Diary of a busyish woman

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 ...