Pan's labyrinth

Just saw a film called Pan's Labyrinth. See it if you get a chance. It is the best film I have seen.

Star stuff

After weeks of almost constant cloud cover and seemingly incessant rain we finally got a week of sunshine. We have not had such weather since the start of June. It is amazing how different everywhere looks in the sunshine. The autumn colours are here now. The summer blanket of green is replaced by the patchwork quilt of browns, reds, yellows and oranges. Clear days also mean clear nights. At last I can see Cassiopeia, Ursa Major (and Minor), Cygnus and even Orion. The Milky Way spreads itself like a celestial belt across the night sky. I have always found something deeply relaxing about the night sky. Everything appears ordered and pristine. It is aloof from the petty bickering on this tiny ball of rock. Humanity exists because of the stars. The elements of our bodies, the building blocks that make us what we are, are formed by the nuclear reactions within stars. We are the self conscious eyes of the universe. Perhaps the only ones or, more likely, just one of many species that look up at the night sky and wonder.

Up the Cats!!!

Today Kilkenny won the All-Ireland senor hurling final. It was our 31st title making Kilkenny the most successful hurling county in Ireland. We also won the last two finals making this one the third in a row. What does it mean to me? I can’t answer that question because it is not something that can be rationalised, measured or defined. It is , like all the important moments in our lives, a feeling that must be experienced to be understood. It is not the World Cup, or the Olympics, or the Superbowl, or the World Series. It is much more important. At least for me and not only.

Events

There is only one sport that I really like. The big day for that is Sunday week. Kilkenny are playing Waterford in the All -Ireland final. I am not going to bore you with details but for me all other sports pale in the face of an All-Ireland hurling final.Hopefully I will be able to get a ticket next week and go with the "usual" crowd. I apologise for not being more regular here. Life is getting more busy for me and I don't have the time to write here. I am not even sure how many people read this.Thank you for taking the time to check my blog and let me know what you think or if you would like me to talk about anything in particular. Have a good weekend.

New

Life changes. It can be good or bad and all the shades in between. Right now , for me, it is better than I dreamed possible. I am happier than at any time in my life. It is not because of anything I have done. It is because of someone special in my life, someone truly wonderful.

Visit

On Thursday I will be going to Bucharest. I will be meeting a very important person for the first time. I am really looking forward to it. Talk later.

Last day

Thursday the 19th of June was the last day of the trip. Gabi and Cosmin had packed their luggage the previous night and since we had a few hours until the flight, we decided to visit the city centre for some final shopping and maybe see Trinity College. Time again proved to be our enemy and after a small foray into the shops of Grafton street we went back to the car and set out for the airport. We made good time on the road and arrived at the airport a little over two hours before the flight was due to take off. After being effectively robbed by Aer Lingus in excess baggage charges we headed for the departure area. Here I bade farewell to my friends. It was hard to believe we had spent two weeks together, time had moved so fast and there was so much more we had wanted to see. I watched Gabi and Cosmin go towards the security check and turned away to go back to the car.As I walked I thought about the last fortnight, the good and not so good. The best part for me was seeing Gabi again and meeting Cosmin, the worst part was not getting to see my nephew on his birthday. The best places were Dunquin and Doolin, the worst was Newgrange. I will miss the breakfasts, miss getting Cosmin’s fried tomato slices and giving Gabi my bacon(rasher). I will miss the company of friends.