Family

The Last Lap

1 August, 2021
Posted in: Boys, Cork, Daniel, Family, Ireland, Michael, Princess, Siblings, Travel, Work

Monday, July 19, 2021

Herself expressed an interest in playing tennis and the three children trotted out together. They seem to have had a reasonable time. I was delighted as an ongoing source of guilt this summer is how little I have organised for them, particularly the boys.

Herself was able to register for her vaccine. It seems to be moving along very speedily now.

Tuesday, July 20, 2021

Michael and I dined alone as Daniel and his father were at a GAA match and herself was out cycling.

Herself went for a cycle in the park with her (male) friend and she was exhausted when she got home having cycled at speed for hours. Her friend was trying to slow down but compared to her female friends and her mother, he was pretty speedy. Good for her, doubtless.

Wednesday, July 21, 2021 – Belgian National Day

The boys headed off to their aunt and uncle in Cork again and I was thrilled as I felt that it would give them a change of scene and the weather was terrific.

We moved the kitchen table outside. Satisfactory. The tablecloth is one I brought up from Cork. I remember buying it with my mother in Venice in the 1980s. It hasn’t seen much action since then as it’s a bit small for larger groups. It could do with an iron as well but it was too hot to contemplate approaching an iron.

The boys made it to Cork safely.

Thursday, July 22, 2021

The boys went to west Cork with their aunt and tried out the Dursey island cable car. The consensus was that it was not as exciting as it looks. They had glorious weather for it though.

Meanwhile, in Dublin, we baked in the heat. Jam season continued. From farm (i.e. front garden):

To fork:

Friday, July 23, 2021

In anticipation of the (much deferred) arrival of the plumbers on Monday, Mr. Waffle decamped from the utility room where he has been based since March of last year and took the last of his stuff back to the office. The end of an era.

Herself got her vaccine appointment for the next week (imagine) and we went out for an outdoor lunch together. Still very warm.

The boys were off in a hotel in Bantry with their aunt enjoying the luxury of indoor dining.

My lily has outdone itself this year. It needed a bit of extra support so I took a length of bamboo from the forest at the end of the neighbours’ garden adjoining ours. Theft or thinning of bamboo that’s probably good for it? My family have one view, I have another. Your thoughts would be welcome provided they chime with mine.

Saturday, July 24, 2021

Mr. Waffle and I went out for breakfast to a local cafe for the first time in ages. We got more fun from this bag than you might expect. What order are the languages listed in? The only clue I will give you is that a bureaucratic mind was involved in this process. Answer below.*

We got a call from herself who had declined to come with us. “There’s someone in the house,” she whispered into the phone. “There isn’t, I’m sure,” said Mr. Waffle, “if there were, the cat would be going crazy.” “She is going crazy,” hissed herself. I zoomed home. There was not, in fact someone in the house. We’d left the back door open and the noise of the window cleaner working next door had floated upstairs and unnerved her (he came and did our windows next which was handy). The cat was indeed going crazy because she had managed to get herself in through a tiny hole in the cupboard under the stairs and couldn’t get back out again. What attracted her there? More mice or worse? Or just general perverseness? Mr. Waffle had to unscrew a wooden panel to let her out again. Idiot cat.

I went into town and bought a variety of exciting homewares. Even though I really shouldn’t. I mean, where is all the stuff from my parents’ house going to go?

Mr Waffle and I took the Dart out to Booterstown. A young man on the platform was telling all his friends how he had recovered from Covid. He ate a raw onion the other night and couldn’t taste anything. It seems, at best, unfortunate but he was delighted with himself.

We visited Mr. Waffle’s mother and then cycled on to Dalkey which was short of tea shops but we managed (middle aged problems if ever I saw them). I thought Bullock Harbour might work for a swim but it was more for jumping in and I wasn’t in a jumping in kind of mood so we went to Sandycove. The water was lovely but it was crowded. A young man was on a paddle board with a very small baby who was howling the place down. I offered to assist but he said her mother was coming. She was. Tense times in that relationship though as the baby howled the place down and the mother picked her way out among the sharp stones. Lads, I do not miss the challenges of minding small children.

While Mr. Waffle and I were out disporting ourselves, herself continued to work on her summer translation job – she’s translating something for a friend of Mr. Waffle’s and is near the end and the payout of filthy lucre – and the boys were off on Bere Island. My sister’s partner’s parents have a house there and they kindly invited the boys. It was so warm even Michael swam.

Sunday, July 25, 2021

This is the anniversary of my lovely Nana’s death. At mass the priest told us it was grandparents’ day. Who knew? I said a prayer for her although I doubt she needed it having been very saintly. I often think how strange it was that she would have worn long Edwardian skirts (she was born in 1897). I mean I know this seems an odd thing to obsess about but I just wonder what it was like to wear those clothes, they seem so remote from us now. She died in 1984 when I was 15 and I never really asked her about when she was young or the characters from the War of Independence (about whom she had views I understand from my mother – my grandmother got a medal and an army pension but I think she was always a bit ambivalent about some of the activities, she took the pension but applied it to charitable causes). I was an age, when she died, when she was a beloved character in my story but, for me, without any back story of her own. I tried to avoid something similar happening with my children and their Cork grandfather but this led to baffling sessions where I forced my unwilling children to ask my father questions about his youth and he said, “I don’t remember” and returned promptly to his newspaper. Perhaps these interests only come with age.

In the afternoon I took myself off alone to go for a swim as herself was still translating and Mr. Waffle didn’t fancy it. I left my phone behind in case it was nicked. Things I use my phone for as well as, obviously, phoning and texting: taking photos; listening to podcasts; internet browsing including checking the Dart timetable; telling the time (my watch is in for rather expensive repairs); navigating (google maps); paying for stuff (Apple pay, everyone has digital payments now, even the man selling ice cream from a van at the beach). I was surprised at how unnerved I was heading out without it. I mean I only got a smart phone for the first time in 2011, I have lived 80% of my life without one. I felt a bit of an idiot for being so dependent. You will be delighted to hear that I managed to get myself out for the afternoon without my phone and inspected the newly pedestrianised streets of Dun Laoghaire (grand, good even) and have a swim in Seapoint (heaving) and cycle without getting lost. No photos though.

Poor Mr. Waffle had a work call at 9 in the evening. But otherwise the evening was uneventful as we prepared ourselves mentally for our last week at work before the holidays and the arrival of the plumber and his accolytes at 7.30 in the morning. They were to begin the much deferred bathroom revamp (deferred from last October but in a very real way deferred from 2013 when we moved in and couldn’t afford to do it up – we’ve been living with the previous owners tiles for a long time). I feel a whole new post will be required to cover the bathroom excitement. Hold on to your hats out there.

*It’s alphabetical by language in the language. So Spanish is ES – looks out of order right? ES is the ISO code for Spanish but, obviously, Castellano is the Spanish for Spanish so it appears not after Danish as you would expect but after Bulgarian. The same is true for Finnish which reflects in its position the fact that Suomi is the Finnish for Finnish. Hours of harmless entertainment for all the family. I’m not sure I can stop at any time any more which is its own concern to be honest.

Heatwave!

18 July, 2021
Posted in: Boys, Cork, Daniel, Dublin, Family, Ireland, Michael, Mr. Waffle, Work

Monday, July 12, 2021

Daniel came back from basketball camp crippled after a day of intensive exercise. I saw him limping down the stairs and he said, “This is like ‘The Lord of the Rings’. It’s going to be a very lengthy journey.” Poor child. And he had to cycle to and from the venue. He was exhausted.

It was peak marching season in the North. At this time of year, I always feel sorry for the Northern Ireland tourist board.

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

My covid vaccination cert arrived by email. I am now free to travel all around the EU. The thrill. For the moment, I will, alas, be staying at home. Herself was supposed to be going to London next week and after much grief and heartache we decided to cancel the flight. Poor miss.

Apparently indoor dining is to be allowed for the vaccinated and their children under 18 from July 26. Does this mean we leave our 18 year old out on the terrace when we go for meals on our family holiday in August?

Herself returned from Cork in great form having had a restorative couple of days. She and my brother get on like a house on fire. She is trying to drag him into the 21st century. He’s a work in progress.

Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Bastille Day, my father always liked to celebrate this and was almost always in France to do so. I thought fond thoughts of him.

Daniel arrived home from basketball camp burnt to a cinder (it was supposed to be indoors but they went outside for lunch and he had no sunscreen). I’m beginning to wonder whether he will make it out of there alive.

Herself bought some of her course books and they arrived and she is delighted with herself. I’d say she’ll enjoy college.

Thursday, July 15, 2021

Daniel and Mr. Waffle went to the Aviva stadium along with 6,000 other people. It was the biggest sporting outing in a while. They saw local heroes Bohemians demolish some club from Iceland. Great rejoicing all round.

Friday, July 16, 2021

It was very warm indeed. In a welcome return to normality, the Princess and I had lunch outside on a terrace. We both enjoyed it very much.

In what was definitely not normal, but pleasant all the same, Daniel and I prepped for a barbecue dinner. He and I have started working together on Friday night dinner and we’re quite enjoying the challenge of our family of tricky eaters.

Saturday, July 17, 2021

I had breakfast at the end of the garden sitting on our fancy new wooden bench. It was extraordinarily warm. I was sheltered by the tall bamboo growing between our garden and next door. Our older neighbours are a bit deaf. When they sit out, they have a penchant for jazz classics which they play at what I am sure they think is a perfectly acceptable volume. It is actually pretty loud. Mr. Waffle has taken to referring to the end of the garden as the “Bamboo lounge”. It’s pleasant; the green shade, the gliding bench and the jazz classics in the background. Glad I don’t mind jazz though.

The Irish Times was full of interest featuring the sale of the cousins’ house in the property bit and information on a new gardening programme on the back page. Three gardeners will come and judge your garden (one of 18) and presumably some prize will be given to the best overall garden. I was a bit surprised to see that one of the three judges is next door’s gardener who has done a bit of work for us as well. We rang him recently to come and tidy up the garden but he said the earliest he can come is October. No wonder when he is off filming. I can attest that he is a good gardener.

That evening for cinema night we enjoyed the first fruits of Ireland joining the Francophonie. You think I am joking but I assure you, I am not. The upshot of this was I got free access to a French film for Bastille Day (long story) and I put it up on the big screen for our family viewing. Very enjoyable, actually: I can recommend “Le Sens de la Fête” which is funny and suitable for family viewing. Not always a given with our film night choices.

Sunday July 18, 2021

I think our parish priest might be on his summer holidays. We had a substitute who gave an excellent sermon. Did you know that the etymology of the English word “nous” is from the Greek for mind, intelligence? That was only the beginning. The role of St Jerome in translating repent, Laudato Si’ and climate change, the bishop’s crozier; it was all happening. On the way home, Michael said, “Are we in trouble when the church is more concerned about climate change than our Governments?” Maybe so, maybe so.

Having spent all of the previous day commuting between the hammock and the bamboo lounge, I decided I would go out and have a swim. No one was interested in coming with me so I went on my own and it was quite satisfactory. The suburban beaches were full to the brim but the water was the warmest I have ever experienced in Ireland (the sunshine, the quantity of infant wee, sewage in Dublin bay, a combination of these?), I didn’t even have to pause for a moment on heading in to the water.

Then when I got home, I had some work to do which had been hanging over me all weekend. I spent a good hour at it but it’s going to need more than that. Sigh. I have decide to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow and finish it off in the office.

Possibly time for bed. I hope the weather is pleasant where you are.

Almost at the End of the Road

27 June, 2021
Posted in: Boys, Cork, Daniel, Family, Ireland, Michael, Mr. Waffle, Princess

Sunday, June 13, 2021

I went to in person mass for the first time in a long time. Fine, you know, mass like.

I realised that notwithstanding my freedom to go anywhere in the country I had perversely not ventured further than 2kms from my home all weekend.

Monday, June 14, 2021

I had a medical check-up before work. Spoiler alert, I’m fine but could be thinner. I had a spectacular bruise on my arm all week from where they took blood.

My brother reported from his holiday in West Cork. His clutch gave out between Barleycove and Goleen. This is not a good place for your clutch to give out; I will give you that. He seemed relatively unpreturbed.

Herself had Irish paper 1 and maths paper 2. I startled a poor schoolgirl who was getting her lunch in the same shop as me by asking her how she thought the maths paper had gone. Look, I was curious to know. It went fine you will be pleased to hear both for herself and the girl in the sandwich shop.

We’ve had a bit of a re-org at work and I find myself doing my old job and my new job at least temporarily so only dragged myself away from the excitement of this about 8 in the evening. Alas.

The boys’ school reports turned up. Pretty good all things considered including that they have had a mostly online school year.

Tuesday June 15, 2021

It was my mother’s second anniversary. My sister sent me flowers. Unclear how I managed to forget until then but I did I fear. I can’t believe it’s been two years since she died. It seems in some ways to have gone very quickly.

Herself had Irish paper 2 which passed off peacefully and Daniel, yet again, had training. Since his return to hurling he now has training/matches four nights a week and on Saturday afternoons. I am not sure how sustainable this is. It is making week night dinner a bit challenging. We can either eat before 6.30 or after 8.30. So, it’s 8.30 most of the time. That’s ok in the summer holidays but I can see it being problematic once we’re back to school.

My little niece in London turned 4. It’s so weird that we haven’t seen her in the flesh since she was 2 and now she’ll be going to school in the autumn. Wretched Covid.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

It was Bloomsday. Lots of coverage but relatively limited impact on me. I took a picture of the seagull babies standing in the chimney tops opposite my office.

Herself had her French exam. It was fine.

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Herself agonised a bit about whether she would skip the art written exam and rely on her calculated grade but in the end she went in. It’s so strange this year when loads of them are skipping exams because they have the calculated grade to fall back on.

Friday, June 18, 2021

I booked us in to various activities for when we spend a couple of nights in Carlingford. I rang the office. God, I love to talk to people and explain what I want rather than filling in the online booking form. The man I spoke to recommended a number of restaurants in the town for our dinner as well. Is this available from an online booking form? It is not.

After dropping my bike off for a post-purchase tune up, I hopped into the car and drove to Cork. It was my first time back in Cork since my father died. It was a bit strange but I was very glad to be back. My brother was still in Schull so my sister kindly offered to feed me which was just as well. This was the state of the fridge in my parents’ house.

And, the unkindest cut, this was the state of the tea caddy.

I always forget how much later it gets dark in Cork that in Dublin. My sister and I went for a walk around the Lough and here it is at 10.30 at night.

No filter as the young people say.

I went home to my parents’ house and spent the night there alone – the first time in as long as I can remember that my sleep was undisturbed by the BBC World Service blaring from the bedroom next door.

Saturday, June 19, 2021

I went into the Crawford Gallery which had a good exhibition. It juxtaposed research about people who were killed in the War of Independence with recent pictures of the places where their bodies were found. It was strange to think of these perfectly ordinary places where I have passed hundreds of times without a second thought being the sites of violent deaths.

I went into the Market to buy some food for my lunch and I was greeted by the sight of this wreath. So much for the Rebel County moniker.

I thought that town looked a bit grim. A lot of places closed down and overall a bit grubby and depressed. Over a year of Covid has not been particularly kind to Cork.

There was much talk of Prince’s Street being pedestrianised and people dining out and it was nice but limited.

That said, there were a lot of new buildings since my last visit and a lot of ongoing works. The Square Deal furniture shop on Washington Street (my mother’s nemesis – “how can that place keep going when it sells such ugly furniture?”) has been knocked down and presumably something will arise in its place.

After lunch I went across to College to pick up a Father’s Day present for Mr. Waffle. For someone who did not go to UCC he has an impressive collection of t-shirts from there. College was pretty quiet but the shop was open and there was a wedding in the the Honan Chapel and a small group of students graduating. The beginnings of a return to normality.

I spent the rest of the afternoon packing up items from my parents’ house to bring back to Dublin. I found it curiously exhausting and depressing. I checked each item with my siblings and they were quite relaxed about seeing them go, indeed, I was encouraged to take more. On this preliminary raid, I took 4 boxes of stuff including (with mild reluctance) 9 volumes of Peyps. Peyps was a great favourite of my father’s but I’ve never read any of the diaries myself. No time like the present, I suppose.

That evening we had a small birthday celebration for my aunt who turned 92 either on June 20 or22; her mother and her birth cert disagreed and this dispute has never been satisfactorily resolved and it is unlikely to be now.

We reminisced about my father a bit and we were reminded by my aunt how, very annoyingly, when asked to tell a story to his children he would say, “One dark and stormy night the captain sat down and said to the mate, ‘Mate, mate, tell us a story,” so the mate sat down and said to the captain, ‘One dark and stormy night the captain sat down and said to the mate, ‘Mate, mate, tell us a story.'” And so on until we gave up in despair.

My brother returned from West Cork €500 poorer but with his clutch repaired.

Sunday June 20, 2021 – Father’s Day

I went up to the graveyard to see my parents’ grave before driving back to Dublin. It’s a good graveyard and never fails to be of interest when I visit. My mother is buried in my father’s family plot and I thought of the old Irish proposal, “Do you want to be buried with my people?” Ah yes, romance.

When I got back to Dublin, everyone showed a gratifying level of interest in the unboxing from Cork even though it was mostly ware.

Herself had expressed an interest in the gossip chair so I brought that back for her. She seemed gratified.

Neither Mr. Waffle nor I have fathers any more which is odd and something we are still getting used to – not that either father was a great believer in Father’s Day.

Daniel was meeting a friend in Liffey Valley shopping centre (miles away) and I collected him. Honestly, it’s so far away, I felt I was half way back to Cork by the time I got there. We live quite near the centre of Dublin, you would think that this might be a handy spot to meet friends.

Monday, June 21, 2021

The longest day of the year. I met a friend for lunch which was delightful. Herself went out for dinner with friends to a gastropub in Leixlip of all places. Again, I would say, what is wrong with the city centre, did all of these Dublin based people really need to go to another county? She had a wonderful time though and it was great to pick her up and see her so happy and animated. She hasn’t had much fun this year. “Did you tell them that Leixlip is a Viking place name? As you know, Leix is the same root as Lax and it means salmon leap,” said I. “No, I didn’t, as I felt I was as weird as I needed to be without mentioning it” she said, “but if it’s any comfort to you, I thought it.” My work here is done.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Herself stopped me on the stairs as I was leaving for work to tell me she had a bad dream about physics. Ah, the Leaving Cert dreams, they are starting early.

Mr. Waffle’s soccer started back. He’s delighted. I’m delighted for him.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Herself had her dreaded physics exam. Alas, it did not go well and she is slightly in the horrors but I remain reasonably optimistic that between this and the predicted grade she might yet get what she needs but she was pretty glum, God love her.

In more cheering news, the plumber who had really gone to ground says he will come and redo the bathroom this month. I’ll believe it when I see it but at least we have a quote now which is progress.

And even more cheering, I got notified of my second vaccine appointment.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

After an absolutely epic administrative battle with Eir, Mr. Waffle succeeded in getting my old phone unlocked and it has been passed on to Michael who is only mildly pleased.

I went in to work without my coat as it was so fine and got sodden as I cycled home in the lashing rain. Alas.

Friday, June 25, 2021

Mr. Waffle ordered a gliding bench for the back garden. It is identical to one which was in his parents’ house and I am delighted with it. He is a genius. First unlocking the phone now this; what a man.

Herself had her last exam (applied maths) and now it is all over. It’s so weird to think that she will never be a student in the school again. She’s had a tough couple of years with Covid and the exams felt like they went on forever. I’m so glad that she’s finished, she really needs a break.

She’s also finished with all of her maths notes.

Saturday, June 26, 2021

Myself and Michael went to the National Museum. He didn’t hate it. Looks like a win for me.

My brother (a mere 48), got his second dose of the vaccine in Cork.

For cinema night we had “Lola Rennt”. A very popular German film from the 90s but no longer so readily available. Mr. Waffle had his Scottish friend in Vienna buy the DVD and post it to him and then sprung it upon his unsuspecting public. Am I married to the world’s most organised man? Why yes, I think I am.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

Herself got the train to Killarney where she and her friends are spending a couple of days to celebrate the end of the exams. Killarney is the new Ibiza, apparently.

I got my second vaccine dose. It wasn’t quite as efficient as the first time around but I was in and out of the centre in under an hour including 15 minutes in the observation room so not bad either. I’m feeling a bit tired but otherwise symptom free. I am so delighted to be vaccinated and so pleased that my fellow citizens feel the same with really high levels of take-up.

It was a beautiful day and we took the boys to the Botanic Gardens which was fine and, as far as they were concerned, less awful than other outings I might have dreamed up.

And in a final, and to be honest, unwelcome, sign that things are getting back to normal, I got a message from the church baptism group – looks like we’re back on duty in July.

Are you too taking tentative steps back to normality? Will life ever be the same again?

It’s been a Roller-Coaster

13 June, 2021
Posted in: Boys, Daniel, Family, Michael, Mr. Waffle, Princess, Siblings

Monday, May 24, 2021

My 48 year old brother got his vaccine appointment having only registered the previous day. Where is my appointment?

Unrelated: I am quite pleased with the before and after haircut shots I got of us all.

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Infants are being vaccinated around me. My brother got his vaccine in the City Hall in Cork. He said that the sign on the booth said “vaccine of the day” a bit like “soup of the day”. His particular soup was the Pfizer vaccine.

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Herself had her school graduation. We watched it online and the students were in school. The school did a great job actually given the limitations of the format. They had a slide show. There were speeches and herself won an overall prize which was pleasing for her. Sitting in my office, watching it over lunch time, I shed a furtive tear. It is the end of an era.

I got my vaccine appointment for Saturday: let joy be unconfined. Mr. Waffle got his for Sunday. Looking at the invitation, he saw that it said you were to be at the vaccination centre exactly five minutes before your appointment time. “Do they think they’re vaccinating Germans?” he asked.

Thursday, May 27, 2021

My sister got her vaccine appointment for Tuesday. Everyone’s getting in on the act now.

Friday, May 28, 2021

It was Daniel and Michael’s last day of school. It lashed. Daniel was gloomy. A good friend of his is moving schools. They used to play basketball together in the yard after school. “You never know when you will do something for the last time,” he said dolefully. It transpired that the boys had played basketball the previous day not realising that it would be impossible due to the rain the following day. This friend lives nearby so I hope that they may be able to see each other despite attending different schools but Daniel has no faith in their joint organisational abilities. We’ll see.

Our neighbours are getting work done on their scullery and since our roofline is shared, we thought we might do something at the same time. We had plans when we did up the kitchen a couple of years ago but we ran out of money. We can afford it now so I suppose it probably is now or never but I do not welcome the thought of having builders back in the house. The architect called round and we talked about drawings and costs. Apparently, builders are almost impossible to get at the moment so it could be well into 2022 before we do anything.

Over dinner, the children discovered that all three of them are fascinated by the youtube channel of Canada ant guy. Interesting, if a little unnerving.

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Herself had her last applied maths class. Her teacher has been amazing, commuting up from Galway to teach them every Saturday. He promised them that if they did applied maths outside school he would keep teaching them for the full two years and he kept his promise even when he moved to Galway for work at the start of sixth year and even when he could have continued remotely. Did he get paid a penny for this work, his time or even his travel expenses? He did not. Very decent in fairness.

We got yet another road map. Let’s hope this will be the end of it.

I got my vaccination (Pfizer, the Gucci of vaccines I understand though I would have been quite happy to have the Dunnes Stores of vaccines). The vaccinator asked whether I was happy to take the vaccine today. “Delighted,” I said. I nearly cried with joy. The whole thing was impressively efficient. My appointment was at 14.40, I arrived at exactly 14.35 and I was vaccinated and sitting in the observation room by 14.43. Pretty good. I went to the shop and the library on the way home and got myself some middle aged treats to celebrate.

I had absolutely no side effects other than a sore shoulder for about 24 hours.

Then later that afternoon, Mr. Waffle got a call that his mother was not well. My poor mother-in-law, she has had such a difficult time in recent years suffering from dementia. When well she was a most delightful person and, a real tribute this, both of her daughters-in-law were extremely fond of her and we all went to my parents-in-law’s house as often as we could and all of us, adults and children, have had very, very happy times there.

Sunday, May 30, 2021

Mr. Waffle was vaccinated.

Mr. Waffle and the boys and I went out for a walk on the pier. A classic walk much enjoyed by my mother-in-law.

Then we went to visit my mother-in-law. It was pretty miserable. It felt a bit like suspended animation.

Later, Mr. Waffle went out to the airport and picked up his sister who had come home from London to see her mother. It was a very odd experience. She had a PCR test before flying and then the airports and planes were extraordinarily quiet. It was so odd he said, she was coming to visit their sick mother and he hadn’t seen her since November 2019 and he wasn’t even sure whether he could hug her. This Covid thing has been so grim in big ways and small.

Monday, May 31, 2021

I went into work. “Where are you going Mum?” said Daniel. “Work,” I said. “Still?” he asked. There’s something unsatisfactory about going to work when everyone else is on holidays. Herself and Mr. Waffle went out to see my mother-in-law. She seemed somewhat improved. After some toing and froing with the public health authorities, my sister-in-law who’d flown in specially, got to visit her too. We were all pretty relieved.

I was quite charmed by a video of my London sister-in-law and my niece singing some Italian classical number together after dinner that evening which circulated on the family whatsapp group. I think my mother-in-law would have been delighted. The in-laws live near the nursing home and we have been using them as a base when we go out to visit my mother-in-law which is nice – the cousins have seen a lot of each other lately.

That evening, Daniel came flying out of the kitchen, in to the rest of us and announced, “There’s a twitching headless bird in there.” Herself held back the irate cat while Mr. Waffle disposed of the corpse with a dustpan and brush. The perils of pet ownership are endless.

My latest copy of Slightly Foxed arrived. It is always a delight but I was mildly peeved to see that it came with a flyer plugging “The Oldie”. I felt that was a bit pointed.

Tuesday, June 1, 2021

With my mother-in-law so ill, I found myself thinking a lot about my father in particular. A big thing about losing a second parent which I didn’t really appreciate until it happened to me is that you will never go home again when you have no parents. I appreciate I have a perfectly good home with my own children and my husband and, indeed, that my parents’ home (currently in my brother’s custody) is available to me to visit. But somehow the idea that I will never call home again, go home again to the place that was home home for so long is very sad. I haven’t been to Cork since December when my father died and I am almost scared to go back to the house as it reminds me too much of my parents and their lives.

Mr. Waffle stopped off in the city centre on the way out to visit his mother and we had lunch in the park which was really lovely and I think, cheered us both up. His mother seemed to be improving a bit when he got to the nursing home. His sister went back to London and things seemed to be on a bit of a more even keel.

I arrived home and herself said to me, “I’m so stressed.” “I’m not surprised,” I said, “with your Leaving Cert starting next week.” “It’s not that,” she said, “it’s that I’ve been locked out of my gmail account.” A good sign, I suppose.

Meanwhile at dinner, Michael, who has an ability to tune out in relation to matters he is not particularly interested in, asked his sister solicitously, “Is your Leaving finished now?”

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

I went into town early for a dental appointment. I’d chipped a tooth at the weekend. I feel it’s probably the beginning of the end, random bits of tooth flying off. It was not my normal dentist who greeted me. Apparently he had retired and sold on the practice. His mother, who was the year ahead of my father in college, died last July (surely she and my father were UCC’s oldest medical graduates at the time of their deaths) and he subsequently yielded to his wife’s request that they move to Mauritius (where she is from and had a job offer to head up some GP training programme, not a random choice and I suppose after 30 years in Dublin she wanted a change). A slightly surprising development. The new dentist was fine anyway though, sadly, from Laois, not from Cork and, so far, we haven’t established any people we know in common. He said that I grind my teeth (I know) and this was why my tooth chipped. I’m to go back in a couple of weeks for further repairs. Sigh.

At lunch time I went to a specialty tea shop and got myself a new supply. I had a grand old chat with the tea vendor about options. Following our discussion, I moved on to Ceylon tea which I am quite liking. I told them all about it at dinner and herself said, “Every part of that story is boring in a surprising way.” This is why I have a blog.

My mother-in-law continued to be stable.

Thursday, June 3, 2021

I got up at 6.45 and felt like an American (I never normally get up before 8). Herself and myself cycled out to the park and then in to Chapelizod to have breakfast out together. It was very pleasant indeed.

I talked to my sister who had quite a poor reaction to the Covid vaccine and was feeling unwell. She had Covid at Christmas and I wonder whether that made a difference. Anyhow her own concerns were completely dwarfed by the discovery that a colleague of hers in India – a man in his 40s had died of Covid. What a horrible thing to happen.

Daniel having just recovered from a leg injury, hurt his shoulder in training. These sporting injuries are non-stop.

For the holidays, the boys are making dinner once a week on alternate weeks (herself is exempt until the end of her exams). Michael made risotto for dinner and it was excellent.

Friday, June 4, 2021

My mother-in-law continued to improve.

I intended to take to the hammock (hands down Mr. Waffle’s best ever purchase) for the afternoon with Soduku but only got in a brief half hour before my phone pinged.

Before the libraries closed for Covid, I ordered loads of books and these have been coming in over the last week. Almost every day, I got a text saying “The book you ordered has arrived.” I would rush out to the library and pick up the book (delighted now, in fairness) and then the next day, have to repeat. Is it a bit ungrateful to wish the notifications could all have come on the same day.

Anyhow, Dan and I zoomed out to the library to collect my books and also shopped for Friday night dinner which was a huge success for us. Literally, the best received meal I have ever prepared for my family. I think it was the range of options that won them over.

Saturday, June 5, 2021

Mr. Waffle, Dan and I cycled out to visit my mother-in-law in the nursing home.

She was so much better than when I had seen her the previous weekend. It was really heartening. As is standard most places we got our temperature taken when we arrived and yet again, the staff marvelled at how low Daniel’s temperature was. He seems to operate a couple of degrees below the rest of humanity.

I got a library notification that another book had arrived.

Sunday, June 6, 2021

I have been keen to cycle on the Royal Canal Greenway beyond Maynooth for a while and this was the day that the dream was to be realised. The weather was great. Daniel was resigned. Michael less so. The whole trip was slightly disastrous. We got the train to Maynooth with our bikes. I had never been. It’s an attractive enough little town and the castle and university campus are interesting.

To sweeten the troops we were having a takeaway pizza lunch in town (sadly restaurants still closed due to Covid). We got the takeaway pizza and I regret to report it was unutterably vile and not the mood improver we had hoped. We cycled out of Maynooth. Michael continued to act like a gloomy raincloud. We stopped for ice cream, he decided not to have any. We sat on the grass and looked up through the hedgerow to blue skies. Michael hunched over his book, the picture of misery.

In fairness, it is true, I suppose, that you need to be a certain age before you appreciate scenery.

We decided to cut our losses and, rather than cycle 20kms to Enfield which had been the original plan, just go 6kms to Kilcock. In part this was due to the relatively limited train service from Enfield and in part the air of unmistakeable gloom which by this time had settled on the whole party. We got the train at Kilcock. It was the inter-city rather than the commuter and we were unceremoniously tipped out at Maynooth as we hadn’t booked our bikes on.

At Maynooth we picked up the commuter train in a state of unabated gloom. Then the nursing home rang Mr. Waffle and we all looked at him anxiously. It was good news, his mother was much better but as a result we now needed to book our visits as heretofore rather than turning up unanounced at all hours of the day. It was a relief.

We got home about 5 hours after we left. Daniel said to me, “Were we really out for five hours to cycle 6 kms?” I am afraid that we were.

That evening we watched the oddest television programme. The premise was so bizarre that Mr. Waffle tempted us all to watch. The description is below. It was odd.

Monday, June 7, 2021

After the horrors of the previous day’s outing I announced that I would spend some time away from my loving family on the bank holiday Monday. They all seemed keen that I should do so.

I went in to the gallery, which was lovely.

I sent the troops a photograph of a picture of “The Fair Geraldine” whose family home we had seen in Maynooth the previous day.

I also sent a picture of Speaker Connolly. One of the train stations we had passed through on the previous day was named after his wife Louisa. If you haven’t read it, I cannot recommend highly enough this book about Lady Louisa and her sisters.

Despite my enthusiasm, my messages to the family Whatsapp group on Kildare related pictures received a somewhat lacklustre response. Too soon, possibly.

I bought some clothes in a shop. I had lunch on a terrace to celebrate the re-opening of outdoor dining. It was pretty good. And we managed to book our holidays. We will be spending a fortune to stay in Ireland but at least we have somewhere to stay.

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Herself asked me to light a candle for her exams as she had no grandparents who could do it for her which made me a bit sad. I lit five to be on the safe side in front of the statue of St. Bridget whose feast day is February 1, my mother’s birthday. Bound to be efficacious, I imagine. And my sister said she would light some in Cork which is clearly even more efficacious. You will have seen this joke on the internet, I am sure.

The Leaving Cert is such a rite of passage in Ireland that exam papers are covered in the following day’s newspapers. My sister tells me there are two kinds of Irish people, those who dream about their teeth (really?) and those who dream about the Leaving (this is me). This is the context in which loads of people sent messages wishing herself luck and her aunts sent cards and presents.

In further excitement, I had lunch outside with a friend for the first time in months. Herself who was trying to minimise contacts in the run up to the exams in case she is a close contact or gets Covid was not entirely delighted. Alas. Look, I lit the candles.

At dinner Michael asked herself whether her Leaving Cert was over. “No,” we all said, “it starts tomorrow.” “But,” he said, “she’s graduated, how can the exams be after graduation?” Good question.

Wednesday, June 9, 2021

At last, the start of the Leaving Cert. She headed off in reasonably good order to start with English paper I. It’s the creative writing part and she’s good at that. She did a story on a prompt about a person getting off the ferry from Fishguard. She said that she was half way through her story – where she intended to have the protagonist drown and was busy whipping up a storm – when she realised that the prompt involved the person getting off the ferry and she had to change tack in a hurry. It seems to have gone fine all the same.

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Herself enjoyed very much reading about her first exam in the newspapers. English paper II was in the afternoon and she had 3 hours and 20 minutes to get through it. Honestly, it’s the people who mark the scripts you’d feel sorry for. Herself was generally pleased although she did get a raised welt on her finger from writing at speed for nearly three and a half hours.

The hurling coach contacted Mr. Waffle and asked whether there was any chance Daniel would go back to hurling. He gave it up three years ago and he was pretty adamant at the time but this message seems to have landed at a good time and he said he’d give it a go. He had a pretty good time at training so it looks like his hurling career might revive.

Herself used my phone to ring my sister and as she was looking at my contacts, she said, “Do you mind me asking something?” “Fire away,” I said. “Well, you’re getting older now and people you know are dying. Are you going to take the dead people out of your contacts?” Apparently not. In fact, my parents are still in my favourites and, realistically, I’d be pretty surprised if either of them answered a call at this stage. This reminds me of that wonderful Joan Didion book, “The Year of Magical Thinking” which I read over a decade ago but really stayed with me.

Friday June 11, 2021

We’re having a bit of a reorganisation at work and this was my last day with the old team. One of them is a truly delightful older man, who I will really miss. He turned 65 today. He is showing no signs of retiring. You have to admire his enthusiasm for the world of work.

I took Daniel to the physio to look at his sore shoulder. She took him to the gym (I have been to the same physio – I didn’t even know there was a gym, I feel expectations of a fit 15 year old and an unfit 52 year old may be different) and put him through his paces and pronounced him broadly cured and good to play in the match the following day. He was pleased. Following the success of our previous week’s shop, Dan and I bought material for dinner again.

I forced Michael to cycle to the library with me (another reserved book notification) as a change of scene from Crusader Kings in his bedroom. I would point out though that he has had some success against the old enemy in his game.

On our way back, some young men in a car were irate that I wasn’t cycling fast enough and shouted abuse at me which I found unpleasant. Michael said that I should ignore them or else they’ve won which is admirably zen like of him but I was not so zen.

Herself had maths paper in the afternoon. She met our neighbour, a retired maths teacher, in the lane on the way home and they had a good old chat about it. Due to Covid students are not allowed to talk to each other after the exams and I think she is missing the post-mortem which is a traditional part of all examinations in the normal world. Her parents are quite useless for maths so I was glad she met the neighbour. He asked her to post the paper through his letterbox when she was finished with it so that he could go through it. Lads, it takes all kinds.

We had a barbecue for dinner. The weather held which was good and the very elaborate range of food was broadly welcomed. However, the occasion was somewhat marred by the chicken skewers going on fire early in the proceedings. Alas.

Saturday, June 12, 2021

I cut the grass in the back and lounged in the hammock with the paper. Delighted with myself. Daniel had a football match in Malahide, noble Mr. Waffle took him. Michael continued his quest for world domination in Crusader Kings with a brief break to mow the grass in the front. Herself studied diligently for next week’s exams. Her uncle said to her not to listen when people said she would learn nothing two days before the exam. Of course, he personally had always found that advice disheartening because that is when he began studying.

I saw this flyer on a lamp post and asked herself if the Irish was right. She had a lot of thoughts about the use of the urú. I’d say she’s ready for her Irish paper next week.

At dinner Michael asked herself what exams she had had that day. Everyone turned on him and shouted, “It’s Saturday!” This whole Leaving Cert thing is taking a lot out of him.

It is rose season and this is filling my heart with joy.

The peonies are also putting out their best efforts.

That’s enough for one post.

Still Not Vaccinated

23 May, 2021
Posted in: Boys, Daniel, Dublin, Family, Ireland, Michael, Mr. Waffle, Princess, Work

Monday, May 17, 2021

I knew this was going to be a hellish day at work. It did not disappoint. Meanwhile despite earlier rumours that travel with the UK would reopen as early as next month it was today announced that it is hoped that the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK will be restored “very soon” which the Tánaiste (deputy PM) clarified means at some point this summer or autumn. This is not quite what was said earlier and again my holiday plans are… unsure.

Highlight of the day was this podcast which made me laugh out loud.

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

The boys had their book launch. Michael read one of his own stories and Daniel read a friend’s story. I really thought that they were both terrific. It was virtual so I was able to watch from the office over lunch. Roddy Doyle and Sheila O’Flanagan dutifully turned up for the virtual launch and I could see them smiling away as the children read out the stories. I’ve said it (several times) before but the people at Fighting Words do an amazing job.

Daniel had his TEG Irish exam and he said it was good and hard as well as slightly beset by technical difficulties.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Michael had his TEG exam – he thought it was pretty hard too. Herself continued to have a cold and I wondered should she get a Covid test especially as she had developed a slight cough. I hummed and hawed but in the end, we sent her off. She couldn’t be referred by the GP due to the ransomware attack on the health service systems so she just went to one of the walk in centres. It was speedy and efficient and she was in and out in 20 minutes. She said it wasn’t even too painful. The boys had to come home from school and I had to work from home to be on the safe side in case she did have it. Michael spent the evening wrapped in a blanket which he held up over his face (a bit like the Count in Sesame Street) any time any of us went near him in case we infected him. He wasn’t taking any chances.

Three friend from book club were scheduled to get the jab at the same time in the Aviva Stadium. Delighted buzzing of book club whatsapp group and they even arranged to meet for a (socially distanced) cup of coffee afterwards. V. thrilling or, as herself said, “You’re so old and all your friends are too.”

Herself has grown again and is now a good inch taller than me. I made Mr. Waffle stand back to back with the boys to see whether they are taller than him. They are not. “For a static data point (tallest family member), you get a lot of interest out of it,” said herself.

Thursday, May 20, 2021

The Covid test came in negative within 24 hours. A pretty impressive service, I have to say. It was brilliant for herself as she was able to go into school and finish off her Leaving Cert art project which has to be done in the classroom. I let the boys stay home for the day even though we knew the result was negative by lunch time. It was lashing and I felt merciful. I worked at home for the day as well. It was alright but I’m surprised how little it suits me. Maybe in different circumstances it might work for me, I guess.

Friday, May 21, 2021

Another day of driving rain. I often say May is the nicest month of the year in Ireland. This year is proving me wrong. The children had their school sports day. Of course they did. They watched films in the classroom instead of running around in the rain and getting drenched. Unsatisfactory.

Michael and Daniel did well in annual school awards and were quite pleased with themselves. Hilariously, Michael picked up a special award for attendance. I think they were trying to acknowledge effort over zoom and online school but it was pretty ironic.

For the first time since November 2019, I got my hair cut. I am pleased.

Saturday, May 22, 2021

The Princess and I went for a short cycle in the park before lunch and in the afternoon, Mr. Waffle and I went for a cycle along the canal. Mr. Waffle saw a yellow iris on the banks of the canal and said, “What’s that, a canal daffodil?” Good grief.

There was a certain amount of appealing bird life in evidence as we cycled along.

We cycled out beyond the Dublin ringroad (the inexplicably named M50, I mean, why 50?) and our route along the canal took us over the road alongside an aquaduct built to carry the canal water across the motorway.

It was quite weird because as you crossed the motorway, it looked like this.

Then, beyond you went straight back to the old early 19th century stone bridges.

A little further on, it was like being in the middle of the countryside.

Beyond Castleknock station, is not really suitable for bikes, so we tied them up and walked along what is known as the deep sinking. It’s absolutely lovely there and feels quite wild and remote (although it is not). We went as far as Coolmine and then hopped on the commuter train (the train line runs alongside the canal which is handy) back to Castleknock (journey time, 2 minutes, not perhaps the longest walk ever).

In the evening we went out to the cousins for a barbecue. We were delighted. It didn’t even rain. The children were thrilled to see their cousins and we had a lovely, lovely time. I have mentioned before that my sister-in-law is a great cook and she goes the extra mile on vegetarian options for herself which is challenging for a barbecue, frankly. Herself was delighted.

I stayed up late to watch the Eurovision voting. Even though Ireland was eliminated and also Denmark (my draw in the work sweepstakes), it was pretty entertaining.

Sunday, May 23, 2021

A morning of lashing rain. Again. It cleared up in the afternoon and Mr. Waffle, the boys and I cycled to the Botanic Gardens. The laburnum was looking good and I said to the boys, “Do you think we should get laburnum for the back garden?” “Yes,” said Daniel, “I look like the kind of person with views on laburnum alright.” Sometimes I forget that gardening is a very middle aged hobby. On the other hand, look at my husband with his canal daffodil; clearly not an interest of all middle-aged people. As we wandered around, I remembered that there is this Victorian pergola covered in wisteria and I wondered whether we were too late to see at its best (spoiler alert, we were). Aloud, I said, “Let’s go and look at the wisteria pergola.” All of my menfolk looked at me and after a pause, Mr. Waffle said to the boys, “Is it perhaps a Dr. Who villain?” Oh how we laughed. Daniel and I fed the squirrels with some nuts we found nesting in the hand of the statue of Socrates (can’t say why they were deposited there or, indeed, why the only statue in the Botanic Gardens is of Socrates). Small thrills.

The rhododendrons in the Botanic Gardens are taunting me. Do you know how many blooms my pink rhododendron produced? Two, that’s how many. Do you know it’s an invasive species here and the parks and wildlife people are desperately trying to get rid of it in our national parks? I feel I could help. Often, I only have to look at a plant for it to wither.

Still no vaccine appointment. Tell me, have you any news?

Tá na Torthaí Seo Tuillte Agat*

18 April, 2021
Posted in: Boys, Daniel, Dublin, Family, Ireland, Michael, Princess, Siblings

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

This was the last day of my Easter holidays. Mr. Waffle was back at work but he took some time off to cycle along the canal and through the park with me. It was fine but, honestly, I am beginning to think that I know every inch of my 5kms.

I spent a lot of the day practising German with herself. She’s really come on in leaps and bounds. The non-stop German television is definitely helping. Also, she has been consulting this textbook which has spent the past 37 years lying dormant on a shelf in my parents’ house waiting for its chance to shine again. I enjoyed the oral sample questions which included “Does your mother work?” Honestly, Mr. Cockburn, all mothers work.

Thursday, April 8, 2021

The German teacher came into school on her holidays to give them all a mock oral. Herself said it went ok but she wasn’t delighted.

I went back to work and spent the whole day thinking it was Monday which was confusing. on the plus side, I didn’t have to speak German.

I have been targetted by a toilet brush ad on instagram and the worst thing about it is that I’m slightly intrigued.

I was chatting to a friend whose son is doing his finals next month. It’s a three year degree and he basically only spent a year of it physically in college. I feel so, so sorry for those young people whose college experience has been largely online.

I did the enneagram personality test for fun and then made them all do it at home. Not my most fantastic idea ever. Everyone’s results were a bit scarring except Michael’s, he’s a nine and simply the best.

Friday, April 9, 2021

I got myself a new bike. It is in the shop but the parts, ordered from Germany, could take 9 weeks. I can’t even blame Brexit. I love the bike. It’s an omafiets and I don’t even care. The brakes on my own bike are a bit dodgy at the moment and I wasn’t going to bother getting them fixed (having spent €200 on an overhaul only a couple of months ago – this was the final straw which persuaded me to get a new bike) but now, I’m wondering whether this is entirely wise as 9 weeks is a bit of a stretch to ride a bike with dodgy brakes.

We watched another episode of “Wer Kann, Der Kann” and understood everything. It was a walk in the park after season 1 of “Charité”. Truly, she seemed ready for her oral.

Saturday, April 10, 2021

Herself had her Leaving Cert German oral. It seems to have gone really well. I’m delighted for her. Not just for the exam but because she is really enjoying the language and it’s something she’ll have for the rest of her life (though, like mine, it may need brushing up, of course). She’s worked so hard on her German over the past couple of months, I’m really glad that it’s paid off for her.

A school friend of mine lives in north county Dublin and, in peacetime, we meet up a couple of times a year for dinner and a chat. With Covid, I haven’t seen her since November 2019 and she called me out of the blue today to say hello and how are things. We arranged that next weekend when our 5km limit is lifted we will go out to the beach near her house for a walk. Delighted with myself. I asked about her family and then she asked about mine and said, “How is your mother managing in the nursing home?” And I said, “Um, my mother is dead, remember you came to the funeral?” God love her, she was mortified but it was kind of hilarious. We’ve reached the age where lots of people’s parents are dying or infirm and it can be difficult to keep track. I told her about my father dying at Christmas, she hadn’t heard and this added to her general levels of mortification. But look, really with Covid and everything, we are where we are.

I was genuinely thrilled to hear that a friend of a friend whom I’ve known since I was about 13 has just got a very important job. She’s a lovely person and the first woman ever in the role. Sometimes it feels like you have to be a bit ruthless and heartless to get these kinds of jobs and it fills my middle-aged heart with joy to see someone so kind filling such a significant role. Also, she’s from Cork. I mean, really, what’s not to love? It perked up my day considerably.

Herself and myself went into town to stock up on birthday goodies. She is facing into her second lock down birthday. Alas.

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Herself celebrated her fake birthday. Her 18th birthday (full, full birthday post to follow), falls on Monday, April 12. We had a somewhat elaborate birthday breakfast.

Then we zoomed with her aunt and uncle in Cork. Her aunt had spent some time planning and had 18 (yes, 18) presents for her to open including a big fat cheque. Her uncle had sent her a fat bank draft. Aiming to outdo his sister, he went to make it out for a round number +€18. On discovering that a bank draft cost €3.50 he had it made out for a large round number +€14.50. I cannot tell you how typical this is of my brother. Herself was pleased. He also wrote her a letter saying that she didn’t have to send a thank you letter no matter what her mother said. Hmm.

Then we had an afternoon birthday tea. As she said, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that the ‘y’ is missing on the Happy Birthday sign.” Alas. I also had the greatest difficulty in finding numbered candles and, in fact she blew out 78 with the cross taken off the 7 rather than 18. Look, there’s a pandemic on. I bought a pricey enough cake from a local artisan but I am not entirely sure that she liked it. Alas again.

As part of her German prep she made her phone language German. She used to have it in French but her new found dedication to German made her change over. She was outraged to discover that it addressed her as ‘du’ rather than ‘Sie’. You will doubtless be relieved to hear that in French it always addressed her as ‘Vous’.

Monday, April 12, 2021

The great day of her 18th birthday dawned. It was the mother of all Mondays as the boys went back to physical school for the first time since Christmas. Excitingly, we were all to be allowed outside our 5km zone (either county wide or 20kms from home whichever is the greater – as someone who comes from one of the largest counties in Ireland – it takes the guts of 3 hours to drive from west to the east – and lives in one of the smallest – about 5 minutes west to east – it’s a source of abiding bitterness) – there was much rejoicing re the latter if not the former.

The paper had on opposite pages two enormous pictures of women – Linda Doyle, first female Provost of Trinity College and Rachel Blackmore first female jockey to win the Grand National and I was quite pleased, I have to say.

Town was much busier than it has been and in the course of my commute I ran into a couple of acquaintances which hasn’t happened in a while.

Herself arrived home from school in great form with an enormous number of presents from her friends including this bag which one of them made. Aren’t the young people talented all the same?

We had another birthday cake and champagne after dinner. You’re only 18 the once. Her father and I gave her some book bundles from Books Upstairs and she seemed pretty pleased. Her aunt and uncle in London sent money and a book.

All in all, notwithstanding that it was her second lock down birthday, she seemed pretty happy.

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Mr. Waffle’s lunch was interrupted by the cat coming into the kitchen with a live mouse in her jaws but otherwise the day was uneventful. The child benefit people wrote with impressive promptness to tell me that herself, having turned 18, is now off their books and the health insurance people sent her her own health insurance card. Small thrills.

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

For the first time in a long time there was no one in the house. Inevitably a delivery arrived (the boys’ presents for their sister’s birthday from their aunt – are you with me?) but the neighbours kindly took it in. Mr. Waffle was able to visit his mother in the nursing home for the first time in ages. Although she is, happily, vaccinated, he is not and he had to be swathed in PPE to get in so not entirely successful as he was certainly unrecognisable and inaudible to her.

My brother texted me that an older cousin had died suddenly. It was a real shock. She was only in her 60s. And, of course, no possibility of going to the funeral. It is depressing.

I am being tortured by people in Cork enjoying their new found freedom, travelling all over the county and putting the resulting pictures on Instagram.

Michael is reading “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” and loving it. It is very gratifying to recommend a book to someone and have that person love it. Particularly if the person is a child of yours and the book is a long one with a lot of details to discuss. All the others are hating our detailed dinner time discussions but Michael and I are delighted with ourselves.

There have been complaints about the kitchen bins and their ineffective foot pedals for some time so I bought two new bins in champagne (yes, this is a bin colour) and spent more than I thought possible on bins. They work pretty well though and the troops are pleased.

By the by, the package that had to be delivered next door in the morning contained cool sweatshirts for the boys. My sister is by far the biggest present giver to all of my children. Mr. Waffle and I used to try to compete but now we just relax and say, “Your best presents will be from your aunt.”

Aside – are we missing hairdressers? Very much indeed.

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Now that all five of us have to shower in the morning, bathroom time is at a premium. I went scooting up saying “I’ll only be a minute.” I sang as I went up, “She’s like the wind…” and I heard Michael through the ceiling saying gloomily to his brother, “She’s not like the wind.” Indeed.

Friday, April 16, 2021

Mr. Waffle found ants in the kitchen. Why is our house a haven for vermin of all kind with exciting seasonal variety? Please don’t answer that question.

I bought a hamper from the Lismore Food company at Christmas and, in a moment of weakness signed up to their mailing list. Lads, it’s the best mailing list I’ve ever signed up to. They send excellent, easy to make recipes. I made their Crunchie and it was amazing. No favours, other inducements etc. were given for this recommendation. More’s the pity.

Saturday, April 17, 2021

An absolutely beautiful day. We’d arranged to meet the cousins out in Dun Laoghaire (two households are now allowed to meet outside, hurrah!). It was our first time outside out 5kms and I was delighted. Everyone else in Dublin appeared to have the same idea and the traffic was dreadful but it was worth it. Herself got a flight voucher for her 18th birthday from her uncle and aunt which was lovely and although it’s apparently valid for 5 years, I’m hoping she’ll be able to use it before then.

We had arranged to talk to our French friends for the Princess’s birthday and the carefully set up zoom call had to be done in the car as we were yet again caught in traffic as everyone who had gone out to the seaside to enjoy the sunshine tried to get home again. Their daughter is going to do a college course which involves a year in London, a year in Berlin and a year in Madrid. If all goes according to plan, she and the Princess may be in England at the same time which would be nice. All the parents are very excited about this; the girls showed moderate enthusiasm.

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Neighbours from across the road got turf on a roll for their garden and offered the leftovers to the rest of the road so we scooted out and got four rolls. It’s heavy stuff. I hope it will take in our garden and give us reasonable grass instead of bald patches. More middle aged thrills.

I want out to visit my friend in Skerries and we had a long walk around the beach and the town and it was pretty nice I have to say even though the weather was chilly (the sea was full of people swimming and paddle boarding and generally messing around – dry robes abounded). It was pleasing, firstly because it was well outside 5kms and secondly I was meeting another person outside the family circle. Delighted with myself. Oh I do hope that the end of Covid is nigh.

*This translates from the Irish as “You deserve these results” and is one of the standard comments for our children’s reports so I have seen it a lot over the years. As Mr. Waffle says, it can be a double-edged sword.