Dia is Mhuire díobh go léir a chairde, and welcome to my weekly report.
Welcome to the Month of November. It’s is the month in which we think of our beloved dead and pray for them as well as getting Masses said for the repose of their souls. Check our website for details of all the Masses and ceremonies that will be held in the days and weeks ahead. The month starts off with All Saints Day on November 1st and All Souls Day November 2nd and make a note of Saturday November 13th. Mass will be said at Tubrid Well that evening at 5 pm.
The minute the sun comes out we tend to forget what it was like earlier. I’m writing this today November 1s t All Saints Day, weather wise it is a mixture of sun and showers and the sunny spells give us a cheery feeling which tides us over the wintry shower that follows. But the closing days of October gave us no such relief because it rained incessantly both day and night. Floods ran down the streets and yards as people like me, viewed them from the safe havens of our homes. I like looking at the rain and floods, if they are no threat to life and property around me. In the old days when farmyards were devoid of any solid foundation and were a far cry from the state of the art creations of today,other than the earthen base which bore the weight of all the farm buildings leaving humps and hallows which trapped every morsel of animal sewage. In Summer they dried up during the long sunny days but it was another story in winter. With all stock and fowl housed and toxic pools grew bigger and deeper. Small children often fell into them and following a quick rub down, resumed their play. Such conditions were part and parcel of every rural farmyard. There was seldom a mention of any sickness or blood poisoning even though cuts and bruises were common. Looking back on life the sun seemed to shine all the time. But the one time I can recall about the rain was how the men made great use of a wet day to brush the yard. The heavier the rain fell the better. Rainproof wear was not only scarce, it was non-existent and I can still see the Fear a’ Tighe in his knitted geansie and old trousers and hobnail boots course brush in hand and he giving vent to the muck, helped on in no small way by the floods of rain falling from Heaven. Didn’t always change his clothes after the task was done but continued on see to his stock before calling it a day. Was it any wonder that so many of them died of the ‘pains.’ My own yard gets lots of sticky residue washed in from the passing traffic,on the busy road outside and I make no wonder of reaching for the coarse brush and taking the help from the passing showers to rid my patch of anything from fallen leaves and other muddy stuff , that I can do without. Old habits die hard.
They say you should tell your troubles to everyone. I dare say if you carry it too far, you’ll soon see folks crossing the road when they see you coming. Anyway, having mentioned by beloved Lemon Tree some weeks ago, a friend approached me in the shop and advised me to bring my treasured plant indoors in case of frost which I did. Found a little place where it can enjoy good light and sunshine but away central heating. The lemon which I picked some weeks ago has gone from green to a lovely, lemony shade of yellow, while those on the tree are still green but changing. I pity my poor Christmas Cactus. After flowering each year, it is put away into some dark corner behind a corner chair or the like and literally forgotten until I see someone else’s in a pride of place with buds aplomb, only then do I meekly withdraw my plant from it’s annual hibernation and expect it to show it’s colours as if was a pampered species. God love it, it does. It’s double blossoms are blooming away at the moment showing no signs of it’s neglected past.
Halloween was an uphill battle this year. The do’s and don’t’s and the for’s and against’s left many enthusiasts in a quandary. But nothing still stopped people from creating atmospheres which put the annual event on a pedestal. Never before did so many people put so much effort into decorating their children and their homes and indeed many places out of doors. Thanks to our wonderful website and the crew, we were able to view them on line from the comfort of our own homes while the rains came down outside. The Pumpkin trade soared and it was great to see how local products could be so widely used and disposed of in such an echo friendly way . So well done to everybody.
The recent storms put paid to most of the leaves on our trees. Sad to see them go but the naked branches open up many scenes and views which have been blocked off since the Spring. The change of time made a great difference to our evenings and now with a five-o-clock start, the nights will be extremely long. Time for us conjure up some interesting ways to make those long hours both interesting and enjoyable.Many of the activities of our Active Retired Group are held by day. So with some enjoyable daytime events to attend a night at home could be just the thing we’d need. I’m wondering will it see the return of the 1,000 jigsaw or will I take up some brand new way to while away the winter nights. If I do, it will have to be easy and simple. Gone are the days for people like me to apply extra pressure. I like reading if I get a good book, say the story of people’s lives etc. I’m relatively new to reading. I won’t read fiction, it has to be the real thing to capture my full attention. Being a very bad reader in my young days kept me off the books and it is only very recently that I’ve discovered why I was still am a bad reader and it’s because I’m dyslexic. Even to this day if I’m handed a piece of script and asked to read it aloud, I can’t, not well anyway. I sing to children because I can’t read to them and what a wonderful thing it is for me to realise that I have dyslexia and that I’m not stupid. I was derided in school in the same way as the children who couldn’t write with the right hand. It’s a relief to know that these problems have been discovered and dealt with. It saves the person a lot of embarrassment in situations where it’s OK to say I can’t because I’m a ciotóg or I’m dyslexic. It really is great to know, Believe me .
Here are the results of this weeks lotto draw which was held on Sunday night,numbers drawn were 3,5,8,16,and the Jackpot was not won. €100 went to Grace Dennehy, The seller was Paula Healy and she got €50 sellers prize, €50 went to Emma Murphy C/O Colemans. €20 each went to Ml. Twomey C/O Tom Carroll, Lorraine Hickey C/O Colemans, Kiaran Curtin C/O Centra West End,. M&M, C/O Angela Kelleher, Mick Dunn C/O The Clara Inn, Cullen GAA, C/O Jerry Lehane, John Duggan ,C/O Colemans and Breda Cronin, Priests Cross. Jackpot for next week €17,000 the Draw on November 7th.
Some people use the same numbers every time, some win some don’t. In my experience of selling lotto tickets over the years one set of numbers keep coming up. In the pub when pubs were pubs, asking a fellow for numbers ,nine times out of ten he would say 4,7,11, and the fourth one could be anything, but the first three definitely 4,7,11. They were perhaps more significant than a lot of people think, especially among those of my own vintage. 4.7.11 was a beautiful perfume in my young days and when a lad wanted to impress a lady it would be his first choice, if he had the price of it. Sometimes called Cologne, after the German city where it was made. Then last week when glancing through the results of a big win on the National Lottery my eyes stood out when the first three figures were none other than 4,7,11. Proving that they are still in circulation. The reminder sent me searching my dressing table in places less traveled these days,and sure enough there I found the tiny bottle of the precious balm. Still full as if it were too good to be used, still capable of bringing back lovely moments. Memories are made of this .
The November issue of the IRD Duhallow Monthly has arrived and it is well worth a read. They never fail to give us lots of ideas and news of all the help that is available through their wonderful organisation . Give them a call at 029 60633, for details. My thoughts were further jogged this week when watching one of my favourite TV cooks Rich Stein, doing what he does best . This time he was promoting the glories of Streaky Bacon, a subject I remarked on a couple of weeks back. This time he was in Germany where the lesser known parts of the pig get pride of place. The knuckle which we often get ready cooked in our own Supermarkets was put on his plate as a treat and he then cooked the piece of Belly and presented it looking all juicy and inviting. Leaving my own mouth watering for a bite.
45Drives are going well every week at our Canon O’Donovan Centre on Tuesday nights at 8.30, Admission €10 and in Ballydaly on Sunday nights ,Admission €5. Again with an 8.30 start. Many others like to play Bridge on line, from the comfort of their own homes. Coffee at the Wallis Arms every Thursday from 10.30 am, while the walk in the Park after 10 am Mass or at any time never fails to add sparkle to our day. It is for us all to find what suits us best and enjoy it.
We are all asked to dig deep for the church door collection ,this weekend in aid of Trocáire for the West African crisis.
Our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to all those who lost loved ones in recent times, and wish a speedy recovery to those who are worried, sick at home or in hospital on this special day,the Feast of All Souls. The special Mass for all those who passed away in Millstreet and Ballydaly in 2021 will be said on Saturday evening.
Sin a bhfuil, a chairde. Slán agus Beannacht libh go léir.
