Well the snow is gone, there’s a small stretch in the evenings and the first strike of the year isn’t due for a few weeks yet, so enjoy it while you can.
Here’s a little tip to save you some money when next Christmas comes around. Make a list of food and drink that’s still in the house after January 6. When next November comes around cut back on any of the items that are on the list and save money and waste.
Items that I’ll be cutting back on include Pringles, nacho chips, salsa dips, Christmas puddings, cheese and Miller beer. Somebody will eventually drink the Miller, but I can’t see the rest of the stuff being eaten before its sell-by date.
The half-eaten Christmas pudding can go into the freezer for the moment, maybe it will even last there until next year. After a few glasses of wine, and a good covering of custard or cream, no one will notice the difference.
There’s another item I will be adding to the not-to-buy list next year: that’s those ice cube bags. You fill them with water, turn them upside down and they are supposed to seal themselves. Not the ones I bought. The first batch leaked in the freezer, resulting in a covering of ice over everything else.
I was a bit more careful with the second lot, and avoided any more leaks. Getting the water into the bags is one thing, trying to get the ice cubes out is another matter. The recommended way is to press out the cubes from the plastic bags. The only problem here is that they can shoot off in any direction. The other method is to try tearing the bags apart, but this seemed to result in bits of plastic sticking to the ice cubes, which gave you something to chew on while sipping your gin and tonic. No, it’s back to the ice cube trays next year, with a limit of two cubes per drink. If that doesn’t suit, a few bottles of past its sell by date Miller will have to do.
Getting fit for the New Year
There’s the usual rush of ads for gyms, keep fit and slimming classes on TV and in the newspapers, but this weight watching is not without its dangers.
A report on a Weight Watchers class in Sweden caught my eye last week.
A group of about 20 members in a town called Vaxjo gathered to compare how many pounds they had shed over Christmas. They were lining up to compare readings on the scales when they heard a bang as the floor came away from the walls of their meeting room.
No one was injured in the incident, but it doesn’t sound as if the weight watching was very successful. The scales weren’t damaged and the weigh-in continued in a nearby corridor, presumably on the ground floor.
The big thaw
The snow disappeared as quickly as it came and we’ve now gone from blizzards to floods and water leaks. Kilkenny got away lightly, compared to the rest of the country, with frozen pipes causing the most bother.
We didn’t experience any leaks and, no, the taps weren’t left running all night. As a plumber commented to me, if the pipes are properly fitted and insulated when the houses are being built there shouldn’t be a problem. Our houses were built by Kevin Moore about 12 years ago and this was the toughest weather test they’ve ever undergone. As far as I know all came through without any major problems, with my fall on the path the only accident reported. Don’t think I can sue him for that.
One hastily formed group that did Trojan work during the freeze was Snowbusters. They were on hand to jumpstart cars and help people who got stuck in the snow. The team included Ray Brophy, Mick Kavanagh, Niall Campion, Tony Coy, Eddie Hughes, Eoin Hennessy and Gerry Gaule, all owners of 4x4 vehicles. How come there are no ladies on the list? The roads and carparks were full of female 4x4 drivers, complete with sunglasses on the head, over the last few years. I thought they would have been delighted to put the vehicles to their proper use for once. Then again the shiny alloy wheels might have got dirty and that wouldn’t do.
So you think you’re funny?
It’s school time for budding comedians this weekend. A one day workshop goes ahead in Cleeres this Saturday, January 23, from 9am to 5pm. Your professor of comedy for the day is Padraig Hyland whose mission is "to bring laughter and fun into every aspect of people’s lives." I think we could all do with a bit of that at the moment.
The participants will then put on a stand up comedy show at 7pm. Sounds a bit daunting, but there’s a few brave souls already signed up. If there’s any other budding funny men or women out there they can contact Liam at 086 3442003 to book a place. You’d never know, I might even go along myself.
