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| Rainbow view #1 from our window. |
“Fascinating Fact of the Day About Ireland”
The country has had a high birthrate for the last 50 years. Subsequently, Ireland has one of the youngest populations in the world.”
Lisa, Barry, and Chuck spent the day and evening with us. With my left leg and foot very swollen from sitting too much over the past few days, I’d decided to stay behind while they drove to Clifden for lunch in a pub/restaurant.
It was the first time in a long time I was alone for several hours. The time went quickly while I sat with my feet up, made a salad for dinner, and even managed to take a nap after a fitful prior night’s sleep.
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| Rainbow view #2 from our window. |
Before too long, Lisa called to let me know they were on their way. The plan was to play a fantastic card game, Five Crowns, we’d played with them while on the cruise we met.
But, once we all sat down together in the living room to catch up on the day, we never got to the card game until 1900 hours, 7:00 pm. Since the three of them had a late lunch in Clifden, they were in no hurry to eat. For me, it didn’t matter.
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| Rainbow view #3 from our window. |
Tom had purchased three roasted chickens for the meal to keep the work minimal for me. He cooked a big pot of rice as a side dish. Later, when we finally dined at 2100 hours, 9:00 pm, all I had to do was butter the buns and grill them in a pan on the stove, heat the chicken in the microwave, and cook the broccoli.
We were ready to eat. We all sat at the dining table, and everyone went back for seconds. We were done with dinner in less than 15 minutes, hoping to get back to the game. It was an easy meal, perhaps not as exciting as meals we’d made for guests in the past, but it was ideal for us to make at this point in my recovery.
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| Tom wasn’t quite sure what this animal was at first sight until they turned around. |
After dinner at almost 2200 hours, 10:00 pm, we continued playing the card game. Something was amiss with my bad left leg and foot. I took off my sock to discover my ankle, foot and toes were grossly swollen. The efforts I made all day were of little consequence in reducing the swelling.
Also, there was a lot of moisture on the compression sock. I knew I couldn’t sit comfortably and play cards, plus it was getting late, and our guests needed to head back to their hotel in Carna on the winding roads, riskier than usual on a Friday night. It was nearly 2300 hours, 11:00 pm, and it was still light outside.
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| This morning, Tom took these photos through the glass of the kitchen window to avoid scaring off the hare. |
After warm hugs and heartfelt goodbyes, they left. It had been a fantastic two days. We plan to meet up shortly. With Barry, an airline pilot, they travel a lot and can easily meet us anywhere in the world. We’re all looking forward to seeing one another again.
Tom and I cleaned up the glasses (Tom had done the dishes earlier), and we headed upstairs to remove the compression socks and bandages to see how the wound was doing. Much to our surprise, it looked a little better than the previous day. He did the usual every other day treatment, and we called it a night.
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| Cute hare in the garden. |
This morning, the swelling was reduced by 50%. Today, I’ll walk but avoid sitting with my feet on the floor or spending any time standing. Tonight, we’ll have leftovers and spend a quiet Saturday evening, perhaps watching a movie. Again, it’s raining off and on and cool and windy.
This morning the temperature was 8.33C, 47F, but with the winds, it’s not appealing to go out sightseeing, nor does it make sense to be sitting in the car with my feet on the floor for a few hours.
And so it goes, the recovery continues, albeit not at a pace we’d like to see, but it’s moving forward nonetheless. However, we’re cheerful, grateful for the fun two days we had with our beautiful friends, and look forward to another good day in Connemara, Ireland.
May you have a great day!
Photo from one year ago today, June 8, 2018:
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| A leisurely drive in Marloth Park resulted in spotting these giraffes. For more photos, please click here. |