I had a lovely time at home over the christmas holidays. Two weeks of actual holidays, followed by two weeks of studying. Not my favourite way of passing the time, especially at home, but it has to be done, I guess.

I do love being at home, though, even if I am studying. There is something to be said for waking up in your own bed, wandering around in your pyjamas, having your meals cooked for you.

Nothing beats Mom’s cooking.

In any case, the countdown is coming to an end. Tomorrow is the last day of the study break, and then the exams begin on Monday.

Woop!

Being that old, she has some health issues, she has had a few strokes in the past few years, she has a continuous pain in her head and back, and she is starting to lose her mental clarity a bit too.

All in all, though, she is in pretty good shape for her age.

The problem this evening is with her pains. They are quite bad, to hear her speak of them. Every so often they get bad enough for her to ask to be brought to the doctor, who takes a look at her, and prescribes something for her. What amazing wonder-drug does he suggest to cure her ailments?

Paracetamol.

Now, I don’t know it they are really that good, or not. I’m a codeine kinda guy, and I have my painkillers of choice – not that I take them very often. You know which ones I mean.

I try every so often to suggest that she takes them, but they don’t agree with her, apparently. I have to take her word for it on that one.

I also don’t know if my grandmothers pain is real, or psychosomatic. I suspect the latter, since there is nothing really physically wrong with her, but then, I’m not a trained medical professional.I have to take her word for it on that one too.

In any case, we usually have a stash of paracetamol products of the brand my grandmother swears is the only one that will work. However, it has come to our attention that she is now happily munching her way through two packets a day – each pack contains 12 tablets, each tablet has 500mg paracetamol.

Is that a lot?

I think so. If anyone else reads this, what do you think?

I’m back at home again, in West Kerry. So, no broadband again.

I’m spending the two weeks at home trying to update Dad’s business site www.saildingle.com. I’m learning how to do stuff properly with Dreamweaver. It’s ‘fun’. Well, actually, it’s alright.

So, that’s it. I know I pretty much dropped off the face of the earth over the Christmas period, so if any of you are following my Twitter stream, sorry.

I’ll let you know how I get on.

It’s been a while, I know. I have been at home for the past few weeks, since we got our christmas holidays. By home, I mean the back of beyond, the middle of nowhere, dial-up internet land. Yes, Wine Strand, in the heart of the Kerry gaeltacht.

I love being at home for christmas. The whole family gathers, and we eat, drink and be merry for a few days, before getting back to normal. And even then, continue to eat, drink and be merry well into January.

Actually, to tell the truth, today was the first day since christmas eve that we haven’t downed a bottle of wine (or three) with dinner. Although we are still munching on chocolates like they are going out of fashion.

It’s great. I couldn’t imagine not being at home, or at least with my family, for the holiday period.

Well, I have copped on a bit. I take the usually take the train nowadays.

I really like the train. You sit there, people bring you tea, you get to look out the window and watch the world go by, or if you’re like me, you can use the four hours of captivity to get some work done.

I’m never really organised enough to have films or tv programs lined up to watch, so I don’t have anything better to do but work. It’s great.

Plus, in the days of expensive oil, it was much cheaper for me as a student to buy a return ticket, compared to filling up the car tank with petrol at close to €1.40 a litre!

This weekend I’ll be heading home, but I will be taking the car this time. I’m on holidays until February 9th, so I will probably need the car at home, since we live in the back end of nowhere.

But, I guess, driving that journey once or twice can be lived with.

We have a test tomorrow morning, and once that’s finished, it’s Holiday Time!

Woohoo!

I’m going to dinner with some friends tomorrow evening, and then most likely a few drinks. I’ll head down to Kerry on Saturday. Hopefully, I won’t overdo it tomorrow night, and the head will be fine for the drive.

Holidays! I’m so excited…

If you would call a collection of houses a village. No shop. No pub. No nothing, except some houses, and a beach. And, really, what more would you want?

A view of Mount Brandon & Ballydavid from Wine Strand

So, here’s a photo of what you can see from Wine Strand. Maybe I’ll make it the first in a series.

Note, I’m not actually standing on the beach, I’m on the sand dunes behind the beach, hence the grassy stuff.

I also like my family. My immediate family, I’m talking about. We get along fine, we all have a similar sense of humour. Sure, we have the odd spat over something entirely stupid, but that’s no big deal.

My problem is when the two overlap. I run my own business, during the summer, that gives me a certain amount of spare time, as long as the work gets done, the rest of the day is my own.

My father also runs his own business, and employs my two brothers. Which is fine, although employing your children in a business has it’s own inherent problems.

My gripe this morning is, when I am free, and sitting around doodling on my laptop as I do, then all the things my father and brothers should be doing as part of their jobs are handed to me, and my mother. There is a certain amount of housekeeping to be done in any small enterprise, and I’m of the opinion that if you sign up to be your own boss, then you sign up for it all.

You don’t ask other people to check your mail for you, because you are too lazy to do it yourself. You don’t ask your wife to tidy the kitchen area, and clean up after you. You don’t ask me to start dealing with your customers, when you feel like going for a cup of coffee! I mean, come on!

Thankfully, the family business is not located at home. They have their own little unit in the community marina centre here in town, which means that if I don’t feel like getting involved, I don’t have to. I can just stay at home. But that’s where I work, so obviously it’s good to get out of there every so often.

Anyway, I guess this post doesn’t have much of a point, except as a general rant about my family. More about them anon, I would think.