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Ireland

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?


Posted in: Dublin, Middle Child, Twins, Youngest Child

We were supposed to spend last Monday packing to move house on Tuesday. Alas, the carpet fitter who arrived on Saturday arrived with one carpet too few. After some anguish, we put the move off to this Friday. On the plus side, I’m really hoping that varnish downstairs will be dry.

Unfortunately, the Princess had already boxed up all her books and she spent the weekend pacing the house in a state of considerable bitterness. Re-opening of the library on Tuesday was greeted with ecstasy. Meanwhile, the boys have fallen out over who owns what as, for the first time, they have to separate their worldly goods into two rooms.

Wish us luck for tomorrow.

Ours is a High and Lonely Destiny


Posted in: Cork, Family

With one thing and another, my father is often called upon to visit hospitals. The Bons Secours hospital presents particular difficulties, as he pointed out to me, because when he phones for a taxi to go to out patients, he gives the name the full French flourish and the dispatcher is baffled and then goes, “Oh you mean the BONS!”

Snow, Snow, Come Out in the Snow!


Posted in: Family, Ireland

We drove up to the Wicklow mountains at the weekend to look at the snow. On the way up there was no sign but after we passed Enniskerry, there was lots. We went for a 40 minute walk covering the exciting combination of bog and snow; even wellingtons and salopettes were insufficient to ensure entirely dry feet but all very beautiful. And we had spare shoes and socks in the car.

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History Lesson


Posted in: Ireland, Reading etc.

If this is of interest to you, I suspect you already know. But just in case it has escaped you, as part of the EU presidency excitement, the book, “A History of Ireland in 100 Objects” is free to download until tomorrow. Everything you wanted to know about Irish history but were afraid to ask.

Disappointing


Posted in: Ireland

When you find yourself flicking around and settling on watching Euronews in German you know that both public and commercial broadcasting services have failed you. That is all.

Time Marches On


Posted in: Ireland, Princess

I was in a bric-a-brac shop with herself and there was an old bakelite phone which she rather liked. The nice lady behind the counter said, “I have one plugged in here, do you want to try ringing your mother’s mobile?” We laughed as she poked at the cumbersome dial in amazement. Of course, she went wrong half way through and had to start again. “Push down the buttons where the receiver goes until you get a dial tone” we said. She looked at us in disbelief – really how primitive was this system? Wait until I tell her you had to wait three months to get a phone when I was a child. And that you rang the operator and gave the name of the town and asked for a number, in the case of our country cousins, this was 42. It turns out that 35 years is quite a long time.