ONE FOR THE GIRLS. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THOSE CELEBRATING TODAY
Are you bored to tears or still fascinated.
The Harry epic continues non-stop. What is he like? If his mum was still alive she’d surely smack him on the bottom and tell him to grow up and get over himself. But that’s the tragic problem, she isn’t alive and according to some experts, he stopped his mental and emotional growing up at age 12. I know he’s behaving very weirdly and I feel sad for him, as I’ve said before, the traumatic events of his childhood have dominated his entire life and effected his thinking and his attitudes, I don’t believe he’s thought through what’s going on at the moment, the inaccuracies in his book would indicate rushing like a bull in a china shop to get his views across.
His references to his military career are foolhardy and his love life has caused pain to those he claims were involved. Perhaps he is just channelling Diana with her intimate television interviews and a tell-all book. Tom Bradby’s interview was disappointing, it was obvious that these two are mates so there were no penetrating questions, no followup exposures, no asking why. I’d love him to be confronted by Lorna Kuenssberg, that would be a tale to tell.
I’ve taken to making soup, what we call Barne Broth. I was born in a barn which became a house hence the name, and as I was growing up with my grandmother and my Uncle, Barne Broth was always on the go to feed the whole family. During last week I got the best piece of shin ever in Tesco’s Newtownabbey and a huge packet of fresh crisp vegetables and with a couple of handfuls of barley, lentils, chick peas, in other words soup mix – I soon had a pot of the most filling and nutritious soup. Inexpensive and certainly value for money. I also have taken a fancy to sausages cut into four pieces, fried with plenty of onion and garlic, a little honey drizzled over and served in gravy with mashed potato. Tasty. I’ve been writing about mindfulness and certainly cooking can focus your attention. Not my favourite pastime but it can be quite challenging and when you get it right it’s very satisfying. I’m also experimenting with spices and herbs which is interesting – another case of getting it right but sometimes not!
Ring Out The Old Ring In The New
Now that the celebrations of New Year are over and done, there’s a chance to take stock, to look back and assess – the good times and the bad, new friendships and lives lost. It’s emotional and not always pleasant. I’m fortunate that in my job I have a record of events and I can recall so many of them.
In April I reported on a young Ukrainian woman whose family were trapped in Ukraine. I called her Molly and I was vague about her journey from Dublin to rescue them for fear she’d be tracked. She found her parents, both in their 70s, in a basement, no heat or light, bitterly cold and hungry. She had to come home without them, they didn’t want leave their dogs. Molly returned a few weeks ago to take them warm clothes and some treats from Marks and Spencers for Christmas, again no power to heat up their festive food and again an unwillingness to leave. Molly’s route back to Ireland to rejoin her family here was via Moldova with the vagaries of martial law and special rules to be followed. I don’t know if she has yet made it home.
Some Welcome Colour
The Hope Macauley knitwear range gave us a welcome injection of colour as it took off during the year and has certainly made its mark on the world of fashion. In her Coleraine headquarters she has increased her workforce over the last few months and has continued to sell her Colossal Knits to an adoring public many of them celebrities and fashionistas, latest devotee to appear in a Macauley for her publicity pictures is actress Billie Piper plus Jennifer Hudson. Hope is a fighter who represents her industry. At the beginning of the year she was very public about her designs being copied by another fashion house and took on the might of Nastygal and set an example for others.
“Fast fashion giants think they can blatantly copy from young designers and small businesses, they use unethical and unsustainable practices to recreate them.” She updated the situation with me last week. “Nastygal stopped selling the copy of my product but I’m aware they still continue to copy designs from other independents.” She continues to expand her business and thanks a recent article in Harper’s Bazaar magazine it looks like she will be featuring a children’s range of designs in 2023.
Lasting Legacy Of Grief
The Creeslough explosion occurred in October at the Applegreen petrol station in Co. Donegal killing ten people and leaving eight hospitalised; the cause is uncertain, but investigators suspect an accidental gas leak.
As I wrote at the time, for me Cresslough was the place where my heart turned over in excitement, where I entered fun and games, laughter and love. Since the children were small I travelled to Dunfanaghy to stay with a dear friend and her family, the late Harriet Duffin. Cresslough was where I breathed out tension and inhaled happiness. Joy has been replaced with grief as those involved are still going through dreadful suffering.
The sad death of Eamon Phoenix came in November, the man who said ‘We have a common history but not a common memory’, an inspirational peacemaker with a granddaughter who said that every walk with her grandfather was an adventure. What a wonderful memory for Noelle to carry throughout her life. Earlier his dear friend, the owner of The Irish News died. Jim Fitzpatrick was a remarkable man much loved and respected by all who knew him. Two such visionaries are sorely missed.
Television At Its Most Powerful
The Queen’s death was a major event and had most of us glued to the television set as the events unfolded, it was spectacular television from the announcement she had passed away at Balmoral two days after being photographed with the new prime minister Lis Truss, to the very end when her coffin disappeared down into the crypt of St. Georges chapel at Windsor. Having worked in television for so many years the coverage was especially interesting to me, how the whole thing swung into action immediately, the use of drones, the historic events which we’re unlikely ever to see again, at times it was like catapulting back to the court of Henry V111. There was the charade played out at the gates of Balmoral when William and his brother and their wives walked among the common people pressing the flesh whilst ignoring each other. And so that pantomime goes on getting more and more toxic.
My visit with Paul Dawson in Donegal during the summer was both delightful and inspiring. I asked him what makes him tick and he told me he’s bloody minded. I add determined and brave and full of good craic. It’s not an easy life for this man who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when he was 25 years of age.
And he’s still succeeding in living a full life even thought he’s a motorised wheelchair user. It’s his transport, he’s the driver but his conductor is his wife Julie, They are two sides of a coin and their love and respect is obvious and humour infectious.
In August he was fundraising for a new style wheelchair for his and community use and accepted a challenge to master the 2000 feet cliffs of Slieve League. Why? “Because I want to see the view and to prove that being in a wheelchair and having a disability won’t stop me,” The plan was to use the chair for half the journey and then a team to pull him up to the top. I checked back with him for the result.
“When I reached the summit I just sat quietly for a while in my wheelchair and absorbed the beautiful scenery and more importantly appreciated the number of people that had turned out to help me. People from all walks of life had come together Garda, mountain rescue, friends and complete strangers. It struck me that nothing was impossible for someone confined to a wheelchair as long as people are willing to unite together and work as a team.”
Something for us all, especially political parties, to strive for in 2023.
