May Bank Holiday Monday

There is nothing better than lying in bed watching my box set of Sex and the City :-) Later on today I am going to Art in Action in Farmleigh. I've been a few times in the past when it was in Drogheda. This is the first year it is on in Farmleigh and I am looking forward to it!

Christmas away....?

Our house - Estate agent brochures 1990 versus 2006

I was doing some filing today and I came across the brochure from when David bought our house in 2006.  When we moved into the house we found that the previous owners had left the brochure from when they bought the house (off the plans) in 1990. 

I like saving things like this for posterity so I figured I'd scan them and post them here!

So here they are, from the most recent one back.

The 2006 brochure is made up of one A4 page, printed on front and back, and then folded in the middle to make a little brochure.

So this is both the front of the brochure (on the right) and the back of the brochure (on the left).

The lovely tree to the right of our house got blown down in a storm last year.  Which saddened me, but made our neighbour happy because apparently it was affecting the light going into her bedroom upstairs (??!!!).

 This is the other side of the A4 page/the inside of the brochure.

Oh dear, it is a bit embarrassing how little work we have done since we bought the house.  But we did change the kitchen which was badly needed as it was 22 years old at that point.

The 1990 brochure:

The 1990 brochure is a grander affair.  You have to remember that it was difficult to sell houses in 1990 whereas we bought at practically the peak of the boom, and indeed were in a small bidding war to buy.

(With hindsight - eek!  But at the time it just seemed that it was just the way it was).

The 1990 brochure was printed on a piece of card twice the size of A4 - whatever that size is called.  Again, folded over to make a brochure.  Above is the front cover. It is called Porters Gate (two words) whereas now our estate is known as Portersgate.

Porters Gate is described as "Imaginatively styled homes in a magnificent setting". 

Again, I remind you, it was difficult to sell houses in 1990!

Second page of the brochure.  Our house is pictured at the bottom of the page.  Because the houses had not actually been built yet (being sold off the plans) the pics are pencil sketches rather than photographs.

Third page of the booklet.

It is funny reading the blurb that was written in 1990, now that here we are in 2012. 

For example it talks about the builders: "..........the Dolphin Brothers have the accent on quality and value, setting the standards for others to follow in to the next century". 

 Back page of the brochure.

Original houses plans in 1990.

An excellent blog to follow...

This morning I went to visit a house that my twin sister and her husband have bought and are renovating.

It needed to be renovated from top to bottom, and from inside to out, so it is a huge project. But happily for Enid and Ciaran they are coming near to the end and hopefully it will be ready to move into the house in May.

Here is a blog Enid has been writing since they started the build: http://renovatinglpa.blogspot.com/
It's got some great pics and is a fantastic record for them to have in years to come.

Route to work...

I've recently moved building and while my old commute was much quicker - get off the train at Connolly Station and 5 minute walk to my office - my new commute brings me past some interesting buildings and sights in Dublin. This make the fifteen minute walk a little nicer!

I now get the train to the Docklands station which is literally at the back of the Convention Centre.  There is not a great view from the back or the side of the building, but wow, what a building from the front! I'll post a pic of the Convention centre further on down in the blog but first let me show you the bridge I cross every morning and that I had to cross, in order to get the photo of the full Convention Centre into the frame:  

It's a pretty cool bridge in my opinion.  

It was designed with the intention of representing a harp (which is the national emblem of Ireland). And I think from this angle below this is very evident: 

I like this pic with the Convention Centre showing through the harp "strings".

Here is a pic of the Convention Cente straight on:

I am sure this photo does not show the scale of the building.  It is huge!!!

I have attended a couple of work events at the centre and it is very nice (and big!) inside.  But I especially like it at night when they light up each tier with different colours.

The red boat (Liffey Tour Boat) in the centre of the pic, is very flat and goes quite fast.  It reminds me of a serpent the way it cuts through the water.

Next interesting sight I see is this:

Wahey! Palm trees in Dublin!

Also, a very interesting old chimney stack which must be from an old factory located along the river.  The factory is long gone, but I am glad the chimney stack is still here.

Right beside the chimney stack is this playground:

If I had children I'd bring them to this playground alot!  It looks like a lot fun.

The mext building I pass, is my favourite building of the commute:

The Grand Canal Theatre.

I love the red sculptures outside.  Particularly at night when parts of each "tube" are illuminated.

The view when you have your back to the theatre.

Again, another view, looking out from the theatre.

Staying in the docklands, I pass by a cute little marina with Bolands Mills in the background.

For those of your who know your Irish History I am sure you are well aware of the significance of this building in the 1916 Easter Rising.

For those of you who are not familiar with the 1916 Rising, the mills building was where one of the main garrisons and De Valera were located. 

Check out these links for more info: http://www.irishtimes.com/focus/easterrising/saturday/ or  http://theirishrising.blogspot.com/2010/04/bolands-mills.html

I like this building alot.  I wish it was better preserved.

Next up I go under a very low bridge with some nice cobblestone underfoot:

It's very low!  Feels like a little tunnel when you are in it! 

Finally, last "interesting" building before I arrive at my office is the Treasury Building (current tenanted by NAMA & NTMA).

The lest said about the tenants is probably best (that's for another day's post).

But can I just say that that sculpture of a person climbing up the wall really freaks me out!!!!

Caiproska Cocktail - a recipe

There is nothing like a cocktail in the evening - particularly after a nice sunny day, which it just happened to have been in Dublin today. 

I recommend a Caiproska.  The lime is refreshing, the crushed ice keeps it cool and the generous measure of vodka gives it a good old kick.

Here is my recipe for Caiproska.  I hope you try it out and enjoy!

A new notes before we start!

What glass to serve this beverage in?

The right glass is essential for this drink - for both the making process and the drinking process. 

After a long time searching I found the perfect glass. 

The perfect glass in my opinion, is an "Old Fashioned" from the vintage range of Waterford Crystal  "Marquis".  Considering they are Waterford Crystal they are not expensive.  And I got mine on sale in Arnotts so even better value! 

http://na.wwrd.com/ae/us/drinkware-gift-sets/marquis-vintage-dof-set-of-4/invt/024258493018/

Muddler

If you can get your hands on a muddler then brilliant.  They are not widely available in Ireland so your best bet is probably online. I got mine in Fast Buck Freddie's, Key West for approx $9.

But before I got a proper muddler I used to use the handle of a rolling pin!

Crushed Ice

An essential for this recipe is crushed ice. Ice cubes will not melt fast enough and the vodka will not be diluted enough. I use a blender to crush my ice but if you get really stuck you could also put your ice in a plastic bag and smash/crush it with a rolling pin.

My blender.

I won't lie to you.  This blender is only ever used for crushing ice for cocktails.

Ingredients per drink

1 lime

1 level dessert spoon of brown sugar (demera - the light golden brown chunky sugar)

1 healthy measure of vodka - a generous shot

Crushed ice

Method

Cut the limes in half and then in 1/6's

Amy Tip!

I like to put my limes facing skin down/inside facing up so that when I add the sugar it starts soaking in straight away.

Add your sugar.

Muddle!

Here in Ireland we also say: squash the limes.

 Add crushed ice right up to the top of the glass.

Pour that healthy measure of vodka over the ice. 

As per the glass on the left it will melt the ice down a little.

Swizzle!

Mix the drink to melt the ice, and to mix the vodka, sugar & lime.

Add more crushed ice.

Again, right up to the brim of the glass.

More swizzling!

And VOILA!

Be sure to post your comments once you try it out!

Edit. If you liked this post I am sure you will very much like my post on my very cool upcycled cocktail bar/drinks cabinet! :-)

First Blog!

Hello!

After months and months of talking about starting a blog, I've finally created one.

What will I be blogging about? 

Stuff :-)

Stuff that I find interesting....and hopefully stuff you will find interesting. 

Things that I like to do, things I like to eat, things I like to drink,  what I think about....yadda yadda you get the picture.  Basically all kinds of everything.

So!  Wish me luck.  Here goes!

Amy