Dublin

New Year, Same Me

11 January, 2021
Posted in: Boys, Daniel, Dublin, Family, Ireland, Michael, Mr. Waffle, Princess, Siblings

Friday, 1 January 2021

We celebrated the first day of the new year by restricting our movements. It was fine really. We went to the Botanic Gardens. January is not the most exciting time of year in the Botanic Gardens.

For those of you following Gategate, a gate has definitely been installed at one end of the lane but it is open and no sign of anything at the far end. Mysterious.

Jigsaw puzzle work continues.

And here we are, back at level 5 but hurrah, schools are to remain open [spoiler alert: they do not remain open].

Saturday, 2 January, 2021

Our fuel was delivered to our door. Rejoice, we can light a fire. Jigsaw work continued apace.

We had a slightly underwhelming walk – locally, obviously.

Sunday, 3 January, 2021

With a view to improving our walks, Mr. Waffle and I venture out with the Pevsner guide to Dublin in hand. I got Cork from Mr. Waffle for Christmas. V. thrilling and, as yet, unused.

Understandably, the children refused to join us for a damp and chilly but architecturally interesting tour of North Great George’s Street and environs (Hardwicke Street church is a delight). Their loss. One of the boys from Dan’s GAA team lives on North Great George’s Street with his family and I experienced distinct house envy though I imagine upkeep is a nightmare and the houses are always cold.

Monday, 4 January, 2021

I began baking bread every day. Welcome to Lockdown 2. Daniel and I began our quest to watch all the Harry Potter flicks.

Mr. Waffle and I, building on our previous day’s success, took Pevsner to look at Mountjoy Square. So beautiful; so rundown. Mr. Waffle says it’s much better than in the 80s but it still needs work. Imagine, this in the centre of town in what was once a fine Georgian Square. A bit depressing. You can’t tell from the photos but the ground floor windows are broken and the curtains are swaying in the (very nippy) breeze.

The grass on the flagstones is a particularly gloomy touch.

Tuesday, 5 January, 2021 – The Magnificent Evan

Before Christmas, Michael announced that Evan from his class said that schools were closing for January. I indicated that I felt that I might be a little better informed than Evan. Apparently not. The Government announced that schools would be closed until end January other than for Leaving Certificate students and special needs students. Herself rejoiced as she is tense about the Leaving.

This information was out of date when we stuck it on the radiator as later on the Government announced Leaving Certs and special needs children would not be going back to school after all. As Mr. Waffle said, they were just waiting for Evan to be available before they finalised matters.

Mr. Waffle and I continued our architectural tour of Dublin with a visit to the church of St. Augustine and St. John. Lofty.

Meanwhile Mr. Waffle found out that “The Great Gatsby” is going out of copyright and exchanged views with Herself (Ireland’s greatest Gatsby fan) on the family group chat.

My father gave me a large and generous cheque for Christmas. I decided I had better cash it before his accounts were frozen. Could I find an outside lodgement ATM? I could not and I couldn’t go into the bank as I was restricting my movements. Alas. “Could I not do it online?” asked Daniel. I explained that it was a last present from an analogue era. My father was the only one left who sent me cheques as presents.

Wednesday, 6 January, 2021 – Women’s Christmas

To celebrate Women’s Christmas, I ordered in an afternoon tea from the Cake Cafe. It was satisfactory. It was mostly for herself and myself as the women of the party but we let Mr. Waffle and the boys have some of the leftovers because we’re good and kind.

Thursday, 7 January, 2021

This was supposed to be my first day back in the office after the Christmas holidays but I took an extra week’s leave as, to be honest, the first week of the holidays did not pan out as we had planned. I am slightly dreading going back as everyone is, understandably, going to say, “How was your Christmas?”. And I will have to tell them.

It snowed.

Herself wondered how “emergency remote teaching” was going to work. “Is it help, this function’s eating me; I need to collapse it?” Funny at one level but not really. I see a long five months ahead of us until the end of the school year.

Friday, 8 January, 2021

Back to the Botanic Gardens. Still nothing much growing but it didn’t rain and I got to balance a foot on the frozen pond.

Saturday, 9 January, 2021

God, it was so cold. Mr. Waffle and I did our architectural tour – Parnell Square this time – and we both thought we might die from hypothermia. V pretty though and largely car free.

And we got a chance to test out the new cycling contra lane on the way home. It doesn’t get more exciting than that.

Sunday, 10 January, 2021

We played a surpisingly enjoyable game of frisbee with the children in the park. We were all very excited at the prospect of ending our restricted movement and being able to go to the supermarket in person again.

My sister emerged from her Covid period of self-isolation. Happily she was entirely symptom free throughout.

Also, we had more jigsaw. This was sent to us for Christmas by my friend from Cork. The children approved of the picture, I’m less sure.

Monday, 11 January, 2021

We finished our period of restricted movement. Hurrah. If we got Covid, we were all asymptomatic which, I suppose, is possible but more likely that we didn’t I think.

The children cycled into school to collect their gear from their lockers. Here we are, remote learning again. The children have assembly online at 8.30 every morning and dire consequences are threatened if they do not attend. “What are they going to do?” said Herself, “Send us home?”

Mr. Waffle and I went out to purchase a take away tea and a bun and found that a local cafe which closed in March and we thought was gone has reopened. We rejoiced and brought home buns for the children to enjoy in a break from their online learning which they are not loving. Except Michael, he likes being at home.

Are you online schooling yourself? How’s that going for you?

Cristesmæsse*

12 December, 2020
Posted in: Cork, Dublin, Ireland, Siblings, Work

Work has been very, very busy this past week. One night I found myself cycling home in the small hours of the morning – I could have got a taxi but I didn’t fancy it – and Grafton Street was all lit up and quite deserted and it was absolutely beautiful in a way that this photo doesn’t quite convey.

One night I had to go back to the office building about 8 in the evening and with Covid and everything else, the building was empty and dark except for the emergency lights. When I stepped into the downstairs reception in the dark (doubtless a health and safety hazard) I was overwhelmed by the smell of pine and sure enough, by the light of my phone, I saw a real Christmas tree in reception which was lovely and a lot of effort for the few of us who are left in the building.

My sister bought me a box of 24 jams and chutneys in small jars as a very welcome advent present. I deployed the raspberry jam today to make an apple and jam toasted sandwich for herself who was flying out to her applied maths class. She ate it in the car and she said to me, “You know, this is delicious.” This filled me with joy because, cooking is not one of my core skills and my children are rarely enthused by my offerings. Also, I used my mother’s toasted sandwich maker which she bought in France about 40 years ago and which she would love to see still in regular use.

We’re still sticking cloves in oranges. Note fancy patterns.

I bought gold and silver aerosol spray paint last week. This week I deployed it in the shed. Delighted with myself. I sprayed everything. Behold two pine cones which I stuck on top of the Aga. The corner of instagram I inhabit shows amazing Aga decorated for Christmas content but, I am unconvinced. If you deck your Aga or around it in foliage, it will soon be desiccated foliage. I am pleased with my minimalist solution.

I have taken the Christmas ware out of the press in the utility room and brought it into service.

Presents are flooding in. Gratifying. I moved spare school books from under a table to create room for the presents. I went to put them in the press in the hall only to find it full to the brim of Junior Cycle school books and past exam papers (some still pristine in their cellophane wrappers). As the children are all past Junior Cycle now, I decided to give them away on freecycle. I wanted to give them all to one person rather than have a stream of people coming to the house so, to discourage time wasters, I stipulated that whoever took them would have to take them all. That was a week ago and nobody has messaged me. I appear to have significantly over-estimated the potential popularity of Irish language Junior Cycle materials.

Yesterday was the centenary of the burning of Cork by the Black and Tans. I can’t help thinking about my Cork city relatives and how shocked and angry they must have been. My granny died when I was 12 and I don’t ever remember her mentioning it. I must ask my father and my aunt what she thought.

I finished my online Christmas shopping today. The relief. It meant spending much of the day sitting at the computer on a weekend which feels a bit too like work for comfort but it is done. Christmas cards tomorrow, if I’m feeling strong. And the Christmas tree. Online bookclub Kris Kindle tonight. One of those presents from under the table will be opened anyhow.

For those of you here for Gategate updates, all has gone silent. Alarming.

*Herself has got really into old English recently. This is the old English for Christmas she tells me. Apparently there are only 30,000 lines of old English extant and she is planning to read them. As a jumping off point she has bought herself a book from which she keeps quoting. I am irresistibly reminded of the elves in the Lord of the Rings films. Apparently I’m a philistine.

30 Days hath September, April, June and, Mercifully, November

30 November, 2020
Posted in: Dublin, Family, Ireland

I’m always completely out of ideas by the end of November. Usually on the 25th I say something about my much adored Nana. November 25 was her birthday and I often think of her around then. I remember the happiest news when I was a child was that Nana was coming to stay for a couple of days. She lived over the border in County Limerick and that was a lot further away in the 1970s than it is today. She was a fantastic grandmother: kind, clever, competent, indulgent, adoring. I still miss her.

And in completely unrelated news, I was walking along the road with two colleagues and an elderly lady wearing earmuffs marched up to us and waved at us shouting, “Social distancing, social distancing, haven’t you heard of social distancing?” We were all a bit baffled. Had we wandered too close to her without noticing? In any event, she seemed well able to protect herself from unwanted advances by the general populace. It was a weirdly unnerving encounter. I don’t think she was mad but she was certainly very angry and forceful.

Cycling home this evening, I ran into a friend and we stayed half an hour at the side of the road on a cold, damp evening chatting. God, we were delighted to see each other. We are sick of Covid.

And on that Covid-related note, I will draw November’s blogging to an end.

Maybe some December blogging will follow but for now, a pause may be warranted.

Weekends Rounded-Up

29 November, 2020
Posted in: Boys, Daniel, Dublin, Ireland, Michael, Mr. Waffle, Princess

With the 5 km limit on travel and everything closed, weekends have been a bit similar. Last Saturday (i.e. November 21 not November 28, Mr. Waffle keeps saying that the way I say last Saturday is very confusing but I fail to see where the difficulty lies, if I meant Saturday November 28, I would have said yesterday), I went off to explore Chapelizod on my own without children saying it was very dull to be hanging around while I looked at buildings. I found a new way there through the park staying off the main road. That’s as exciting as it got. Some local history: Sheridan Le Fanu wrote a short story about the house on the right in the picture below and Lord Northcliffe was born up the road. His mother was Irish, who knew?

I came home via the Lutyens designed war memorial gardens which, in fairness, were looking pretty good.

An email arrived from the school threatening dire consequences if students didn’t have face masks. A follow up email some time afterwards apologised for giving out all the parents’ email addresses in violation of GDPR rules.

On the Sunday morning, herself and myself went to the Botanic Gardens.

Her Christmas jumper got an outing.

For added excitement we saw the actual last rose of summer left blooming alone.

Then, in the afternoon, back out on the bike to Chapelizod with Mr. Waffle and the boys. There are only so many options.

Then on to the weekend just past. I have absolutely no recollection of what happened yesterday, we went out for a mild walk, I think. We did not watch the “Late Late Toy Show“. My family are the only people in Ireland not into this. Mr. Waffle and I never watched it as children and our own children never had the faintest interest. My little niece in London watched it and loved it too. Look, I took in five minutes of the highlights: I liked the bit with the singer; the child from Cork and the hospital porter and the follow up; also the bit where the presenter was surprised by a hard to open bottle of Fanta. My cold heart was warmed but it appears we are never going to be a family in Christmas pjs watching this with a hamper of Christmas goodies. Too boring say my loving family. There you have it.

And then today, another trip to the Botanic Gardens also taking in the excitement of Glasnevin cemetery where, it transpires Gerard Manley Hopkins is buried. Fancy that. November is, of course, the month of the dead but I didn’t get to visit my mother’s grave. I might take all the children on a visit if we ever get to Cork en masse again.

Very much looking forward to moving out of lockdown level 5 and back to level 3 from next week. Maybe my weekends won’t change a great deal but the possibility of change is very exciting.

Local Concerns

25 November, 2020
Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Mr. Waffle

For ages, there has been talk about putting up gates to the lane at the back of the houses on our side of the road. Progress on this has been glacial. The right of way in the lane was extinguished after years of painstaking discussions.

Then someone insisted that they had to be electric gates so she didn’t have to get out of her car to open them. I am saying nothing but I will let you imagine, gentle reader, my feelings about this car and electric gate enthusiast. Electric gates are a lot more expensive. And they need a power source and more maintenance. More humming and hawing. And most people don’t keep cars in the sheds/garages at the back of the garden and some people who live on the road don’t have cars at all.

Agreement was hammered out that the B&B at the top of the road and student accommodation at the end would provide electricity to power the gates. Another lengthy and painstaking process and though definitely a good outcome, there was still a hefty sum to be paid per household for the actual installation of the gates. I assumed getting agreement on this would take a long time.

So did our neighbour up the road. He is an impatient man and he has tired of waiting. He has taken matters into his own hands. He’s ordered the gates. He’s going to pay €10,000 for them and people will have to give him money to get the fobs. It’s slightly high-handed and I see shoals ahead but, on the whole, I am pleased. As I said to Mr. Waffle, the important thing is that nobody must ever know that we knew in advance.

Will I keep you posted on Gategate lads?

A Judgement on me or the Cycling Advocate’s Comeuppance

21 November, 2020
Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Siblings

Last night, I ordered takeaway from the local gastropub. It’s only a 5 minute cycle away. A 10 minute cycle back as we live up a hill. But I was tired and took the car. I had to go the long way round because of the bollards at the end of the road. When I got on to gastropub road, the traffic was backed up for roadworks. I turned off the main road and went by a sneaky rat run but at the end of my rat run, the traffic was backed up forever. I was talking to my sister via the phone on the radio (is that bluetooth?) and after about 15 minutes with the engine switched off, I hopped out of the car to walk up the road to see what was happening. I took my sister off the radio and walked up holding the phone to my ear. Surprise result: the roadworks were holding everyone up at this junction too. As I got back to my car, the traffic finally started moving, I hurriedly said to my sister, before tossing the phone on to the passenger seat “Stay on the line, I’ll put you back on bluetooth in a sec,” and turned on the engine. There was a Guard passing and she looked at me, smiled and wagged a finger. I was fit to be tied and tried unsuccessfully to gesture that I was not talking on the phone while driving one handed. I suppose, really, it was a fair cop though.

Anyhow, I picked up my take away eventually and carried it home triumphantly. I had the “buttermilk crispy chicken” and I had a different vision from what I got which was basically chicken nuggets.

In short, the whole thing was not my finest hour.

Lads, even Homer nods.