Chef Ann …and her Sous Chef, DC!

One thing we did new this last trip was to stay in one place for the whole trip…no moving suitcases and infirm people every day or two. It was nice to sleep in the same bed every night, on soft cotton sheets, and IN A CASTLE! Nice also to be able to shop and cook our own food in the evenings, but not so much to haul out of that nice bed to fix breakfast for 10 people and then head out for a day of sightseeing.

So…we hired Chef Ann to come in each morning and do us up a hearty breakfast before she sent us on our way. Oh, Baby.

We always came back to a spotlessly clean kitchen and fresh pastries attractively displayed in a wicker basket for us to nosh on at our leisure. I missed Ann so much when I had to vacate on short notice and head home, and I was totally jealous of those who didn’t have a sick husband and got to stay for another week.

A copy of our breakfast menu:

Breakfast Menu

A selection of cold Cereals
Oatmeal
Seasonal fresh fruit compote accompanied by yogurt
A selection of chilled fruit Juices – orange, apple, & cranberry
Bakery Basket to include pastries, soda bread and toast
Jams and Jellies

~~~~~
For the main course each morning one of the following will be served:
Poached Eggs with Salmon
Scrambled Eggs with bacon
Pancakes, maple syrup, with bacon
Full Irish Breakfast to include sausage, bacon, pudding, tomato and eggs
Fried eggs with bacon
Irish ham with scrambled eggs

~~~~~

Freshly brewed tea / coffee

Ann brought along her faithful companion and helper, DC. He was lots of fun, and acted as Ann’s sous chef. He also plated the food and served us at the dining room table each morning. We were treated like royalty the whole trip!

Playing “Catch Up”

I called home…several times a day over several days. Hubby got sicker. Hubby felt better. They could hang on until I got home. They were beginning to panic.

I caught a flight and went home. Hubby ended up getting better, getting worse, ending up in the hospital for a week. He lost 30 pounds over a 3 week period, nearly had his kidneys in failure, got to ride in the ambulance in the middle of the night when his BP spiked for unknown reasons, and I felt like a dog for leaving in the first place.

Flash forward to now:
He’s gained back 20 of the 30 pounds he lost. He’s back at work nearly full time. He feels good. He’s walking on the treadmill every day. He’s had lots of tests, and a few more scheduled.

I’m planning my return to Ireland.

Meanwhile, Back at the Castle…

We arrived around lunch time on Sunday, April 17 at Fanningstown Castle, near Adare, Ireland. It was all we had hoped for and MORE!

We were met by David Normoyle and his little son, Rory, and shown how to use the gas for the cooking and heating. That would be a separate charge and was a little tricky. It involved a timer, some switches, and some confusion on my part for two days. We settled Papa and Gabby into the Master Bedroom, first room at the top of the first level of the stone spiral staircase. Down the hall was a full bath, a room for Debbie, and a room for Bubba and Nan. Up another flight of stone steps was a bedroom for David and Lisa. My room was reached through the full bath behind Papa’s room, and also by way of an iron spiral staircase from the TV room. Downstairs consisted of a lovely foyer, dining room for 10, gorgeous sitting room with peat fireplace, TV room in beautiful shades of sage green with gas fireplace, and a wonderful kitchen with huge farmhouse table seating 10 and all of the mod cons. Outside the kitchen was a very nice walled courtyard with tables, benches, and chairs.

We had secured a Land Rover at the airport and David and Lisa followed our driver/guide, Christy McGinn, to Fanningstown Castle. It was David’s first time to drive on the wrong side of the road and wrong side of the vehicle. He did just fine!

With the remainder of the day “at leisure” and the day off the following day, we began to settle in…and I called home.