Polly Celebrates Ireland's National Fish And Chip Day...

Today, 26th May 2010 is National Fish & Chip Day here in Ireland! Apparently, participating chippers are offering 50% discount on all orders for fish and chips today...

The word on the street is that the first fish and chips in Ireland were introduced by young Guiseppe Cervi, who was on an America bound ship which stopped off in Queenstown (Cobh)on the south coast, just off Cork. Having reached Dublin, Guiseppe worked in the city as a labourer, earning enough to buy a coal-fired cooker and a handcart, and started selling chips outside pubs...

In the years following Guiseppe opened his first fish and chip shop was on Great Brunswick Street – now Pearse Street – next door to Trinity College Dublin in 1880-something...

What remains remarkable about the Fish and Chip industry in Ireland is that the majority are owned by Italians some hundred years or so later. Even more remarkable is the fact that nearly all of these families originate from one tiny area - a handful of little villages in Val Di Comino, in the province of Frosinone in Southern Italy.



In honour of this great tradition the descendents of these hard working pioneers of Ireland's favourite fast food have got together to form a self regulating association - ITICA, whose tagline is "Serving Your Local Community Since 1885"...

These are ITICA's Core Values:

• 
  

  Freshly cut chips are the only chips we serve

• 
  

  Our customers will be treated courteously and efficiently 

• 
  

   All meals will be prepared to the highest food safety standard 

• 
  

  Our shops will be maintained to the highest standard 

• 
  

  Our shops remain a safe and welcoming environment 

• 
  

  We will support ITICA promotional activities

For more information why not drop into their site and see who in your area is a member of ITICA!


Now it's not that I'm biased, but with the exception of Leo Burdocks, the only place to go for fish and chips is an italian chippers! Everything else pales by comparison. It's not unusual for Irish chippers to use frozen lumps of soggy battered fish instead of fresh fish. This and the use of frozen chips, which are equally appealing succeeded in putting me off fish and chips for many years!

"GOLDENFRY and Luigi's, Edenderry; Macari's, Tullamore and Angelo's Takeaway, Banagher have become members of the newly formed Irish Traditional Italian Chippers Association (ITICA) and they now proudly display the ITICA logo." (Offaly Express 09 April 2010)

So, the question remains, how will you celebrate National Fish & Chip Day? The thought did cross my mind that I could make a healthy low fat version of fish and chips here at home, however, that really wouldn't be celebrating National Fish And Chips Day properly would it? So I guess it's off to Macari's for tea tonight...

Meanwhile, in between rushing around delivering boys here, there and everywhere I think I shall celebrate by making an extra-special hand made greeting card to cheer a lady called Jayme up. This is known as a random act of kindness or RAK, if you would like to know more about this please visit here...

If I succeed in fulfilling this ambition, I'll be posting on my other blog later on this evening and you can find out more over there...

Why not let us know how you celebrated National Fish & Chip Day 2010? Enjoy!

Ciao!

Polly

Vinca Cards

Polly Introduces Tullamore Dairies

Hi there and welcome back to Vinca's In Tha Kitchen. It's been a long time since I've made my presence felt here and frankly I feel guilty about it! Sad to say that I could offer excuse upon excuse, each as relevent as the other, but honestly folks I think it was a mixture between bloggers block and a lack of heart...

First of all, let me just say that I haven't been totally idle since my last posting. Oh no, I've been getting plenty of exercise surfing away and catching up with my own reading which is something that often doesn't happen when I'm busy blogging and making cards. It's important to catch up and to keep up, so while I've been feeling sorry for myself with all the exciting developments in my life I've been chilling out on the net in between times. So, I've got quite a bit to catch up on...

First of all my love affair with Glenisk. Well, I'm sure that regular readers have often heard me refer to the Cleary family from Killeigh and their ethically conscious dairy company, and just every now and again their sister company Tullamore Dairies. I feel it necessary for me to offer an apology of sorts, in so far as I seem to have almost neglected Tullamore Dairies - the original incarnation, in preference of their younger flashier sister company.

For those of you who don't live locally Tullamore Dairies is still very much up and running. They provide some of the nicest, creamiest and cheapest milk in the locality, just as they have been doing ever since they first set up as an independant dairy. Rather bizarrely, I made an interesting discovery about this company just last week - they supply skimmed milk...

Up until last week I had somewhat reluctantly been purchasing what I refer to as 'pink milk' from their competitor & major stakeholder in the dairy business here in Ireland. To the best of my knowledge this huge conglomerate was the only supplier of the slightly thinner version of everybody's favourite healthy drink. As a consequence I have been buying their product in bulk and freezing it until needed, as it is often difficult to purchase skimmed milk in Ireland at all!

To be honest I've yet to buy my local Tullamore Dairies product as I've still got a healthy quantity of the frozen stuff to use up, but believe you me I'll be looking for the distinctive green and white waxed carton in the shops next time I go shopping...

Polly Congratulates Glenisk On Latest...

Early this afternoon I logged into my Facebook account to catch up with the world, his brother and sister and basically to have a good look around. Amongst the regular updates about Farmeville and the like (all of which I studiously ignore!) I came across the latest update from Glenisk.

Regular readers are no doubt aware that Glenisk is in fact one of my neighbours. In rural Ireland, if someone lives within a couple of miles as the crow flies, they are your neighbour and I am thrilled to have the pleasure of having watched the Cleary family from Newtown, Killeigh expand their business over the past three decades. Time after time I'm proud to say that this family business has been nominated for and received top awards and this week is no exception...

Glenisk is the overall winner of the SFA National Business Award 2010. Winning the Food & Drinks category, Glenisk also beat off competition from 35 other finalists to take the top prize. The award was presented to finance director, Gerard Cleary by An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, TD, on Thursday, 4 March.

While we're on the subject of the latest from Glenisk, why not have a look at their new TV advert. Apparently, this was filmed in the middle of a particularly chilly December which meant that it wasn't practical to film au naturel, ie out on the farm. If you want to see how they did it head over here for more details...

So, congratulations to Vincent, Ger and all the lads over in Newtown! Keep up the good work and carry on bringing national and international awards back to our parish, making organics and sustainability hip, and the nation healthier...!

Polly Pierce

Vinca Cards - Handmade Wedding Stationery & Greeting Cards Made In Offaly

Polly Says Feel Your Boobies...

During the past twenty odd years I have seen many things involving the human breast. Ranging from breast reductions in men to radical mastectomies and breast reconstruction using muscle tissues normally located on the patients own back...

I've comforted elderly ladies whose sense of decency prevented them from taking much notice of their own breasts. The resulting fungating tumour's purulent discharges expunging the contents of their mammaries finally forcing them to notice them.

I've celebrated the negative, the results of urgent fresh frozen section examinations while the surgical team waited back in the OR. I've sorted specimens, applied dressings, cut the sutures and provided the necessary equipment for all sorts of breast related surgeries - and I've faced my own mortality.
Strangely it took me weeks to pluck up the courage to consult anyone the pea sized lump in my breast, despite the fact that I was working in an area with a special interest in breast surgery. Those weeks could have been the difference between life and death had it turned out to be anything more sinister than a harmless cyst. I knew this and still could'nt face the reality of having discovered my own breast lump...

At the age of 25 I was lucky. My lump stayed with me for a few years and finally disappeared when I'd fed two children for nearly three years (in total) - quite obviously they had sucked me dry!

Two things I've identified that prevent many women from completing self examination are modesty or embarrassment and fear. Despite strong media campaigns on television, in newspapers and magazines many women still find themselves uncomfortable with idea of breast examination.

In other cases these women are frozen in fear of what may be. It's so easy to stand in judgement; though having experienced this for myself it's easier to understand. This is why I appeal to all my readers to promote breast examinations. Ladies; it's time to feel your boobies! Visit Feel Your Boobies.com to find out more...

Pollys Take On Dough

In George's latest post she reviews the diabolical state of English bread. I'm not sure that we've quite caught up with it over here in Ireland; as it is possible to purchase vast quantities of stoneground bread alongside your ordinary batch loaf. Even the smallest corner shop sells some form of wholesome bread, often made by hand in a small bakery nearby.

Despite this; I was startled by the following quote:

“In Ireland as a whole, we have 250 small bakeries for a population of five million. In Germany, for 82.5 million people, they have 20,000.”

Also in Tullamore is Donoghue's craft bakery; also recently quoted in Bakeryinfo.co.uk:

"there’s definitely a market for craft breads in Ireland. He’s (Cathal O'Donoghue) a third-generation baker and, since he took over what was McGlinchey’s Bakery in Tullamore 17 years ago, he has grown turnover considerably. “We’ve expanded from IR£50,000 turnover a year to our present level of over E1m, with 30 on the staff,” he says.

But even though O’Donohue’s product range is very modern, one of its popular lines is still the old-fashioned traditional batch loaf.

He also says that, while the artisan bakery group has made a lot of progress since its launch, it needs a facilitator to drive it forwards. “If we all get in the one boat, we will go faster,” he explains. With the marketing plans about to be put in place, he believes that what the group really needs is good publicity – preferably on television – to sell the whole idea to the public."

Recently I was lucky enough to meet Mr O'Donoghue; at one of my Thursday morning breakfast meetings. Being an expert in both bakery and marketing he'd kindly brought along some samples of their staple Irish Brown Soda Bread, to quote one of our chat show hosts "one for every body in the audience!"

Unfortunately this turned out not to be so. On that morning we had a particularly busy meeting and were overwhelmed with visitors and new members, totalling some forty plus. Cathal had only banked on twenty four! Not to be outdone, he immediately sent word back to base and ordered a second tray, this time a Polish Malt Bread with Oats.

Well, I was one of the lucky ones. Being a straggler and the last to get breakfast can have its advantages, in this case I was able to snag three loaves - no it wasn't greed that motivated me, honest! By this time most of our members had departed leaving a sizeable quantity of forgotten dough on the table at the back of the restaurant.

This incident was a perfect example of my "waste not, want not"philosophy, resulting in perfectly toasted malt bread with lashings of butter in two households the following morning - I took one for my Mum as well. LB preferred his au-naturel with a thick layer of creamy Irish Butter. Sadly there are no pictures to illustrate this lovely discovery, but one thing is certain; next time we'll be buying it!

Polly Smoothes The Whey...

Well Summer's managed to last another day here in the sunny Emerald Isle, so much so that I am frozen! I know that's a bit of a contradiction in terms except for the fact that this has occurred as a direct result of the prevailing weather conditions...

See, I was about to drive home from one of today's many appointments in neighbouring towns when I received a request for me to bring home a yummy breakfast smoothie from our friendly neighbourhood coffee bar. Yep Chocolate Brown do nice smoothies and I was foolish enough to introduce my hairy son to them. Not content with one, he wanted a second one, although his enthusiasm was somewhat dampened when I told him he'd be buying it...

As I have to dash into Tullamore for a second time later on this afternoon, to deliver a card or two, the thought did occur to me that maybe I could spoil the little blighter after all and bring him the object of his affections. That was until I remembered that it would melt on the way home and make a mess of the car. So, in true super-mum fashion I made my own!

Anyway, this of course wasn't at all possible in the eyes of the hairy teenager, who has transcended BB, just because I'm his Mum and I can't do anything...

• So take a hand full of frozen strawberries, raspberries, fave fruit per person
• Add a small hand full of your favourite muesli breakfast cereal
• about 1/2 pint of your preferred milk, ie whole, skim, semi-skim 0r half-fat,
  
• or soy/fave fruit juice for the vegans and the discerning
  
• one large goblet LIQUIDISER
• a large drop of enthusiasm and extra milk for when it gets too thick to churn!

What to do:

• Chuck the whole lot into the goblet of your old fashioned liquidiser, or smoothie maker or food processor if you absolutely must.
• Give it a good stir and whizz in the liquidizer stopping to stir regularly.
• When mixture is smooth and resembles ice-cream it's time to stop whizzing and get eating/slurping!
• Don't forget to use gloves to hold your very cold long drink and use a spoon or you will get brain freeze!
• Add honey to the goblet for added sweetness if desired and/or yoghurt for a refreshing lift!

Ladies and gentlemen, the hairy teenager stood open mouthed and speechless for a good moment or two. He then admitted that maybe his mum does know a thing or two and tucked in to a smoothie which was invented a long time before his very existence was conceived!!!!

Nearly an hour later, my body temperature has risen sufficiently for me to consider removing my extra heavy duty hoodie sweatshirt on yet another bright and sunny day here in the Emerald Isle! Why not give this one a whirl and celebrate the joys of summer, but maybe if you're organised you'll recycle those functionally ugly plastic containers and straws from your local smoothie bar for a really professional touch...

Ciao!

Polly Pierce

ps sorry there aren't any pics - we ate/drank it all before you could sneeze from the sudden cold! Maybe next time peeps...

Polly See's Cleary Now...!

Dear God; will these guy's never stop? Hot on the heels of my last post; in which I championed some famous Offalian's on a local, national and international level I just received the latest copy of the Glenisk Newsletter.

Not content with being famously innovative; this family business has gone from strength to strength over the last thirty or so years. While still incarcerated at the Sacred Heart Convent in Tullamore I have fond memories of opening the quarter pint tetra-cartons of milk donated to the school on a daily basis during the early years of the Tullamore Dairies story.

As Christmas approaches so do the memories of the Cleary's driver dropping off a carton or two of cream from Santa Clause. The Cleary's have been a part of the community from start to finish, their dreams have grown to reality in the time that has realised enormous changes in this country alone. From being up there in the third world league tables, the Bengal Tiger famously immigrated and took Irish nationality...

Sadly it seems that the bubble has since burst; but not for Glenisk - the organic side of a business that started up a generation or so ago in Newtown, Killeigh. Not only does this company have a strong work ethic; upholding the belief that we should interfere as little as possible with our planet and all that it produces is equally important. Locally the Cleary's use Airtricity; generated from the one naturally occuring resource that Ireland is seldom short of - Wind! Maybe next they will be harnessing another type of wind produced by Green Cows!?

A little further afield this local hero is supporting yet another important project this Christmas; from a humble pot of cream to a herd of goats, maybe even a hive of bees. Glenisk has teamed up in promoting and sponsoring Bothar to produce a beautifully photographed Calendar for the New Year in 2009.

Vincent Cleary is pictured (right) with Patrick McCarrick of Bóthar and Sandy, one of Glenisk's goats at the launch of this year's calendar.

Each calender will cost just €10 (including postage to anywhere in the world) and it features images of successful projects in Nepal and Tanzania. Funds raised from the sale of this calendar will form part of the ongoing support to poor families in these two countries. Also featured are images of dairy goats from Ireland.

The Cleary family of Glenisk made the decision to sponsor the calendar because, as Vincent Cleary puts it: "We greatly admire Bóthar's work in helping to alleviate hunger among the world's poorest populations."

Just in case you are one of those poor people like me, who remember the the days when Christmas actually meant something, was smaller and more enjoyable why not have a look at gifting for charity. Faced with the difficult decision of what to buy for whom visit Bothar and download a copy of this years Christmas catalogue, let's help someone else for a change. Face it guy's; "...unlike most of the presents we exchange at this time of year, these are gifts that reflect the true spirit of Christmas."

"The Difference Is Cleary"

Did I forget to suggest that you pay the Cleary's another visit and check out their Awards and Accolades Page and see what these guy's are really up to..

Offalian's Triumph

This morning I checked into Microsoft Outlook to see what delights had landed in my inbox and was not disappointed to spot the Offaly CEB December Ezine. My attendance of events organised by this group is unfortunately infrequent; due to previous commitments clashing. I keep an eye on things though; just in case...

In the wake of a whole swathe of award ceremonies it was a natural progression to publish some of the Offaly success stories; many of which had to do with food. Some; admittedly, in a somewhat round about way, but nevertheless come under that category!

Strangely enough this accolade must be awarded to Agetek who are based in Tullamore. Their stange name belies the fact that this company won the 2008 OCEB Enterprise Of The Year Award; but how is this connected with the subject at hand, ie Food? Well, simply put these guys manufacture doors for kitchen units and I'm sure we're all agreed that they are an integral part of the food preparation area...

On a much larger scale the Silver Award for cheese making was presented to Ralph Haslam of Mossfield Organic Cheese for his cow’s milk cheese with garlic and basil at the 2008 WORLD Cheese Awards which were held in Ireland for the first time this year; featuring over 2,400 entries from around the globe.

This award winning farm is situated at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains some six miles from Birr, County Offaly. Having undergone organic conversion in 1999, Mossfield began production of award winning organic cheeses in 2005 and are hoping to expand into the field of yoghurt and ice-cream production in the future.

On a National Scale; the overall winner of any success story has to be Glenisk the overall Winner of National Organic Award 2008 for their Glenisk Irish Organic Butter. Glenisk Irish Organic Butter was judged the best of more than 100 entries in the 2008 National Organic Awards, organized by Bord Bia in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture.

The Cleary family business has been based in Killeigh, Co Offaly producing a range of organic yoghurt and milks for over twenty-five years. Sourcing quality organic milks from fifty farms across the island of Ireland; harvesting 90% of all organic milk produced, this company has gone from a dream to Award winning reality.

Another notable winner; the 2008 OCEB Enterprise Of The Year - Artisan Award was presented to Ballyshiel Artisan Foods who lovingly create a deliciously tempting range of speciality confectionery and chocolates; hand made using authentic family recipes. Their range includes Toffee Dulce de Leche (used in making Banoffee pie), exquisite Chocolate Sauce, Karina Handmade Chocolate's which include old time favourite; Macaroon Bars.

Ballyshiel Artisan Foods promise is that all their quality products are gluten, preservative, artificial flavouring, hydrogenated oil and fat free making them suitable for coeliac's and vegetarian's.

Also included in the list of Offaly CEB finalist's was Yvonne Carty of Hey Pesto! Who specialises in making entertaining a stress free adventure of the culinary variety. Catering for corporate and domestic customer's Yvonne has her craft down to a fine art and having sampled some of her wares I can heartily agree!

I'm sure we can all agree that the above list makes interesting reading for us Offalian's! It's nice to hear of anyone in the region succeeding in business but to be honest it's even better when this applies to food. At a time when there's less money available to splash out on expensive treats it's good to know that we have some award winning products right here on our door step. What's even nicer is that the quality of these products is assured...

I hope you enjoy checking out the links as there are some terrific products and companies to be found. Be thankful that Polly didn't launch into one of her famous rants about the dangers of eating 'normal' foodstuffs...

Polly Pierce

Fine Hand-Crafted Wedding Stationary & Greeting Cards For All Occasions: Affording You The Gift of Time

Polly's Arctic Bunny Suit

OOooh! There's so much to do and so little time to do it in. Last week in the run up to the half-term break I had visions of spending long hours in the house with the two boys finally rescuing it from the quagmire of accoutrement's built up over the years. Like all good magpie's we live in the middle of a pile of clutter which we simply cannot bear to part with; perhaps this is the reason for the various members of the crow family building their nests within spitting distance of the house...

What I wouldn't give for a visit from Aggie and Kim to de-clutter and deep clean all those hidden corner's for me! Meanwhile the fantasy continues in the form of a written contract binding my eldest dear son to my side for the whole of this week; in performing his various neglected chores - without protestation - our nest will soon be ready for decorating. Once this is done we'll be out of the CHAOS phase of our lives and he'll be able to invite his friends over. Hardy, ha, ha - LOL!

CHAOS is an acronym coined by Marla Cilley - otherwise known as Fly Lady. It represents that horror of horror that all teenager's are so prone to; which is the double standard of can't be bothered + won't be bothered but want my friends over too = Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome!

The news so far is poor. BB has finally completed the extra-delightful task of providing his pet ferret with a clean and warm environment for the winter; lucky thing! He was also persuaded to bring in fuel for the in the stove; LB was coerced into taking the ashes out and the result was that the fire was lit hours later than intended - at nearly 7.30pm!

Meanwhile, Mum; the intrepid Scouter was lounging on the sofa in the sitting room complaining of stomach cramps and abdominal tenderness. The kids have diagnosed appendicitis; personally I think it probably has more to do with the copious amounts of draught Guinness consumed at Ms T's hen party & Mr T's stag party on Saturday night.

That wouldn't have presented too much of a problem; except for the fact that by 1pm Sunday; I was on my way to Charleville Estate for a winter camp with the Scouts! Yes folks, it was -2C on Sunday night and we'd no running water or toilet facilities; let alone central heating or electric blankets to keep us warm...

It was about 1am when eventually my tired body decided to call it a night. My feet were warmish; so I was alright for the night! Mr B; in the adjacent tent was much the same as myself - only he took his socks off! I replaced mine with wool, angora and Lycra thermals purchased in Lidl on Thursday. In fact my whole body was swathed in fluffy bunny; I was lovely and warm - that is until I started to fall asleep...

By 4am I could tell that Ms M was awake; the rubbing noises coming from her double layered sleeping bags were a dead give-away. That was my opportunity to rustle my way quietly into the huge over sized bin liner called a survival bag; while she tip-toed out into the cold, cold field in her bare feet.

Happily my rustling had relieved one bladder and brought warmth to another pair of feet in the next tent; yes I'd also woken Mr B! As the two of them rustled their way into their respective space blankets I snacked as quietly as possible on a chocolate digestive biscuit to quell my rumbling tummy. Soon I luxuriated in a rosy glowing sensation; then sleep finally took over...

Would I do it again? The answer has to be a definite "Yes!" The kids had a great time; and yes they too were cold; although they got to snuggle into one another like kittens in a basket! It was an experience and it was fun. We'll all be better prepared for the conditions next time; ie I've already put a new four seasons sleeping bag on my list for Christmas - my existing one is as old as the hills and needs to be retired!

Next time we'll all remember to bring the magic ingredients for our supper and an extra layer of clothing for warmth; but hey we survived this camp and we'll be recovered from it by the time the kids go back to school!

Like I said, so much to do and so little time to do it! One thing I have noticed though; is that I am much tidier at home in the immediate aftermath of a camp; so much so that I was able to work at the kitchen table yesterday afternoon. Things are looking up; and even though yesterday was definitely a day for pj's and sweats, I got so much more done - just because I'd tidied the kitchen upon my return from our Arctic exploration...

I somehow doubt that my fantasy of being able to redecorate the house at the end of the half-term break will be realised. The week is already half gone; the rest of it filled with social engagements galore including breakfast BNI meetings; overnight ghost hunting at Charleville Castle on Halloween followed by a 50th birthday party...

At least the kitchen is tidier and my 'Appendicitis' symptoms should by well on the way to recovery by then; just in time for the next round!Meanwhile; we continue to live in a state of organised CHAOS. I continue to build my empire from the kitchen table and fantasize about paying someone to come in and do the rest for me!

Anyway, that's a quick overview of the past week from your favourite card making Scouter! I've got to go and ring Martin and confirm my participation in Friday's adventure now; wish us luck...

Polly Pierce
Hand-Made Greeting Cards & Wedding Stationary

Polly BNI

Members of the Irish Business Women's Forum may be aware that I was recently invited to attend a meeting of the newly formed Offaly Chapter of Business Network International (more commonly known as BNI).

Of course being both curious and cynical I went along to the meeting. I'd done a little bit of research, ie Googled BNI; but still wasn't quite sure of what it was I was going along to! The early morning wake-up call was a bit of a shock to the system. Offaly members of the Chapter get up early every Thursday morning for a meeting which commences at 06.45am...

The mere fact that I woke up before the alarm had sounded at 06.10am bode well; and by the time the members of the chapter had started their meeting, I was washed, brushed and dressed. With eyes bright and an open mind I approached the meeting in much the same way I'd gone to the famous Bridal & Debs Exhibition the other week. I had little to loose, apart from a couple of hours sleep that is; and oh so much to gain.

For starters I met a girl I'd been friendly with as a young teenager in the village of Geashill. My fondest memories comprise of the two of us dancing to John Travolta and Olivia Newtronn-Bomb in a spare room above her aunts public house. Of course our energy flagged and we abandoned the black vinyl disc in search of rest and probably a coke or two! The following day the sunlight buckled the disc out of all recognition, resulting in a somewhat bumpier ride for our two hero's...

I know that my friend, with whom I'd lost contact many years ago; had pursued similar career interests to myself and took comfort from her enthusiasm and her firm handshake. There were one or two other faces which I recognized; all of which made it easier for me to integrate myself into the group comprised predominantly of men.

I even had the courage to stand up and introduce myself and my business to the meeting; for sixty seconds I took the floor while my business cards and artists trading cards circulated around the room. Phew! Sixty seconds can be a long time; but there's nothing like nursing to help you through it...

By the end of the meeting, which included a typically Irish Breakfast my only concern was the joining fees. Admittedly they are not cheap; in fact they are anything but! They do however accept Visa/Mastercard and the monthly fee can be taken by standing order...

Compared with the cost of regular advertising BNI is cheap. At a cost of €164.00 a week, I wouldn't get much change out of €2,000 per year, would I? The only problem is that it is difficult to quantify how much an investment of that type would return in terms of new business.

My investment with yourlocal.ie has proven to be an expensive mistake - after one month I haven't had a single click through as a result of advertising through them. Regarding my three month agreement; I was guaranteed business which has so far not been forthcoming, so I'm not going to worry about the other two months of the trial. There's no point in throwing good money after bad...

So; with regard to BNI, where do I stand? I'm sold on the principal; but I am very concerned about the cost involved. Also, the annual fee is non-returnable! Can I really expect a middle aged concrete pre-cast manufacturer to promote my handmade wedding stationary to his customer's? Well, maybe I can - afterall; he does run a golf club too!!!!

I do have the opportunity to visit one other meeting before committing myself. I wonder though, if I will be able to get up so early next Thursday? No doubt you'll find out later in the week; whether or not I did!!!

Polly Pierce
Vinca Hand Made Greeting Cards & Wedding Stationary

Polly's Big Event

This weekend sees the inaugural Midlands Bride & Deb's Exhibition being held in the picturesque Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Co Offaly. This prestigious event, which will hopefully be the first of many to come is being organised by the lovely Yvonne Delaney of Lynzdel Bridal Fashions of BlueBall, Tullamore.

The event promises to be "The Wedding Event of The Year" and aims to showcase the services available to both engaged couples and young ladies Deb's facing their 'coming out' at their graduation ball. Lynzdel Bridal Fashions carries an extensive collection of Bridal and Debs dresses and accessories. First Holy Communion dresses, hats and feathers are also available from this award winning business.

Who better to organise what promises to be a superb event; catering for all the family with catering and entertainment available in the grounds of this gothic manse? I for one am becoming quite excited about the whole thing now and can't wait to see the what this fairy tale venue will look like having received the attentions of local florist's and other creative folk in preparation for Saturday's grand opening!

Arist's Trading Card by Vinca

If you live in Ireland; please, please, please come and visit my VINCA Cards stand at 'The Midlands Bride & Debs Exhibition' on Saturday 27 th & Sunday 28th from 12pm - 6pm Admission €15.00 per head; with the proceeds apparently donated to the local Oncology Unit.

Polly's Panic

I think that the best way to describe this distracted-ness would be as PANIC! Last Thursday I found myself enacting a vague plan that had been developing somewhere in the back of my conscious mind for a while now. Somehow I managed to enrol my services at a local Bridal & Deb's Exhibition! To make matters worse it is next weekend...

The result was an action plan being thrown into action almost immediately. A visit to my local old-fashioned haberdashery store was a matter of priority. Thank God that in my previous incarnation I have experience of working a trade stand at one of the largest annual shows in the country; at least I have that much to fall back on!

Armed with ribbons and bows, metres of shiny lining material to coordinate with my business cards etc, tulle to emulate the bridal veil and bring things together a visit to my favourite florist was next in order. To be honest, I left a little downhearted and clueless regarding my choice of flowers for my table. Simple, stylish and tasteful are the order of the day, preferably without huge cost involved either...

By Friday evening my worst dreams had come through. Despite all the work ahead of me I found myself back on the road to Newbridge; delivering LB to his gymnastic class. The class is not the problem; it's the time, the distance and the likelihood of me spending money I haven't got on yet more craft materials!

This time was different, having dropped LB off at the Curragh Army Camp; I took myself down to my favourite chocolate destination which is Lily O'Brien's factory shop. Here I discovered much to my embarrassment that I had rudely barged past the receptionist in order to buy myself ten minutes browsing time. The poor woman was propping up the main door while talking to a young man; and to be honest I'm surprised I didn't send them both flying!

The urgency which led me to forget my manners lies in the fact that the shop closes at 5.30pm on the dot and this was my last chance to buy some of their beautiful goodies before the show. Thankfully it seems that I was forgiven; the inner door was unlocked and I was allowed to peruse and sample to my hearts content.

During that time I picked up four reasonably priced boxes of Lily's delights; all wrapped up in just the right shades of purple/claret and a ton of choc's to give away at my table next weekend. In fact; the young woman who served me went to extraordinary lengths to fulfil my hopes.

The end result of my shopping was certainly better than I had hoped for and so far it was affordable! This is where things start to go downhill...

Polly Pierce

Wedding Stationary & Greeting Card Maker

Good News; Tullamore Woman Wins Another Secret Prize

Hello Again & Welcome!

Well once again due to household commitments I intend to keep today's blog short and sweet.Yeah, right! Who am I trying to kid?

Sometimes it can be very easy to let incidentals get you down, can't it?Last Saturday; while waiting in my car, at the graveyard not too far away, I discovered that I hadn't anything help me pass the time. I wasn't in the mood for playing Nature Park on my cell phone; I seem to have grown out of that particular addiction.


True to form my friends were running late; so I had plenty of time to pass. Lo & behold; I spotted a copy of the Gideon Bible - New Testament: Psalms & Proverbs; which had been given to BB, my eldest son by his form teacher.


I took a moment or two to reminisce about how when I was a young teenager my form teacher had given me a Gideon Bible. Way back then I was unimpressed, and wondered why on earth I had been given it.


Over the years I have picked up the various copies ranging from the King James version to the Good News, I even have a copy of the Koran, but I have never really been able to get into it; to study it. From time to time my attention has been drawn to different passages and with age I have started to understand their meanings.


Recently I bought my youngest child LB a first Bible stories book; to help him prepare for his First Holy Communion. Together we read through the bible stories at bed time; their messages being different for us both.


On occasions I am visited by members of our local Jehovah's Witness Congregation. Thomas has often pulled out his bible on the doorstep; to help me understand the events which take place in our daily lives. I don't turn them from the door; intrinsically I am interested in hearing what HE has to say.


More often than not, other Witness friends will drop by for a cup of tea; before they head off home to the village. In my home they are friends; rather than missionaries; they know that I will not be joining their brethren. I enjoy their chat and old fashioned ways, and usually, welcome them with open arms. They are normal people; with the type of old fashioned values I appreciate.


Sometimes I don't feel quite so hospitable, maybe because I am tired or the house is in a state, conversely; on other occasions I will be more hospitable, for exactly the same reasons. It can be such a pleasure to sit and chat with them.


Sometime ago they gave me a gift of my very own Bible; from time to time I do read passages, both with and without their guidance. The Watch Tower & Awake; their bi-monthly publication is a marvellous guide to reading the bible.


Far from feeling silly last Saturday I picked up the condensed copy of the Bible and began to flick through its pages; noticing the tell tale quality of its pages. It wasn't long before I found something of interest to me.


Right at the very front of it is a section intended to help the user find help appropriate to every occasion in our lives. Right there before me lay the references for those feeling anxiety Matthew 6:19-34.


Another publication which I am reading at the moment is "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. To tell the truth; I am actually bored with it and haven't picked it up since I reached the middle a couple of weeks ago.


"The Secret" is about the powerful Law of Attraction. You can call it prayer, wishful thinking, divine intervention, positive thinking, whatever; it preaches that the Universe will always send the things to you which you are thinking about the most.


"The Secret" doesn't contain any great secrets, rather it gathers together people who already know what the secret is. It consolidates what we already know; if only we would take the time to read the Good Book and take it as Gospel...


I do think it's a shame that throughout the western world the Bible seems to have been usurped by science and charlatans, though one might argue that if the same message is being professed, what is the harm?


According to "The Secret"; when I am focusing on how untidy the house is and how I do not want to receive visitors today, the Universe will answer my thoughts by sending the very thing that I want least. The Universe does not recognise positives and negatives and so it will merely answer our prayers by sending us the focus of those prayers!


Anyway, to get back to the title of my blog; 'Tullamore Woman Wins Another Prize' you might be wondering what any of the above has to do with it. In short quite a lot!

I have actually won a prize of a Tricia Goyer book entitled "My Life Un-Scripted". I found the competition while doing some research for yesterdays blogs and immediately read on and then signed up for it. And I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (just check out the comments section!!!! TEE-HEE-HEE!!!!)


The deadline for entries was yesterday evening, but being on a Michigan blog I had time on my side. I read the first chapter of this book on line and immediately felt better about my own life, which only goes to show that it was meant to be.


Karen who hosts the Surviving Motherhood blog is a Christian mum who found God sometime after her crazy teen years; when she found this book she wished, like me, that she had had a better script for her life. I was so enthusiastic about entering the competition that I entered a comment on Tricia Goyer's site as well as on Karen's.


The book in question is intended to make growing up that little bit easier for teenage girls, although with a teen boy myself I think it could also be invaluable for boys too. You know a teen boy is just as vulnerable as a teen girl, they just don't always show it.


So from waiting for my friends to arrive, reading the Gideon Bible, the Jehovah's Witnesses, Watch Tower, The Secret, Rhonda Byrne, Karen from Surviving Motherhood, Tricia Goyer & My Life Un-Scripted we finally get to the point where Polly can say that life is just the way it is meant to be!

Maybe I had better go make a pot of tea...
I have to ask myself then; if this were true why do my friends not haunt this place, in search of tea and a chat!?


Take Care! God Bless!



Px Polly Peirce
ps By the way; did you know that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions!"?

Top Prize Winner!

…I followed Darina's site(http://www.iamawham.com/) with interest; logging in on an almost daily basis. I even enrolled in a seven day e-course, regarding motivation, planning, etc.

One fine morning in March (?) I opened an e-mail from StarVA (internetprofitplanning.com); Darina’s virtual assistant, at that time; Angela. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that I had WON a major prize of a two day course entitled 'Create the Life You Want' with the lady who had kindly donated the prize Erica McKinney(http:www/pathwaytothesoul.com/) To quote my thank-you e-mail to Darina; I was “thrilled”!

Unfortunately, having made arrangements to attend the course in beautiful Glendalough; psyched myself up for it and even booked myself the very last bed at the local youth hostel; it was cancelled. Not one to be done out of a weekend away I took myself, DG & Littlest Son off to County Clare for the weekend instead. Biggest Son had a date with the 1st Tullamore Scout Troup instead.

My consolation prize was the fantastic offer of four personal coaching sessions with Erica up in Dun Laoghaire. The original prize had offered three coaching sessions as an alternative to the course! But of course, being awkward I decided to hang on in there for the new schedule in August.

I learned recently that poor Erica had been involved in an accident during the summer. Because of this the Autumn/Winter Schedule has been pushed back a little; allowing for her recovery. Meanwhile I am waiting for her to publish her newsletter with details of what the future holds and I can’t wait to meet her and participating in what should be a very interesting and worthwhile course.

Meanwhile I have put a lot of time and effort into my fledgling cottage industry, being thoroughly motivated by Darina & all the WAHM’s stories; information & links on the site. BJK has been kind and generous in her support; moral and financial, as has my long suffering bank account. DG has been great, his ears are well & truly bent at this stage and the two boys have really helped me in practical terms, patience, ideas, imagination and just about everything else too! Thank you.

Really what I should be doing is to get out there; into my studio(http://www/freewebs.com/vincacards); start making some more stock -including a batch of thank you cards and a special get well card for Erica. I wonder how much I will get done before DG scoops me up and carry me off to ‘the ploughing’…!?