I am not in Cork this weekend but I have been for the last three which is a lot of Cork. My infirm relative quota is rising, unfortunately – more details in due course – and I have been pitching in. Related to this, Boots in Cork have been heroic. My aunt was totally on top of her medication but now, not so much. My brother swept all the medication on her desk into a bag and I took it to Boots in Wilton along with her prescription and they a) threw out all the out of date stuff b) blister packed three weeks’ worth of drugs and c) hung on to the extras (disturbing, I feel) to put in to her next prescription. I nearly hugged the pharmacist. I am not sure whether you can appreciate how obliging they were (Mr. Waffle who has heard this story three times, is still unclear) but it was a high point of my engagement with the health sector in recent weeks.
Of course, my pitching in in Cork means Mr. Waffle is solo parenting in Dublin and my children miss me, I assume, in the case of the teenager, and certainly in the case of her brothers. Mr. Waffle’s parents are not as well as they might be either and that brings its own complications.
When I go to Cork, it’s a bit stressful; lots of errands and logistics. I have pitched it thus to everyone. And this is true. Really. But last weekend, when I was there, I snuck out to the Crawford Gallery and saw their new exhibition (which is excellent, incidentally) and, I felt a bit guilty that I wasn’t constantly running so I just didn’t mention my illicit gallery break. I did tweet about the exhibition, safe in the knowledge that my family is indifferent to my tweeting and not among my 234 (gasp) followers. So I was not utterly delighted to get this email from my sister:
From: Her
To: MeTweets making headlines
@Belgianwaffle’s Tweet was featured in Irish Examiner
@CrawfordArtGall Finally got to the #goldyfish exhibition. You were right, it was well worth the wait. I'll be back for another look. pic.twitter.com/eJQXfoLfoL
— Anne (@Belgianwaffle) April 22, 2017
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It’s not like it was a secret but it’s not like I was advertising my gallivanting either.
Relax, we have have an ex prime minister who thinks it’s cool to spend 30 grand on a garden she’d. I have an autistic son, a 91 year old mum who is looked after by my sister and an 80 year old mother in law who is determined to have a mega birthday next week. How do I cope? I only speak to my mother if I start with a full bottle of wine, Ignore the mother in law unless I have a full bottle of scotch, or Irish whisky, and I take my son out on days out and have no idea what to do after. It’s chaos but I am still alive. Relations are a bit complex, yours are charming, do not beat ourself up, you are far nicer than everyone I know.
You might want to drink a little less than me on the therapy front, but if you can keep a chearful front in front of those who need it you are probably getting things right.
Relations are, as you say, complex. Enjoy the mega-birthday…
I wish!
Oh dear.