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In Praise of Milano’s


Posted in: Middle Child, Twins, Youngest Child

I am a little tired of Milano’s; there is only so much pizza one person wants to eat. It is the only restaurant that the boys regard with enthusiasm and so when we go out, we tend to go there. But it’s reliable and it’s reasonably priced and you could travel further and fare worse.

I liked this story of my sister’s about a colleague who arranged a surprise trip to Disneyland for her three children aged 9,7 and 5. She had everything packed in secret. To persuade the children to leave the house, she told them that they were going to Milano’s. When they were all in the car, she told them that she had to go to the airport on the way to collect someone. When she arrived at the airport, she said, “Surprise, we’re going to Disneyland! Your bags are in the boot! We’re getting the airplane!” At this point the nine year old asked whether this meant that they would no longer be going to Milano’s. Upon being told that the trip to Milano’s was being deferred in favour of Disneyland, they all started to cry. Now, that’s dedication.

Quote of the Holiday Season


Posted in: Cork, Ireland, Princess

Herself, upon being required with her brothers to unload the dishwasher in her grandparents’ house having just done so in the house we were staying in in East Cork: “I was not put on this earth to unload the dishwasher.”

Crushing


Posted in: Princess

Me [painting bauble for reasons which are too dull to go into]: I wish I had more colours in this paint set.
Her: Like what?
Me: Well, purple. You can’t make purple from other colours. [Under my breath: Richard of York gained battles in vain]
Her: Is it possible that you are mixing up rainbow colours and primary colours?
Me: Um.
Her: Try mixing red and blue there and see what happens.

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.

Job’s Comforter


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

On Saturday night I coughed and I coughed. As I went upstairs, the boys came rushing from their bedrooms to hug me and say, “Mama, are you alright?” Herself emerged to say, “I hope that this isn’t contagious.” Sometime later I went upstairs again. She emerged from her room and said, “Look, stay upstairs or stay downstairs but this ominous approaching coughing is really disturbing.”

On Sunday morning, I had to leave the church to cough in the porch. One of the neighbours came out and asked me was I alright and would she go to the shop and get me cough medicine. The mortification. Herself told me that all that could be heard in the quiet contemplation after communion was me hacking away in the porch.

So, you know, I’m improving.