belgianwaffle

It’s Not Too Early


Posted in: Ireland, Princess

I used to be really indignant about how Christmas started shortly before Halloween but not any more.

I have thrown my hat at it, I rejoice at the sparkling decorations. I am ready for Christmas music. I will get many of my decorations out of the shed at the start of December and I will deploy my Christmas ware shortly (incidentally, the Princess tells me she loathes it, I am crushed; someone else will be getting it in the will is all I can say.). I won’t even wait for the traditional starting gun of December 8 (Feast of the Immaculate Conception and formerly a holiday when the whole country did its Christmas shopping now deep in the Christmas season).

Slightly related, I see that vandals have destroyed Scrooge’s gravestone in Shrewsbury which my friend took me to visit when I was there. What a shame and hardly in the spirit of the extended season.

In final early Christmas news, even I draw the line at the rather gloomy Christmas decorations that have appeared in the corridor at work. Somehow worse than nothing at all.

Tell me, where do you stand on Christmas in November?

Early Adventures in Literature


Posted in: Family, Reading etc.

I was thinking recently about “Stories for Eight Year Olds” which I presumably first read when I was eight. I remember it being quite a hard read the first time but enticing. It’s a great selection – with many scary and strange stories. Still occasionally I think of the story of the little girl who had a magic fishbone (if memory serves) which she could only use when the family were down on their luck. Her father kept wanting her to use it and asking anxiously “You have not lost it?” “No papa.” “Or forgotten it?” “No indeed papa.” After all these years I still remember her refrain and her capably finding solutions to problems while her father despairs. She uses it in the end though, I think the consequences were…good.

I still love to read but nothing, I suppose, will ever match the intensity of my love for those early books from the “Cat in the Hat” to the “Famous Five” and the Narnia books. I remember disappearing into the spare room and spending the whole day reading “The Swiss Family Robinson” under the bed (where I, presumably, was unlikely to be found and told to carry out unwelcome tasks).

I loved to read and it was such a gratifying habit as everyone seemed to feel it should be fully indulged except late at night when reading under the blankets was frowned upon. My parents were slightly down on comics, however, which I also adored. Cissie who minded us used to bring me a comic when she came back from her day off. It was about a pet lamb called “Lamb chop” which my parents found hilarious for reasons I did not at all understand at the time. My best friend got Mandy and Bunty and I burned with envy.

What did you like to read as a child?

Neighbourhood Watch


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland

My neighbour from up the road just texted to see whether she could drop into me about something. Mysterious, what could it be? Anyway, she’s coming at 8 during time set aside for blogging so tonight’s entry is well, entry level. Am I phoning it in? It is possible. Stay tuned for an update tomorrow on what she could have wanted.

Out and About


Posted in: Ireland, Mr. Waffle

Mr Waffle did not have to work this weekend. I rejoiced. He suggested that we go to Emo Court today (part of our programme of gentle outings about an hour from Dublin).

We drove about an hour from Dublin. Were we delighted to find that Emo Court was closed for renovations? I can’t say that we were, but, look, we went for a walk around the lake and had a cup of tea in the Dower House. It could have been worse.

I forgot


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

Saturday was a busy day.

We went to mass with the in-laws for my mother in law’s anniversary. The church was near the in-laws’ house and they had kindly asked us for a bite to eat after the mass.

When we accepted we hadn’t quite realised that Mr. Waffle’s brother would be in the pub (channelling his late father who always enjoyed both a celebration and running, he headed off to the pub shortly after mass for the annual drinks of the mountain running association), his niece at a party and that his sister-in-law,fresh from a work trip to Canada, would be cooking dinner for all of us and none of her own family. Never mind, we brought flowers. Did we leave the flowers behind us at home? Yes, yes we did. And (oh happy day) they are going to have us for Christmas as well.

Michael drove us home perfectly competently. I do hope he passes his driving test in January.

Anyway, I came home, went to bed and woke up in the middle of night with the realisation that I had forgotten to update the blog. I will backdate this. I am not even sorry as the young people say.

Dinner


Posted in: Cork, Ireland

I had dinner last night with two friends from college, both of them Cork exiles in Dublin like myself.

Two of us are orphans and the third has both parents in very good nick. They’re in their late 80s/early 90s. Her father is an accountant and still goes into work every day. He announced to her at the start of this month that he’d have to be better prepared for year end next year as there had been quite a few late nights at the end of October. They’re both still sharp as tacks and very resistant to any interference.

My friend’s suggestion that her mother, who likes to go for a nice long walk every day without her phone, might consider a personal alarm device was met with contempt: “I’ve been walking all my life, why would I not be able to do it now?” My friend has thoughts. Her offer to go to the supermarket when recently in Cork was met with a certain froideur: you wouldn’t know what to buy. Stung, she said “I actually have quite a responsible job up in Dublin, I think I can manage a trip to Dunne’s”. She can think away as far as her mother is concerned. We two orphans smiled indulgently.

We had a great gossip and catch-up. Two of us had firm views on a building project planned by a mutual acquaintance; the third said “Sure, let them at it, it’s not doing you any harm.” This kind of live and let live non-judgmental approach is what makes her so charming but we did wonder whether she was really from Cork at all.

And bringing us right up to the minute, my tennis has again been cancelled due to freezing weather. This is not at all the kind of approach favoured by the GAA which as far as I can recall has never cancelled training regardless of the weather. How are we ever going to dominate in world tennis with this feeble approach. Nevertheless, I am delighted. I’ve just lit a fire and a peaceful evening at home beckons. As I was lighting the fire using, inter alia, an old newspaper, I found myself wondering whether future generations will ever do this. Both the open fire and the printed newspaper seem to be on their way out.