[acornlive] Fw: Irish weather.

Ciara Holmes (acornlive@dublinwriters.org)
Wed, 14 Jul 1999 17:25:32 -0700 

----------
> The Irish sun tan.
> I came to live in Canada at  the  age of 27 , The first summer I had a
patch ..of skin
> left but what was left had a tan. Ten years later I am like the mother
hen
> with the Irish visitor's,put on a hat get in the shade.
> When they arrive it is during the evening but at this point sleepless for
> 24 hours as Mary next door called over to say good bye with a bottle of
> vodka and can you bring 6 bottles back was her question  of the night.
She
> didn't leave till 2 am and the flight was only at 8 am.Someone went out
at
> 4am to Rathmines for a curry.Which was eaten by the taxi man when he
> arrived at 5.30 am to pick up 4 people and 7 suitcases.....the cases
> heavier than the 4 drunks.
> Taxi driver delighted at last to get everyone in the car ,three suitcases
> in the boot and four on the laps,asked 'are yus emigrating'?
> 'tell us the country that would have us and we'll go". 
> 
> 
> They flight is just great the vodka is free but the eyes just won't stay
> open.
> 
> When I get to the airport to meet them they are crying for the cup of
tea,
> we get home 40 minutes later and they are ready for a jar and to show the
> gifts they have spent 6 months gathering. Beautiful stuff all thrown at
you
> at the one time.
> 
> Next moring,  
> 
> 
> They are very good with the sun -screen only problem is that they want to
> wear factor 2 while the rest of the Canadians are wearing factor 30 to
100.
> Early morning ,finds the whole house up and at the pool.By noon it is
time
> to open the duty free and bake in the sun.When you ask anyone to get in
> some shade your told "sure I am only  burnt on one leg'. By dinner time
at
> seven they are ready for the bed and looking for cups of ta ,they hardy
> ones last till midnight singing till they fall asleep ,as the eyes close
> they are looking for ' hang sandwichas'.
> Morning comes again and everybody is up , as it is a waste of time to
rest
> as we can sleep our heads off at home. 
>  Frying pan ,chip pan and any pan that can fry comes out with the
smuggled
> in  Kearn's raschers sausages and where would you be without the pudding.
> 
> 
>  I only wake as the smoke detectors are ringing .....  like the bells of
> Christ Church. It was a great breakfest some one brought over a batch
loaf
> , another had bought before boarding the Brennens Bread .If you can't get
> the Brennans sure you might as well stay at home. When we make the
mistake
> of suggesting 'sight seeing,fishing the Casino we are met with ' aren't
we
> grand where we are '?.
> 
> Would you like to see any part of Canada?
> "We are sitting here looking at it" was mostly the answer.
>   
> 
> My husband is very proud of his new country and couldn't let them sit in
> the back garden  for two weeks so it was get in the cars and off we went
to
> see  Niagra Falls.
> Which was a great success  at the time.
> After we got home it was 'its great to be back,put on the kettle' .
> 
> The day before leaving is the saddest day, ' Did I buy anything for Gary
> next door '
> You know he took in the milk while I was gone"?.What about Sheila ?" her
> young fella is on the drugs maybe I will buy him a t-shirt'  to cheer him

> up'.  
> 
> 
> 
> They leave all pealing and multi-coloured ,full of all the cheap stuff
> bought in Canada crying at the airport as we cry with them.
> 
>  Our hearts, are broken to see them go .We go home  and look at their 
> presents to us  .Everything that was ever made in Ireland we own and
> anything of value belongs to either family we were given 
> We love them so ,we sit back and count the days till they come back
again.
> The sun-screen in the factor 2 bottle is really factor 50 so I  don't
worry
> till next year when I will have to buy new bottles  that way they will
> never know why they are not getting sunburned after one day.I love them
too
> much to ever let them suffer.
> 
> .  
> 
> When I was 19 my husband- to- be and I went to Malta ,we didn't even know
> where it was on the map.Told the Mammy all the lies about single rooms
you
> know yourself.We  met two Kerry men , when you meet a kerry man he claims
> to own the county or else his father does,who is going to die in the
> morning.The four of us lay in the sun till the skin dropped of us and
went to the bars at night to get mad drunk and ease the pain.
Nothing has changed.


Carol Ryan.
>   
> 

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