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Family

Toujours Carlingford


Posted in: Family, Ireland

On Sunday, the rain stopped for the first time in months. Inspired by this, I suggested that we go to Carlingford. Trips to Carlingford are always regarded with some suspicion by the troops as I continue to be unable to lay the ghost of the worst outing ever.

However, the omens were propitious. With only a brief stop off at the church to see whether the Princess’s handbag had been handed in (the sacristy was closed, I will now remove the tension she enjoyed all afternoon – highlight facing the prospect of telling the woodwork teacher that she had lost her locker key – by telling you that the bag had in fact been handed in and we were able to pick it up after evening mass) we made good time. It’s always a bit longer than I think – I timed it this time, it took 80 minutes which is 20 minutes longer than I always announce the drive will be.

We were well prepared with boots and wet gear. One of us, and not the one you might think, packed one hiking boot and one city boot.

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However, he is not a complainer and although he fell over (source of great amusement to the children) and had to walk up a path that had become a stream, he was cheerful.

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We have really become much better at walking. We had a map of the looped walk. It was perhaps a bit on the short side but everyone was cheerful. The views were absolutely amazing. There was snow on the Mourne mountains across the Lough.

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And after our walk up the mountain, we went back into the town and had dinner in the pub.

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I think the children might go back voluntarily but perhaps I am indulging optimism too far.

In other weekend news, the Princess made risotto for dinner on Saturday night and it was delicious.

Christmas and New Year


Posted in: Cork, Dublin, Family, Ireland

We went to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. For the first time, all of us managed to last until the end. This is not the achievement it might be given that it starts at 9pm (notwithstanding the inaccurate title). I must say that our parish priest makes every effort to extend the ceremony but we did manage to get home by 11.

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Herself and Daniel were in the choir and were also selected to carry the baby Jesus to his crib after the Gospel. This filled me with fear as I couldn’t quite see how they were both to carry the porcelain figure. However, it transpired that Daniel was following with a candle rather than carrying the arms while his sister carried the legs. They were both clean and wearing their new Christmas clothes and they were suitably solemn. I was very proud.

On Christmas Day, Santa came and, I think, was reasonably successful. He didn’t get everything on Daniel’s list but it was a long list. We had my parents-in-law around for Christmas lunch and then afterwards, we all went briefly to visit the cousins before returning to collapse at home in exhaustion.

On the 26th we went orienteering with the cousins. As always, it absolutely lashed rain. Obligatory photo of damp children in the rain on St. Stephen’s Day:

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Afterwards we went to the usual pub in the Dublin mountains for lunch. This was not a success. I waited for 70 increasingly bitter minutes for them to deliver to me a small breakfast. All of the food was slow but mine was the slowest. The service was appalling. Each time we asked where the food was they said it was coming but it did not come. And then they said we hadn’t ordered it. And then when my small breakfast finally appeared, it was nasty. I am still bitter but I suppose we will go back there next year as it is not as though there is a lot of choice in that neck of the woods. Sigh.

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On the 27th we drove to Cork. My sister gave the children an enormous bag of presents each. Joy was unconfined. There was personalised nutella.

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And Minecraft t-shirts:

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We were staying in our friends’ house in Garryvoe in east Cork. The flooding made the Cork-Garryvoe drive quite dramatic and exciting but we survived.

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We went to Kinsale and had lunch at the Bulman.

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The view was a bit gloomy.

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But, as nothing, compared to the weather they saw later the same week – although I did notice that there were some sandbags against the wall of the pub. I hope they helped in the face of this.

Alas, Charles Fort was closed for the holidays.

Despite our walk in Kinsale, outdoor activity was pretty limited due to the more or less constant lashing rain. Herself got to stay overnight with her aunt and go ice skating with her uncle both of which she very much enjoyed. We took the boys to Milano’s.

And then we scuttled back to Dublin. The countryside was absolutely sodden but we were safely on our elevated motorway. I started to get sick (again, for heaven’s sake) on December 30 and spent the remainder of the Christmas holidays snuggled up by the fire.

I appreciate that this is a late Christmas entry but I have only tonight eaten the last mince pie in the house (best before January 6) so not, you know, that late.

Happy new year.

It’s the Most…Socially Demanding Time of the Year


Posted in: Dublin, Family, Ireland

Between illness and the general social whirl, I have not updated you on December’s activities. Fear not, that, somewhat delayed, update is coming.

The boys had their annual Christmas performance with the school. Daniel who has been learning the tin whistle since November played a solo Christmas carol. We were very proud. Poor Danny, however, was a bit too nervous to enjoy it. Although we couldn’t tell that he was nervous and he played perfectly, he did not enjoy the experience, I think.

He was scheduled to play at the church Christmas fair but, unfortunately I had booked tickets for us to see a production of “A Christmas Carol” the same evening so it was not to be. He and his sister who was to sing at the event were not entirely delighted with me. Fortunately, Daniel quite enjoyed “A Christmas Carol” so I trust that that may have helped to deal with the pain. I decided that we would go to Milano’s for dinner in advance as a treat. I did not book. This turned out to be a poor idea, as it was full, and we ended up walking around Temple Bar trying to find an acceptable substitute. For the boys, there isn’t really such a thing. Oh woe. It is hard when what was planned as a “delightful Christmas outing for all the family” does not quite materialise as hoped.

We had people around for Christmas drinks on the day after the play. I may have mentioned that I was ill (ahem) but, really, we couldn’t pull back on all the invitations. My sister came up which was lovely but overall, I could not be said to have hugely enjoyed myself.

Later in the week we were scheduled to go to another friend’s Christmas drinks. Unfortunately, it coincided with the Christmas concert in the Princess’s school. We told her we couldn’t make it. She replied

Oh that’s a shame. I was in London at the weekend so didn’t make yours; in contrast I understand to [mutual friend] who thought it was on this coming weekend. I am up to date with [mutual friend] as she arrived to my house last night, for this evening’s party. We are all at the top of our respective games.

Oh yes we are. The Princess’s Christmas concert featured her singing “Silent Night” solo but it was, alas, a bit difficult to hear her due to the enthusiastic amplification of the keyboard which accompanied the singing. Some of the students put on a very clever and quite funny Dublin version of “Romeo and Juliet”. Honestly, I have paid for productions I enjoyed less. I am really going to have to do some work on my Irish though. Although “Romeo and Juliet” was in English, everything else was in Irish and a lot of it was quite baffling to me.

By the time I finished work on the 23rd, I was, at last, recovered but really a shadow of my former self between socialising and coughing.

More Christmas news to follow.

Updated to add: Today, January 11, Mr. Waffle had lunch with a friend who hadn’t made it to our Christmas drinks. She confessed that she and family had turned up on the following day and seen us all through the window sitting around not partying. Realising that they had mistaken the date, they tiptoed away. Mr. Waffle expressed regret that they hadn’t come in but personally, I can only thank them from the bottom of my heart.

Happy New Year


Posted in: Family, Middle Child, Mr. Waffle, Twins, Youngest Child

I have another cold. On the evening of December 30, I got a headache and by new year’s eve, I was so miserable that I went to bed at 11 unable to make the party to which we had kindly been invited or even to stay up to listen to the bells ringing in the new year. Frankly, not an auspicious start to the year. Yesterday, I didn’t feel up to going to the new year’s day party to which we were invited. We spent the day at home. My sister-in-law and her husband from London came for lunch and stayed for a couple of hours. They are very soothing, undemanding guests, while also being entertaining so it was quite pleasant for me. Mr. Waffle felt that they might have been a bit bored by spending an afternoon listening to me recounting my various ills but I am sure that they had a lovely time. The boys went off to a birthday party and stayed over with the birthday boy, so the evening was very peaceful. I was very sorry for myself. Today I feel alright but not fantastic, still mainlining lemsip and somewhat fed up. The boys will be home shortly from their birthday extravaganza to tend to their sick mother. I am sure that they are looking forward to that. And back to work on Monday. Sigh.

More news to follow. In the interim, I trust that your Christmas was satisfactory and wish you every happiness for 2016. As you know, every reader is precious to me.

Plumbing and Logistics


Posted in: Family, Ireland, Mr. Waffle

Our toilet is blocked. Mr. Waffle is upstairs deploying a plunger. The bathroom floor is covered with newspapers. He’s been at this since we got home at 6.30 this evening with only a brief respite for dinner. I feel I am setting a poor example for my children by making plumbing a gendered space but I just can’t face it myself.

We are facing into a logistically complex 48 hours with me going to Cork, herself going to a friend’s house miles away to sleep over (needing to be collected on Saturday morning), Michael doing a thing with scouts and Daniel with his usual Saturday morning GAA match. Today, I have made appointments with doctors and dentists and committed to sending photos to a piano tuner. A number of Christmas events are bearing down on me and I am in no position to be either a host or guest due to complete lack of organisation. Have I laid in any small tasteful presents to dole out at the appropriate moment? I think we both know the answer to that question.

Oh yes, it’s approaching the most wonderful time of the year. You will excuse me, I need to sit quietly in a darkened room while listening to peaceful suctioning noises emanating from the upstairs bathroom.

And to the Americans, happy Thanksgiving. I can only rejoice that this is not an Irish celebration. It might tip me over the edge.

Weekend Round-up


Posted in: Dublin, Family, Ireland

Herself has decided to enter a cookery competition. She made moules marinières on Friday with her own homemade bread rolls as practice. Pleasing.

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On Saturday, we went to the Dublin book festival where the boys quite enjoyed seeing Alan Nolan and Sarah Webb joke about animals. Although the event was billed 8-12, most of the children fell into the 6-8 or younger category. Our two 10 year olds and one 12 year old knew all the answers to the questions the authors asked and had to sit on their hands which was a less satisfactory aspect of the adventure.

Then the Princess decamped to stay overnight at her friend’s house and the boys and I went to get new shoes for Michael who discovered that his current shoes have holes in the course of a very damp and gloomy walk to school during the week.

On Saturday night Mr. Waffle and I went out to a surprise dinner (his surprise to me) in a newly opened local restaurant. I was pleased with my loving husband. Alas, although the food was good, we found the restaurant rather noisy; clearly showing our age.

This morning, mass was all about the archangel Michael which Michael rather enjoyed.

In the afternoon, we went to Dun Laoghaire where we had a walk on the pier.

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Usually there is ice cream available at the end of the pier but not today. We were all bitter, particularly Daniel:

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Undaunted we took ourselves to the local ice cream shop where there was quite the queue notwithstanding that today is November 15:

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Then we went to visit the grandparents and met the cousins. Now I am typing this and as soon as I have finished, I have promised the children that we will watch Dr. Who.

How was your own weekend?