Michael [apropos of nothing at all, I assure you]: Mummy, do you know how chemotherapy works?
Me: I do, I suppose, if somebody has cancer, it kills the cancer cells but it kills other cells too. So it can make people really sick.
Michael: No, it kills the fast growing cells; that’s why all their hair falls out. Would you like to know about GHD?
Me: Um, no, that’s ok. Have you been reading the Medikidz books again?
Archives for January 2013
Life’s Rich Tapestry
I am pulling together a pub quiz team. My friend R and his wife have said they will come though he has warned me “our knowledge is more likely to be largely congruent rather than complementary.” I am keen to get a sporting expert for our team. R asked could he bring his [adult] children? By all means, bring offspring, said I, particularly if sound on Gaelic games.
His reply: “Believe it or not, S played on the Hanoi team at a South-East Asia Gaelic football tournament in Saigon. I don’t think I would have regarded this as a likely prospect when I was reading about Viet Nam in Time Magazine every week in 1968.”
Timing is Everything
Me: Well done everyone, we’re in good time today. We’re going to be early for school. [Glancing at the dashboard clock] Well, maybe not early but we definitely won’t be late.
Herself: It’s called “being on time” Mum.
Overheard
As I was walking past the GPO, I heard an Australian say to a woman who was posting a letter, “Do you by any chance know what the Easter Rising is?”
That is all. Maybe you had to be there.
2012 in Review
This review consists of the first line from the first entry of every month and a photo from each month and the odd comment from me in italics. It’s very thrilling, now, so hold on to your hats.
January
When going through my posts to make yesterday’s list, I was slightly surprised to discover that I read 37 other books which were not on my bedside table in 2011.
Ah, yes, still the best new year’s resolution ever.
February
We’ve given up watching the news in the evenings; so, in fact, we’ve given up watching television altogether because all our TV watching consisted of the news and an hour of vain channel hopping thereafter.
Actually, we’re still largely off the news but we have acquired a number of box sets – Outnumbered and the Big Bang Theory. Don’t judge. Photo of first of many trips to Charles Fort this year. The children are tired of it.
March
We went to visit the President’s House.
We also laid in extensive supplies for the Princess’s birthday.
April
Michael eats nothing at dinner.
Michael eats even less now. The view is taken from our most successful family walk of the year.
May
Look, Daniel has shark teeth.
June
Michael reads and re-reads a lot of Asterix and Tintin.
July
Michael:Is there mass on Sunday?
Not the attitude you would expect from a small boy who loved bible camp in Garryvoe.
August
Mr. Waffle was restored to us.
And we went back to France where this photo was taken.
September
Another beautiful day made more beautiful by the certain knowledge that our fellow citizens at home were continuing to struggle in damp conditions.
This is a bit out of synch because I wrote about August in September. As you do. That line was written when we were in France. That photo was taken when we were in Kerry.
October
The childminder was talking to me about the children’s homework.
November
Me: You know that Thursday is November 1.
A post every day. And the Dublin Book Festival, where I took the photo.
December
I found this taped to the boys’ bedroom door the other night.
In case you are wondering, they had taped “passport needed to pass this point” on their door. It’s still there.
Library Thing
I was just going through old visa bills. I throw them out after 6 years to make room in the folder. You see my contractual liability expires after 6 years and I won’t need them in court in the event of a disputed bill. Full disclosure: early training as a lawyer can lead to filing difficulties in later life. I see that I paid €19.53 on 16 February 2007 to become a lifetime member of Library Thing. Money well spent, I think.
