Off again…

We have been going to and fro so much lately I just haven’t had the gusto to write much.  After we returned home from the Christmas holiday, visiting the Little family in Maryland, including the Terach’s new golden retriever puppy, Midas, Reeves left for a business trip two weeks later.  He returned home the day after I had left to Oxford to do a weekend workshop on Palaeography, meeting me with the car after I had finished the class on Sunday evening.  We then drove into London where we stayed at my favorite hotel, The Pelham in South Kensington, for 4 days.  While in London we went to the show Mary Poppins and enjoyed some really yummy cuisine at Bibendum.  En route back to Ireland we drove through Wales – what an enchanting countryside!  I absolutely LOVED the place we stayed near the town of Hay-on-Wye, The Felin Fach Griffin – it had modern and comfortable updates while still keeping all the authentic and traditional details which make up the soul of a home.  It is one of the few places I know I will visit again.  We drove about the countryside quite a bit and ended up visiting three of Edward I castle’s on the North and West coasts of Wales.  I also loved the car ferry experience – is was so much easier and relaxed compared to air travel, especially in this day and age.  In all, the trip was a wonderful time spent in our neighboring country!

I have also been busy trying to break into the archival world here in Ireland.  I have joined the 2 associations/societies and after attending the annual meeting of the Irish Society of Archives last week, the contacts paid off, I have a job!  Well, it is a volunteer position, but it is the first good step in the right direction. I will start at the National Archives of Ireland the day after I return from holiday.  I already know some of the collection on which I will be working, which is extremely exciting.  Even if I don’t get a paid position here, at least I will have the opportunity to work with some wonderful “old stuff”.   

I am now off to the States on Friday to stay with Amy for 10 days.  We are going to visit Boston for 4 days while I am there – some place I have never been and very excited to see all the history in which this town is steeped.