“And how does it feel like
To wake up in the sun?
And how does it feel like
To shine on everyone?
And how does it feel like
To let forever be?”
Rolands/Simons
On Saturday , after our Parkrun, and after the coffee after our Parkrun, which is the most important part , anyway, after that, my friend Dominic, our Jake and I headed over to Hilton Park, near Scotshouse, for… well , at that point we weren’t exactly sure what for. We knew that there was an event , ‘Create’, and that it was art related and that there were workshops, and that the whole thing was being organised by Dee and Audrey from Creative Monaghan, so we knew it would be good. And the clincher was that there were going to be food vans.
OK, if we’re going to be completely honest with each other ,,, and we always are…honest , that is, we really went to get lunch, and we thought that we’d be home by 2.
It proved to be a phenomenal day.
There were several marquees on the lawn in front of the house hosting workshops in jewellery making, copper smithing, gentle stretching, and art classes. There was a Mummers ceili band banging out tunes and there were coffee, sandwich, pizza and sushi food trucks. Inside the wedding hall there were displays from the Mens Shed, and a host of local artists and artisans. We had a quick look around everything, and bumped into Audrey and Dee, exchanging hugs. Back outside we bumped into Geraldine Watterson, and I got one of her extra magical hugs. I think I may have legally adopted her.
When we had finally decided on what sushi to have and I was queueing for it I got a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see my dear friend Ruth Daly. I hadn’t seen Ruth for at least 5 years and had thought of her often. She was the main catalyst/organiser/ring master for the Border Bizcamp which we used to host annually in Monaghan. The festival itself, but more particularly Ruth herself, gave a lot of people hope and encouragement when the Celtic Tiger ran back home to its mother. We spent a short time catching each other up, and left with a promise to catch up properly soon. After she left Jake said that I’d had a big goofy smile on my face the whole time I was chatting to her. That’s the effect she has on most people.
While looking for a spot on the front lawn to have our lunch , a lady said that we could use the end of the picnic bench she was sitting at with a gentleman. We all introduced ourselves. She was Evelyn, and her husband was Patrick. He was an artist and was taking part in the Plein Air element of the day. This was an artists’ competition there on the day where 30 artists were dotted around the park painting what intrigued them, and at 5pm there would be an exhibition and prize giving. Evelyn and Patrick were great company and told us about their life in Dublin , Cork, and France. Evelyn told us everything that was wrong with modern art, and Patrick asked if he could sketch Jake , Dominic and myself. We said yes.
The next hour was spent swapping stories and ended with us all being friends, and a pencil sketch of ‘Les Trois Mousquetaires’. Artists , eh ?
This morning’s blog has been paused. I’ve been writing this in our kitchen and had the windows open as it’s a little muggy. Tuna has been in and out a few times, but, so engrossed am I in the process that I’ve been ignoring her. She has been playing under my chair and I’ve just reached down to pet her and she had a mouse in her mouth.
I shrieked…manfully… Tuna dropped the mouse and it has sought refuge in our pile of running shoes in the corner under the record player…..
Several moments have passed….
I have, yes, manfully, thrown 9 pairs of runners out of the window using a broom handle.
Tuna is not impressed.
Last Saturday, after our portraits were done we wandered around a little more and spent time chatting to Anna, the lady who used to run The Local on Glaslough St. , she now helps run the Waldorf school in Ballybay. She said hello to Jake, remembering him from the time he sold her soap.
Across from her Dominic was chatting to an artist called Lynsey, who it transpired had organised the artist competition and had painted the image that the festival was using as it’s logo. She uses Rossmore for outdoor classes and we had a great chat about the Drumlin Giants and her irrepressible son, Franklyn, who was a very enthusiastic member of the class I gave a talk to in the Gaelscoil earlier this year.
This morning’s blog has again been paused.
My Soulmate’s brother, and my friend Gareth, and her sister Ger, also my great friend, have arrived to collect her and go off on an adventure for the day. I have spent the last 5 minutes explaining why 9 pairs of shoes are scattered outside the kitchen window, and Eileen and Ger have spent 10 minutes shaking each half pair furiously and banging ten against the windowsill before placing tehm all back neatly under the record player. As they are doing this I can see the mouse peeking out from the pile of framed pictures that I have piled up in the opposite corner…
After we’d spoken to other artists we hurried back around to the front of the house for our tour. We were very fortunate in that our guide was Francie McCarren, renowned story teller, founder of eth Drumlin Yarn Spinners, and all round good egg.
We spent the next hour hanging on his every word as he took us through room after room of this magnificent early 18th century house, which is still lived in , and owned by the Madden family. We could have spent an hour in every single room, such was the rich history of the people that had lived there before, and the paintings, books, furniture and architectural knick knacks that littered the place.
We finished in time for the art exhibition and spent another hour admiring all of the great works made by fantastic artists that very day in the place where we’d all been.
It was a great day in great company.
Jake said it was very cool.
This morning’s blog has again been paused. It’s almost 9am and as my Soulmate has abandoned her family , I have to take the boys into work before meeting John and Stephen for breakfast in the Screaming Bean.
On Sunday my Soulmate and I ran in the Monaghan 10 Miler , the MTR’s annual love fest. I was due to run it with Ray, but for some bizarre reason he thought the ideal preparation g=for a 10 mile run would be to get up early and play 18 holes of golf first. He was hobbling around the starting line and everyone said he was mad in the head, as they could see that his knee was swollen, but no, he insisted on doing it. He made it as far as Apache pizza, 50m from the start before he had to pull up. He insisted I go on ahead and I managed to keep Eileen in view and was very pleased with my progress out the Scotstown road when I heard someone shouting encouragement at each runner they were passing and thought whoever that is , is flying.
It was Ray.
He’d commandeered a bike from Dessie saying that ‘there’s a man on the course needs me’. He kept me company the whole way around. Eileen waited for me to catch up at the first water stop, and gave out to me for throwing water over the young volunteers. She waited for us again at Mum and Dad’s house, where we had a quick chat before we made it to Ballinode village where Jake and Elliott were marshals. Over the bridge , at Murray’s water station, I threw water over three young volunteers, including Gary’s son , Jude. I ran away laughing and then got a shock as someone, ( Jude), threw water down my back. At each of the next three water stations Eileen had run ahead and tod the children not to give me any water and to throw water over me. Which they did, diligently and repeatedly. I managed to throw water over the adults and Geraldine McCarville, who is almost an adult.
At each of these stops Ray hopped off his bike and ate all of the jellies and chocolate on offer.
Later as we made it back into town, a car passed by and we were squirted with water, by Geraldine the almost adult.
We got a great reception as we arrived back in Church Square. Everyone who finished got a big cheer and great reception when they crossed the line. Delighted to be finished I bumped into some of life’s greatest people, Ger, Gareth, Grainne, Patricia, Iain, Barry, Bernie, Devon, Pete, Dominic, Niall, Nikita, Padraig, Caitriona, Chris of the Corner, AnnaMarie, and all the Sisters of Anarchy.
It was a magical day.
Jake said it was very cool.
It’s now 11.15 and I have to pause this mornings blog AGAIN ! I have to meet John and Cathal from Best of Ireland out in Rossmore to show them all of the Giants.
On Tuesday a small gang of us went to Dublin for ray’s birthday celebration. His knee was so bad that I had to drive. We went to the Ivy for dinner and then on to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show musical. Ray has talked about this show since forever. I’ve been a big fan since Channel Four showed the film in the 80’s and we’ve had it on VHS tape and DVD and used to regularly watch it after the Hillgrove on a Saturday night with a few beers.
AnnaMarie, Brenda and Dominic were with us, but we only discovered at the interval that they had never seen the film and had no idea what was happening. “Is there supposed to be a plot ?” Dominic asked. We all t enjoyed it anyway. On our way home we passed a giant billboard advertising the show featuring a large picture of Jason Donovan.
“It would have been great to see him in it.” Brenda and AnnaMarie said.
“He was in it !”
“What ?? No way ! Which role was he playing ?”
“Frank-N-Furter ! The star of the show !”
“That was him ??”
“Yes !”
“God ! He was brilliant !”
When I told Jake about it the next morning he just said “Very cool”.
Dotted throughout the week there were meetings in the Park with Marc about reinstalling Thoth and the creation of our next Giant, a reformer Pilates class, a harp recital, and lots of squatting. Everything , bar the squatting, was great fun.
But bestest of all was yesterday.
It was Jake’s 26th birthday. ( I’ve written before about his birth and consequences , see the P.P.S.)
We made cards for him, alluding to how we look up to him, and how proud we are of him.
Since he could talk he has educated and guided me.
He was been of gargantuan help and support to my Soulmate and I since , well, 26 years ago.
He is perhaps the most genuine person I’ve ever met. And let me tell you , I am fortunate and continually blessed every day to meet great , genuine folk.
He has an air of calm and kindness that brings out the same in others.
When I grow up I’d like to be him.
As the man himself says, often and with genuine warmth and affection, he is indeed, very cool.
Toodles,
Paul
P.S. Many songs remind me of Jake, but from an incredibly early age he knew all the words to this one and still says them almost involuntarily whenever it plays, including Bix Markie’s outro “Go by the name of the K. I. D. Rock, rock Super educated, I’m smarter than Spock, Spock Everytime you hear me you will agree There ain’t no brother like the K. I. D., D. Know what I mean? Tellin’ you, with the echo, I’m tellin you”.
Intergallactic by The Beastie Boys.
P.P.S DREAMS COME TRUE ( as told to an actual live audience in the Blackbox Theatre in Belfast AND recorded by the BBC )
Have you ever been enjoying a dream and then it suddenly takes an unexpected turn and then you wake up to discover that the bad turn was prompted by something that was actually happening in real life ?
We’ll get back to that.
Our first born, Jake, arrived , eventually, on August 14th 1999. He was a little overdue, 2 weeks, and we’d begun to drop our guard, thinking he’d changed his mind, or was waiting for the new Millennium. We went to bed on a Saturday night …I woke to a large whoosh sound…like someone had thrown a bucket of water into the bed. I hadn’t passed much remarks in the antenatal classes when I’d heard the term ‘breaking of the waters’ , there were so many confusing terms flying around, and that one had sounded benign. It was not benign.
Eileen panicked, but I was prepared. I calmed her down and made her a cup of tea while I rang the hospital and told them we were coming in, placed the pre-packed bags in the car, and then…..No wait, that’s not right. I panicked, Eileen was prepared, made me a cup of tea, rang the hospital and packed the car.
We had green lights the whole way from Clane , a village in Kildare where we lived in our first home, through the outskirts of Dublin, all the way up the Liffey, until…we stopped at a red light on O’Connell Street bridge. We were the first car at the lights. It was 2.00am. The bars and nightclubs were closing and there were pedestrians wandering everywhere around the car.
“Jesus ! What’s goin’ on there ???” someone shouted, tapping on the car window.
What was going on there was Eileen rocking back and forth on all fours on the back seat, trying to ease the pain. The lights went green and I tore off , leaving some mildly amused and confused revellers in my wake. We crossed the Liffey at the Customs House and got parked immediately outside Holles St. maternity hospital. A long night and day ensued during which I maintained the incense burners and while turning over the CD of soothing music made an “OooooUhUuuuuuOuuuueeeeUUU” sound.
“What the hell are you doing ?” My Soulmate asked between contractionsand moans of pain.
“I was just filling in for the whale sounds while I turned over the CD.”
“Had it been harpooned?”
Jake arrived around 7.00 pm, I was exhausted. “Would you like some tea and toast ?” our lovely midwife asked .
“I’d love some “ I answered.
“I was talking to your wife !” she snapped.
Robyn , our amazing daughter was born in September 2001, the day after 9-11, here in the Royal. By this stage I was a pro. Eileen felt that Robyn was coming so I made her a cup of tea, told her to relax, took Jake to his playschool at the back of the Ulster Hall, came back for Eileen …Sorry, sorry, by this stage Eileen was a pro, she felt that Robyn was coming, made me a cup of tea, told me to relax, took Jake to his playschool, came back for me…and then we went to the Royal.
I collected Jake from playschool three hours later at lunchtime and told him that he had a sister.
Elliott’s arrival was much different. There had been concerns since the 3 month scan. He was born by appointment with the Royal to make sure that the various consultants and specialists were on hand. He was only hours old before he had his first MRI scan. He spent his first 48 hours in intensive care. We got him home but then spent the next 18 months travelling to appointments in the Royal to see a heart specialist, and to Crumlin in Dublin to see a liver specialist.
Everything worked out great. Elliott outgrew the growths that had been of concern, and whose names I have banished from my memory. He is now studying for his Leaving Certificate , the mature and evolved version of your A-Levels, in Monaghan , the true centre of the universe. He is as wonderfully sarcastic as his older brother and sister, and like them pretends not to find anything I say amusing.
But back in 2005, when we’d gone through all of the hospital appointments, counted our blessings, and marvelled at our three wonderful kids, we were in our late 30’s and didn’t want to chance anymore. This was a mutual decision.
“We’ll just have to be careful” I said.
“Or….” Eileen said.
“We aren’t giving up are we ?” I said ,shocked.
“No” Eileen said, before telling me she’d make me a cup of tea. I do like a good cup of tea.
She handed me the tea and then said , matter-of-factly “ You can have a vasectomy.”
I sat there open mouthed … for quite some time. I tried to object…I think. Eileen is a twin, her sister Ger and her husband Dave, were our great friends
“Liddy had one ages ago.”
“Liddy broke his hip and both legs paragliding and cycles to Bundoran on a Saturday for the craic. I’m not taking my lead from him.”
I did take my lead from him.
I was going to have a vasectomy.
It was a bit of a shock.
I assumed that I’d be going to some fancy ass clinic in Dublin or Belfast to have the procedure done by a team of NASA graduates.
My GP referred me to Monaghan County Hospital, and told me that Eileen had to go to the consultation as well, as , wait until you get this, the surgeon wouldn’t perform the operation without her consent ??
So there we were in the consultants waiting room to see Dr.R, not his real name, that too has been banished from my memory. Of course we then bump into Mr. and Mrs O’Donnell, parents of my childhood friend Fintan. We exchanged pleasantries, he volunteered what he was there for and waited for me to do the same….I said backpain.
Mercifully we were called next and sat in Dr.R’s room. He chatted to us for a few moments to make sure that we were both happy to have the procedure done. Eileen was very happy. He then, unnecessarily I felt, went into some detail about the size of the snip he was going to perform.
“Some surgeons favour a small snip, I am not one of them. To be sure, I favour a large one.”
I crossed my legs involuntarily. He then started looking in various desk drawers for the consent forms. He couldn’t find any, so naturally he opened the door to the packed waiting room and bellowed “Nurse ! Brind me the VASECTOMY consent forms !”
Eileen laughed….I did not.
He offered to do the procedure under a local anaesthetic, but as soon as he saw the blood drain from my face, he said that we’d do it under general anaesthetic.
We signed the forms and left. Mr. and Mrs. O’Donnell looked at their feet as I said ‘Goodbye’… I can’t be sure but I think they were sniggering.
A few weeks later I returned to Monaghan Hospital to check in for my ‘day proceedure’. The receptionist booking me in played golf with my Mum.
“Lovely day for it” she said. ”How’s your Mum ?”
I didn’t answer.
Eileen came with me to the room where I was to get undressed and wear one on those delightfully airy gowns. I sat up in the bed, she held my hand. Then the nurse entered.
“Hi Eileen, Paul. Don’t mind me” she said as she pottered around the room.
“Hello” we both said to Eileen’s Aunty Geraldine.
Eileen said ‘Goodbye’ to us both and I was wheeled to the operating theatre. I was greeted by Dr.R, and he then, again unnecessarily I felt, introduced me to all of the nurses, most of whom were members of the golf club and asked after my Mum.
A mask was placed over my mouth and I was asked to count backwards from 10.
I got to 7.
I’ve been anaesthetised three times in my life. Once when I was 7 and had to get 4 back teeth removed. The second time was in the City hospital when I was 30 something and was having an endoscope, and this time. On all three occasions I’ve dreamt about Alice in Wonderland.
This time I had a wonderful dream. I was with Alice in Wonderland, except Eileen was Alice and we were walking and chatting to the Cheshire Cat about Turkish Delight, flamingoes and mustard…and then we came upon a sleeping Gryphon. The Cat disappeared, Eileen ran away and I looked around to see the Gryphon awake and snarling and then he lunged towards my genitals.
I woke with a fright and tried to say something , but it was muffled because I was wearing a facemask.
“Christ of Almighty !” I heard Dr.R shout, which even in my distress felt odd, as he had never struck me as a religious man. “ Get him back under !”
I heard a hiss….
I was back in Wonderland, the Cat and Eileen were rolling around in hysterics …with the Gryphon.
The next time I woke I was back in the room where I’d got changed.
Eileen’s Aunty Geraldine came in with a tray full of tea and toast.
“You gave us quite a shock !” she said.
You and me both Sister…you and me both.
