Day 21 - The new month started off with a large BBQ bonfire with the family.
Day 22 - It was a diverse day of making beds (there are SO many rooms in the castle!), vacuuming, cutting rhubarb, labelling more trees, etc.
Day 23 - I painted the conservatory (how often does one get to say that!) then took an evening stroll around the estate gardens.
Day 24 - After a chamgagne (ok, fizzy wine, but still very good) brunch in my newly painted conservatory with promient people who also owned castles, I painted the old pump and trough in the courtyard. It's fun getting such a wide range of experiences.
Day 25 - The day consisted of pruning the inner courtyard plants; vacuuming the library, dining room and concert hall in preparation for an upcoming tour; repotting some plants and sowing new seeds (including sifting dirt), and helping feed the ducks.
Day 26 - It was my day off. The weather was so exceptionally lovely that I decided to spend a few hours filming the gardens with the plan of putting together a short promotional video. I also did a photoshoot for the teashop. In return, I got free hot chocolate and cheesecake (well, their version of cheesecake is more like a cream pie, but still exceptionally tasty). I then walked to Castlepollard (half of the distance is just getting off the estate!) and visited the lovely church.
Day 27 - There was hail and heavy rain last night, so our plans for boating on the lake were cancelled. Instead, I helped herd a large tour group through the castle. I got to see a couple new rooms such as the study and the old laundry room.
Day 28 - It was a cold dreary day, so staying inside felt good. It took me a while but eventually I got the fire going.
Day 29 - I did some cleaning in the castle, peeled a few potatoes (Irish ones, of course), and then picked Regan up from the bus stop. We did some greenhouse work and said hi to the resident llamas.
Day 30 - I did some more filming and photos while Regan got to burn things.
Day 31 - We seem to finally be getting "typical" Irish weather (there's a reason it's so green!). After some wet morning work, Regan cooked a lovely meal to enjoy with our neighbors.
Day 32 - More wet and foggy weather! Regan got stuck working in the garden while I was nice and dry helping with computer work indoors... including helping update their Facebook page.
Day 33 - We borrowed the car and visited the passage tombs of Newgrange and Knowth, the monastry ruins of Monasterboice, the abbey ruins of Mellifont, the church ruins at the Hill of Slane (including climbing up one of the crumbling towers), the Donaghmore tower, and the Hill of Tara (the seats of the old Gaelic kings).
Day 34 - A vintage car show was held at the castle. I also finished up my video!
WATCH MY NEW VIDEO!
Day 35 - It was time to leave Ireland so we flew to Maastricht (the Netherlands) to stay with good friends Ilja and Ivo. They gave us a great city tour... including two old churches that had been transformed into a book store and a hotel, and the old city fortifications.
Day 36 - We wandered around the town with its many fortifications, beautiful parks and churches, and lovely river.
Day 37 - We strolled through the local cemetery and then walked to Belgium (ok, it was only a mile or so away)
Day 38 - We enjoyed a boat ride along the Meuse (Maas) River through several locks... as well as some rain.
Day 39 - We walked through the Belgian countryside and had some delicious pie with Karin, a former neighbor of mine. We then enjoyed an evening out with the boys and numerous beers and tasty delights.
Day 40 - We hopped on the bus to Aachen (Germany) and visited the cathedral with its treasures from Charlemagne, city hall, several churches, the old city gates, and sampled many yummy treats such as Kölsh (light beer), Alt (dark beer), Kaiserschmarrn (pancakes with ice-cream and plums), and Weichprinten (soft gingerbread with marzipan).
Day 41 - We helped with the house cleaning then went for an evening movie in Belgium.
Day 42 - The four of us stopped at the Drielandenpunt (where Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet) on our way to Köln (aka Cologne). We had many tasty treats, took a tour of an old mustard mill, bought some actual 'cologne', visited the massive cathedral, and walked across a bridge covered with thousands of personal locks. We stopped at Aachen for dinner on the way home... completing the meal with shots of ouzo.
Day 43 - We said goodbye to Ilja and Ivo and took a train up to Geesteren to stay with some family. We had a lovely walk through the Dutch countryside, complete with windmill, cows, wooden shoes, and an old church and cemetery.
Day 44 - We ode the bikes to the nearby town of Borculo. Regan was brave enough to try some 'new herring'.
Day 45 - We cycled to Gelselaar where we all had lunch (including poffertjes - tiny pancakes) at a traditional farm restraunt.
Day 46 - We explored Borculo then cycled to the farm museum of Lebbenbrugge (which once was an old inn and hunting lodge for the local count).
Day 47 - We rode through the gorgeous countryside to Diepenheim to visit a working watermill and several manor houses.
Day 48 - We wanted to visit the local windmill but it was closed (the miller was on vacation). So we drove to Berkel-Enschot (near Tilburg) to celebrate our friend Tony's 75th birthday!
Day 49 - Once we returned home, we did some GoPro filming on the bike.
Day 50 - Re cycled though the cow-&-windmill-filled landscape to Zwiep (home of the White Witches)
