Sunday 5 July 2009

Up around 8.30, ate muesli and milk, watered the flowers, made my bed, washed, applied 1 Million, dressed the same as yesterday. Got a few coins off Rosanna and put €5 in the envelope for the priest. Attended 11.30 mass in Ravensdale sitting in the inside corner of the back seat in the Jenkinstown aisle. No choir. A recording of Be Still was played at communion. Second anniversary for Paula Connor. Joe Carroll in attendance. Went in to the vestry after mass and gave Fr. Padraig Murphy PP the book by Ben Barnes, Plays and Controversies. "I meant to bring you up something the last night when I was in your house," I explained. He asked me about photos of the mission for some Redemptorist publication. "I have one presentable photo!" I told him. He promised to ring me tomorrow with the e-mail address to send the photo to. A happy, mobile atmosphere in the vestry. Prepared lunch for myself - the remnants of some salad, two smallish soft apples, a piece of Wensleydale. Visited Jimmy O’Neill. Had bought for €4.95 a small container of Cadbury’s Roses in Bellurgan Service Station. "Is there a girl called Markey working in this shop?" I asked. "Carol," the young assistant replied. "Karl Marx." Jimmy was awake. "I’m all gummed up!" he remarked as he lounged in his chair. His eyes, too, were gooey. He did not know me and I think, really, he was a bit paranoid about me and was relieved when I got up to go. "He did not know me? Is he on medication or what?" I asked as I left. The young assistant (a Latvian?) withheld her opinion and gestured towards a short dark Irish charge hand. "It’s his condition," the other one said confidently, "Some days he knows people - some days he doesn’t." "He’s better than the last day I was here," I continued, "He was asleep that day and wouldn’t waken up." "If you had come a few minutes later he would be asleep today too," the short one elaborated. "The spuds!" she remarked with knowing certitude. Travelled without error to and from Ashgrove Nursing Home via the M1 and the by-pass in my black 2007 Toyota Yaris Strata. Followed some of the Wimbledon men’s final on Yahoo. Eventually retired for a long siesta - my head beginning to act up again. It turned out Federer beat Roddick 16 - 14 in the fifth set - his record 15th grand slam victory. I was pleased because I like Fed. Got up at 21.10 and ate muesli and milk and wrote up the last two days of this journal in my New York Yankees leisure-wear, black robe, Lotus slippers. Downloaded in the afternoon some of the pictures I took yesterday in Og’s in Greenore from my Fuji FinePix 9500 S onto the computer and uploaded a few pics onto Sean’s space. Rosanna went in to No 13 Oaklawns in the afternoon and did a little shopping. I ate before my siesta some of the apple-tart she brought home with her.

Thursday 30 April 2009

My stars on Yahoo predicted I would win a sporting contest today. "Your opponent will underestimate your ability, etc." Not knowing what to think in a match that started at 16.50 I ran out a 4&3 winner over Peter McEneaney in the first round of the gold medal. I did not lose my ball and won all the par three holes. Most of the other holes were exchanged - we halved only one hole, the 9th. Martin McGrath dormie 2 playing Frank McKay failed to get a par on either of the last two holes and lost his match on the 20th. Frank chipped in on that hole. I walked in from the 15th and took a shower. Ate chicken goujons, chips, coleslaw, salad: profiteroles: coffee. Doreen in very pleasant mood charged me €13.90 which I paid with my prepayment card. I drank a pint of iced water before my meal. Rosanna and Mary McGoey won at home 4&2 in their Miele 4xball match v Ardglass and Greenore turned out overall winners of the tie. David Dunne exclaimed, "You just beat me to it, Sean!" as I pissed in the toilet behind Ravensdale Church after his mother’s funeral mass. I took so long and he was so short taken that he found another facility - inside somewhere? Fr. Larkin the celebrant did a solid job. The music from Catherine Elmore and Olivia Finnegan was a bit slow and maudlin. Catherine stood up at the microphone on the lectern to sing. Olivia sang some harmony (without amplification) from the organ. Jim McCartan in a fairly heavy overcoat sat conspicuously in the front seat of the side aisle where Joe Carroll, I, Rosanna, Fidelis, were situated in the back seat. Jim McCartan, 51, told me in Greenore later in the day that his more famous namesake had not been that well and had a bypass operation done recently. I parked at the graveyard at 10.40 and Rosanna walked ahead of me as I strolled with my umbrella in leisurely fashion down to St. Mary’s Church. I piddled at 10.45 and barely "lasted" until the end of mass. Well I had drunk, as is my wont, two mugs of coffee and a half litre of milk this morning. "Is it working?" I enquired from Breege Treanor when she mentioned the pen I gave her, "I forgot to check that out myself." "It is working," she reassured me. "You could do a lot of damage with that," I advised her, "Did you ever hear the saying, ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’?" Tom Goslin as we walked slowly behind the hearse up to the graveyard enquired how the "young girl" who built the house beside me was getting on? I ate two boiled eggs for lunch and a few slices of brown bread and butter. Later ate the last of the Moroccan oranges I bought in Tesco the other day. As I was lining up my long putt on the Pig’s Back Brendan Halpenny, playing the 11th, shouted at me. He has arranged our 4xball match for 7.40 on Saturday. "Is that all right?" I sent at 23.00 a text to Og about it. No reply? Did my exercises before bed having washed my six remaining teeth and flossed. Rosanna and I talked a bit about golf earlier and sat on either side of the fire with the heat on. The fire was never cleaned out today at all - the first time that happened in living memory?