Getting there

Gorgeous mild November Sunday morning. Temperature actually got to 13c, but at 9am as I headed off for my pre-ride warmup, it was still quite nice at about 8 or 9.

This was my second week with group 2, and I was really happy with it. The route was really lumpy, with a tough till at the mid-point where I really did suffer! However, the rest of the spin was very enjoyable. Of course, I had to work harder than usual because of the faster pace, but i'm pleased to say that I'm able for it. 

I had run 10 miles on Thursday, rested well until today, and obviously was well-recovered. Important too was my decision to drink lots of water last night!

Here's the link to the spin, my first 30kmph since early august. Group of 13.

http://app.strava.com/activities/95652387

I decided also to do a thirty-minute warmdown after the spin, bringing the bike-time to approx. four hours in all. 

The Colligan

Walking towards Dungarvan on the Causeway this morning, I noticed beautiful new signs erected by Dungarvan Town Council at either end of Devonshire Bridge. They replace the older brown river signs.

Crystal Palace Win Promotion to the Premiership

From the Crystal Palace website:

A Kevin Phillips penalty in extra-time was enough for Crystal Palace to be promoted to the Premier League after they saw off the challenge of Watford in the Championship Play-Off Final by a single goal.
At the start of the season promotion seemed like a pipe-dream to even the most optimistic Eagles fan but Ian Holloway delivered the ultimate prize of Championship action after a nerve-wracking 120 minutes at Wembley.
Just like the classic cup-finals of the past, the two sides emerged onto a pristine Wembley pitch basked in sunshine to a rapturous welcome with the Eagles fans creating a carnival-like atmosphere thanks to hundreds of red and blue balloons which bobbed around their half of the stadium in the early stages.
However the 15 minutes was a cagey affair with neither side managing to test the goalkeepers but Palace suffered an early blow when Kagisho Dikgacoi picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Stuart O'Keefe.
Soon after though the lightning pace and trickery of Wilfired Zaha came to the fore. On 20 minutes he ghosted past Nathaniel Chalobah and cut the ball back into the path of Owen Garvan but he saw his attempt blocked by Lloyd Doyley.
Opportunities to shoot had eluded the Hornets until the 33rd minutes when a slick passing move allowed Matej Vydra a sight of goal, but he was thwarted by a magnificent sliding tackle by Damien Delaney.
Indeed it wasn't until deep into the first-half when a shot finally headed towards goal but Ikechi Anya's drive flew well over from 25 yards when a corner was cleared to him as a first 45 filled with tension but not much action drew to a close.
The second half was a much more open encounter and Chalobah shanked a shot wide before Aaron Wilbraham used his chest to control the ball in the box and hit a strike on the turn but again Palace saw an attempt at goal blocked.
However the big striker had a great chance to put his side in the lead when he broke onto a loose ball after an Owen Garvan tackle in midfield and did well to put Manuel Almunia on his backside but that allowed Joel Ekstrand to get back and get in the away of his shot.
Palace continued to carve out opportunities and had three fantastic chances within 60 seconds. Firstly a great run from Zaha set up O'Keefe whose drive from just inside the box was saved by Almunia, and then when the resulting corner was lofted back into the six yard box it somehow found its way to Wilbraham who again tested Almunia. From that corner Danny Gabbidon found himself unmarked at the back post but couldn't control the ball and the opportunity went begging.
The Eagles were dictating play and Garvan saw an effort bounce wide after a swift counter-attack and the same player saw a half-volley head straight towards Almunia after a knock-down from substitute Kevin Phillips with 10 minutes remaining.
Four minutes later and Wilbraham could have sealed promotion when he was one-on-one with the Watford keeper but hit the ball straight at him and at the other end Troy Deeney saw a couple of mis-cued efforts go well wide of the target.
In injury-time Palace again pressed and created a couple of opportunities when Zaha again got down the left and saw an effort deflect into the side-netting, and from Andre Moritz's corner Mile Jedinak headed towards goal but it was caught by the diving Almunia as the game went into extra-time.
Only two minutes into the allotted 30 Julian Speroni had to be at his best to claw the ball away from the feet of Deeney a couple of yards from his line and Cristian Battocchio could only find the Argentinian custodian with a blast from 25 yards.
However in the final seconds on the first half Zaha broke into the area and a tired-looking tackle from Marco Cassetti tripped the winger, and Martin Atkinson was fully justified in pointing to the spot. Phillips stepped up to fire the ball into the top corner and give his side the advantage against his first professional club.
The second half saw the Hornets throw players forward in an attempt to rescue their promotion dreams and Anya saw a free-kick comfortably collected by Speroni and Abdi missed the target with an attempted curler, but in the final minute Joel Ward headed off the line after a shot from Fernando Forestieri and Deeney saw a deflected shot trickle wide as the Eagles booked their place in the Premier League next season.

Palace: Speroni, Ward, Gabbidon, Delaney, Moxey, Jedinak, Dikgacoi (O'Keefe 18), Garvan (Moritz 84), Williams (Phillips 66), Zaha, Wilbraham. Subs not used: Price, Richards, Ramage, Bolasie.
Watford: Almunia; Doyley, Ekstrand, Cassetti; Anya (Forestieri 86), Chalobah (Battocchio 74), Hogg, Abdi, Pudil; Deeney, Vydra (Geijo 46). Subs not used: Bond, Hall, Briggs, Yeates.

The winning goal by 39-year-old Kevin Phillips from the penalty spot

From the RTE News / Sports website: 

Kevin Phillips grabbed the golden goal to fire Crystal Palace into the Barclays Premier League with a 1-0 win and end his play-off final hoodoo. he evergreen striker, who turns 40 in the summer, kept his nerve to blast in an extra-time penalty and dash his former club Watford's dreams of promotion. It was a special moment for Phillips, who had lost all three of his previous play-off finals. It was special too for Manchester United-bound Wilfried Zaha, the young winger who signed off as a Palace player by winning the penalty and ensuring they will join him in the top flight next season. Special too for manager Ian Holloway, whose Blackpool side were beaten by West Ham in last year's final, and who has been the fiercest critic of Watford's controversial use of loan players. And it was special for Palace chairman Steve Parish and his co-owners, who saved the club from going bust three years ago and can now look forward to a windfall in the region of £120million.

Those high stakes seemed to overwhelm Watford, whose key performers this season simply did not show up at Wembley. The Championship's player of the year Matej Vydra, one of the 10 players Watford borrowed from sister clubs in Italy and Spain, endured a miserable first half and limped off at half-time. Instead it was Zaha who caught the eye throughout, and he lured Marco Cassetti into the clumsy lunge which ultimately settled the match in the 104th minute. The 20-year-old, Alex Ferguson's final signing for United, created Palace's only chance of the first half with a scintillating run down the right, leaving Nathaniel Chalobah and Cassetti chasing shadows before pulling the ball back to Owen Garvan, whose shot was blocked.

Watford, the top scorers in the Championship this season, were strangely subdued and caused few alarms in the Palace penalty area. Troy Deeney crossed to no one when he should have shot, before Vydra was denied by a superb last-ditch tackle from Damien Delaney on the edge of the area. Chelsea loanee Chalobah, with his prospective new boss Jose Mourinho in the stands, fizzed a low cross into the box but no one could get a touch.

Injuries did not help the flow of the game either - Palace midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi succumbed to a calf problem early on and Vydra spent most of the first half limping around forlornly before failing to emerge for the second. It took almost an hour for the first shot on target to be registered, and Alex Geijo's grasscutter did not pose Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni any problems. Palace did create a clear opening moments later but unfortunately it fell to Aaron Wilbraham, the player filling the void left by injured top scorer Glenn Murray and with one goal to his name all season. The striker did not look confident as he bore down on goal and, having opted to turn back inside rather than shoot early, the opportunity disappeared.

But the game was at last opening up, and Zaha went on another mazy run before playing in Stuart O'Keefe, whose shot was saved by Manuel Almunia. The corner fell to Wilbraham, with Almunia blocking again, before Danny Gabbidon's poor touch in front of a gaping goal from another corner left the defender with his head in his hands. Almunia, having spent the first half as a virtual spectator, was now keeping his side in the match with fine saves from Garvan, Wilbraham and Mile Jedinak.

In extra-time it was Speroni who was forced into action to claw the ball from underneath Deeney as he chased Almen Abdi's cross. But the breakthrough came when Cassetti, by now dizzy having been twisted and turned by Zaha yet again, brought the winger down in the area. Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot and Phillips crashed the penalty high into the net. The drama did not end there with Joel Ward clearing Fernando Forestieri's shot off the line in stoppage time.

But it was Zaha, Phillips and Holloway who were celebrating moments later as the Eagles secured their return to the top flight after an eight-year absence.

Tour de Conamara 2013

Wet, but very enjoyable event in Clifden yesterday. Route & details

Buncrana

More to follow...

God Is Not Where You Think He Is

There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer, and he started on his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, staring atsome pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase.

He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her a Twinkie. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.

Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Once again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted. They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, yet they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave. Before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own home a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, “What did you do today that madeyou so happy?” He replied, “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? She’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!”

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her neighbor was stunned by the look of peace on her face, andshe asked, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” She replied, “I ate Twinkies in the park with God.” But before her neighbor responded,she added, 

“You know, he’s much younger than I expected.”

Will someone see God in your smile or kind deeds? Maybe they’re not even looking for God, but may see Him in the kindness you show. Isn’t that what we’re here for? It might be a stranger, someone you work with, a family member or friend. Let them see God in you. Show His love in all you do today.”

The Paddy Tour of East Cork (with guest appearance by Cha & Miah)

Ah, today was just lovely! Spring weather after early rain as we left Dungarvan for a long one. Group of 9 to Lismore and on to Tallow. On the way up to Dungourney we met some local cyclists who tempted us to stretch our legs..so we raced down to the village and then back to our usual leisurely pace to Castlemartyr. After a brief coffee stop in Killeagh we pushed on again with a great tailwind. We thought that the hill from Piltown might cause a problem, but no...and after Kiely's Cross we pushed on hard again. 

Just terrific. Roast lamb immediately afterwards with mam and my sister rounded off a great morning! I'm thinking also that I might head over to the Lady Belle later this evening for interesting dissection of the finer points. Might even have a pint...

Here's the GPS link... http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1255094 Rest now for a few days before we head to Waterford during the week for the Cycle Against Suicide, an awareness-raising event.

Dungarvan, Tallow, Dungourney, Castlemartyr, Killeagh, Youghal, Dungarvan, followed by roast leg of lamb.

The post title is courtesy of our cycling buddy Tom.

Stormy Easter Holidays

Bunmahon Beach

Today, Friday March 22 I got my Easter holidays. It was a wild wet morning, with strong driving east wind. After finishing and locking up for a well-deserved (sic) break, I visited The Art Hand near Bunmahon. 

On my way back home I stopped in at several beaches to photograph the wild Atlantic. One of my favourite photos is this one, taken at Bunmahon. The "snow" in the foreground is sea foam. In fact, it was wobbling like jelly, and every now and again much of it would "fly", driven onshore by violent gusts. It looked like snow even when in the air!

Similarly at Ballyvooney where the foam was swirling around the mouth of a sea-cave, and later at Ballyvoile the strong storm was wreaking its havoc. Time to go indoors and put on a warm fire.

Artist in My School

Full article on my Pets' Teacher blog. Here's the link. 

On Friday last, a six-month Artist in My School programme came to a wonderful finale at Our Lady of Mercy School in Stradbally. The artist in question is Miranda Corcoran. She worked with pupils from Junior Infants right through to sixth class on a weekly basis since September last, and the results of their work have been placed on permanent display at the entrance to the school. Working on a brief to create a piece around the theme of Irish legends, much discussion with the children eventually narrowed it down to two pieces that they are learning about this year: The Salmon of Knowledge and The Children of Lir.

Artist in My School Project 2012 - 2013

Full article on my Pets' Teacher blog. Here's the link.

What has Cork to recommend it?

What has Cork to recommend it? Here's my top three:

1. Con Murphy manshop at the top of Patrick's Street
2. Scoozi Restaurant on Winthrop Lane
3. Cork Gaol. We think we've got it tough? This is an eye-opener

I visited Con Murphy's recently to make a purchase. I had noticed decent discounts on the window and eventually decided on my new attire. However, when I inquired about the sale price, I was a taken aback to be told that the sale was over! Not to be one to lose a sale, the very obliging gentleman was quick to mend fences as he said "We'll look after you. I remember you bought a suit here about four years ago."
In my own mind, I thought that this really is what customer care is all about. In fact, he was being a somewhat generous as well...it was in fact six years ago that I had bought the said suit. He did indeed look after me, and very likely I shall return there in the future.

Two large strawberry pavlova portions @ Restaurant Scoozi

More soon.... must go now to watch Real Madrid attempt to eliminate Manchester United from this year's Champions League.

Commander Hadfield in My Classroom

Link to my recent post on my education blog Commander Hadfield in My Classroom

Sunset & Moon

When I admire the wonders of a sunset or the beauty of the moon, my soul expands in the worship of the creator.
- Mahatma Gandhi

Here's a beautiful set of thoughts for the day with special thanks to Steve McCurry.

Broadband versus Britannica

Here is the Department of Education & Skills (Ireland) press release announcing free Encyclopaedia Britannica access for students at school and at home.

The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn T.D., has today announced free home access to the online edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica for all school-going children. For the past three years, primary and post-primary schools have had access to the resource, and today’s roll-out is an expansion of this service.
Britannica Online School Edition is a unique and comprehensive resource designed for all levels of learning. It has four age-specific learning areas which contain various engaging teaching and learning materials, all designed to build confidence and inspire continuous discovery.

Announcing the new development, Minister Quinn said, “I am committed to providing digital content to students that enhances their learning through the use of technology. Our children and young people will now have access to Britannica Online in their own homes and this means that whatever their ability, they can learn at their own pace. Access is available to Britannica remotely via the scoilnet.ie website and will encourage students to continue the process of learning at home.”
Britannica Online has more than 129,000 articles with over 46,000 graphics, 4,000 videos, plus audio clips, interactive games and quizzes. It is updated with new material daily. With an average of 160,000 visits per month, scoilnet.ie provides a central resource to teachers, pupils and parents, offering access to a growing repository of advice and information.
Today’s announcement comes as the roll-out of high-speed broadband to second level schools continues, with a further 200 schools expected to be connected by September of 2013. ENDS

So, there you have it. Free access to the famed Britannica, thank you very much Mr. Quinn. However, several points come to my mind.
Firstly, as I explained the details of this wonderful resource to my class of pupils this morning one very perceptive 9-year-old mentioned that it is great news…and then (out of the mouths of babes): “But, sure, isn’t google free?” Her point being, Mr. Quinn…what’s the big deal? As if to reinforce the point, as part of our Great Famine history lesson we had been googling for reliable information from several noted sources (here, I use my blogger’s licence to recommend Waterford County Museum), but when we searched Britannica for information about “coffin ships” we came up with NOTHING. Absolutely nothing. Isn’t that rather interesting? Try it for yourself. So, what’s the big deal Mr. Quinn?
Secondly, I have to bring to my readers’ attention the fact that in many Irish schools broadband provision is a joke. The last sentence of the press release above refers to increased provision for secondary schools. As a primary school teacher / principal let me tell you my story. My small rural Waterford school in Stradbally received grant assistance ten years ago to purchase equipment, a satellite dish was installed and the school was networked. I began my teaching in Stradbally in 2007, and quickly became aware that whereas the local infrastructure was in place, and a government contract was in place to provide (slow speed) broadband to my school, the system simply did not work. I spent hour after hour on the telephone to the help-desk in Limerick. Lovely people they all were; very pleasant, and very professional…but I suspect that they too were aware that they were attempting to support/fix a system that simply did not work on a regular basis. Here, I am adding a link written by a past-pupil reflecting several years later on our experiences and frustrations at that time.
Our situation worsened until 2010, in particular because we invested heavily in technology and attempted to integrate this technology into everyday school life, without a reliable broadband connection. We certainly were frustrated. Finally, we had to make the decision to abandon the ill-fated Department of Education & Skills broadband provision. I am informed that more than 700 rural schools were in the same terrible situation, and some still are. It seems also that the Department Gurus were aware that they had signed a ten-year contract (reliable information?) and had been sold a pig-in-a-poke. Maybe they were able to secure some refund? Maybe, but that does not solve our problem. We decided to source our broadband from a local supplier, Solar Broadband. Quite literally, we have not looked back since then. We can look forward, and we can plan with confidence. We can attempt to educate to 21st century requirements. We can google reliably; we can research; we can play; we can bring the outside world into our classroom.
This is entirely as a result of reliable broadband provision. Encyclopedia Britannica might be cool, but it’s only a tiny part of the bigger picture. Broadband versus Britannica? You can’t really have the cream without the cup!

Gibran

You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts.
Khalil Gibran

The author of The Prophet was born on this day in 1883.

Sunday Spin

Lovely mild morning and we had big numbers in the Square. Off to Lismore and Tallow where we turned left for Knockanore. Six of us headed on to Youghal Bridge and home, while others turned early to Camphire and Cappoquin. Riding time 3h26m Distance 88km

Garmin details here

Resolutions for My Class: There Is No Box

It's January, and it's resolutions-time.

I've been taking a little look every now and then at the Pedagoo Resolutions Document.  and I've added an idea myself hoping to bring together several heads around the notion of class blogging. I will be keen to follow those who are on that particular subsection, and I will be looking to explore ideas with a view to selecting software that will allow individual blogging. So roll on January 7th. I rarely have difficulty motivating myself to return in January, and this year I am more excited than ever. It's going to be busy! Perhaps that's the attraction.
I've had another little look back to that interesting document and my attention is caught by a really simple idea. This idea is for the teacher to focus in of a specific teaching tactic, that of providing the answer in order to spark interest and creativity of pupils in order to find the question! I am grateful to Iain @maximusparsons who submitted this idea. I've added myself to the list and will follow with interest. As a small means of continuing the process I've added my first answer. Take a little look, and feel free to comment or add your question. Better still, add yourself to the Find the Question list, and expand the collaboration, or you may prefer to take a little look through the bigger picture.
I will be implementing this in my class during January, and I will provide feedback here on Pedagoo. Watch this Irish space!

This is my first addition to Pedagoo, and I've published added it  also to my blog. My blog is not education-related, but I think it's an indication of me optimism in relation to the potential of Pedagoo that I decided to publish there also. That sounds like a mouthful! But I know what I mean. That's the answer. What is the question?

The Big Clean Up

Mild damp day, and after watching some TV on iPad on  a morning lie-in, I set to work just before midday.

Job 1: Back shed. Dumped loads, and cleaned & tidied. Made a big difference.

Job 2: Hang bikes on wall in garage. This took a bit longer. Could not find the chuck for the drill. However, RM (renting Madge's house) loaned me a cordless drill. POS arrived just to say a quick hello mid-job. Lovely chat about mostly my new mountain bike. Then, at about 5pm job done. Turf briquettes moved to other side; three bikes fitted on wall; several half-shelves replacing existing ones; all my bike stuff moved to bike side; Marion will use shelves on other side; big sweep and hoover. (Well, not hoover actually...) Needs to be hoovered. Lots of photos taken, as it likely will not stay as tidy as it is now.