All in a Day's (or two) Work!

Do they say 'August is a busy month'?... Well, in our house June is always a busy month....As we head towards the end of the school year. school reports, school tours , end of year Art projects, testing, sports Day, Book Lists etc all clamour for attention and inevitably it always gets done.... better be busy in June with a clear idea of what is to be done in preparation for next year than try to remember at the end of August what was so important in June...

Earlier this month we were all invited to a 1st birthday in a neighbour's house. This little girl made a dramatic entry into the world one year ago when she arrived roadside enroute to the hospital and her parents decided on a 'TeddyBear party' to celebrate her special day... needless to say our guys entered into the spirit of it all and were all excited about us all heading off together....

Alex with Oisín & Elena with Millie

Sibling Love!
Darrelle did bring a doll also!!!!!!

'Ok.... now what do we do with all these dolls/teddies?'

On more than one occasion this month I have ended up bringing one or both of my daughters to school.... with Darrelle off for an entire month before the rest of us we have had to come up with ways to keep her busy (so that she won't spend all her time watching TV or on the computer!!)... We have managed to keep her quite industrious and she has had a great month... So far she has spent time with grandparents, and cousins and spent one week 'helping out' in a bakery/restaurant (and learnt how to clean skirting boards!)... This week she is 'working' in a clothing shop ... and am sure she is learning how to fold clothes... (Oh how happy I am to have her learn this very useful ! skill!!!) Yes, I know she is not legally allowed to work yet so let me clarify by saying that all these newfound skills are being accquired in family businessess so Thanks Uncle Val & Walter for allowing her to spend time with you and hope she was of some help.....

To me she was a great help when she spent a full day photocopying for me in our school, and all other odd jobs were undertaken without teenage protest!!! Could the fact that we were heading to Beyonce in concert that evening at 3pm have had something to do with it....???

This Monday saw her joining my class on their school tour to a local Pet Farm.... The little guys loved it and Darrelle, I think had a good day... feeding animals on our guided tour....

Making a wish at the Wishing Well.. (Serious Stuff!!! Absolute Silence... the guide turned to me and whispered 'My favourite part of the tour'!!!

Check out the Monkey Tree... the only tree a Monkey can't climb!!!!

Darrelle helping out the little guys in the playground....

One of our projects this year in school was clay work which focussed on the Irish legend 'Táin Bó Cualigne' (The Story of the Brown Bull of Cooley).... Here follows a history lesson... to be read by those who have an interest in Irish history... AND most especially by all those who frequent Declan & John's pub named for this famous legendary epic ... An Táin...

An Táin...

An Táin Bó Cualigne (The Cattle Raid of Cooley) is Ireland's most famous Epic... Versions of this Celtic Story are found in such Irish medieval manuscripts as - appropriately enough the Book of the Dun Cow (12th Century)and the Yellow Book of Lecan(14th Century).. For centuries prior to its being set in written form the story of the Táin survived in the country's vibrant oral tradition....

The story exists in a heroic pre-Christian and pagan setting within which a spiritaul dimension in the shape of deference to fairy power, druids, spells, enchantments, the Tuatha Dé Danann etc serve to enrich the narrative... Personal wealth was largely reckoned the basis of territorial area, livestock, strongholds, armoury, weaponry...... Single combat as between the bravest and best of opposing forces was a common means of deciding a conflict....

A good flavour of the life of these legendary times can be savoured in the Fiannaíocht (Stories re Fionn Mac Cumhaill and his Fianna) as well as the Tales of the Red Branch Knights associated with Ulster... Ireland then was said to have a ruling structure of provincial Kingships under a High King whose influence ideally extended to all corners of the land.... In this epic at its height, the Uster province found itself defending its integrity against representative forces form the other provinces - a loose allegience of warriors from Leinster, Munster and especially Connaught, then under the queenship of Maeve whose seat of power was in Cruachan....

The Táin Epic - loosely translated as the Cattle Raid of Cooley - lends itself to being cynically described as a 'Bull Yarn'.... A comparative inventory of Oueen Maeve's and her husband Ailill's favours his in the shape of a magnificent White Bull... In order to balance the equation Maeve resolves to induce Daire Mac Fachna, the owner of the fearsome Brown bull of Cooley in Ulster to allow her to acquire the animal. Daire , with the backing of King ~Conor Mac Neasa of Ulster decide to frustrate Maeve's design and the proud Maeve decides to rustle the Bull by force..

Because of a spell that Maeve's druid inflicts on the armies of Ulster, the young warrior, Cúchulainn armed with his magic spear,, the Gae Bolga takes on the defence of Ulster.... King Conor and his Red Branch Knights still under the spell...

While Cúchulainn was wreaking havoc on Maeve's forces, a group of Connaught men spirited the Brown Bull of Cooley away to Cruachan.

After days of single combat, Maeve presuaded Ferdia, Cúchulainn's foster brother and dear friend to take on the guardian of Ulster... three fierce days of combat ensued before Ferdia fell but not before inflicting wounds on his former great friend that would soon prove fatal...

King Conor of Eamhain Macha and his army emerged from their slumber to finally drive Maeve and her troops from Ulster...

Maeve's possession of the Brown bull on her arrival back in Cruachan was shortlived: The Ulster animal attacked and fatally wounded her husband Ailill's White Bull before finding his way home to Cooley in Ulster....

And thereby hung a tale!

Note to Author: Do you remember giving me this piece of writing over 10 years ago... am sure you thought it had gone on the skip when we moved house but am glad it surfaced without difficulty this evening when I was photographing their work!!! We owe you a drink in An Táin!!!!

A selection of goblets, shields, weapons, jewellery and of course....

The Brown Bull of Cooley & the White Bull (who looks to be at an advantage!!)

Torc ... Celtic Jewellery

And finally... a school day with a difference... a few months back we started a School Garden..... Today we had told the children not to bring any lunches that we would cook dinner for them..... And so, we did and they ate things that I am sure they would turn up their noses at at home but because it was the fruit of their own labour they, on the whole were willing to try everything.....

Picking out the best cabbages....

Look who got there before us!!!!

We managed to salvage some for ourselves

Elena, who had a free day from her school today and once again decided to join me awoke with great excitement and 100 questions, like 'What time will we eat?, Who will cook the cabbage?, Who will ring the bell after break? and so on, and on, but she was a very willing little helper... Here two little girls wash the potatoes....

... And clean up any spills....

They got to taste lettuce, scallions, tomatoes -we had to buy those:(

Then they followed that with lovely new potatoes, chives, cabbage, minus the caterpillars:()

and spare ribs....

And : just to finish off we had:

Strawberries...... Yum with Natural Yogurt....

The kids LOVED it and we spent most of the day outside, much to Elena's chagrin, who missed the routine of her big school, where one break does not run into another.!!!!. Still what do you expect in a small school of 25 pupils when it is so close to summer holidays and of course.... this is REAL education....

And this is what happened on the way home from school!!!!!

Note the scar on her chin from her fall a month ago.....