Sean's Space

Thursday 25 November 2010.

Up 09.00. Weetabix, sliced banana, milk; coffee. Made bed; exercised; washed; dressed, clean white underclothes, Le Coq Sportif white T-shirt, black slacks, brown patterned braces, black and grey socks with horizontal circular bars, black patent Clarks, Calvin Klein top, brown thin rimmed spectacles. ROI Senior Smart Pass arrived in the post. Applied moisturiser to my knees and nether parts a.m. Got a shock when I spied no car at the back of the house. Forgot that I had moved my iQ to the front yesterday to let Aisling out. Baked 2 baguette pizzas. Prepared a plate for them including green peas, olives, sliced tomato, a piece of cold baked breaded cod. Tasty and well-planned. Peeled and ate an orange which was juicy and less tart than the ones I have been eating for the past week or more. Lit the fire in the WEL. Washed up everything including the small bin, the vase in the kitchen, the baking tray, the window sill behind the sink. Swept the floor in the kitchen. Surfed a while. Earlier read the Dundalk Leader and The Democrat. Gerry Adams standing in Louth at the next general election. Pic of Brendan Byrne and family at his son’s 21^st. Breda McArdle one of 3 VEC teachers to retire recently. On tenterhooks before mass. Difficult program of hymns, “Be Still,” “I Watched the Sunrise.” Ann Murphy trying to annoy me? However Catherine Arthur turned up ok although it was at the last minute. 19.30. I was 1^st into the church at 19.07. Anyway I made a few fast entries in the psalm and in Sunrise. Better to keep things moving than to drag? Fr. Michael Woods concelebrated with Fr. Murphy. The usual suspense and drama as a candle was lit and the bell rung for each person who died in the parish in the past year (25 approximately). Tom Roddy spoke to me after mass. Said, “Hello, Angela,” to Anglea McParland as she exited. “Hello, Seán,” she replied forthrightly. Pat Deery took my reporter’s notebook and my green Greenore woolly cap from under my arm and put milk in my tea. I had gone to the toilet for a piddle after mass. Sat down in the meeting room with my cup of tea. Someone came in and took away the biscuits that I had my eye on! Talked to 2 women (sisters?) from Lordship. Then had a good chat with John Quigley. Eamonn, Aisling, Brendan Byrne, Radon, DkIT, etc. Chat with Barney Carroll, Allison and Suzanne at the top of the steps. Very friendly. Talked about Rosanna and Aisling. Barney praised the singing and also praised my car. A little light rain. Made handwritten notes for today’s journal but stayed away from the Dell. Rang Teddy. Lisa asked me in a text to turn the heat in Greenore on tomorrow. Chanced to see Eileen Trainor’s funeral arrangements on rip.ie. 11.00 tomorrow in Ardee. Burial afterwards in Ballapousta. Ireland owes €323bn according to an authentic sounding article on indymedia. Going to eat weetabix, sliced banana, milk; for supper. Ate 2 rounds of barrel loaf mixed grain sandwiches for tea. One cheese; the other apricot jam: + a mug of java.

• Be Still
• The Lord’s My Shepherd (psalm)
• My God Loves Me
• Don’t Feel Separated
• I Watched the Sunrise

We also sang the response, “When We Eat this Bread and Drink this Cup,” as well as an “Amen.” As I said I worried and fretted beforehand but the choir did well tonight after all. Fr. Murphy mentioned the choir and the organist when he was thanking a fairly long list of people involved in the organising and in the mass, including the members of the pastoral council. Well I washed my teeth after putting on my pyjamas and got in to bed soon after 23.30. My mood was upbeat after mass. Wore my grey Lacrosse jacket to mass. Drove over with my reporter’s notebook and Stop Poverty Now biro.