In Which We End Up in Asia Supermarket

 

We said goodbye to dearest Lulu on Tuesday morning. Her people, Leitrim Sister and Dmitri returned from Lisbon on Monday evening and we spent a pleasant evening watching Happy Valley, eating Pastel de Nata and drinking wine. Whilst in Cullybackey, Dmitri was as mild-mannered as one could wish but apparently spent the following evening fighting Fascism on the streets of Sligo and got his big Glaswegian dish all over Twitter the morning after. We were all very proud of him.

Wednesday was Evie's Year 7 Revue in which she played a stroppy pre-teen. Obviously, she excelled in the role. I was lucky enough to be given a precious ticket and enjoyed it very much.

On Thursday Bert was invited to go to the Sunflower in Belfast by Les, who was playing there. He declined.  I'm afraid that Bert is becoming reclusive and have decided I must encourage him to venture further afield. I know it won't be easy. Whilst not at the Sunflower, we had a visit from Young Rooney whose current take on the political situation in the North was agreeable to me - not so much his firmly-held belief in the flatness of the earth. 

So today, in a spirit of adventure, we went to Belfast via Doagh (scenic route) and ended up in Asia Supermarket on the Ormeau Embankment. I knew Bert would like it there. What I didn't realise was just how much. I don't believe there was a single item that he didn't study intently. I thought I'd never get him out. We bought roti and kimchi, mangoes and salted sunflower seeds, pickles and tapioca, prawns and mackerel, halva and six kinds of tea. And a lot more besides. We did not buy butter even though it was 25 pence cheaper than Tesco's best price. 

And tonight Bert was invited by Rodders to go to the Brian Jonestown Massacre gig in the Limelight, with a lift from door to door. He declined. Said it would be 'too much' and that he'd already been to Belfast today. There is much work still to be done if I am to get that man out from under my feet.

Flegging Or Culture?

Here is a thing I have noticed. It is this - if something good happens about which I am pleased and excited then, soon afterwards, I start to feel the opposite. For example - yesterday I received my SmartPass which means I now travel free on all bus and train networks within Northern Ireland. I put the paperwork in six days ago and was told it would take three weeks. It was six days. So I was feeling pretty good. Now I had the freedom to go wherever I chose. It certainly fitted in with my intentions of Getting Out A Bit More.

Then, the very next day, this thought entered my head. "You are sixty years old and what have you achieved? You're never going to amount to much now. Thought you were going to write something decent. That's never going to happen now! You haven't even made a start on that patchwork quilt you were saving fabric for!"  Of course I put this negativity far from my mind. Sort of.

Ach well. What is the point of beating up on myself? I had a lovely day with my girls today and I made some wine and cleaned out a couple of cupboards. I created a good dinner. Tomorrow I shall make plans to use my SmartPass. I'm thinking of maybe going to Belfast to observe the protest. Or perhaps I could go visit the City of Culture. I wonder which would make me feel more positive about life?

Getting Out A Bit More

I'm off on my travels again tomorrow. This time going to Hanna's Close in Kilkeel with the grandchildren and their parents. I'm getting out a bit more these days. The reason is, when I was in Vancouver I realised that putting poor old Pearlie into respite for eight weeks a year was not the best way of getting respite from our situation. She had started to hate the disruption. To tell the truth, she was not fit for the upheaval neither physically or emotionally. When I told her, back in August, that we would not be sending her to respite care any more she beamed. I said,

We think you are getting too old for it.

Her look seemed to say, You have noticed. You have caught on at last!

Since then she has been noticeably happier and she has a much sweeter disposition.

And Nellybert? We're getting out a bit more and it is great. Pearlie stays home all the time and now and again we clear off. Sometimes we even get to go together.