The joys of good living

Spent most of last week in France with the Fabulous Galway Gospel Choir. We did two gigs and had a ball with a choir of lunatics from a French choir called Contre Ut et Maree, which means something very clever in French. The frivolity was compounded by the fact that I , being a good little catlick, had given up the dhrink for Lent, (with the exception of St. Patrick's day. Not drinking on the feast of the Patron Saint of Ireland is still a mortal sin, seemingly). I got happily soused on fumes. Roll on November. Heading off with a million under twelve rugby players to London this weekend for a blitz at London Irish. the kids will be fine, it's the half a million parents going with them that worry me!

Up and down the Wesht Coast

had two journeys over the weekend. Sunday I drove to a funeral in Doonbeg, Kilrush co. Clare, via Gort and Ennistymon, and came back on the coast road through Lahinch, Milltown Malbay, etc. The Burren was spectacularly beautiful in the evening sunshine and the bejewelled sea was a treasure. Monday Morning early left Galway with a car full of sleepy gospel singers in the pissing rain. Mike McGoldrick belted out of the speakers as we headed north through Ballinrobe and as we went on through Mayo towards Castlebar the clouds dispersed. After a quick coffee and pee break we drove on for Belmullet to sing at a wedding. Ry Cooder took over as we took the undulating route northwest through long expanses of bogland with mountains cutting the horizon. The sun beamed down on the countryside. The wedding was lovely, apart from the singing which was, well, lobvely too!:). We were very well looked after by Isobelle and Brian and their friends and family. Came back down the long and winding road with the Beatles singing in sympathy. What had seemed like a couple of chores over the bank holiday weekend ended up being thoroughly enjoyable. Sure It's a greeeeeeat little country really!

Breaking news........Jesus does a runner!

Daughter number two has a very busy Easter coming up. She's singing in a children's choir at a local church and they're reenacting the stations of the cross on Good Friday, and singing on Easter Sunday. She has been cast as the Good Thief, which she doesn't really know how to react to. I think she likes the idea of the baddy turned good, high street cred quotient and the ability to diss all the other baddies fron her high horse, or in this case... high cross. But when anyone mentions her role she looks straight into their eyes looking for the slightest hint of amusement or mockery. A scary sight I can tell you! Anyway, they went for a practice laat night to find that the kid who was cast as Jesus didn't show up. Pandemonium reigned for about twenty minutes, and the normally beatific lady who looks after the kids tunrned scary as a high priest who smelt a nest of blasphemers. After much soul searching the job was given to an adult who was in the vicinity and had the required level of maturity to accept his destiny or lack of speed needed to do a legger. No wonder Jesus waited till he was no spring chicken before he started stirring the.... hearts and minds. In the meantime keep an eye out for a ten year old fugitive with a long dress and a dodgy beard. Let's be careful out there!

Good News

So the smart money says that the newspaper industry is bolloxed. We all get our news faster, free and for nothing on the interweb. I buy the paper less regularly. monday and wednesday for the sports supplement, tuesday for the Health supplement (for my lady wife btw) and saturday for the review section, sport, tely guide etc. Don't bother with a sunday except every second week or so, depending on the front page stories, sports reports which interest me, or free dvd. This cut back is not for monetary reasons, although the arse of my trousers ios getting thinner by the day. No. It's because the news is so scary, irritating to maddening and depressing so much of the time.
We need more good news. I know that the common knowledge is that newspapers dedicated to good news stories wouldn't last pissing time, because there are so few that don't involve dogs saving drowning babies and singing frogs or other such wierdness. I believe that there are many more good news stories that could be published that could cheer the world just as long as they didn't have to be true. No problem there, as a large proportion of stories and opinion pieces in the papers habve little or no connection with the truth. So cheer us all up. tell us the good news. Leave a positive post here. Lie through your teeth if necessary. If you can't think of one send money to help me employ some good cheerful liers. you know it makes sense!!

Ears to you Mrs Robinson

I know the madness that yer man Wincent must have suffered. At present Son number one is eviscerating the bowels of a cheap chinese fiddle, Son number three is practicing singing for his leaving cert musical exam. He selected the six songs for same on the eve of his exam i.e. yesterday. Daughter number one is practicing the piano and singing bloody "Run" for her junior cert exam on Friday in which I'm apparently backing her. Daughter number two practices the piano nicely for about three minutes, comes out and asks if that was twenty minutes, when disabused of that notion she stamps back in and beats the shite out of the poor piano for the remainder of her(and our)sentence. My wife is addicted to Elbow, whioh, though quite pleasant and soulful means I'm scared shitless every time I turn the key in the ignition of the car, in case my head is going to be lifted off by the same Elbow. Add to the mix a barking dog and a persistantly hungry cat, sure wouldn't anyone be into lopping a couple of ears off!