Today I wrote. I did go to Coole (former home of Lady Augusta Gregory) for tea (warm rhubarb tart with real cream and coffee) on the pretense of working and I did take notes from a book on the Peoples of Ireland I had picked up in Oxford at a flea market for 5 pounds. Not bad. And I did take a walk about the walled garden and I did throw my yesterday’s organics in the picnic trash bins. But I have been writing and editing all day. Oh, I did Skype and talk with my daughter and granddaughter this morning. All in a day’s work. I am meeting my quota of pages (50 a week) and am on page 86 and have until Monday to get the 14 pages finished. I do plan on going into Galway tomorrow on the bus from Ardrahan and doing a little research at the Galway Library. I have spent the last 2 hours working out the conflict with the Unionists and the Republicans. Don’t ask. I am ready to take it on.
Water aerobics.
I did take a water aerobics class at the Leisure Center at Lady Gregory’s Hotel in Gort last night. Ladies and gentlemen, Ireland has it going! They have fun little blue disks that float, a wonderful pool (4 lanes wide) with built in whirl pools (3 along the side of the pool). Both ends of the pool are glass and give light. There is no view to see but there is light. They have coin operated lockers, you put in a euro, you get the key for the duration of the time. Everyone is required to wear hair covers. They also have 8 showers…count…8, but the downside is the water is only on if you push the button; therefore, to wash appropriately, it takes three hands. Sigh. We win. Plus their dressing room is tiny (think the one near the whirlpool without the outer benches near the door and the shower area) and the showers double as dressing areas. Yes, everything gets wet if you take it into the shower with you and hang it on the back of the shower door. Pros and Cons. I did get more of an upper body workout than legs. And the instructor did not do any of the exercises with us. She simply showed us what to do, cranked up the music really loud, even I could hear it, and proceeded to let us do too many of the same things. (Note to Mary: I love your workout sessions.) All in all a new experience. Tonight, dinner somewhere in Gort. I had cheese and crackers last night and would like a hot meal tonight. Here’s hoping. By the by, landlady fixed the shower. I said, you said, and she said, no it can be changed and she changed it and I had a lovely shower; I even used conditioner. Brilliant.
Leara Rhodes 