The IFA Telecom guy finally arrived today to do the signal test for the wireless broadband from Ben Daish, and installed the wireless receiver on the TV pole on the chimney. Unfortunately I wasn’t here when he did it, because when I arrived later on I couldn’t get either the Powerbook G4 or the Windows XP laptop to connect - I didn’t even try with the Fedora 4 box as that’s more complicated. So I rang support and after several attempts we realised that the machines weren’t picking up the right IP address from the wireless receiver. So somebody is going to come back and do a check on that sometime soon! Therefore I have the physical broadband connection but can’t use it just yet. One piece of hardware I’ll have to get myself is a wireless router in order to be able to share the connection in the house.

The end of the third term and therefore of the 2006-7 school year is upon us. The Clare Music Makers has now closed until September - the end of year concert was held in the Dánlann an Chláir on Sunday afternoon last. I appeared as the one and only oboist in the CMM Orchestra as we performed a medley from Bernstein’s West Side Story, which turned out very well. So now it’s all over until September - almost! Luckily we have Summer Music on the Shannon to look forward to in the meantime.

I haven’t posted in the last 5 days because I’ve been busy and wasn’t in the mood in any case.

The carpenter came on Saturday morning and installed the door in the attic, so the job is finally finished. All I need to do now is sand the door and varnish or paint it. We have moved the stuff we had acquired for the purpose (a dividing screen, some rugs, a set of wooden trunks, two comfortable chairs) up into the attic so it is now officially functioning. There are several things still outstanding, however, such as low shelves to hold the small library section that will go there, a music centre or hi-fi, folding beds, wall hangings, and a small table. I’ll post a photograph here when I get round to taking one.

On this dull dank misty May morning I surfaced early and had already cast my vote by 8am. I always like to do so early, in case anything happens later in the day that might prevent me from getting to the polling station. Though short-lived, I savoured my three minutes in the voting booth, getting particular enjoyment from the precise placement of my number 1 in the box beside my preferred candidate. My number 2 was likewise placed without a moment’s hesitancy. My number 3, however, looked dodgy for all of 60 seconds while I mulled over whether I should give a number 3 or not, but in the end my decision was to give a number 3. And that was that. I did get a frisson of gleeful satisfaction from ignoring the other 9 candidates, which I savoured before stepping out of the booth and placing my voting paper in the ballot box.
I’m looking forward with much anticipation to the count tomorrow and Saturday as I always enjoy that part best.

By the way, do cast your vote tomorrow! If you don’t vote you have no right to complain afterwards! And if you vote for the shower who subsequently mess it up, then you are partly to blame! Voting is a very serious and responsible duty. So do NOT under any circumstances vote for someone because your parents vote for him/her or because you have always voted for him/her, or because s/he has a nice smile/pair of tits/swagger/whatever. Remember your vote does matter so handle it with care.

Halle-*%$*-luya! What a pleasure it was to turn on the radio this morning and not hear the idiotic squabbling of moronic politicians! What a relief to have the normal news back!

I must say I’m singularly unimpressed by the behaviour and attitude of the majority of politicians during the so-called election campaign. I think they don’t deserve the huge salaries they receive at our expense because they do NOT work for the benefit of the citizens or the country. They should all be fired, and ordinary intelligent citizens with a modicum of sense and a wealth of experience such as ourselves be given the job of running the country. You can be sure we would do a damn sight better than the present shower.

Anybody who wants to be a politician shouldn’t be allowed within a hundred kilometres of it because they’re the very ones who will mess it up. High office should be given to ordinary decent honest citizens who know what it is to struggle with living in today’s society and understand all its myriad challenges and complexities in the flesh. Our present so-called democratic system of government is a farce - all the political parties care about is getting into power and staying there, and feathering their nests and the nests of their friends while they’re in power. They don’t give two hoots about us the citizens who pay their exhorbitant wages and over-the-top expenses. Our present so-called democratic system needs urgent and radical reform. We are suffering under a system of government dreamt up by our erstwhile oppressors, the British, all of 9 decades ago. The world and our country and society has changed out of all recognition since then. This system of government no longer serves us and needs to be replaced forthwith. It is time for a revolution!

Well, I finally got my work on the attic finished with the application of the second coat of varnish to the floor yesterday morning. I’ll leave it dry for the next couple of days before starting to move stuff into it on Friday afternoon.

I’m still waiting for the carpenter to come back and install the little door that separates the attic from the storage area. Hopefully he’ll do so this weekend.

I’m poised to apply the second and final coat of varnish to the attic floor. Just waiting for the mist to clear as I will need both velux windows open for ventilation. Just as I type this the sun has made an albeit misty appearance which heralds the imminent banishment of mist. So I’m off to the attic.

It’s been almost a week since my last post - thanks to the head cold which I have now beaten, and lack of time due to work on the attic floor. I applied the priming oil to the attic floor on Saturday afternoon which took me two and a half hours, and yesterday (Sunday) I applied the first coat of varnish which took me another two and a half hours. I could have applied the second coat of varnish this morning as the first coat was dry, but decided to leave it until tomorrow morning as I had pressing work matters to attend to (namely the VAT Return of Trading Details form for 2006-7 which is a pain in the arse to fill in). The varnish is a Hard Wax Oil from Biofa.
So tomorrow morning first thing I will apply the second coat of varnish to the attic floor - the weather forecast is good which means I can leave both velux windows wide open for ventilation while I do so. Even though the varnish is an eco-friendly product, good ventilation is still required while applying it.

I’ve caught another damn cold - this time it’s gone down to my chest which is quite tender. What a nuisance! I don’t usually catch colds this easily. The weather which has turned wet, windy and cool is not helping.

I’m off to have a hot bath with some Aromatherapy Bath Oil (containing Benzoin, Eucalyptus and Pine for respiratory ailments) added to make me feel better and help fight off this thing.