Working, Living & Travelling In Ireland

Author: Katleen

  • GalwayScience and Technology Festival 2014 #SciWk14

    GalwayScience and Technology Festival 2014 #SciWk14

    Hi all,

    Another year has passed, and it was time for our annual pilgrimage to the Galway Science and technology Festival. You know you are a regular when the exhibitors actually recognize you from the previous year(s) and welcome you to the event! 

     

    This was at the entrance of the Red zone, and it didn’t look like much, until you looked at  it with a camera. It was a design in 3D, and by standing on one leg, it looked like you were standing on a high building. We had a great fun taking this picture! You can check out the 3D Street Art Ireland Facebook page here.

    Previous years we never quite got our act in gear to book tickets ahead  for any of the events and/or the queues were so incredibly long when we were there, but this year was different. I follow the Galway Science Facebook page, and it was there I was reminded to book the tickets! I was all chuffed when I actually managed to book some tickets… so we went to  Steven Craig  Mad scientists and Dr, Ken’s entertaining Science Circus Show. We also went to a draw and design workshop, where the kids learnt how to use a cutting knive and make models. Below are some pictures and general impressions.

    Quite a few multinationals were present such as Medtronic ,Boston Scientific and Cisco, and even the multinationals from long time ago, left their impressions.  The add from Digital caught my eye:Are you leaving school this year? If your home is in the West of Ireland, then why leave the West?
    Digital no longer exists, but if you read this article, you’ll see the profound influence Digital had in the West of Ireland. And I bet if you take a a taxi in Galway City, chances are that the taxi driver is an ex Digital Employee!

    A great day was had, and a big thank you to the organizers!
    Katleen

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  • Father Ted’s House and the Green Nature Trail in the Burren, Co. Clare

    Father Ted’s House and the Green Nature Trail in the Burren, Co. Clare

    Visit to Father’s Ted House aka “The Parochial House”

    Long time ago I wrote a blog post about  Ireland’s love for tea and in it a reference to a series called Father Ted. It’s set on a fictional Island( called Craggy Island) and it talks about the trials and tribulations of various father/priests  and their housekeeper Mrs. Doyle, who are exiled on the island for various past incidents. They all live in a house called ” The Parochial House”
     
    I always thought the house really was on an Island off the West Coast (Inisheer) but that was only for the opening credits, as the house is located in the Burren, which is located in Co. Clare. We decided to go and explore and were delighted to actually find the house.
     
     
    You can visit the house( by appointment only this is), and get a nice cup of tea/coffee, scones, a farm tour etc, as there is a lot of farming in this most beautiful area. You can find out more info here.

    Where can you find the elusive Father Ted House?

    The house is located very near/in the Burren Nature reserve, and there are a number of brilliant walking trails. Most of the walks are 2 to 3 hours long, but there are a few shorter trails that can be done in less than an hour, so we opted for the green arrow Nature Trail ( not to be confused with the Green Trail).

    The Green Nature trail is a beautiful trail, walking through the rocky Burren, and some beautiful scenery. I took some images.

     

     

     

     

     

    View over Mullaghmore in the Burren National Park

     

     

    Enclosing instructions to get to Father Ted’s Parochial home here:

    Definately worth a trip!
    Katleen

    PS.. Since I wrote this article I have documented a lot more walks and cycles. Check them out here.

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  • Sunshine , rain and a rainbow!

    Sunshine , rain and a rainbow!

    Hello Readers,

    So I went for a quick lunch break walk, and all looked sunny.. As I walked, the skies got very dark, and by the time I reached the end of our road, it had started to rain! Whilst I was getting drenched I saw a rainbow! Actually, when I look at the picture, it’s a double rainbow!

     
     
     

     

    As I mentioned previously, I am doing a fundraiser for www.bumbleance.com, where I am growing 240 hyacinths. They’ll be for sale around Christmas, and all proceeds are going to www.bumbleance.com. If you live further afield, and would like to sponsor me, please click on the following link – thank you for your support! Checkout my other blog on progress with the hyacinths, they are all planted now!

     
    Have a great weekend!
    Katleen
     
     
     
    
    
    

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  • Planning a trip to Ireland? Check out Airbnb.ie and Homestay.ie

    Planning a trip to Ireland? Check out Airbnb.ie and Homestay.ie

    Hi all,

    Yep, autumn has arrived in Ireland! Temperatures are dropping, and the leaves are changing colours and falling off the trees… We have had a marvelous summer and not to mention our  never ending Indian summer. It lasted much longer than I can ever remember, so before I know, it will be Christmas!! As it happens it’s Halloween today , so I am looking forward to do some trick and treating in and around the area this evening! ( and it’s also my husband’s birthday tomorrow)

    It’s probably around now you are starting to think about your next holiday, where to go, and budgetting for flights and figuring out the accommodation. I thought I’d mention two websites that might come in handy if you are looking for accommodation that makes you feel like you are at home! Very useful for people with kids, but really relevant for anyone who doesn’t like staying in hotels, and who likes their homely comforts at a price you can afford. 
    I came across an Irish website called  www.homestay.com . They have properties worldwide, allowing you to stay with a host, and stay in accommodation for as little as 20 Euros a night! In some cases it may even include breakfast, so if you are traveling on a shoe string, or just looking to spend some time with the locals in Ireland, I’d strongly recommend you check out www.homestay.com. I have created some separate links for locations you might be interested to visit in Ireland. Click the following links to find accommodation in : Dublin, Limerick, Galway, Cork and Belfast.

    The other one you might be familiar with  is Airbnb. Check out their site, and see how you can rent a full house,  rent a private room, or share a room. If you click the link I provided, you’ll even get a 20 Euro credit/25 USD in your account, which you can use when booking your accommodation. I have used Airbnb once, and loved it. I rented a small apartment in Utrecht, in a great spot, near restaurants, and would do it again! There are some amazing places to rent short term.

    Happy Halloween!
    Katleen

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  • Certified Refurbished Kindle Paperwhite  – £89 with voucher – find out how to get yours! Expires 5th of November

    Certified Refurbished Kindle Paperwhite – £89 with voucher – find out how to get yours! Expires 5th of November

    Hi all!

    If you are looking to buy the latest and greatest Kindle Paperwhite, it will cost you £169. If that’s above your budget, why not get a certified refurbished Kindle Paperwhite which will set you back only £89 (regular price for a certified refurbished Kindle is £ 134). If you are interested to buy one of certified refurbished Kindles , check out the below steps, and you’ll save a whopping £45 by applying for a free voucher, bringing the price down to just £89!

    Click on this link or below image:

    Get a Certified Refurbished Kindle Paperwhite for £89 

    You will then arrive at a page , it looks like this :

    Click on the “Apply Code” Button and wait till you have received confirmation that the voucher has been applied to your account.

    • Redemption instructions: This voucher will be automatically applied to your Amazon.co.uk account at order checkout. Please do not place your order until you have received an e-mail from Amazon Local confirming that your voucher has been applied. The credit may not apply to orders placed on Amazon.co.uk prior to the receipt of this confirmation. Customer will be responsible for payment to Amazon EU SARL of the final order total after discount.
    • Validity period: Voucher will expire if not used by 11:59pm on 5th November 2014. Offer valid while supplies last. 
    I think this is a great deal! And then you’ll be on the hunt for Free Kindle Books

    Happy reading!
    Katleen

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  • Phone trouble , day 3

    Phone trouble , day 3

    Hi all,
    I wasn’t so sure what to write about this week, so thought I’d share my phone troubles! So I wanted to make a call from my land line earlier this week, and realized the phone was dead. I figured the batteries were flat and needed to replace the batteries. Plenty of batteries in the house, but to find 4 triple A , that’s another story. I rummaged through kitchen drawers, kids toys, one of desk sets that has lot’s of clutter in it,  to finally find 4 triple A charged batteries.. Hurray!! The phone  lit up, so I thought I was all set.. Though the phone was lit, there was no dial tone. I then thought that the phone was broke. I bought the phone just  over a year ago, and rang the shop I bought it from to find out if it ‘s still in warranty. It wasn’t by 5 days, so she was going to check. I then picked up our regular phone to discover also that that phone was not working( and there were no batteries issues on that phone).. OK.. so then I had to ring my provider Digicom. They bill me, however our friends at Eircom look after the network, so I logged a technical issue with Digicom and they told me it will take 48 hours before an engineer would appear.. In the meantime my husband arrives home and I tell him the above story. He’d seen a bunch of cables at the end of the road, and reckoned this was linked. Didn’t hear anything yesterday, and today when I went for the school run there was a hive of activity at the end of the road. Was talking to one of the workmen, and they confirmed they had to replace a number of poles. When it would be fixed, well .. that’s not so sure yet. It seems that some telephone poles cracked during the winds we had over the weekend, and this resulted in snapped lines.. The lady from the shop did return my call, and advised they would offer a new phone, very nice gesture, but explained it wasn’t the phone that was broke, and that it was the actual phone line.
    Eircom in action

    One of the poles that has been replaced 

    Other pole to be replaced, dangling off the crane.

    Let’s hope they can finish the replacing of the cracked poles, and our phone is up and running again..

    Have a great day!
    Katleen

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  • The last of the Indian Summer – part two!

    The last of the Indian Summer – part two!

     

    Hello all,

    So I thought that the we had had the last of our our Indian Summer last weekend, but I am glad to tell you we had another beautiful weekend. It’s been a busy weekend, as I had the usual Rugby training, then I started to plant the bulbs for my #Bumbleance fundraiser, took Rueben to #Coderdojo in Loughrea and as I really enjoyed our walk to the Coole Park, I decided to go back today with the whole family!

     

    Enclosing some of the pictures I took!

    Gort Rugby Team getting ready for training

     

    Getting ready to plant the hyacinth bulbs

    Alexander helping with #Bumbleance Fundraiser from Katleen Bell-Bonjean on Vimeo.

    To keep up to date of my fundraiser, check out my new blog here.

    Rueben at Coder Dojo Loughrea

    To finish off , we went to Coole Park. I really enjoyed our walk from last weekend, so I convinced Alex and David to join. The horses were no longer there, which I think is to do with the fact that we had some rain recently and the place will flood shortly. The pictures below are probably of a better quality than the previous once, as I lost my phone at the airport in Eindhoven on the return of one of my recent trips but thankfully got the phone back..

     

     

    Last week the water wasn’t as high as it was today

     

    Last week we were able to cross over here, but due to recent rain fall, it’s getting flooded

     

    view across the riverside at Coole Park

     

     

    The horses that were here last week , are gone.

     

    David and the boys
    Me and my two wonderboys:)

    So that’s it for this weekend! Thank you for reading my blog!
    Katleen

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  • Fundraiser for #Bumbleance, I am going to grow( and sell) 200 Hyacinths! Check out how to reserve one now!

    Fundraiser for #Bumbleance, I am going to grow( and sell) 200 Hyacinths! Check out how to reserve one now!

    Hi all,

    I decided during the summer holidays I wanted to do a fundraiser for #Bumbleance growing Hyacinths. The type I am going to grow are called the “prepared ” version, and if I plan them around now, they’ll flower around Christmas, and will make a perfect Christmas gift!
    I made some enquiries and was delighted to get sponsored by Horkans!

    I have started a separate blog with the progress , so please come and visit my other blog to keep up to date how I am doing there!You can find the blog here: http://hyacinthflowerchallenge.wordpress.com

    I picked up the bulbs, and this was one of the pictures I took!

    Thanks!
    Katleen

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  • The last of the Indian Summer

    The last of the Indian Summer

    Hi all,

    We have been enjoying a beautiful September, lot’s of sun and very little rain, in fact it’s been one of the driest September ever, more about that here.
    My youngest son Alex plays Rugby in the local Rugby club on a Saturday, and they have been incredibly lucky with the weather. The last few weeks, the friday before it’s lashing with rain, and I am having visions of holding an umbrella at the sideline. However, as faith would have it, by the time it’s saturday, the weather is glorious!I was out on Saturday at their match, playing Barna at the Dangan Sports grounds. As you can see the weather was gorgeous!! ( unlike today, as there is a weather warning for floods, storm and fallen trees)

    To finish off the weekend, I went for a walk with Rueben in nearby Coole Park. We decided to walk to the water this time, and I was taken by the colours around the water, it was overwhelming. I know they have horses in Coole Park from time to time, but it was the first time I saw them across from the water. Usually they are on the park side, but this time they were across from the water. I am not so sure they’ll be there for very long, as it does flood their in winter time, so maybe they move them. I took some pictures, I hope you enjoy.

    Have a great week!
    Katleen

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