Thursday 21 April 2011 (Holy Thursday)
Shelled out €35 to Fionnuala Dullaghan to enter the DkIT golf outing in Ballymascanlon. Went on the first tee around 10.00 with Gerard Cluskey and his friend Paddy McCormack. I hooked my drive from the 9th tee into the car-park and failed to score with my second ball. But I had already amassed 20 points by then including 4 points at the par 5 up the hill. I had reached the front fringe with a drive and 3-metal. I struggled on the back nine and lost 2 further balls including one at the last where I went for the green after an arrow straight drive. I carved my 3-metal high into the trees guarding the right of the green which is raised shelf-like and guarded in front by a wide stretch of The Flurry River. Gerry Cluskey played powerful and largely error-free golf. But he, too, dinged the last. He finished with 34 points; Paddy McCormack an effective player, 32; me, putting poorly and insane at the last, 33. Fionnuala in reply to my text in the late evening told me I was just pipped for the visitors’ prize and she more or less invited me to the society’s captain’s prize in Concra Wood on 1 June 2011. It was hot today and I felt under pressure later in the round climbing up the far end of the course. Anyway I think I was walking too fast. Paddy showed me a lesion on his face under his left eye. Worried me because I have a sore which never really heals beside my right temple. I was a bit keyed up adding up the cards and togging in at the back of my white 2010 Toyota iQ in the car-park in the front of the hotel. Only found out about the locker-room when I went back to give Gerry Campbell, golf manager, the top bracket of the trolley I had hired from him for €2.50 and to leave back the trolley; after I had placed my clubs in my car. Lost an old Titleist Pro V, a good blue Srixon, a better brand-new blue Srixon with the Greenore crest on it. Lost the latter with my last shot my worst of the day. Drank nothing on the course. Finished off an old bottle of Ballygowan from my golf bag and drank a cup of coffee in The Terrace Bar. €2.50 for coffee. So I spent €40 altogether. Chat with Ann Murray before golf. A pretty putter! Spoke to Turlough O’Brien in the bar. He is only recently returned from Australia. Thin, he was in company with John Redihan who looks happy but stooped, old, thin. Maybe it was the golf? Whatever the reason their appearance had a depressing effect on me but I hope I was diplomatic. I saw sight nor light of Niall Hayden all day? Gerard who seemed to know his way around took a shower. I merely washed my hands and changed my socks although, as usual, I had a blue bag in my car containing a blue and white towel and a change of clothes. House empty on my return. Made lunch of tinned salmon from a plate in the fridge, salad from the Pyrex casserole dish in the fridge, together with all the remaining (stale) white bread from the press sliced thinly and buttered and a few slices of fresh brown bread buttered, some red cheddar sliced, a mug of tea made with two tea-bags. Then I moved from the living-room to The White Elephant Lounge peeled and ate a large tart orange. I made porridge for myself in the evening and ate a full bowl with a sliced banana and a copious dressing of Golden Syrup on top. I also cleaned out and lit the fire in the WEL and later carried out a thorough washing up mostly to get the pot and bowl cleaned after porridge service. The vessels which held the porridge turned out to be cleaner and shinier than the rest. My mood oscillated somewhat today. Tense before golf, dream golf at the start, disillusion, dejection, active and industrious, feeling unworthy and low later on, but perked up by Fionnuala’s text which I did not expect and which arrived long before I realised it came. Blue classic shirt, navy braces, grey/green slacks with belt, black FootJoy golf socks, glasses, navy Nike golf baseball cap, blue woollen cardigan with decorative buttons which I hardly wore at all today because the temperature topped 20⁰C. Ate corn flakes, sliced banana, milk; for supper. Brushed my 5 ½ remaining teeth and cleaned my dentures after I put on my pyjamas. To bed 00.35 leaving two “ventilators” open on my bedroom window. In the car-park after golf I put on a pair of navy FootJoy golf socks which had been used once before. Wore my tan John Evan boots today. White DryJoys with tan lapels on the golf course. Posted letter to Ina Lipman and Daniel Perkins at 08.50 this morning in McCrystal’s on my way to golf. 95c postage, Tesco C6 envelope, Tesco A5 writing pad, air-mail. Declining invitation to the marriage in Philadelphia of their daughter to Edward John Crudden on 27 May 2011.
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