Mayo/Galway 2010

Various pics from around Westport, Achill Island and Killary Harbour. Enjoy...

Regards,


djp

What a day...

I'd had my day planned nicely - spend the morning in my studio and then go to the dump - sorry "civic amenity" - in the afternoon to empty my wheely-bin (scheduled collection was on St. Patrick's Day, and we hadn't checked that in light of the public holiday, the collection was due to take place last Saturday). Even when Mrs. P asked me to post a letter for her, I thought to myself that I could accommodate that request fairly handily in my day.

Halfway through my studio session, it suddenly occurred to me that I had to take Mrs P's Yaris for its NCT in the afternoon. I needed to get the car's registration certificate for the test - a trip back to the old gaff was called for. The test taking place in the afternoon scuppered the idea of going to the dump after lunch. So I decided there and then to go to the dump right away and swing by the old house on the way back. I knew exactly where the cert would be...

...except that when I eventually got back to the house, I couldn't find the damn cert. I searched high up and, indeed, low down. I searched the "obvious" places it should be and the "obvious" places where it might be if it wasn't where it should be. No dice. So I was faced with the prospect of cancelling the test (and suffering a cancellation fee) and then the hassle of replacing the cert.

Got back to the new house tired and very cross and rang the NCT to see about cancelling the test. When I told them I was cancelling because I'd lost the cert, they said that the test could be carried out anyway but that I'd be asked to present the replacement cert within 30 days. Excellent. Then I rang the Department of Transport office in Shannon which issues the certs in the first place and they said all I had to do was go to my local motor tax office, get a particular form from the office, complete it and get it stamped by les flics and then send it off to Shannon (with a small fee). The replacement cert would issue within a "few days".

Feeling much better about things, I presented the car for its test (after giving it a hard - but totally legal - run up the M7) and it passed with flying colours. And the gas thing is that the guys at the NCT never asked me to present my cert within 30 days.

Everything worked out well (I even got to post Mrs. P's letter), but I could've done without all the sturm und drang...

Regards,


djp

What WERE they thinking...?

And speaking of things you don't see every day, I offer for your delight and enjoyment an Austin Maxi.

The history of the Austin Maxi can be found here. Go on, you know you want one...:-)

Regards,

djp

Critter cadaver update

Now, here's something you don't see every day. A dead rabbit in an urban gutter. Possibly a family pet. Sad really...

Regards,

djp

40 shades of green? I DON'T think so...

The recent harsh winter we've had here has played merry hell with the grass, as can be seen from these pics:-

So next week, when our international friends are dyeing their rivers green and trying to be more Irish then the Irish themselves, they might like to take note of how conditions actually are back in the "Old Country".

Regards,

djp

The doors...

I've been trying to flog a few doors on bendunne.com this last while. And the only responses I'm getting are variations of the old e-mail "send me your details" rip-off scam. People, eh? Should be a day in the week for shooting them - and in parts of West Dublin there are...

Regards,


djp

I know people who'd pay good money to see that...

The circus is in town and one of their posters advertises a "perch act". Really? Circus tricks performed by freshwater fish belonging to the family Percidae? What do they do? Swim through fiery hoops? A tightrope act without nets? A fish knife throwing act?

How would you rate that on a scale of 1 to 10?

Fin,

djp

And the ringtone for March 2010 is...

..."Chain Of Command" from the CD version of XTC's 1979 album, DRUMS & WIRES. Ace stuff...!

Regards,


djp

My Top 10 iPod tracks - 010310

1. (-) - How To Die With Style - Quentin Crisp
2. (-) - Natty Dread Time Dub - Queen Tiney & The Aggrovators
3. (-) - Bass Trap - U2
4. (-) - Cyn'd Dc : For David Cortner : In Memory of Arthur Lee... - Z'ev
5. (-) - Everything Up (Zizou) (Mock 'n' Toof Remix) - Zero 7
6. (-) - Pop Art Blue - Zero 7
7. (-) - Gulp A Sonata - Amon Duul 2
8. (-) - Flesh-Coloured Anti-Aircraft Alarm - Amon Duul 2
9. (-) - Baader Meinhof - Baader Meinhof
10. (-) - Meet Me At The Airport - Baader Meinhof

Regards,

djp