Overnight Visitor

After getting unpacked and doing all the laundry on Monday, I returned to work on Tuesday.  Paul's sister, Marie, was working in Dublin this week, so she stayed with us for the week.  Last night the two of us went to a couple of shops near our apartment, and when we were getting ready to leave we spotted an adorable little dog wandering around the parking lot.  We waited awhile to see if anyone was with her, but no one appeared.  We asked the security guard in the parking lot about her, and he said she had been there awhile but not with anyone.  She had a collar but no ID tags and was well looked after- beautiful coat and teeth.  We knew she had to be someone's pet and couldn't just leave her to wander near a busy road.

So, we tried taking her to the nearest Garda (police) station.  We were told that normally they would take her, but they had prisoners in all the cells and would have no place to put her.  They gave us the phone number of the dog warden, but when we rang, we got a message saying it was basically a 9-5 service.  We tried ringing another Garda station, but they wouldn't take her because technically she was found in the area of the first station.  There was no way we were going to let such a nice dog wander all night, so we took her back to the apartment.  Meanwhile, Paul was out getting my car serviced in an area where there is no mobile phone coverage, so he had no idea of our adventures.  When Paul finally got home at 11:30 last night he found us sitting up with the dog, and I'm pretty sure it was love at first sight!  He even let her up into the bed because she was whining.  

This morning I rang the dog warden to give the details of the dog but said that we would be more than willing to keep her until her owners were found.  She is such a good dog (perfectly house trained, didn't chew on anything!) that we couldn't bear the thought of her in a pound.  When I was finished with work I took her to a local vet to see if she had a microchip- no luck.  We printed posters, and when I was distributing the one to the security office of the parking lot where we found her, the worker said that someone had just been there with photos looking for the same dog.  We got in contact, and it was a very happy reunion between Penny and her owners.  Turns out their nephew had taken the dog out, switched it's collar with one of his friend's dogs, then lost the dog.  He didn't tell them until 11 at night because he didn't want to get in trouble!  At least it was a happy ending, and below is a photo of Penny.

Honeymoon in Jamaica

We got back this past Sunday night from a wonderful week in Jamaica.  We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, the Sandals Grande Ocho Rios.  After an eventful landing in Jamaica- it was raining, and we were going a bit too fast, so we touched down for about two seconds then took off right away again- we arrived at our resort on Saturday night, the 16th of May.  

We spent time reading, relaxing by the pool/beach, playing chess and ping pong, and enjoying the warmth!  Snorkeling and a glass-bottom boat ride were included at the resort, so we took part in those activities.  We also climbed Dunn's River Falls- Jamaica's famous landmark, went golfing, and spent most of a day at a nearby Sandals resort (Dunn's River).  The mornings were beautiful, and our jet lag worked in our favor.  We were awake by 7 each morning, so we were able to make the most of the day, as it usually got humid and rained in the afternoon.  It was a fantastic getaway!  Here are a few photos.

The beach at our resort

In our villa

Out on the course

After dinner one evening

At the Dunn's River Resort

The beach at the Dunn's River resort

At the Hard Rock Cafe in Ocho Rios

Enjoying one last drink- a virgin Jamaican Smile (half pina colada, half strawberry daiquiri) before getting on the bus back to the airport.

Hurry up Friday!

Our suitcases are packed, and Friday can't come soon enough!  We will be departing Friday evening for London, then on to Jamaica on Saturday to celebrate our belated honeymoon!  I cannot wait for a week of relaxation and warmth!  I'll be sure to get some photos up when we get back.

The first weekend in May was the Bank Holiday weekend, and there was a traditional Irish Music festival in Louisburgh.  We didn't take part in any of the "official" concerts, workshops, or dances, but all of the pubs had groups of musicians who would spontaneously start playing together.  There were also a lot of people around the town, so it was a fun weekend.  Below is Marie and me in Joe McNamara's, one of the pubs.

This past weekend we hosted a poker evening on Saturday.  Sadly, I did not defend my title, but I put up a good fight and ended up finishing third.  We also got a few final bits and pieces for the honeymoon, packed, went to the cinema (saw State of Play with Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck- quite good!), and I did my US tax return.  Now it's just a matter of making it through the work week!