Archive for August, 2007
I’ve only been snowboarding once. It should have been 2 days on the piste but after all the falls, bumps and bangs of the first day, I had to just chill out on the second. My body ached but it felt good. Muscles I had never used before sore.
I have never been a person who raves about sun holidays. I don’t like the heat and my skin just burns and returns to pale so I tend to just sit in the shade. I had been looking forward to giving the snow slopes a go. As a kid, when any amount of snow arrived in Wickla, we slid down the local golf links on old empty NET fertiliser bags and that had been the nearest I’d come to winter sports.
So it was with great anticipation that myself and a group of my friends and sisters headed away for a weekend just before I became pregnant with our last baby. It was brilliant. My sister is excellent at snowboarding having lived in Munich for many years, and was a great teacher. For something that looks sooo easy, it was bloody tough. My feet clipped into the board, my first problem was how to stand up. A couple of hours later, I had managed that and some movement but was still at the “ok I’m up and moving, now how do I stop this, slow down without falling, arrrrrggghhh??”
It was both exhilarating and frustrating at the same time. It looked so easy, kids no taller than my waist whizzed by whilst I did my get up, fall down routine. Then when I did get going, I’d start going too fast and panic. Then fall again.
Eventually that afternoon we decided to brave one of the tougher runs. On the way up in the ski lift I thought I was gonna die, vertigo kicked in. Don’t look down. Once we reached the summit, all was well, it was worth it. The views were absolutely breathtaking, snow capped mountains, it was awe inspiring, so peaceful.
Then the fun started. I thought I’d never get down that mountain. After an hour’s slow progress and my body aching, my sister took pity on me as I had resorted to shuffling down the slope on my bum. It was functional rather than aesthetically pleasing but I was totally wrecked and at least I was no longer falling. She convinced me to put my trust in her, I got up and she waltzed me down the rest of the way. It was bloody brilliant and I got a small glimpse of what it must be like to be competent at this sport. The speed, agility and ease at which we competed the run was amazing. I loved it.
I am smitten. So after an almost 2 year interval, roll on December when, I hope to do it all again. This time, hopefully there’ll be less falls and more graceful, speedy descents down the piste. In my dreams.
August 29th, 2007
Cavan Town Playground,Cathedral Road, Cavan, Ireland
Excellent, safe playground for older children but slightly less so for toddlers.
This is the local playground when we stay with Granny and the kids have gotten great mileage out of it over the past few years. It’s relatively new, approximately 4 or 5 years old as far as I recall.
Its located on the main Cavan to Belturbet road but there’s plenty of roadside parking or you can walk to it from the town. Its fenced in with one entrance/exit so very safe once you’re there to keep track of the children.
There’s a good range of equipment. The smallies have multi-play unit comprising of a slide tower, fireman’s pole, rope suspension bridge, arch climber and steps. There’s a fun phone, button seats, and a double twist roundabout for the more adventurous toddler. There’s a 2 seat swing set. Unfortunately this is not enclosed toddler one but the traditional swing which is more suitable for older children.
The older kids have an excellent multiplay unit which has a large range of equipment on it including enclosed slide, monkey bars, curved climber, scramble net, rock wall, loop tunnel, fireman’s pole, rope wall. There is also 4 seats under the main body of this unit which can be a handy shelter from a rain shower if you get caught unexpectantly.
There is a couple of benches. One very minor complaint with this playground is that it can be fairly littered on occasion. It would have been also preferable if a couple of toddler enclosed seat swings could have been added.
But in saying this, overall, its an excellent resource to have near Granny’s and the kids have gotten great use out of it and enjoyed it when we’ve visited.
Rated 3/5 on Aug 27 2007 by ManicMammy
Review Tags: activity, cavan, children, fun, outdoor, play, playground, things to do
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August 27th, 2007
Le Rendez Vous,26 Main Street, Belturbet, Co. Cavan, Ireland
Disappointing food that didn’t live up to menu described expectations.
As it was the last night of current visit to Cavan, Mam and myself decided to go out for a bite to eat, as sisters Lou and Claire held the fort and looked after the childer.Mam had previously been to Le Rendez Vous in Belturbet and had had a good meal out so we booked a table for 2 for 6.30. We were advised we’d have to be out by 8.30. When we arrived the restaurant was fairly empty just one other couple. It’s a pleasant bright room.
The waiter was attentive and left the early bird menu (5.30 till 7.30), a la carte and the wine list for us to peruse. The early bird menu had a good selection of 5 starters and 5 mains. Coffee was also included for €20. This seemed like good value and we both spotted dishes we liked on it so we opted for these. One disappointing aspect of the menu was that the kiddies menu options were just chicken pasta, nuggets and chips or burger and chips. Why or why were chips, burgers and nuggets on a french restaurant menu? I despair.
Mam went for a deep fried brie with salad and berry dressing: 
She felt it was only “ok”.
I ordered soufflé au fromage, which was described as a port salut and wild mushroom soufflé served with a blue cheese cream.
It wasn’t good. It looked awful. The soufflé was flat, overcooked, bland, cold and stodgy. I hate frisee lettuce and the salad contained lots of it. The only obvious mushrooms on the plate were a few slivers of dark black ones scattered around the edge of the plate.
For mains, Mam chose the salmon dish.
Whoever decided the baby pink sauce was a good idea was mistaken. To be fair it didn’t actually taste bad, it was just offputting to look at. Mam asked and was informed that beetroot juice had been added to a butter sauce to give it that colour.
I ordered the lamb shank.
The sauce looked lumpy and congealed. The lamb was tough. The sage mashed potato was fine. The sprig of parsley and chives balanced on top didn’t really add to the dish.
We were given side dishes of roasted baby potatoes and a selection of vegetables which tasted good.
We had a bottle of house red, a french pinot noir, which was very light and tasted fine.
The total cost came to approximately €63. By the time we were leaving, the restaurant was fairly full with a good mixture of young and old couples and groups.
Overall, we left disappointed. This was food that with a little bit of effort could have been done a lot better.
Rated 2/5 on Aug 26 2007 by ManicMammy
Review Tags: cavan, eaterie, eating out, food, french, restaurant
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August 26th, 2007
Co Cavan Swimming and Leisure Centre,
Drumalee,
Cavan,
Ireland
Good, large swimming pool with plenty of room for children to splash around.
As we’re up visiting Granny at the moment, myself and the eldest 4 headed to the local swimming pool yesterday. This is a 25m “L” shaped pool, basically the small part of the L is the children’s section. Its a great size and is shallow enough for the 2 year old to walk and splash comfortably around. The water was quite warm and the lifeguard was very visible and attentive.
Another lifeguard offered us additional floatation devices to play with as the 2 younger kids had armbands on. There were plenty of foam frogs and foam rectangles in the pool already and she produced a foam tube which the 2 year old loves when asked.
There is no time limitation on swimming here and the family swim cost was €16.50, which I reckoned was good value. There are 2 changing rooms: male and female. Plenty of lockers, hairdryers and enough bench space. The showers are individual cubicles which I’m not too fond of, would prefer an open plan shower area where I can see all the kids at all times.
One other advantage of this pool is a poolside bathroom. This I find a great help, as on occasion one or more of the children needs to use the loo and this avoids us all having to leave the pool and traipse back to the changing room.
As we had had a great hour’s swimming and splashing about in a almost empty pool yesterday morning, we returned this afternoon. Unfortunately there were swimming lessons on, so there was less space.
There’s also a jacuzzi and steamroom aswell as a couple of swimming lanes for those serious about their swimming!
Overall, this is a great facility and very handy when we’re up visiting Granny. Will definitely be returning.
Rated 4/5 on Aug 24 2007 by ManicMammy
LouderVoice Review Tags: activity, children, fun, leisure, pool, splash, swimming, swimming pool, water
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August 24th, 2007
Recently refurbished and conveniently located fast food outlet but food standards and service are very hit and miss.
Choice of eateries on the Cork to Cavan route that are handy to stop at for myself and the 5 darlings, when I’m travelling alone with them, are few and far between. I need somewhere where I can park near the door of the restaurant, where service is efficient, and that has a large bathroom so that we can all go in together.
The choice is usually McDs, Roscrea or McDs, Athlone. Roscrea is near enough halfway on our journey so its usually the option taken and I have stopped there on a few occasions this year as we make the journey every couple of months.
Last Tuesday I noticed that it has been refurbished. The new layout and seating is great. More bench style seats with extra stools that can be moved, excellent. Plenty of baby highchairs. All looked clean. We arrived around 12 midday so there were only a few other customers there. Service was ok. We received the beverages immediately even though they had run out of milk so juice was the option for the children. We had to wait for the kid’s happy meals and my burger. The happy meals were fine, but the burger wasn’t too good. The onions were still fairly raw and bun was undertoasted.
Unfortunately the bathroom was also dirty which was awful. To be fair when I brought this to the attention of the staff, they dealt with it immediately and a cleaner went in. But I think this typifies the problem here. When there’s a good manager on duty, this is a great McDonald’s outlet with fast, attentive service, reasonable food and a clean environment. Otherwise, everything tends to be a bit lax. Its very hit and miss.
I would love to find more options for restaurants that are handy and child friendly when it comes to travelling this route, anywhere around Templemore, Roscrea or Birr would be ideal. For the time being this seems to be our best option.
Rated 3/5 on Aug 23 2007 by ManicMammy
August 23rd, 2007
VHI Cúlcamps GAA summer camp
Slightly disorganised but enjoyable hurling and football summer camp for 7 to 13 year olds.
This was the second summer camp our 8 year old son did recently. It ran from 10am till 2.30pm Monday to Friday.
He enjoyed the week despite a days rain where outdoor activities were suspended and all kids just stayed indoors in the GAA hall and watched a GAA training recording, which didn’t sound too exciting and did restricted training. As approximately 70 children were particpating in the local camp, it definitely wasn’t suited to being held indoors. Perhaps more forethought should have been given to what to do as an alternative to outdoor training given the dreadful weather we’ve had this summer.
On the days where they were outdoors they did a variety of hurling and football training and matches. This was fun and he arrived home tired but happy with the day. The camp cost €55. This, unlike the FAI camp, was not paid in advance, but on the day, which lead to a confused and rushed start, as parents queued up to pay, having enroled by post months earlier. The cost of the camp included a jersey, shorts, socks and a knapsack. Unfortunately the knapsacks didn’t arrive at our local GAA club so we didn’t receive them.
UPDATE: The missing knapsack and water bottle were delivered to our home yesterday (30/08/07). Hurray and thanks. The knapsack is excellent and the 8 year old has already decided he wants to use it as his school bag this year.
There was great excitement on the Thursday as three local GAA heroes attended the camp and signed jerseys, hurleys and helmets. The boys and girls were chuffed.
Overall, this camp was good value for money and most importantly the kids enjoyed it. With a little more pre-organisation, I’m sure the small niggles mentioned above could have been avoided.
We look forward to next year’s one.
Rated 4/5 on Aug 20 2007 by ManicMammy
LouderVoice Review Tags: activities, children, football, fun, gaa, hurling, sport, summer, summer camp, what to do
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August 20th, 2007
Excellent week’s training and fun for 7 to 15 year olds.
The 8 year old recently completed the local FAI run summer soccer camp. He had a fabulous time and was worn out after the week’s activities.
The camp ran from 10.30 till 3 every day and there were boys and girls from aged 7 to 15 years. We were lucky in that the weather held for the full week so they were outdoors the full time.
Each group was assigned their own trainer and taught different skills. Then the trainers were swapped around. The highlight of the week seems to have been the penalty shootout competition as the winners from each of the age sections fought it out to be the overall camp champion.
The camp cost €89 and the kit they recieved included Umbro shorts and jersey, shin guards, water bottle, ball and socks. The lads loved the colours this year and it appears to be good quality and will hopefully last for plenty of more wears.
Overall, I thought this was a well run, good value for money summer camp, which the children really enjoyed. He’ll definitely be participating in next year’s one.
Rated 4/5 on Aug 18 2007 by ManicMammy
August 18th, 2007
Easy to use, free delivery if certain amount spent, online version of highstreet’s MANGO clothes outlet.
I had gone clothes shopping a couple of weeks ago as managed to wangle a girls’ morning, the boys were off playing soccer and hanging out with their cousins. So myself, the baby and the 3 year old headed into Cork.
I’m not a big fan of clothes shopping, its usually hassle, trying on clothes, getting re-dressed etc etc. I’ve gotten to the stage, I think, of knowing what type and shape of clothes suit me and I’m afraid I’ve always been a bit of a “buy everything in black” person. Though this has modified in recent years to “buy the same item in a few different colours” if I find a skirt or top that I like.
Anyhow, that morning I purchased a skirt in MANGO which I love. A few evenings ago, I decided to have a gander of their website www.mango.com and the shopping part of this www.mangoshop.com.
I found it pretty easy to use. The choice of clothes can be narrowed down by Style (eg casual, evening etc), Garment (eg dresses, tops, tshirts etc), price or collection. There is a good sale selection too.
You can zoom in on the particular item you are interested in, though unlike other clothing online sites, you can’t zoom in on a particular part of the item nor rotate it to see the back or side for example.
The website gives suggestions for matching pieces. Select your size and colour and add to shopping bag. Check out was straightforward too.
Delivery of items by DHL took only 3 days and was free of charge as I had spent over €45. I think this is an excellent service. Its about time an online store appreciated the custom and stopped adding a hefty shipping charge on top of the cost of the items.
I am very happy with my purchases and will definitely use this website again.
Rated 4/5 on Aug 16 2007 by ManicMammy
August 16th, 2007
Razor Scuttle Bug
Cool, light, foldable trike for toddlers and up.
Whilst on holidays with their cousins, Fionn(2) and Sibéal(3) had great fun on cousin Hannah’s Scuttle bug. Its basically a foldable tricycle.
The razor-help website shows exactly how it folds and then re-assembles. Its very easy to accomplish and as result the trike is very transportable as is light and small. This is its main advantage over other kid’s ride-on toys. It has 3 small gel wheels, making it suitable for indoor and outdoor use and is very robust and sturdy. There are no pedals, the child just uses their feet to push along. It is fairly low to the ground so none of the children had any bother in using it. It has just basic steering but I think its a good progression from toddler ride-ons.
It’s height isn’t adjustable and as there are no brakes on it, it is limited and I could see the children getting bored of it as they get that bit older, but for the time being, they all had great fun on it.
Rated 3/5 on Aug 14 2007 by ManicMammy
LouderVoice Review Tags: children, foldable bicycle, kid, portable, ride-on, toy, tricycle
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August 14th, 2007
Horse and Hound Inn,
Ballinaboola,
Foulksmills,
Co. Wexford,
Ireland
Handy place for pitstop on main Cork-Rosslare road but food can be hit or miss.
On the recent roadtrip from Cork to Rosslare, I gave the 8 year old the option of stopping in McDonalds in Dungarvan/Waterford or waiting till we reached the Horse and Hound in Ballinaboola. It’s located on the roadside but has a large, safe car park and is perfect for a quick stop on a long journey.
We had stopped there on previous trips and had found the service to be fast and efficient, the bathrooms clean and the food fine, nothing too amazing.
This time however, I ordered the open crab sandwich. It was dreadful. Some of the crabmeat was still frozen and there were numerous bits of crab bone/shell in it. Some pieces were quite substantial, approximately 1cm in diameter and should have definitely been noticed if anyone had given the crabmeat even a percursory examination before serving it. The brown bread on which it was served seemed fine but I had lost my appetite. The side salad which accompanied it contained plenty of sliced raw peppers of which I am not a fan either. I abandoned it.
As on their holidays, the kids ordered sausages and chips each. To be fair, these portions were huge, three jumbo sausages and plenty of chips. One serving between the two of them would have been more than enough.
A latte, two soft drinks and the above totalled €23.
The service was ok, our orders were taken fairly fast, but the drinks were forgotten initially. No enquiries were made as to why we had left so much food.
I don’t think we’ll be stopping here next time we’re on the N25.
Rated 2/5 on Aug 13 2007 by ManicMammy
LouderVoice Review Tags: eating out, food, pub, pub grub, restaurant, wexford
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August 13th, 2007
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