Diary of a busyish woman

Yesterday was a long day for us starting with production, then customers arrived to collect their orders and we did a few deliveries.  I had the unusual experience of being in the City in the late afternoon. Hayfield Manor kitchen was preparing Afternoon Teas - I felt like asking if 'there was any to spare, Sir', it looked so so good - variety, presentation and colour on a plate.Mouthwatering! Perry Street Market Café was absolutely buzzing and the aromas that wafted around were entrancing, but I couldn't stay. Another time, for sure. As I drove along from Half Moon St. and onto Academy St., I had to stop at the Paul St. pedestrian crossing. I looked right onto Paul St. and driving a van allowed me to look across the heads of most people. It was a moving mass - like an anthill that's been disturbed! Within yards, there was another sight - that of a man with a frown on his face standing just outside a restaurant, which appeared to be empty. But it's the empty rest

Still typing the ham labels and I've realised we've no more cooked spiced beef - not even enough for ourselves! I know we'll survive, but it's still a calamity. More ham orders last night, so William has to do a stocktake when he's finished picking everything this morning. Meanwhile I'll be heading to Cork to do a few extra deliveries. I might even take time out and get a cup of coffee - I hope. However until I return home and see what's left, I'm going to worry! I hate the idea of not being able to satisfy our customers. It's the nature of the job. In haste and until tomorrow Avril

For good or bad, it's the little things that we remember. On my own in our office trying to print off the labels for our ham orders. Yes, believe it or not, I actually do a separate label for every single piece of meat ordered directly from us. Having talked through how much meat each customer needs, then we must finish the job properly. As Willie says, 'attention to detail'. Slapdash doesn't work in the food business and neither do shortcuts. So this morning has been interesting. I spoke with one customer who told me that his ham was too big last year. Having discussed his numbers - 3-8, but only 5 eating meat probably, I recommended a kilo of our Rosscarbery Dry Cure Loin Bacon. If he needs another piece the day after St. Stephen's Day, it's surely better than looking at ham in the fridge on New Year's Eve! I've also been on the phone to a customer in France as we tried to co-ordinate a delivery by courier to a Dublin address. Result: everyone's ha

This is an open letter to the Road Safety Author ity and all concerned people: Coming home through Clonakilty Friday evening, I was stunned how many cars had no lights on in the middle of town at almost 5pm! It's dusk. Using lights helps people to see. Last week I was driving past C.U.H., when I realised that there was a cyclist in the cycle lane - no problem there - but nothing reflective on him or his bike. At 6am, there aren't too many cars out and about, but there are plenty of van & lorry drivers. If someone doesn't make an effort to ensure that he/she can be seen, then no driver should be liable for hitting the vehicle - bike, motorbike or car. That's harsh, but I'm tired of being scared out of my wits as I avoid people who aren't lit up. We now have theory tests and driving tests for everything, so a motorcyclist does tests for riding a motorbike safely; a car driver has to do the same to be able to drive a car; if one wants to hitch a trailer to

More years ago than I care to remember, I was a Girl Guide in Bandon , where I rose to the lofty heights of attaining my Gold Cords. I still have them, but they are just a tangible sign along with the host of badges I collected of the fun and the learning. Always having an interest in cooking, I managed to collect the Irish Cook, Cook and Outdoor Cook badges, but it's the recipes that I used that continue to draw me back. One such was this odd favourite of mine: Get a banana, wrap a slice of ham around it. Place in a lightly buttered dish and top with grated cheese. Bake for about 6-8 minutes at 180°C. Enjoy as a light nutritious meal. I wasn't prepared to switch on the oven tonight so my take on it was to chop 2 Caherbeg Free Range Dry Cure Streaky Rashers and cook them in an ungreased pan. Add in sliced banana. Toss for a few seconds to heat. Add two lightly beaten eggs. As the eggs begin to set, sprinkle with a little black pepper and some grated cheese. Remove from the he

I usually try to write my blog: Rosscarbery Recipes at least every two to three weeks and with one of my current recipes. At this time of year, all those good intentions go out the window as I have to focus on the physical work around our business, you know what I mean office work, production, deliveries and of course tastings. In respect of these, I know I'm going to be 'wired' because I always find that when I'm meeting interesting people, I learn so much it takes me a while to 'come down'. NO alcohol or other stimulants involved except perhaps for the coffee although I find that I restrict even that so that I get some rest. Waking up in the middle of the night with yet another thought of who I met, what wasn't done yesterday, what hasn't been planned and shared for tomorrow is the stuff of nightmares, I promise. You notice in my list of things to do, housework and cooking aren't mentioned because it really doesn't happen. I'm too busy an

Today, I enjoyed a few words with Fionnuala Harken & we reminisced. She owned the Little Italy Restaurant in Clonakilty, known to all and sundry as Fionnuala's. In fact, I don't ever remember calling it anything else and in recent years, if I needed to explain where Ashe Street is in Clonaklty, all I had to do was say it's the street where Fionnuala's was. Everybody knew! Now it's the home of The Farm restaurant and we're thrilled to be a supplier. For both of us our lives have changed considerably since our first meeting. Fionnuala's was a great place to get superb pizza etc in the company of two small children. Now of course she gets to take proper breaks while Willie has just completed our production and delivery plan right up to the first week in January 2015! Driving home from Clonakilty, I thought of the many people who live in a tunnel. I know I'm probably not going to explain myself very well, but I'll try. Growing up, entering the Ci

I was so thankful this morning to find it dry with a clear sky - I'm not an astronomer, but I love looking at the sky and thinking of those millions of stars we can see and the millions more we can't. It really puts things in perspective for me. Unfortunately rather than being in Cork at 6am, I'm still at home with a van that won't start. I'm trying to hold onto the earlier thankful thoughts, but it's hard. If we can get me van to start, then I'll have the worry all day that something will go wrong somewhere & I'll have to call for help. Honestly I really do hate the idea of doing that especially as I'm a complete numbskull when it comes to things under the hood of any vehicle. We'll see how the next few minutes go, but it doesn't look too good at the moment. Until tomorrow, or even a little later today.... Avril

Buying a present at any time is, in my opinion, a lottery. You have a good chance of getting it right but there are so many variables, it's more than possible to get it wrong too. Have I got it very right and very wrong? More times than I can count on fingers and toes. In my family, the stress has been reduced considerably since the introduction of Kris Kringle amongst the adults and the children. So all the first cousins buy a present for another cousin & there is a limit of €10. My two have had so much fun, I think, and have taken it very seriously to choose the right present for their recipients. The adults too have a price limit. The result is imaginative presents & just a few so no overloading. A few years ago, I bought a Hazel 'whip' each for Willie and the lads. No-one commented much, and after a few days the whips were planted by William. Later on that year, another member of the family enthusiastically wielded a strimmer and annihilated two of the three t

Went to bed last night dreading the thought of waking up this morning. I got a Code Orange warning from Met Éireann for fog. I'll endure rain or snow, but don't ask me to enjoy fog. It's invariably penetratingly damp and depressing. This morning, I'm pleasantly surprised because the sun is actually shining through some light cloud. It's a good morning. You know at this stage how my mind wanders and it took me along the road of mental health. I don't know if all the triggers for mental ill-health have been identified, but I can tell you this that if I was feeling down, it would have been extremely hard to drag myself out of bed this morning after last night's weather warning. Storms on the other hand I find exhilarating. Off to St. Fachtna's Cathedral for 11.30am service and then I think I'll go to see a hockey match in Clonakilty at 1pm. Why am I going? Well you may ask, but I was told last night one of my sisters is an umpire for it. It'll be

'My Coffee du Jour' Today is my day for catching up with Willie and the lads, and I'm even doing a bit of time in the kitchen/house. During the week, most conversation revolves around business in one form or another and it's easy to get stuck in that rut. What a joy this morning to get up and look forward to a leisurely cup of coffee (trying Cork Coffee Roasters today) Yesterday I was in the motor tax office and realised it's quite a while since I've been there. I truly dreaded going because it was the last working day in October and the queues are always out the door; it didn't help that I was landing there between 1 & 2pm - the busiest time of the day. What a shock to the system and a realisation of how much business is now done online. In front of me stood about 10 people with just three hatches open to customers. In the time I was there however, what came to me was that every one of those customers needed time to sort their queries, and what p

My post earlier this morning could be construed as depressing and no doubt it is for all caught up in this horrific spiral, and now for something entirely different, last Saturday morning was a busy one in Quish's S.V., Ballincollig with a number of different companies doing tastings. I ended up near the front door so lots of people told me they could smell the pudding, rashers and bacon as they arrived to do their shopping. Hopefully they found our products on the shelf over the weekend and took them home to see if they could achieve the same results. I expected two special visitors, Bill & Janet King ,  from Wales. Bill has to come over here regularly to stock up on things like buttermilk and flour for their Irish Soda Bread which Bill bakes and sells in Wales. I knew they had planned to visit Midleton Market , but their thoughtfulness in bringing me an Arbutus 'pain au chocolat' from the market courtesy of Deirdre meant so much and also gave me a good laugh. Deirdre

It's a busy time in many households, but yesterday I had a few minutes to listen to Seán O'Rourke on Radio 1 , and the piece stopped me in my tracks. I forgot that I was trying to cook something flavoursome for a very health conscious teen and work through some last minute.com stuff. Listen to it: to the couple who have meat at weekends and then it's always mince but during the week eat bread and fruit, and veg from their own garden because they simply don't have the money as they struggle to pay the mortgage to keep a roof over their heads; the man who is being put through hell by his bank even though he has been up front and straightforward when he got in trouble with payments, attended the doctor who wrote a letter to 'the bank' - the response horrified me: he received a 7 day notice to vacate his home with his family from 'the bank'! By calling it 'the bank', we neutralise the noun and that takes responsibility off real people. 'The

I can't believe we're over halfway through November. Today has been an extra long day in the unit but I'm looking forward to a Harp Recital in Bank of Ireland, Clonakilty, tomorrow. Last week to launch the Bank of Ireland Enterprise Week, they presented cheques to local charities from funds raised through various coffee mornings etc. It was really enjoyable to be there & tomorrow will be very special I have no doubt. All going well, I will have a fully charged phone & will be able to tweet a photo or two. Meanwhile ham orders are starting to trickle in, but I'm trying to ask everyone to have a chat with me before 8th December. I'll come back to this at another time. Meanwhile I'll be in Quish's S.V., Ballincollig on Saturday from 10am-1.30pm; then I'm looking forward to joining members of the newly formed West Cork Coeliac Support Group for Afternoon Tea in the Celtic Ross Hotel . If you're interested, check out the link as soon as possibl

I love delivering but sometimes wish I could write, talk and drive all at the same time as so many ideas swirl around. I had what I was going to write today all planned and then an email arrived and totally changed my thought processes. I'm a fan of the SLOW Food movement and we are fortunate in West Cork to have Frank Krawczyk spearheading the resurgence of this fantastic organisation. Having attended the dinner cooked by the 4-midable chefs, Karen, Carmel, Tessa & Caitlin, details for the next event were waiting for me this morning: Organico Cooks the Books! Come and join us for a bite to eat and a glass of wine on "Good, Clean and Fair" Terre Mardre Day in the newly and beautifully extended Organico Cafe. Date and time: 10th December from 5pm to 8pm . A celebration of 3 great books and short talks by the authors: Giana Ferguson , Karen Austin and Sally McKenna . A convivial, casual supper in Organico Cafe using inspiration from each book. €20 mem

It's always busy here on a Monday as orders arrive by telephone, text & email. Production carries on and then there's picking and invoices before the first deliveries of the week head out the door. Woe betide any of the family who might think of an excuse to avoid this routine (in the past few years, I've missed one day due to a medical appointment). The lads are absolutely superb though and would never dream of skiving off. Maybe because all of us have so much of our energy committed to it and our lives revolve around our business. This morning as we were slicing rashers, I began thinking of the variation in the size of the rashers and especially the free range. You'd think I was stuck in a groove as I regularly repeat that our pigs are not a 'one size fits all'. This is reflected in the rashers. Wandering around supermarkets and especially in our larger towns, it's easy to see why there is a disconnect between food production and the packaged product.

You all know I was heading for Maryborough House Hotel last night courtesy of AA Foodies & what a night it was. Basically, I was looking forward to a night out with pretty good food in good company. My friend, Elke O'Mahony, was also among the chosen and now I have another Twitter buddy, Claire. The positives to my night were: meeting such a lovely welcoming staff in Bellini's, who anticipated often before I thought I needed more water or wine; & regularly nudged me to my seat to enjoy the latest creation from the kitchen; the time that each person from AA & Maryborough took to ensure everyone was being looked after & not just the AA Foodie 10 (I like 'people watching'); Executive Chef, Brendan's, patience as he allowed us to make suggestions where we thought some tweaking was necessary - note the word 'tweaking' as I, for one, couldn't fault the dishes, quality, execution and presentation. I've often said it but I really do enjo

I know it's ages since I was on, but have been sort of busy. As I previously said, I had the privilege of being one of 10 people who were honoured to enjoy the new menu in Bellini's in the AA Hotel of the Year, Maryborough House , last Wednesday evening. A wonderful evening and it was great to meet a few more bloggers too. Home on Thursday, and in the middle of writing a post for this blog, there was a bit of a thunder storm. For the second time in recent months, our broadband coverage was knocked out in the processing unit. I didn't panic as on the last occasion when I rang Rapid Broadband , they very sensibly advised that they wouldn't send anyone to do repairs until the weather improved. By Friday, I knew it needed to be fixed so rang and they arrived yesterday morning. Meanwhile I was in Tullamore for the NPCpp (National Parents Council Post Primary) National Conference in Tullamore Court Hotel . The speakers were excellent and I was able to attend two of the thr

No writing yesterday as I was on the road all day, literally. It was dark for the first few hours leaving home & dark a couple of hours before I got back. Believe me, I'm not complaining. It's great to have the work. Please, please stay safe by being seen. The number of vehicles with no lights on in the city in the dark yesterday was crazy, but worse was to come as I drove home last night & if I hadn't seen the red jacket held by a pedestrian, I don't know what would have happened. It is terrifying to wear no reflection on dark days and we're going to see more of this before it gets brighter!  Boat Crews training on River Lee 11.11.14   Out on the road, I sometimes see some lovely or interesting things. Yesterday morning as I drove along the river from the Ballinure G.A.A.Club, Mahon, to Castle Café , Blackrock around 7.45am, I noticed these four boats on the river and the crews were having a grand chat. Of course, by the time, I'd parked &

Just downloaded my emails and what a lovely idea: up to 10 people will be notified on Monday, 10th November, if they will be the lucky people to attend a dinner hosted by AA in Maryborough House Hotel on Wednesday, 12th. I've entered because it would round out an already hectic day but more of that closer to the time. Today has been busy enough as I visited Cork City Hall to attend The Allergy & Free From Expo. I know that if you spoke to no-one, you could probably 'do' the exhibition in less than 10 minutes, but I always feel that if I engage with the exhibitors, I'll learn far more. So I do. Having been an exhibitor myself, I know what it's like as people give a cursory glance in passing but never ask anything! A total disaster, and depressing as well. Tomorrow, I know that one very interesting stand will be the Irish Skin Foundation as well as the Irish Asthmatic Association , but there is something to be gleaned from all of them as well as the talks and

An unexpected order meant braving the elements or in this case heavy incessant rain to drive to Scally's S.V., Clonakilty . Now that I'm indoors again, I'm determined to occupy myself with any chores that need to be done and won't take me out again, and that includes doing some writing. However before I sit to write a piece for a newspaper, I'm listening to Sean O'Rourke discussing a book called 'Being Mortal' with the author,  Atul Gawande . It is fascinating discussing the whole situation in 'the end of life' from breaking bad news to the whole situation regarding another round of treatment, palliative care etc. I've just heard of a website & leaflet: 'Think Ahead' which I think I'm going to get. There is a need for older people to have a purpose and plan in life including discussing their future and how it would be approaching the end. On a personal note, I think the mistake is in leaving this until I have no choice. It

I admit it, I'm not an ideal office person. Great at not throwing anything out, but a disaster at remembering where anything is. I've just been asked for information which we'd probably have accumulated in 2005-2006! I haven't an iota of a clue, so my solution is to sleep on it. Before I do however, I must make some of my swirls for the Lettercollum Book Launch this evening. I've seen the book & it's gorgeous. I'll tell more when I've had a chance to view the recipes, but I'm really excited & that's as a purchaser. Was in Lettercollum this afternoon with our delivery and there was a lovely feeling of calm anticipation. Everything's under control. I wish I could say the same for my files! Until tomorrow Avril

Despite one really heavy shower of rain, today is really lovely. Cold but sure another layer of clothes won't hurt me! I had a lovely day yesterday reading some amazing recipes. I really enjoy the community recipe books usually produced in aid of a good cause, but also the ones from far flung places, which I'm unlikely to ever visit. I have a beautiful sort of coffee table/tourism promotion book on Nova Scotia which is not very large but very interesting. Over the next while, I'm going to take photos with my less than modern iPhone & put them up for everyone to review. However now, I've enjoyed my 5 minute break and it's time to return to the office work.

The title of this post is from a favourite phrase spoken by Arthur Daley in very popular 1980's British TV series 'Minder' . I always wondered if 'her indoors' every appeared outdoors; and indeed what kept her occupied indoors all day long. Today is one of those days when I'm finding out what 'her indoors' might have done - changing beds, vacuuming, using the washing machine in a vain hope that at the end of the day, there will be no more dirty clothes, and so on. To be honest, I find housework faintly depressing as it's rarely noticed when it's done right, but everyone is aware when it's not done at all. However I've also been typing some of my recipes and all going well, they'll appear over the next few weeks in my other blog . My biggest problem is that I love nothing more than sitting down and browsing my cookery books for the next recipe I want to try & that's exactly what I'm going to do now. It's horribly wet

Listening to the rain belting the window early this morning, I decided that I was not getting up at 5.30am to make a delivery to S.V. Clonakilty , but would wait at least for daylight. I had that choice which so many don't. Even when I did get up, it was still raining. So since 7am, I've made a rather interesting Lebanese style omelette but included our black pudding . It tasted stunning hot & I'm now waiting for a comment from William and our employee, who have been working since 6am & they have the choice to eat it hot or cold. I've also made that delivery and just now finished at 11am with a meeting with our F.S.A.I . Vet. We meet with the F.S.A.I. on a monthly basis to review our business premises; products etc. This has become a very proactive meeting with an exchange of views. We are determined that our quality is to the very best standards we can achieve and beyond. If we keep the little things right, the big things are easier to achieve. Another busy

I've had a wonderful day. No, I really do meant it. Starting this morning with a couple of hours of office work, I then headed for Cork to speak with 1st Year Culinary Students in C.I.T . My journey would not have been complete without a delivery along the way and this time it was to the Kingsley Hotel . Late already, I arrived at C.I.T. where I was introduced to 5 First Year Students who were to be my 'helpers' for the day. They were superb. As I wasn't wearing 'whites', it was very much a case of making a suggestion and encouraging the students who were each responsible for a dish with Chef Lisa co-ordinating and supervising everything. All I had to do was enjoy a superb lunch before going to the lecture demo theatre where there were 80 or so students of all ages waiting to hear me speak (how boring would that have been without actually tasting anything). So what did we cook: Dubliner Cheese Puffs; Lough Hyne Cheesecake; Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies; Bla

It may be a Bank Holiday in Ireland, but we haven't taken any notice of that for years. Just like many a farmer, small producer or retailer, the work is there to be done so that's what we do. Unfortunately I wasn't feeling the best last night & headed for bed early. One of our machines has to be switched on the night before we use it and usually that's my job; as I wasn't available, I assumed one of my menfolk would have remembered! So having begun work at 7am, I'm still in the unit at 7.30pm. Tomorrow is my main delivery day, so it's an early start again. No doubt the roads will be pretty quiet especially as primary & secondary schools are closed for half-term. I'd love to have been able to go to some of the Cork Jazz Festival & I'm very jealous of Evin O'Keeffe having read her report on the Civic Harvest & Jazz Eucharist from the iconic St. Ann's Shandon yesterday. A ticket only affair, & I'm sure after this, ther

I've held out for as long as I could because I just hate all that layering up that signifies winter has returned. So today I'll spend a half hour pulling out the winter clothes & checking what actually fits! To put it bluntly, I'm not a physically active person, unlike our sons, & hitting 50 a few years ago, I became aware that I couldn't withstand the earthly pull as various bit & pieces of my person began heading south! It seems as though from season to season, my overall size isn't changing but the way it's all put together definitely is. Now I have two choices, rant & rave or accept & enjoy it as an excuse to begin looking for a few new things to add to the wardrobe. I tend to choose the latter as the former only expends unnecessary energy. If anyone has any ideas on what headgear a 50+ woman with long grey hair & a larger than average size head should get, I'm all ears. If you think I'm joking, I'm not, because when I tr

This is what happens when one is rather busy, there's no time to just sit and write. Yesterday was one of those days. The lads started butchering at 6am & were joined by a consultant at 9am, who was there to give them some hints & tips. Then the accountants arrived; Fiona McLachlan called in from Cape Clear as she wanted to meet Willie; and then another man arrived to meet Willie. During all this, I was supposed to make dinner catering for all of them, but in the end we only had one extra! Took me right back to when I was a child at home as Mum always made sure there was enough for everyone and a little extra in case someone called! I couldn't count how many times that happened. When Willie & I first began 'going out', my hand was in plaster with suspected Repetitive Strain Injury, which turned out to be arthritis, but anyway I had cooked Mum's Birthday dinner for a number of years but couldn't with just one hand. Willie offered to cook instead. The

Bob Geldof & the Boomtown Rats sang the song 'I hate Mondays'. Today is one of those days. Starting work in the dark is something I hate but have to get used to; then add in wind & rain & it's coldly damp. Yeugh. A busy day in terms of work & not having written over the weekend, this is the first chance I've had to write anything. Before bed, there is the small matter of ensuring the torch is fully charged. Another thing to carry around! Hopefully I can sit & write tomorrow & catch up on my recipes.

As usual the weekend was a busy one especially on Saturday. On Friday, I was planning to go to at least one of the activities in relation to the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Weekend in the Celtic Ross Hotel in aid of Action Breast Cancer . Instead I found myself going to Cork to collect a van which had been in for service & then on to Castle Café with an unexpected delivery. Home (within the speed limit) & load to drive to Drinagh Superstore, Skibbereen, which was celebrating the 21st birthday. Returning home, I had less than half an hour to unload the van, quick change personally and it was a return visit to the Celtic Ross to enjoy a wonderful dinner alongwith almost 200 other ladies. I didn't quite dance the night away, but I found myself up beyond the witching hour of midnight! This event is now in its 7th year & this weekend alone has raised over €12000 hours. It's an amazing feat for any hotel & especially a family owned West Cork Hotel. Many of the ladies

It's true. Employees go home when they've completed their working day. The bosses stay until the job's finished - well, we do. Willie & I could be called 'control freaks'. For example, we made Rosscarbery Black and White Pudding today. Willie started at some ungodly hour, while I appeared at a respectable 5am. Both boys have been here all day also. Now it's 20:23 & I'm going home. To say that I'm tired is to be very kind, but there's also the unquestionable satisfaction of a job well done. Another busy day tomorrow, but so what. It's what we do. Until later Avril

Yesterday, it was thunder, lightning & torrential rain. Today, it's clear blue skies & cool. We really do enjoy all sorts of weather in Ireland but generally none of the extremes endured elsewhere. So all my shorts & 3-quarter length trousers (I never have the right term for them) are packed away for another year & it's a case of seeing what fits from the winter wardrobe. Last January I invested in a pair of fur-lined boots from Timberland in Cork. So far, so good, they're enduring really well and don't look too bad under a dress either. I have a few winter coats depending on the weather & I managed to get them all dry cleaned earlier in the year. This is an expensive chore, but I've found it pays in the long run & I literally did one per month. This is also a good time to do a bit of a springclean & get rid of all those clothes I'll never again wear even though I'm a bit sentimental about some of them. Until tomorrow as the off

No diary entry yesterday. No time. Having travelled to Tralee on Friday, I was on the road again by 7.30am yesterday to drive to Dingle . This is a beautiful road, but one of my landmarks is a herd of Belted Galloway cattle. The first time that I drove this road on my own & it must be 5 years ago now, I saw them. They were so unusual & indeed still are, that they become one of my milestones along the road. Fewer of them this year I think but in a landscape containing white woolly sheet & black, red, cream or beige cattle, they're a lovely contrast. Dingle Food Festival was as always an amazing place to be at 8-8.30am when the streets are so quiet apart from cars & vans manoeuvring & absolutely dozens of people setting up stalls to entice all-comers. I saw it all at this stage but never returned to so many of the stalls. Then there was the Taste Trail with each venue having different offerings and you just never knew who you might meet. I'll write in grea

Until I get in my van & head to visit good friends in Fenit & stay over in Tralee before heading to Dingle Food Festival tomorrow for the Irish Food Awards , I'm going to be playing catch up in a big way! They joy of being lazy in bed. Friends getting married & the reception is in Inchydoney Lodge tomorrow so I must drop off part of their wedding present; collect & lodge cheques in Clonakilty ; and then I'm told my van needs an oil change before I go anywhere! So I think I'll update my recipe & activity blog as I'm at it: http://rosscarberyrecipes.blogspot.ie .  Roll on Kerry! Until tomorrow.

It really doesn't take much - a few late nights and early mornings and all of a sudden, I haven't posted for almost a week. The Rosscarbery Autumn School went extremely well last weekend. I'm just going to mention three things: a picture of a letter written by the Benedictine Abbot of St. Mary's, Rosscarbery , to the Abbot of Wurzburg dated 11th October, 1456; an exploration of the option of farmers growing grass for conversion to gas as an energy efficient solution; and a list of the extensive diet enjoyed by Irish people in South West Ireland prior to the advent of the potato! These and many more related subjects were explored in a fascinating weekend which left me exhausted! Last night I received a tweet from Ballymaloe Cookery School and their new Supplier page. Until tomorrow, or it could even be tonight! Avril

 It's been one of those days & now my poor brain is buzzing. This morning we had our monthly FSAI audit, which is done through the County Council Veterinary Dept . Everything went well & these days it is as much a conversation as it is a regulatory inspection. If I have queries or issues, I can discuss them; and our vet is willing to advise us. I for one am delighted with this very proactive approach to our food business, and indeed very relieved also that there is a listening expert ear for that occasion when something goes wrong. In food business, you can never be too careful or complacent. Then I headed to Brosnan's in Schull who were celebrating their lovely revamp with a host of local producers. I often say that small producers don't often get a chance to shoot the breeze as we try to do a range of functions to progress our business. I literally parked my van at the front door, changed from jeans to a dress and left again this time for the laun

Reflective of how I'm feeling.   25.09.14: It's been a long day, but not a bad one. Taking the day off yesterday was great; pulling creaky limbs out of bed this morning not so great! Then it was straight to the office to catch up. Needless to say there were a few queries to be dealt with as well. You know the saying 'a woman's work is never done' - well I reckon it applies to the office as much as to the home. These days, my lads are well able to feed themselves, but ask them to learn to enter the invoices or stuff like that & I'm talking to dust. Still it's nice to be needed. Usually I prepare seasonings over the weekend when it's all quiet in the unit, but starting tomorrow morning with a Food Safety Audit, I'm heading to Schull as one of the producers doing tastings and showcasing West Cork produce. Home by 6pm as I'll be going from there to the launch of the  Rosscarbery Autumn School . I'm really excited but having

No writing yesterday. On the road at 4.30am to attend The Ploughing . Yesterday, we were amonth the just over 124500 people who attended this amazing event. Europe's largest Outdoor Exhibition and Trade Show. One of my sisters-in-law had never been but took her son and friend. We arrived within 30 minutes of each other; left around the same time & I never saw her. Indeed I didn't see a glimpse of many other friends who were exhibiting either. I must be getting old as this year I studied the exhibitor list; noted those I wanted to see, and after that everything else was a bonus. I actually never saw a tractor & plough either. I really want to be able to go for 3 days but it's not happening in my foreseeable future & that's another story for another time. In the office since 7.30am but have only started my chores! Curing shortly and have to go to Carrigaline and possibly Cork to meet a chef. For sure I'll be back in the office this evening. Tomorrow wil