HAVE YOU SEEN TOP GEAR ON THE TV ??

I love top gear and Jeremy Clarkson,boy,does he know how to test drive cars!!

My car,recently developed serious problems,not unmendable,but seriously expensive problems.! It started with a loud knocking noise when I turned the steering wheel,then a few days ago the the key got stuck in the ignition.I managed to turn it enough to turn off the engine but it would not turn off fully so the electrics were still on and the key would not budge at all.I called my mechanic who just shook his head and said he would have to load it onto the pick up and take it to the Mitzubushi main dealers in Cork.The car needed a new ignition system and that requires it to be wired to a computer,also there was something too complicated to describe,wrong with the steering and coupling (whatever that is ).What all this boiled down to was that it could be mended but would cost an arm and a leg,then some.

I live in the the middle of nowhere and can not be without a car,the time had come to think about a new car,made more urgent by our present predicament,so I decided to have a look at some cars to see what we could afford.

I am not a person who knows about cars.To me cars are red ones,blue,silver etc.Big ,small hatchback or saloon,sports,or posh like Bentlys etc.I have no technical knowledge at all nether does my husband,though he thinks he has !

At car sales room,please imagine the scene-- two salesmen are talking as I enter the showroom,they pause their conversation to look at me,I am looking at big flashy car,but I can see their reflection in car window.One man gestures to the other and points to me,with a wry smile on his face and the other man laughs.

At this point I should say that one salesman was not so young the other one was very young and good looking.I think the conversation they were having about me ,must have gone something like this--

older man--

you go and see what she wants,probably just window shopping,no husband with her.

young man

yes you are probably right,waste of time really,we won't be getting a sale,you go,she's more your age than mine.

older man

no,no,you go, older women like young men,go and flatter her,you never know ,she might come back with her old man,if your nice to her.

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You get my drift??

The young man comes over and says all the nice things he is taught at sales training.

I explain that I want a small inexpensive cheap to run car.

I get taken out side and shown secondhand cars.

I explain that I want a new car.

I get taken inside and given a cup of coffee and a biscuit.

Older sales man comes over with young one 

shakes my hand and asks what kind of new car I want

A silver one,I reply

sales man stiffles a laugh

what make of car Madam

A Toyota,this is a toyota sales room,is it not,is my reply

I get shown all the new cars on show

I opt for the Yaris,the silver one !!

I am offered a test drive

I accept

At this point I decide to get my own back and play dumb

how long can I have the car to test it?

how long do you want?

A couple of hours will do,i want to test it properly

ok,what ,exactly are you going to do to test it (looks worried )

oh,what Jeremy clarkson does,I always watch his program and he tells people how to test cars.

Stunned silence from sales men.

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i did take the test drive,to pick up my husband.I loved the car and it is so easy to drive,very economical and it was silver.

I think the sales man was rather stunned when we got back and I said I would take it,especially when he expected my husband to complete the sale and John said no, its my wifes car,her money she will do it.

I even hammered him for a good trade in on the old car,and yes I did tell him about its problems and they would have to pick it up.

SO HERE IS A PICTURE OF THE NEW CAR

KING AND QUEEN OF THE CASTLE

My youngest son is an artist,he has had some exhibitions and even in these hard financial times,manages to sell his pictures.He was asked to do a painting of my husband with the castle as a back drop,by Pams Grandsons,the photo  is what he produced.The second photo is of Pam,trying to hide from the camera after we had just hung the picture at the top of the stairs.It is a very big painting with a large frame,I had to reduce the photo by cropping it to fit the photo on to the blog.
The picture is best viewed from a distance as it is painted in the impressionist style.

The picture really needs a big wall to look it's best but we have no space for it,but it will be seen by everyone as they come up the stairs.

FILMING A COOKING PROGRAM AT THE CASTLE/LINK TO NEW BLOGSPOT

A  film producer approached aunty Pam a few weeks ago,about  a cooking program they were doing and would she participate in it.
The program was about Irish food ,but included an interview with Pam  about her life history and the different food cultures she has encountered in her life and travels.Then she was asked to cook her favorite Irish recipe,which she said was bacon and cabbage.
The day of the film shoot the producer turned up with a chef and the camera man and as the cameras were being set up I asked if I could take a photograph of his camera,I actually fancied the camera man so aimed the camera at him.!!!!!
They did the interview then moved into the kitchen,a ham was produced and Pam told the chef how she would cook it and the chef duly put the ham in the pot.Pam was then filmed peeling a potato and chopping some cabbage etc.
Nothing actually got cooked as the chef then produced a meal that she brought with her,arranged it beautifully on a platter and set it on the table in front of the camera.
The whole program is an illusion.!
The only interesting part was the interview,as Pam has had an unusual and exciting life,having been born in India ,boarding school in England and travelled the world.Pam spends her holidays,months at a time ,with friends in Pakistan,one of her comments,during her interview,was that the best Irish stew she had ever had was cooked by a Pakistani in Lahore.
I do not know when this film will be shown or what channel it will be on,I hope they let us know so that we can watch it.
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I have set up a new blog to publish my photo's, if you are interested in my progress from  a novice and track my eventual improvement,there is a LINK above my photo, called--MATRONS PHOTO,S.All comments and tips will be very welcome.Thank you.

NATURE SPOILED BY FLY TIPPERS

Today I took the dog for  a walk across the moor,first time I have been able to take this walk for ages because of the weather.I took the camera incase there was any wildlife to shoot,but only found loads of rubbish.I can not understand why people dump non organic refuse on the moor or in hedge rows etc,it looked awful,is a danger to wild life and the amount of plastic rubbish bags,full of domestic waste ( yes I did look ) was unbelievable .There was  concrete rubble,old fencing ,roof slates an old toilet, old beds,bottles and loads of broken glass.
Call me a bussy body,but I will be keeping an eye out for future would be tippers,and reporting them.Below are a few pictures,first,how the moor should look and the others are of the blight on the landscape.

This is only a selection of the rubbish,there was much much more,but don't want to bore you all to death by publishing all of them.
We live in a place designated as a natural beauty area and is protected by law both for the enviroment and by means of building restrictions.Our local town has Heritage status and relies on tourists as we have no industry to speak of,we have one hotel and lots of guest houses who rely on fishermen who come every year to fish on the Blackwater ,hill walkers and ramblers who use this area.What an eye sore they are going to find this year !One wonders if they will come back.

RETURN OF THE FROGS

The long awaited thaw is now upon us though still frosty in the mornings at least the sun has some warmth to it by mid day.With it has brought long awaited return of the frogs.Their numbers are low compared to last year but at least the survivors have made it back.

The first one I found,popping up to say hello.

Then some more,to see what was going on.

Then it was party time plus a bit of sun bathing.

Then it was time to get down to business

Last year we had hundreds of frogs,this year I only managed to count about sixty,just hope the tadpoles survive to continue the cycle for next year.

NO FROGS THIS YEAR,BUT PLENTY OF BIRDS

Every year,starting around February,we are invaded with amorous frogs.Having a lake and two natural ponds,it is an ideal breeding ground for frogs ,newts,ducks and the occasional otter.We usually get so many frogs,hundreds of them,that we have to be careful going down the boreen,for fear of running them over,they would also invade the house,often coming into the sitting room if the door was left open.The whole lake and ponds would be one mass of frog spawn and in the spring  the lawns around the lake would be swarming with baby frogs.
This year,because of the adverse weather,i,e,frozen lake and ponds,since before Christmas,not one single frog has been seen.I hope this is not an ecological disaster,I will miss the little creatures as I am very fond of them.
On a brighter note,we have lots of birds coming to be fed,again because of the hard winter,they have been reliant on us humans to provide food.I have included some of the more common visitors to the feeders,though we did have some birds that do not normally come,but could not get shots of them because they would not stay still long enough for a novice like me to set up the shot.

Blue tit in the apple tree

Coal tit

Goldfinch showing of it's beautiful plumage ,Great tit and Coal tit

Goldfinch ,showing the rest of it's plumage

Great tits

Chaffinch showing it's lovely pink plumage


I hope to photograph every bird that visits the garden,if they will stay still long enough,to create an album.I know these shots are not the best quality but I am trying to improve my skills.