Win this car for 2 quid! Manchester airport.



The dome of the observetory at Dunsink

Well it has been quite a week,not the usual run of the mill thing. Payed my income tax and went to a relations funeral in Manchester.

Here are a few of my observations from the week.

The king and queen of Belgium decide to have a state visit.Highly escorted processions through rush hour traffic.
One 07 unmarked BMW was driving around that evening without his lights on, then blasting cars out of his way with his sirens when they cut across his path. It would have been funny if someone had hit him.If a taxi was driving without lights the penalty points book would be out.
Perhaps all this chaos is revenge for Roger Casement who tackled the then king of Belgium over his exploitation of the Congo all those years ago.

A guy going to Wellington Rd talking on the phone and to me at the same time,then when he hung up we had an interesting conversation in the end I asked him was this where his office was."No my physio is here,I broke my neck 2 years ago,I must go at least once a week"Lucky guy to be alive and quite mobile.

On the same theme I picked up a fare at the train station, a young girl from Kerry studying to be a physiotherapist. She started out working in the Rehabilitation institute in Dun Laoighre. This is really going in at the deep end.

When you break your spine or have a bad stroke this is where you go,if you are lucky.
She told me of a woman in her 30s who returned from holidays and she had a soreness in he back. It was a tumor on he spine she is paralysed from the neck down.
Or the young 18 year old apprentice electrician now in a wheelchair after a car smash.

This is hard work both on the mental side and the physical side,you have to detach yourself emotionally, they really don't need your pity.
Just a helping hand to get on with their lives.
Your health is your wealth.

I wish you luck girl.

Dark haired girl
"When will it be dark?" Turns out she wanted to go for a driving lesson but wanted to do it before it got dark.She had no money to get professional lessons as she spends all her money on foreign travel.She is going to do her driving test in Italy as she reckons."It will be easier to pass there,as the Italians do not know how to drive"
She looked like at least one of her parents were Italian.
The joke about Italian drivers is "If you ever saw the movie Ben Hur,you will know how they drive in Roma"

At the Westbury an Indian lady going to the Merrion.On the way she gave me a recipe for lamb cooked in Greek youghrt which you marinate overnight with cardinium and a few other herbs. Dropping her off I picked up an Indian man.I told him about the glamouris lady who had just vacated his seat. When I told him a bit about the recipe he said "She is from the south of India,We in the north would not associate with people from the south" Indian people are a divided race,with their cast system etc.
Not that the Irish could ever get on by themselves.

Picked up a guy from the USA. He would have been a great guest for a TV chat show.
His name is Nick Wheelan.
Told me his life story so far in 20 minutes.
He is having a good full life.
He was a military man fought in Korea and 3 tours of duty in Vietnam was wounded each time he went there.
He finished up as a sargent major.
Spoke of his children and grandchildren. All their names etc.
You know it was a pleasure to be in his presence,I could imagine being in a foxhole while he quietly preps his men for the battle ahead.
Off to tour the Guinness factory.
Perhaps you know this guy?
The Irish Times is our leading newspaper and they have just published the old papers going back to 18 something. If you subscribe to the paper you can search back through the years. It is free from all public libraries,schools and universitier in Ireland which have computers.
Picked up a guy in IT coming back from its launch.

Then there was the Italian chef who was going into alternative medicine,

The girl who was into web design and IT.
This is for you

The name of the book is
Rich dad Poor dad By Robert T Kiyosaki /Time Warner paperbacks.

And all the many more beautiful people too numerous to mention.

You know I am happy when the tax is out of the way, last year I had to pay out on the double over a simple error,it has come right this year.
Not like Robert with his e1.5 million bill.

Just a note to say that death is a happy time,we leave this life behind and if we are lucky there will be someone to say a few words to create passion among the mourners.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”


Mary Stevenson

Don't read this at my funeral, Something from Monty Python perhaps.