Welcome 2020

Well it is all over for another year and there is a website which gives you a countdown until the next season of madness.

I am sick! Its the first time in years, but I am getting better slowly.

I suppose now is the time when you promise to treat your customers better in the future and not to take things at face value.
I was hemmed in in traffic one day when this guy came stumbling over and I couldn't escape. When he got in he said thank God, I couldn't get a taxi at all they think that I am drunk I have MS.
A really nice guy, he raced motorbikes when he was younger.

Your health is your wealth, look after it







Here is a tradition in German households around this time of year

A happy and pieceful Christmas to you all

 Peace in our time is a reality for us here and now.
For many thousands of people famine and warfare are all around.

Greed and corruption make the children suffer.

It is time to let Gerry Lynch tell the story of the time that piece broke out in the middle of madness.

May all the Gods bless you all

Just 4 days left

 I still have photo problems

Well the madness is coming to an end.
Google and Facebook and the hundreds of smaller companies have sent their boys and girls home to the four corners of the world.
Now it is starting to settle down.

Three cheers to a truck driver who sorted out a problem in a flash.
A girl was going to jump from a motorway flyover and the driver saw it.
How he thought of the solution so quick is a miracle.
He stopped his container truck directly below her climbed on to the container and blocked her.

A taxi driver saw a girl in distress, she had been robbed, phone and cash gone.
The taxi driver brought her to a police station and they took a statement. He took her to a shop for water and tissues, then they went to her sisters house.
No one would answer the door, so he drove her to Bray {A €50+ fair)
She said thanks and went into her parents house.

She forgot to pay him but was on the radio thanking him.

We all have kids and most of us try to do our best.

"God give me a chance to do good today"
A simple taxi drivers prayer.

Going on from the last post.
I had a charity worker who was working with desperate starving people in Africa.
He said that a group of celebrities came over, he hoped that the publicity would help.
They arrived and stayed in a five star hotel miles from the camp.
The money that it cost to host them for the few days that they were there would have fed the entire camp for a week. They went away without coming n ear to the camp.

His biggest complaint was that aid workers were exploiting young girls in a food for sex scandal.

Guess what ?
No one would listen to him.

Well someone is listening now it was in the news yesterday.click here

Anyhoo if you Google it there is more to find.

A horror exposed

I am disgusted by a person I once greatly admired.

Johnnie Walker is going to prison for sexually abusing his adopted daughter since she was 11 years old.
Shit!
How could anyone destroy a life like he has done ?.
He took it to trial and made her go over the 40 charges she put against him, living the horror all over again.

His sentence was less than 8 years !
For destroying a young persons life it is not enough by far.

If I was the judge I would give him one year in prison and then fry him in the electric chair.
After all he is in his 80s

He was the organizer of the children's day out.
This event took mentally handicapped children out for the day.

God when you do that run once you realize that you yourself have no problems.

Here is Johnny 10 years ago entertaining some wonderful Liverpool girls and being himself.

People passing through

 That last post was from Mike a real native American Indian, he contacted me many years ago and sadly he passed away from Cancer.
He thought me a lot about understanding people.
I just thought I would commemorate him again.


The university exams are on and I got a run to the RDS exam center, The mother wanted him to be on time and got a taxi to be sure.
On arrival he got out and we went to drive away.
"Wait! stop he has come back out, something is wrong"
So she ran up to him, he had gone in the wrong door.

"He is a very nervous boy, his brother was much more self assured.
He was murdered in the Philippines"
I went into caretaker mode.
That is awful and I am so sorry to hear of your tragic loss I said.

"I tried for years to have his killers brought to justice, I am not rich and the Police are corrupt and lazy.
So I came to Ireland to put it behind me".
I suggested to her that she must draw a line under the horrible tragedy as it is probably affecting her other son far more than she might think.
She paid me and was hopping out when I said God bless you and a safe and happy Christmas.
It had a great effect on her, like a blessing from the Pope himself.
I wish them well for sure.

So talking of the Philippines.
I met a really tall girl from there and she had fantastic English.
God she could be a model, she is working in Finland and heading to Dublin in the hear future. 
I really wish her the best of luck with that. 
If you want to move here you have to know someone who knows lots of people, accommodation is so scarce. For example Google have taken a long term lease on a new development of apartments beside me. 
A 6 minute walk to the Dart and into Google HQ in 20 mins.
So you move in and you cannot leave or you will loose your apartment as well.

It has happened in America as well when the big guns arrived the locals get pushed out and rents soar.
Network, Network is the way to go.

A girl told me that she looked at a room and the landlord told her that "NO you don't have your own room, you have this side of the double bed, the other girl is from Poland, she will be back at 7pm if you want to meet her". She kept looking. 

I am sorry that there has been no photos for a long time.
In a few days I am having the existing photos taken off the computer and then it will be able to unload all the new ones.

A taxi driver at the airport was having a bad day and he took it out on his passengers.
At journeys end he told his passenger and his dad that they were a poor excuse for a human being!!!! 
Well they were both legal eagles barristers in fact.
So they had their day in court and the old judge fined the taxi driver something like €800 OUCH 

Then there was the guy who claimed to be a Garda who assaulted a taxi driver and walked from court click here to read about it

Here is the video
 

Mike

 So I have arrived to a point where I give you a story from Injin Mike.

His blog is a testimony to his great humanity.

Alas he is not with us any longer.

This story is of self sacrifice and a reminder that other people are good and given the chance they will make the ultimate sacrifice for others.

God bless you Mike I miss your emails

 

 

 

Elise.....

.....arrived one winter day in March of my 11th year. It was a Saturday and my Uncle 'F' and his wife had gone to the small city on an 'errand'. Rather an unusual occurrence in winter, especially on the sketchy backwoods roads of Maine in the 1950s. Around two in the afternoon I heard his old Studebaker straining and spinning its way up into Uncle 'Rs' barnyard. Going out to see why he'd come here rather than his farm across the road, I saw a tall (to me) willowy slip of a young lady climb from the back seat.
   Being of the tender prepubescent age of eleven, I was immediately fascinated by this slender, but well shaped young woman. Breaking my through hypnotic reverie, F's wife was introducing this vision of wonder to me, me! I managed to awake from my stupor in time to hear that her name was Elise Cote and she was F's wife's cousin from France. The reason for her coming wasn't revealed then and I actually learned the details later from my aunt E. In those times you were thought, and rightly so, to be rude to inquire after such personal information. In many ways I miss things being that way, but in many other ways I relish the openness that has forced 'family problems' into the open. If you read the first few posts of this blog you'll find my reason for feeling so strongly about this issue.
    As the winter morphed into a gorgeous spring, I learned a deal more about our quiet guest. She spoke English with a smooth and lilting French accent, made all the more sensuous to my young self by the mellow, soft tones of her voice. She was nineteen and would be twenty in mid-summer, she read every chance she got. Aunt 'E' placed her in the room at the top of the rear stairs beside the 'dry' bathroom with the lime toilet. She decorated her room strangely in my opinion, simply a collection of mismatched dolls, stuffed animals, crinkled photos of groups of children, and other odd mementos of things from her past.
   As summer burst forth she and my, quite smitten, young self started to venture for walks in late afternoon before supper and evening chores. Our steps seemed to always draw us to a spot beside where the small brook emptied into our farm pond. There was a large flat rock and we'd just lie there in mutual silence watching clouds or sit observing the fish in the clear pond water. I didn't dare ask many questions, like why she always wore a headscarf that covered her face starting just behind her beautiful blue eyes. The scarves invariably were worn in the same manner and she never was seen (by me) without one on. Her features were near perfection and her hair was very dark brown and slightly wavy. She helped around the house and taking care of the elderly folks in residence at the time during the day and evening. Then she'd retreat to her room where I'd have been dispatched several times carrying buckets of hot water. I wondered if she bathed herself with the scarf on. One of life's mysteries.
    Another mystery was why a doctor from Canada came to visit her once a month and always entrusted my aunt E with a package when he departed. As a former nurse she kept a locked medicine cabinet where the packages invariably were deposited. Elise also seemed to shy away from fireplaces, stoves, direct sunlight, etc. At our rock she'd always remark how nice it was that somebody planted a huge oak tree so it allowed a great view of the sky while shading us from the sun's rays. Some days she'd even wade into the pond in pants and blouse, but never allowing her head to get wet. Another thing that worried me was that she'd often awaken screaming at night, but only my aunt had the key to her room. Sometimes she'd go down to her sewing room and come back with little packets, sometimes I could hear only E's voice calming her back to sleep. I knew something wasn't quite right, but also knew enough to refrain from watching and prying.
   Elise stayed through the next winter and into the summer. That summer she was noticeably paler and distracted. Toward the end of the summer she started to go to our rock earlier and I'd find here there after my chores were done. One afternoon was so different that it turned my world upside down for months and still remains in my memory as though it were yesterday.
    Elise had gone off earlier than usual according to aunt E, and she noticed she'd seemed especially troubled. That was also the only time she'd ever told me to leave my chores for others and go to check on our young guest. I hurried down to the rock and was relieved to see Elise laying in her usual manner, but when I drew closer I noticed something was amiss. It was too quiet, no happy greeting. I climbed to her side and my world shattered. She was cold to the touch and her eyes were staring into the skies unseeing. I don't recall running back to the house, but I do remember not being able to tell my aunt what was wrong, just took her hand and half-dragged her to the rock and Elise. As she got closer, she bent over and scooped up a tin that I recognized as medicine for the horses, especially the oldest workhorse who was lame.
    In the next few days my aunt paid special attention to me as I did little but grieve for my friend. Finally, she took me into the parlor where Elise lay and pulled back the colorful scarf for me to see. After I settled back down, I could understand the scarves. Her left ear was gone, as was much of the hair on that side of her head. In their place were terrible scars from deep burns. Her upper arms and back were badly scarred as well. My aunt explained that the Dr that came each month was a burn specialist and the packets were morphine vials and syringes so E could administer the drug when needed. Elise also suffered from horrible nightmares, what today would be known as PTSD. 
    On graduating from school at sixteen, Elise had gone to work at an orphanage where she mostly cared for the younger children. One night the place was hit by lightning in the barn area attached at the back. By the time the fire was discovered it'd spread throughout the rear upper level where the young children and Elise slept. Elise had carried children from the burning rooms by twos and threes and led older ones. After many trips she was overcome by smoke and exhaustion and collapsed just inside the rear area. A fireman found her there and carried her out to safety. After several operations and recovering some of her lung function, they could do no more. Today they'd be able to do far more, but things weren't advanced as much in 1954.
     The nightmares were filled with the screams of the frightened children and pain was mainly from nerve endings that had become heat sensitive or scar tissue that pulled the tissue too much. Aunt E explained what I'd already figured out, the pain and memories had become too much for Elise to bear and she'd taken the animal pain medications to end her suffering at a place she loved. Uncles R and F and the local minister buried her between the oak and the rock where the sun shone through in bright speckled dances.
     Later a man from the big city came and created a smooth spot on the rock above her head and inscribed: 
                                     Elise Cote
                                     1936-1957
                              Her pain is gone and 
                             the screams are stilled.
                              She joined those she
                                  could not save. 
   Not a sad memory for me, she gave me two magical summers of afternoons learning how to lay on a rock and quietly enjoy life's many treasures. I only wish it had been the 1990s or later so she could have found the relief she needed. At least a little of it. Until next time, take care and be well.  

Getting there

Only 2 weeks or so until the big day!

I remember something that happened around this time of year.
I got a call to go to the embassy of Saudi Arabia.
No problem at all.
Except there was an unmerciful clap of thunder and it lashed rain, traffic came to a standstill.
I kept going and 20 minutes later I arrived there and a guy came out and got into the car.
He had an attitude and screamed blue murder into my face.
I told him to get out, he got more abusive and I told him that I would call the Garda.
"I have diplomatic immunity"
was his reply.
I am not a violent man but I took out my baton and before I struck him I said.
"Your mother would be very sad to see you being so abusive to me"
He jumped back "Oh I am so sorry, I am not well, so much stress! 
Please forgive me"
So the journey began.
I told him that he was the biggest jerk I had ever met in my life, he was sorry.

So I had an idea.

"You guys will not be celebrating Christmas, but I have a suggestion for you.
You guys love horses.
There is a Christmas race meeting in Leopardstown race track.
Book a box, bring your friends, have a Saudi chef there and a musician to play your music.
You can bring your friends out on different days and have a hell of a Christmas" 
He took the details and asked for my phone number, so I gave him your number.

Years later I got a lift to the embassy and I told my passenger the tale. 

"Come into the embassy and put your finger on his picture and he will be on the next flight back to Saudi tonight. 
I am charge de fer of the embassy." 

I told him no. That he was distressed on that day and I had really taught him a lesson.

Good man John (My ID is there for all to see)

I know who it is, we have gone to the races every year since then.

Perhaps I will go there this year myself. 

Weather permitting 

Just a thought

Is God away on business ?

Christmas is also a time for prayer

My son has a nephew who is 12 years old and he has leukemia.
At that age he should not have a worry in the world.
Life is not fair for sure.
He has had 2 bone marrow transplants which have failed.
Now the medical team have told him that there is nothing more they can do.
God he is a brave little lad.
They told him the news. What did he say?

Look I believe in God and he can do miracles, I will pray for one.

I hope God listnes as he is running out of time

A really obliging guy who has a shop in town who has a daughter is also going through hard times.
His daughter of around 12 and she has a cyst on her brain.
Her face is ever so slightly twisted and she walks in a very unsteady way.
They cannot operate as it is deep inside the brain.

Not a good outlook for either child, the girl is a pretty little thing, beautiful blue eyes and the boy is so so clever.

So cut back on the spending and put a few bob aside for charity.
And say a prayer
God might surprise you.  

Perhaps people should look at things a little bit closer