And a new age dawns .........

It has been a while, folks, apologies all round. I thought that when I retired from Rathdown I would have loads of time to restart this blog but events proved otherwise. Friends and family will know that it has been a tough nine months but now that 2012 is behind us, time for a fresh start!! Plus Alfred's incessant nagging and hectoring about how his wit, sarcasm and humourous observations are going to waste without a creative outlet proved a telling argument (Alfred: I think 'incessant' is a bit over the top; the occasional polite reminder and delivered always in a supportive and encouraging tone. And as for 'hectoring' (a phrase that is in itself an unfair slur on a great hero of ancient times) - I may look like James Reilly but that doesn't mean I behave like him).

So, quick recap: retired from Rathdown in March 2012, started a course to get a qualification as a proofreader (Alfred: this has kind of stalled for the moment but Ruairi ensures assures me he will get back on it in February) and spent four weeks in November-December doing my CELTA training to get my certificate so I can teach English pretty much anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, Martine quit her job in Edinburgh in November and spent Christmas in Australia with her daughter Amanda who recently moved there. The plan was for me and Alfred to meet up with her in Ho Chi Minh City on January 2nd and begin a four-week tour of South-East Asia, something I have been dreaming of for a long, long time (Alfred: Hmmm, hope it lives up to expectations because ... ah, who am I kidding, you know I am writing this after getting there so expectations have already either been lived up to or not. But wait and see, we have been having an amazing time in so many ways!!

                          

            

   






Alfred                                                         James Reilly

(Alfred: you can tell which one is James Reilly because he is the one wearing the cowboy hat ......)
And apologies for the layout - rather an ancient computer so WYSINWYG (Alfred: Ruairi showing his age there, does anyone under the age of forty remember this?)