Grannymar

Grannymar is older than the flood!

Nooooooooooo! I’m not older than that flood; the one I am talking about was on Saturday, in Dublin.

According to the bible in Genesis Chapter 6 we are told that ‘Man’s sin was the cause of the flood’. So what caused the flood on Saturday? I was a good girl!

I was down in Dublin for an innocent girly lunch. Look this is the evidence:

Now what could be any more innocent than that, I ask you? A group of bloggers, dishing the dirt gossiping stuffing our faces sharing some tasty food and a bottle of wine or three while chatting about the blog world. No sin there you would think.

Of course I did gatecrash a party on Friday night. A Toyboy Birthday Party and I brought my Manager. She was supposed to keep an eye on me… instead of chatting up all MY toyboys. Every time I was busy hugging one of them she was chatting up another. We had a ball, didn’t we missus?

So back from the tangent once more…..,

I was at a girly lunch. Now rumours abound that I left with a Toyboy….. I’m saying nuttin! Them ’uns down in Dubland are a jealous bunch You could do nothing!

However I did end up in a Taxi going nowhere for two and a half hours. It cost €60 to travel 12.5 klms! The Toyboy came to the rescue and brought me home to his house.

Darragh and Niamh, thank you both for providing a bed, food, and an evening of fun. There is no way I would have managed without you.

Elly who was in Cork for the day on Saturday, had a similar journey from the airport driving through two feet of water on the M50. She and George collected me on Sunday and rescued my car from where I abandoned it the day before.

Now for further developments you will have to wait…..

Today I was sorting the gifts that I bought for my good friends this Christmas. I did not have a great deal of time for shopping last week and I have to admit to being a little flustered and mixed up at this stage.

I need your help please!

Below are the gifts that I purchased. Can you sort which gift is most suitable for each of my friends?

My friends are all in my Blogroll, you decide for me who gets which gift.

Now, no rushing, pushing or fighting please!

You are allowed select a gift for yourself of course, but you must say which one and why.

Will the person nearest my Elly at this moment, give her the Kiss-of-Life and drag her up off the floor! I can do nothing these days because she worries about me so much.

Is she upright again?

Well then I will begin.

Following a Power cut on a Monday the other week I have experienced fluctuation with the light levels every evening. At first I thought it was my eyes. The lights dimmed but did not go out. After about an hour or sometimes two they went back to normal. Now I am not a heavy user of electricity. Lights in the living room were on as were the computer & the radio. My oil fired central heating was pumping away and the place was warm. The fridge/freezer was working normally and several clocks through the house were showing the correct time. The only problem was with the lights.

This continued to happen three nights in a row. A little worried that the power might be cut again I decided to phone my provider NIE (Northern Ireland Electricity) on the Thursday evening. I spoke to a very nice young lady and she seemed rather puzzled by my query. She was aware of the break in power on the Monday and said she would pass the message on to the engineers so that they could check things out the next day.

I explained very briefly my health situation and my need for heat, light and access to a working telephone in case of emergency. Immediately she said “You are not on our Critical list!”

“Critical List” I said “What’s that?”

She told me that NIE offers a critical care information service to customers who have health issues or are dependent on life supporting electrical equipment. Once registered with NIE they can provide up to date information during a power cut or a planned interruption. If I need to call them my number would be recognised and I would be given priority.

I never realised this service was available. Did You?

So if you live in Norn Iron and know of anyone in any of the situations listed above then tell them to call NIE. If you live anywhere else in the wider world, check out your electricity provider. Who knows when you might need the service I hope you never do.

Will, my very own

invited all of us to take part in ‘Talking Shite‘ a project of donating a blog post ‘for inclusion in a book which would be sold in aid of bowel cancer?’

‘Would you be willing to donate time you already spent, to help give people more time to live? And would you buy the book? And get your friends to buy the book?’

I’m willing (excuse pun) to have a go, what about you?

I miss my Jack!

He had a wonderful warm heart. Not alone that, he radiated great heat. His whole body was like a mobile heating unit. It is no wonder Elly chose ‘I want to hold your Hand’ by the Beatles to be played and sung at her wedding. It is a picture imprinted in her brain, mammy and daddy holding hands or sitting close together on the couch.

I am the original Ice Maiden old woman. I have the coldest body in Christendom. Elly & George were laughing at me over the weekend when they were up to see me. As I headed off to bed the electric blanket was on, I wore bed-socks and brought a hot water bottle with me. It is still supposed to be summer! A Toyboy would be easier, but alas they all run far too fast for me.

My Fire

In winter I like to light a real fire in my living room. With a real fire I never feel alone and the room is very cosy and toasty warm. Over the years I have used coal, turf, logs from George’s parents and my latest idea is to use the Eco Wood Briquettes.

Last winter I managed to get the Eco Wood Briquettes on a few occasions. They are clean, easy to handle, ignite quickly, burn well and the little residue can be used on the garden. No waste, and my feet thaw out! My problem is to find a regular supply.

Does anyone out there know of a company where I can get them on the island of Ireland? Any companies I have located are on the UK Mainland.

Eco Wood Briquettes

Back in April I wrote a piece about ‘A Message in a Bottle’.

Today we have a little update! The system works!

Yes, on Friday I had reason to test it. A test nobody wants to have.

Following all the excitement of the wedding last weekend I spent the time since my return home lying low. I woke at around 5a.m. as usual on Friday, but tried to go back to sleep. I must have slept as I was awoken by the sound of the doorbell. Mark the Postman was all apologies for disturbing me. I signed his book and accepted a parcel. I still felt rather sluggish and fought against going back to bed. While thinking of Jack who often said “Bed! I am not going to bed. People die in bed!” I concentrated on making my breakfast.

By 10.15a.m. I knew I was in trouble and took my spray. Not having the desired effect I took it again and instead of improving things got worse. When my sight became blurred I called ‘999’. It is not the first time I have had to avail of their services. What a wonderful service they provide. Once I had given them all the information they needed, I was told me not to hang up and the man talked calmly and quietly to me until help arrived.

Within 4 minutes the Cardiac Car was here and I was wired up and put on Oxygen. The Ambulance was hot on the heels of the car and one of the men went straight to the fridge to get my ‘message in a bottle’. It gave him the information needed without me having to use up energy answering questions. He lifted my medication but refused me time to get night-gear or wash-bag.

It is at times like this I am glad to have a major hospital ten miles out the road. I was seen to immediately, injections and tests were started but since I was in the early stages of Hypothermia drawing blood was all the more difficult.

I was settled into a bed in the Cardiac Ward and was checked every 15 minutes. It took until 5p.m. to bring my temperature back to normal and for the pain to subside. The tests continued through the night and since the pain had not returned I was allowed home late Saturday afternoon. I still face tests but they will be as an out-patient.

Note to Bloggers: Do something about A Message in a Bottle!

Note to Self: Stop chasing Toyboys!