Consumer sentiment weakened in June, recording its lowest reading since February, as consumers become increasingly concerned about the ongoing debt crisis, possible interest rate hikes and household charges. What is consumer sentiment? The Consumer Sentiment Index is a monthly report (electronic) produced jointly by the ESRI and KBC Bank Ireland. What the heck is ESRI ? hang on I'll google it.  Environmental Systems Research Institute. Ok so the population of Ireland is concerned about the ongoing debt crisis, possible interest rates and houshold charges, I wonder how much they paid out for this startling monthly report.

Anywayyyyyyyyyyyyyy I'm fed up of hearing gloomy news, the sun is out the sound of lawnmowers reverberates as folks take advantage of the weather. My Mom and Dad arrive for a wee visit tommorow so I have cut the grass and may try and launch the boat on Thursday
 I saw on the news two police dogs died in a car from the heat, I put my two in the car if any customers come round so I better be carefull, mind you I leave the windows partly open.

The 120th Lawn Tennis Championships

Wimbledon is six days underway and the temperature is rising, its meant to be 33 C in London tommorow I dont know how they manage to play in that heat. Anyway here are some Wimbledon facts The inaugural tournament of 1877, held at Worple Road, was an amateur competition and the only event held was the gentlemen's singles. The first champion was Spencer Gore from a field consisting of only 22 players. It cost just one shilling to watch the final and Gore received 12 guineas for his triumph. (21 shillings is 1 guinea 20 shillings is one pound) As an example, assume an up and coming professional living around 1890. He might earn a salary of approximately £700 / year. His expenses, which would include: rent (up to £150 annual), taxes, maids (2), food, laundry, heating (coal), electricity, alcohol, insurance, clothing, and savings would add up to close to £500. This would leave approximately £200 for other expenses (transportation, entertainment, education,etc.). Todays salary might be  £50,000 but the prize for winning mens singles is 1,100,000 I guess its slightly better to win nowadays ehh.
In 1930, Brame Hillyard became the first man to play wearing shorts. That was on court 10 - and Bunny Austin was the first to do so on Centre Court three years later. Change was slow to come to fashion in women’s tennis. While men continued to labour away in full-length trousers, women attempted to make the game easier for themselves by divesting themselves of hats, and bustles (the stiff corset like garments attached to the back of their dresses). A small revolution took place when female players started using men's shirts, even daring to roll back the sleeves to cope with the heat.

I must admit that the frilly knickers or baggy shorts they wore when I was a kid were a big attraction to watching the tennis.In 1968, the championships were opened up to both professionals and amateurs for the first time, with Rod Laver and Billie Jean King winning their respective singles titles.

Chairs were provided for the first time for players to rest when changing ends in 1975.

The first-ever player to be disqualified from the men's doubles was Tim Henman in 1995, for hitting a ball in anger which struck a ball girl.

Only eight left-handed players, six men and two women, have ever won a Wimbledon singles title - the most recent being Goran Ivanisevic in 2001
The country that has provided the most singles title winners is the United States (with 33 men's titles and 50 women's titles). Britain is second claiming 32 men's titles and 29 ladies titles.

Cong house

Well we had a shifty at the Bramble cottage in Cong, it was lovely, the origional house was the first double story house in Cong, with walls 2.5 ft thick and the best of materials used in the renovation it was as pretty as a postcard. The plot has room for a donkey and veg garden and all sorts but the house is too small, the photos make it look larger than it is and I dont know who they will sell it to really unless its for a holiday home. Anyway having a look at it makes me realise that Oughterard village is better and we need a house with at least 3 bedrooms and decent sized living space.

Its another horrid day here drizzle and wind not nice at all.

lack of blogs

Well I havent been blogging much at all recently ehh, I have been busy with website design and to be honest sitting at the pc after a days designing isnt as much fun as it is if I have been out and about. The bike hire is about successful as Coco the clown's bid for the Americain Presidentship, thanks to rubbish weather and a lack of tourists.

My parents are coming for a visit this next week and I shall be driving back with them to Scotland and picking up Sheana and Sacha who are coming back with us. I hope the weather is better as May / June has been woeful. John Eagleton, forecaster with Met Eireann, said that after a chilly June things are finally set to improve this weekend. "We've only really had one real summer's day this year. That was the Friday before the June bank holiday," he said."Sunday is the big day, we should get 21C to 24C in most places, with the east and the midlands likely to get the best weather."

The west isn't predicted to be as fortunate with conditions likely to remain misty and drizzly.
Weather is due to become unsettled next week, before picking up again for the following weekend.
But Mr Eagleton believes the first two weeks in July will be a crucial.
"I'm a bit of a believer in St Swithun's Day (July 15) to be honest.
" If the first two weeks of July are wet, you can throw your hat at the summer," he said.

Going to look at a house for sale near Cong on Saturday it looks lovely but heaps smaller cong house for sale The price will have to be negotiable right enough as I would have to build a garage or large shed at the least to accomodate all our junk.

Apple will release a new iPhone with a faster processor in September, according to reports.The new Apple iPhone will have a faster processor and an improved camera, according to Bloomberg, which cited “two people familiar with the plans”.
The report said that the new iPhone would be upgraded to include the same A5 processor found in the iPad 2 and that it would have an 8-megapixel camera - an improvement on the 5-megapixel version found in the iPhone 4. The new phone will launch in September, Bloomberg said.
The report follows another rumour from technology blog Boy Genius Report, which yesterday claimed that the new iPhone would have “a radical new case design” - possibly one that was “teardrop-shaped” and would be launched in early or mid-August. My Iphone is looking weary but I shall have to rent a few bikes before I can get a new one.

trout and a clever cow

Well I had grilled sea trout tonight and made a crust for it with Alpen, mayo and Parmesan cheese, served it with mashed potato broccoli peas and a white sauce with parsley was tasty. I'm always experimenting with food hence my tummy but I'm on a diet this weather so maybe that's why it tasted so good tonight.

An extraordinary cow has been exposed as the culprit behind repeated escapes from a farm in south Armagh.
Following the installation of camera in the cow shed, it was revealed that the clever cow had worked out the sequence in which to open the bars of the pen to free her fellow cattle. They are thinking of giving her a seat in the Dail (Parlament).

Eggs have been thrown at Bank of Ireland's Chairman Pat Molloy and CEO Richie Boucher at the Annual General Meeting unfortunately they missed.
They were thrown by shareholder Gary Keogh from Blackrock, Co Dublin. Mr Keogh, who also threw eggs at AIB's AGM in 2009, was escorted from the meeting by security. Speaking afterwards, he said throwing the eggs had helped 'bring his blood pressure down'.

Things to do with a rock

Well to be sure I saw this rock and I saw this fox and ping like magic a thought came into me head so it did so it did, why not paint a fox on the rock be gora. So I did to be sure.

The new Rainbow Warrior looks like she is going to be a bonny ship

The 1985 bombing of the Rainbow Warrior made the converted fishing trawler a campaigning icon. Now, in its 40th anniversary year, Greenpeace is launching its first purpose-built protest ship – one of the most technologically advanced vessels to set sail.

back to rain

Well my pal Keith and his girlfriend visited from Scotland and we went for a sail on Friday, the weather alternated from very nice to dismal blustery showers which werent forecast but the nice parts made up for the showers. Put the boat back on the trailer as the weather forecast was bad and took her back to the house only to have a lovely day on Saturday lol typical. I didnt want to leave the boat at the pier this weekend as the pikeys are in town with the travelling shows and the outboard may have gone for a ride in a caravan.

We found a new place to tie up near Ashford Castle with just enough water to float at but it should be nice to spend a night there with the castle lights in the background.

Had a boozy Friday night which didnt set me in good stead for yesterday, anyway we had a ride on bikes through Roscahill woods with the dogs running alongside in the morning and lunch out at the pub but not even a Guiness at lunch could get me going again, getting past it so I am.

colour in the garden

Ok Dad sorry to show pics of the roses as I know yours got a hammering in the storm but someone was asking about the garden here.

I'd rather be growing more vegies but its not my garden and without ripping out flower beds there isnt space.

Sepp Blatter or as I call him, Septic Bladder is quite the boy for quotes, occasionally he will come out with something like "What I am most proud of is the legacy of hope that FIFA and football leaves around the world. It makes all of the efforts and energy I pour into this job worth it" and "Fifa cannot sit by and see greed rule the football world. Nor shall we" he needs a reality check.

Well who would have thought

World Atheist Convention in Dublin is sold out, who would have thought ehh. They probably sold a few more tickets due to the pedophile priests that were outed this last while in the predominant Catholic church here. I launched Itsa ma Bota earlier and we were going to head out to one of the islands for a barbi this evening but Angie was late getting back as she was rescuing a couple of horses that had been abandoned and Mark wasn't feeling well. The wind had come up a bit too and would have meant punching into it. Anyway shall go for a sail tommorow.

 In this country of lush green landscapes, celebrated for its traditional love of horses and the generations of racing thoroughbreds it has bred to conquer the racetracks of the world is a place that wounds the heart. Atop a muddy dome stretching over hundreds of windblown acres, roam some of the tens of thousands of horses and ponies that have been abandoned amid Irelands financial nightmare. Only miles from the heart of Dublin, the tip, a former landfill now covered with a thin thatch of grass, is the end of the road for all but the hardiest animals, a place where death awaits from exposure, starvation, untended sickness and injury.  The number of abandoned horses in this country could be as high as 100,000.  The Celtic Tiger has a lot to answer for. 



         

visit to the cop shop

Well I had to appear at the local Gaurda Station with my driving licence and insurance documents, due to the petrol pump thing. I have 2 licences a paper UK one valid until 2032 and a photo Aussie licence which expired yesterday. Anywayyyyyyyy the paper UK licence had the Sergent a little confused, he was convinced I was entitled to drive heavy goods vehicles including passenger vehicles and NOT cars, I can imagine you all nodding your heads there in bemusement, what country in the world would let you drive (oops almost typed "feckin") road trains and not a Peel P50 (worlds smallest production car) ? apart from Ireland ehh. Anyway after he handcuffed me to a radiator I managed to tell him that the Australian one was definitely a car licence  and could we use that one as it was in date until 30th and the bump was on the 29th to be sure, holy cow what if he converted the time to Aussie it would be close to the 30th and I'd be Kerry Packered. As you can see, due to me blogging I was released, pending further investigations, I'm thinking of skipping the country may try moving to some country where the locals have IQ's over 50.

Its raining today again, May has made up for the great April weather by being pretty woeful, Angies mom is 80 on 7th July so I'm thinking of driving over as Angie has work in Wales the following week and they would pay the car ferry journey. Mark will run the bike hire for me for that week which consists of twiddling ones fingers if the weather is like this. I'm also hoping to have my friends Di and Maddie and their partners pop over around the 20th July and maybe Mom and Dad prior to the Scotland visit. Could be a busy month, unfortunaly my pal Lynne from Canada couldnt make it this year as her traveling companion pulled out.