Ode To A Friend

Today I attended the funeral of a friend. Like so many, she passed on too soon for too many of us, but after the years of illness it is ourselves we pity, not her. She has gone to her Lord, for which everyone who loved her is thankful. A family friend read out the eulogies from her husband and daughters and she did it most beautifully, bringing back to all of us, I think, the impish vivacity of C. when she was in her full health.

C. had grace in adversity, and boy! has that family had adversity. She was a glass-half-full person. When she had to start using a motorised wheel-chair to get around she was told off for whizzing up and down the corridors of the nursing home. One time, between her enthusiasm and my ineptitude we managed to get the chair (with her in it) wedged in the corner of the bathroom and laughed so hard we were crying (...note- we weren't aiming for the bathroom in the first place...) When she could no longer drive I used to collect her and we'd go places- grocery shopping, just shopping, to the beach, to the pub for coffee. On our return her husband would ask, 'so what happened this time?' and guess what! there was always a story!

I think its the measure of a person when they make a dent in ones life, when they help one see things from a different angle, when they listen with wisdom, without judging and yet without compromising their own ideals, when they don't let their illness define them but laugh and tell stories and encourage friends to do likewise, when even bed-ridden they can uplift others.

C. was special, I knew it when I met her, I know it still. And I am blessed to have shared in her too short journey, her grace, wisdom, wicked sense of humour and shoes with yellow soles!

And so to...

...Mothers' Day...

I hope all you Mothers have been having a lovely day?

Here in Dublin it is a sunny day, but cold. Middlest and Youngest texted me their good wishes this morning and mid-afternoon Eldest suddenly remembered, which was quite funny considering I'd been with her all day!

Actually I have spent the day working with Eldest in the Theater, or painting and gluing things together in the Design room. I'd forgotten how much fun it is rigging for a Show. When Eldest was born I was in the middle of making all the Chorus costumes for a large production of 'Camelot' in Nairobi. The nurses nearly went spare with the number of people and clothes who passed through the Maternity Ward that week!

When Eldest was a week old she was bundled into a basket and stowed under the counter of a Dressing Room backstage, as I had so much work to do. If she cried, whoever wasn't on stage picked her up and rocked her...and then passed her to someone else when they had to go on! The Hub was playing 'Mordred', and I seem to remember there were a couple of close calls with crew grabbing the baby from him as he was walking on stage!!

In retrospect it wasn't terribly responsible of us, but we were young and we hadn't the first notion of how much a baby would change everything! We took her camping, on up-country safaris, to game parks, and reckoned that as long as she was regularly fed and changed she'd be fine!


Today, as I've hauled furniture, wielded spray cans, climbed up and down endless flights of stairs, groped through the dark Black Box and laughed at Eldest acting the eejit, I'm just so thankful that I am a Mother. Not everyone gets that opportunity, or has the choice.

Soooo...a Happy Mothers' Day to you!

And.... make that a Thankful For My Children Day too!

Thankful Thursday

Firstly Happy Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating today! I know it means a lot to many people so I hope its a good day for yez all!

I wondered about skipping the Thankfuls this week as its been difficult and I didn't think I could come up with anything much or honestly mean it, and if I can't be nice I prefer to be silent. But I thought hard and I have managed to come up with five Thankfuls, and, what's more, I feel the better for it. I guess Sonja knew she was doing what God wanted when she started this!


1. I'm thankful for friends who encourage. This week especially, its been you bloggifriends who have helped keep me going. Thank you so much!

2. Thankful that Sos did the washing up last night- since starting College she seems to think chores are for other people so this was major!
3. Thankful for a dry-ish sunny-ish day today- I'd almost forgotton what the hills look like...

4. Thankful for the beauty of the countryside in Winter. It's bleak, but the colours are so beautiful, also the shapes of the trees when there are no leaves.

5. Thankful that we have a freezer and that there is food in it for the evenings I'm too tired or despondant to cook a proper meal. We are lucky to have food stored, many many people don't have that luxury I know.

Sonja wrote last week 'Being Thankful is a Decision'.

Is she ever right!

Thankful Thursday...oops! it's Friday!

Thou hast given so much to me,

Give one thing more- a grateful heart;

Not thankful when it pleaseth me,

As if thy blessings had spare days,

But such a heart whose pulse may be

Thy praise. (George Herbert.)



Yesterday I went to Dublin for the day with Mum, to visit the Knitting and Stitching Show at the RDS, which is why Thankful Thursday is late! So, first my 'Thankfuls' and then my 'Yesterday'!



1. Thankful that last week with the Ma-in -law went so well and I think she had just as good a time as us.



2. Thankful I have managed to catch up on the weariness as well as the chores this week, and am feeling more able for the next half of term and the School and Church music run-up to Christmas.



3. Thankful that the Hub's workplace has lifted the ban on overtime so that he can catch up on all the engineering maintenance as well as accumulated bills, and order oil for us this winter. God's perfect timing AGAIN people!!!



4.Thankful that on Wednesday two lovely things happened:- a friend arrived with a load of eggs (http://heartwarmingtreasures.blogspot.com/2009/10/country-saying.html), and then Mom brought her God-daughter to visit my quilt frame so she could figure how to do a similar home-made article. Both those visitors are great people and it was up-lifting to catch up with them and their family newses!



5.Thankful that I got the gumption to start selling my sewings on ebay.ie. It took me three 'go's' of at least two hours each to upload the first item, but finally I got it sorted, and I am hoping to upload some more bags as well as three lap quilts when I've finished writing to y'all! Some extra dosh would be nice, but also I think I need to achieve this for my own self-esteem, if that doesn't sound too corny? Anyhow, first bag here: http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170400277861&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT! (As you can see,links are my strong point!)



6. (Afraid I just gotta keep going here...) Thankful Sos and Dilly had a good time together in Dublin this week and they were kept safe from harm- God minds 'airheads' too!

7. Thankful that, although B wants a Hallowe'en Party, she wants a traditional one with a 'Torch Walk' down the lane through the mud and flooded Trickle, a campfire with melted marshmallows, a Barm Breac with tokens and story-telling. Dirty, wet and great fun, no 'nasties'. I dislike the ghosties and ghouls aspect and I am thankful she chose this alternative herself.

8. And the last one; thankful that Mum and I had a lovely day yesterday in Dublin!

We went up on the first train which left at 8.30am, but was really as bus as far as Dromod as they are replacing the bridge across the Shannon. After Mullingar the train was packed as I guess lots of folks fancied a day out! We got the Dart across to Ballsbridge and walked to the RDS (Royal Dublin Society) where we met friends of Mum and had lunch in the Club Members Lounge. It is the most glorious old building and besides that, holds memories for me of being taken there as a child by my Grandmother.



At about 2.30 we finally hit the Show (I thought the grown-ups would never stop talking and get on!), so here are a few photos for your interest:



I was very restrained in my purchases!

Some of the Irish Patchwork Society's exhibits, the theme was 'Journeys'.

This one was stunning, and my photo doesn't do it justice: An overview from the upper gallery, its a pretty old hall, Victorian perhaps? Big enough but not huge like a modern Convention Center, so the aisles are a bit narrow and a lot is crammed in.

After a cuppa tea we got the bus into town for some Department Store browsing and price checks (as in 'Who'd pay that?', 'Ye Gods!'-one of Mum's favourites, '239 euro for THAT?', 'Not bad for a 37 piece Dinner Service, but what are the extra seven pieces?', 'Aren't they cute but I wouldn't want it in my house!'...get the drift?), snacks for the train and a newspaper. Then the Luas back to Connolly Station in the lamp-lit city where we had another cup of tea/coffee and I chatted to a guy carrying a double bass as I remember the days well when I carted my 'bass around and received all the stick- 'big violin, does it fit under your chin?' and 'did your guitar grow?' being the two main ones. I heard someone saying the identical things to this guy which is why I stopped to chat.

Then the last train (and bus) back to Sligo where we were met by the relevant husbands and home just before 11pm.

It was a nice day out, a pleasant break in routine. Sos returned from Dublin on an earlier bus, gathered two friends and headed out on the raz. There appear to be three cocoons on the sitting room floor this morning so I guess its them? And B had a quiet day at home until the Hub returned from his shift and dragged her out to shop for supper...pizzas, despite there being plenty to eat in the fridge and cupboards! Typical Dad! Mine would do the same!