lunch with alan and pamela

Today we had lunch with Pamela and Alan who we've met at church. The view pictures are taken from the deck of their top floor condo/apartment. Absolutely gorgeous.

Here's Rob reading the paper with a glass of sherry.

After lunch, we went to their boat for a cup of coffee.

thanksgiving usa

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving last Thursday and are greatful for all the friends we have made while we've been in Dublin. 16 people ended up coming for dinner and we had a delicious spread of traditional Thanksgiving dishes. The stuffing I made was a particular success :) Here's the recipe, http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000036moms_turkey_stuffing.php

Pictures from the day: Rob carving the turkey and Katie, the only other American (from Texas) is standing up. Katie is in the same master's program as Rob.

Baby Alastair and his mom Marilyn (from Canada) holding him. Rob's boss at work, Caroline, is on the right, and Siobhan is sitting in the cushy chair on the left.

pub tease

Rob and I had seen this pub from a distance on the bus and couldn't figure out how to get to it. We could see that it looked like it was behind the RTE campus (Ireland's radio and television service . . . also where U2 recorded their first album in '78), also near our house. Despite failed attempts in the past, we decided yesterday in the freezing cold, that we were going to find it. We walked through the RTE and sure enough, we found it! Only to discover it is a set for one of their TV shows. Instead of the pub, we went to the RTE canteen and got coffee for our cold walk home.

the yummiest scones

Ingredients:
200 g (7 oz) flour
175 g (6 oz) oats
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 dessertspoons baking powder (about the size of a heaping teaspoon is what I use)
1/2 teaspoon salt
75 g (3 oz) currants (I have also used candied cherries, and macadamia nuts and dried cranberries)
1 egg
125 g (4 1/2 oz) melted butter (this is what makes it, use the real stuff) :)
6 Tablespoons milk

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 220 C
2. Lightly grease baking tray
3. Mix flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and currants/fruit. Make a well with your dry ingredients.
4. Beat egg until frothy, stir in milk, and melted butter. Pour into well of dry ingredients.
5. Split dough in two portions. Form each portion into a thick circle about 2 cm or 3/4 in thick (I like to make the middle a little thicker than the outside). Cut each circle into 8 triangles and separate the triangles a bit.
6. Bake about 15 minutes.

Pre-Baking

Post-Baking
MMMM, good

UCD

This is the entrance to University College Dublin where Rob is studying Equality Studies and doing very well :) He just finished his first term of classes last Thursday and will be finished with all assignments on December the 15th. His department had their annual Christmas party at one of the lecturer's house last Friday night and we were told 2:30AM was early to go home . . . last year they stayed up until 5AM! Wow. We had a great time an managed to steer clear from the karaoke machine.

Powerscourt

I'm going to add a few posts to catch up on our latest happenings . . . here's the first:

Alastair and Lisa came to stay with us a few weekends ago and among other things, we went to Powerscourt. Slightly pricy to see a beautiful garden, but I think it's worth doing on a nice day.

http://www.powerscourt.ie/gardens/

Julie got a job!!

No more temp work, no more Gilmore Girls, no more days at home confirming that I won't be a stay at home mom . . . I got a job! I'll be a Deputy Manager with the Youth Advocate Programme (YAP). My role will be to manage/supervise 10 advocates who each work 1:1 with a youth and their family. The purpose of YAP is to provide wraparound service involving the community, family, and significant people in the youth's life in order to prevent the youth from landing in compulsory care (foster home, residential placement, etc.) I go in on Friday to fill out the paperwork and I am so excited :)

Phoenix Park

The Wellington Monument in Phoenix Park.

View from Blackrock

This is the view from the Starbucks in Blackrock. I think it is this beautiful view that originally wooed me into applying for a position at this store. In the end, I decided against it and turned down the offer. Once I get a job I'll divulge more detail :)

There is a gorgeous park that almost spans the distance from our home to Blackrock. In the park there is a walk/bike pathway that follows the water the whole way.

Here's a picture in the park:

road trip - camping

Love the water

road trip - crater lake

After camping at the Redwoods we decided to drive inland for some sun and ended up staying at the Crater Lake Lodge. It was absolutely stunning. Highly recommended!

road trip - redwoods

We thought we'd post a few pictures from the road trip we took before our move. We drove down the Oregon Coast to the Redwoods in California. We went on some great hikes but didn't have our camera with us. It was cold but pretty amazing.

victoria square

Taken at the top of Victoria Square. Belfast's newest shopping centre. http://www.victoriasquare.com/

the gilmore girls

A new found pleasure, I LOVE the Gilmore Girls. It will be a sad day when I am working at 3:30 and won't be able to watch.

herbert park

One of the many parks within walking distance from where we live.

sandymount strand

This is Sandymount Strand. There is a long boardwalk that goes out to a lighthouse and you can walk out on the beach hundreds of yards because it is so shallow. Lots of dogs.

This is Lilly who we watched for quite a while when she was running frantically around the beach trying to find the ball her owner hit out with a tennis racket.

custard cream

This may seem like an odd entry for the early stages of a blog, but for the uninitiated, the custard cream is a golden drop of heaven. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custard_cream

our local

Lonnegans, just one block away at the Montrose Hotel. http://www.montrosehotel.ie/

our new home

Our place is on the ground floor to the left.





The Elm Park golf course is right across the street from our place. http://www.elmparkgolfclub.ie/