… especially because of this morning’s slog into Belfast, which involved
1) getting stuck behind a tractor & trailer doing 30mph all the way from Strabane to Omagh, without a hope of me passing him.
2) crawling down the M1 around Lisburn for 40 minutes - due to an accident, fair enough, but the electronic signs just displayed ‘Delays’ and not the reason for them.
Both of which incidents made me too late to catch the park&ride bus anyway, so I ended up coming all the way into the city centre. I was amused, about 20 minutes after getting into the office, to see the lorry I’d been behind on the slow M1 stretch coming down the street outside my window…

I did a lot of driving last weekend too, though for more enjoyable reasons than just commuting. We had visitors for the first time in absolutely ages, which meant that a) we had to clean the house up thoroughly (except for our bedroom and the spare bedroom, which remain very untidy and covered in clothes) and b) we got to go places we don’t normally even though they’re not that far away…

I’ve known Tara for about 11 years online, and it was great to meet her. Yes, of course, she might have been weird and/or an axe murderer - as might I - but as she put it, if I had managed to successfully maintain a persona for 11 years, I would’ve deserved to axe-murder her.

Anyway, she and her fiance arrived on my birthday (last Thursday) for which I’d made cherry upside-down cake after spending the morning cleaning out the study so I could put the spare mattress down. They brought us wine all the way from New York state! (Lucas Vineyards - a Tug Boat red, and a Cayuga white.) I’d cooked roast chicken & the trimmings for dinner, so we had a good one with some other wine and a lot of chat.

Friday I took them up to Derry and showed them round the Guildhall and the walls and the murals, and met Marion for lunch (since she knew Tara too). We went back into Derry in the evening for my birthday dinner - Italian at a Bring-Your-Own-Bottle place to which we took the NY wine.

On Saturday, I made Colin get up early against his natural inclination, and we drove off into Donegal. We managed to track down the stone circle about 5 or 6 miles from home, which was pretty damn impressive, but was guarded by a lot of noisy sheep and a rather evil-eyed billy goat. After that, we headed on a long drive up round the northwest coast to bits I’d never even been to before, despite them not being that far away. The highlight was the Glenveagh national park - I’d like to go back and visit the castle there, definitely.

Saturday evening, Tara and Nick cooked for us - Caribbean Cola Chicken with pineapple-coconut rice, which was even better than it sounds. And I really should write down the recipe so I can make it myself some day… We had another late night, this time with a game of Monopoly (I won).

They left on Sunday to head up to the Causeway Coast, and took a wombat with them. But that’s another story…

I really enjoyed having guests though, not just because I had to get the house clean! Plus, Colin and I have decided that we really should Do Things on the weekend, and go places. I’m hoping to head up to the Medieval and Game fair in Antrim this Sunday - lots of falcons and hawks for me to ooh over! Although it will mean more driving… maybe I can get Colin to drive some of the way.

… especially all those who drive tractors and/or jeeps with trailers, and believe it’s acceptable to allow a half-mile tailback of vehicles going at 20mph. And especially that utter w**ker driving a lorry down the M1 this morning, who took about 3 miles to overtake another couple of lorries because he was only going 55mph (and yes, caused a long tailback). And basically everyone who made me late getting to the park&ride place and thus caused me to have to drive all the way into Belfast and park in an expensive car park.

OK, I admit it, I can be included in the roster of people who made me late this morning. But although I started out a little bit late this morning, due to not getting enough sleep last night thanks to general insomnia, and then wanting ‘just another twenty minutes’ after the alarm went off, there were other things (see the previous paragraph) which contributed to my lateness.

Bah. Grrr. Argh. I’ll just have to try and get a better night’s sleep tonight (the fact that Colin’s on the night shift might help) and actually leave on time - or even early - tomorrow.

At least I had a peaceful weekend, mostly. There was actually some sunshine yesterday… I went to the Farmers’ Market on Saturday, which meant a good dinner that evening (and some delicious sausages still in the fridge), and then Colin’s mum took the whole family (us, his brother and his wife and their 4 girls) out for a really good dinner in the Smugglers’. That’s twice in 2 weeks I’ve been there, but I’m not complaining - it’s one of the few local restaurants I’ve never ever had a bad meal in.

Also today, I am mostly … finishing off my Thank You cards

… because I didn’t make enough yesterday, and I couldn’t find my nice new fountain pen in order to write them, either. I’ve found that I rather enjoy making things while watching TV (not that I watch much TV). I should take up knitting, or maybe have a go at the cross-stitch kit I found the other week that someone sent me for Christmas a few years ago. Once I get all the wedding photos sorted out and printed off, I can finish making my scrapbook too. I already have all the cards arranged, and I’m pressing some of the flowers from my bouquet…