73 Sandhills

This is one of my favourite rooms in the house.

I just love the colour and style of the floor and how well it works with the fireplace. The fire itself is gas and on a cold winter day it’s wonderful to be able to enjoy a fire without having to clean out ashes etc. It’s the first gas fireplace that Sylvia and I have had and we were surprised at how good it looks. 

The house is warm so we normally don’t need the fire for heat - but you can’t beat the feeling it gives you when it’s cold and rainy outside.

Here are a few pictures of the single bedroom upstairs. It’s what would traditionally be called the “box room” but it’s actually quite spacious. Considering that Sylvia uses it as her reception room - it has shelves, a table and chairs and one of the water fountains she sells - you might expect it to be tight. However - when we have visitors we still have room for a bed in the room and their luggage.

A handy feature of this photo is that you can see both sides of the hall at once. This is the area just inside the front door. We’re using a freestanding press for our shoes and polishing stuff. It’s very handy as we remove our outside shoes when we come into the house and put on sandles or slippers.

It sounds a bit wierd to some people but it’s amazing how much cleaner it makes things. Plus the fact that I like to put my feet up on the couch. I can’t really do that with shoes on and taking them off just for that is annoying.

The hall (most of the downstairs) has a glossy dark tile installed. We got them because they look really good and don’t show up dirt. It makes me wonder how people can live with the dirt that gets ground into carpets in other houses.

We can really see the value of paying for a good tiler - the place still looks perfect.

The wierd looking white lines on the wall are reflections from the flash.

In one way - one of the least interesting rooms of the house - but for me there was more to it. When we lived abroad the washer and dryer were in the basement - we had to go down 3 flights of stairs to get to them. In my parents house the washer is in the kitchen so it’s impossible to talk or watch TV while it’s running.

Our home in sandhills has a seperate ulility room where we currently have the washer and dryer on one side (see the photo below). On the other side there is the boiler and storage space. All the “junk” that would take up kitchen space is in there instead - laundry detergent, the hoover, mops, brushes etc etc. Just having the washer & dryer in a seperate room makes them quieter - the fact that we can close the door on them just makes it perfect.

Don’t tell Sylvia - but it’s also a great place to hide stuff when we have visitors e.g. My dirty boots.

Here are some more photos of the hallway. The sketch of us was done at Disney a long time ago.

Click on the photos for larger versions.

What do you say about stairs? They go up and down at the same time. :) 

This is the only place in the house we put carpet - mainly because we didn’t want any footstep noise while going up and down. Our Interior Designer, Ann Gordon, suggested a specific dark (almost black) carpet. At the time we were worried that it would show up dirt - but once again Ann showed she knew her stuff. The carpet is brilliant.

I already showed what it looks like behind the door. Here’s a photo of the hall to the left of the stairs where the downstairs WC is located. The hall swings to the left - that’s where we have a coat rack hidden.

Here are some photos of the dining room. You can see the double doors in the background - these lead into the living room. There is a TV socket on the wall and we have satellite cables (for SKY TV) hidden away on the right. These go through to the living room.

Click on the photos for a larger version.

Here are some photos of the front of the house. I’ll do an update later as to why we picked this specific house - it may interest you that there were a number of reasons why we felt this was the best placed house in Sandhills.

Here’s a picture of the main bedroom. The original design of the house was to have the bed on the other side but we preferred it this way. There is a TV socket in the room and we upgraded it to have a network/Internet socket. We have a controller for the remote control that sends the signal downstairs to the sky box etc so we can control it in comfort.

This room has an ensuite bathroom. Originally we were going to take it for Sylvia’s studio but decided to keep it for us instead.

By popular request - here are some pictures of the kitchen. There are a number special things about it:

- The kitchen itself was made by Trade Kitchens and Bedrooms in Carlow. We’re so happy with it that we’re getting them to make the kitchen in our new house. Not only that - but we’re keeping the same style. You’d think after 3 years we’d like a change - but it’s just perfect.

- The cupboards on the upper left side of the kitchen are not part of the standard kitchen configuration for the house in Sandhills. We paid extra for them and they have been invaluable for all the extra space they provide.

- The pictures don’t show them very well - but the tiles on the wall are a really large. Why do I mention it? It means there is less grout and they are much easier to clean.

- The hob is gas - 5 rings rather than the standard 4. The centre one is a really big one for a wok etc.

- The extractor is nuclear powered. OK - that’s not true but it’s so powerful that on full blast you can see the steam from the kettle being pulled over to it.

-  The dining room is to the left of where the photos were taken with double doors leading to the sitting room and double doors leading outside. Open the doors and it feels like one massive room - great for a party.  

Click on the pictures for larger versions:

Here’s a photo of the downstairs loo. We keep the bins outside the window so we don’t have to go out into the rain.

Believe it or not - a full cosmetic studio fits into one of the bedrooms. We were originally going to use the main bedroom, which is even bigger, but decided to keep the en-suite bathroom for ourselves.

The floor in this room actually has tiles - perfect if you have an allergy issues.

Even on a rainy we get to see the sun.

This is a picture of the freestanding bookshelf along one side of the living room. It’s just beside the double doors into the dining room.

The space is perfect for this or a working desk. Sylvia often works in this area as she has easy access to a power socket and an Internet connection.

The Internet connection is via Digiweb and then over the power lines to the living room. It’s really handy as we can then use Internet anywhere in the house. You don’t even see the box as it’s low down behind the shelf.

It’s amazing how many books you can fit into such a space.

This is the upstairs bathroom - and the picture does not do it justice. A number of the special touches in the house are due to the fact that Interior Designer - Ann Gordon - was helping us when we fitted out the house. The upstairs bathroom has unusual wavey white tiles that are never-the-less something that everyone can like. The mirror over the sink is triangular with a fantastic light. We have more stuff in the bathroom than most people would because Sylvia uses it for her studio customers.

When talking about things to do around Carlow you can’t forget the Éigse festival. Every year Carlow is host to a multitude of different art, music, dance, street theatre, drama,  craft etc etc type events. There really is something for everyone.

What I really like is how it seems to pull the business community together as well as the local community. Every spare space is used to display something and it’s a great opportunity to get to see some new artists.

So come along and give it a try.

Full details of the events are available on the website: www.eigsecarlow.ie

Hopefully we’ll get to visit the Delta Centre this weekend. They have a really beautiful garden where there is always some new detail that catches my eye. I especially love the sculptures. It’s only up the road from Sandhills - we just need to make the time.

This day last week we had the local elections. Sandhills is on a border so half the estate votes for one area and half the other.

We were able to vote for the town council and the county council. There are a number of websites that gave information of the elections - including one I reviewed on my web site - www.localelections.ie - but I still found it hard to get a clear indication of who exactly was in the running. I think a copy of the voting form should be distributed as part of the polling cards that get sent out.   

Unlike some others in Carlow we did have a number of visits from people looking for our vote. I find it an advantage of living on an estate - you have an easier opportunity to have your voice heard.  

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• Local Elections - Carlow/Kilkenny (keithshirley.ie)

As the house is in the middle of the town we don’t get much in the way of rabbits or badgers. Sometimes we have to make our own or wait for something unusual to fly in.

The brownshill dolmen is just up the road from us. It’s a nice place to bring the dog for a walk. The spooky photo happened when our camera was not working properly - I think it’s kind of cool.

Click on the photos for larger versions.  

SLÍ AN CHROÍ is one of our favourite places to go for a walk. It’s so peaceful and has loads of nooks and crannies to make every walk different.

Before we returned to Ireland we already had a site purchased in Ballinacarrig - close to where my parents live. We knew all along that we would be moving and selling our home in Sandhills. That’s part of the reason why we have nice neutral colour schemes rather than bright pink and green like some other houses I have seen.

Sylvia’s studio will also be able to make good use of the extra space - and I think the dog is looking forward to a bigger house.

We get a lot of birds visiting in the garden. It’s been interesting to see how in the first months we had almost no birds - presumably due to the building work that was going on. Now we get sparrows, swallows, blackbirds, magpies, starlings, thrushes, crows (including smaller hooded crows) and a number of other ones I have not yet identified.

The most surprising visitor was a sparrow hawk - although we felt sorry for the sparrow it was eating. The pictures of the sparrow hawk were taken with a camera phone - so the quality is not great.

Click on the photos for bigger versions:

Not all the family members are happy with birds in the garden:

Here’s a map of the estate itself. It’s a large estate but the layout makes it feel much smaller. At this stage we would be very familiar with most of the people on our street. The other neighbours we tend to meet on the central green area or during residents association meetings.

Number 73 is marked. Part of the reason we picked it was that we can look out the back windows without looking at anyone elses house. We don’t have anyone looking into our house either. It makes you feel like you have a huge garden and lots of privacy.   

OK - So it’s not a swimming pool but it’s one of the beautiful beaches that’s a short drive away from Carlow. In this case it’s Kilmore Quay. I’ll be adding a few more pictures soon of things that you can do in the area.

Yet another of the hidden treasures nearby - Duckets Grove. I’m not sure if the dog is allowed off the leash so shhh! don’t tell anyone.

For those of you that don’t know where Sandhills in Carlow actually is - here’s a map.

Basically it’s on the Hacketstown road - right behind the new SuperValu.

 Wow - It’s amazing how different the old garden looks.  Everything is so small. The euclyptus to the right is now higher than the house. We’ll be moving it soon as it’s too big for a town house. The weeds are actually smaller now.

The back wall looks much better in the meantime - we have ivy gowing up it and a beautiful fern in the corner.

Have a close look at the house behind the wall - it’s not actually finished in the photo.

Here’s the garden while it was still a baby. :)  Notice on the right hand side I’m still painting the fence.
The lawn had not been seeded as we were waiting for later in the year when there is more rain(*) and we wanted to get rid of any weed seeds.

* In 2006 we actually had sun during the summer.

This is the mirror I mentioned elsewhere. Note the silver tiles along the edge - we like them so much we want to do the same thing in our new home.

Another example of what can be missed if you don’t look closely.

I had this picture open on my laptop and for a second someone thought it was real. The ferns add to the effect. It would be better later in the year when the ferns are in full action.

While not a permanent fixture in the house - our new “visitor” will be there until someone buys it. Can you guess from the pictures below what it is? Click on the photos for a larger version.

It’s a massive Ametyst. It’s really beautiful and loads of people have commented on the atmosphere in teh house since we bought it.

As soon as I saw this plant hiding the angels mouth I though - Speak No Evil. I’ve still to find something for See and Hear.

This angel was given to us as a wedding present. I had wondered if if should be cleaned but I think the green adds to the atmosphere.

Sometimes it’s fun to look at things from a different angle:

Compare this photo taken during the summer of 2008 to the original satellite photo and you’d find it hard to imagine that they are the same place. The aerial photo gives a really good impression of how pristine the estate is.

This is presumably the first photo of the house - courtesy of Google Earth. It was probably summer 2005 - a short while before we saw it for the first time. In the end - our home was the first one on the street to be finished. When we moved in it was like living in the country side - pitch black alone the street and not a sound. Nowadays it’s better lit and still really quiet - unusual for a town estate.