General Chat

Night All !

Goodnight everyone
sleep well
God Bless,/

Rita

night everyone,
I liked the story about school Dermot.
I've got altar serving duties tomorrow so no lie-in!

Hi everyone

Stephen this women who does the husework for the priest moved there when she lost her husband she came over from America I think it was ? she has started out a Genes thing for people from Brarra who emigrated or their ancestors wants information about the graves so she is setting up a book on the names dates etc of the people buried in that cemetery and as many of the graves have relation also buried in the grave she is doing a test to find out how many coffins are in each grave so they prod to find out. as they cannot dig to find out, then she catalogues them so when someone abroad inquires she has the details and goes and takes a photo of the grave with the inscriptions clear and sends them off to that person who asked. It is a great thing she is doing.

Dermot brilliant once again reading your life story.
you really should make a book of it. I am sure people will buy because of the interesting things you have in it.you make it all come to life.

Rita

Yvonne,

Think I mentioned before. I have been a Fence Marshall at their Cross Country Events.
What a skill to control those big horses over the fences.
I'd be sh** scared.

lovely story Dermot, keep them coming

Stephen, no haven't heard of the centre but just had a look at their website, it looks a fantastic place

Dermot,

Magic reading your script.

School Days - as I remember them, warts & all.

Our junior school - or as it was known in 1950s Ireland - National School - was a less than impressive-looking building. But, this is my opinion of the building when I last set eyes on it in 2006 when the building was being used by an Antiques Dealer. Teaching there ceased in 1970 through lack of students. My sister was a member of that final year.

The school was built in c.1870 in a place called Doogarry on a sparse patch of land donated to the Church. At that time & for many generations thereafter, the running of the Irish junior education was ‘out-sourced’ to the Catholic clergy who, in many respects, acted as local school managers. School committees did not exist - so, the Priest was the boss & the teachers knew that very well particularly when teaching appointments would be made.

Our teacher was Miss Fox - known generally as Mary Fox. She was a spinster lady who I found out many years later that she once went on a date with my dad before he married. Goodness me - that snippet of information might have been of some use to me - if only I had known about it then.

Miss Fox was assisted by Miss Claire Fraine, a youngish lady who lived locally with her parents. She was a lovely singer & she used to be responsible for music & song teaching for the whole school - consisting of about sixty boys & girls.

The building consisted of two classrooms with side-halls for hanging up our overcoats & lunchtime if the weather was poor. Lunch consisted of a home-made sandwich with, perhaps, a bottle of fresh milk from our own cows. The little play area was divided into boys & girls just in case any hanky-panky took place - as if. Indeed, the playground was of poor quality & in no time at all, it was not much better than being in a mud bath.

We had the occasional ‘mud fight’ using the damp earth like you would snowballs. One such afternoon had some unforeseen consequences.

One particular young chap seemed to have come out of the commotion very badly. His clothes were covered in an unmerciful coat of soft mud. Within minutes of lunchtime coming to an end, Miss Fraine marched him into our class room & accused one of us as being the main culprit. Surprisingly, our teacher Miss Fox stood up for us & a falling-out took place between the two teachers.

The result of this was that Miss Fraine refused to help our class anymore on the music/singing front. Poor Miss Fox was a really good teacher but, as far as singing was concerned, she hadn’t a musical note in her head. But, she was not for giving-up or, like Mrs Thatcher, she was not for turning or running away in a fight.

She did her best, nevertheless, to teach us a few songs. Most of them I have long forgotten & the only one I remember & can sing it poorly to this day is called ‘The Last Rose of Summer’. It’s a short song with words by Irish poet Thomas Moor composed in 1805 & was subsequently set to music by Sir John Stevenson. You can listen to it on YouTube by various singers.

It was an honour to our family that a past pupil of the old school sung ‘The Last Rose of Summer’ at my mum’s funeral service in 2004. Both Miss Fox & Miss Fraine have also passed on to their eternal reward & I doubt that the mud throwing episode all those years ago has any significance to them now.

Long may both teachers be fondly remembered by past pupils like my sister & myself.

Yvonne,

I have had contact with Oatridge College Equestrian Centre near Edinburgh.

It's generally known as SNEC........Scottish National Equestrian Centre.

Some lovely horses on the Campus.

Have you heard of it ?

hi everyone

we had a chinese takeaway tonight too, it was very nice,

had nice weather today, sunny but tomorrow looks a bit grim. Been a good girl today, cleaned all my horse's tack, it needed it.

x

Rita,

Many years ago my wife and I walked all the Hebridean Islands.

The people were so kind

All worked at various things not just one job.

They kept cattle, sheep, hens, geese, ducks etc.

Many had hand looms in their homes and made Harris Tweed.That was good to see.

Burials.....because some of the Islands have little soil on them it is a common practice to take out the last coffin, remove the bones and place them in the new coffin going into the grave.

Evening all, just testing to see if you WERE listening to what I was saying. lol

Nah, got some TATERS and PARSNIPS.

I dont need any more piercings. I have had me ears pierced 4 times. Although I now only wear 3 in one ear, and 2 in the other. Dont want to appear common do I. My little bit of rebellion. Really, HATE tattoos.

Marilyn, short of surgery, NOTHING, would make me look younger, certainly NOT piercings. lol

See ya later.

Maddie
x

Hello Stephen
It looks lovely on the island. they were saying that nearly everyone keep cattle as a second hobby in some cases because of the food they need. one made me laugh they enter in a show once a year and old Alice wins every year with her chickens. this year the old fellow is going to win so he said wih special chickens I have never seen chickens like it they look like they are off to a party with lovely coats on. and they lay loads of eggs.even the priest keep chickens and sheep.
It must be a hard life for them during the winter months.

Rita

Evening All !

Rita/ Patricia,

The Isle of Barra is beautiful. The Church, 'Our Lady Star of The Sea' has a fantastic location.

Barra I think is named after St.Barr who was the first Bishop of Ireland,
I'm not too good with dates but I think it was around the year 600 when he came to the Island.

I've had my yacht to Barra a few times and like all the Hebridean Islands I find it fascinating and the people are wonderful.

The passenger planes take off and land on the beach. Great to watch.

Afternoon everyone
Well it has been a day of variety here with the weather.
I walked to the papershop this morning for hubby as he is leaving at 5:00 this week, and does love his saturday paper..... it lasts him all week. It was overcast and had just stopped raining.
Then I had a bit of a tidy up, before reading a book I am half way through.
After lunch the sun was just about up. Well I found so many things growing in the garden I hadn't seen from the house. I cleared away some dead leaves and twigs from the trees and pine needles too. Filled a green bag for the recycling on Monday. I found Crocuses, Primroses, a type of hosta and so much else begining to shoot. Veronica, Clematis and Camelia oh and the rhododendrons. I have lemon balm really galloping ahead and that smells so nice when you crush it by accident.
Then it became rather dark and we had a storm with hail stones, sudden and short lived.
Well more reading before hubby came home.
Might do some cross stitch tonight or just keep on reading

Have a good evening

Linda :o) XxX

Hello, I'm back, lol. no need to send Fluffy Paws to the rescue !!

Marilyn hope your grandaughter gets her mobile back and congratulations on her marathon efforts.
Maddie what tattoo are you having done?

Had a snooze after I finished ironing and I can't be bothered to cook so OH is getting a chinese takeaway.

Hope everyone is well

Cath xx

where ever my sister and I went on holiday she always went to Mass never missed it if she could help. she went in France and in Brusslls and also in Italy and Switzeland as well as Belgian, as when we went to Iper. she also went to the DOM in Germany that one made me laugh she said they never sing the songs to the last verse only the first. she also went while we were in Paris as she speaks French Italian Spanish and some german she was Ok. she visits America a lot as her children were born there and her son still lives there she said I didnt go while I was in China or Japan..
Rita

I am still busy on this History of Willesden what a job this is.

Marilyn
A couple of years ago I was in Germany visiting my niece. Luckily it was the feast of Peter and Paul becuase the mass was in German. My niece left me there because she doesn't go to mass.
I didn't know if Maddie was joking about the tattoo. Enjoy Chinese.
Going to get myself a cup of coffee.

Oh that's nice Pat when I was in Canada I went to the local Church for mass and it was in Polish, I never had a choice of masses as it was the only one !! But a Polish lady sat next to me wanted a conversation before mass started ....I was embarrassed because she thought I was Polish !!.

At least she smiled at me thought-out mass ..

Maddie ....What are you doing having a TATTOO .& Piercing !!!......
It wont make you any younger ...LOL

I have friends coming for a Chinese tonight from Morris*ns .. just a last minuet thought .on my behalf , cant be bothered to cook.
Wine chilling in the fridge......

Grand daughter did her marathon 3/4 mile ....... and said it was easy grandma ..LOL
But left her prized mobile on the coach so had to let the school know , so hoping its been found by the driver as it was hired by the school for the day .

Just got back from shops dying for a cuppa....

Rita,
A handful of the residents on Barra are Polish and the Polish priest and some of his friends had come over to say the mass in Polish for the Polish community.