Working through

Newly refurbished glasshouse in the national botanical gardens Glassnevin




Radission SAS hotel in Stillorgan Note the cross on the front. A former convent.

Not in the mood much for work.
Took Friday night off to relax,just as well as Saturday night was a dissaster.

I went off and did a few hops and got close to the airport, went in and got caught up in the queuing system and got locked in with nothing coming out,so I couldn't abandon the operation. Went for a coffee and the up escalator was being cleaned.
So we had to run up the down one.
Its a strange sensation as you are walking against the stairs they appear to be stopped,unless you slow down.
Then at the top you have to make a giant leap to clear the last few steps,remember the stairs are going down so don't try to swing off the handrail!
You would not get a better workout at the gym.

This was the night of the rugby world cup.

When I did mike it back into town every nutcase jumped into my car.
This happens to every taxi driver a few times a year.

One fare was 2 Latvian girls who were so drunk it was not funny.

"Take us to 26 Clondalkin",Its a big place where is it near.
They wouldn't tell me so off I went.
"Is it near the village?" 26****
"Will I go out the Naas rd or through Ballyfermot?" 26 C*******
Then the more sober of the 2 started giving directions, left straight turn here, no other way. Then the second one woke up.."Why you here? we GO TO 26 c*****.

Now something changed in my tone of voice and they suddenly remembered where they lived. Neilstown...when we got there there was a party on in full swing in the back garden of a house. I dropped them off and as they walked past a nutcase with a flagon of cider in his hand they asked for a light and engaged him in conversation.
The kind of person he was would have made any normal person run away from him.
But they were stoned. How can anyone place themselves in such danger is beyond me.

I am so glad they are not my kids,talk about clouded judgment.

When nights go like that I abandon ship.
The mood seldom changes so I went off to buy the Sunday Times and came home to read it for a while.
200 polish workers have not been paid for 6 weeks by the company which employed them to do sub contract work for our national electricity company.
Thats what happens, you need cleaners for hospitals, you employ a contractor ,he employs people who don't understand their rights, he robs them blind and the hospital says. " Its not our concern?"
3 ships have been impounded in the last year in Ireland as they had slave crews on board. One ship had to be sold to get money to pay the workers.
The national union of seamen take no prisoners.

Oh yes a solicitor has had his license to practice suspended, while the investigate him.The banks have appointed a liquidator, they are not even sure how much they are owed. His property empire falls like a house of cards.

The shootings in gangland Dublin continue.
Remember the guy who rang up a chat show on the national radio a month ago? Well as a backlash the prisons were all searched and mobile phones taken away. This was followed by a few prison officers being suspended.
In gangland this guy was just a pain in the backside.
He was released from prison a few days ago and went out to celebrate. He arrived back at his house and when the 8 seater taxi pulled up the hit man opened the front door and pumped 5 shots into him. The victim was climbing over the driver to get out of the way as this was going on.

The taxi driver escaped without a scratch,one miss or a bullet passing through soft tissue the driver was a gonner.

And I thought I was having a bad night.

Sunday we had visitors from Australia.
Queensland.
So I did the tourist thing and brought them to a pub.
I suppose I have known his brother for nearly 40 years,kept in touch all that time.
Sent him back a few books to read.
Just imagine sitting in Woombaroomba with the chucks going by and a allagater sunning himself on the porch.
Laurie reading my book on Irish history.

"Where the bloody hell are you?"

Today I was kicking all the goals between the posts.
There is a big conference about pharmaceuticals in the RDS in Ballsbridge.
When you know there is something like this on you drive in and pick up.
There must be money in drugs they all were staying in the top hotels and just when I was going to finish up I got a lift from a Korean student who had come here to learn English, I had trouble finding the address.
I will buy a sat nav soon but we found the house in the end, his sense of direction was worse than mine as we had gone past the house twice.
I turn off the meter when I have a problem finding a street, when I am close that is.

He gave me a keyring with a Korean mask on it. Thank you.

People think that I should not let you my public see what I look like I say why not? Look here

I guess you all know what its like to be driven by me now!

I don't know if you have come over Achmed the terrorist

I reckon I will be back on form in 2 more weeks