Waiter, this wine is Corked.

Generally we had a positive outcome from the visit to Cork.

Dad got a relatively good prognosis, they had taken some samples and there is nothing 'bad' which I take to mean malignant and there had been no narrowing of his oesophagus as a result of what I presume from all the talk is "Oesophageal Stricture". Yeah, I'm kind of unclear on the correct spelling too.

So, he’s due back up again in 3 months for them to take another look. Hopefully, they won’t be scheduling him for 8am visits next time. It can’t be that bloody hard to timetable people from within a certain distance of the hospital for the earlier times and people from further away for later times. Of course, we are talking about the health service where all the brain surgeons are…well, brain surgeons, I suppose. It can’t be a pleasant experience having someone look down your throat and if they think it necessary, dilating the oesophagus with God knows what…a big tube, or something. Still, he’s a typical stoical bloke about the whole thing. Asked by the quack yesterday how he was feeling, he said “Yerrah, could be better, you know”. Like I say, he’s a mine of information. Mom is looking for a cause, but from what I’ve read it seem like something that can just happen as you get older.

Of course, this means I’ve probably got that to look forward to!

Mom’s knees aren’t the Mae West and she seems to find the travelling up and down quite tiring. She’s not too keen on the idea of getting them done.

Mercy, mercy me.

Off to Cork tomorrow to accompany Dad to the hospital not that he has been explicitly told this yet. Though, I'm personally of the view that he's aware of it. It's not like he's an eejit. He's just prone to behaving like one from time to time. Parents, eh!

My role is that of questioning person, and perhaps I may need get somewhat forceful about it. It's all down to getting some answers to questions that Mom wants answers to essentially about how he is.

Asking the man himself post the visit is pointless as (a) he won't tell her anything, and (b) he's probably not paying that much attention to what is being said unless some key words are spoken, like you could line out for the 'Kingdom' next week, though probably in the half-line or you'd be best not to plan any long holidays. It's all one or the other to him.

So, off to the Mercy with me for most of the day. I'd thought it was the Regional, so it is just as well I asked Mom today.

Glorious day

Suddenly, it seems the summer is making a brief return. Just a glorious afternoon weatherwise. I wonder if everyone is gone to the beach.

The weather

is sticky and my nose is not liking it.

Disease du jour

It sometimes strikes me that the meeja (media) have a habit of focusing on some conditions more that others irrespective of the seriousness of the condition.

Part of this is the pie slicing exercise that for a very long time has been government funding on disabilities. In recent months autism has had a particular focus in the television.

I can't help but wonder if this is because in many senses a child suffering from autism looks much like any other child, whereas another child with some other form of mental handicap, or disability may look sufficiently different that the general public recognise very quickly that there is a issue there. In essence I'm wondering are people more inclined to think ‘oh, that could be my child’ when the child is autistic, and less inclined to think that when it involves other forms of disability. And that the media plays on this with respect to choosing to highlight one type of disability over another.

This is not to say that parents and friends of those who have autism aren't right to campaign for appropriate facilities and treatment options, just that the media has a responsibility not to cherry pick a condition du jour. And as we are all to aware the media can very swiftly move on when a juicer titbit comes along.

Happy Birthday, you!

Not that she reads this sort of thing...

And if this crank is right, there may be many, many, many, many more to come.

Perhaps, le comte has something to say on the matter.

Another Win for Laune Rangers

went to the first round/ last 16 of the Kerry County Championship on Saturday evening at JP O'Sullivan park (no relation) or 'the track' as we commonly refer to it. There was a double bill with South Kerry the reigning champions playing Mid-Kerry in the first match 1-17 to 3-06 was the result of that game with victory to the champs. didn't see it as I was having dinner. Appare

Ok, the win wasn't especially emphatic, 0-9 to 1-5 against Kenmare. Kenmare are regarded as something of a coming or at least improving team. Well, coming enough to move into the middle rankings in Kerry.

It was a strange game with Kenmare leading at half-time 1-4 to 0-3 for Laune Rangers. from a point in that half where Killorglin had lead 0-3 to 0-2. There was almost no wind to talk of, there was an ungodly amount of bunching in midfield during the first half, and too many kicks that landed into the chest of someone in thicket of players. Killorglin kicked quite a few wides to boot.

In the second half, Kenmare hit a few wides. Laune Rangers started to hit more balls into space and let their speed tell. Kenmare had a few chances to level it at the end. One thing that occurred to me is the wide gap in ages between the players. In a way it is good to see lads still playing and enjoying it well into their 40s (if I'm not completely off), there again God help anyone in the last 20 years who wanted to be goalkeeper for Killorglin.

Apparently, the consensus was that none of the four teams would be troubling too many people if they continue to offer up the same quality fare. However, it is hard to tell at this point how teams will make out especially those who have players with one eye on the All-Ireland championship games.

Before the game, we took a trip up to Sunhill to look at the view from a spot that we have. This is the view from the western side of the site, looking north to the Dingle side of Dingle bay, those are the Tralee mountains, and this is the view a bit further down and to the town side of the field. On the latter one, you can see from the Tralee mountains, out Dingle Bay and round to the McGillycuddy Reeks. The pictures were taken with my camera phone and the focus and resolution weren't great. However, you can get some idea of what the view is like. The place is somewhat elevated compared to the surrounding area. My personal opinion is the view is effing stupendous, however, I just can't see me living there. We need to get the field cleared to make it look nicer.

We're all going to the zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow...

actually, it's not the Zoo I'm going to I'm off to Killorglin though sometimes it can seem like one and it's today not tomorrow.

Of course, if there were a trip to the Zoo, or the museum or the beach I wouldn't be allowed go on account of ...actually, I don't know why exactly I just know I wouldn't be going. Of course, some times there are those who take up a lot of room and it makes sense that some people have to be left behind, (especially, if it's all for the good of the team!) but one would sort of think that it would be mentioned to the little tike rather than the family just disappearing into the distance. Especially, if it leaves the foundling wandering about the PSA looking for people to break bread with.

In other news, while celebrating John Browne birthday, the subject of sociopaths and killing people came up. I tried to make a contribution without implying I knew more about the subject than I do.

In other news, I'm giving thought to trying out a different age. I've got a birthday coming up in September and instead of the usual adding one year to my current age to arrive at a new one I thought I might leap a few year in a single bound. I'll see in the next few weeks if I can away with 35, it seems like a sort of plausible one. If it feels comfortable I might keep it awhile too.

Where is everyone?

Is blogging the new yoga? A fad that burns brilliantly only to fade all too quickly. The mass consumption of Yoga has taken a bit of a knocking in the press in the last few weeks, there was a thing in the recent IT Saturday supplement and I seem to remember another article in the Sunday Times or somewhere like that a short while back too. The jist of the articles is that people are getting cheaper superficial, yellow pack yoga and not the full life changing aspects of 'Yoga'. Could these be a a manifestation of snobbishness, like a non-musically version of 'my wee band' ( the syndrome where some up and coming band are great, innovative, talented and personal until they become popular and the childs in the shopping centre with the jogging pants and the 3 day old thong at which point they're deemed to have 'sold out'. Credit to Jim Kerr of simple minds for the 'my wee band' comment itself)

As for comparisons with blogging, it appears lots of people haven't posted for ages, while some of those who are long time bloggers are still pounding the keyboards it seems like others are not so convinced of the value of sharing. Are they truly 'free riders' as the terminology would state?

Have people's lives been that uninteresting recently or am I just excessively deluded that other people might be interested in my meanderings? Come on people!

Dear Diary

I've been rereading the first volume of Alan Clarkes Diaries in the last few days and I wonder if blogs are form of semi public diary.
After all, for most of us they are a semi-personal record. Seriously, it is a considerable stretch that the great public masses have any interest in my thoughts or bon mots at the current time, however in some time to come perhaps they will have some reason to read the blog and the great blog provider will charge them €€€s and $$$s to read what the President of Europe 2027-2032 or jailed fraudster had to think about events in the early part of the century.
However, we are also currently aware that someone in a non-specific sense might read the blog, this means we are somewhat careful to filter some of the information. To protect innocent eyes.

Maybe, they might be more correctly considered as letters to no one in particular!

Intemperate thoughts.

I know I'm only a Croydonian and not strictly speaking a Londoner and that only by association and accident, but I've always considered London a sort of 3rd home. (My parents and my gran's place being homes 1 and 2. )
I actually made the effort to head out to see the Olympics announcement on the telly, and had felt a little lift when London was drawn out of the envelope. Then last Thursday morning, I was numbed to see the carnage on the streets, and the people spilling out of the Tube. And also, somewhat intemperate in my feelings as to who did it.

The one thing we can't allow to be tolerated is intolerance itself. And yep, I suppose that this means I think that there are limits on the tolerance of other cultural norms and behaviours. Just as I don't have the right to go to Saudi Arabia and chaff pints of Guinness at my leisure, nor should someone coming to Ireland have the right to interfere with my Guinness chaffing. It's a pretty hairy area to consider but essentially if people living in the UK don't like the place then move or try and change it within the existing political structures!

The Croydon Olympics!

Ok, ok, it's actually London and mainly in the east end. Still, I think it was a good choice and should make for a fun Olympics. And imagine all the people training over here to acclimatise.

On a sporting vein, we are attendees or ne'er do wells as Mgb calls us at the official opening of the Limerick School of Arms. There was some exhibiting of cut and thrust, some bon mots and some consumption of the fruit of the vine and the work of human hands.

Food was had at Luigi Malones and all I can say is that the Buffalo wings starter is enormous, it would easily have done two of me! A pint at Players post the dining was all I could manage, I must be getting old.

It does seem that health troubles are congregating, both Mike's father and Ronan and Adrian's father have been with the hospitals and hopefully both will be well again shortly. My own dad is up to Cork today for one of those vague checkups that he goes for every few months. Those sorts of trips whereby he tells us nothing about what they've said to him as if he were sparing us something. At the same time, he is in good form and seems hearty enough, so I reckon he's fine just needs to be checked every once in a while to make sure that if anything is up that they catch it early enough.

The really annoying thing is that they expect him to be in the hospital in Cork at 8am! Coming from Killorglin. With our public transport system. I know people are usually full of praise for the support staff in hospitals but I wonder sometimes if any of them concern themselves with how people get to the hospital and what happens to them when they leave. Anyway, it gets mom in a tizzy but it usually all works out in the end.

It could explain last night's odd sleep which left me waking feeling that I'd seen something very despairing but I couldn't remember what.

Of course, the other more long term consequence of parental medical encounters is that genes being what they are those matters are also likely to be the medical encounters of the future for our good selves too. I've always had an idea that the head side of things is somewhat vulernable in my case. And I've had a few 'cracks' or flags appear on occasion myself down the years in the head department (I should point out that I'm talking physical head stuff, not the mental side of things, that's a whole other ballgame), but generally apart from the stuff that actually kills us we seem to be a reasonably robust shower in my family. All that Atlantic weather I guess.