Messages

Interesting fact: there's a place beside Lurgan called the Munchies.

Spelt Montiaghs though.

On the Bucky, Derek is going to have some bother when his 2000 punters realise there's not actually any in the Easter egg.

After moving from the north and trying to get a southern mortgage my guess is you'd be best to sit tight for a while, open Euro current & savings accounts in Kildare and pay into these regularly for about 6 months from your UK company account, before looking a mortgage. I have heard of mortgages based on overseas earnings e.g. for returning emigrants but they are at silly interest rates.

Today the Blueshirt Flanagan is allegedly representing Northern Nationalism at Stormont.Do you trust him? In recent days Adams has referred to Paisleys remarks to Mc Guinness back.in 07 "We dont need Englishmen to rule us". Why do Sinn Fein think we need freestaters then?

Flanagan represents no one other than the southern government who have a legal duty to be there, though it's hard to tell considering he has to be dragged kicking and screaming over the border.   

I had the SDLP at my door last night trying to convince me that I should get out to the polling station for this election and give them a preference as they are sure the potential is there for a second nationalist seat (well they would say that). While we know the Protestant population has been in the minority for some time, this has yet to reflected in the unionist voting patterns. Personally I'd have thought we were still three years away from the end of the unionist majority, but the SDLP seem to be conviced an increase of nationalist turnout (unlikely at the moment - esp without Duffy to shake things up) and the participation of the TUV could mean unionism won't get the two quotas. While the Stoops are playing a dangerous game i.e. unionist turnout could increase if this line gets widespread media attention, if true it would mean that unionism will be in the minority in the six counties for the first time since partition.   

5 years late but we got there in the end.

Looks like Mike TV is about to resign.

Things are getting interesting in Upper Bann after elimination of Alliance and now UUP are bottom of the list.

It will be interesting to see how much SDLP gains from elimination of Dobson to keep ahead of Toman.

Surely she will get more than Toman, however large or small that would be and so this is a rare SDLP gain?

SF activists in the count centre conceded a few hours ago that Kelly would leapfrog Toman to take the seat.

Number 3 is on the way in a few months.
Gonna have to change the wife's car and buy a car that will take 3 car seats.
Not much choice out there really. Leaning towards the 5008 or the Grand Scenic.
What did anyone here in the same situation buy? Would rather just get her a Passat or A4 but everyone tells me you won't fit 3 seats in them.

I had a Passat when we had three car seats, depends on the size of the seats. You might not get three 5-point seats in the back but we normally move them into a 3-point seat when they were about 3 or so anyway. The Passat will easily take two 5-points and a 3-point in the back (has an integrated booster seat as well) and another 5-point in the front passenger - can switch the air bag off for the rear facing seats. When the wife was driving on her own she always preferred the youngest in the front passenger anyway so she could stick a dummy in when needed.

Number 3 is on the way in a few months.
Gonna have to change the wife's car and buy a car that will take 3 car seats.
Not much choice out there really. Leaning towards the 5008 or the Grand Scenic.
What did anyone here in the same situation buy? Would rather just get her a Passat or A4 but everyone tells me you won't fit 3 seats in them.

Congrats LL!!

Is anyone elses place a feckin 'mad house'?? Have a 2, 4 & 6 yr old and itchy and scratchy wouldn't have a look in...if it's not the 4 & 6 year old, it's the 2 & 4 yr old...can't leave them for a minute. We try to limit electronics but sometimes it's the only way to get stuff done.

6 yr old is a sensitive buck, can't for the life of me get him to learn to ride a bike without stabilizers. He just won't do it. Is it a 'he'll just do it in his own time' thing or anyone else have a technique? I know he's only 6 and I shouldn't be judging him against others but I don't want him to be the only one not riding his bike.

We have six now, 7,6,4,3,2 and a few months. We ended up scrapping screens and video games a while back. Their behaviour after being slumped in front of a box for an hour or two was too much to tolerate. They all became lazy, mean, complaining little teenagers. Now they get a movie on a Saturday evening and maybe a Sunday if it's raining. Behaviour has been much better ever since.

With a larger family they all have their allies and enemies depending on which siblings are around. They'll all be angelic on their own or in single pairs but if they're all together the 7&6 and 4&3 year olds will tease constantly and be mean to each other. It tends to be the older ones trying to assert themselves. I think we make the mistake of treating them all equally - like older pair do everything together, same school, same football & hurling team, same music lessons, so the older one in particular doesn't really get a chance to 'be the oldest'. I think he tries to express that by trying to boss the other one around. Trick is just to notice the signs before he goes off on a 4 hour sulk after being told off for annoying the others. Usually worse in the evenings after a school day, so tiredness a lot to do with it as well.

As mentioned the balance bikes are good advice. We got one for the third oldest, let her fly around on it for a bit and went straight onto a bike without any bother. Her little bother was the same. The 2 year old is onto it now.   

Rented a house to two clowns who had a cat without permission. Only did one inspection after 6 months which they did well to mask signs of the cat. When they were moving out total damage from 'Basil' amounted to:

• 1 leather sofa scratched threadbare with balls of cat hair ingrained everywhere. Had to be thrown out
• downstairs carpet covered in large discoloured piss stains which couldn't be removed. Had to be replaced
• 3 sets of (faux) silk curtains with blackout lining had holes plucked in them, presumably from the thing climbing
• 3 sets net curtains had holes plucked in them. Thrown out
• upstairs carpet covered cat hair and smaller piss stains which couldn't be removed. Industrial carpet washer required
• antique doors, landing balustrades (120 years+) which I had spent weeks stripping, restoring and waxing, scratched to fk. Had to be sanded and rewaxed
• cat piss stains on polished slate hearth. Couldn't be fixed
• bed frames caked in cat hair. Mattresses had to be dumped
• back garden and yard covered in cat litter. Had to be power hosed for for nearly a day. Who knew cat litter was so hard to remove?
• kitchen kick-boards had been removed and had cat sh*t underneath along with tonnes of Christmas baubles the thing had been playing with. Serious clean and disinfect
• kitchen table legs and chairs scratched away to fk
• sitting room rugs and hallway runners had the binding scratched out so they began to fray and untangle badly. Stank with piss and hair. Thrown out
  
• smell in the whole house was putrid. Had to repaint all walls downstairs and most of upstairs

All from one little f**ker of a cat. One of the occupants runs his own (quite reputable) craft food business, so you'd think he was up to 'scratch' on animals and hygiene. Sold the house shortly after. Heartbreaking having to deal with that shite.     

[Also trying to navigate the ordnance survey website for maps and site plan. Am I best ringing the OS crowd. Nearly €50 for map online. Wondering is there a better way of going about the application. Any help appreciated!]

Looking for advice regarding connecting ESB power to dwelling.
Family bought land lately and looking to put pump house for a well for troughs and electric fencer. Farming land but hopefully plans to put a house on it in few years time. Do I put down as dwelling so as don't get charged commercial rates for power.
Also trying to navigate the ordnance survey website for maps and site plan. Am I best ringing the OS crowd. Nearly €50 for map online. Wondering is there a better way of going about the application. Any help appreciated!

Where are you based Helix? Not sure about other Co Councils, but my local Wexford provide all the maps online:
Follow the link: http://www.wexford.ie/wex/departments/planning/searchplanningapplications/ and then click on the iMaps button.

Definitely no guilt, 25 years of Section 31 censorship and the Stickie takeover at Montrose granted them absolution.

Watched the first episode on the BBC iPlayer last night. Good enough introduction to those who don't know much about the Commission, or the border areas for that matter.

Annulment can't be obtained if someone is cheating or abusive can it?

In themselves they wouldn't be grounds for an annulment because it would be expected you could forgive and mend the relationship. However if one party never intended on being faithful from the start or if the abuse was prolonged and causing harm or danger to the life of the other party, then there are grounds for annulment.

Oh, OK.

Puckoon, I'm simply putting the Catholic position as I see it and to be honest I can see the logic of that position. I may not agree with the rules of the Church but I take a keen interest in them and debate them with the wife. In doing so, I can now that my previous Marxist interpretation that they were were invented by hermits with too much time on their hands in order to subjugate people is wrong and that there is a certain logic and moral honesty in them. I also see that to the faithful, the Church and it's teachings are treasured and they are deeply hurt when the Church is betrayed by one of it's own - whether it be the breaking of vows in this case, the child abuse scandals or merely the conceitedness displayed by many Irish Bishops. 

Does your wife have something big she's trying to keep a lid on?

A vow is made at a point in time to be maintained with the best will in world. However, "to err is human" etc. so just because he has broken that vow after many years of, apparently sterling, service shouldn't sully the work he has done, nor does it make him a bad man overnight.

As Pints says it actually shows the public that priests are normal, they have a heart and aren't all predators preying on innocent young boys and girls.

Sounds like a loss to the Church but good luck to them.

If she does that would be between her and her priest not between her, her priest and his girlfriend.

I didn't say it makes him a bad man, but certain standards are expected from priests and that's what allows them into a position of trust. That he has failed to live up to those standards has caused damage to his Church and undermined the authority of other priests.