Whole lotta’ fizzing going on

I snuck in another canal session today, which was very bold of me considering the heavy schedule of jobs I have to do around the house. In my defence, the outside painting has been coming along nicely with a solid week of me up ladders with brushes or wielding my latest toy, a paint sprayer.ContinueContinue reading “Whole lotta’ fizzing going on”

That difficult second book

Well, I did it today. I sent the manuscript of my second book to the publishers for their initial review. Email confirmation was received this afternoon that they had got it along with the usual waffle of terms and conditions etc. It usually takes them about six weeks to make a decision about whether orContinueContinue reading “That difficult second book”

Knock Knock, what’s there?

The spire of the Basilica comes into view as I round the bend a mile, or maybe more, from the village of Knock in county Mayo. The shape spire points heavenward, a beacon for the faithful. Many travel far to pray at this holy site. Why here, in this remote, poor part of western Ireland?ContinueContinue reading “Knock Knock, what’s there?”

Down on the ditch again

Canal fishing is regarded by many Irish anglers as a waste of time, just angling for tiddlers while being pestered by dog walkers. Indeed, the Royal Canal is often condescendingly referred to as ‘the ditch’ in some quarters, but I know different. Feeling a bit burned out after 7 uninterrupted days of sanding and paintingContinueContinue reading “Down on the ditch again”

It ain’t ‘alf hot

Another spell of fine, dry weather has settled over Ireland, making life hard for game fishers but presenting coarse anglers with long days and potentially good catches. I set the alarm for a ridiculously early hour and retired for a good night’s sleep with another trip to the midlands planned for the morrow. The heatContinueContinue reading “It ain’t ‘alf hot”

When the rain stopped

With the bulk of the house renovations completed I am now busy painting. Every square inch of the buildings, inside and out, have to be painted. This not an inconsiderable job and one which will take time. Prepping the walls, ceilings, doors and woodwork is a sizeable task on its own and that’s before IContinueContinue reading “When the rain stopped”

A day in the midlands

I could ill afford a day away from the house renovations, but I was feeling exhausted by the stresses and strains of the project, so on Tuesday I took myself off for a bit of fishing. There was a vague sort of a plan which sounded overly complicated even to me, and indeed the firstContinueContinue reading “A day in the midlands”