Thanksgiving in Ireland

Thanksgiving is not a holiday in Ireland (duh!) so we had to work around a 'normal' work day!  We also had to plan ahead to find and buy supplies for our 'American' holiday as turkey's are not all that common in grocery stores until closer to Christmas.  We had invited 11 friends to join us, for a total of 14 people, not including Caroline Hay's unborn baby, so I guess we really had 15 people!!

At any rate, Kathy contacted a butcher to see what it would take to get a 9 kilo (20 pounds) turkey.  Are you sitting down?  The cost was 70 Euro or about $105.00 US dollars at the current exchange rate.  What to do, as we knew we couldn't spend that much on a single bird.  So, Kathy looked and looked, there were lots of turkeys around, but they were all 3 to 4 kilos, but at least they were affordable.  In a last ditch effort she went to a local TESCO grocery store (the largest chain store in Ireland - we don't usually go there because of cost) and found there was a sale for only €7.99 for any size turkey; she found a 6.2 AND a 5.4 kilo (25.5 pounds total)!  So we were set, and at a price we could afford - what a blessing!

Also, as Thanksgiving is NOT a holiday, I found out I would be taking my Irish driving test at 2:55 pm as well.  In order to get a license, I first had to pass a written test (many months ago) and then apply for the actual driving test.  The waiting period is up to 15 weeks, so when I found out my test was on turkey day, I did not want to reschedule it.  Even though I've been driving for 38 years, passing the Irish test is NOT a given; almost 50% flunk the test on the first try, and the pass rate doesn't get much better on the second try.

Here's another blessing - I passed!  I should get my brand spanking new license in the post on Tuesday or Wednesday.  We are so thankful for the blessings of wonderful friends here in Dublin and for passing the driving test!!