Dia is Mhuire díobh go léir a chairde, and welcome to my report.
Here we go, here we go, here we go. The shackles are off and we’re free to go. I saw a picture in the paper a few days ago of hundreds of pigeons being released from a pigeon carrier which was obviously a long distance from base giving them the freedom to fly back home. That was the kind of scene that hit my mind as I listened to the account of the latest phase of the Covid19 pandemic. Yes we too got our freedom and it was great to feel it, even for a little while until reality kicked in which prompted us to go back and read that again. I know it must be very disappointing for people like hairdressers and their customers, playgrounds, The Sunday Mass to mention but a few but the amount of permission that has been given is after putting a new face on our world. The Town of Millstreet is after coming alive. Builders tearing into projects that have lain idle for months and people meeting people, some for the first time in months and glorying in having the chat. As I said in the past people showing more interest and goodwill than ever before. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. For my own part of it and for those like me it was a joy to go into a shop be it the super store or the chemist or book shop or whatever, needless to say it was a strange feeling, almost apologetic, Should I be here.?. and then to go around the stands and view the display but with our strict training of don’t touch anything top of our minds. Some customers diving for the sweet stuff, but me being a savoury person, made a beeline for the meat counter. Where the lambs liver was a sight for sore eyes, coupled with streaky rashers and a fried egg with brown bread, I was in raptures at tea time that evening.
The world knows that our food suppliers looked after us well since the start of the crisis. I think they had great patience with us. When you think of the early days, the stockpiling of toilet paper, baby foods and so on which must have put enormous strain on them as they themselves tried to cope with the awful situation that hit them, almost overnight. The hygiene facilities, the queuing , taking orders over the phone and delivering became the order of the day while they lived in the hope that they wouldn’t catch the virus themselves. Now that we are getting back to some kind of normal, it is imperative that everybody will shop at home. Spend every penny in your own town, stores and all kinds of businesses are struggling to recover, we will always need them, please give them your full support from now on.
Well done also to our local; Gardai for keeping a watchful eye over everything and were always available to give guidance and advice. Their messages of our Text Alert system kept us alert to any suspicious goings on in the area. For those who may not be aware of this great service and may like to join, can contact Niamh at Wordsworth or the Garda Station or any Community Council member.
The few showers of rain at the weekend were very welcome. Places got a refreshing drink and gave some of us the chance to collect some of the precious water to feed our plants as time goes on. This is a very dry year so please obey the calls to spare water. We waste a lot of it which is all right when there is plenty of it but this year is not like that so please do your part and do not waste water.
The white butterfly was busy around the garden in the past few weeks and the tell tale signs are evident already. Their larvae has emerged from their cocoons and are busy devouring the leaves of the gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes. Greenfly is busy too so a dose of water and washing up liquid should make short work of them. The windy weather was hard on the young bedding plants and made them look less than their best. A friend of mine got a way of keeping them more comfortable at such times by using an old hanging basket which she turned upside down on the plants and covering it with a piece of fabric or plastic. It works very well in potted plants, saves them from being blown by the wind or crushed by covering them with something that would weigh heavy on the delicate plant. Uncovered they can be left on and continue to support the plant when they grow out through the bars. He uses the same thing to keep the crows from raiding the bird feeder. By joining two baskets edge to edge to form a ball and hang the feeder inside, well away from the crows.
The creatures from the wild can be seen in many local places recently. A herd of deer, a wild goose, mallards, leather bats, the cuckoo, some tame pigeons, have all graced our locality and as I’m putting pen to paper here now a beautiful fox came up over the bank at the back of my garden had a good look around and left the way he came, back into the wild. Bird watching is becoming very popular in recent times and there is nothing so relaxing as to watch nature at work. To see how our little feathered friends live their lives. Carrying out their program for survival in the same way year after year. Those that migrate,arrive back each time and start the circle all over again. One of the great things about being of mature age is that you have time. And it’s great watching the birds arrive and start to sing their little hearts out till they find a mate and with the preliminaries done and dusted they sing less and go all out to find a place to build a nest. It’s a pity that they sometimes try to build where they are not allowed to build such as in the eaves of a dwelling house where all may be well until the chicks come out and they do some house cleaning. Oh dear, not the thing down a lovely painted wall. One pair built in my shed this year, I left the door ajar for them to come and go. As I no longer make much use of it I stayed out of their way and it is amazing how fast they finish their job, put their young on the wing and move out. I have the place to myself now again and I’m happy that I was able to play a small part in the mighty cycle of the wild bird life. Job done the birds are singing from the treetops now again.
Everybody is trying ways to get things started up again, in an effort to put the pieces of life back together . Well done to St. John’s Football Club who are running a car Treasure Hunt on next Saturday June 13th. Starting and finishing at their Social Centre. €10 per car. Proceeds to our Meals on Wheels Service. For details ring 087 766 8669.
Marie Twomey is making every effort to get her popular Community Singers up and singing again. Her dream is to bring out another CD by the group. The first one in nineteen fourteen, sounded like an impossible dream when Marie mentioned it for the first time. But she soon thought us how to believe in our own ability and the result turned out to be a best seller. It is now a collectors item. And excerpts from it are being requested on the media all the time. Sean Radley never fails to include some in his many programs on Cork Music. Over the years, the Community Singers have made a great name for themselves singing at Nursing Homes and Hospitals and in many parts of the County. On Sunday next June 13th they’ve been invited to sing at Kanturk Hospital where they have often been before. With social Distancing in mind it will take a lot of planning. Weather permitting it will be held out of doors. The finals plans are still in the making. Marie will let everybody know before Sunday.
Our church services are still bound by rules of C19. Our morning Masses on Cork Music Station are wonderful. Next Sunday is the Feast of Corpus Christie. It was always the day when the parade of the Blessed Sacrament was held through the town after second Mass. The Pipe Band would be there and all the religious sections of the Community. The Priest carrying the Blessed Host would be flanked by four staunch attendants, wearing the blue sash of the Catholic Young Men’s Society, holding a gilt canopy over him. The Rosary was said and the choir sang hymns and the band played in turn as the parade moved on. Little Children in Holy Community attire threw rose petals on the ground before the Holy Host at a beautifully prepared alter in the Town Square the priest gave solemn Benediction and blessed the crowd before returning to the chapel. Again accompanied by the choir and the Band and the recitation of the Holy Rosary. This Sunday will be so different. All doors will be closed for 11.30 Mass. But at one o’clock because of the Feast of Corpus Christie, The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed on the alter for one hour. Doors will open at one and close again at two. People are invited for this hour but regulations must be adhered to.
The Parish office will reopen on Monday morning at 10 am. The phone number there is 029 70043.
This is the time of year for the Blessing of our Graveyards. It went ahead on Sunday and our website tells us that our popular Tubrid well opened on Sunday.
Now that some clothing stores and boutiques are opening up, the rush is on for style. And can anyone be blamed. To keep ‘The Girls’ out for this length of time must be some sort of torture. Bad enough not to have a hairdresser. The race will be on for keep fit and toning the body after the long weeks of lockdown. But try and get it right, to take a quote from this week’s Mass leaflet. God put his measuring tape around the Heart not the waist. Have a great week Slán.
