Keep your Money in your Pocket

Not a song title, but good advice none the less! Went racing yesterday - the Galway Races are on and we usually try to get there a couple of times during the week. No, I'm not a gambler normally, but if there was ever anything I was going to become addicted to.....

I headed off from work around 4.30 and was out in good time for the first race. The Galway Races are different to other racing events because it is a very local event, even though people come from far and wide. Also, you don't need to know jack about horses and it seems that nearly every horse has as good a chance as the next. Tony was coming from home so I said I'd meet him out there, but he was a bit delayed waiting for a ticket from some guy. We both got tickets so that saved €50 straight off....or €50 more to put on the horsies. I decided that I would use the time at the beginning to learn a little more about the various other types of betting that you can do....I would almost always be a Tote better, and spread my bets with small amounts rather than €20 here or there.

Anyway I decided to find out about Exacta and Jackpot...and had the time to ask at the Tote counters because it wasn't very busy initially. The exacta is where you bet that 2 horses will come in first and second in a race and you get better odds because you are betting on a combination rather than each one....obviously the chances of winning are lower, but the amounts you can win are higher....I am in this for the money btw! You can also do a reverse exacta where you bet on the two horses - either can come first or second. I did this throughout the day and won diddly-eye-squat. Nada....but it's a skill I acquired I suppose.

I also worked out how the jackpot fee is calculated. This is where you bet on a horse (or number of them) from the 3rd to 7th race (in yesterday's case) and if your horses come in as winners (all of them...not just one or tw0) - you get to share a jackpot of €50,000. Again - the prizes are high, the chances are low. Last year I got stung with a fee of €30 for my bet because I didn't know they multiplied all the races by each other....this year I asked first and saved myself €56!!! and went back to the drawing board. Sorry if I'm babbling on - maybe someone else finds this interesting.

Today, Brian at work got a few tips from a client of ours and said the best thing to do was a €1 each way, all ways patent! I made my way to the bookies half an hour ago and hope that I've done the right thing.....it's a real learning curve, but I don't know how to play poker, so I might as well know the various ways to bet on horses!

My friend Brenda bro in law is on the race committee so I was invited to dinner after the races with Brenda and her family which was lovely....espesh cos I was starving. 3 courses in a lovely little private committee room at the race track - it was a good way to end the evening....seeing as I had lost my shirt at that point.

Will probably not go racing tomorrow - Ladies Day - dont' think I'm able for the crowds in my current condition, but Friday evening is always nice and the weather is promised fine, so that might be the plan instead.

Yesterday I backed names (as I always do)...and went so far as to back two horses at 100 to 1 just because of their names - Another Sister (given that I am preggo....and have 3 sisters...when my mum had each of us, we would be told 'another sister...so i thought it was very apt), and Crafty Casuist....dunno what a casuist is, but I'm crafty...No joy - they are still running. Best advice, only bet what you can afford to lose and a good tip is 'keep your money in your pocket'.

We're All goin on a Summer Holiday

So we went on a little break last week - well actually the week before last - bad blogger didn't update any pics, etc. Hit the road on Wednesday 19th July cos Tony isn't starting new job for a few weeks. We decided on an economy family holiday and went to Tony's sister's house in Dublin....a trip to Powerscourt on the way up and Dublin Zoo and we were all set. Weather was not very nice, but hey, it's good to get out of the office even for a few days break. As usual, most of the pics are of Tony and Eilis as I was behind the camera, but I allowed Tony to take one of me....and herself with fabulous gardens in the background. Had never been to Powerscourt and didn't know what Eilis would make of it, but she was like a mad thing running around. Said the house was 'huge' to Tony's sister .... who lives in a 'tiny' house, which she loved to hear. She lives in a quaint little two up two town in Stoneybatter....Eilis couldn't believe that there was no bath! and that there was a bed in the sitting room (sofa bed). Oh, how privileged we are in our 3-bed semi D!

The following morning we headed for our hopefully annual excursion to Dublin Zoo. It's a great place, with something for every age and also changes if you only go once a year...lots to see. The big attraction is the baby elephant. And no, Eilis is not sitting on real one....this was a carving in the playground before we got some heavy rain showers and had to bail out. In the afternoon we went to get 'jelly on my belly' - a 4D scan of the new baby and Eilis found out for the first time exactly why my belly is so big. We have a DVD of the scan - wow, technology is mad, but I haven't scanned the image yet. Will post it up....scary how real it all is, especially compared to the ordinary scans. All is well with baby TG but I am scanning a couple of weeks further along than I am....not surprising given that Eilis was an almost nine pounder and the average is 7.5 pounds.

We had promised Eilis a swim on Friday, but the weather was awful so we hit the road for home to beat the afternoon traffic. Also decided to go swimming in Athlone - Eilis thought it was Dublin so we said nothing....it's only 25 mins from home! After our swim we called out to Glasson for our lunch in a fabby little pub and called to my aunt and uncle for a visit. They own wooden holiday chalets and I had described the place to Tony before but couldn't really get the point across so he was really shocked at how nice it was....my description didn't do it any justice at all! We got a guided tour of a new crannog that they had built and a barn that had been converted, cup of tea and a chat and then it was only a half hour home. Great to break the journey.

Tony has been offered a job starting the week after next so Eilis is getting loads of trips to see her cousins, etc and having a great time. It's race week in Galway this week so hoping to get out this evening and maybe Friday again. Was at a wedding in Clare at the weekend - photos are useless cos it was raining ...what a pity because Sunday and Monday have been fabby...and I kinda overdid it by way of dancing, staying up late, etc, so I'm avoiding the big race days - wednesday and thursday. I wouldn't be able to stand for a full day or my ankles would be the size of I dunno what! Never had this kind of fluid retention with Eilis but I suppose that's the heat as well....there's a lot to be said about being pregnant in winter time...and there would be less weddings too!

Last week ordered some fabby Love, Elsie products - didn't realise that they could be bought in Ireland but fair play to Anna Marie - she had them in the post next day and I spent all last thursday night stroking them. Have no plan as to how to use them yet, but maybe this week I'll get a while. Am working on a 'Bump book' with notes from pregnancy at the moment and also got some fabby Idea books...will post pics later - they rock. So my crafting enthusiasm is back, it's just time that's lacking.....roll on maternity leave!