Thursday was a day for R & R. Bebe and I rested and enjoyed the day. Jenn came to bake for the sale at Seaforde on Saturday. She has started a business, "Pie in the Sky" and is selling pies, breads, cookies and muffins. She is striving for a healthy product. She had a "boot sale" earlier in the month however it was held indoors (Boot being the trunk of the car. At Boot Sales, typically folks go to a carpark and open the "boot" to sell their wares.) She did well at the Boot Sale even though her specialty was Pumpkin Pie. Apparently the Irish have not even heard of using pumpkin for pie. They must have been quite good as there is a Craft/Bake Holiday Sale at Seaforde on Saturday and she was invited to come and bring pies! All day Thursday, she was busy scooping out the squash, rolling out pastry and measuring, mixing, baking and packaging pies.
   She made seventeen!

After they had cooled, Bebe and I helped her package them. In the meantime, we just kept her company. (Note the baby bump on Jenn...due in February!)

Our evening consisted of not much else...reading and crocheting. We did turn on the heater so we could enjoy the small sitting area in the great hall. The sitting room is so big and often very chilly. This little area is "just right".  Richard was very kind and not only made tea for us but delivered it down the long hallway. Richard is very good to make tea often. I asked him one morning just how much he drank. His first answer was "12-13 cups a day" but then he qualified it. I'm not sure how much he drinks but he makes it often and for that, Bebe and I are grateful!

(I am not able to get this pics where I want them. I tried....)  On Friday we decided to go to Newcastle for a bit of shopping. We also did some research for activities for the One2Four. Our stops included two shoe stores (and I bought a pair of fleece lined slippers...my feet are warmer tonight than they have been the whole time I've been here. Great purchase!!), two accessory shops and a great find in a scarf, two "About a Pound" stores (similar to Dollar Stores), a hardware and an electrical (looking for a convertor), Sugar Island Jewelry (to see if she'd like to give jewelry making classes..she would not), Tourist information center (to check on possibilities for day trips for the group), the library where we were able to get a borrower's card and we each checked out books about Ireland!, lunch of Ginger Squash Soup with homemade wheat bread and a cherry scone, and then Beulah, a Christian bookshop, looking for a book suitable for our potential book discussion group. The clerk recommended War and Grace, stories of faith from WWII. There are many short stories. Finally we went to the Woolen Shop. I needed more yarn for the afghan and I bought some for a new knit project! Because there is one hour parking on the streets of Newcastle, I had to move the car twice. I want you to know that I parallel parked! That is quite the feat considering I did it on the "other side". I'm becoming quite adept at this other side of the road business!

We had some great chats with clerks and business folks. At one of the shoe stores, the fellow told about hunting rabbits at Murlough and bagging 60 per day...because that was the limit! The fellow at the bookstore told us about his trip to Florida for Christmas one year. The librarian told me that if we walk down the beach a bit, we should be able to see the seals across the bay. Frances at the Wool Shop was very hospitable. She gave me a knitting lesson! They all ask what part of the US we are from! Wonder how they know?

As we walked along the streets, there were plants displayed for "winter gardens"--primroses, pansies, dianthus and several colors of heather. Beautiful! We left Newcastle (and did not see Leonard today!), stopped for petrol and then back to Murlough House. Richard had prepared lunch so we had leftovers for an early supper. Jenn was baking zucchini bread, raspberry muffins, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies. She packaged up everything and left Murlough House smelling absolutely wonderful. However, she did not leave any peanut butter cookies.