Monday, September 16, 2002

Internet Service Provider

I organise the ISP. All we need to get Judith's computer to connect to the internet is 3 items of information:

The number to dial
An account name
An account password.

These are obtained. We elect to use the cheapy Eircom ISDN subscription, free access is not provided for ISDN customers!

"It should work in about a half to one hour's time," the Eircom sales person said optimistically.

It actually took an hour and a half and a phone call to ask what was happening!

Judith reminded me we were in Ireland. "Time runs slow! Don't try to think that you're in England."

Now we have a 64k connection!

I test it with a site in the States - 59.1 kbps. Not bad.

The House

We organise furniture in the study and sitting room. I repair a bookcase - going over the top with wood planes and lots of glue. Judith continues with her boxes.

Judith now has a "Whirly Gig" clothes drier. 'Guess who' says he will concrete in the post hole! Well she is cooking dinner.

CLONAKILTY

Shopping at the local town of Clonakilty is easy. There's a supermarket on the N71 bypass.

Kitty litter seems to be a bit of a rarity here.
"Don't Irish cat pooh?" I ask an innocent local stocking up a shelf.
"Yes"
"Where's the kitty litter?" I enquire. (Maud only uses kitty litter. Digging in bare earth is fine and a thing she really enjoys but as the garden is all grass there is nowhere for her right now.)
"We don't have any. May be tomorrow."
"OK." I pick up a roll of Sellotape and say to Judith, "We'll need a cork too."
A couple of minutes later the innocent local finds us and hands us a pack of Thomas Cat Litter.