DIARY: Ruminations, Occasional thoughts & happenings - as they arise
More Visitors! - 29 August 2005, Monday
The summer may be running out but we have had a lovely series of visitors - well, 'visitors' may be the wrong word, for everyone was coming back to Ardglass, oul' hands returning!
First
there was my cousin Eithne, who was 'rared' in the village.
We had a great al fresco meal in my back garden wilderness - gorgeous
lemon sole doused with lemon juice and butter, wrapped in tinfoil and cooked for
seven minutes at gas mark 7.
Delicious! Served with new potatoes and peas.
The entree was a bit too ambitious: stuffed garlic mushrooms (stuffing as
prescribed in Larousse Encyclopaedia Gastronomique but served too cold. Sorry
about that!). However, washed down with cold Chablis it was just about
ok. Eithne must have found it so, for she arrived at 6.30 pm and I walked her
home at 12.30 am. A good meeting!
(Eithne, shall I recount to the world the subjects covered in our
conversation, ? No, perhaps not.)
When Eithne's cheery friend Margaret Coleman arrived from Northumberland we managed a very pleasant Sunday lunch in the Ardglass Golf Club, in company with my brother Gerry, his wife Sally and Eithne's sister Moira (who managed to dodge out of the photo). Good fun - with lots of funny stories.
THEN - back to Ardglass with his lovely lady Sally comes my nephew Michael
Paul Kerr, accompanied by four fine friends of our beloved Anthony aka Tony
Kerr, revisiting the village to enjoy good cheer and stand at the foot of
Anthony's grave for a few minutes, remembering a lovely lad whom we all miss.
(See http://www.o2c.org/anthony_kerr.htm
if you missed it.)
All six were crammed into Elaine's little cottage for the weekend - joined by
various other friends for a bit of craic and occasional nosh! (This diary entry
seems to concentrate on food!)
I joined the party for a great meal in Curran's
Seafood & Steak House in Chapeltown on Saturday evening (27th) (Curran's
has just received Pub of The Year Award for 2005 and the food - though not as
delicious as my delectable lemon sole - wasne' bad at all!) No photos of
that event, but when all assembled for lunch the next day this was the scene. A
jolly nice party and more nosh, in the Golf Club.
Paul, Victoria, me, Michael Paul (face red from 18
holes of golf in the wind), Sally, Elaine, John,
and Rebecca (at the front).
It really was great to see them. They are among the many friends that
Anthony made in Manchester, and I know that many others will wish they were
present on this occasion - but they will be, as time goes on and the
opportunity arises. I am overwhelmed by the genuine love and friendship so many
young people have for my beautiful young nephew. They travelled from many
parts of the world for his funeral, and they will come to stand at his grave,
shed a tear, and eat and drink in his memory. I look forward to this - but
should I not be present, should my poor old body be interred not far from his, I hope you
will pause and say a prayer. Never mind the brute reality of death!
As that great English
Lord Chancellor, St. Thomas More, said to those who ordered his execution,
"..... we may yet hereafter in heaven merrily all meet together ......"
Here's another couple of photos
Mick, Sally and
Elaine Newly
arrived Jude's Michael, with Jude and Paul
Paul & Virginia - oops! Victoria! (I kept making that mistake) Rebecca & John
- and me - in typical Hennessey pose.
- but that's not all!
Just before the departure of some - and the arrival of others - we paid a quick
visit to Michael's Uncle Jack's 70th birthday party at Ballyhornan.
It was all too brief
Just time enough for a quick glass of wine and then off! But yiz'll come back again, won't y'?
ps:
I loved the wee dog at Jack's birthday party - going buck mad trying to grab and bite a swing ball.
It simply would not give up!
John's away back to England to buy one and see how his two dogs behave!
ANOTHER postscript! - which I don't know where to
put but am going to put here, for I don't wish to overlook it, forget about
it. It's about children - the lovely gift of God.
- In a conversational aside Jude happened to mention that it was quite
embarrassing to hear one's daughter shouting across a Superstore, "Mum!
I'm going to have a poo!"
Lovely! - and then John told of a lady he knows who entered a Tesco store,
with her little son trailing behind, to be hauled up short by a shout of "Mum",
to turn round and see her son a few yards away, with his trousers dropped round
his ankles and examining his private parts,. He then continued his long-distance
conversation by declaiming to anyone concerned, "Mum! I love my
Willie!"
Great things kids!
PPS: There may be some who object to this appearing on a public website. If you do, you need your head examined!