Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Fally down socks days..........

Mild grey March morning and I'm sitting in my usual spot in the lovely library in Rush – it really is a fabulous building, if you are ever in North County Dublin you should try visit it. And Skerries Mills. And Ardgillan Castle. And – well, the list is endless. Just visit Fingal on the east coast of Dublin and you’ll find lots to see and do – we’re horrid cultured y’know!

Lots of topics I could blog about today but I decided I’d give you all a laugh about my ‘fally-down socks’ day yesterday.

I had to follow Jemser over to Ashbourne yesterday evening to the garage he has his car serviced in (Rath Service Station-brilliant and Eugene is a sound man, totally recommend him – particularly for Saab and Opel.) I switched to the passenger seat in my car coming home as he drives me mad if I’m driving because he makes me nervous, he’s convinced I’m going to do something wrong – and y’know what Will says ‘Nothing’s either good or bad but thinking makes it so’. So in the interests of marital harmony if we’re both in a car together he drives – unless he needs to sleep – then I can take over. I’m rambling – but I’ll get going now, I promise!

Once I dropped Jemser back to our home I left straight away again – I was due to do an interview with the lovely Debbie on Near 90.3fm in Coolock at 7pm and I was supposed to toddle down to my wonderful songwriting/singer/musician / all round creative person Karen Coleman off the Tonlegee Road (mark my words – this lady is going to be the biggest thing in Ireland and abroad since Imelda May) for a cup of tea and a chat. We both have busy lives and always seem to miss each other at different events so we needed a good old chin wag.

Those of you who know me know I have absolutely no sense of direction. The kids used to say it was an adventure getting into the car with me – because you never knew where you would end up! I drove around and around in circles looking for the big white building that houses the radio station. Eventually it clicked with me that the station was in the shared services Civic offices (great idea Dublin City Council btw, hats off to ye) off the Oscar Traynor road and I pulled into the car park relieved that I was still early. I always add a 15 minute ‘just in case’ into timing any journey when I’m driving.

Had a chat and a laugh with two lovely women in Near 90.3fm, Debbie and Rebecca - this is community radio at its best; they cover all that’s going in the North Dublin ( both city and county) area and its all done by volunteer presenters – they are always looking for volunteers so if interested go here www.near.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view...

When we went on air I was a bit nervous so decided I’d just be myself – well a slightly less manic version of myself! I spoke too quickly at first but eventually settled down into a chat with the presenters who put me totally at ease - we could have been sitting in a Starbucks shooting the breeze.We spoke about my writing career to date, the novel I self published (available here www.kennys.ie/ ) and I even plugged my appearances as the Story Queen (voluntary work) in Fingal libraries on Saturday mornings through out the years. I then read a little passage from The Heron's Flood and although my mouth was dry I got through it. A really pleasant experience. So thanks Debbie and Rebecca!

So, at this stage I was looking forward to my chat with Karen and was dying for a cuppa tay. I went looking for my mobile to check the address she had texted to me. No bloody phone. I’m always mislaying it. Typical! I had probably left it on the table at home when I ran in to collect copies of the which I was donating as prizes in a text-in on the station. So – no phone, no directions to house – what do I do? I debated driving back to Swords to get my mobile but didn’t want to be that late for Karen and Anne (Karen's darling Mam.) No, I thought - I’ll find a phone box – ring home and get them to read me out the address on my mobile. Good thinking Batman. ‘Cept I couldn’t find a phone box – I drove around and around and around – nary a one. Where did they all go? Is there some big warehouse somewhere holding hundreds of phone boxes waiting to be recycled as Superman changing rooms or Dr Whos's Tardis? I felt like Robinson Crusoe – shipwrecked in my Opel Corsa in the Donahies/Coolock/Artane area and nary a Man Friday in sight. Mad.

Eventually I pulled into a little row of shops on the Tonlegee Road and stuck my head into a pharmacy to see if they knew where there was such an archaic device as a phone box - are they collectors' items I wonder?. Well d’y know what – I met the three loveliest women there. Not only did they let me use the phone in the shop they even trawled down through their prescription system to see if they could find an address for me – Karen has special needs brothers and would use the chemist a lot. But. I wasn’t sure if Karen’s surname was her maiden name or married name. No answer to the home phone – as per usual - son#1 not there, son#2 installed in front of the PS3 and oblivious to everything but the game he’s playing and the Jemser was sitting in the kitchen with the headphones on listening to his new best friend ‘YouTube’

Right sez I , I’ll try his mobile – which is the only other number I knew off the top of my head. It went to voice mail. Feck. He told me later he doesn’t answer his mobile unless he recognises the number, but later on curiosity got the better of him and he rang the number anywayto see who had called! Those three women must think we are a family of ding-bats!As all my attempts to find the address had failed I decided I’d have to drive back to Swords to collect phone and travel back to Coolock. Story of my life – confusion.com.

But.

As I headed out the Malahide Road I heard a beep beep and in my peripheral vision I spotted a flash of green from the internallittle cubby hole on the passenger's door. The bloody phone had been there all along, I must have popped it in when I switched seats with Jemser in Ashbourne!
So it's all his fault - as bloody per!

Are y’still reading? Fair play – I’d be away to Twitter by paragraph three. I think my blog is like one of those slow cookers as opposed to a pressure cooker! So - I was now fully armed with the addressand I headed off again; but I still went around in circles. Karen can’t give directions and I can’t take them in – we are like two lost souls but we have these magnets y’see and we always find each other in the end! I stopped the car at a little green and phoned her again,

‘I’m coming out the front door’ sez she. ‘Can you see me now?’

‘No,’ sez I, then in the rear view mirror I spotted her walking across the green, phone to ear and barefoot on the grass. Big hugs all round and we adjourned to the comfortable kitchen of her home where Bear – Karen’s ‘to die for’ St Bernard (Old English Sheepdog maybe) took a fancy to me – He’s no Molly so he didn’t end up on my lap but I’d say if I let him he would’ve had a go!. Karen, Anne and I drank cups of tea and chatted about all manner of things. Chats are lovely. Chats and flirtin' make the world go round.Amn't I right?

Karen Coleman is so talented folks – her songs are beautifully crafted and her talent doesn’t end with music she writes really well - particularly dialogue. I love spending time with her – reassuring her that all she has to do is work hard, do the right thing and shine and the Universe will provide. I KNOW THIS AND IT WILL HAPPEN BECAUSE BY SHEER FORCE OF WILL I WILL MAKE IT SO! She needs one tiny bit of luck – one financial backer and a manager to look after the business end of things. She’s tired, needs minding and space to do what she excels at. Plus she’s about to become a granny and Anne a great granny! Isn’t it brilliant – four generations under the one roof. Family.

If I could help her at all, in any way, I would – because I cannot bear to see talent going unrecognised. Ye better all hide your piggy banks because I’m coming on the scrounge!

So that was my Tuesday – interesting wasn’t it . Oh! And I didn’t get lost going home! Now, I'm away - off to give my first ever creative writing workshop - I feel like a little girl starting in Junior Infants - terrified but determined I'm going to be a big girl, not be afraid and JUST DO IT.

Chalk

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