My Duffle Coat

While summer doesn’t always come to our little windswept isle, winter never lets us down.  There have been a few scorching summers in Ireland over the years but none since we moved back here from the States in 2007.

Just the Facts Ma’am

With all the talk about the Eurozone and the ECB and Greece and Italy and everything I was feeling a little at sea.  I couldn’t figure out what they were all talking about until Tuesday’s Morning Ireland on RTE 1.

The man’s name was Peter Brown and he was speaking from the Irish Institute of Financial Trading. 

I surf therefore I am

I started surfing this Summer.  It was by accident.  Rian was in a surf camp called “Surf to Heal“and I was in the water helping the volunteers.  They were superb and made it a thrilling experience for Rian and the other autistic kids who were there.  They had special boards that were extra big with handstraps which made it easy for Rian to  pull himself up and hang on.

We have a big old board that we bought for Ultan a few years ago which has  barely been used. I brought Rian to Streedagh and tried to get him to surf on it but he was very frustrated as it didn’t have the handstraps.  However he wouldn’t let me try so I played with an old boogie board instead.

One fine day when nobody was around I hit for Streedagh with the big yellow board and hauled it into the water. I faced it into the waves and started to paddle.  As I bounced over the first wave and felt the surf spray into my face I hit nirvana, and this was only paddling.

There have been lots of fun days since. Housework was abandoned for August and lots of September. The water is warm even if the air isn’t and on windy days when I cannot lift the big yellow board on or off the car I just go with the beautiful blue boogie board Cesar bought me.

Someday I’ll stand up or even kneel but there’s no hurry. For now I’ll just have fun in the beautiful waves of Streedagh.

Sean, I hardly knew you!

I always thought you were the pick of the dragons on Dragons Den. Straight shooting but charitable when rebutting would be entrepreneurs. I followed your campaign at a distance hearing you on the car radio now and again. I liked your image of hardworking community worker who had made his way in the business world. I liked the way you spoke up for the carpenters and other subcontractors who got burned by the celtic tiger. I really liked your vision about focusing on jobs, jobs and more jobs.

I got lots of flac from more informed family members about not giving Michael D my number 1 but I stuck up for you because I believed in you. When I heard about Martin Mc Guinness’ ambush I felt you would be able to clarify what really happened about the 5,000 cheque and everything would be ok. You didn’t. What was wrong with saying yes, you were a fundraiser for Fianna Fail. It’s not a crime.

The interior designer who apparently grilled you on the TV debate does seem to have been very articulate. (I did not see the debate but heard the Pat Kenny show the following morning). She might have pissed me off too but attacking her motivation was a losing strategy.

As I went to vote yesterday I was still confused and did not want to let go of my emotional attachment to you as my number 1 candidate. I especially resented Martin Mc Guinness manipulating the vote but ultimately he shouldn’t have been able to if you had handled his charge.

Then I thought what would happen if I was on Dragons Den and I couldn’t answer a question satisfactorily? You would kindly point it out and say

“I’m out”.

Tanning in Ireland

There are four types of tan in Ireland (in my view).  In ascending order here they are:

Where have all the priests gone?

The Sligo Champion posted an article this week about our Elphin diocese in the West of Ireland having a drive to recruit priests as there has been a falloff in vocations.

Tales from the High Ground Café, Phil Mc Guinness

The High Ground Café in Mohill is above the Gala convenience store.  Like all such stores it trades in Lotto tickets, newspapers, mobile phone top-ups and cigarettes. As these are things people seem to need all the time it’s a busy little place and has a rhythm all of its own.

Liberated from Chocolate

My cravings had been out of hand for quite a while.  Night time was the worst.  After a long hard day of not overeating  I changed into a chocolate devouring werewolf after dark.

Tales from “The High Ground Café” When in Rome do as Mohill does

We have introduced “Chicken Caesar Salad” to our new revamped menu at the High Ground Café here in Mohill, Co Leitrim, Ireland.

Unhappy millionaire gives his fortune away

 Deciding that his moneyed lifestyle is only making him unhappy Austrian businessman Karl Rebeder has decided  to liquidate all his assets and set up a  microcredit charity offering  loans to self-employed people  in Latin America. This man has it right as far as recessionwoman is concerned. 

I refer you to the article in the Irish Independent which tells his story.  Having grown up poor in Austria and achieving financial success to the tune of 3.4 million euro net, Karl reached the  conclusion that consumerism is not where its at. ( Ten out of ten, Karl). He felt like a slave to luxury. 

He palns to move  into a small wooden hut in the mountains or a bedsit in Innsbruck where he reckons he will be much happier without the trappings of wealth.

The fact that he made his fortune in interior furnishings may have somthing to do with this.  No phonier or pretentious business can I think of.  Maybe if he had been doing something more satisfying though less lucrative for a living he may not feel so unhappy.

Nonetheless Karl, my hat is off to you.  You’ve got it sussed and will (hopefully) never  be unhappy again.