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| Lisa took this selfie of all five of us at the bar/restaurant in Carna, Tigh Mheaic. After drinks, we moved to a comfy booth and enjoyed lively chatter and dinner. At the bar, Lisa, me, Tom, Barry and their friend Chuck.The boys drank Guinness and Lisa and I enjoyed part of a bottle of cabernet sauvignon. |
“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
A peace agreement between Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Britain was signed in 1998. Ireland gave up control of Northern Island to the United Kingdom as part of this agreement.”
It was quite a wonderful day. Lisa, Barry, and their friend Chuck arrived at noon. Ann, our housekeeper was finishing cleaning the upstairs and the house was spotless and organized.
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| I set the table with what we had on hand. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any linen napkins but we did have a placemat with Irish ocean scenes and wine glasses. I folded oversized sturdy paper towels to resemble cloth napkins. |
I’d already made the side dishes and all we had left to do was cook the Rueben sandwiches in a big skillet, based on everyone’s preferences such as; Barry doesn’t care for sauerkraut and Lisa doesn’t eat bread, sugar, or starch due to a medical condition that has tremendously improved after changing to her way of eating.
As a result, I made two regular Ruebens with corned beef, sauerkraut, smoked swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing, and a third with the same but leaving out the sauerkraut. Lisa and I used lettuce to wrap our sandwiches which proved to be so delicious we didn’t miss the dark rye bread.
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| Yesterday morning, I baked lemon cake topped with powdered. None for Lisa and me due to our wheat and sugar-free way of eating. |
After lunch, we moved into the living room with exquisite views of the sea and chatted and laughed for hours. We got so wrapped up in conversation, we failed to get out the door for dinner in Carna until after 1830 hours, 6:30 pm.
It was pouring rain when we left and continued raining throughout the evening. They didn’t want to impose upon us and chose to stay in a hotel in Carna not far from the pub/restaurant, Tigh Mheaic, where Tom and I dined a few weeks ago where the pub is superb, the food excellent and the service beyond reproach.
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| My photo of the four of them at the bar in the pub. |
We sat at the bar until 2030 hours, 8:30 pm, when we finally moved to a cozy booth with a banquette. Shortly thereafter our dinners arrived. The food was hot, fresh, and overall very good. The animated conversations and laughter continued.
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| Tom’s chicken dinner. He was thrilled to have both mashed and roasted potatoes. Most Irish restaurants serve two types of potatoes with each meal. He thoroughly enjoyed his meal. |
The narrow winding roads are dangerous during daylight hours and even more so in the dark. When one thinks of who may be driving after dark in this remote location, the risk of accidents is substantially increased.
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| Chuck ordered the scallops which we’d had last time we were there. The little dark round on the right of his plate is blood pudding. Delicious! |
Lisa picked up on my discomfort after dinner, although I hadn’t said a word, and insisted I put my legs on her lap while we were seated at the banquette. It felt comfortable to do so allowing us to stay longer than expected.
Alas, the entire day resulted in my awakening this morning with a very swollen left foot and leg. As I write here now, my feet are on top of a little table with a small cushion.
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| Barry ordered pizza which we all know isn’t always the best when ordered in a regular restaurant as opposed to a pizza restaurant. Barry agreed it wasn’t ideal. |
However, it appears I won’t be able to go to lunch in Clifden today. I’ve insisted Tom go with Lisa, Barry, and Chuck while I’ll stay behind continuing to rest my legs and walk around the house which seems to help. Sitting with my legs down is definitely a huge deterrent to the healing process.
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| Lisa and I each ordered the smoked salmon salad and shared a side dish of blood pudding described as follows: “While black pudding has some positive nutritional traits, it’s not something we should be eating in abundance. Black pudding does have some benefits. It’s high in protein, which can keep you feeling fuller for longer. It can also be rich in zinc and iron as it contains blood.” We both loved the four little rounds of blood pudding we shared. |
Later, while we dine and play cards, we’ll arrange my chair with the little table and pillow nearby to allow me to keep my feet up. There’s no way I’m going to miss the evening’s activities and the last evening with our friends.
Be well, dear readers.
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| A stunning scene of the Crocodile River from our visit to Wild & Free Rehabilitation in Hectorspruit. For more details, please click here. |