belgianwaffle

I See Dead People


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

The Town Mouse delegation, being tourists, had been to visit the National Museum and spoke animatedly, if not enthusiastically, about the bog bodies. I think the words TM used were, “Someone should give those bodies a decent burial.”

Not having set foot inside the door of the National Museum since 2008, I decided it was time to bring the children to investigate. I keyed them up the night before, I made popcorn and gave it to them sitting on steps adjacent to the Masonic Hall before going in so that they would not be hungry. We passed through the shop safely and saw two bog bodies which were holding everyone’s interest nicely before Daniel announced that he needed to go to the toilet. This inevitably involved passing the cafe and after that, all was doom and gloom. Michael wept for crisps and did not stop until we got back to the car. The nice Garda who tried to cheer him up was treated with tears for her pains. The Princess ran off twice in a huff.

Culture is very tiring, I find.

Raise your Game


Posted in: Twins, Youngest Child

Michael: The battery on my solar powered lamp needs to be charged.
Me: Well, we’ll put it out in the sun.
Michael: Put it out in the sun, NOW.
Me: Sweetheart, it’s night time, the sun doesn’t shine at night.
Michael (imperiously): Make the sun shine at night!

Pumping


Posted in: Reading etc.

I was speaking to some new mothers who have recently returned to work and they were speaking about pumping breast milk in the office.

In the case of one, her company had moved to swish new offices while she was on maternity leave made entirely of glass. “Where,” she asked her partners “am I going to pump?” They looked at their feet and suggested a glass room off reception. When she had withered them with a single glance, they suggested the bathroom. She reduced them to little piles of dust and they finally found the one room in the building that was not a toilet, not made of glass and came with a lock.

My other friend travels around for work and has to ask for a room where she can pump. Her favourite was when she was given a room with a CCTV camera.

None of this can cap the story a Finnish friend told me in Brussels. She worked for a very right-on development NGO. One day, while she was pumping at lunch time, her (female) boss came into the office and started talking to her about work. My friend said that this wasn’t a great time for her. Her boss said, “Oh I don’t mind,” and kept talking until my friend pointed out that she DID mind and asked her boss to leave which the boss duly did saying there was no need to be embarrassed.

The whole thing is fraught, I tell you, fraught. Share your own story, ah go on, do.

The Fate of the Number 10 Bus


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Reading etc.

Since there seems to be some mild interest in the full page article in an allegedly national daily on the renaming of a local bus route in Dublin, here it is.

Looking on Twitter the other night when I should have been in bed, I see that on Thursday, September 30, Fiona McCann, Irish Times Journalist tweeted as follows:

RT @urchinette Urgently need to talk to people who regularly travel – or used to – on Number 10 bus on Dublin. Please RT, Dublin people!

Who pray is @urchinette? To be fair, she, at least, that this is something only likely to be of interest to Dubliners.

Ah well, here she is, the author of the article:

Twitter people who talked to me about the Number 10 bus – you are brilliant. The piece is in today’s Irish Times: http://bit.ly/9Dpv8O

Lads, is this journalism, really? I don’t mean to be unfair to the author and I suppose it’s a fluffy lifestyle piece that she was asked to do but still and all is it for the likes of this that I fork our my €2 (incl. VAT) of a Saturday morning?

Proud Moment


Posted in: Princess, Twins, Youngest Child

Childminder: She wanted to walk home from school rather than take the bus, so she jollied the boys along and we did it.
Me (awed): How long did it take?
Childminder: About 45 minutes.
Michael: Yes, and I’m sore at my leg.
Childminder: She made it a game for the boys.
Michael: And then she threatened to take away my bunny, if I didn’t keep walking.
Princess: Snort.
Me: Well done, sweetheart.
Her: I led the way.
Me: Good for you, how did you come?
Her: The opposite way from how we drive to school..you know we kept walking straight and then turned right by the “video’s, pool, games” shop where the apostrophe is improperly used, then….

Brazen it out


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland

Colleague: So, despite everything I said, they have moved to this dreadfully rough part of Dublin.
Me (slightly coldly): Actually, that’s around the corner from me.
Her (enthusiastically): Well then, you know how bad it is.