General Chat

Night All.

Jean,

Great to see you on the Thread again.

Just take it easy for a wee while.

NO SIX BAR GATE JUMPING......until next week.

Maddie,

That's the life o' Riley

Great.

I liked to know who Riley was.

Thank you again Dermot for your "stories". They are so interesting and paint a beautiful picture.
Like Pat I have never been to Ireland,though I have one branch of my family who married into the army and then in the early 1900's emigrated to Canada.
I have met descendants of this branch of my father's family whilst visiting my mothers sisters family. Quite uncannily they lived within walking distance of each other !!!
Cath I hope you get the cars sorted quickly and without too much expense. I know how evryone depends upon their cars, not sure how much you do with all you family duties.
Marilyn please don't enjoy too many G&T's or you will have to go to confession sooner rather than later, for enjoying yourself too much. Can't wait to be in the same boat as you and enjoying a few cocktails !!
I got all the washing sorted and the ironing done before we went out for a walk. It was dry but overcast and dull and cool. At least we got out. Saw lots of spring flowers begining to come into flower and many shrubs starting to bud up. Spring might just be around the corner.

Catch you all tomorrow

Linda :o) XxX

PS Hi Maddie and Jean who posted while I was typing.
Jean sorry you might have to find new homes for some of your horses. But I think it might be to do with looking after Scarlett? If so I hope everything is OK Linda X

Hello everyone, hope you have all had a nice weekend though it sounds like you have all been very busy.
Rita it sounds like you had a lovely birthday, I do hope Mike and the rest of your family are well, and you yourself of course.
Mo I hope you are feeling better now. I bet Lilly has grown a lot now, bet you love her to bits.
Cath hope you get your car fixed soon.
Dermot when are you going to have a go at that book,
Stephen sounds like you have had a few busy days, but I bet Mrs Stephen appreciates it.
Yvonne how is your lovely horse, bet you are looking forward to the Spring/Summer then you can ride a lot more.
Pat, Pauline, Maddie, Mailyn hope you are all ok.
Shelly how is your little boy? hope his head is not painful now and his lump has gone down.
Oh I do hope I haven't forgotten anyone, if I have am sorry, my memory is getting worn out lol.
I have decided that I cant look after my horses as I like to so have put out feelers for homes for them, but will keep my vardo horse.
Go with God and in good health.
Jeniwren xx

very interesting Dermot,
I've never been to Ireland. I'll have to go there one day.
Majestics do coach tours to Ireland. Perhaps next year!

The Language of Irish Music & Song.

Much of the mysterious power of Irish music & song lies in ability to speak on issues that, perhaps, words alone cannot seem to address. They are particularly powerful because of their multiple connections with the history of the Irish people at home & abroad. Far flung Irish Diaspora was the outcome of one of the greatest calamities ever to befall a nation - the ‘curse’ of emigration.

The first great wave of Irish hit American shores during the New World’s colonisation in the sixteenth century - now, that’s a good while ago! Mostly young Catholic men braved the eight to ten weeks voyage over stormy seas in crowded ships in the hope of working their way onto their patch of land during the earliest settlements in America.

As they cleared the brush & scrub, they helped to till another man’s acres while they pined for the small country they had left behind. At those times, Catholics in Ireland were seldom landowners or capable of economic prosperity.

The very act of setting out to find new opportunities in a foreign land ran counter to an Irishman’s Gaelic roots. The native language - Gaeilge - had no word to describe for willingly departing the homeland. Perhaps this accounts for the great sense of loss that the words of many of the oldest songs convey.

The Irish had enjoyed a rich cultural life brimming with creative & artistic expressions. Their music & songs were filled with myths & legends of the ancient Celts. There were also tales of the spirit world of pre-Christian Ireland & the fairy folk who lived there - a life system that existed happily side-by-side with Christianity for centuries thereafter.

Every community had musicians & singers - they still do. Every ancient Chieftain had poets, genealogists, bards, harpers & historians all of whom contributed generously to the rich cultural life of a then populace deprived of formal education by the political system of the period.

Obstacles to gaining fame & fortune were many. The cost of crossing the Atlantic was equivalent to six months pay at the time - where was Ryanair? Emigrants were packed into damp bacteria-infected ships. Food during the journey was scarce & the quality generally poor. Diseases, such as dysentery & cholera, were rampant on the ships. Those who perished on the journey were slipped quietly into the sea without much ceremony.

Hard times indeed!

Hope you get your car fixed soon Cath x

Evening everyone, apologies for my absence.
Car problems all weekend!! I spent yesterday helping my daughter whose clutch went and today searching for a minor part for mine with no luck.

Rita glad you had a lovely day yesterday.
Hope you are all well, be back tomorrow

Cath xx

Well done on all your hard work Stephen. But then it is a labour of love for Mrs Stephen isn't it, but she's worth it isn't she.
What a wonderful tribute to Norman and Ian. Obviously wonderful memories of the three of you together,at the top of Buchaille Etive Mor.
I bet you were proper wee devils when you were all together.
I hope your daughter feels better tomorrow.

Linda,well done on your Parcels for Bulgaria. They must be so grateful to receive them, as they are so badly needed. Knitted garments add extra warmth in a country that can be so cold.

Maddie, Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. And there's you being Mrs Wishy Washy doing all your laundry.
I hope you have been able to relax this evening,ready for the onslaught tomorrow.

Shelly, poor little legs, banging his head like that, Ahhhhhhh bless him.
But I bet he's a toughy though, with his uncles egging him on. Boy's will be boys. LOL

Pauline, I am addicted to my grandchildrens Wii, they bring it here every
Christmas,and we have games amongst the family.
We don't have one ourselves, but at one time,Roly was talking about getting one himself. But I know it would be a five minute wonder with him.

Hope you are still enjoying yourselves Marilyn. Well thats a stupid thing to say really, how can you not be. lol
I hope you asked for forgiveness in advance at mass this morning, before going home and imbibing of the intoxicating liquer.

Like you Pat, I would rather go to friends or family, on the royal wedding day.
I wouldn't go if I did get an invite, to much pomp and splendour for my liking.
It's nice to be able to let your hair down on occasions like weddings,and not to have to worry, in case you say or do something wrong.

Money all counted.
Going to have a cup of coffee and some cream doughnuts. I've only got 2 so I might as well eat them. Sorry!

Cake......Jelly and Ice Cream.......Yummy ! Thanks Rita.

It's dark now so work has stopped for the day. Good progress made.

It's all looking nice and fresh, needless to say Mrs Stephen is now comparing the rest of the paintwork in the other rooms. Hey Ho ! I know whats coming next.

They can keep their Royal Wedding. If I'm not invited along with all the rest of the Friendly Thread it will be a rather dull affair.

We could show them how to have real fun. A day they would never forget.

What about gate crashing it anyway?

My daughter is very poorly. She must be bad as she never complains about being ill. Mrs Stephen has gone to her house to help out a bit. Thank goodness we are not too far away from her.

Next Saturday I will be heading for Glencoe. A night in the tent by the side of the burn. Then a climb up Buchaille Etive Mor on Sunday.

It's a climb of pilgrimage. Three of us used to go every year when we could manage on the last Sunday in February. This had been going on since 1965. With few exceptions we managed every year.

The last few years I have been going alone. Both of my friends are now dead. I will drink to their memory on Saturday night and place a rock on the summit cairn on Sunday. Norman and Ian were the kind of chaps you wanted around you in a tough situation.

It wont be a morbid pilgrimage but one filled with happy memories of our days together.

Gonna have something to eat and relax a bit.

Catch you later.

evening all

baby is fine his second head as gone down alot
just a bruse there now and still runing around driveing me crazy

i dont see why sarah fergison need to go to the wedding any way as she is not family any more

and andrew may have a new girl friend that he want to take

Hi all,

Pat.... Sarah lives in Dolphin house next door to Andrew's Royal lodge in Windsor Great Park.
I believe Sarah does go for meals with the family ,as her daughters live with Andrew .
I know she also has an apartment in New York and is in USA most of her time on USA TV ....I'm sick of seeing her on TV so often , I think the Americans have got wind of her now and she is fading a bit now that she has been on ALL the talk shows !!

Just having lunch now......& G&T well I'm on holiday ...LOL

EDIT ...Ironing !!!!!!!!.... what's that ??????

Marilyn,
Air Conditioning is use your bulletin as a fan!
Pauline as if!
I don't see why Fergie can't go to the wedding. She and Andrew live in the same house!
As far as I'm concerned the Wedding of the year is my God-daughters wedding. That's on the 7th May. I know I've been invited becuase jusyt before Christmas i received a card saying that Rebecca was getting married to to keep the day free. A formal invite will be sent later.

I dont blame them not invitining Sarah FERGUSON to the wedding she would sell all the details to the newspapers.and get in on all the talk to find out all the little bits people would not like told.
I use to like her till she started selling herself as being royal and her husband must be silly letting her get a way with half of it.
Marilyn glad you have such good weather we could do with some of that here.
I dont like ironing not one of my favourite jobs that and cleaning windows, both these jobs i like when I was younger.
Yvonne I hope your FI L has a great time on his 82nd birthday. I looked at Jean birthday list and they have another Rita who will be 80 soon I wonder if it could be one of my friends from school we use to have three Rita at school on the same age in as much our brthdays were a few days after each other.min e being the first.

It is getting dark here and cold. I had no heating on till a few minutes ago didnt need it.
Love
Rita

Afternoon everyone

Pleased you had a good day yesterday Rita, my fil will be 82 this year.

thanks for the piece of cake it went down well with my cup of coffee

I agree with you Pauline, I wouldn't invite Fergie. She hasn't figured much in William's life has she.

Hope you are feeling better Jean

Just finished two loads of washing, it's in the drier now. I don't do ironing unless some thing really needs it.


x

Afternoon all.

Marilyn, my invitation says 'And Guest', so if you haven't got one.......... you can go with me.

Dermot, I wouldn't invite the ex wife of one of my uncles to a wedding......... unless my uncle asked me to.

Pleased to see you had a lovely birthday Rita, bet you didn't know you were so popular. It was worth being 80 just to find out.

Hope you're managing to keep warm Stephen....... without bothering Mrs Stephen.

Aww Shelly, how's our little man today? Has the lump gone down yet?

Mo, you're supposed to catch the jelly and ice cream when it comes through the cyber hatch, no wonder it makes a mess if you let it fall on the floor.

Dermot, you could probably write a book of One-liners.

Linda, I've only played on a Wii once, it can be quite addictive. I'll have the kids here this week, with it being half term, so I might be having another go at it.

Pat, I hope you don't keep a record of how much everyone put in the collection - so the Father can read the names out next week............ like Dermot's childhood memories.

Leave that iron out Maddie, I've got a wash-load just finishing, I'll send them down the hatch as soon as they come out of the dryer.

Cath must be busy making dinner for her troops.

Jean, hope you're feeling better today.

~~~~~~~~~~ to Yvonne and Lady.

In one of yesterday's newspapers, it was reported that Sarah Ferguson will not be invited to William & Kate's wedding. Sarah & Andrew's two daughters will be there.

If the story is true, do you think that our beloved Monarch made a mistake by not including the Duchess of York?

Hello All,

Off to mass.........hope its air conditioned !!

Going on a tour of grand houses this afternoon , its run by the Women Club of Fort Myers beach ,6 spectacular homes that are lived in ,and left to the woman's club for the day to greet folks that pay $20 for the tour.... all moneys go to charities...... the owners go out for the day !!

I'll be well cheesed off if I want one.......LOL

Still very hot ,but must not complain.....I have been reading all the forecast from back home and I can see its not good.

Have any off you had an invitation for the Wedding of the year ????? just hoping mines on the mat when I get home ...LOL


Back later.....x