The Big Freeze- Again and Again

We arrived back in Dublin on the morning of December 1st, and we were quite lucky to arrive when we did- the airport had been closed up until about an hour before we landed and closed again a few hours later due to snow. Ireland was experiencing freezing temperatures and snow for about five days before we got back, and it lasted another ten days after we got back. I made it to work each day, but we didn't do any home visits because the roads were so bad. The main roads were bad, and the secondary roads and estates were terrible. The army was driving the public health nurses around, but unfortunately us physios don't rank that high! Paul and I even got to go sledding- mind you, it was on a garbage bin lid because they don't sell sleds here!

We got a reprieve for about a week and a half before it hit again. In the week before Christmas, it took one of my co-workers 4 hours to get home one evening (typically a 30 minute drive)! We also lost water in our office because the pipes were frozen and again, no home visits because the roads were so bad. I finished up work on the morning of Thursday the 23rd, then Paul and I headed to Louisburgh. The drive took us 7 hours! Usually it's 3 1/2 to 4. We arrived safely though, so that's all that matters!

The freezing weather lasted until the day after Christmas, and when things started to thaw, pipes started bursting everywhere. Luckily Paul's parent's house was okay- they did have a burst pipe in the flat attached to their garage, but it was caught quickly and didn't do any real damage. So, Paul and his dad were very busy over Christmas fixing pipes! They were out until 3am Christmas night and rung in the New Year with their heads in a cupboard fixing a leak in a hot water heater!

I think I may start a business importing shovels...

This was the view from our dining room window during the first round of snow-