Tea and Cakes

So, a new train station opened up in the city centre. Not long ago. It means that more trains leave from my closest station, and I assumed that they went all the way into town, spurring off before the reached the city proper.

So, this morning I get to the station and a train pulls in. The front of the train lists the destination as the old city centre stop, and when I used to get the train regularly trains would often be late with no announcement. So, you know, I figured this train would go where I wanted. The announcements kept on saying ‘this train stops at all stations to x’ with x being the new station.

That’s ok I thought, they all in where I want.

Apparantly not.

Still, discovering this just in time to hop off at the station before, unappealing though that station is, is much better than realising as I fly by my stop.

I came home from work to a wonderful birthday package yesterday. Lots of lovely things from a fantastic person.

Included was this:

Which led to the discovery that I’ve forgotten how to read music, and also to much playing around and many memories of, well, lots of things really, but especially children’s tv. “As if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared.”
I also couldn’t resist a little “Good morning campers” this morning, but lets sweep that one under the carpet.

Anyway, possibly the most fabulous thing was this knitting pattern:

Isn’t it great? It raises so many questions:
Which came first, the landscape or the sweater?
How is the tree line absolutely identical to the pattern?
Is it wise to blend in so well with the scenery in a ski resort?

A knitting meme has been going around recently, and it looked interesting to me. It follows after the jump (as it’s a big long list of knitting things)
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Hi to anyone who’s come here from the WWKIP day website. I had signed up to organise something, but the next couple of weeks are non-stop for me, so Lien kindly took over everything. I don’t think the WWKIPday website has been updated yet, and it’s down at the moment so I can’t get in to see.

Anyway, all the details of the day are over here on Lien’s blog. The day sounds great and should be heaps of fun.

If you’re looking for general information about knitting in Ireland, the place to check out is OlannBan, which has details of Irish knitting groups, shops and blogs.

Okey-dokey. I now officially have 365 days until I’m 30.

Yep. I’m 29 today. Old or young, depending on your perspective.

I’ve been spoiled rotten as usual. Thank you to my knitting friends - I’m sorry I couldn’t make it along in person last Saturday - you’re very kind and very generous and I love my gifts.

Off to spend the day with friends, an excellent way to spend a birthday.

Now. I think I’ve had a pretty amazing life so far. There’s a whole lot more of it to go that I’m looking forward to. Leaving aside any debates about how stupid countdown lists are and the that idea that there are timelines for some things is quite frankly ridiculous, what should I get done before I reach 30? Anything you like. bring it on.

On Tuesday I met up with Cheryl in the evening for a coffee and a chat in Starbucks at Borders. I wouldn’t be a huge fan of Starbucks, but there’s a dearth of late opening coffee shops near us, and I do like being surrounded by books.

Cheryl has posted up her version of the evening - I haven’t read it yet. We agreed to post them up today.

Anyway, after we’d been there a while an unusually enthusiastic (for Ireland) Starbucks guy came over and asked how our drinks were. “Well, fine thanks, but it could be a bit hotter.” Cheryl replied (or words to that effect.) With lightening fast reactions he whipped her mug out of ther hand and declared he would replace it, and replace it he did. He also handed over a voucher for a free coffee next time. Blimey. Had to have lived in America for a while. That’s not Irish customer service.

So, we carried on chatting away, and then some, and it came to time to go. Just before we got up he appeared again to speak to Cheryl. “So, how was the second cup?”
“Much better, thank-you.”
“If you’re ever in here and the coffee’s not hot enough, don’t hesitate to let us know and we’ll change it.”
“Well, to be honest I don’t visit Starbucks that often.”
“Oh. And do you mind me asking why not?”
“Well, to be honest, I find the coffee a bit bitter.”

Now, in hindsight, honesty may not have been the best policy here.
This launched a series of questions on where exactly in our mouths we tasted the bitterness - at the front of our tongues, in the middle, at the sides, or at the back. Apparently most people mistake acidity in coffee for bitterness. We received a lesson on taste. A long lesson on taste.
We then foolishly both admitted that we had no recollection of where exactly the bitter taste occurred.

Starbucks guy disappeared, and returned shortly with this:

Yep. A tasting tray. We received a lesson on coffee tasting, which, although quite bizarre, was actually pretty interesting. One was a dark roast, and one a light, and they did taste different.

So, all in all, great customer service, and I can confirm that the manager of the Starbucks in Borders really does care about his customers, really believes in the company he works for, and really loves his job.

And my new view of Starbucks coffee?

It’s not bitter. It’s too acidic.

Today is Election Day in Ireland. I’m able to vote here in general, local and European elections, but not in referendums. (Essentially, I think this boils down to me being able to have some say in who makes the day to day decisions, but I couldn’t oust the president and pop the queen back in as head of state. Not that I’d want to do that, but you get the point.)

I haven’t voted for a while, and that’s kinda bugged me. I think it’s really important that people do vote. (You know the people you dislike? The small minded, bigoted ones? They vote. You should too.) However, during the last election here I didn’t realise I could vote, and was only just realising that actually I was probably going to spend the rest of my life living here rather than heading off travelling again. I’ve looked into registering as an overseas voter for the UK a few times. Each time I find different information, and I couldn’t decipher the last form I saw. I *love* forms, but this one was way beyond me. You also needed to know where you were last registered to vote in the UK, and I honestly don’t know if that was Sheffield or Worthing. Ah, excuses, excuses. I should stop making them and sort that one out, but now I live in Ireland I’m not sure I should be voting in the UK.

Anyway. Today. Election day.

The Gurrier pretty much summed up the current state of things here (click on the links in the last paragraph to read about some of the scandals) and nicely sums up how politics in Ireland work here , and he does it so much more eloquently than me. Surfice to say that in most countries our esteemed leader would have had to resign in shame many times over, or have been thrown out. Instead, each revelation of corruption and screwing over the country, wasting our money instead of spending it on schools or healthcare results in a bump in the polls and increased popularity.

Oops, gone off on a minor rant again.

Usually for me voting has been either a case of
a) Picking the least objectionable of a couple of candidates with very little to tell them apart.
b) Being able to vote for someone who I mostly agree with but has no chance of getting in.

This time it’s different. This time I had two candidates who I actually wanted to vote for. One of them is even already a TD, and should be again. This is quite exciting.

Ireland has a proportional representation system with a single transferrable vote, so out of the 8 candidates in my constituency, where 3 people will be elected (it should be 5 based on the population, but the current crowd didn’t want to correct it before this election - again, why is this not an issue?), I get to put crosses next to the ones I like and circles next to the ones I don’t like (just kidding!) rank them in order of preference. If my first choice doesn’t get in in the first round, my vote goes to my second choice, and so on. It’s great.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time weighing up which way round to place my number 1 and 2 preferences, and I’m happy with my decision. I like the Greens, and would consider myself a Green Party supporter, but I got the chance to vote for Joe Higgins, and I snapped it up. I feel it’s important to have someone in the parliament who’ll call whichever bunch of crooks get in out on their shady dealings, who believes in what he says, and who I agree with. That education should be free and secular, that women should have the right to chose how they deal with a crisis pregnancy, that energy should be from renewable sources, that the way to address anti-social behaviour is to invest in the needs of young people, that investing in public transport is the solution to the traffic crisis in Dublin etc etc etc. (I’m outing myself as a bit of a lefty here, aren’t I).

So, this morning I voted on my way to work. Voting itself is a bit of an anti-climax. You feel like it should be harder, or take longer, or at least that you should be given cake at the end of it.

And now begins the long wait to see who’s got in, and who’ll be the next Taoiseach - Golden Enda or The Cheeky Little Divil. Neither fills me with joy, but the first fills me with less dread than the second. Fingers crossed.

While I decide what socks to make from the lovely sea green-blue Tess Handpaint, and try to finally settle on a cardigan pattern (I found a new possibility yesterday. It’s very plain, but that’s kinda what I wear. Hmmm.), I cast on for some Jaywalkers. I’m only a few rows in to the pattern bit, but boy is it addictive. So easy to remember, and so simple, yet looks great. I can feel them calling me right now.

I’m back to dpns for socks. I like the magic loop method for some things - hats and the like, but for socks I find the whole thing goes much more smoothly if I can just keep knitting round and round, and not have to keep on stopping to pull the cables through and turn the knitting.

So, Bobbi tagged me for the Seven Random Things meme. Now, I’m not a meme fan, but as it’s Bobbi, and as she asked so nicely, I’ll play along.

1. I’d love to have a proper garden where I could have a vegetable patch. Pots just aren’t the same, and the waiting list for allotments in Dublin is several years long - I’d hope to have a garden before then!

2. For a little while I had my lip pierced, with a ring through the centre of the bottom lip. I’d quite like it done again, but only quite like, and most of the people close to me don’t want me to, so for now I won’t.

3. The first thing I do in the morning once I’m clean and dressed is check my email. Oh, actually, it’s probably the second thing. The first is putting the kettle on.

4. Although I know I’m perfectly capable of it, I’ve never knit a big garment like a sweater or cardigan. It’s bugging me right now, but I still keep casting on for smaller items.

5. I love swimming in the sea at home. Must remember to bring by togs with me when I’m back there in a couple of weeks.

6. I refer to where I live and my parent’s place as ‘home’, even though I don’t see myself ever living back in Sussex and Dublin is most definitely my home now. Where my mum is is just still home too.

7. My absolute all time favourite way to relax is in a hot bath with a book. One of the many, many reasons I loved visiting Japan is the appreciation of a good hot bath. One of the many, many reasons I loved New Zealand is the hot baths just springing out of the ground - a hot bath at the side of a freezing river? Fantastic. A hot bath on the beach? Wonderful.

Now, here’s where I’m supposed to tag seven people. I thought about this, and even had a list of people from the Treat Exchange to tag, but instead I’m just going to leave it that if you’ve read this and would like to join in please consider yourself tagged and leave a note in the comments so I know to come and read yours.

Well, I may not have managed to get as much done as I planned this weekend, but I did get to do some sewing.

A bunch of project bags, ready to be filled with a few little treats and sent off as “Best Treater” gifts for the Knitter’s Treat Exchange.