Princess

The Final Lap

24 December, 2021
Posted in: Cork, Family, Ireland, Middle Child, Princess, Siblings, Twins, Youngest Child

It’s all go. I mean not as much all go as it was for my colleague who had an emergency stent fitted the other day, but pretty busy. I have to say we all got a shock when this older but apparently fit and very popular man nearly died on us in the run up to Christmas. Hurrah for modern medicine. He’s safely home and planning a quiet Christmas.

I got into the Huguenot graveyard in the centre of town during the week. It is almost always closed but a man was painting the gate and he let me slip in illicitly. There was a big plaque to Jacques de la Fontaine. I went and looked him up and thanks to the internet, I found a whole book he had written about his life. He had bad times in Cork, unintentionally hilariously described. It was strange to think of this man whose grave I pass daily having a life in Ireland a good 400 years ago. It’s all intimations of mortality around here at the moment. And also, I seem to have put out my lower back. Does this augur well for the ice skating session I have booked for us on St. Stephen’s Day? I think not.

The return of my first born continues to be a source of delight. She had three friends from primary school around for dinner on Monday. These girls who I have known since they were tiny tots of 4 have turned into beautiful, charming grown up Amazons (all very tall, I must say, something in the water?).

I was chatting to her the other night and asked whether she read the blog. A bit. “You’re funnier on the blog than in real life,” she offered. “I know what you’re thinking, you’re going to put that on the blog. Listen here, I’m more than a content farm.” Meta paragraph right here for you, all the literary tricks are being deployed.

I was amused to hear Mr Waffle talking to Michael the other morning in the kitchen before school. As I was standing in the hall I heard him ask in slightly surprised tones, “Are you following the election in Chile, Michael?” He is, apparently. This slightly nerdish streak in my children means that the Christmas receipt of school reports is generally an occasion for rejoicing and so it was on this occasion. Teachers love children with views on the Chilean elections, it appears.

We’re in Cork for Christmas. It’s quite the logistical challenge, my sister was in Dublin during the week and she brought down our Christmas presents. Like a saint she’s cooking Christmas dinner for us as well. And she took the boys off on Wednesday afternoon to her partner’s parents’ place where they spent a happy afternoon playing magic (don’t ask) with her partner and being fed by his parents. I rejoice as did they.

It was the winter solstice on Tuesday. That makes me think of my father. He was a summer person, always loved the sun and always celebrated the turning of the year with delight and a glass of whiskey. I used to ring him to wish him a happy solstice. It was this time last year that I saw him for the last time. He died on Christmas day. We’re off to Cork today and we’ll celebrate Christmas in my parents’ house tomorrow. I feel a bit sad about it. A little bit strange.

Where ever you are, I hope that your Christmas is happy and that the logistics do not defeat you. See you in January.

Home for the Holidays

19 December, 2021
Posted in: Family, Middle Child, Princess, Twins, Youngest Child

Herself is home! Let joy be unconfined. It is lovely to have her back. I thought for a while that she might not make it home and I was gutted. I am surprised how thrilling it is to see the light on in her room.

I’d forgotten how much blogging content she provided. She described our interactions at dinner the other night as like a poor man’s “My Family and Other Animals”. “We only have one cat” her brother Michael said defensively. As well as staying with her London relatives, she went to stay at a friend’s house before coming home. Her friend’s father said, “I’ve been to Dublin once, it was the only place I ever saw people having sex outside.” “The Phoenix Park?” enquired herself. Yes. “And we had a lovely dinner in a Michelin starred restaurant,” he added. “Guilbaud’s?” she asked. Yes. I am glad to think that her upbringing has prepared her well for engaging with English people who have visited her home city.

I finally got to the dentist to get my permanent crown installed. I am delighted with myself notwithstanding the not inconsiderable bill. I really hope that this is it for the dentist for at least six months.

On the way home, I stopped at a pop-up antiques shop on Ormond Quay. It’s a bit off the main drag and an older gentleman, maybe mid-60s, was manning the shop. I wondered whether he had had any trouble. None at all and in fact, he had already sold two shops worth of stuff, if you see what I mean. We had a grand old chat about mahogany furniture and its return to fashion. He told me about his early days in the antique business, I told him about attending auctions with my mother when I was a child. It was delightful until he said, “People of our generation…” Just because it’s true doesn’t make it a great deal more palatable.

I got my booster jab yesterday in a chemist around the corner (Pfizer, since you’re asking). It was a bit disorganised and I am hoping that the paperwork will be ok. I had a sore arm and felt a bit seedy today but am broadly fine. And glad to have had it.

The government has announced that hospitality – restaurants, bars, pubs – will now close at 8 in the evening. Alas, alack. So much for my dinner booking – sourced with great difficulty – on December 28 at 9.

We have got a quote from a builder for knocking down the scullery and replacing it with a completely standard, no frills, no whistles, square box. I’ll tell you this, building inflation is real. I’m not really inclined to go ahead at the breath-taking cost proposed. The neighbours who are also planning to knock their scullery and to then replace it with an elaborate extension and put in a wine cellar got a quote of double what they were expecting. We were moving in tandem as our scullery roof is shared. However, in view of cost, building works may not, in fact, proceed in the new year. On the other hand, it would be handy to have it done while some of the children are still at home. But will we be able to pay their college fees, if we go ahead? Welcome to my middle class hell.

Last night we watched “A Muppet Christmas Carol” – MIchael Caine’s best work – so we are pretty much Christmas prepped. Yourself?

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like etc.

12 December, 2021
Posted in: Middle Child, Mr. Waffle, Princess, Twins, Youngest Child

Saint Nicolas is such a trooper. It’s now 13 years since we lived in Belgium but he left sweets in the boys’ shoes for the morning of December 6.

They were off school so I asked them to record the event when they got up as Mr. Waffle and I would be gone to work. Delighted with the quality content, frankly. That sounds sarcastic but is absolutely true. Tone can be difficult to convey.

Meanwhile their sister sent us footage of herself and her friends swimming in Kent. I think we can take it that she is fully recovered from her Covid dose.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the schools in Dublin were closed for Storm Barra. The boys were delighted by this unexpected turn of events.

Storm Barra brought some wind and lots of rain. Our drains blocked and a neighbour came and unblocked them. Now in the mornings on my way out to work, I go and hover by the downpipe rejoicing in the efficient draining action beneath. Funny the twists and turns life takes.

Somebody (the culprit has not owned up) broke the slow close toilet seat again. This is the second time this has happened since August so now we have a plastic replacement. Less beautiful but more durable.

I had lunch with my boss from 25 years ago who is retiring from her, now lofty, role. I think she would prefer not to be going and I really felt for her but, you know, the idea of not going back to work after Christmas definitely has superficial appeal. I also met my oldest friend for a pre-Christmas lunch and we had a great chat. She was abroad for a long time and it is quite lovely that she is home now; a Skype call is not as good as an in person lunch, it just isn’t.

Mr. Waffle and I went to a local cafe for breakfast on Saturday. Last week when we were there, for no reason that we could initially determine, our waiter started speaking to us in French. We gamely responded but we were a bit baffled. It turned out that he had spotted Mr. Waffle had the Canard and, reasonably enough, felt that if he could manage that, Mr. Waffle would be able to do his ordering in French. A part of me was slightly relieved to get a different waiter, I’m not sure I’m up to French at breakfast time every Saturday.

We went out for a walk on the pier this afternoon and I can’t believe how much better my heel has got since the summer when even short walks were a bit painful. Rejoice.

Mr. Waffle bought me the Holly Bough. We got the RTE guide Christmas special. Our Christmas entertainment is now taken care of.

We put up the Christmas tree and decorated the house over the weekend.

I have bought many presents and written many Christmas cards but not all in either case but I have decided it’s a pretty good start. This evening we had the street lighting up party. We all put on our outside lights (and to think I used to disapprove of outside lights, how the mighty have fallen) and had mulled wine and homemade mince pies with the neighbours outside. How are your own Christmas preparations going?

Advent Begins – The Season of Waiting

28 November, 2021
Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Middle Child, Mr. Waffle, Princess, Twins

Mr. Waffle took Dan to the airport for a fresh Covid test in an abundance of caution (mine). Mr. Waffle got up at 5 in the morning yesterday to book it and then they had to wait two hours for him to take it. Alas. We await hearing.

In continued surprises from Sunday mass, the priest quoted from Emily Dickinson’s “Hope is the thing with feathers” in his sermon in a bid to cheer us all up as we contemplate the next Covid variant (how soon before we run out of letters of the Greek alphabet, depressingly soon by the looks of things?).

In England herself says she is feeling a bit better.

I went into town to do some Christmas shopping. No joy really but town was looking very nice with the Christmas lights up.

Inspired by Emily, I went into Bewley’s for a cup of tea. More accurately, I joined the queue for tea outside in the freezing cold. When I got to the door, I could not find my mask so I left. As I bitterly put my stuff into my bicycle carrier, didn’t the wretched mask fall from between the pages of the paper? I hummed and hawed but went back and joined the end of the queue and waited and waited. A waitress came out to the frozen pundits on the street and said it would be half an hour for a table. I was committed at this stage. 15 minutes later, her colleague came out and said it would be 20 minutes for a table (ok, I suppose) and as they closed in 20 minutes, there was no longer any point in waiting. I was incandescent with rage. I went to the Queen of Tarts, an old favourite of mine, closed, looked a bit permanently closed, I do hope not. I cycled homewards in the freezing cold and stopped off at a local old reliable cafe. Closing and unable to accommodate me. That’s right, a city of nearly a million people and not a cup of tea to be had. I got home having spent nearly two hours trying to get a cup of tea. Snort.

In other Advent news, my sister gave me an Advent calendar in the form of a box of skin and beauty care. As it was the first day of Advent I pulled it out from under the bed. “Beauty lies within” it announced. “Surprisingly frank,” I thought for a moment. Honestly, could they not have chosen a better slogan? I had to ring her up to find out how I was to use the first item I received, I think it may be a bit sophisticated for me and my beauty regime.

The Crown Season 2

26 November, 2021
Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Princess

So, back to the dentist to get my tooth fixed. This afternoon he did prep work which involved a fair amount of drilling. At this moment, I have a numb mouth and a temporary crown. I’m back in on December 17 to get my permanent crown. The Friday before Christmas, I rejoice.

In other news, herself appears to be improving, I base this on the reduced communication levels. She has had one of her poems published in a college magazine and is pleased.

And, finally, something else in the good news side of the ledger. I am very, very slowly making my way through a fat volume on the history of Dublin. There was a passing reference to the Worth Library which I had never heard of before. I emailed to find out about visiting hours and I got a lovely telephone call from the librarian, thanking me for my interest and pointing me towards their online exhibitions. Alas, they are closed due to Covid but hope to open up to tours again in the Spring. I am quite excited. Middle-aged thrills.

Oh No Redux

25 November, 2021
Posted in: Middle Child, Princess, Siblings, Twins, Youngest Child

So off she went for her PCR at 11.30 this morning and at 8.15 this evening she got her positive result. Alas alack though impressively speedy work by the British testing people, I must say. I spoke briefly to her this morning and she was pretty miserable – in a bad cold kind of way – but not at death’s door.

My sister is a big fan of moonpig which does personalised cards. She went online and got the Princess a card with a personalised message and my sister’s cartoon of a corona virus on the inside. Unfortunately the site kept crashing and my sister had a lot of difficulty with it. This is why the personalised greeting card has, “Get well soon, Caroline!” on the front. The Princess’s name is not Caroline. Funnily enough when I mentioned moonpig at home, both boys said, “Uh oh, data breach,” so perhaps not where you should go for your personalised greeting cards.

In other news, we had online parent-teacher meetings for the boys this evening. This was extremely stressful. I had to be in the office and called in from there and Mr. Waffle and each boy in turn were tuning in from home. The format was five minutes per appointment. It was like academic speed dating. I turned up in other people’s meetings, they turned up in ours, I couldn’t get in to some teachers, the home team couldn’t get in to others. I mean it was better than nothing but I wouldn’t call it a triumph for new technology. On the plus side the teachers love my children. They’re both doing fine, thanks v much. My favourite nugget from the evening was the following: Michael tends to finish his in class economics exercises ahead of the other students and when he’s finished, he pulls out his book from his bag and starts reading, an activity which is apparently tolerated by the economics teacher but he is keen that Michael would stop reading promptly when class recommences. I can imagine.