 |
| This morning’s catch when John stopped by with fresh-caught Atlantic salmon, a container of crabmeat, and another container of prawns. The cost for the above was Euro 25, US $27.85. There’s enough salmon for three meals and a fourth meal with the crab and prawns on a lettuce salad. The average cost per serving is Euro 6.26, US $6.97. We paid John the Euro 14, US $15.60. We owed him from last week’s fish. I asked if he could bring salmon each week. Tom doesn’t care for fish, so I’ll happily enjoy every morsel. |
“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
“Northern Ireland is governed by the United Kingdom, while the rest of Ireland is an
independent nation.”
Living in Ireland is very different from anywhere we’ve lived after over 6½ years of world travel. The environment, the people, the chosen pace of peace, calm and good humor is present in every situation we encounter.
 |
| Today’s mist and clouds over the sea. |
This is appealing. Thank goodness we have this website requiring new photos daily and a goal to research Tom’s ancestry. Otherwise, we’d be so content. We’d hardly go out other than to shop and dine out on occasion.
We’re far from many restaurants, but we’ll go out to dinner more often now that I’m beginning to feel better. Since our arrival on May 12th, we’ve only dined out once.
 |
| A gate to a private drive or boat launch. |
We’ve so enjoyed the wide array of fantastic food products from the SuperValu supermarket in Clifden that cooking has become such a treat. We can now find ingredients we like to use that we never could find in the Spar Market in Komatipoort.
Now that I can cook again, we’re making a few more interesting dishes I didn’t burden Tom with when cooking all the meals by himself. That’s not to say he’s not helping.
 |
| Many homes in the countryside have a similar look and are very old. |
He’s right beside me in the kitchen doing all the “heavy lifting,” including washing dishes, hauling food and pots back and forth to the laundry room where the second refrigerator and another bigger sink are located.
This morning feels like a typical Irish day. Ann, the lovely house cleaner, arrived at 9:30 am informing me that she’d lit a candle at her church for my continuing recovery. How sweet is that?
 |
| Fishing boat in the bay. |
Moments later, Eileen, the house owner who lives in the house next door, also stopped by. They both possess a wealth of fascinating information about Connemara and Ireland in general. We love their accents, warmth, easy smiles, and enthusiasm.
We’d planned to head out today, but it’s raining, not uncommon for Ireland. Also, Eileen called the fish guy, John, to determine if he was coming by today. He stopped by before noon. Note the above photo and caption for further explanation.
We paid John the Euro 14, US $15.59, from last week when he’d insisted we took some fish when the package had yet to arrive containing our new debit cards, leaving us with no cash (euros in Ireland).
 |
| A boat at the organic salmon station. |
After the ATM cards had arrived, we immediately drove to Clifden to an ATM to get enough cash to last for quite a while. Weekly, we pay Ann Euro 60, US $66.82 for three hours of housecleaning, the highest we’ve ever paid. That’s not to say she isn’t worth it. She does a meticulous job.
We’ve been spoiled. Housekeeping wasn’t included in the rent as it was in South Africa, where we had two cleaners, Zef and Vusi, each day of the week. But, knowing we have a cleaner only once a week, we’re diligent about keeping the house tidy and organized between Ann’s visits.
No, we don’t have a social life here yet and may not be able to make lifelong friends here as we did in Marloth Park, many of whom we are staying in touch, particularly Kathy and Don, Linda, and Ken (we spoke on the phone yesterday) and Louise and Danie.
Now that I’m beginning to feel better, we’re planning on getting out more. In the interim, this simple life is suiting us just fine.
Happy day!
Photo from one year ago today, May 23, 2018:
 |
| This was our first sighting of a good-sized herd of cape buffalo we spotted from Marloth Park yesterday on the banks of the Crocodile River. There were from 24 to 30 in the herd. For more photos, please click here. |