Our house has a name, 'Wild Orchid', not a number!  It is a big change for us,  living in a beautiful rural countryside, complete with cows 40 feet away (sometimes) and narrow, often one lane roads.  But we are beginning to settle in and the learning curve will steepen even more than it already is.  Good friends Craig & Heather are helping us make the adjustments along with new friends combined with our Dublin area 'family'.

I thought I would show you a few images of the views we have from our 1st floor (2 story for those in America).  These shots were taken from our bedroom windows . . .

This is looking one way, toward the Atlatic ocean, barely visible over the roof on the left side of the pic

                  This is looking the other way into Kinsale with the harbour in the foreground 

                                 This is a similar view, slighted zoomed in, in the evening

        Finally, here are a few of our Beef Steak friends that sometimes hang out about 40 feet away!

                                                  Move In Day To Our Kinsale Home

We have a home in Kinsale! As 'usual' the Lord provided, and also as 'usual' it was in a way we would not have anticipated.  The auctioneer (realitor) insisted we look at this house, which we wouldn't have done (many reasons - I don't want to bore you with) on our own.  At any rate, the landlord agreed to come down in rent so we could afford to pay the deposit and first month's rent and get the keys.  All of this happened on Monday.  The image above is our move in beginnings!  NOW GET THIS:  after we dropped off our deposit check and were waiting for the contract to be completed, we found a little restaurant in town that makes Tim's favorite - Irish BREAKFAST ROLLS!  An amazing day . . .

                                     This is the Maxol Garage where the 'fun' began!

On Tuesday, on the way to where we have been staying the past several days, Tim drove in to fill up the car at a local Maxol Garage (gas station) and forgot he wasn't in the states and filled our diesel engine car with petrol (unleaded gasoline).  FORTUNATELY we caught the mistake BEFORE trying to start the car.  So, today we hung around our 'old' house until 7 pm, waiting for the petrol to be removed and the fuel lines cleaned.  But (130 euros lighter) it did no serious damage and we are back on the road and spending our first night in the new house.  Romans 8:28 . . .

Kinsale - our new home!  We touched down in Dublin a bit over a week ago, on Wednesday and after two wonderful days near our old Dublin home, we headed 3 hours south to lovely Kinsale!  Kinsale is a bit rural and and a bit cosmopolitan at the same time.  It is small and yet international.  Known throughout Ireland, and Europe really, as a place for fine dining and a place to get away.  It is located in County Cork, about 20 minutes from Ireland's second largest populated city known as Cork city, or simple 'Cork'.

We are currently staying with a wonderful family in a nearby town as we search for a place to call home! Since we don't own any furniture we are looking for a furnished house in or within walking distance of Kinsale. So far, that combination has proven challenging but we are confident the Lord will help us find the perfect place soon.  

Below are a few images of the Kinsale area . . .  just to give you a feel of where we now live!

                                        From across the harbour, near Charles Fort

                                  A larger landscape shot showing much of the area

                              'The Spaniard' a very famous pub on a typical Kinsale street

                                People in Kinsale love brightly painted house & business colours!

                                                        B & Bs are very popular here

                                                     One of Kinsale's main streets

By all reports, most of Ireland came to a stand still today just before 5pm [Irish time] as the first ever olympic women's boxing competition crecendoed to a wildly popular conclusion.  The first ever GOLD medal was won by Ireland's Katie Taylor and it just might be a new national holiday on the Emeral Isle!