When Grace got to the door she was surprised to see a Police Service vehicle.
Two uniformed officers exited the front of the car and headed to the back door on the cottage side. They helped a limp and bruised Quinn out of the car and headed to the door.
“Miss, the only identification we could find on this lad was your B&B business card. He didn't want to go to the hospital, so we brought him here,” explained one of the officers.
“What....what happened to him?” Grace was concerned about Quinn's injuries.
“Miss, could we put him down somewhere first, and then we'll explain. This lad is kinda heavy,” the officer pleaded.
“Sure follow me,” Grace replied and without even thinking about it lead them to her downstairs bedroom. She pulled the coverlet off the bed so they could put Quinn on the sheets. He was barely conscious.
Once they had Quinn settled, the officers explained that a driver on the road called in that he found a man lying on the side of the road. Originally thinking this might be a drunk, the officers headed out to help him home. When they found him, he was face down on the side of the road, no identification, no wallet, nothing but his biking clothes and the business card for the cottage in his back pocket.
“Where is his bike?” Grace asked confused.
“Miss, there was no bike. We're thinking some hoodlums stopped him on the deserted road and beat him up for his money. We didn't know he had a bike. Guess we should have because of the way he's dressed. We'll keep and eye out for a bike that might get dumped somewhere. And when he's better, we will want to talk to him about what happened. We'll stop by in a day or two.”
“In a day or two? He'll be gone back to Dublin by then,” Grace explained expecting Quinn to be back at work on Monday.
“I don't think he'll be going anywhere for a few days, miss. In fact he needs some tending too with all those scrapes and bruises. And you'll need to keep an eye out for a concussion. Maybe even contact your local doc to check him out,” the officer seemed to be washing his hands of any care of Quinn.
“But, but....,” Grace was speechless. She had no idea what to say to all this. Resigned to deal with it, she dismissed the police officers and headed back to the bedroom. It was not until she entered the room that she realized she had just given up her bed to this partially conscious man.
Grace stood looking over Quinn for a moment trying to decide what she was going to do. It was too late to call a doctor. That would have to wait until morning. She was hoping that there were no internal injuries that would be a problem until then. He was filthy from lying in the dirt and his biking clothes were torn and bloody. Grace decided the first thing she needed to do was get Quinn cleaned up and that meant removing his clothes.
Grace figured that Quinn might have some clean clothes up in his room, so she took her master key and headed up to the room. Clean shirts, trousers, socks, and underwear, but nothing for pajamas. He must sleep in his briefs. Oh, joy, were the thoughts going through Grace's mind.
From the kitchen Grace gathered the first aid kit, some cloth towels, a bowl of warm water and her kitchen scissors. She was hardly the nursing type, but how difficult could this be? Grace had not thought about the fact that Quinn was almost twice her weight and a limp body. Moving him in any direction without his help would be nearly impossible. But it had to be done.
Standing over Quinn trying to figure out what to do, Grace was startled by a moan.
“Quinn? Quinn, can you hear me?” Grace asked hoping that Quinn was just waking up from all this and could handle it all himself.
Just another moan, nothing more. Quinn was really out of it. Grace told herself that all would be fine, she just needed to tend to Quinn. So she began by using the kitchen scissors to cut off his biking shirt and shorts. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that Quinn did have briefs under his bike shorts. Just one thing she did not want to deal with. The bike shorts were Lycra so they fit tightly to Quinn's body. Grace was careful not to stab Quinn with the scissors when she was cutting the shorts away. Once she had cut down each side seam, she was able to pull them off by sliding them away from Quinn's body.
His Lycra biking shirt was different. She could cut up the arms and to the neck, and then down the front, but pulling the shirt out from under Quinn was much more difficult. Through his moaning and her soft spoken encouragement, she was able to roll Quinn partly on his side to get part of the shirt out of the way, and then able to do the same on the other side pulling it out from under him.
So there lie Quinn in his briefs, that Grace had no intention of removing, bruised and cut. Grace spent the next hour cleaning and bandaging up Quinn the best she could. Once she did the initial cleaning she used a fresh towel on his forehead to keep him cool and comfortable. She wondered how long it had been since he had eaten and how did this happen to him.
It suddenly hit Grace that there might have been someone who Grace should contact about Quinn's situation, but she didn't have a clue. It was late, but it suddenly dawned on Grace who she should call....Peter. Why had she not thought of this before?
“Hello...,” a sleepy voice answered his cell phone.
“Peter, I have an emergency, can you come over right away?” Grace pleaded into the phone.
“Grace, what time is it? What's going on?” Peter was still waking up.
“Peter, just can you come over right away? I need your help,” Grace sounded worried.
“I'm coming Grace, don't blow a gasket,” Peter seemed a little annoyed, but Grace didn't care. She breathed a sigh of relief thinking that help was on the way. At least she hoped Peter could help.
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 40
Grace knew that at some point Chloe would not want to stay at the cottage every weekend, but had not suspected it to be this soon. And hardly expected it to be this way. She was happy for Chloe, but now had to make more decisions.
They did agree that for the next three weeks, until Grace's next planned weekend stay at the cottage, Chloe would still take care of things. During this time she would give her two weeks notice at the firm. gradually move out of her flat a little each weekend, and move those things that she wanted to get to Swatragh to Peter's house for storage. Other things she could take to the cottage to keep there. That at least gave Grace at least 3 weeks to try and work something out.
All this time Grace had also been busy booking the cottage for every weekend. Many of the guests were repeat guests, and new ones were coming all the time. She had received a lot of requests for bookings during the week, and had to turn them down. It was time to crunch numbers again and see if having the cottage open all week would make enough money to support herself. She had already taken some money from her savings for updates to the cottage and supplies, so she hoped to not have to dip more into her savings.
As the weeks passed, and the end of the month arrived, she knew she was now in a bind again. With only one week of vacation left on the books, she put in a request to take the following week off. She would go up to the cottage on Friday morning, stay the entire week and the next weekend, to sort things out. As long as she was there, she also booked guests for the weekdays when it was requested, and was surprised that there was at least one room booked out every night. She hoped being up in Swatragh would help clear her head so she could figure this all out.
Chloe had decided to stay in Dublin to get packing done, so the downstairs bedroom would be Grace's alone for the weekend. The cottage was booked full, and that strange Quinn would be there, too. Whenever Grace thought of him she had this strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't quite explain it, he just made her feel uneasy.
After work on Thursday Grace did a little shopping for some specialty items at Fallon and Byrne in Dublin. They carried some delicious variations to what a person normally would cook with, and Grace was now adding some of her own touches to Aine's recipes. So far all had received rave review by the guests.
Most other shopping would be done as she passed through Cookstown on Friday morning. The farmer's market would have fresh produce in abundance. She had also found a favorite butcher shop on the way to pick up any other items she needed. Grace had found that she really enjoyed strolling down the main street choosing items that were just in from the farms. As she did this, she imagined Aine doing the same thing over the years, purchasing local produce and meats from local farmers. Grace had found the number for a local chicken farmer in Aine's notebook who delivered fresh eggs on Friday afternoons knowing about when she or Chloe would arrive.
It was obvious that being out in the countryside changed Grace's disposition from the hectic workweek. She felt so very comfortable when she was in Swatragh. After all these months of fighting the feeling, Grace now realized what Aine had known for years. Grace belonged at the cottage. This is where she was truly happy.
They did agree that for the next three weeks, until Grace's next planned weekend stay at the cottage, Chloe would still take care of things. During this time she would give her two weeks notice at the firm. gradually move out of her flat a little each weekend, and move those things that she wanted to get to Swatragh to Peter's house for storage. Other things she could take to the cottage to keep there. That at least gave Grace at least 3 weeks to try and work something out.
All this time Grace had also been busy booking the cottage for every weekend. Many of the guests were repeat guests, and new ones were coming all the time. She had received a lot of requests for bookings during the week, and had to turn them down. It was time to crunch numbers again and see if having the cottage open all week would make enough money to support herself. She had already taken some money from her savings for updates to the cottage and supplies, so she hoped to not have to dip more into her savings.
As the weeks passed, and the end of the month arrived, she knew she was now in a bind again. With only one week of vacation left on the books, she put in a request to take the following week off. She would go up to the cottage on Friday morning, stay the entire week and the next weekend, to sort things out. As long as she was there, she also booked guests for the weekdays when it was requested, and was surprised that there was at least one room booked out every night. She hoped being up in Swatragh would help clear her head so she could figure this all out.
Chloe had decided to stay in Dublin to get packing done, so the downstairs bedroom would be Grace's alone for the weekend. The cottage was booked full, and that strange Quinn would be there, too. Whenever Grace thought of him she had this strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't quite explain it, he just made her feel uneasy.
After work on Thursday Grace did a little shopping for some specialty items at Fallon and Byrne in Dublin. They carried some delicious variations to what a person normally would cook with, and Grace was now adding some of her own touches to Aine's recipes. So far all had received rave review by the guests.
Most other shopping would be done as she passed through Cookstown on Friday morning. The farmer's market would have fresh produce in abundance. She had also found a favorite butcher shop on the way to pick up any other items she needed. Grace had found that she really enjoyed strolling down the main street choosing items that were just in from the farms. As she did this, she imagined Aine doing the same thing over the years, purchasing local produce and meats from local farmers. Grace had found the number for a local chicken farmer in Aine's notebook who delivered fresh eggs on Friday afternoons knowing about when she or Chloe would arrive.
It was obvious that being out in the countryside changed Grace's disposition from the hectic workweek. She felt so very comfortable when she was in Swatragh. After all these months of fighting the feeling, Grace now realized what Aine had known for years. Grace belonged at the cottage. This is where she was truly happy.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 37
Just as Grace was getting settled into being in charge of the B&B for the weekend, her phone started ringing. This was another call for a booking for the weekend. She never thought she would have to be turning down guests because she was all booked up. After a quick chat with the callers, she ended up making arrangements with them for a weekend the next month. They would have been interested in staying a few more days during the week, but Grace explained that at this point they were only open on weekends.
As Grace looked at the calendar, she realized that the cottage was booked solid for every weekend, though the summer and into the fall. How did this happen? Maybe there was something to this B&B business. She was quite pleased that she felt she would be making some money along the way.
As Grace got settled in the kitchen to make some dinner for Chloe, Peter, and herself, a couple of the guests arrived. With the aromas of Aine's recipes wafting from the kitchen, they commented about how good the food smelled. Grace, wanting to be a gracious host, told them she offered dinner for an extra cost, but they were welcome to eat family style at the big table in the dining room. She did explain there was no menu, just what she was cooking for the night, but they were thrilled to have a home cooked meal. Grace showed them to their room, and hurried to take an inventory to make sure she had enough for everyone. She was so glad that Chloe had made a loaf of brown bread that morning to go along with dinner.
Grace had planned an easy dinner for herself, Chloe and Peter, so adding some more bangers to the bangers and mash, and cooking a few more potatoes was perfect. A bit of coleslaw on the side made the meal complete. There was some fresh fruit that Chloe had picked up to go with some clotted cream for dessert.
Grace had made bangers and mash in her flat in Dublin, but Aine'e recipe was quite a bit different. There were no short cuts for the caramelized onions and sauce made with a bit of red wine and some beef stock. The bangers had to be cooked in boiling water first, then sauteed in a frying pan. The only easy thing about all this was the potatoes with plenty of butter and cream. Grace took care to follow the directions carefully. Chloe came in to help her set the table and get the potatoes ready as Grace finished the bangers. The end result was divine for such a simple dish. The guests raved about it, saying they had never tasted better. Grace briefly raised her eyes heaven-ward thanking Aine for the recipe.
As they all finished dinner and cleared the table the guests were off to town to Rafters, and other guests were arriving. Grace made sure to get everyone settled in and comfortable as Chloe and Peter had taken off after dinner. She had no idea where they were going, but knew this was Chloe's time off and wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself.
Standing at the sink in the kitchen Grace's mind wandered to what it would have been like to be spending time with Aine as she cleared dishes from a similar dinner. She was startled by a deep voice coming from the kitchen doorway.
“Hello,” he said, suddenly realizing he had startled Grace. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.”
“Oh, no, that's okay, I guess my mind was wandering off somewhere,” Grace apologized for not responding sooner. “What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if you have a room open,” he asked. “I didn't see a 'no vacancy' sign out front.”
“I'm terribly sorry, but I'm full up this weekend.” Grace was mesmerized by this man. His deep smooth voice, dark hair and blue eyes. Apologetically she explained, “I haven't had time to get a no vacancy sign up yet.” In the back of her mind she was wondering if Peter had even made one.
“There's no other place to stay around here, is there?” he asked.
“As far as I know this is the only B&B for about 20 miles. Maybe in Maghera, or north toward Coleraine,” Grace explained.
“Unfortunately I don't think that will work. I've been riding on my bike and my last spare tire just went flat about 5 miles back. So I've been hoofing it up to here,” he explained.
Grace had been so mesmerized by his face and voice that she hardly noticed he was wearing biking clothes. She was quickly trying to find a solution for this man. There was something about him that she could not put a finger on.
“I know it would be unusual, but I'd be glad to pay to stay on the sofa tonight. Tomorrow I could walk to the closest town to get a new tire.” he pleaded and it was working on Grace.
“Wait, I think I can work this out. I have a room upstairs with a single bed. I'll have to go pull my things from it, but you can have that room.” Grace had no idea what she was doing. Where in the world would she be sleeping tonight? She just knew she had to do this.
“Are you sure, you did say you were full up?” he questioned.
“It's a long story, but you can have the room as soon as I get it ready. Now go get your things and I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs,” Grace had fully taken charge here.
Up the stairs she ran and grabbed her things that she had unpacked stuffing them back in her weekend bag. She would be sharing the downstairs room with Chloe tonight, whether Chloe liked it or not. As she arrived back downstairs, she meet the stranger entering the B&B.
“By the way, my name is Quinn Brady. It really is very nice of you to make such arrangements for me.” Quinn professed.
“I'm Grace... and don't think a thing about it. Do you have a preference for breakfast or a time you'd like breakfast?” Grace was trying to stay focused and professional. Who was this guy anyway? Why did she even care?
“Any time is fine for me. Maybe around nine. And if you do a full Ulster fry, that would suit me fine. I need the carbs for riding all day.” Quinn told Grace.
“It will be ready for you in the morning,” Grace turned to take her suitcase into the downstairs bedroom, when Quinn suddenly grabbed it out of her hands.
“Let me do that for you, it's the least I can do,” he spoke as he followed Grace to the bedroom door.
“I can take it from here, thank you,” Grace was just a little put of by this man. Not sure exactly sure about trusting him. What was it about him?
As Grace looked at the calendar, she realized that the cottage was booked solid for every weekend, though the summer and into the fall. How did this happen? Maybe there was something to this B&B business. She was quite pleased that she felt she would be making some money along the way.
As Grace got settled in the kitchen to make some dinner for Chloe, Peter, and herself, a couple of the guests arrived. With the aromas of Aine's recipes wafting from the kitchen, they commented about how good the food smelled. Grace, wanting to be a gracious host, told them she offered dinner for an extra cost, but they were welcome to eat family style at the big table in the dining room. She did explain there was no menu, just what she was cooking for the night, but they were thrilled to have a home cooked meal. Grace showed them to their room, and hurried to take an inventory to make sure she had enough for everyone. She was so glad that Chloe had made a loaf of brown bread that morning to go along with dinner.
Grace had planned an easy dinner for herself, Chloe and Peter, so adding some more bangers to the bangers and mash, and cooking a few more potatoes was perfect. A bit of coleslaw on the side made the meal complete. There was some fresh fruit that Chloe had picked up to go with some clotted cream for dessert.
Grace had made bangers and mash in her flat in Dublin, but Aine'e recipe was quite a bit different. There were no short cuts for the caramelized onions and sauce made with a bit of red wine and some beef stock. The bangers had to be cooked in boiling water first, then sauteed in a frying pan. The only easy thing about all this was the potatoes with plenty of butter and cream. Grace took care to follow the directions carefully. Chloe came in to help her set the table and get the potatoes ready as Grace finished the bangers. The end result was divine for such a simple dish. The guests raved about it, saying they had never tasted better. Grace briefly raised her eyes heaven-ward thanking Aine for the recipe.
As they all finished dinner and cleared the table the guests were off to town to Rafters, and other guests were arriving. Grace made sure to get everyone settled in and comfortable as Chloe and Peter had taken off after dinner. She had no idea where they were going, but knew this was Chloe's time off and wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself.
Standing at the sink in the kitchen Grace's mind wandered to what it would have been like to be spending time with Aine as she cleared dishes from a similar dinner. She was startled by a deep voice coming from the kitchen doorway.
“Hello,” he said, suddenly realizing he had startled Grace. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.”
“Oh, no, that's okay, I guess my mind was wandering off somewhere,” Grace apologized for not responding sooner. “What can I do for you?”
“I was wondering if you have a room open,” he asked. “I didn't see a 'no vacancy' sign out front.”
“I'm terribly sorry, but I'm full up this weekend.” Grace was mesmerized by this man. His deep smooth voice, dark hair and blue eyes. Apologetically she explained, “I haven't had time to get a no vacancy sign up yet.” In the back of her mind she was wondering if Peter had even made one.
“There's no other place to stay around here, is there?” he asked.
“As far as I know this is the only B&B for about 20 miles. Maybe in Maghera, or north toward Coleraine,” Grace explained.
“Unfortunately I don't think that will work. I've been riding on my bike and my last spare tire just went flat about 5 miles back. So I've been hoofing it up to here,” he explained.
Grace had been so mesmerized by his face and voice that she hardly noticed he was wearing biking clothes. She was quickly trying to find a solution for this man. There was something about him that she could not put a finger on.
“I know it would be unusual, but I'd be glad to pay to stay on the sofa tonight. Tomorrow I could walk to the closest town to get a new tire.” he pleaded and it was working on Grace.
“Wait, I think I can work this out. I have a room upstairs with a single bed. I'll have to go pull my things from it, but you can have that room.” Grace had no idea what she was doing. Where in the world would she be sleeping tonight? She just knew she had to do this.
“Are you sure, you did say you were full up?” he questioned.
“It's a long story, but you can have the room as soon as I get it ready. Now go get your things and I'll meet you at the bottom of the stairs,” Grace had fully taken charge here.
Up the stairs she ran and grabbed her things that she had unpacked stuffing them back in her weekend bag. She would be sharing the downstairs room with Chloe tonight, whether Chloe liked it or not. As she arrived back downstairs, she meet the stranger entering the B&B.
“By the way, my name is Quinn Brady. It really is very nice of you to make such arrangements for me.” Quinn professed.
“I'm Grace... and don't think a thing about it. Do you have a preference for breakfast or a time you'd like breakfast?” Grace was trying to stay focused and professional. Who was this guy anyway? Why did she even care?
“Any time is fine for me. Maybe around nine. And if you do a full Ulster fry, that would suit me fine. I need the carbs for riding all day.” Quinn told Grace.
“It will be ready for you in the morning,” Grace turned to take her suitcase into the downstairs bedroom, when Quinn suddenly grabbed it out of her hands.
“Let me do that for you, it's the least I can do,” he spoke as he followed Grace to the bedroom door.
“I can take it from here, thank you,” Grace was just a little put of by this man. Not sure exactly sure about trusting him. What was it about him?
Saturday, July 30, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 35
The weekend finished on a great note and the girls headed back to Dublin for the workweek. Grace and Sue would work on marketing and booking Aine's Cottage for the next couple of weekends. Grace needed to make up a grocery list for Chloe and get her recipes that should be used. Breakfasts only at this point. That would make it easier for Chloe. Grace was not sure Chloe would have the long term commitment for this, and feared that if her relationship with Peter went sour, she would give it all up.
Sue helped Grace get the Internet site for the B&B going and contacted a few places to let them know about the cottage. Peter posted a flier about the B&B being open again at Rafter's Pub hoping that might also help. Brandan, the bartender, knew of the cottage and promised to pass on the information. Before mid-week had come and gone, to Grace's surprise, they had bookings every weekend for the next two months. While the cottage was not going to be full every weekend, they would have paying guests.
When Grace shared the information with her co-workers, she was surprised to know that many were interested in staying a weekend at the cottage themselves after hearing about it from Chloe and Sue, and others who had visited. It was less than an hour away from the Causeway Coastal Route and centrally located in Northern Ireland.
Grace now was faced with working on a budget for the cottage that would bring in sufficient money to supplement her cut in salary, upkeep for the cottage, and some pay for Peter. As organized as she was, this was not something she was used to doing and needed more help. Sue suggested she contact one of the people at the firm who worked in the finance department to see if they could help, and that Grace could “pay” them with a complimentary weekend.
Mitchell was the finance person Grace knew the best so she asked to meet with him one day at lunch. Grace explained the situation and Mitchell was glad to help. He told her he was not really interested in staying at the B&B, but would love to give the opportunity to his parents as a gift. Grace agreed and a budget was developed that would bare the test of time.
The week passed quickly and Grace passed all the necessary information on to Chloe for the upcoming weekend and crossed her fingers hoping that this would work out. It was difficult for her to turn over the running of the cottage to someone else after spending so much time there, but for now, this must be done. Over the weekend Grace tried to busy herself with other marketing details, research, and tweaking the website for the cottage. While she was working away, Grace realized how much she missed being out in the fresh air and countryside of Swatragh. It would be 3 more weeks before she was back again.
Grace's cell phone rang. It was a number she didn't recognize.
“Hello, this is Grace.” she answered tentatively.
“Hello, my name is Francis. I saw your advert for Aine's Cottage at Rafter's Pub,” the caller replied. “I got this number from the flier.”
“How can I help you?” Grace was please to see that the flier was noticed.
“My band, there are 3 of us, will be playing Rafter's Pub next month for a weekend and would be interested in staying at the cottage. It's too far for us to travel back home after the gig, and we'll be playing for two nights. We're not a noisy group, we play folk and trad, but come in late and sleep late. I hope that would work,” Francis explained to Grace.
After some additional conversation with Francis, Grace worked out the dates and rooms and made the reservations for Francis. This might be a weekend where Grace would make the trip to Swatragh to listen to their music, and give Chloe a break. While breakfast at the cottage is served from 8:30-10:00, standard for most B&Bs, Grace would be on hand to make a late breakfast/lunch for these guests.
Grace was very pleased with how things were moving along. She also noticed that taking care of details for the cottage was taking more and more of her personal time. She had already passed up two invitations with friends to go out.
Sue helped Grace get the Internet site for the B&B going and contacted a few places to let them know about the cottage. Peter posted a flier about the B&B being open again at Rafter's Pub hoping that might also help. Brandan, the bartender, knew of the cottage and promised to pass on the information. Before mid-week had come and gone, to Grace's surprise, they had bookings every weekend for the next two months. While the cottage was not going to be full every weekend, they would have paying guests.
When Grace shared the information with her co-workers, she was surprised to know that many were interested in staying a weekend at the cottage themselves after hearing about it from Chloe and Sue, and others who had visited. It was less than an hour away from the Causeway Coastal Route and centrally located in Northern Ireland.
Grace now was faced with working on a budget for the cottage that would bring in sufficient money to supplement her cut in salary, upkeep for the cottage, and some pay for Peter. As organized as she was, this was not something she was used to doing and needed more help. Sue suggested she contact one of the people at the firm who worked in the finance department to see if they could help, and that Grace could “pay” them with a complimentary weekend.
Mitchell was the finance person Grace knew the best so she asked to meet with him one day at lunch. Grace explained the situation and Mitchell was glad to help. He told her he was not really interested in staying at the B&B, but would love to give the opportunity to his parents as a gift. Grace agreed and a budget was developed that would bare the test of time.
The week passed quickly and Grace passed all the necessary information on to Chloe for the upcoming weekend and crossed her fingers hoping that this would work out. It was difficult for her to turn over the running of the cottage to someone else after spending so much time there, but for now, this must be done. Over the weekend Grace tried to busy herself with other marketing details, research, and tweaking the website for the cottage. While she was working away, Grace realized how much she missed being out in the fresh air and countryside of Swatragh. It would be 3 more weeks before she was back again.
Grace's cell phone rang. It was a number she didn't recognize.
“Hello, this is Grace.” she answered tentatively.
“Hello, my name is Francis. I saw your advert for Aine's Cottage at Rafter's Pub,” the caller replied. “I got this number from the flier.”
“How can I help you?” Grace was please to see that the flier was noticed.
“My band, there are 3 of us, will be playing Rafter's Pub next month for a weekend and would be interested in staying at the cottage. It's too far for us to travel back home after the gig, and we'll be playing for two nights. We're not a noisy group, we play folk and trad, but come in late and sleep late. I hope that would work,” Francis explained to Grace.
After some additional conversation with Francis, Grace worked out the dates and rooms and made the reservations for Francis. This might be a weekend where Grace would make the trip to Swatragh to listen to their music, and give Chloe a break. While breakfast at the cottage is served from 8:30-10:00, standard for most B&Bs, Grace would be on hand to make a late breakfast/lunch for these guests.
Grace was very pleased with how things were moving along. She also noticed that taking care of details for the cottage was taking more and more of her personal time. She had already passed up two invitations with friends to go out.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Intermission
To my readers:
I had planned to have this story completed by this weekend, but obviously that did not happen. Since I will be gone for the next month, consider this an intermission in the story.
I assure you that I will come back full of background information and locations to add in to the story. If you would like to follow my travel blog/journal, you can find it on the side bar of this page, or at Traveling Ireland - http://emeraldpoet1.blogspot.com/
See you in a month for more of this story.
Slan!
I had planned to have this story completed by this weekend, but obviously that did not happen. Since I will be gone for the next month, consider this an intermission in the story.
I assure you that I will come back full of background information and locations to add in to the story. If you would like to follow my travel blog/journal, you can find it on the side bar of this page, or at Traveling Ireland - http://emeraldpoet1.blogspot.com/
See you in a month for more of this story.
Slan!
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 34
It was getting late, and while Grace trusted Peter, she was a little concerned that she and Sue had not heard from them at all. It was only a few minutes later that they heard Peter's truck in the drive.
Chloe and Peter walked into the cottage in smiles with Peter's arm around Chloe's shoulder. Both were a little flushed, and it appeared that they had been doing a little drinking.
“So it seems you two have been having a fun time,” Sue retorted.
“We had a wonderful day. We found the most amazing pub. Just couldn't resist staying for some music,” Chloe answered not really caring how Sue felt. “Peter is the perfect sightseeing guide.” Chloe looked at Peter with a big grin and Peter seemed to blush with her compliment.
“Peter, are you driving home, or are you going to be staying with us again tonight?” Grace was curious to see where this would lead.
“Oh, I'm fine, and I'll be leaving you all now. It was a long day and you lassies need a good night's sleep,” Peter looked at Chloe and winked as he finished.
Peter said his good nights and headed home. Grace and Sue stood looking at Chloe. All Chloe did was wink back at them and head upstairs to go to bed.
“I think your job helping Chloe getting over her broken heart is done!” Sue turned to Grace and laughed. The two of them left any other work on the cottage for the morning and headed to bed themselves.
The next morning as Grace prepared breakfast Peter arrived with some flowers for Chloe. Grace and Sue glanced at each other as a fresh-faced blushing Chloe came down the stairs just as Peter arrived.
“I thought since you would be going back to Dublin today you might want to have these to remind you of this weekend,” Peter stumbled with the words as he handed the flowers to Chloe.
“Oh, Peter, that is so thoughtful of you. I'd love to have them in my flat in Dublin. This has been an amazing weekend,” Chloe gushed.
“Okay you two. What is going on here?” Grace could not wait any longer for some answers.
“Grace,” Chloe answered, “I think I'm going to be spending quite a few weekends up here visiting Peter so we can get to know each other better. Do you think I could stay here at the cottage? It's just a thought.”
Sue and Grace looked at each other and Sue turned to Chloe and asked, “Can you cook?”
“Sue, what kind of question is that? Of course I can cook. My mother made me take cooking lessons at a cooking school one summer. So why are you asking?” Chloe seemed offended about the cooking question in front of Peter.
“Grace, I think we have found a solution for part of the plan,” Sue was smiling at Grace.
All during breakfast the conversation swirled around how the cottage could run as a B&B on the weekends, but needed someone to take care of the guests. If Chloe wanted to come up and visit Peter on weekends she could stay at the cottage for free if she handled the B&B needs for the guests. Grace could handle the bookings from Dublin, Peter could still help out with the grounds and see Chloe. One weekend a month Grace would relieve Chloe so she could have the entire weekend with Peter.
Everyone seemed in agreement for this, so they planned to put this into effect the next weekend, if they could get some bookings. Sue and Grace would work on that. Chloe would have to learn some of the standard recipes that Aine used and could add her own as time went on. They would try this for one month and meet at the end of the month at the cottage to discuss how things went before going ahead with the plan.
Chloe and Peter walked into the cottage in smiles with Peter's arm around Chloe's shoulder. Both were a little flushed, and it appeared that they had been doing a little drinking.
“So it seems you two have been having a fun time,” Sue retorted.
“We had a wonderful day. We found the most amazing pub. Just couldn't resist staying for some music,” Chloe answered not really caring how Sue felt. “Peter is the perfect sightseeing guide.” Chloe looked at Peter with a big grin and Peter seemed to blush with her compliment.
“Peter, are you driving home, or are you going to be staying with us again tonight?” Grace was curious to see where this would lead.
“Oh, I'm fine, and I'll be leaving you all now. It was a long day and you lassies need a good night's sleep,” Peter looked at Chloe and winked as he finished.
Peter said his good nights and headed home. Grace and Sue stood looking at Chloe. All Chloe did was wink back at them and head upstairs to go to bed.
“I think your job helping Chloe getting over her broken heart is done!” Sue turned to Grace and laughed. The two of them left any other work on the cottage for the morning and headed to bed themselves.
The next morning as Grace prepared breakfast Peter arrived with some flowers for Chloe. Grace and Sue glanced at each other as a fresh-faced blushing Chloe came down the stairs just as Peter arrived.
“I thought since you would be going back to Dublin today you might want to have these to remind you of this weekend,” Peter stumbled with the words as he handed the flowers to Chloe.
“Oh, Peter, that is so thoughtful of you. I'd love to have them in my flat in Dublin. This has been an amazing weekend,” Chloe gushed.
“Okay you two. What is going on here?” Grace could not wait any longer for some answers.
“Grace,” Chloe answered, “I think I'm going to be spending quite a few weekends up here visiting Peter so we can get to know each other better. Do you think I could stay here at the cottage? It's just a thought.”
Sue and Grace looked at each other and Sue turned to Chloe and asked, “Can you cook?”
“Sue, what kind of question is that? Of course I can cook. My mother made me take cooking lessons at a cooking school one summer. So why are you asking?” Chloe seemed offended about the cooking question in front of Peter.
“Grace, I think we have found a solution for part of the plan,” Sue was smiling at Grace.
All during breakfast the conversation swirled around how the cottage could run as a B&B on the weekends, but needed someone to take care of the guests. If Chloe wanted to come up and visit Peter on weekends she could stay at the cottage for free if she handled the B&B needs for the guests. Grace could handle the bookings from Dublin, Peter could still help out with the grounds and see Chloe. One weekend a month Grace would relieve Chloe so she could have the entire weekend with Peter.
Everyone seemed in agreement for this, so they planned to put this into effect the next weekend, if they could get some bookings. Sue and Grace would work on that. Chloe would have to learn some of the standard recipes that Aine used and could add her own as time went on. They would try this for one month and meet at the end of the month at the cottage to discuss how things went before going ahead with the plan.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 31
The soft chime of her alarm clock woke Grace at 6:30AM. She was so tired she didn't hear a thing after she climbed into bed. She would have loved to roll over in bed and enjoy the comfort of the cool morning a little longer, but knew she had paying guests that she needed to take care of with breakfast. It was nice that she didn't have to serve any breakfast until nine, but she needed to get the table set and get some hot water for tea started.
For today's breakfast Grace found a recipe for Curach(Honey Cream Oatmeal) in amongst all of Aine's recipes. She thought this uncooked dish would be a nice addition in the morning with some fresh raspberries and the hint of Irish whiskey. Adding an Irish Coffee Cake to this menu she felt there would be something for everyone. She always had cereal on hand in case any of her friends were picky eaters.
By the time the oats were toasted and the cream whipped, she could hear the water from the showers running at the upstairs front of the cottage. Dennis and Laura were up and would be off for their walk. This would give her plenty of time to get things finished.
Grace had not heard Peter's truck in the front, but she was preoccupied with the morning's breakfast. As she turned to pour some milk into a pitcher she was startled to see Peter standing in the doorway.
“I'm sorry,” he apologized. “I hope you don't mind.”
“Oh, you just started me. I didn't hear your truck. Mind about what?” Grace was confused.
“I thought you realized. When we got back last night, I was a little too tipsy. Chloe and Sue would not let me drive, so they made me stay in the small bedroom upstairs,” Peter explained.
“That would explain your rumpled clothes,” Grace smiled at Peter. He obviously had a good time the night before. Maybe even a little too much fun.
“Do I have time to run home and clean up before breakfast? That is if I'm invited?” Peter flashed his smile as he asked.
“Of course you are invited. Yes, get going, I am serving starting at 9:00. You should have enough time,” Grace liked seeing Peter in this more relaxed mood. He didn't have to worry about cooked food getting cold today, but wanted to be back to have breakfast with the girls.
Grace realized that she had not hear a sound from the back bedroom upstairs. Maybe Peter would have more time than he thought with the girls sleeping in later than usual. As she put the pot of hot tea on the table she heard Dennis and Laura come in the front door.
“Grace, dear, this has just been the most enjoyable night and morning. No hassles and we didn't feel like we were imposing. The room was perfect,” Laura was bubbling with compliments.
“And I have to say that was the best morning shower I've had in ages,” Dennis chimed in.
They both sat down for tea and loved the Irish coffee cake. They were light eaters and passed on the Curach. Grace took the time to chat with them as they had a second cup of tea. Dennis asked if Grace had any business cards that he could share with his friends. They often came up this way and wanted a place to get away from the cities just to relax.
Grace explained that she was just coming up every few weekends at the moment as she still had a job in Dublin and was unsure if she would be opening up the cottage on a permanent basis. Dennis and Laura were insistent on having a way for their friends to contact Grace to see if she was going to be in Swatragh, and if they could stay at the cottage. Grace told them she would set up an email address that she would share with them and give it to them when they checked out the next morning.
All this talk still made Grace very uncomfortable but she didn't have too much time to dwell on it as when Dennis and Laura left for their friends place, Chloe and Sue came down still in their PJ's.
Grace laughed at the girls seeing them just out of bed. “You had better put something more on. Peter just went home to shower and change so he could impress you when he got back.”
“Oh, no,” squealed Chloe who turned and ran up the stairs. She obviously didn't want Peter to see her this way.
Sue shrugged her shoulder and turned to head up the stairs saying, “Guess I should throw on some sweats. It's not like Peter really cares how I look.” She smiled and winked at Grace as she headed up the stairs.
“And when you come back down you two are going to have some explaining to do about last night!” teased Grace.
For today's breakfast Grace found a recipe for Curach(Honey Cream Oatmeal) in amongst all of Aine's recipes. She thought this uncooked dish would be a nice addition in the morning with some fresh raspberries and the hint of Irish whiskey. Adding an Irish Coffee Cake to this menu she felt there would be something for everyone. She always had cereal on hand in case any of her friends were picky eaters.
By the time the oats were toasted and the cream whipped, she could hear the water from the showers running at the upstairs front of the cottage. Dennis and Laura were up and would be off for their walk. This would give her plenty of time to get things finished.
Grace had not heard Peter's truck in the front, but she was preoccupied with the morning's breakfast. As she turned to pour some milk into a pitcher she was startled to see Peter standing in the doorway.
“I'm sorry,” he apologized. “I hope you don't mind.”
“Oh, you just started me. I didn't hear your truck. Mind about what?” Grace was confused.
“I thought you realized. When we got back last night, I was a little too tipsy. Chloe and Sue would not let me drive, so they made me stay in the small bedroom upstairs,” Peter explained.
“That would explain your rumpled clothes,” Grace smiled at Peter. He obviously had a good time the night before. Maybe even a little too much fun.
“Do I have time to run home and clean up before breakfast? That is if I'm invited?” Peter flashed his smile as he asked.
“Of course you are invited. Yes, get going, I am serving starting at 9:00. You should have enough time,” Grace liked seeing Peter in this more relaxed mood. He didn't have to worry about cooked food getting cold today, but wanted to be back to have breakfast with the girls.
Grace realized that she had not hear a sound from the back bedroom upstairs. Maybe Peter would have more time than he thought with the girls sleeping in later than usual. As she put the pot of hot tea on the table she heard Dennis and Laura come in the front door.
“Grace, dear, this has just been the most enjoyable night and morning. No hassles and we didn't feel like we were imposing. The room was perfect,” Laura was bubbling with compliments.
“And I have to say that was the best morning shower I've had in ages,” Dennis chimed in.
They both sat down for tea and loved the Irish coffee cake. They were light eaters and passed on the Curach. Grace took the time to chat with them as they had a second cup of tea. Dennis asked if Grace had any business cards that he could share with his friends. They often came up this way and wanted a place to get away from the cities just to relax.
Grace explained that she was just coming up every few weekends at the moment as she still had a job in Dublin and was unsure if she would be opening up the cottage on a permanent basis. Dennis and Laura were insistent on having a way for their friends to contact Grace to see if she was going to be in Swatragh, and if they could stay at the cottage. Grace told them she would set up an email address that she would share with them and give it to them when they checked out the next morning.
All this talk still made Grace very uncomfortable but she didn't have too much time to dwell on it as when Dennis and Laura left for their friends place, Chloe and Sue came down still in their PJ's.
Grace laughed at the girls seeing them just out of bed. “You had better put something more on. Peter just went home to shower and change so he could impress you when he got back.”
“Oh, no,” squealed Chloe who turned and ran up the stairs. She obviously didn't want Peter to see her this way.
Sue shrugged her shoulder and turned to head up the stairs saying, “Guess I should throw on some sweats. It's not like Peter really cares how I look.” She smiled and winked at Grace as she headed up the stairs.
“And when you come back down you two are going to have some explaining to do about last night!” teased Grace.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 28
Grace was barely finished emptying the groceries from her bags when she heard a shout at the front door.
“Grace, are you in here?” Peter shouted.
“Back here in the kitchen, Peter,” Grace shouted back.
Peter strolled into the kitchen, smiling as he watched Grace put things in the fridge.
“What....,” asked Grace as she realized he was staring.
“Just have to say you look so natural doing that. It suits you fine.” Peter smiled.
“By the way those people from the other day are coming by again this weekend. There was nothing I could do to stop them. They said some friends had told them about the cottage and they were determined to be able to stay here. What are you going to do?” Peter was chattering a mile a minute.
“I don't know Peter. I guess if they only want to stay tonight, or tomorrow, I could probably let them stay. What would it hurt? I just can't be doing this all the time without some plan.” Grace was thinking as she talked that the people would probably not bother to come by, so she wasn't worried.
“So that means you will be taking in guests?” Peter seemed to have a glimmer of hope in his words.
“No, all I'm saying is that if they take the time to come here again, I could probably allow them to stay as I'm already here. Besides my friends Sue and Chloe are coming up this evening. They will be here for dinner, so I had better get started. Would you like to join us?” Grace knew there would always be more food than necessary and wanted to show Peter how much she appreciated all the help he was giving her by taking care of the cottage when she was gone.
“You know I'd never turn down one of Aine's recipes made by you. I have some errands to run and I'll be back at dinner time,” Peter turned and headed out of the cottage before Grace could even respond. She wondered what errands he had to do.
Grace had planned a pork roast with roasted potatoes and an Irish carrot and parsnip mash with some greens drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. The greens were her recipe, but the rest was from Aine's cookbook. The bottle of white wine would go well with the heavier meal. Once everything was cooking on the stove, Grace headed to the dining room to set the table for dinner.
As she worked to set the table she looked through the window to the garden outside. The roses were beautiful. Just as the peak of their blooms. Before she realized it she was out in the garden cutting some stems for a table arrangement. The china cabinet held a beautiful Tyrone Crystal vase that was perfect for the arrangement. The scent of the roses filled the dining room immediately and brought fond childhood memories back to mind.
As Grace got things ready for the girl's visit her mind wandered to what Peter had been saying about the people who had come by and wanted to book a room at the cottage. She didn't even have a business license. Did she need a business license? Did Aine have one? How much would she charge? What do most B&Bs in the area charge? Grace was curious about all this and since she had a little time until the girls arrived, she set up her computer and started to research.
Aine had an old business license posted in the office area near the desk. Grace was sure it had expired ages ago, but when she checked, evidently Aine had renewed it in the last year. It still had a couple of months before it needed to be renewed again. She had not realized this until now. Then again it was not at the top of her list of things to do since she had planned to sell the cottage.
Next Grace wondered how much she would need to charge if someone did end up staying there. This was more out of curiosity since she never expected to have anyone other than her friends staying at the cottage. Most of the B&Bs in the area, and there were not very many between Magherafelt and Coleraine, charged between 35 and 45 pounds sterling. This seemed a little expensive to Grace coming from Dublin with the Euro being the currency in the Republic.
As it was this drove her crazy as she had to make sure to have pounds sterling on hand when she traveled into Northern Ireland. Along the border she probably could have managed with either the Euro or pound, but here, in the heart of Northern Ireland, she had no choice. Grace looked to see if she could find some records from Aine that would help her figure out a cost, but it seemed that Aine allowed her guests to decide how much to pay. Some of the records showed payments of 60 pounds for a 2 night stay and some showed 60 pounds for a single night. In the end, Grace decided that she would ask 40 pounds and see if that was acceptable to anyone who wanted to stay.
Again, she was not expecting to have any guests other than her friends, and if they helped to pay for the food, she was happy. By the time she had figured all this out, she heard a car on the gravel drive and headed to the door to welcome her friends.
“Grace, are you in here?” Peter shouted.
“Back here in the kitchen, Peter,” Grace shouted back.
Peter strolled into the kitchen, smiling as he watched Grace put things in the fridge.
“What....,” asked Grace as she realized he was staring.
“Just have to say you look so natural doing that. It suits you fine.” Peter smiled.
“By the way those people from the other day are coming by again this weekend. There was nothing I could do to stop them. They said some friends had told them about the cottage and they were determined to be able to stay here. What are you going to do?” Peter was chattering a mile a minute.
“I don't know Peter. I guess if they only want to stay tonight, or tomorrow, I could probably let them stay. What would it hurt? I just can't be doing this all the time without some plan.” Grace was thinking as she talked that the people would probably not bother to come by, so she wasn't worried.
“So that means you will be taking in guests?” Peter seemed to have a glimmer of hope in his words.
“No, all I'm saying is that if they take the time to come here again, I could probably allow them to stay as I'm already here. Besides my friends Sue and Chloe are coming up this evening. They will be here for dinner, so I had better get started. Would you like to join us?” Grace knew there would always be more food than necessary and wanted to show Peter how much she appreciated all the help he was giving her by taking care of the cottage when she was gone.
“You know I'd never turn down one of Aine's recipes made by you. I have some errands to run and I'll be back at dinner time,” Peter turned and headed out of the cottage before Grace could even respond. She wondered what errands he had to do.
Grace had planned a pork roast with roasted potatoes and an Irish carrot and parsnip mash with some greens drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette. The greens were her recipe, but the rest was from Aine's cookbook. The bottle of white wine would go well with the heavier meal. Once everything was cooking on the stove, Grace headed to the dining room to set the table for dinner.
As she worked to set the table she looked through the window to the garden outside. The roses were beautiful. Just as the peak of their blooms. Before she realized it she was out in the garden cutting some stems for a table arrangement. The china cabinet held a beautiful Tyrone Crystal vase that was perfect for the arrangement. The scent of the roses filled the dining room immediately and brought fond childhood memories back to mind.
As Grace got things ready for the girl's visit her mind wandered to what Peter had been saying about the people who had come by and wanted to book a room at the cottage. She didn't even have a business license. Did she need a business license? Did Aine have one? How much would she charge? What do most B&Bs in the area charge? Grace was curious about all this and since she had a little time until the girls arrived, she set up her computer and started to research.
Aine had an old business license posted in the office area near the desk. Grace was sure it had expired ages ago, but when she checked, evidently Aine had renewed it in the last year. It still had a couple of months before it needed to be renewed again. She had not realized this until now. Then again it was not at the top of her list of things to do since she had planned to sell the cottage.
Next Grace wondered how much she would need to charge if someone did end up staying there. This was more out of curiosity since she never expected to have anyone other than her friends staying at the cottage. Most of the B&Bs in the area, and there were not very many between Magherafelt and Coleraine, charged between 35 and 45 pounds sterling. This seemed a little expensive to Grace coming from Dublin with the Euro being the currency in the Republic.
As it was this drove her crazy as she had to make sure to have pounds sterling on hand when she traveled into Northern Ireland. Along the border she probably could have managed with either the Euro or pound, but here, in the heart of Northern Ireland, she had no choice. Grace looked to see if she could find some records from Aine that would help her figure out a cost, but it seemed that Aine allowed her guests to decide how much to pay. Some of the records showed payments of 60 pounds for a 2 night stay and some showed 60 pounds for a single night. In the end, Grace decided that she would ask 40 pounds and see if that was acceptable to anyone who wanted to stay.
Again, she was not expecting to have any guests other than her friends, and if they helped to pay for the food, she was happy. By the time she had figured all this out, she heard a car on the gravel drive and headed to the door to welcome her friends.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 25
The drive seemed like it took forever as Grace arrived back in Dublin in the late afternoon. She was glad to be home, and took a deep breath as she put the key in the door of her flat. She pushed the door open and dragged in her bags along with some of the groceries she brought back with her. The flat smelled like it had been closed up for a bit, slightly musty, and stale. First things first, Grace thought to herself and immediately walked to the windows to open them up and let the fresh air in.
In the back of her mind came the thought that letting in the fresh air here was just not as nice as opening the windows at the cottage. The smell of the morning dew and fragrant flowers from the cottage garden was missing. She shrugged and went about getting the groceries into the small fridge and taking her clothes to the bedroom. Things here seemed so closed in. In the two weeks she had been gone, she had gotten used to the openness of the cottage.
Trying to push all the thoughts of the cottage out of her mind for the time being Grace busied herself with getting things in order for the coming work week. She was sure with being gone, things would have piled up on her desk and she'd be spending late hours this next week just to catch up. The company had divided up her accounts for when she would be gone so that assignments would not go past their due dates, but that didn't mean with new assignments coming in that there would not be a ton to get done.
Grace made a small cheese plate for herself for dinner with some cheese she brought back from Swatragh, and sat down with that along with bread she had packed up and a glass of wine. Not much room for any real cooking was a thought that crept into her mind as she sipped the wine.
Monday mornings were always a flurry of greetings and quick times to catch up at the office. Grace was quite surprised when she saw her desk and it was not piled up with assignments. The morning board showed a department meeting almost as soon as everyone arrived, so she grabbed her cup of tea and headed to the conference room. The mood turned somber as soon as everyone arrived. She seemed to be very out of the loop and took a seat next to Keith, who had been up to Swatragh to visit with his wife Anna.
He smiled as he asked, “So you decided to make it back here? Might have been better if you had stayed at the cottage. This is not going to be pretty.”
“What does that mean, Keith?” Grace was suddenly confused.
“It's a tough economy Grace. I don't think we've been getting enough work coming in,” Keith was somber in his response.
Just as Keith finished their boss entered the room apologizing for the early Monday morning meeting. Keith had been right. The firm was struggling, and some changes had to be made. They all needed to consider how to cut costs and still stay afloat. This was to be a planning meeting and some tough decisions would need to be made. Grace was panicked to say the least. Her first thought was she needed to be the one staying full time to be able to support herself. At this point, that was the general consensus for each of the members of the group.
Their boss made it clear that any creative ideas would be welcome so that no one had to be let go. He understood the need to keep everyone employed during this tough economy, but still needed to keep his business from going under. Ideas to bring in more business were also suggested. But at this point the one thing that was clear was that the salary overhead had to be cut. They would meet again on Wednesday morning to see what ideas everyone had come up with to cut overhead. This was not something that could be done in one day. The cheerful Monday morning office mood changed to very quiet as everyone headed back to their assignments.
Grace left the meeting disheartened. She had come back from her two week vacation rested and ready to dig in with her assignments. There were only three on her desk and they would all be done by the end of the week. She usually had ten or more assignments going at once with varying deadlines. It always seemed as she finished one or two, more would show up on her desk.
As Grace was sitting at home that night she started to crunch numbers for herself. She was a planner, as always, and needed to be able to prepare for any cut in job or pay as this week went forward. If only she had been able to sell the cottage, she'd have a reasonable slush fund to lean on during this time.
In the back of her mind came the thought that letting in the fresh air here was just not as nice as opening the windows at the cottage. The smell of the morning dew and fragrant flowers from the cottage garden was missing. She shrugged and went about getting the groceries into the small fridge and taking her clothes to the bedroom. Things here seemed so closed in. In the two weeks she had been gone, she had gotten used to the openness of the cottage.
Trying to push all the thoughts of the cottage out of her mind for the time being Grace busied herself with getting things in order for the coming work week. She was sure with being gone, things would have piled up on her desk and she'd be spending late hours this next week just to catch up. The company had divided up her accounts for when she would be gone so that assignments would not go past their due dates, but that didn't mean with new assignments coming in that there would not be a ton to get done.
Grace made a small cheese plate for herself for dinner with some cheese she brought back from Swatragh, and sat down with that along with bread she had packed up and a glass of wine. Not much room for any real cooking was a thought that crept into her mind as she sipped the wine.
Monday mornings were always a flurry of greetings and quick times to catch up at the office. Grace was quite surprised when she saw her desk and it was not piled up with assignments. The morning board showed a department meeting almost as soon as everyone arrived, so she grabbed her cup of tea and headed to the conference room. The mood turned somber as soon as everyone arrived. She seemed to be very out of the loop and took a seat next to Keith, who had been up to Swatragh to visit with his wife Anna.
He smiled as he asked, “So you decided to make it back here? Might have been better if you had stayed at the cottage. This is not going to be pretty.”
“What does that mean, Keith?” Grace was suddenly confused.
“It's a tough economy Grace. I don't think we've been getting enough work coming in,” Keith was somber in his response.
Just as Keith finished their boss entered the room apologizing for the early Monday morning meeting. Keith had been right. The firm was struggling, and some changes had to be made. They all needed to consider how to cut costs and still stay afloat. This was to be a planning meeting and some tough decisions would need to be made. Grace was panicked to say the least. Her first thought was she needed to be the one staying full time to be able to support herself. At this point, that was the general consensus for each of the members of the group.
Their boss made it clear that any creative ideas would be welcome so that no one had to be let go. He understood the need to keep everyone employed during this tough economy, but still needed to keep his business from going under. Ideas to bring in more business were also suggested. But at this point the one thing that was clear was that the salary overhead had to be cut. They would meet again on Wednesday morning to see what ideas everyone had come up with to cut overhead. This was not something that could be done in one day. The cheerful Monday morning office mood changed to very quiet as everyone headed back to their assignments.
Grace left the meeting disheartened. She had come back from her two week vacation rested and ready to dig in with her assignments. There were only three on her desk and they would all be done by the end of the week. She usually had ten or more assignments going at once with varying deadlines. It always seemed as she finished one or two, more would show up on her desk.
As Grace was sitting at home that night she started to crunch numbers for herself. She was a planner, as always, and needed to be able to prepare for any cut in job or pay as this week went forward. If only she had been able to sell the cottage, she'd have a reasonable slush fund to lean on during this time.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 22
Grace dragged herself though the day. She was going through the motions but not feeling herself at all. About midday she sat down with her list and a cup of tea only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. She must have forgotten something.
She opened the door to a small man dressed in a suit like he was selling something. In fact he did sell a service, he was the property consultant she had called. His name was Jimmy Tunney. Not exactly what she expected in terms of a professional, but then again, this was not Dublin.
“Hello miss. You called about an appraisal on this cottage? Are you looking to sell?” Jimmy questioned as soon as Grace took his card.
“Why yes, I wanted an appraisal so I could make a decision about the sale. Do you do that?” Grace was a little concerned about Jimmy's credentials, but thought she'd give it a go.
“Could I have a look see? I need to know what you've got here. Seems well kept up from the outside. New paint?” Jimmy seemed to never stop talking.
“Yes, the outside has been freshly painted. Inside it's just had a good cleaning up. There are 3 bedrooms ensuite upstairs, and one down here. The kitchen is large and the appliances are not too old,” Grace was trying to show off the best parts of the cottage.
Jimmy roamed from room to room, nodding his head, muttering to himself, taking down a note or two as he wandered the cottage.
“Yep, this here's a nice enough place. It's really a shame though,” Jimmy turned to Grace with this reply.
“A shame what?” Grace asked. She could not read this guy for the life of her.
“Oh, I'm just talkin' about the market right now. You'd never get near a penny to it's worth. Money is tight, and folks are not doing much purchasing right now. At least not places this big. Maybe if it was a small two bedroom cottage for a newly wed couple, but not this place. It would be a huge loss financially,” Jimmy concluded his assessment.
“So you're saying you won't take this on for sale?” Grace was trying to get a straight answer.
“Miss, I'd gladly take it on, but with what you should be askin', it will be on the market for months, maybe a year or more. This is just not the time to sell a place like this. Can't you continue running it as a B&B? You'd probably be making some decent money doing that.” Jimmy was trying to explain.
“What is it with everyone? I'm not a B&B owner. I work in Dublin. I have a job there. I can't stay here,” Grace was getting very frustrated.
“No need to holler miss, but you'd do just as well shutting the door and walking away for a while if you need to go back to the Big Smoke. I'm just saying that sales are tough right now and I'm not even sure I could sell it on the cheap.”
“Well, then, I guess we're done doing any business if you can't, or won't sell this place, Jimmy,” Grace was tired and cranky and Jimmy's news was not very welcome. “Thanks for coming out.”
Grace was totally frustrated now. Whatever was she going to do? She needed to get back to Dublin on the weekend. Maybe being back in the city would help her figure out what to do. She could just lock up the place and come back in a couple of weeks on a weekend to see if she had any better ideas. For the time being it might make a nice weekend get away for her. Problem was she didn't like the idea of roaming around this big empty place alone either. It was too big just for her.
For now she needed to finish up dinner preparations for when Peter arrived. The least she could do was make him a scrumptious dinner with his favorite scones for desert. It was difficult to stop thinking about what she was going to do. Distracted was hardly what she needed now. The lamb pie needed all her focus. If she wasn't careful she would burn the crusty topping and all would be lost with the burnt smell.
Grace forced herself to concentrate on the recipe. Aine always had her little secret additions of herbs, or spices that made the difference in a recipe. But with lamb pie, using spring lamb, there was not much to be added in terms of flavor. Spring lamb fed on the flowers and grasses of the hillsides. Their meat was tender and juicy without any fuss. But overcooked, or burned turned some very special meal into a disaster. So focus she did with all the intensity she could muster. Soon the kitchen was perfumed with the smell of the stewing meat and Grace was pleased with how the meal was progressing. The pie topping would be added the last few minutes to brown in the oven.
Now just a gathering of some fresh greens and for a salad and she was ready to set the table. Once Grace was in the rhythm of making all the preparations, she flowed from kitchen to dining table effortlessly as it she had been doing this all her life. It was just another dinner party, but she hardly thought about anything but a beautiful table and the delicious food she would be putting out. She was feeling very comfortable in this role while she didn't even realize it.
She opened the door to a small man dressed in a suit like he was selling something. In fact he did sell a service, he was the property consultant she had called. His name was Jimmy Tunney. Not exactly what she expected in terms of a professional, but then again, this was not Dublin.
“Hello miss. You called about an appraisal on this cottage? Are you looking to sell?” Jimmy questioned as soon as Grace took his card.
“Why yes, I wanted an appraisal so I could make a decision about the sale. Do you do that?” Grace was a little concerned about Jimmy's credentials, but thought she'd give it a go.
“Could I have a look see? I need to know what you've got here. Seems well kept up from the outside. New paint?” Jimmy seemed to never stop talking.
“Yes, the outside has been freshly painted. Inside it's just had a good cleaning up. There are 3 bedrooms ensuite upstairs, and one down here. The kitchen is large and the appliances are not too old,” Grace was trying to show off the best parts of the cottage.
Jimmy roamed from room to room, nodding his head, muttering to himself, taking down a note or two as he wandered the cottage.
“Yep, this here's a nice enough place. It's really a shame though,” Jimmy turned to Grace with this reply.
“A shame what?” Grace asked. She could not read this guy for the life of her.
“Oh, I'm just talkin' about the market right now. You'd never get near a penny to it's worth. Money is tight, and folks are not doing much purchasing right now. At least not places this big. Maybe if it was a small two bedroom cottage for a newly wed couple, but not this place. It would be a huge loss financially,” Jimmy concluded his assessment.
“So you're saying you won't take this on for sale?” Grace was trying to get a straight answer.
“Miss, I'd gladly take it on, but with what you should be askin', it will be on the market for months, maybe a year or more. This is just not the time to sell a place like this. Can't you continue running it as a B&B? You'd probably be making some decent money doing that.” Jimmy was trying to explain.
“What is it with everyone? I'm not a B&B owner. I work in Dublin. I have a job there. I can't stay here,” Grace was getting very frustrated.
“No need to holler miss, but you'd do just as well shutting the door and walking away for a while if you need to go back to the Big Smoke. I'm just saying that sales are tough right now and I'm not even sure I could sell it on the cheap.”
“Well, then, I guess we're done doing any business if you can't, or won't sell this place, Jimmy,” Grace was tired and cranky and Jimmy's news was not very welcome. “Thanks for coming out.”
Grace was totally frustrated now. Whatever was she going to do? She needed to get back to Dublin on the weekend. Maybe being back in the city would help her figure out what to do. She could just lock up the place and come back in a couple of weeks on a weekend to see if she had any better ideas. For the time being it might make a nice weekend get away for her. Problem was she didn't like the idea of roaming around this big empty place alone either. It was too big just for her.
For now she needed to finish up dinner preparations for when Peter arrived. The least she could do was make him a scrumptious dinner with his favorite scones for desert. It was difficult to stop thinking about what she was going to do. Distracted was hardly what she needed now. The lamb pie needed all her focus. If she wasn't careful she would burn the crusty topping and all would be lost with the burnt smell.
Grace forced herself to concentrate on the recipe. Aine always had her little secret additions of herbs, or spices that made the difference in a recipe. But with lamb pie, using spring lamb, there was not much to be added in terms of flavor. Spring lamb fed on the flowers and grasses of the hillsides. Their meat was tender and juicy without any fuss. But overcooked, or burned turned some very special meal into a disaster. So focus she did with all the intensity she could muster. Soon the kitchen was perfumed with the smell of the stewing meat and Grace was pleased with how the meal was progressing. The pie topping would be added the last few minutes to brown in the oven.
Now just a gathering of some fresh greens and for a salad and she was ready to set the table. Once Grace was in the rhythm of making all the preparations, she flowed from kitchen to dining table effortlessly as it she had been doing this all her life. It was just another dinner party, but she hardly thought about anything but a beautiful table and the delicious food she would be putting out. She was feeling very comfortable in this role while she didn't even realize it.
Monday, April 4, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 21
Grace felt very restless that evening. Even spending time sitting in Aine's over-sized chair didn't help to comfort her. She paced the cottage. Walked in and out of the kitchen as if she thought she might do some cooking, but there was nothing she needed, or wanted, to prepare. She felt like the cottage was closing in on her.
It was still a little light out, so she decided that the roses in the garden could use a little watering. That might help her to settle down. As she moved from bush to bush she recalled the names of the roses. This was not something she would have ever known in Dublin. Small flat, with a small kitchen, and no garden. Would she feel closed in when she got back there?
She looked up to see Donovan peering out his window. He didn't come out, just shook his head and walked away closing the curtain. He was still upset about her selling the cottage. She needed to rectify this situation, but at the moment didn't know how. Once the garden was watered Grace went back into the cottage and headed upstairs to shower thinking that a hot shower would help her settle down from the news of earlier today.
Grace tried to convince herself that she was feeling better after the shower, but she knew she was only fooling herself. A wee bit of some whiskey would help, that's for sure. It was a bit more than a wee bit when Grace had finished off a good portion and headed to bed hoping the whiskey would do it's job and let her get a good night's sleep.
A restful sleep was not to be had this night. It was full of visions of Aine and visits to the cottage as a young girl. And somewhere in those visions she caught a glimpse of Sheila and Peter as a young couple. They were vibrant and happy as they walked through the garden. Smiling and very much in love.
Grace dreamed about seeing Aine and Donovan chatting at the stone wall, Donovan much younger with a twinkle in his eye. She dreamed of the hum of a busy cottage full of guests chatting with each other, laughing, dancing to the phonograph, and sitting in a quiet corner writing. There was so much life to the cottage. What had she done?
It must have been around 4:00am when Grace dragged herself out of bed. She ached all over from tossing and turning all night. She went downstairs and curled up in Aine's chair with a notepad and pen. As was her best strength, she needed a plan and the one she had was not going to work. It was time to open her mind to some different options.
Grace was due to head back to Dubin in 2 days and had an appointment with a property consultant that afternoon. She needed information to make a plan and hoped that meeting with the property consultant would help. She brewed a strong cup of tea and started her list of questions.
As she worked on questions that needed answers, her body finally relaxed and she dozed off until the sun came streaming through the window. Her tea was cold, but she felt at least somewhat refreshed with the few hours of restful sleep. Still with no definite resolution as to what she would do, she washed up and started her day with a recipe of scones for Peter when he came over that evening. As she made the scones she smiled remember back just over a week that she could barely make these and Peter had helped.
It was still a little light out, so she decided that the roses in the garden could use a little watering. That might help her to settle down. As she moved from bush to bush she recalled the names of the roses. This was not something she would have ever known in Dublin. Small flat, with a small kitchen, and no garden. Would she feel closed in when she got back there?
She looked up to see Donovan peering out his window. He didn't come out, just shook his head and walked away closing the curtain. He was still upset about her selling the cottage. She needed to rectify this situation, but at the moment didn't know how. Once the garden was watered Grace went back into the cottage and headed upstairs to shower thinking that a hot shower would help her settle down from the news of earlier today.
Grace tried to convince herself that she was feeling better after the shower, but she knew she was only fooling herself. A wee bit of some whiskey would help, that's for sure. It was a bit more than a wee bit when Grace had finished off a good portion and headed to bed hoping the whiskey would do it's job and let her get a good night's sleep.
A restful sleep was not to be had this night. It was full of visions of Aine and visits to the cottage as a young girl. And somewhere in those visions she caught a glimpse of Sheila and Peter as a young couple. They were vibrant and happy as they walked through the garden. Smiling and very much in love.
Grace dreamed about seeing Aine and Donovan chatting at the stone wall, Donovan much younger with a twinkle in his eye. She dreamed of the hum of a busy cottage full of guests chatting with each other, laughing, dancing to the phonograph, and sitting in a quiet corner writing. There was so much life to the cottage. What had she done?
It must have been around 4:00am when Grace dragged herself out of bed. She ached all over from tossing and turning all night. She went downstairs and curled up in Aine's chair with a notepad and pen. As was her best strength, she needed a plan and the one she had was not going to work. It was time to open her mind to some different options.
Grace was due to head back to Dubin in 2 days and had an appointment with a property consultant that afternoon. She needed information to make a plan and hoped that meeting with the property consultant would help. She brewed a strong cup of tea and started her list of questions.
As she worked on questions that needed answers, her body finally relaxed and she dozed off until the sun came streaming through the window. Her tea was cold, but she felt at least somewhat refreshed with the few hours of restful sleep. Still with no definite resolution as to what she would do, she washed up and started her day with a recipe of scones for Peter when he came over that evening. As she made the scones she smiled remember back just over a week that she could barely make these and Peter had helped.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 20
Peter was very quiet during the short ride. Grace didn't know what to say, so she kept quiet, too. The silence was so very uncomfortable that Grace finally blurted out, “What's the matter? Is there something I should know?”
Peter hesitated in his reply, “It's really none of my business, ya know. But Donavon said you are selling the cottage. Is that true?”
“Peter I can't live and work in Dublin and manage a B&B here in Swatragh at the same time. It's just what has to be done,” Grace replied in such a cavalier way that she surprised herself.
“Guess you'd never consider staying in our little town and running the B&B. Guess you're just a big city lass,” Peter sounded a little put off by Grace's attitude.
“It's not that Peter. I have a good job and a flat in Dublin. All my friends are there. It's where I live,” Grace kept seeming to have to justify herself.
“Guess so,” Peter responded and cut the conversation short as they arrived at the market.
Grace went her own way with her list of things she needed for the next few days. She would be leaving on Sunday to return to Dublin and didn't want to leave anything behind that would spoil, or that she could not take home with her. The cottage needed to be spotless for the property consultant to show to prospective buyers. But there were a few dishes that she wanted to make before she left.
One thing she would really miss from this area were the farmhouse cheeses that could not be found in Dublin. She made sure to get enough so she could take some back with her. Once she had all her items she found Peter waiting for her near the door with his bag of groceries.
“Looks like you are planning a party there,” Peter said as he loaded Grace's groceries in the truck.
“Just still trying out more of Aine's recipes. I don't have a large enough kitchen in Dublin to do this kind of cooking. Which reminds me. Why don't you come to dinner tomorrow evening? I'm making an Irish Lamb pie. Could be very interesting.” Grace thought it only polite to invite Peter to dinner since he had helped her so much.
“I'll only come if you make some of those delicious scones too!” Peter smiled at Grace as he said this and it seemed that the uncomfortable feeling from before was now gone.
“But scones are for breakfast,” Grace protested laughing back. She knew how much Peter loved the scones and they really could be eaten at any time, especially with some orange marmalade laced with some Irish whiskey. She was so glad that she had purchased some clotted cream for an extra treat.
Talk was light and upbeat on the drive back to the cottage. Both Peter and Grace stayed away from the discussion of the sale of the B&B as it was such a sore spot. Mostly they chatted about doing some running together again as this was their common ground.
As they turned into the drive they noticed that Sheila and Peter's car was gone. Grace was glad to see that they had left. Peter helped Grace into the cottage with her groceries. As they passed the sitting room Grace noticed a note on the table. As soon as they groceries were put on the kitchen counter Grace and Peter headed to the sitting room to read the note.
“As we had always done with Aine, we leave a note for the hostess. Our stay was very welcomed in our lives. It was so important at this time to return to that special place we spent on our wedding night as this would be our last trip together. We just knew if we could rekindle the special feeling that we had many years before, it would make what is to come in the near future an easier burden to carry.
It really will be such a shame for the spirit of Aine not to carry on here for she brought so many of us such joy. I will remember that always. We do thank you for the one night we were able to stay. Sheila and Peter”
Grace was dumbfounded. She could not control her emotions after having some of the thoughts that she did earlier about anxiously awaiting Sheila and Peter's departure. The tears came so quickly she could barely stand. Peter put his arm around her and helped her to the over-sized chair in Aine's room.
“I had no idea,” Grace said through her tears. “How was I to know?”
“Grace, I don't think there was any way you would have known. They didn't say anything.” Peter was feeling very awkward about trying to comfort Grace. She seemed to want to be alone, so he headed for the kitchen to make some tea and put away the groceries that needed refrigeration. As he was finishing Grace entered the room and took the cup of tea he handed her.
“This is all just so much to handle. I never expected anything like this. Peter, if you don't mind, I need to be alone.” Grace was trying so hard to hold her emotions in check. “But please do come for dinner tomorrow night and I promise I'll have scones,” she indicated forcing a smile so Peter would think she was okay.
Peter left reluctantly, but knew there was nothing he could do to comfort Grace. He hoped by tomorrow she would have a better perspective on everything.
Peter hesitated in his reply, “It's really none of my business, ya know. But Donavon said you are selling the cottage. Is that true?”
“Peter I can't live and work in Dublin and manage a B&B here in Swatragh at the same time. It's just what has to be done,” Grace replied in such a cavalier way that she surprised herself.
“Guess you'd never consider staying in our little town and running the B&B. Guess you're just a big city lass,” Peter sounded a little put off by Grace's attitude.
“It's not that Peter. I have a good job and a flat in Dublin. All my friends are there. It's where I live,” Grace kept seeming to have to justify herself.
“Guess so,” Peter responded and cut the conversation short as they arrived at the market.
Grace went her own way with her list of things she needed for the next few days. She would be leaving on Sunday to return to Dublin and didn't want to leave anything behind that would spoil, or that she could not take home with her. The cottage needed to be spotless for the property consultant to show to prospective buyers. But there were a few dishes that she wanted to make before she left.
One thing she would really miss from this area were the farmhouse cheeses that could not be found in Dublin. She made sure to get enough so she could take some back with her. Once she had all her items she found Peter waiting for her near the door with his bag of groceries.
“Looks like you are planning a party there,” Peter said as he loaded Grace's groceries in the truck.
“Just still trying out more of Aine's recipes. I don't have a large enough kitchen in Dublin to do this kind of cooking. Which reminds me. Why don't you come to dinner tomorrow evening? I'm making an Irish Lamb pie. Could be very interesting.” Grace thought it only polite to invite Peter to dinner since he had helped her so much.
“I'll only come if you make some of those delicious scones too!” Peter smiled at Grace as he said this and it seemed that the uncomfortable feeling from before was now gone.
“But scones are for breakfast,” Grace protested laughing back. She knew how much Peter loved the scones and they really could be eaten at any time, especially with some orange marmalade laced with some Irish whiskey. She was so glad that she had purchased some clotted cream for an extra treat.
Talk was light and upbeat on the drive back to the cottage. Both Peter and Grace stayed away from the discussion of the sale of the B&B as it was such a sore spot. Mostly they chatted about doing some running together again as this was their common ground.
As they turned into the drive they noticed that Sheila and Peter's car was gone. Grace was glad to see that they had left. Peter helped Grace into the cottage with her groceries. As they passed the sitting room Grace noticed a note on the table. As soon as they groceries were put on the kitchen counter Grace and Peter headed to the sitting room to read the note.
“As we had always done with Aine, we leave a note for the hostess. Our stay was very welcomed in our lives. It was so important at this time to return to that special place we spent on our wedding night as this would be our last trip together. We just knew if we could rekindle the special feeling that we had many years before, it would make what is to come in the near future an easier burden to carry.
It really will be such a shame for the spirit of Aine not to carry on here for she brought so many of us such joy. I will remember that always. We do thank you for the one night we were able to stay. Sheila and Peter”
Grace was dumbfounded. She could not control her emotions after having some of the thoughts that she did earlier about anxiously awaiting Sheila and Peter's departure. The tears came so quickly she could barely stand. Peter put his arm around her and helped her to the over-sized chair in Aine's room.
“I had no idea,” Grace said through her tears. “How was I to know?”
“Grace, I don't think there was any way you would have known. They didn't say anything.” Peter was feeling very awkward about trying to comfort Grace. She seemed to want to be alone, so he headed for the kitchen to make some tea and put away the groceries that needed refrigeration. As he was finishing Grace entered the room and took the cup of tea he handed her.
“This is all just so much to handle. I never expected anything like this. Peter, if you don't mind, I need to be alone.” Grace was trying so hard to hold her emotions in check. “But please do come for dinner tomorrow night and I promise I'll have scones,” she indicated forcing a smile so Peter would think she was okay.
Peter left reluctantly, but knew there was nothing he could do to comfort Grace. He hoped by tomorrow she would have a better perspective on everything.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 19
Grace was up early and getting scones and breakfast ready for Sheila and Peter. They had only requested tea and scones with some marmalade, and Grace was thrilled not to have to make a full Irish fry. She did have a little fresh fruit left and put that on the table also.
Sheila and Peter raved about what a great night's sleep they had. The best they had had in a while. With the fresh country air and comfortable night they had their window open to the quiet of the countryside.
While they were finishing up Grace heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. She looked out to see her running friend Peter and wondered why he was not stopping by from a run, but driving instead. She excused herself from the table with Sheila and Peter and opened the door.
“I hadn't seen you in a while, so I thought I'd stop by and bring you something that I happened to find. It might look very nice in your garden.” Peter blurted out. He was obviously very uncomfortable giving Grace this gift.
“That's so very nice of you Peter. Why don't you come in? I have some guests staying here overnight,” Grace kept trying to emphasize to herself that Sheila and Peter were only their for one night.
“I'm on my way to Maghera for some groceries, but I guess I could stop in for a few minutes. Did you make scones? Oh and, here it is,” Peter was almost stammering he was so awkward but loved the scones that Grace made and wouldn't pass up a chance to have one.
“It's a rose,” Grace responded, "And yes, I made scones. Come on in."
Sheila had walked up behind Grace to see who she was talking to.
“Grace, lassie, this looks like a recent cutting. So sorry to but in. I'm Sheila. Peter and I are staying here.” It seemed Sheila seemed to think they were staying for more than one night.
Peter could not have been more confused. “But Grace, I thought...”
Grace cut him off before he could finish, “Peter, come on in and meet Sheila's husband, Peter. And have a scone.”
Sheila was fascinated with the rose cutting that Peter had brought. “Peter do you know what kind of rose this is?”
“All my friend said was it was his Grace. I told him I knew someone named Grace and he said then I must give her this,” Peter was slightly embarrassed.
“Goodness gracious, this must be one of David Austin's roses. He had a beautiful one called Grace. I only have one David Austin rose in my garden. They are so costly,” Sheila was obviously surprised to be seeing this. http://bit.ly/gIPy4p
“Lassie, this will be a beautiful addition to the garden. But you must wait to plant it. It still needs to develop in this pot for a bit. It's got a beautiful fragrance too.”
Grace thanked Sheila for all the information. She would not have had a clue as to what to do with this as a cutting. Now she needed to clear the table and hopefully see Sheila and her husband on their way.
Grace had an idea and hoped it would work.
“Peter, you said you were going for groceries in Maghera? Could I catch a ride with you? I'm getting short on some supplies. Sheila, I hope I'm not rushing you out?” Grace thought this might be their cue to leave.
“No problem Grace, we'll be on our way shortly. You go ahead with Peter there, and we'll lock up when we leave. It's not like we haven't done this before when Aine was here,” Sheila was quite explicit and expected to be doing as she pleased.
Grace looked at Peter and all he could do was shrug his shoulders.
“Guess it's okay,” he said to Grace.
“Now off with you two, and we'll be sure to lock all up before we head out,” Sheila said as she escorted Grace and Peter to the door.
Grace was very unsure of this, but since Peter seemed to think it was fine, she went along with it. They headed off to Maghera for groceries in Peter's truck.
Sheila and Peter raved about what a great night's sleep they had. The best they had had in a while. With the fresh country air and comfortable night they had their window open to the quiet of the countryside.
While they were finishing up Grace heard a vehicle pull into the driveway. She looked out to see her running friend Peter and wondered why he was not stopping by from a run, but driving instead. She excused herself from the table with Sheila and Peter and opened the door.
“I hadn't seen you in a while, so I thought I'd stop by and bring you something that I happened to find. It might look very nice in your garden.” Peter blurted out. He was obviously very uncomfortable giving Grace this gift.
“That's so very nice of you Peter. Why don't you come in? I have some guests staying here overnight,” Grace kept trying to emphasize to herself that Sheila and Peter were only their for one night.
“I'm on my way to Maghera for some groceries, but I guess I could stop in for a few minutes. Did you make scones? Oh and, here it is,” Peter was almost stammering he was so awkward but loved the scones that Grace made and wouldn't pass up a chance to have one.
“It's a rose,” Grace responded, "And yes, I made scones. Come on in."
Sheila had walked up behind Grace to see who she was talking to.
“Grace, lassie, this looks like a recent cutting. So sorry to but in. I'm Sheila. Peter and I are staying here.” It seemed Sheila seemed to think they were staying for more than one night.
Peter could not have been more confused. “But Grace, I thought...”
Grace cut him off before he could finish, “Peter, come on in and meet Sheila's husband, Peter. And have a scone.”
Sheila was fascinated with the rose cutting that Peter had brought. “Peter do you know what kind of rose this is?”
“All my friend said was it was his Grace. I told him I knew someone named Grace and he said then I must give her this,” Peter was slightly embarrassed.
“Goodness gracious, this must be one of David Austin's roses. He had a beautiful one called Grace. I only have one David Austin rose in my garden. They are so costly,” Sheila was obviously surprised to be seeing this. http://bit.ly/gIPy4p
“Lassie, this will be a beautiful addition to the garden. But you must wait to plant it. It still needs to develop in this pot for a bit. It's got a beautiful fragrance too.”
Grace thanked Sheila for all the information. She would not have had a clue as to what to do with this as a cutting. Now she needed to clear the table and hopefully see Sheila and her husband on their way.
Grace had an idea and hoped it would work.
“Peter, you said you were going for groceries in Maghera? Could I catch a ride with you? I'm getting short on some supplies. Sheila, I hope I'm not rushing you out?” Grace thought this might be their cue to leave.
“No problem Grace, we'll be on our way shortly. You go ahead with Peter there, and we'll lock up when we leave. It's not like we haven't done this before when Aine was here,” Sheila was quite explicit and expected to be doing as she pleased.
Grace looked at Peter and all he could do was shrug his shoulders.
“Guess it's okay,” he said to Grace.
“Now off with you two, and we'll be sure to lock all up before we head out,” Sheila said as she escorted Grace and Peter to the door.
Grace was very unsure of this, but since Peter seemed to think it was fine, she went along with it. They headed off to Maghera for groceries in Peter's truck.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 18
“Well, I guess I could take you in for the night. But just one night as I have plans for tomorrow,” Grace was trying to make sure there was no more than a one night commitment for this.
“That would be fine lassie. I'm Sheila, and this is my husband Peter. It's been such a long time since we've been here. Is the front room at the top of the stairs available?” Sheila was obviously familiar with the cottage.
“Yes, it is all set up for you. My name is Grace. I'm Aine's granddaughter. Please come in and I'll show you the room,” Grace thought she should at least sound like she ran a B&B.
“Sweetie, no problem, Peter and I know where the room is. It's where we spent our honeymoon,” Sheila replied with a wink in her eye.
“Have you had any supper yet?” Grace was thinking about the recipe she had tried earlier and had more than enough left overs.
“That would be wonderful. When we came here we always called ahead and asked Aine to have a meal for us.”
Sheila and Peter got settled in their room and washed up for supper. Sheila was bubbling with enjoyment about how fresh the room looked, and Peter just smiled as he looked at his wife. He was mostly quiet, but did thank Grace as she served the dinner.
Grace put out the roast pork and potatoes with a side of carrots and some brown bread she had made earlier. Sheila and Peter declined any wine with dinner, but they did accept an offer of some hot whiskey when dinner was over.
“Grace, please come and chat with us and let us know what has happened,” Sheila pressed Grace for some information.
Over the course of the next couple of hours Sheila and Peter recounted how they came by Aine's cottage on their wedding night and ended up spending their honeymoon in the room upstairs. They talked about all the other visitors they met; poets, writers, and musicians who came here for some quiet and calm. Some also came for inspiration from the nearby Sperrin Mountains. They told of the unique visitors that they had met over many trips to the cottage.
The cottage had become a sort of respite for people stressed from busy lives. Aine treated all her guests as if they were friends, but knew their needs and catered to even the little things. Her garden was something that Sheila had helped with when she visited. Aine taught her about the different roses and plants so that Sheila could create her own garden when she left.
Sheila said that often it was difficult to get a room because of the popularity of the cottage, adding that Aine's cooking added to it's fame. While most B&B's were only busy on the weekends, Aines' cottage was busy every day.
It was about that time when Grace told Sheila and Peter that she was fixing up the cottage for sale as she lived and worked in Dublin. Sheila was heartbroken, and even Peter was teary-eyed.
“Is there no way that this B&B could stay open,” asked Sheila.
“Not unless the new owner wants to open it again, but I doubt it would be the same,” Grace felt bad for Sheila and Peter as they had just found the cottage again.
It was a late night and Grace knew she needed to wake up before Sheila and Peter in order to have breakfast ready for them. They did tell her they would be up a little late, so that gave Grace a little extra time. Her dreams were filled with images of what the B&B was like when it was full all the time seeing her grandmother moving throughout the rooms, chatting with all the guests, and cooking in the kitchen. If only the cottage could be like that again....
“That would be fine lassie. I'm Sheila, and this is my husband Peter. It's been such a long time since we've been here. Is the front room at the top of the stairs available?” Sheila was obviously familiar with the cottage.
“Yes, it is all set up for you. My name is Grace. I'm Aine's granddaughter. Please come in and I'll show you the room,” Grace thought she should at least sound like she ran a B&B.
“Sweetie, no problem, Peter and I know where the room is. It's where we spent our honeymoon,” Sheila replied with a wink in her eye.
“Have you had any supper yet?” Grace was thinking about the recipe she had tried earlier and had more than enough left overs.
“That would be wonderful. When we came here we always called ahead and asked Aine to have a meal for us.”
Sheila and Peter got settled in their room and washed up for supper. Sheila was bubbling with enjoyment about how fresh the room looked, and Peter just smiled as he looked at his wife. He was mostly quiet, but did thank Grace as she served the dinner.
Grace put out the roast pork and potatoes with a side of carrots and some brown bread she had made earlier. Sheila and Peter declined any wine with dinner, but they did accept an offer of some hot whiskey when dinner was over.
“Grace, please come and chat with us and let us know what has happened,” Sheila pressed Grace for some information.
Over the course of the next couple of hours Sheila and Peter recounted how they came by Aine's cottage on their wedding night and ended up spending their honeymoon in the room upstairs. They talked about all the other visitors they met; poets, writers, and musicians who came here for some quiet and calm. Some also came for inspiration from the nearby Sperrin Mountains. They told of the unique visitors that they had met over many trips to the cottage.
The cottage had become a sort of respite for people stressed from busy lives. Aine treated all her guests as if they were friends, but knew their needs and catered to even the little things. Her garden was something that Sheila had helped with when she visited. Aine taught her about the different roses and plants so that Sheila could create her own garden when she left.
Sheila said that often it was difficult to get a room because of the popularity of the cottage, adding that Aine's cooking added to it's fame. While most B&B's were only busy on the weekends, Aines' cottage was busy every day.
It was about that time when Grace told Sheila and Peter that she was fixing up the cottage for sale as she lived and worked in Dublin. Sheila was heartbroken, and even Peter was teary-eyed.
“Is there no way that this B&B could stay open,” asked Sheila.
“Not unless the new owner wants to open it again, but I doubt it would be the same,” Grace felt bad for Sheila and Peter as they had just found the cottage again.
It was a late night and Grace knew she needed to wake up before Sheila and Peter in order to have breakfast ready for them. They did tell her they would be up a little late, so that gave Grace a little extra time. Her dreams were filled with images of what the B&B was like when it was full all the time seeing her grandmother moving throughout the rooms, chatting with all the guests, and cooking in the kitchen. If only the cottage could be like that again....
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
All Roads Lead to Swatragh - Chapter 16
Grace returned from the nursery in Maghera with a trunk load of flowers and herbs. She chose plants that would add color to the front garden and herbs that would add some interesting scent. She was anxious to plant the colorful flowers to brighten up the cottage and to go with the paint that Donnie would bring.
As she drove down the narrow road to the cottage she could spot the yellow cottage from quite a ways away. It was a little brighter than she planned on but the paint was at a good price and did make the place stand out. Now it really needed the color of the flowers that she had purchased. Donnie waved to her as she pulled in the driveway.
“So how's it look, lassie?” he called from up on the ladder.
“Bright and fresh, Donnie,” Grace was smiling at the color with the cottage looking like a flower in full bloom. “Are you ready for some lunch?” she called to Donnie.
“Be down in just a few, lassie. I just want to finish up around this window.”
Grace left the plants in the car and headed for the kitchen to put together some lunch for Donnie. Part of their deal was that she would provide him with lunch while he was painting. She brewed a nice large cup of tea to go with the biscuits and ham that were now part of her regular inventory as she tested Aine's recipes.
Grace sat on the porch with Donnie as he ate and talked about the Swatragh area and his life growing up in the countryside. She refilled his tea, and brought him some cookies she had baked. Donnie could not compliment her enough on the tasty lunch and told her he looked forward to what she had in store for him the rest of the week. He kidded that he might prolong the painting just so he could sample more meals. They both laughed at his humor as he finished up the cookies.
Donnie headed back to his ladder and started to paint the trim a nice bright white while Grace unloaded the flowers and plants from the car. As she looked over the garden as it was, she carefully placed the flowers to bring out the pathway to the front entry and fill in any empty spaces left from flowers that had died during the time the cottage was empty. Since Donnie had completed painting the front of the cottage, Grace could look at it as if it was completely painted even though Donnie needed to finish the sides and back.
A short stone wall divided the road from the gravel entrance and garden. For this Grace bought some Sweetheart Roses. The tag said Cecile Brunner, but she had seen these roses at some of the gardens in Dublin. They would eventually cover the stone wall beautifully with pink blooms. She also bought some for the side of the house were the old climbing rose had to be pulled. It would take some time for them to really develop, but as they aged, they would be stunning.
As for the herbs in the garden Grace bought English Lavender, Feverfew, and Black-Eyed Susan. These would fill in the empty spaces where weeds had wanted to take over.
After placing all the pots around the garden, Grace stepped back and looked at the front of the cottage. It was as if she had transported back in time to when she came to visit as a young girl. She shook off the feeling as quickly as it came. Can't be too nostalgic, she told herself.
Time to get planting. It was late afternoon when Donnie appeared around the front of the cottage looking at Grace covered in dirt from working on planting her purchases. Gardening was not Grace's strong suit, but she knew how to dig a hole and put in a plant with some watering. Grace was a woman on a mission. She wanted to get back to Dublin and get this place on the market for sale.
“Time I'm heading home for today, lassie. Looks like you've got yourself quite a project there,” Donnie chuckled as Grace tried to brush some dirt off of her face.
“I'm doing fine Donnie. A little dirt never hurt anyone,” Grace smiled back.
“The morrow then,” Donnie said a he climbed into his truck and drove away.
Grace finished up the planting and headed inside to shower. She had worked up an appetite for dinner from all the planting and had another of Aine's recipes to try for tonight.
As she drove down the narrow road to the cottage she could spot the yellow cottage from quite a ways away. It was a little brighter than she planned on but the paint was at a good price and did make the place stand out. Now it really needed the color of the flowers that she had purchased. Donnie waved to her as she pulled in the driveway.
“So how's it look, lassie?” he called from up on the ladder.
“Bright and fresh, Donnie,” Grace was smiling at the color with the cottage looking like a flower in full bloom. “Are you ready for some lunch?” she called to Donnie.
“Be down in just a few, lassie. I just want to finish up around this window.”
Grace left the plants in the car and headed for the kitchen to put together some lunch for Donnie. Part of their deal was that she would provide him with lunch while he was painting. She brewed a nice large cup of tea to go with the biscuits and ham that were now part of her regular inventory as she tested Aine's recipes.
Grace sat on the porch with Donnie as he ate and talked about the Swatragh area and his life growing up in the countryside. She refilled his tea, and brought him some cookies she had baked. Donnie could not compliment her enough on the tasty lunch and told her he looked forward to what she had in store for him the rest of the week. He kidded that he might prolong the painting just so he could sample more meals. They both laughed at his humor as he finished up the cookies.
Donnie headed back to his ladder and started to paint the trim a nice bright white while Grace unloaded the flowers and plants from the car. As she looked over the garden as it was, she carefully placed the flowers to bring out the pathway to the front entry and fill in any empty spaces left from flowers that had died during the time the cottage was empty. Since Donnie had completed painting the front of the cottage, Grace could look at it as if it was completely painted even though Donnie needed to finish the sides and back.
A short stone wall divided the road from the gravel entrance and garden. For this Grace bought some Sweetheart Roses. The tag said Cecile Brunner, but she had seen these roses at some of the gardens in Dublin. They would eventually cover the stone wall beautifully with pink blooms. She also bought some for the side of the house were the old climbing rose had to be pulled. It would take some time for them to really develop, but as they aged, they would be stunning.
As for the herbs in the garden Grace bought English Lavender, Feverfew, and Black-Eyed Susan. These would fill in the empty spaces where weeds had wanted to take over.
After placing all the pots around the garden, Grace stepped back and looked at the front of the cottage. It was as if she had transported back in time to when she came to visit as a young girl. She shook off the feeling as quickly as it came. Can't be too nostalgic, she told herself.
Time to get planting. It was late afternoon when Donnie appeared around the front of the cottage looking at Grace covered in dirt from working on planting her purchases. Gardening was not Grace's strong suit, but she knew how to dig a hole and put in a plant with some watering. Grace was a woman on a mission. She wanted to get back to Dublin and get this place on the market for sale.
“Time I'm heading home for today, lassie. Looks like you've got yourself quite a project there,” Donnie chuckled as Grace tried to brush some dirt off of her face.
“I'm doing fine Donnie. A little dirt never hurt anyone,” Grace smiled back.
“The morrow then,” Donnie said a he climbed into his truck and drove away.
Grace finished up the planting and headed inside to shower. She had worked up an appetite for dinner from all the planting and had another of Aine's recipes to try for tonight.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Dream Trip - Chapter 17/Epilogue
The alarm was a rude awakening, but the girls were up and taking turns in the shower quickly so they could get to the airport with plenty of time. Their flight was to depart at 10:30am. They could hardly believe their trip was about to end. The reality of the end of the trip had not hit any of them yet.
After dragging their luggage outside the hotel door and getting everything loaded into the taxi that reality started to hit. Suddenly they were all quiet as they watched out the window the scenery they had seen when they arrived. They got all checked in and stopped at the duty free shops to pick up a few last minute gifts before heading to customs. After customs they were ready to sit down and wait until boarding time.
Each of the girls was lost in their own thoughts of the trip, and the normal constant chatter had turned into self reflection until their cell phones began to ring. They had planned to call the lads, but the lads had beat them to it. So much for self reflection, the chatter was back and each of the girls was retelling the events of the night before, how excited they were about the videos, laughing at things said from the other end, and softly sharing some special comments meant only for each couple. The most quiet were the good-byes. And as quickly as the calls came, they ended.
The call came to board the flight to the US and as the girls too one last look from the plane window, they all knew they had experienced a very special dream trip.
............
Epilogue
Things had pretty much returned to normal for the girls after they returned. Pictures were shared and tales were told. The remaining days of summer passed quickly. As the girls settled into their regular routines with work and college the events of the summer became a special memory.
And then one day at the beginning of October a package arrived for Mona. She quickly called the other girls to meet with her as it was from Ireland and she had a feeling that they should all be together. As she opened the package she found the pictures from the photo shoot and the 4 videos that the girls created. There was also a fifth video.
They put the DVD in the player and watched. It was called Celtic Thunder and they all sat with their eyes wide as they saw each of the guys in this amazing musical production. There was also an envelope with four front row tickets to a performance in two weeks at a venue near them including an invitation to meet with the lads after the show.
The lads had been holding out on the girls and now they would all get to see each other again. Front row seats watching their favorite Irish men. Who could ask for more!
After dragging their luggage outside the hotel door and getting everything loaded into the taxi that reality started to hit. Suddenly they were all quiet as they watched out the window the scenery they had seen when they arrived. They got all checked in and stopped at the duty free shops to pick up a few last minute gifts before heading to customs. After customs they were ready to sit down and wait until boarding time.
Each of the girls was lost in their own thoughts of the trip, and the normal constant chatter had turned into self reflection until their cell phones began to ring. They had planned to call the lads, but the lads had beat them to it. So much for self reflection, the chatter was back and each of the girls was retelling the events of the night before, how excited they were about the videos, laughing at things said from the other end, and softly sharing some special comments meant only for each couple. The most quiet were the good-byes. And as quickly as the calls came, they ended.
The call came to board the flight to the US and as the girls too one last look from the plane window, they all knew they had experienced a very special dream trip.
............
Epilogue
Things had pretty much returned to normal for the girls after they returned. Pictures were shared and tales were told. The remaining days of summer passed quickly. As the girls settled into their regular routines with work and college the events of the summer became a special memory.
And then one day at the beginning of October a package arrived for Mona. She quickly called the other girls to meet with her as it was from Ireland and she had a feeling that they should all be together. As she opened the package she found the pictures from the photo shoot and the 4 videos that the girls created. There was also a fifth video.
They put the DVD in the player and watched. It was called Celtic Thunder and they all sat with their eyes wide as they saw each of the guys in this amazing musical production. There was also an envelope with four front row tickets to a performance in two weeks at a venue near them including an invitation to meet with the lads after the show.
The lads had been holding out on the girls and now they would all get to see each other again. Front row seats watching their favorite Irish men. Who could ask for more!
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Dream Trip - Chapter 16
Morning came all too quickly with the late night, early morning, celebration with the lads that the girls had all enjoyed. It was time to pack up and head back to Dublin for one last night in Ireland. Suitcases were bursting at the seams and there were still a few more souvenirs to purchase for friends back home. For one last time the girls loaded the car and headed east.
All during their ride they chatted about all the places they had seen, places they had missed and plans to make another trip to Ireland as soon as they could. Even with all that, most of their conversation centered around meeting Ryan, Paul, Damian and Keith. They considered themselves to be very lucky to have met some amazing talented lads all by chance.
Briana brought up Damian's comment about seeing her in the States and the other girls agreed that there must have been some hidden message in what the lads were telling them. There was not enough information for them to figure this out, and they decided to wait for the adventure to come to them as they had when they planned their trip to Ireland.
Accommodations for the night were a splurge at the Fitzwilliam Hotel. It was close to St. Stephen's Green and also Grafton Street and all the shopping they would need for the day. Most other locations were within walking distance. The girls drove out to the airport first to drop off the car and took a taxi back into town. They didn't want to have to deal with trying to return the car early in the morning and then checking in for their flight. It seemed that the clerk at the front desk at the hotel knew them, but they had never met before.
They were escorted up to their room and were very surprised when the door was opened. This was no regular room, it was a suite! Not what they had signed up for. As Mona turned to the bellman, he smiled and said, “This was what they wanted for you.” And the girls knew at once that their lads had something to do with this. As they entered the room there was a huge bouquet of flowers on the center table with a note.
“We couldn't let you four beautiful ladies leave Ireland without a last night to remember. We can't be with you, but we have made arrangements for the evening. Be downstairs dressed for an evening out in 'the big smoke' at 7:00.” signed Paul, Ryan, Keith and Damian.
The girls were without words. This was truly a dream trip. They had no idea what to expect, but started getting ready as soon as they read the note. When they arrived in the lobby there was a college aged girl who approached them.
“Hi girls, me name's Aisling and the lads have given me instructions to help you have a great last night here in Dublin,” Aisling told the girls. “So let's get going!”
Aisling was great, and the girls liked her immediately. They headed toward Temple Bar and Oliver St. John Gogarty's. for some Irish dance lessons and a trad music session while they had some drinks. Aisling took pictures as the girls each had their try at dancing. Before long they were all sitting and heartily laughing.
“Time to move on girls,” Aisling directed, “We've got more to do this evening.”
Aisling hailed a taxi and as they all climbed in she directed the driver to the Gaiety Theater. As they pulled up there was a huge crowd outside starting to enter. The Gaiety was a restored Victorian theater originally built in 1871. The restoration was amazing right down the to old fire curtain. The production this night was Riverdance.
“Can't let you lassies leave without seeing an Irish production of Riverdance,” Aisling said. “I'll meet you all outside after the show. I've a few last minute things to take care of for the lads.”
The show was great and so were the second row seats. The girls could closely see the dance steps and movement of the dancers feet. Great music, costumes, and a wonderful overall performance.
As the girls left the theater Aisling was outside with another taxi.
“One last stop tonight girls and I hope this one really makes your trip memorable. Ha' Penny Bridge, driver,” Aisling shouted to the taxi driver.
The girls and Aisling exited the taxi at the Ha' Penny Bridge. As they girls headed toward the bridge access they noticed some bright lights and a set up that looked like a movie set.
“Okay, girls, this is your moment in the spotlight. You are each going to have a photo shoot and short video to make,” Aisling was smiling as she explained. “You will get both to keep, but so will the lads! So think carefully about what you say!”
After a short consultation with photographer, and each other, the girls started their video blog and photo shoot. Mona spoke about her expectations for an adventure in her trip and how honored she was to meet such a gentleman as Paul. Darcy spoke about how beautiful and scenic the landscape was everywhere they traveled, especially Giant's Causeway where she first met her 'hero', Ryan. How lucky she was to meet such a caring man. Briana followed with her blog to Damian. Briana's biggest memory was the time she spent walking the ancient walls of Derry. How amazing to be able to play some soccer in Derry with Damian. She apologized for beating him even if it was two on one! And finally Caitlin did her video memory including Keith. She mentioned how she would always be on the look out for another Big Red and definitely wanted to take some surfing lessons. Watching the surfers along the coast was a special memory. Yeowww!! She told him how he made her smile and how much she loved his voice when he sang.
After the video blogs the photographer set up the girls along the bridge edge for some solo photos and a few group photos. As this all happened the girls noticed that they had drawn quite a crowd thinking that they might be celebrities. They giggled at the thought as they finished up the photo shoot.
It was getting into the wee hours of the morning and the girls had an early flight. Aisling rode back to the hotel with them in the taxi and bid them farewell. They exchanged addresses so they could keep in touch and invited Aisling to come to America as they would love so show her around.
As the girls did their last packing they chatted about how amazing this last evening had been. They wanted to make sure to call each of the lads before the plane took off to thank them for this incredible evening and everything they had done. They couldn't wait to get the videos and pictures.
All during their ride they chatted about all the places they had seen, places they had missed and plans to make another trip to Ireland as soon as they could. Even with all that, most of their conversation centered around meeting Ryan, Paul, Damian and Keith. They considered themselves to be very lucky to have met some amazing talented lads all by chance.
Briana brought up Damian's comment about seeing her in the States and the other girls agreed that there must have been some hidden message in what the lads were telling them. There was not enough information for them to figure this out, and they decided to wait for the adventure to come to them as they had when they planned their trip to Ireland.
Accommodations for the night were a splurge at the Fitzwilliam Hotel. It was close to St. Stephen's Green and also Grafton Street and all the shopping they would need for the day. Most other locations were within walking distance. The girls drove out to the airport first to drop off the car and took a taxi back into town. They didn't want to have to deal with trying to return the car early in the morning and then checking in for their flight. It seemed that the clerk at the front desk at the hotel knew them, but they had never met before.
They were escorted up to their room and were very surprised when the door was opened. This was no regular room, it was a suite! Not what they had signed up for. As Mona turned to the bellman, he smiled and said, “This was what they wanted for you.” And the girls knew at once that their lads had something to do with this. As they entered the room there was a huge bouquet of flowers on the center table with a note.
“We couldn't let you four beautiful ladies leave Ireland without a last night to remember. We can't be with you, but we have made arrangements for the evening. Be downstairs dressed for an evening out in 'the big smoke' at 7:00.” signed Paul, Ryan, Keith and Damian.
The girls were without words. This was truly a dream trip. They had no idea what to expect, but started getting ready as soon as they read the note. When they arrived in the lobby there was a college aged girl who approached them.
“Hi girls, me name's Aisling and the lads have given me instructions to help you have a great last night here in Dublin,” Aisling told the girls. “So let's get going!”
Aisling was great, and the girls liked her immediately. They headed toward Temple Bar and Oliver St. John Gogarty's. for some Irish dance lessons and a trad music session while they had some drinks. Aisling took pictures as the girls each had their try at dancing. Before long they were all sitting and heartily laughing.
“Time to move on girls,” Aisling directed, “We've got more to do this evening.”
Aisling hailed a taxi and as they all climbed in she directed the driver to the Gaiety Theater. As they pulled up there was a huge crowd outside starting to enter. The Gaiety was a restored Victorian theater originally built in 1871. The restoration was amazing right down the to old fire curtain. The production this night was Riverdance.
“Can't let you lassies leave without seeing an Irish production of Riverdance,” Aisling said. “I'll meet you all outside after the show. I've a few last minute things to take care of for the lads.”
The show was great and so were the second row seats. The girls could closely see the dance steps and movement of the dancers feet. Great music, costumes, and a wonderful overall performance.
As the girls left the theater Aisling was outside with another taxi.
“One last stop tonight girls and I hope this one really makes your trip memorable. Ha' Penny Bridge, driver,” Aisling shouted to the taxi driver.
The girls and Aisling exited the taxi at the Ha' Penny Bridge. As they girls headed toward the bridge access they noticed some bright lights and a set up that looked like a movie set.
“Okay, girls, this is your moment in the spotlight. You are each going to have a photo shoot and short video to make,” Aisling was smiling as she explained. “You will get both to keep, but so will the lads! So think carefully about what you say!”
After a short consultation with photographer, and each other, the girls started their video blog and photo shoot. Mona spoke about her expectations for an adventure in her trip and how honored she was to meet such a gentleman as Paul. Darcy spoke about how beautiful and scenic the landscape was everywhere they traveled, especially Giant's Causeway where she first met her 'hero', Ryan. How lucky she was to meet such a caring man. Briana followed with her blog to Damian. Briana's biggest memory was the time she spent walking the ancient walls of Derry. How amazing to be able to play some soccer in Derry with Damian. She apologized for beating him even if it was two on one! And finally Caitlin did her video memory including Keith. She mentioned how she would always be on the look out for another Big Red and definitely wanted to take some surfing lessons. Watching the surfers along the coast was a special memory. Yeowww!! She told him how he made her smile and how much she loved his voice when he sang.
After the video blogs the photographer set up the girls along the bridge edge for some solo photos and a few group photos. As this all happened the girls noticed that they had drawn quite a crowd thinking that they might be celebrities. They giggled at the thought as they finished up the photo shoot.
It was getting into the wee hours of the morning and the girls had an early flight. Aisling rode back to the hotel with them in the taxi and bid them farewell. They exchanged addresses so they could keep in touch and invited Aisling to come to America as they would love so show her around.
As the girls did their last packing they chatted about how amazing this last evening had been. They wanted to make sure to call each of the lads before the plane took off to thank them for this incredible evening and everything they had done. They couldn't wait to get the videos and pictures.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
The Dream Trip - Chapter 15
This had been an amazing adventure for the four girls. As the limo arrived at the hotel, one by one, each couple left the limo as the lad escorted his date to their room to say a private good night. With the exception of Damian and Briana tender kisses and long embraces were had by all.
Damian was the first to escort Briana to the room. Their good-bye was a little awkward as their age demanded certain behavior. After some small talk Damian leaned in to Briana and kissed her on the cheek. This time Briana was not surprised as she was when they first met in Derry and returned a kiss on Damian's cheek. Damian wrapped his long arms around Briana as she did hers around him. They were new friends saying good-bye and held on for just a bit to keep the memory fresh. As they parted Damian whispered in Briana's ear, “See you in the States!” and turned to leave as she entered the room quite surprised at what she heard.
Keith and Caitlin had a similar awkward moment, but when Caitlin turned to Keith and said, “I'll miss riding in Big Red.” a big grin crossed Keith's face. He leaned in to her as he pulled her close. Caitlin had to stand on her tiptoes and almost felt Keith lift her off the ground as he took her breath away with a kiss to be remembered and strong hug to go with it. “Take some surfing lessons,” he said as he turned to leave. “You never know where you might find me again!”
Ryan was next to leave the limo with Darcy. He had his arm around her shoulder as they entered the hotel and never took it away all the way to the room. As they approached the door, he gently moved Darcy from beside him to in front of him. Ryan took his hands and put them on Darcy's face and pulled her close. As he did his hands moved back through her hair and around her head holding her in a soft, long lingering kiss. Darcy was almost light headed and hung on to Ryan moving her head to his shoulder after the kiss. “Who is going to help me the next time I sprain my ankle?” Darcy asked.
“You never know how things might change in time, Darcy,” was Ryan's answer. He gently kissed her on the head, turned her to the door and watched her enter, then left.
Mona and Paul had been quiet all this time in the limo. As Ryan returned they both knew it was their time to part. Paul kept his arm around Mona's waist much like he did the night of the concert. As they neared the door Paul asked, “Do you ever visit New York City?”
Mona was surprised by this question coming out of the blue. “I've been there a couple of times, but have never had a reason to really go back.”
“We'll have to keep in touch, as you may have found a reason,” as Paul winked and pulled Mona close.
If Mona was looking for Prince Charming she knew that she had just found him. A long intense kiss with strong arms supporting her was all she could remember at the moment. Was she in a dream? She opened her eyes as Paul broke the kiss and pulled away. There was that smile and twinkle in his eyes that she saw in the beginning. A prince of a man. He nodded his head, turned and headed back down the hall to the elevator and the limo. Mona floated into the room.
As the girls drifted off to sleep for the few hours left of the night they all dreamed of their perfect man. This trip to Ireland had been everything they had hoped it would be, and even more. Tomorrow they would travel back to Dublin for one last night before heading home.
Damian was the first to escort Briana to the room. Their good-bye was a little awkward as their age demanded certain behavior. After some small talk Damian leaned in to Briana and kissed her on the cheek. This time Briana was not surprised as she was when they first met in Derry and returned a kiss on Damian's cheek. Damian wrapped his long arms around Briana as she did hers around him. They were new friends saying good-bye and held on for just a bit to keep the memory fresh. As they parted Damian whispered in Briana's ear, “See you in the States!” and turned to leave as she entered the room quite surprised at what she heard.
Keith and Caitlin had a similar awkward moment, but when Caitlin turned to Keith and said, “I'll miss riding in Big Red.” a big grin crossed Keith's face. He leaned in to her as he pulled her close. Caitlin had to stand on her tiptoes and almost felt Keith lift her off the ground as he took her breath away with a kiss to be remembered and strong hug to go with it. “Take some surfing lessons,” he said as he turned to leave. “You never know where you might find me again!”
Ryan was next to leave the limo with Darcy. He had his arm around her shoulder as they entered the hotel and never took it away all the way to the room. As they approached the door, he gently moved Darcy from beside him to in front of him. Ryan took his hands and put them on Darcy's face and pulled her close. As he did his hands moved back through her hair and around her head holding her in a soft, long lingering kiss. Darcy was almost light headed and hung on to Ryan moving her head to his shoulder after the kiss. “Who is going to help me the next time I sprain my ankle?” Darcy asked.
“You never know how things might change in time, Darcy,” was Ryan's answer. He gently kissed her on the head, turned her to the door and watched her enter, then left.
Mona and Paul had been quiet all this time in the limo. As Ryan returned they both knew it was their time to part. Paul kept his arm around Mona's waist much like he did the night of the concert. As they neared the door Paul asked, “Do you ever visit New York City?”
Mona was surprised by this question coming out of the blue. “I've been there a couple of times, but have never had a reason to really go back.”
“We'll have to keep in touch, as you may have found a reason,” as Paul winked and pulled Mona close.
If Mona was looking for Prince Charming she knew that she had just found him. A long intense kiss with strong arms supporting her was all she could remember at the moment. Was she in a dream? She opened her eyes as Paul broke the kiss and pulled away. There was that smile and twinkle in his eyes that she saw in the beginning. A prince of a man. He nodded his head, turned and headed back down the hall to the elevator and the limo. Mona floated into the room.
As the girls drifted off to sleep for the few hours left of the night they all dreamed of their perfect man. This trip to Ireland had been everything they had hoped it would be, and even more. Tomorrow they would travel back to Dublin for one last night before heading home.
The Dream Trip - Chapter 14
As they finished their dinner and dessert Ryan excused himself for a moment and then was back at the table nodding to Keith, Damian and Paul. The guys, as perfect gentlemen, helped to direct the girls back to the entrance of the restaurant. The girls figured they would be hailing a taxi and heading back to the hotel as it was around 10:00, but that was not the case.
When they exited the restaurant there was a black limousine waiting just outside the door. Ryan directed, “Just this way lassies.” and they all entered the limo. The girls had no idea what was to come next.
The limo driver only drove about ten minutes before he pulled up in front of another location. The girls couldn't see where it was with the tinted windows and the fact it was night outside, but as soon as they exited the limo they started to chuckle. The sign on the building said Rafters Bar and Restaurant. Right below the name was a sign that said “Karaoke Nightly”. When the girls saw this they knew was the lads had in mind.
They all entered and headed toward some seating that seemed to be reserved near the karaoke stage. Paul headed over to get things set up and Damian begged to be first. Halfway though his song, Paul jumped on to the stage to sing along. When Keith took his turn, Ryan almost bumped him off the stage to get some time at the microphone. Before they knew it the girls were standing along side the lads singing songs with them. The Guinness was flowing for most of them. Ryan preferred Grey Goose and cranberry, Paul liked his Bud Light, while Damian and Brianna stayed with non-alcoholic beverages.
At times there was so much laughter they were almost in tears. Darcy actually had a very good voice and the lads were impressed with her version of “I Will Survive”. They moved from genre to genre as the evening wore on. Keith doing some country with Wichita Lineman, and Damian doing a great Bobby Darrin version of Mack the Knife. Paul love to chose songs totally out of his genre and put his spin on them, while Ryan chose most of the softer songs. That all was until the lads were thoroughly relaxed and started to parody each other.
Before anyone realized it, the bar had emptied and they were the only ones left. Sadly it was time for the evening to end. They all headed out to the limo. Each of the girls sat closely snuggled with her date as the limo drove them back to the hotel. The girls dreaded the end of the evening knowing that it also meant that their vacation was coming to an end.
When they exited the restaurant there was a black limousine waiting just outside the door. Ryan directed, “Just this way lassies.” and they all entered the limo. The girls had no idea what was to come next.
The limo driver only drove about ten minutes before he pulled up in front of another location. The girls couldn't see where it was with the tinted windows and the fact it was night outside, but as soon as they exited the limo they started to chuckle. The sign on the building said Rafters Bar and Restaurant. Right below the name was a sign that said “Karaoke Nightly”. When the girls saw this they knew was the lads had in mind.
They all entered and headed toward some seating that seemed to be reserved near the karaoke stage. Paul headed over to get things set up and Damian begged to be first. Halfway though his song, Paul jumped on to the stage to sing along. When Keith took his turn, Ryan almost bumped him off the stage to get some time at the microphone. Before they knew it the girls were standing along side the lads singing songs with them. The Guinness was flowing for most of them. Ryan preferred Grey Goose and cranberry, Paul liked his Bud Light, while Damian and Brianna stayed with non-alcoholic beverages.
At times there was so much laughter they were almost in tears. Darcy actually had a very good voice and the lads were impressed with her version of “I Will Survive”. They moved from genre to genre as the evening wore on. Keith doing some country with Wichita Lineman, and Damian doing a great Bobby Darrin version of Mack the Knife. Paul love to chose songs totally out of his genre and put his spin on them, while Ryan chose most of the softer songs. That all was until the lads were thoroughly relaxed and started to parody each other.
Before anyone realized it, the bar had emptied and they were the only ones left. Sadly it was time for the evening to end. They all headed out to the limo. Each of the girls sat closely snuggled with her date as the limo drove them back to the hotel. The girls dreaded the end of the evening knowing that it also meant that their vacation was coming to an end.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Dream Trip - Chapter 13
The taxi dropped off the girls at the front of the Quaywest Bar and Restaurant. As they got out of the taxi they noticed Paul standing at the doorway smiling. There was just something about the look in his eyes that said something was up. Mona caught that immediately, but still had no idea.
“Ladies, if you will follow me, please,” Paul said as he led the girls inside past the bar to an area of tables with one large empty table. He nodded at a waitress as he passed by her and she headed off somewhere.
Briana was curious as to where the other guys were and couldn't contain herself, “Where are the others?”
“All in good time, Briana. Have a seat here,” Paul directed each of the girls to a specific seat. The large table was quite a way back in the restaurant and was almost private as it was not too crowded yet.
As soon as the girls were seated Paul excused himself and told them he would be back in a minute. The girls looked as Paul as he left and then at each other with confusion. As soon as Paul left the girls heard some music. But it was not coming from the bar. It was coming from the door where Paul retreated.
Darcy turned and tapped Mona on the shoulder and motioned to the other girls to look at the door. Through the door came Paul, Ryan, Keith and Damian singing Will Ye Go Lassie, Go with Keith playing his guitar. The girls were in shock. As the guys came closer they noticed that each of the guys had a red rose to hand to their date. What amazed the girls was how well they sang in harmony as if they had done this together before. They seemed so at ease with each other as they sang. They knew that Paul and Ryan knew each other, but not about Keith and Damian.
As they finished the song and the girls clapped for them they all took seats next to the girls and handed them the red roses. This was without a doubt something very special and the girls wanted to savor every moment. They blushed with a little embarrassment and all started talking at once. And then the laughter started.
The guys did admit that they all knew each other professionally and had sung together before with some others in a tour through the US. The girls could not believe that they had never heard of the group that was promoted through PBS. They figured that other than the fact they didn't watch much PBS, their personal lives were very busy and they really had not gone to many concerts. They promised the lads that the next tour they would be front and center.
It was an incredible evening. All the couples enjoyed the evening and it was entirely too short. The restaurant had delicious food and they all enjoyed a small glass of wine to toast that they were all together. Each couple looked like they had known each other for a long time and meshed well.
Darcy and Ryan were busy talking sports a lot of the evening, while Mona and Paul discussed travel and music in general. Briana and Damian were busy chatting about soccer and unforgettable games they had played, and Caitlin and Keith talked about traveling the world and Keith's surfing.
Before they knew it dinner was done and all eight finished a small desert dish. The girls figured that the evening would be soon coming to an end, but the lads had something else in mind. They knew that the next day the girls would be heading back to Dublin, and then on back home and wanted to make this evening something for them to remember. Since the lads all had music in common they wanted to end the evening with a fun event.
“Ladies, if you will follow me, please,” Paul said as he led the girls inside past the bar to an area of tables with one large empty table. He nodded at a waitress as he passed by her and she headed off somewhere.
Briana was curious as to where the other guys were and couldn't contain herself, “Where are the others?”
“All in good time, Briana. Have a seat here,” Paul directed each of the girls to a specific seat. The large table was quite a way back in the restaurant and was almost private as it was not too crowded yet.
As soon as the girls were seated Paul excused himself and told them he would be back in a minute. The girls looked as Paul as he left and then at each other with confusion. As soon as Paul left the girls heard some music. But it was not coming from the bar. It was coming from the door where Paul retreated.
Darcy turned and tapped Mona on the shoulder and motioned to the other girls to look at the door. Through the door came Paul, Ryan, Keith and Damian singing Will Ye Go Lassie, Go with Keith playing his guitar. The girls were in shock. As the guys came closer they noticed that each of the guys had a red rose to hand to their date. What amazed the girls was how well they sang in harmony as if they had done this together before. They seemed so at ease with each other as they sang. They knew that Paul and Ryan knew each other, but not about Keith and Damian.
As they finished the song and the girls clapped for them they all took seats next to the girls and handed them the red roses. This was without a doubt something very special and the girls wanted to savor every moment. They blushed with a little embarrassment and all started talking at once. And then the laughter started.
The guys did admit that they all knew each other professionally and had sung together before with some others in a tour through the US. The girls could not believe that they had never heard of the group that was promoted through PBS. They figured that other than the fact they didn't watch much PBS, their personal lives were very busy and they really had not gone to many concerts. They promised the lads that the next tour they would be front and center.
It was an incredible evening. All the couples enjoyed the evening and it was entirely too short. The restaurant had delicious food and they all enjoyed a small glass of wine to toast that they were all together. Each couple looked like they had known each other for a long time and meshed well.
Darcy and Ryan were busy talking sports a lot of the evening, while Mona and Paul discussed travel and music in general. Briana and Damian were busy chatting about soccer and unforgettable games they had played, and Caitlin and Keith talked about traveling the world and Keith's surfing.
Before they knew it dinner was done and all eight finished a small desert dish. The girls figured that the evening would be soon coming to an end, but the lads had something else in mind. They knew that the next day the girls would be heading back to Dublin, and then on back home and wanted to make this evening something for them to remember. Since the lads all had music in common they wanted to end the evening with a fun event.
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