Here Comes The Bride

Asking Hannah what she was doing. She told me that she was practicing at being a bride. I asked her if she had someone in mind? She said yes the boy next door. I asked her what he thought about getting married. She said "granny "he said no". "I really don't know what I am going to do with him." Forgetting momentarily I was speaking to a 3 year old. I replied equally as seriously, "Hannah women have had that problem since time began"!

Dora Reigns Supreme

While it would seem like that some days luckily for us we have are own resident teacher. The O'Carroll junior clan are really quite cultured as they like nothing better than listening and watching Baby Einstein movies. These movies are accompanied by music from Beethoven, Bach, Schubert with quotes from Galileo and poetry from Shakespeare. On the other hand some days it is hard to compete with Cinderella and Barbie.

Little School on the Prairie!!

Poor Brendan doesn't look too happy! Orla obviously giving him a hard time. Following in her mother's footsteps? Laying down the law early? Way to go girl.

Brendan O'Carroll checking out the Blog

Mom's Eyeball

Thanks to modern technology doctors can now examine any part of our body with machines that would make medicine of the last century look like witch-doctory! Here's an example, mom went in to the eye doctor about her glasses and she took a scan of her eyeball. A further thanks to modern technology allowed her to email the picture of it back to mom. And thanks to the blog I can share it with all of you! So here it is in all its glory: Kay's eyeball!

Old Man Winter Comes to Town

After a relatively mild winter with little snow, Old Man Winter has once again reared his ugly head. We were hit with a blast of winter Canadian style that saw in places 30-50 cm (12-20 inches) of the white stuff. On the plus side the school's were closed so Shauna and I (Simon) got the day off work. Here's a few photos of winter in the "Great White North."

Like all children, Hannah doesn't feel the cold.





Many cars were stuck in the snow!
I guess we won't be having dinner on the picnic table today!



This is Ciaran with his electric shovel. He lives across the road from us and he's an ex-pat Dub! Go on ye boy ye!



Till next time, keep warm all and Happy Valentine's Day!

Video Greeting

Well I did some playing around with my webcam and YouTube and I have put this video greeting on the blog. No need to write/read anything else for this post, just click play!

Down on the Farm?

A great place to visit is the Snugborough Heights Avoca Bed & Breakfast. Not only does Sadie offer gourmet food and wonderful accomodation but the wee Northerner she is married to has a special place for young and old alike outside. Hidden amongst the wonderful scenery is a home for goats. There have been many in the past few years including a special one called Kay. Yes, you might wonder if that has anything to do with me? Not only was I there at her conception but I arrived for a holiday the day she was born. So in a manner of speaking she brought her name with her. Sadly to say I was also there when she left for good a year later. John does wonderful work raising the goats and then they are sent to Bora to help a poor family become self sufficient. So Kay is now basking in 30dg heat while I am freezing in 25dg below in Canada. Another great benefit from goat rearing is the milk they produce. Take note of how trim and young John looks and that radiant skin he has, but I still have to find out if it makes him as frisky as the goats!! In this picture is John, Kay (baby goat) and Kay (human)!

A Hurricane has arrived in Burlington

One week after the Webers' moved in to the old homestead we (Kay & Sean) are still trying to recover from the shock. Orla at 18 months is a charming lovable tornado! Our home is now a shrine to "Dora", our spare bedroom a nursery complete with crib, diapers, & stuffed animals. A lie in you say? A dream from the distant past! However, when she gives you that 1,000 watt smile what is a few broken heirlooms and priceless oil paintings hanging askew on the walls. Life is an adventure with her every day.

As for the parents that's a story for another day!!!

Sean's Birthday

January 11th was dad's birthday and the 16th was my cousin Paul's birthday (not an O'Carroll, but we won't hold it against him). Paul was over visiting Toronto from London and he wanted to go to see a hockey match. (We don't call it "ice" hockey in Canada, there is no other kind as far as we're concerned, it would be like saying grass football!). So I arranged to take the two of them and Shauna's husband Kevin to a hockey match for their birthdays in Buffalo, New York to see the Toronto Maple Leafs take on the Buffalo Sabres. Although I grew up in Toronto I am a Buffalo supporter and I was in a minority with the other three cheering on the Leafs that night. And although the Sabres are the top team in the league and the Leafs are hovering around 7th-9th place, the underdogs were victorious that night. But it was good craic nonetheless. Here are some photos from inside the HSBC Center.


After the match and still able to smile.


Paul and Simon.


Action on the ice.

A Famous Relative???

I came across a list of the fifty greatest Canadian inventions of all time and right between the snowblower and instant mashed potatoes at number 38 is the self-propelled combine harvester. The inventor-Thomas Carroll! Now I did some further research into this Thomas Carroll and discovered that this inventor of number 38 on the top 50 list of Canadian inventions was born in Bullengarook, near Gisborne, Victoria. That's Australia! Well it turns out that his business interests took him to Toronto where he met his future wife and he then became a Canadian citizen. The two spent their time between Canada, Argentina, and Australia. I thought the connections were too good to leave out of this O'Carroll Clan Blog. The name, Australia, Toronto, and our family's roots in agriculture. I hope this blog will make some more connections for the O'Carroll's. Look forward to your posts to the blog!