Train Travel Plugged in

I travelled by train recently from Dublin to Mullingar and was delighted to by able to use my laptop on board. Or if I needed to I could charge my phone or mp3 player. I actually had some work to do before arriving and the battery on my laptop was running low so this little socket next to my seat alleviated some stress for me.
I don't know what impact this has on the fuel used by the train or how it works but it was handy!
Actually, on a related point, I have often spotted the lighting on the DART and wonder, at midday, if it is really necessary to have it on.

Green post boxes

I've been a fan of these postboxes for a while now.
If you see beyond the green - Irish National Colour, don't forget! - and look at the writing on the box above, you'll see a crown sitting above the letters ER.
There are also postboxes with VR and others with GR.
The British Monarchs they refer to are:
George V 1910–1936 (26 years reign)
Edward VII 1901–1910 (9 years reign)
Victoria 1837–1901 (64 years reign)
I've never spotted one with WR but if it existed it would be even older and would refer to:
William IV 1830–1837

The story goes that when the Irish republic was formed, we couldn't afford new postboxes and the good cast iron ones that were in place were perfectly functional - so we simply sent people around with buckets of green paints and thereby nationalised our postboxes!

Radiohead graphics hijacked

While browsing online for train timetables. I spotted this poster and couldn't help posting it here!
I *love* the way they've used radiohead's graphics on the poster!!!

Organised v Messy

Walking past a bookshop yesterday I spotted this book in the window:

"A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder-How Crammed Closets, Cluttered Offices, and on-the-fly Planning Make the World a Better Place"

It's a question I've been grappling with for a while! I'm an extremely organised person. Recently, I've been organised to a point of annoyance! All the pens in my house were (a bit of an extreme example for the sake of highlighting the point) in a jar on the hall table. If I found a pen floating around, I'd bring it to the hall and place it in the jar. But what happens when I'm on the phone and need to scribble a message; a quick glance around the room searching for the stray pen that has inevitably been left around will not result in finding a pen - I need to traipse out to the hallway. And while I am guaranteed to find a pen, the trek can be annoying. I have solved this problem by placing pen containers in most rooms in the house!!! The pens are still tidied away and easy to find and more readily accessible.

Also, when being tidy, one is more unlikely to come across things/ to happen upon stuff.

At any rate, I'd be curious to know what these author (Abrahamson & Freedman) purport the advantages of a mess are.

Cycle Lane or Footpath?

I cycle to work via the docklands in Dublin. If I'm on the path at around 8:50 it's a nightmare - pedestrians walking on the clearly-marked and well-used cycle path.
Why?!I think I discovered one of the possible reasons the other day. The dustbins!
I was walking along that route and had an apple core in my hand. I spotted the bins and started walking towards them - lo and behold, I'm walking on the cycle path. The bins are located adjacent to the cycle path.What a stupid location! They should be accessible to pedestrians, or to pedestrians and cyclists but surely pedestrians as a priority... I throw my hands up in despair!

Kilkenny Design & Jerpoint Glass

Another trip to Kilkenny. This time I had more time to spend in the Design Centre opp the castle and thankfully I wandered in the back, beyond the commercial shop and the exhibition spaces (more on this in another post if I get around to it) and nosed around until I found the workshops of some jewellers or silversmiths. I spoke to a man in the silversmiths (had just got exclusive text from politics.ie about the resignation of Bertie Aherne which served as a conversation opener). It turned out he was Desmond Byrne. We spoke about when KK design started out, 1974 I think it was - Des has been there since 78. I ordered a charm bracelet from him as a christening present for my god-daughter. I hope to add to it with charms from various other silversmiths I will come across over the years.
Also had a little wander around the garden of the house.

Then on to Jerpoint glass where we watched the men make square vases. The work is most rhythmic. My friend bought a wedding present.

Drove past the ruine of Jerpoint Abbey on the way to Thomastown for lunch and intended to go back but instead drove to Graiguenamanagh, saw the Abbey there though didn't think the town had much to offer. Great old pub in it with groceries for sale in the front part, didn't go in though; smelt like an old pub!

Cars

I'm not usually into cars but I saw this beautiful model in a showroom window a while ago. The Mercedes Benz CL600 V12. Just look at the glass in the windows of the front and back seats - there's no mullion. I'd love to see them being opened.
Also, recently, I got a lift in another high spec car, didn't check the model. The window was frameless and moved automatically into a more closed position after you pulled the door shut. Nice.