The Adventures of Bear and Butterfly

It’s taken me longer than I thought to get to a place where I felt I could tell the story of our trip to Ireland. I’m very good at distracting myself, making up extra tasks that are more pertinent in the present moment & I am a master at procrastinating… I know my justifications are nonsense but I have been busy… I’m not a lazy person. Honest!

 

Once back from Italy we had a couple days to catch our breath. I took Mum & Dad for a wander in the rain around Reading, showing them the Forbury Gardens, the Abbey Ruins & where we used to live at Kennet Walk. We had a warm cuppa at the Bel & the Dragon then made our way back home.

 

The following day Mum & Dad hired a car & drove down to Hailsham to meet May & Arthur. May is Mum’s Mother’s friend & May’s Aunty Ada married mum’s great grandfather- Thomas Allcock. They had a good couple of days down there & did a little bit of touring around the area, visiting the Pevensey Castle (William the Conqueror’s first stronghold & also a stronghold from World War Two).

 

On their way back they stopped in Guildford & visited Jenny Tew, who is May’s second cousin (her grandma is the aforementioned Ada). I hope to visit her one day, as she really is only just down the road…

 

While Mum & Dad were having their adventures, for some stupid reason Bodra & I decided to take a bus to Edinburgh to watch the All Blacks vs Scotland Rugby game. I think alcohol probably impaired our decision making abilities when we had that Eureka moment. It was a long, uncomfortable ride not too dissimilar from the journey from Antalya to Cappadocia. The game was uninspiring & I even managed to nod off to sleep.

 

We left on the 25^th. There was a bit of a delay to our flight so we were expecting to get stuck in heavy traffic once we left the airport in Dublin. Luckily there was no problem. Dad drove us to Rathdrum where we found our lovely Bed & Breakfast for the night at “Stirabout Lane”. http://www.stiraboutlane.com/index.html Mum & Dad had a terrible mattress to give them a restless sleep, but a part from that, the B&B had a lovely welcoming atmosphere. I had the displeasure of discovering that my phone wasn’t networked in Ireland so I wouldn’t be able to talk to Bodra until I got back home. :’( But there were a few teddies on my bed so I wasn’t too lonely. We found a nice restaurant/pub up the road for dinner so we were all feeling in good spirits & settled.

 

The next morning we had a bit of a back ‘n’ forth journey. First we decided to head for Avoca to have a look at the hand weaving & take in the familiar sights from “Ballykissangel”. Then we headed to Glendalough, where Bodra & I had been for a wander the previous year. I showed Mum & Dad the monastery ruins, founded by St Kevin in the 6^th Century.

 

From there we headed South West to Waterford, but we didn’t find much there besides lunch. So we continued North towards Tipperary, where we stopped to get our bearings, then carried on for Hollyford (Áth na Chuilleann) in County Tipperary, which is where Dad’s family is from originally. It is situated in a valley running through the Slieve Felim Mountains in North Tipperary. As we drove along the main road through a forested area, we went past a parking bay which made us stop. Beyond was a little enclosure with a statue of a lady praying & set into the cliff side was a second statue of Saint Mary. It was a really peaceful setting.

We carried on through Hollyford & spotted a pub with “O’Connell’s” displayed proudly. We decided not to stop however- we wanted to save something for tomorrow. We next drove to Kilcommon, a had a good nosey around the church & graveyard, spotting quite a few O’Connell’s.

Michael O’Connell- his parents, Denis O’Connell 10.02.1890 & Mary O’Connell 12.01.1905 & his brother Patrick O’Connell 16.11.1886 & his uncle’s Daniel & John O’Connell. Thomas O’Connell 28.11.1979. Denis O’Connell 10.08.1973, & his daughter Breeda Ryan 01.05.1967. Annie O’Connell 28.06.1993, her husband John O’Connell 12.11.2000 & their twin sons Brian & Daniel 20.19.1969. Daniel O’Connell 18.12.1980, his wife Johanna 12.05.1980, their infant son Michael, his brothers Martin & Michael & his parents Denis & Catherine. We were really impressed with the Garden of Divine Mercy & enjoyed walking around the stations. They also had what looked like an African hut on site & inside was a little praying area with paintings of different Saints. It was a serene experience as we had the entire grounds to ourselves.

 

From there we decided to make our way to our B&B for the night in Killaloe- “Carramore Lodge”. http://www.carramorelodge.net/ This B&B was on wonderfully large grounds although it was getting quite dark & cold when we arrived, & we left early on in the frosty morning so we didn’t have a good explore there. But we had comfortable beds for the night & a lovely breakfast too.

 

We wandered from Ballina then across the bridge to Killaloe. We found a couple Cathedrals & Churches & another O’Connell tombstone- Reverend Richard O’Connell 17.08.1925. Then we went in search of food & found a pub/restaurant where Dad had an unpleasant encounter with a poorly described burger.

 

 

 

 

The following morning we journeyed back to Hollyford for another nosey around. We found the Hollyford Millennium Garden but no O’Connell’s were named there. So we went to the O’Connell’s pub which we had seen the previous day. It turned out it was no longer a pub but was instead a wholesale distributor for car parts. We saw a van with “Joe O’Connell” painted on it & Mum & I decided to go inquire. Dad followed us & soon we found the Joe O’Connell & had a chat with him about what we were doing in Hollyford.

We also wanted to go to Birchgrove near Hollyford, to see the family land, but we weren’t entirely sure of how to get there & were too shy to ask anyone to show us.

 

Back to Dublin to return the car & sort out our accommodation for the night. I’d organised a dormitory room in Brown’s Hostel on Lwr Gardiner Street which had appeared to be quite decent going by the Internet information. http://www.brownshostelireland.com/ However, it was probably the most displeasing accommodation in Ireland, & we later found out that this was the least desirable area in Dublin. Brown’s Hostel was a massive building with many passage ways leading all over the place like a rabbit warren. There were probably ten bunk beds in our room & the bathroom was down a couple flights of stairs & around a few corners. We left our bags there & took anything we didn’t want to lose, then headed to the Temple Bar area.

 

We stopped for our evening beverage at a bar that had a father/daughter duo singing together. She played the Bodhran & he played guitar & they were really entertaining & soul-full. Dinner can’t have been too bad has I have no memory of it. Then we found another bar to enjoy Irish music at the Oliver St. John Gogarty Bar. There were a few people dancing so it was a nice atmosphere.

 

 

Regretfully we trudged back to our dorm room. The others sharing it with us were quiet & respectful. Our beds were near a curtain less window which had a bright street light shining on us. The room became really warm as there was no ventilation. I discovered my nose had bled in the night too. We were up pretty early & quick to gather our things & high tail it out of there.

 

Bagel’s for breakfast then a dozed dash to Kinlay House where we were to meet our tour group. http://www.kinlaydublin.ie/index.php?page=hom

We were to cover nearly 900 kilometres in 3 days. http://www.shamrockeradventures.com/Tours/WesternRocker3Day.html The tour guide was pretty switched on & had some great snippets of stories & local knowledge to share with us- like telling us what Craic meant, “You can find it at the end of a pint glass!” We hopped on a very comfortable bus & headed first for John Locke’s Distillery in Kilbeggan- the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world. Ish-ka-ba-ha: The Water of Life. We had a tipple there which wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Then onto Clonmacnoise for a look around the monastic village- mostly ruins & gravestones. The hole of sorrows was next- Polnabrone Dolmen- an ancient burial tomb in the Burren, a barren limestone plateau. Lastly we visited the Cliffs of Moher & had a good wander around them looking out to the sea. We stayed the night in Doolin village on the Atlantic Coast. I tried Guinness with a dash of blackcurrant & it made it taste much more to my liking.

 

The next morning we took the Tarbert ferry across the mighty Shannon to Dingle Peninsula. In Dingle I had a deep-fried mars bar & ice-cream for lunch… We drove along the coast & saw the Sleeping Giant and the Three Sisters & also some beehive dwellings. Then we arrived in Killarney town & were soon jaunting around Killarney Park. We found a Chinese restaurant for dinner but no deep fried bananas. There was a Hen Party in the restaurant & Dad assisted the bride with one of her tasks by giving her a kiss.

 

On Sunday morning we left the Kerry Mountains & travelled through West Cork to Blarney Castle. http://www.blarneycastle.ie/ We queued up for the gift of eloquence & had a good wander around the castle grounds & gardens. I wanted to walk the wishing steps but when we found them it looked like it could take a while due to the queue & the difficult nature of the task- you have to close your eyes & walk the steps backwards.

 

Lastly we travelled across the Golden Vale & stopped in Munster for a wander around the Seat of the High Kings of Ireland, the Rock of Cashel, a fortress overlooking the fertile plains of Munster. http://www.cashel.ie/attractions/rock.html By this time I was fairly despondent with yet another ruin/cathedral/graveyard but I did enjoy watching the birds flying around the top of the round tower. I imagined what it would be like to have an doof party there whilst I was listening to my MP3 player- so this brightened my mood. They were quite grounding surrounds, looking out from the graveyard to the grassy plains.

 

We stayed at Kinlay House & crossed the river Liffey to find dinner & a pint or two. As we had a morning flight (back to London for me & to Inverness for Mum & Dad) we didn’t stay out for long. Back at the hostel I met a few of the others who had toured with us & we had a good chat before retiring.

 

Mum & Dad joined their friends Lesley & Rob who own a Guest House in Inverness. Mum met Lesley on the ship the Northern Star in 1965-66. They had a few days together & did some scenic touring around the area.

 

Then Mum & Dad flew down to Liverpool & drove to Bramhall where they met with John & Tony Stanton- mum’s cousin & third cousin. They visited the Stockport Town Hall & found a sign showing that mum’s Great Grandfather- Thomas Allcock- was a Councillor who helped open the hall on the 7^th July 1908. They also went to Mersey Square- Underbank where Thomas’s name was also displayed as a member of the General Purposes Committee. In a graveyard they found the tombstone of William Stanton J.P 16.01.1956 & his wife Ann Mary 12.12.1979, Henry Stanton 24.02.1936, his wife Mary Ellen 28.02.1931, their son James 03.10.1918, their daughters Ellen 01.02.1928 & Annie 04.02.1944. Mum & Dad visited mum’s old school & some of the streets from her childhood. Then they left Stockport for March to see mum’s childhood friend Susanne & her family.

 

Whilst Mum & Dad were away Bodra & I saw Stardust which is an absolutely brilliant film- everyone should go & see it! Kim & Ezra also came & stayed over & witnessed the All Blacks defeat against France. It was an absolutely crushing experience. I now hate Rugby.

 

We did a little bit of London touring together in the last few days of Mum & Dad’s travels. On Wednesday evening Mum & Dad took us out for a belated birthday dinner for Bodra to our favourite Thai restaurant (in Reading- nothing beats Thai Mango in Ponsonby!). On Thursday we went on a bus tour of London- starting at Baker Street station outside Madame Tussauds where there is a statue of Sherlock Holmes. Through Oxford & along Regent Street, past the Angel of Christian Charity- the Eros Statue at Piccadilly Circus. Through Trafalgar Square past Nelson’s Column & Downing Street. Then along the River Thames past Big Ben & the Royal Bethlehem Hospital- the oldest Lunatic Asylum also known as Bedlam. We got off at Waterloo Bridge (also known as the Women’s bridge as it was built by women during the war) & walked down to the London Eye where we took in the sights of London from above. Then we went for a River Cruise along the Thames going all the way to Greenwich & back. We saw a black & white ship called the Queen Mary, the HMS Belfast war ship & the Wellington ship which was part of the NZ Navy during WW1. We went past the oldest riverside pub- Prospects at Whitby & we learnt what Wharf was derived from- Ware House At River Front. We hopped back on the bus tour but didn’t see too much else.

 

On Friday we went back into London for a mosey around. We started off in Notting Hill where Mum & Dad showed me where they had once lived on Pembridge Crescent. We also had a look along Portobello Road to see what interesteing trinkets were being sold there. We had a walk through Hyde Park & saw squirrels & the NZ War Memorial. Then we started walking towards Covent Garden, via Downing Street & Trafalgar Square. We had a good dinner at Bistro 1 then found our way to the Fortune Theatre to see “The Women In Black”- a slightly spooky play with just three actors. Only two spoke, the other one just hovered around spooking the other characters.

 

On Saturday I spontaneously decided we should go for a walk & thankfully everything was timed quite well. We caught a bus to Sonning Common then began our walk down the street & through an Old Copse- a thicket of small trees where Squirrels & birds darted around us. The track took us along a few more streets, through areas of heather regeneration, across valleys, through woodland areas, along lanes, past a church, through a golf course/orchard area & to lunch at the Malsters Arms pub. Then we carried on through farmland where we watched red kites hunting & we also saw a plane enthusiast nose diving in the sky. Eventually we ended up in Henley-on-Thames, walking through Henley College & towards the train station. We didn’t have much time to take in the sights there which was a shame.

Mum & Dad left us later on that evening which brought on quite a few tears. But now that they know how to work a digital camera, that hopefully means I will see more of them!

 

Bodra & I saw Younger Brother at Madame Jojo’s in Soho on 17/10/07. It was great seeing a live band make dance music. On the 20^th we went out to Dorking to participate in an Elephant Nature Park fundraising pub quizz with Chantal. I don’t remember too many of the questions but they were mostly British questions so didn’t apply to our knowledge. We had an epic journey back to Reading afterwards & Chantal also had a difficult time getting back to London. The trains weren’t running as late as we had thought so we had to take a number of buses to get out of Dorking, relying on the drivers for directions to the relevant stops. We ended up going in the complete wrong direction at one stage too. Bodra & I ended up going out to Heathrow & then as the Reading bus wasn’t running we took a taxi back home.

 

Azaeus passed away on the 26^th October so that had us all in a bit of a mess for a while. I realised a couple weeks back that now this means I have a constant companion with me always so I just think about him being with me & I feel safe & confident.

 

On November 1^st Bodra’s cousin Bevan & his wife Tara were blessed with their brand new healthy baby boy Maxwell- 14 ounces with red hair.

 

We had our trip to Euro- Disney with Sarah, Rachael & Paul on November 2^nd- 4th. Then I visited the Abbey School for an observation on the 6^th- we didn’t do anything for Guy Fawkes as we didn’t think anything could top our experience with Liz & Tony the previous year. We visited Tony & Liz the following weekend & went out to the King’s Head in Chigwell for lunch- I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen them in over a year! Tony showed me the photos from Hilary & Martin’s wedding 20/10/2007- we didn’t attend as we assumed we would be in Paris watching the World Cup Final… but as it was between South Africa & England there was no need for us to be there. Still feeling sore about that!

 

On the 14^th of November I went to Rosedale Clinic & experienced Hypnotherapy for the first time. I have been considering learning it as there is a pretty good course starting in February which isn’t too expensive & is in Berkshire. The overall experience didn’t impress me as I didn’t feel the hypnotherapist got me into any sort of trance state. I wanted to see if he could get me to communicate with my Higher Self so that I could get some direction as to what I should be doing with my life right now. He wasn’t able to do this at all so instead we just worked on trying to programme a sense of self-worth, confidence, motivated & positive minded within my psyche. I haven’t noticed anything different so I don’t know if it is a hoax or what. I do know that our yoga teacher, Maria Grima http://www.soulisticyoga.co.uk/ is definitely able to lead me to a deeper place, so perhaps it is all dependent on the rapport you are able to build with the Hypnotherapist.

 

Bodra’s mum, Carolyn, fell & fractured her wrist in three places on the 15^th of November. She was in hospital for surgery last week & now has pins to hold the bones in the correct place. The cleaners at her school had used oil to make the floors look shiny & clean, & unfortunately for Carolyn they must have done a terrible job in wiping the excess up. Despite the obvious pain of suffering such an injury Carolyn has mostly been able to keep her spirits up throughout this & especially having people from her school & her Singapore friends to help her, it’s been quite a lucky situation. It’s really nice to know that support will find you even if your family is quite far away.

 

Bodra went to Bangalore last week from Sunday until Thursday for work. He didn’t have any opportunity to take in the sights besides what he saw as he journeyed from his hotel to the work place. It took about an hour an a half to make that journey but it was mostly through thick traffic. Bodra didn’t think too much of Bangalore, he saw a lot of poverty & the air was very dusty.

 

Last Wednesday I had the trial lesson & interview & I just found out that I have succeeded & will be working at the Abbey Junior School in January & February part time, just three days a week. I believe this will be exactly what I need so I am very chuffed.

 

The weekend just been Bodra & I went to Wimbledon to visit Rachael & Paul, as they are leaving for a holiday in NZ tomorrow. Very jealous! We had a good Tapa’s dinner with them & then went to see Beowulf- Alanna & Russell also joined us. This was a great movie as it showed how the cinema experience will be developing in the future. We were given 3D glasses & the entire movie was filmed in 3D so swords pointed out at you, hair seemes to glide right in front of your face, as coins rolled along the ground they came so close to you that you could almost touch them. You definitely got the sense of depth behind the cinema screen.

 

& lastly… it’s really cold outside!!!