Visualizing Curtain Decision

 I'm putting AI to work again, this time to help visualize which fabrics will look best for the new blinds and curtains in the study. Uncle John was kind enough to bring over some physical samples, and we’ve officially narrowed the search down to two final contenders. Now, we just have to wait and see if the reality actually lives up to the AI's "vision"! We have chosen the bottom one...

Three Peaks

The Dublin jazz notes were still ringing in my head when the alarm went off. After a late-night gig in the city, my "Three Peak" plan for the Slieve Blooms was starting to look like a hallucination of my own optimism.

The negotiations for the start time had been a battle of wills: I proposed 11:00 AM to recover, Debora pushed for 12:00 PM, and Pat—ever the early bird—wanted to be gone at dawn. We compromised on 11:15 AM.

I rolled up a little late, only to find that Pat had already bailed! He’d chickened out, claiming he forgot his cycling shoes, and was probably halfway home to a fry-up. Little did he know I was traveling with a mobile Foot Locker. Because I’d been uncertain which bike to use, I happened to have two pairs of shoes in the boot.

I called him immediately and hauled him back to the start. I handed him my spares—big shoes to fill, literally—and suddenly Pat was clipped in and facing the music.

The First Ascent

From Blueball, we hit our first climb, "The Cut." It was Pat’s inaugural attempt at this 7km stretch. It’s a gradual, constant slope, and honestly? We crushed it. Nice steady gears, no drama, just the mountain air starting to clear the jazz syncopation from my brain.

Then came "The Wolftrap." I don’t know if it was a lapse in memory or genuine muscle deterioration, but that hill felt significantly worse than I remembered. I’m claiming "old age" as my official excuse! Despite his lack of mountain miles, Pat was doing surprisingly well. We enjoyed a hair-raising but beautiful descent and found ourselves in Pevoy’s for coffee and some desperate refueling before we knew it.

The Kinitty Beast

I’ve always said the third climb—steep but shortish—was optional. I dropped a few subtle hints, but they didn't take them; they actually wanted to do it!

Just past Kinitty Castle, things got wild. An enormous dog cleared a garden wall and decided we were the day's entertainment. Debora performed the fastest acceleration I have ever seen in my life. She effectively threw me to the wolves, preferring to use me as bait while she bolted! Luckily, I think the dog only wanted to play, and we managed to regroup for the final boss.

The Triangle of Pain

We turned to face the last hill: the "Triangle of Pain." If you think that's a dramatic nickname, look it up—it’s an actual Strava segment.

This is where the mechanical tragedy struck. Debora has a serious masochistic streak—or maybe just a lazy mechanic—because her front derailleur decided to go on strike. She literally could not shift into the small ring. I was on my gravel bike, clicked into my lowest gear, even zig-zagging across the road just to get up the steepest parts. Meanwhile, Debora was grinding up the incline in her big ring like a total machine. I felt slightly vindicated when Pat finally had to hop off and walk a little on the steepest pitch, but Debora made it to the top without a single shift.

The Sprint Home

We decided to avoid the section with the wolfhound on the way back, opting for the route via Killcormack. That left us with a brutal 10km stretch against the wind back to Blueball.

Pat put his head down and went upfront. Debora and I tried to close the gap, but we just couldn't. I finally caught up, but on the very last little kicker of a hill, Pat pulled a pro-sprint and pulled away again. I was searching for an excuse, but age won't work—we only differ by a few weeks and I’m not even sure who is older anymore. All I know is he was wearing my shoes, so I have to give it to him: fair play!

In the car on the way home, I cranked up the volume for "God is a DJ." When Maxi Jazz started singing about his church being "where I heal my hurts," I just started cracking up. For me, that’s exactly what today was. On the bike, in the mountains, healing the hurts with a great crew.

Thanks guys for another epic cycle! 

Jazz Session

Uncle Vincent had recommended Arthur's Pub to Patrick for some interesting gigs. Patrick actually headed there last night, and today I met up with him for dinner before we caught another concert at Arthur's together.

Tonight, the Scott Flanigan Trio performed jazz variations of The Beatles. To my "untrained ear," it was almost unrecognizable! Every now and then, I could just about hear the original tune peeking through the jazz. Patrick absolutely loved it, though, and it was a fantastic way to wrap up his trip to Ireland.

Barberstown Castle

 Just for a little break, Irene has booked an overnight in Barberstown Castle. She was there many years agon, just before she met me when her sister Paula married. A lot has changed since then. The grounds quiet nice and I liked the mix of old and  modern statues. 

The next day we do a little shopping in Kildare Village but the only thing I would like to buy is not for sale 😒

St. Patrick's Day Half Marathon Mullingar

 While Patrick celebrates in Galway, Giselle and I (and a good few more form the tri club) run the traditional half marathon in Mullingar. Giselle does extremely well, 10 minutes faster than last year! And I have to let her go after about 10k and finish about 3 minutes later, but very proud of my daughter!

Douwe's Room

 

After a small delay the carpet was laid this morning in Douwe's room. It all looks good now!

Patrick

 My Cousin Patrick has finally followed up our long standing plan to visit Ireland for St. Patrick's day. Today I show him around in the midlands, areas most tourists never visit. Like the Slieve Bloom Mountains!
Here is a small album.

As we pass one of the hill ("the cut") I cycled a few times lately, we have to drive to the top of course which, surprisingly, got covered with a decent amount of snow this morning...

Glendine Attempt #2

We gather with a small group from the tri-club in Kinnitty and cycle the exact same route as a few weeks back. But the hill as not got any less steep and I have to stop for a little break at exactly the same spot as last time. One day I'll make it to the top without stopping!
Some more photos in this album.

We even discover the 200 year old Pyramid of Kinnitty 😁

Walk in Carlingford

 Giselle wont come home this weekend but is working for 'the Hens' in Carlingford, which is about halfway so we decide to meet her there for a nice walk and dinner. Nice little town really!

Spring Inside

The weather outside is still dreadful, so we brings some spring flowers inside instead

Swivel Chair

Remember the AI-Experiment to see how the swivel chair we wanted to order would look like? Well the chair has finally arrived so we can compare the AI rendition with the real world result. AI on the left, real on the right:

Refurb Douwe's Room

 It's time, for a major refurb of Douwe's room. Away with the blue paint, laminate flooring. We have ordered some nice wallpaper and carpet instead. We cleared the room today, ready for the painter to come in:

Day 1; the wood trimmings and press have been painted