Monthly Archives: November 2013

The Spirit of Christmas

A pop star in the making, 11-year-old Fynnjan Leach-Verhoeven who suffers from Asperger syndrome has recorded a charity single in a bid to become Christmas number one.

Fynnjan wrote ‘The Spirit of Christmas’ in his head when he was bored, despite not being able to play any instruments or ever having shown any particular interest in music.

The song came to light last December in Beaconsfield, England, when Fynnjan performed the song publicly for the first time at Seer Green CE primary school’s annual Christmas concert.

It was the first time his family had heard him sing.

Now the world can enjoy listening to Fynnjan and his thirty class mates, help in his effort to become The Christmas No. 1, while helping to raise awareness and money for people with Asperger syndrome, like him.

‘The Spirit of Christmas’ will be available as a single or as an iTunes download and the Proceeds will be donated to the National Autistic Society, as well as his school’s special needs department.

Thursday Special ~ MATRIMONY ?

You have two choices in life:
You can stay single and be miserable, or get married and wish you were dead.

At a cocktail party, one woman said to another,
“Aren’t you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?”
“Yes, I am. I married the wrong man.”

When a woman steals your husband, there is no better revenge than to let her keep him.

A little boy asked his father,
“Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?”
Father replied, “I don’t know son, I’m still paying.”

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.

If you want your spouse to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say — talk in your sleep.

Just think, if it weren’t for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no faults at all.

First guy says, “My wife’s an angel!”
Second guy remarks, “You’re lucky, mine’s still alive.”

This one came from the long married Lewis!

What’s In YOUR Piggy Bank?

Five simple but important rules for living!

Reblogged from Spirit lights the Way

Mr. Jones, a 92-year-old man, decided to move to a nursing home when his wife of 70 years passed away. After hours of waiting on the morning of the move, he smiled when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his wheelchair to the elevator, the aide described his room, including the view from his window.

With the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy, he exclaimed, “I love it!”

Read more… 303 more words

Babies

Ward Miles Scot was born in July of 2012, fragile and tiny at 26 weeks, three and a half months premature. Over the following 15 months, his dad, photographer and filmmaker Benjamin Scot chronicled his son’s progression from the frailty of 101 days in incubation to full health.

This reminded me of a true story I told a few years ago on my old blog. I am unable to link to it, but I feel it is worth retelling.

Donal’s Cot

Donal weighed in at 2lbs which is just short of a Kilo. He was a very premature baby that his mother carried for less than six months. He had no hair, eyelashes, eyebrows or nails and his skin was porous. He was not expected to survive for very long so the Paediatrician suggested taking him home. His actual words were “He might as well die at home as in here!”

Donal’s homecoming was not as easy as it sounds. His father was sent to find a ‘small’ cot/crib which he did, and it was ready and waiting for the new occupant when he arrived with his ill mother and a nurse. The nurse lived with and became part of the family over the next six months, she was called ‘No-No’ by Donal’s two year-old brother, and the name stuck. To this day if you say the name ‘No-No’ to any of the family they know exactly who you mean.

The Paediatrician soon arrived and set to work.

He gave precise instructions about feeding and cleaning the baby. Donal was not to be washed or bathed in water! His skin was to be cleaned with olive oil and cotton wool.

Food was to be administered by medicine dropper, every hour on the hour!

He rigged up a large light bulb over the cot to provide extra heat for the premature baby and it was to remain on night and day. Being wintertime the temperature was quite low. A fire was lit in the bedroom and kept going day and night.

Each day was a milestone, but there were many, when they fought to keep the baby alive. The Paediatrician was a regular caller and was delighted with any little improvement.

The danger stage eventually passed and Donal was introduced to bottle feeding and began to put on a little weight. The first size baby clothes fitted and slowly the pleasure of washing and bath-time became part of the daily routine. The light was removed from over the cot, but Donal slept in it for a full year.

With Donal’s move to a normal sized baby cot the little one was cleaned, covered and stored in the loft. It was used again with pride for the arrival of each of his four younger siblings.

The little cot appeared for the first time 62 years ago. There were no incubators, or ‘Baby Units’ in hospitals like we have today, the only clothes for premature babies were dolls clothes. Houses had no central heating and washing was all done by hand. Nappies were rinsed, then boiled and when washing was complete they were line dried. The feeding bottles were sterilised by boiling. A baby was hard work back then!

The little cot moved through the family for the arrival of each new baby. Cousins, nieces and nephews all started their lives in it. I spent my early months in it as did Elly. For Donal the most precious moment was the day he placed his own daughter in the little cot. Now once again the cot is stored away and who knows, someday Donal might be blessed with a grandchild to sleep in that very special Cot.

The post above was written on October 29, 2007 – six years ago. Since then Donal has been blessed with two granddaughters the latest one born a couple of months ago, almost a world away in Sydney, Australia. The proud grandparents have just arrived home from a month singing, dancing round the room, and getting to know the latest arrival.

UPDATE: The video link above about Ward Miles Scot, a very premature baby seems to have been removed. Born at twenty six weeks, the tiny baby was almost invisible for tubes, drains, monitors and huge pads over his eyes so large they covered his face.

UPDATE 2: Barbara found a new link to the video and has added it in the comments below. Perhaps it is better there to show how different the treatment is for premature babies these days.

 

Donal had none of that. He clung on to life by a thread for so long, some said he lived for spite! BUT with tender loving care he made it through.

READ, WRITE AND DON’T DAYDREAM!

Some people stack books widely in haphazard fashion beside their beds with volumes they would like to find time to read, while others spend time daydreaming of the best way to store and display their prize volumes of the printed word.

The heading above is fifth of ten points, that PD James offered by way of advice for would-be writers, in an interview with Alison Feeney-Hart for the BBC.

She suggests that people should read widely.
Now, I have been known to do just that – read very widely that is!

1/7 reproduction of the Bayeux Tapestry, an historical record created in 11th century, it is the only masterpiece of its kind in the world. An embroidery on a linen cloth using wools of various colours, it is over 70 metres long and 50 centimetres high and retraces the history of the conquest of England by William the Conqueror.

+o+o+o+

Since my post for the LBC last week (which was actually written in September) I have made a decision – To retire from the group and not take part in future weeks.

When I was invited to join the group at the inception of the Consortium back in July 2009 I dithered. Why? I take all commitments seriously and for me, this one was as important as any other. Do the work and show up on time, come hail, rain, drought or thunder!

Yes, I dithered quietly to myself for a couple of days: Would I find the words or even know the words, to convey my thoughts on the topics chosen by the wordsmiths Conrad, Ashok & Ramana? I was supposed to follow those lads, and the four of us post our efforts at the same time every Friday. We worked in that order for the first few months.

Conrad set the ball rolling with Creativity. C R E A T I V I T Y!

Yes, my internal butterflies proved correct. The three boyos each presented a thesis worthy of an academic degree and I wrote about sewing!

At that stage, the topic for the following week was chosen only after the previous one had time for the paint to dry.

Holy mother of Vestal Virgins. Week two and I was ready for the hills or to dive off the cliff at the end of my garden. That young buck, Ashok, all the way over in Bangalore, chose Stereotyping! I jumped. Not off the cliff, just outside the box. (Alas, I cannot provide you with a link to the early posts.)

Sometimes the prompter forgot until close to the date for publication, that it was their turn to throw in the topic. I panicked! I needed time to think because my mind works best in slow motion. Thus the topic list came into being.

The LBC family began to grow faster than an Irish family in pre central heating days! Over time we had eighteen members. Everyone had their opportunity to throw in ideas. Then people began to drift. Family situations, health issues, work, broken computers or lack of time or enthusiasm, took them away. Some resigned, some evaporated, but the core held on. I have to admit that I found writing on topics chosen by people who had disappeared or moved on, very uninspiring. I missed reading how they would approach or present their particular topic.

In the past year I have struggled, really struggled to stir my pot of enthusiasm across the board of my blogging. I want to make changes – perhaps post randomly for three days a week for a little while.

I know that if I pull the plug completely on the blog at this stage, I would not come back. That would be unfair to Elly, Darren, Anto and Phil and maybe others who have voluntarily given time to work on bringing my old blog of almost three thousand posts, up to date and try merging it with over 800 posts written here.

Out of respect, I wrote to the regular contributors to let them know that I wished to retire. I figured it would be simple and accepted. It was never my intention to disrupt the flow of the group, or pass on my waves of unrest to others. Unfortunately
Delirious, at Life on a Limb, has already written a post of resignation, she wants to take her blog back on the path she had originally chosen.

I was but a tiny cog in the wheel of the Loose Bloggers Consortium and as with all life, the LBC will go on without me and flourish. I wish the LBC members all the best for the future and may their words flow easily!

Now out of respect for Shackman who chose the topic of What is your favourite book (Bible excluded) to tickle the brain cells this week, I reproduce this one:

MY BOOK!

I did it!
I did it!
Come and look
At what I’ve done!
I read a book!
When someone wrote it
Long ago
For me to read,
How did he know
That this was the book
I’d take from the shelf
And lie on the floor
And read by myself?
I really read it!
Just like that!
Word by word,
From first to last!
I’m sleeping with
This book in bed,
This first FIRST book
I’ve ever read!
~ David L. Harrison ~

Conrad Ashok Ramana Grannymar Magpie 11 Marianna Maria/SF Maria/Gaelikaa Judy Ginger Anu Delirious Padmini Will Knott Paul Rohit Shackman Maxi

To all the members, present and past, I thank you for your friendship and all the wisdom I gained from your writing. I will continue to drop by and catch up with you and wish you well for the future.

Lán grá

Grannymar.

Thursday Special ~ What causes arthritis?

A drunk man who smelled like beer, sat down on a subway next to a priest. The man’s tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick, and a half-empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading.

After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, “Say Father, what causes arthritis?”

The priest replies, “My Son, it’s caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol, contempt for your fellow man, and lack of a bath.’

The drunk muttered in response, ‘Well, I’ll be damned, ‘Then returned to his paper.

The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized. ‘I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?’

The drunk answered, ‘I don’t have it, Father. I was just reading here that the Pope does.’

Make sure you understand the question before offering the answer.

I wonder Nancy L, if this is Frankie or the other one?

Sunday one liners ~ 4

“In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived,
and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”
~ Buddha

Sometimes one liners can lead to a conversation:

“Sometimes the letting go is the difficult part.”

“When we let go of what isn’t meant for us, we have two hands and a whole heart open to grab other opportunities as they float into view. Opportunities we might otherwise miss.”

Thank you, Nancy for the wise words of advice,

Adifferentkettleoffishaltogether

River Liffey with Upper Ormond Quay on the right

River Liffey with Upper Ormond Quay on the right

While walking along the North Quays of the River Liffey on a bright sunny summer morning, I was stopped in my tracks by the colours in the peeling paint of the panels on the disused shop front.

Peeling paint

I love old layers of peeling paint. The colours and texture are a work of art in themselves.

Colourful layers of peeling paint

Colourful layers of peeling paint

It was only when I had my fill of texture that I looked up for a shop name.

Adifferentkettleoffishaltogether_1

Adifferentkettleoffishaltogether_1

It was clearer on the side of the building, round the corner on Arran Street East.

Adifferentkettleoffishaltogether_2

Adifferentkettleoffishaltogether_2

Adifferentkettleoffishaltogether.

When I was Young Part 2

No. Not me this time, but another LBC member’s post worth sharing.

For the second time today, I draw your attention to a blogger friend that I met, had a drink with and danced around the room. This was followed up a few days later when we shared another wonderful day together.

I won’t spoil it, just click on the link above and read a real Christmas story – AND – You can be part of it!