"Yes."
"Do you swap pictures and stuff?"
"No, I post a picture and people can look at it."
"Not naughty I hope!"
"No mother!"
"I don't get it!"

And she doesn't and probably never will but she does read now and then.

"Who is Nici and K?" she asked.
"Friends," I replied.
"Well I gathered that but who are they, you've not talked about them before."
"I've talked about Nici mother. Abi. The american."
"The one with the whip?"
"Yes."
"Didn't you do something with her on that site once?"
"I changed her blog design mother, that's as far as it goes!"
"And they're coming over?"
"Yes."
"Well that'll be lovely for you."

She's trying to be nice but she still doesn't understand and never will and when father asks how I am she'll say "don't ask Roger, you won't like it."

We got to the airport in just as the plane was due to land but it was late so we actually had time to grab a drink. Unfortunately all the shops had shut and the machines didn't take notes! Damn it!

We didn't have to wait long before Nici & K arrived as as we hugged not only was a warming and heartfelt it was also like it had only been a couple of weeks since we last saw each and not a few years. I felt the same when giving K a hug and this was the first time I'd ever met her!

Once home we cracked open a bottle of wine and it was gone 4am before we finally went to bed after much catching up, getting-to-know-yous, and just general fun and chat.

Saturday saw us have a very lazy morning around the house and after a massive lunch of stuff and salad we headed into Galway.

We forced the girls to kick the wall but they had to watch others do it before they did just in case they thought we were conning them into something and then we headed into town for drinkies. Galway Pride was on and all six people people turn up for it. Drinks in the Quays, where Nick tried her first ever Guinness which wasn't up to standard, then a walk back to the car and off to the Duggans.
After coffee and cooing over Ruaidhrí we headed back home.

Brad cooked us all steak. Well, he didn't cook mine but then again you don't need to. With my steak you just wave it over the pan a little and then throw it on the plate.

More drinking and conversation and bedtime at some ungodly hour but all very much worth it.

Heading back to the airport on Sunday I think I was the only one who didn't have a hangover but I wasn't the only one who didn't think we'd make it in time! Damn weather, funerals and traffic!

All in all the weekend was fantastic. It was wonderful seeing Nici again and meeting K. They are both lovely people. I'm a little annoyed that they didn't take either of the cats as promised but there is a box in the hall, miaowing, that I really must post at some point!