Yes...

...improbably, puzzlingly, bewilderingly, perplexingly, unfathomably - I have turned 70 years of age.  How did I allow this to happen!?!  It was only yesterday that I dropped Lee off at North Shore Montessori School; dropped Eryn off at Studio D.  As the cliche goes, time flies.  But, I'm also going to go with a more recent cliche - 70 is the new fifty (boy, they used to have a bunch of aches and pains at 50 in the old days).  Nevertheless, very little to complain about.  Candee and I seemed to have escaped our separate health scares.  Neither of us is on medication for any kind of chronic health issue.  Not rich, but enough to do much all that we would care to do (except, some kind person might buy us a place here in Westport).  We both participate in significant, mind-engaging work.  We live comfortably - just check my waistline of late.  In short, life is good.  But seventy...?

Had a very nice birthday eve day.  Padraic took me out to one of my favorite local parkland courses - Ballinrobe Golf Club.  He treated me to lunch and green fees, and we both found some things to be encouraged about in our respective games.  Then Padraic and Marion came over to Barleyhill for dinner.  The usual great conversation and then we were joined by our lovey landladies - Carole and Colette. and then the Maddens - Darren, Maria, Conor, and Niamh - showed up.  Plenty of wine, coffee, tea, cake and ice cream were served.  It was great to have all these splendid and brilliant people celebrate the day with me.  As we'd say here, go raibh maith agat a milliún or thanks a million.

Oh, and the place in Westport? I have received as birthday gifts from our friends a number of scratch-off, EuroMillions, and National Lottery tickets. I am sure to be able to invite many of you over to stay in our new manse clinging to a cliff and overlooking Clew Bay, the Reek, and Clare Island very soon. Be on the lookout for the invite...