And now to recount our adventures over the winter holidays.

Since Christmas was on a Monday, the regular Monday night session at Huidi Beag's was pushed forward to the Friday night before Christmas. It was a wonderful session with an assortment of the usual outstanding musicians. But an even more musical week was ahead for us, because this is when they hold the Frankie Kennedy Winter School of Music in Dunlewey, a village near here. The School is dedicated to the memory of the late Belfast flute player, Frankie Kennedy, a founding member of Altan and in our opinion and that of others perhaps better qualified (such as Matt Malloy), one of the finest flute players of modern times.

We had heard about all the musical events that were planned, and had purchased tickets for eight of the concerts, but even so, for reasons of time or energy, we had to pass on others of equal worth. We attended the opening of the festivities at Huidi Beag's on the Wednesday after Christmas. There were lots of Americans there, as well as people from Japan and all over Ireland and the EU. We were treated to some excellent tunes played on the uillean pipes by Robbie Hannon, followed by outstanding flute music.

We then became yo-yo's for the rest of the week, going back and forth to afternoon concerts at the Ostan Gweedore, a hotel specializing in cultural events in Bunbeg, and evening concerts at the Dunlewey Ionad Cois Locha (Lakeside Center), including fiddling by the Glackins, and the group Teada. We saw some amazing "Sean Nos" dancing (a form of old-style Irish dancing, totally unlike the modern, choreographed "Riverdance" style) and heard music played by some of the top Irish musicians, our favorites of the week being Marcas O'Murchu on the flute, and Brid Harper and Paddy McMenamin on the fiddle.

For the most spectacular finale, we went to the Altan concert. This group has been touring for 20 years. Their performance was sterling. From their old, much-loved standards to material from their latest CD (Local Ground), they kept us enthralled with their energy, musicianship, humor and lovely songs. It was truly a memorable week, and we didn't even sign up for any of the classes! The whole week was a pleasure, and a fine way to remember and pay tribute to a great musician.

Other aspects of the week included some very high winds, especially on New Year's Eve, when the power went out at the beginning of the afternoon concert. The musicians carried on without the sound system, and the pub remained dimly lit by emergency lights. Later that evening, they held a ceili at the hotel, and the lights did not come back on until a couple of minutes past midnight! Meanwhile, I had managed to catch a nasty cold which hung on for quite some time, and at the same time put my back out, making walking and even sitting a bit difficult.

So, with this double complaint, I went to the doctor. I was surprised that there were no lengthy medical history forms to fill out. And even relieved, perhaps, that no one recorded my weight (which is a challenge to maintain in the face of all the rashers and scones that tempt and delight us). The people in the waiting room chat in Irish among themselves, but are happy to speak English to those of us not raised here.

Let's back up a moment in case my mention of rashers left some of you groping for an explanation. I was referring to bacon, Irish style. This is an area where the Irish excel. Each slice of bacon is called a rasher, and each delectable slice features a generous medallion of meat, with a "tail" at one side where a small amount of fat is intermingled with another small bit of meat. The percentage of fat on a rasher is quite low, and there is music in a pan full of rashers! If you were to allude to bacon when speaking with a local person here, it would be assumed you meant a large lump of meat to be boiled on the stove for a couple of hours.

And finally, many of you have expressed your amusement at the rapidly multiplying items of luggage in the first part of this blog. A parallel situation occurred with one particular item we were carrying. For many years I had two guitars, and before leaving Oregon decided I should sell the heavier one, and keep the light-weight one, or even get a smaller traveling model.

Accordingly, we set off for MacKenzie River Music in Eugene, with both guitars in tow, intending to sell one and buy either a heavy-weight case for the other (more suitable for travel) or a "baby" Taylor or Martin. To make a long story short, after trying out several light-weight smaller guitars, I ended up trading both guitars for an absolute beauty of an instrument. It is, admittedly, a full-size guitar. When purchased, it weighed approximately 892 pounds. During the course of travel, it seems to have gained another 2,000 pounds, and I am considering putting wheels on the case and installing a long handle to facilitate transporting it from the living room to the car. There is a lesson to be learned here, but I'm not sure what it is!

I will leave you with another excerpt from the driver theory test:

Q. You come up behind a vehicle that is going from side to side on the road in an unsafe manner. What should you do?

a. Flash your lights and gesture aggressively at the other driver.

b. Drive close behind with a view to overtaking.

c. Stay well back until the road widens sufficiently to allow you to overtake safely.

d. Signal, and go around to the left of the vehicle.

Q. You are driving on a motorway and wish to take a break. You should . . .

a. Leave by the next exit and find a lay-by or suitable place to stop.

b. Stop on the hard shoulder and use the roadside phone to inform the authorities.

c. Only stop for 15 minutes or less.

d. Pull well in on the left of the hard shoulder and switch on the hazard warning lights.

Hoping this finds you all well and starting off your new year in warm homes. Take care.