While we were away, Archie McKee did erect our new fence so that we have our back garden privacy almost totally restored. I say "almost" because obviously a 6-foot fence isn't going to be as high as 3 or 4 mature evergreens, so our behind- door neighbour can see into our back garden from one of her bedrooms; however, she isn't prone to looking out those windows so that is not an issue. I had to meet with "Miss Rebecca Clark" this morning because some of her mail was misdelivered to our house. She said she spoke with Archie (who has done a lot of work for her in the past) while he was putting up our fence. He told her we were upset at having lost our privacy. She said if she had realized we used that part of the garden, she would have mentioned it to us before she had her evergreens taken down, but it wasn't until they were gone that she saw we had a small table and two chairs back there. She apologized which made me feel better. She also said that when she had had her house surveyed before putting in an offer to buy it, the surveyor pointed out that the roots of those evergreens had reached out almost to the foundations of the house. He suggested that they should be removed as soon as possible. So the truth is, she didn't take them down just to make her garden nicer, although as I have said, she was fully within her rights to do so. At least we no longer have grudge.
The second item is that Don's knee continues to improve. He went to Crieff to use the driving range and said he did okay, except for the wind, which is gusting to near-gale force today. We're still getting drizzles too, but nothing like the rain we had yesterday and into last night. For the second day now, there is snow on the very topsp of the north and north-western hills.
This morning, in an effort to deal with our standing water issue, Don phoned Mr. Jack, the brickie who dug our foundations, built our fireplace wall, laid our new walkway, and dug our new drains. He told Mr. Jack about the problem we have of water standing between our drive and the back of our house. He actually reached Mr. Jack on his mobile--in Tenerif where he is on holiday, but he sent his son over to see what could be done. He declared that the old drain in the driveway is not very deep and when it rains for so long, it simply can't cope (still, it seemed to do better before the construction work was done and all the building sand, gravel, concrete mix, etc., was all over the place). He cleaned it out to see if it drains a bit better. If that doesn't work, they'll explore other possible solutions after Mr. Jack returns from his holiday.
I'm still doing great on the diet. The recipes are good and I'm not feeling very deprived. This afternoon I went with Trish Hamilton to Aquafit at the Leisure Centre in Crieff. She and I had been going regularly from the time we arrived in Scotland 3 years ago until we lost the Aquafit teacher about a year and a half ago. The new teacher is quite good and I really enjoyed being back in the water. I have a feeling, however, that I'll be quite sore and achy tomorrow and the next day.
Now back to our Dingle experience. Our traveling companions, Kay and Boris, have been traveling to Ireland on holidays since 1974. In 1981, they rented a small cottage for a month or more. Their landlords were Edna and Caoimhin (Kevin) Chinneide (Kennedy). This couple had 8 children, the youngest of whom in 1981 was 9 years old and the eldest was married and away. Ever since then, Kay and Boris have gone back to visit with the Kennedys when they are in Ireland. Kevin died a number of years ago but Edna remains the strong matriarch of her clan as well as one of the movers and shakers of the Dingle peninsula settlements, an area of Gaelic speakers.
A note about Gaelic: The pronunciation of the word Gaelic that most Americans know is the Irish pronunciation, with a long A sound. In Scotland, the word Gaelic is pronounced "Gallic" with a short A sound. They are basically the same root language with some differences between the Irish and Scottish versions. In general, Gaelic speakers in both countries can follow each other's languages, with the exception of some words. Most people in Ireland prefer to say that they speak Irish rather than Gaelic. They fought long and hard for their independence and are fiercely protective and proud of their country, their language, and their freedom. Other parts of Ireland use English on place names and road signs as well as shop names and so forth, but Dingle is in the Gaeltachd, the region of Irish-speakers, and so Irish is used first and foremost. In some, but not all, instances English translations are provided below the Irish words.
When we arrived at Ednas, we were shown into the dining room. One of the older daughters, Lelia, was there as was the youngest, Dairena (the former 9-year-old now 34), and their brother Aodan . Four of Edna's grandchildren were there, Eilis and John Benny's three (2 sons and a daughter) and Dairena's one. They said Edna was away for her messages (running errands), but bustled around getting tea ready and tidying up. Aodan laid and lit a turf (peat) fire which made the room wonderfully cozy. The children went outside to play.Soon Edna came in and there was a general carry-on and catching up for a while. Soon salmon on buttered brown bread appeared, and then Eilis's Christmas cake followed by Leila's mincemeat pie with brandy butter. Tea cups were set out and then came the tea. It was a wonderful chat around the fire, warmed by the tea and food.
Edna reminded me so much of my late mother that I was fighting strong emotions for about the first 20 minutes. I was on the verge of tears several times, which surprised me. It was like getting the chance to be with my mother again and finding her a much easier person to relate to. I don't think Edna really looks like my mother, but something about her eyes and mouth are similar enough that it really hit me.
There was much discussion about what each of Edna's children was doing. I am going to give you a sentence or two on each child so you will see what a remarkable family this is.
Neasa (pronounced Nassa) is about 50 and is a language activist. She is a strong activist for all native languages that people are either trying to hold onto or trying to revive and promote. She travels around the world in her efforts. Her husband, John Hagerty, is provost (president) of Trinity College, Dublin.
Michaeil (pronounced MEE-hall) was once a diplomat, stationed in Egypt among other places, but has changed careers. Now he is doing fishery research and is a strong advocate for the EU to do advanced research into the sea and its many properties.
Lelia (pronounced Leela) is (or was--I'm not sure) an elementary school teacher.
Gearoid (Geh-rod with a hard G) lives next door to Edna and is a man of all trades who picks up work here and there.
Aodan (AY-don) lives and works in Dingle. For a while he was in the B&B business. Right now he's away on a course but I'm not sure what sort.
Lorcan is another son. He is an activist for the fishing industry, which needs all the help it can get. Word is that new EU regulations will prevent salmon fishing because stocks are so low.
Eilis (pronounced AY-lish) is a traditional singer and wife of John Benny Moriarty. She had just returned from a pre-Christmas 6-week tour of the U.S. and was very happy to be home with her family and off the road. She sings in both English and Irish.
Dairena (pronounced Dah-REENa) is a poet and a specialist in Irish. Her first book of poetry had been recently published, her second book is being printed now, and she is about halfway through writing her third volume of poetry. This week, she is in Brussels doing simultaneous translation for the Irish delegation to the EU parliament as well as the EU commission. We came away with an autographed copy of Dairena's first book.
So you see, this truly is an extraordinary family. We had a wonderful visit with Edna and the 3 of her children who were there and left feeling as though we had known them almost as long as Boris and Kay have. Before we left, Kay had told Edna that I am a quiltmaker. Edna asked Lelia to go upstairs and bring down the samples of her needlework that she had recently made into a wall hanging. As you can see from the photo, these are tiny samples made of white cloth. The stitches are miniature versions of what most American quiltmakers would call small stitches worked in various formations--darts, tucks, gussets, pleats, ruffles, and so forth. As Edna said, these were things she had to be able to do before she got out of high school. (And I thought my home-ec class was tough!) Lelia helped with the colourful decorative stitching around the samples. Those of you who remember my mother, do you see what I mean about Edna looking somewhat like her?
That night, Eilis sang in the pub, accompanied by Shawn Briggs on guitar and John Benny on button accordion. I'll tell you about that tomorrow.
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