We’ve been in our little ‘hide out’ house for over a week now – no radio, no TV (well, 2 stations and one is in Gaelic) and only dial-up internet. Coupled with not reading the paper or going to the pub much, we have no clue what’s going on in the world. Very liberating and relaxing, I can only recommend it. Of course at some point you have to fall back to earth and in front of the computer to become a mouse potatoe once more. (That’s the new couch potatoe apparently. Sounds friendlier, doesn’t it?)

But there was much to be done here at the Paddock during our ‘time out’. First there was the spider relocation program which Conor galantly took upon himself so that I might sleep without worries at night. (And the hedge that runs around the garden is completely fly and mosquito free now.) Then we had to educate ourselves on composting and Irish recycling rules because there is no trash collection at the house so everything needs to be sorted for later disposal. Best of all though, the house is full of books. Half a day alone was spent browsing and picking out books that we want to read over the next couple of weeks. Looking at my pile on the dining room, I might have to stay a little longer…

And then of course there is the domestic bliss of being your own master once more after weeks of travelling. Cooking your own meals and even doing your own laundry instead of handing it off to a nice Thai or Scottish lady, both equally unintelligible, is wonderful.

Last night we made red lentil soup and baked two types of bread, a white loaf and a cinnamon swirl. When it came to letting the yeast do its thing and rise, we tried to come up with a warm and comfy place for it. We considered the linen cupboard (also where the heater is located) but ended up building a fire instead:

The dough grew like a teenager on steroids and dinner was lovely!