belgianwaffle

Projecting an Image


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Reading etc.

In the Irish National Gallery there’s a portrait of Joseph Leeson, later first Earl of Miltown, bigwig, painted by Pompeo Battoni who seems to have made a great living from painting grand tourists. Looks good, if a little portly, right?

In the same room, the authorities have chosen to hang a picture which is a parody of Raphael’s school of Athens by Joshua Reynolds. It was commissioned by Joseph Leeson’s nephew. It features the great and the good including Joseph Leeson, later first Earl of Milltown, bigwig. I am unclear how he felt about it but he is entirely recognisable and it somehow undercuts the adjacent formal portrait.

Truly, image management is a tricky issue.

Extracting the Positive


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland

Ok, do not judge me but I went through our random cables box over the Christmas holidays and now everything is neatly coiled and labelled and we only have what we need. I am delighted. And furthermore I gave the spare cables away on Olio (a sharing app) and I can tell you, a lot of people seem to want random bunches of cables. Look what I gave away to a good home:

This is not the first time I have undertaken this exercise (the wretched things breed) so more of this fun will doubtless be available in the future.

Random Thoughts from the Aged


Posted in: Cork, Family, Ireland, Reading etc.

My father used to call those grey trousers he wore with a blazer his flannel bags. Does anybody say flannel bags anymore? I tried my children and they looked baffled.

When leaving the dinner table, the expression, “May I be excused?” was widespread in my youth. Has this too gone the way of the dodo?

At mass this morning, they said that the exit hymn is “God’s Spirit is in my Heart”. “What on earth is that?” I thought but once they started singing I found I knew all the words. I was sure, sure, sure that I hadn’t heard it since I was a teenager but the internet seems pretty firm that it first came out in 2002. I am baffled but maybe I did learn new hymns in my 30s? This seems very unlikely but who can say? Then Margaret Atwood was on Desert Island discs and she picked Beethoven’s pastoral symphony as one of her 8 discs. “Ho hum,” I thought, “I wonder what that is?” Yet another musical number Mrs. O’Shea taught the school choir, that’s what, though we learnt it with the following words which I feel Beethoven wouldn’t have approved of: Now winter is passing and soon it will be spring/with daffodils and tulips and birdies on the wing. I also recently heard for the first time in about 40 years “In an English Country Garden” – yet another number Mrs. O’Shea brought into our lives. It’s funny how these songs one learnt as a child can be really evocative.

I’ve been looking at slides from my childhood and although it is a pain to set everything up the images are so much better than the faded brown snaps from photo albums and I now respect my father’s commitment to slides though I was dubious for many years. When I see myself I recognise every single thing I am wearing and I know what feelings it evoked in me, what I loved, what I hated. I am fascinated by this as I am not very interested in clothes now. I wonder what happened to that youthful clothes lover.

I had lunch yesterday with my oldest friend, our parents were friends and as she is a year older than me (something she used to enjoy pointing out to me when we were little, but now, ah, how the tables have turned), I have known her since I was born. Anyway over Christmas she went to a 40th school reunion. “40, 40 years!” I screeched in horror. “That’ll be you this year,” she pointed out tartly. I am shocked. How did that happen? But also, perhaps it’s not as big a surprise as all that.

Epiphany!


Posted in: Mr. Waffle

Happy Women’s Christmas as it is known locally. To celebrate Mr. Waffle stayed home all morning waiting for the electrician to come. You will recall that the fan in the upstairs bathroom went before Christmas and, despite promises to the contrary, the electrician did not, in fact, come before Christmas. Over Christmas the light went too. We had to rely on these motion sensitive lights Mr. Waffle bought. For reasons which I believe to be obvious, they were not entirely satisfactory.

Anyway the electrician came (promised to be there by 10 arrived at 12) and now we have a light and a fan. Rejoice. Not quite gold, frankincense and myrrh but I’ll take it.

Thorny Theological Questions


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Princess

Some time ago we had the tale of Lazarus and Dives at mass. You know the one, the rich man is at his table, the poor man at his gate begging. Then they both die and things are reversed – well the rich man is in Hell begging the poor man – who is in heaven – for a drop of water. I think we can all work out what the moral is there.

There is a slightly crazy older woman who attends mass regularly, she tends to walk about a bit but when she perches beside you it is slight purgatory as she speaks loudly and often asks for money (she lives in some kind of half way house near the church, I think). On this particular Sunday as the priest was sermonising away about Lazarus and Dives she sat beside me and asked me had I any money. As it happened I had €20 but that was all I had and I thought, “If I give her this €20 note she will literally sit beside me every time I go to the church ever.” So, quite untruthfully, I said, “No, I’m afraid I haven’t.” It all felt a bit on the nose. I was telling herself later on the phone and she said, “It’s not a lie, really it’s a mental reservation i.e. I have no money (for you).” Did I feel better? Can’t say I did really though I appreciated the vote of confidence.

Reported Speech


Posted in: Dublin, Ireland, Middle Child, Twins

In a titanic GAA struggle with another local club (we lost), middle child said that one of the opposition players said to them”Gentrification has youse in a stranglehold.” Whether this was a taunt or a comment on their play more generally is unclear but it’s definitely a high calibre insult.