Sean's Space

Wednesday 27 October 2009

Up soon after 7.00. Ate weetabix and milk and gave JJ a breakfast the same as mine. He drew and played in the White Elephant Lounge until the rest got up. I went back to bed for an hour or two. Got up before 10.00, made my bed, washed, dressed. Black shirt, black 44" slacks, black Calvin Klein socks, turquoise 3 Irish Open sleeveless pullover, black patent Clarks. Packed for golf. Leah, Kate and JJ went to Town. Rosanna went to golf. She scored 20 points for 12 holes playing in the Winter League. Alan Ratcliffe and I starting at 13.15 played the back 6, then 1, 2, 11, 12. He scored 60 i.e. 48 nett. I finished 4, 7, 6, 6 and scored 52 i.e. 43 nett. We let Shane Leathem and his friend through on 14/15. Alan bought coffee. I sweated even though I took off my cap and my sleeveless pullover. After Alan left I went out to the car for my bag and came back in and took a shower and changed my clothes before I set out for home. Put on clean underclothes, grey Calvin Klein socks, navy 42" golf slacks, Calvin Klein T-shirt, Regatta fleece. Talked to Eric Hynes as I left the locker-room. Called on Dessie. Some of the English bishops were with him yesterday. Rosanna gave me a dinner of boiled ham, white sauce, a large microwaved potato. I also ate two small microwaved Irish potatoes with salt and lots of real butter. Leah, Kate and JJ went in to Dundalk to pick up Eamonn from DkIT around 18.00. They were all to stay in No 13 Oaklawns for the night. Rosanna went to bed early: I spent the evening in the sittingroom. Paid my MBNA bill €581.36 on-line. Booked a ticket for Frederica Von Stade on November 12th in NCH. €54 concession. Rang Aisling before I went to golf asking her to meet me at 17.00 on Friday in Og’s with my cameras. Although it was an exceedingly mild day the heat was on in the morning and also later in the day. Tiring? Text from Kevin McGeough "28 every day" in the Canaries. Replied. Leah left Eamonn in to DkIT this morning. Carried out a virus check on my computer. Washed my teeth and exercised before bed. Grass very green on the golf course.

Saturday 21 February 2009

Played 18 starting at 12.00 p.m. with Brian Farrell.  The day became calm was overcast dry and not too cold.  I scored 27 points and Brian 30.  Kevin Maguire helped me to put the scores into the computer.  Robert Giles enquired about my game before I went out.  I did not go up to the bar but returned home and lit the fire.  I had weetabix and milk for an early breakfast and I ate two small pears, a banana and a glass of milk around 10.45 a.m.  When I returned from Greenore I lit the fire and put on the heat.  Ate a generous ham sandwich, a plate of the remnants of the tagliatelle with pesto sauce from the pot, a banana,  a mug of tea.  Took the holy water font (€6.95), my camera, my mission book, glasses and pen, envelope for "the priest" containing €4, my lamp over to mass.  I left the house around 7.05 p.m. for mass which started at 7.30 p.m.  Fr. Michael Dempsey C.SS.R warmed us up with some singing beforehand and led the singing during mass from the microphone with little deference to quality.  Fr. Dennis Luddy C.SS.R celebrated mass assisted by Fr. Padraig Murphy PP and Fr. John McKeever CC.  Fr. Murphy presented the missioners with a parish yearbook each.  Fr. Dempsey blessed my font and all the other holy objects which people brought to mass to have blessed.  Rosanna played with Antoinette Shields and AN Other and scored 29 points.  Her 31 points during the week was good enough to win the mid-week lamb competition.  The ladies are playing over 14 holes these days.  Kay McCartan asked Rosanna to play on the senior mixed team for Greenore.  She was in good form and did not kick when I invited Alan and Briege Ratcliffe into the house after mass.  She made tea and sandwiches for them and the conversation mainly about the Ratcliffe daughter went on until 10.00 p.m.  "I have visitors," I pleaded to Gemma after mass, "And I am tired after playing 18 holes of golf today.  I will take no pictures tonight."  "Did you get what you wanted last night?" Gemma enquired.  "Yes.  I did."  In fact I had been a little elated early this morning with the quality of one of the three shots I took last night and I had uploaded it onto my photobucket site.  My handicap is 13 Rosanna’s is 19 and I think Brian Farrell’s is 7.  I creamed my drive on the last over the trees to within 80 yards of the green and proceeded to duff a sand-wedge which I judged was all I needed to get to the green.  I was through the green straight over the flag on 15 with a drive and a PW.  €6 entry into the voucher competition, €3 for a trolley.  Kay Hall said, "Nice car!" as she passed by going to the 13th tee.  "Do you like it?" I replied.  "I wish you luck with it," she concluded.  I got the black Yaris Strata washed yesterday on my way home from the barber’s.  €6.  I ate a quarter sandwich or two while the Ratcliffes were here and a bowl of weetabix and milk when they left.  Washed my teeth and retired at 11.30 p.m. to bed.  Left the radio on sleep mode to listen to the news and sports results at 12.00 a.m. but fell almost immediately to sleep and never heard Manchester United’s result.  I think Sunderland drew away with Arsenal.  Discovered tomorrow that United defeated Blackburn 2 – 1.

Watered my flowers this morning. Reading the notice board I observed that my 80 had qualified for a tee-time of 8.10 a.m. in the Captain’s Prize.  Brian Farrell qualified very high up on the leader-board with a 73 I think.  He had rung me last week to let me know that he had little hope of playing last Sunday.  I think his name was on standby – but he must have been lucky!  Played 13,14,12 and then the back 6 x 2 i.e. 15 holes with Alan Ratcliffe starting at 10.30 a.m.  My score today 13 (4,6,5) 14 (3,3,5) 12 (8) six to get down from left greenside bunker! 15 (5,4) 16 (7,6) 17 (6,5) 18 (4,N.R.).  Lost 2 balls off the 18th tee on the final hole and did not go back to hit another one.  Alan had 91 gross, 70 nett and won by a k.o. on the last hole.  My handicap is 13.  I took a shower and changed my underclothes and shirt.  Had a chat in the locker-room with Jacqueline Clarke’s son about transition year – he goes into fifth year this year.  Had tea, sausages (2, large), rashers (2) and a fried egg – on the dance floor.  €4.50 total.  Met Dessie Hynes talking to Mihaly Foldesi at the podium in the entrance to LWSC.  Marie McDermott filed the edge off my back left lower molar so that it would not be catching my tongue.  She said to see how I would get on because there was no hope of filling the tooth.  "There is no disease in it," she assured me.  No charge.  "You’re a saviour!" I exclaimed.  Bought a punnet of strawberries off the Byrne girl in Ballymascanlon (€3) and about 2 kg of potatoes which she weighed out in a paper bag (€2).  Rosanna in Greenore playing in the Hogg Trophy – a match with Warrenpoint.  Lit the fire before dark and spent most of the evening on the computer.  Ate some strawberries, drank coffee; and ate a bowl of corn-flakes and sliced banana with milk for my tea.  Greenore won the Hogg Trophy 3 – 2.  The first time since 2002.  Rosanna sank a putt for a 3 on the Pig’s Back for a 5&4 win for herself and Pat Closkey.

Eleanor Wehrly came over in the late evening and sat and drank some hot port which Rosanna gave her and chatted – Sr Leonie, Mrs. Peadar Hynes, Bertie, etc., etc.  "It’ll never be solved," I concluded about Sr. Leonie.  Sean Og rang on my mobile while she was there – he had 42 points, 1 over par gross, in Ardee today playing with Pat Magee in a fourball.  Pat played poorly, Og said.  Pat was using a new driver.  David Magee and John Ennis who were opposite them had a superior score, I gathered.  I was glued to the radio all day and stayed up to watch the politics program starting at 10.55 p.m. to hear the latest in the Bertie Ahern/Grainne Carruth saga.  Bertie has been silent and all the other players are watching their footwork.  I think Eamonn Dunphy on The Late Late on Friday night called him a perjurer and I think a few journalists repeated the canard in this morning’s papers.  In the afternoon I drove to Green Life driving range and hit 75 balls off the top deck with the Taylor Made driver, the 3-iron and the 7-iron.  €5.  Got the best results when I lined up totally straight and kept my head down and kept the ball back a little in my stance. The opposite to what I have been doing on the course lately.  I was hitting the ball as far, almost, with the 7 as I was with the 3?  Hit a few drives up the bank at the back fence.  Bought 3 pink Pinnacle balls with transparent covers for Rosanna.  €7.  Drank a coffee and ate a Snack and watched Liverpool v Everton on the wide-screen TV.  Rosanna suffering from a chesty cold got up rather late in the day.  Polished my Chelsea boots, my black brogues and also my burgundy brogues.  They were lined up beside my chair in the WEL when Eleanor came in.  Lit the fire in the WEL a.m.  A kinder day than the forecast lead me to believe it would be.  Did 220 bicycling revs before bed and also washed my teeth.  Pain in the front of my head when I bend down or when I sneeze.