Sunday, August 16, 2009

Blog Moved

Anyone dropping in here please go to the updated blog by clicking HERE.

At the moment I'm trying to track down whoever is causing the pop ups in this blog. I'm doing that by removing all of the widgets and add ins and as soon as I discover the one that causes the pop ups I'll publicise it on the web.

As many of the regular visitors to my blog may know, my sister Chris passed on to her eternal reward last week, to the inexpressible grief of all the family. One of my other sister's (Marie) has written a nice tribute to her on what is now our family blog. More tributes and memories of Chris will follow very soon. In the meantime please do visit us by clicking as above or HERE.

Thank you.

Jim

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Popups

Just a note to say that if anyone is experiencing unwanted popups (never heard of a wanted one) there's a replica of this blog.

If you'd like to go there clicking HERE will bring you to it.

I'll keep both blogs going until such time as I find out where the popups in this one are coming from and removing the cause.

Meanwhile here's a little slideshow showing Seán my grandson as well as some photos taken locally.




Seán's poor face? I thought you'd be wondering about that. Some weeks ago he fell heavily against the sharp edge of a corner. We thought he was very badly injured but thanks in no small part to being treated quickly and efficiently by my son Jimmy who's a paramedic the injury was kept to an absolute minimum. Seán has a scar as you can see, but it's fading quickly as my daughter, his mother Antoinette, treats it daily.

And this post started as a short one about popups? :-)

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Hello again

Hello again!

Where have you been eh? It's been awhile, but at last I feel more up to continuing my blog.

Before continuing with my stories I thought I'd introduce a video clip made at Summerhill, the place where I was born and where much of my old memories are based. The video clip begins at the junction of Summerhill and the North Circular Road.

But this is a Summerhill much changed from the Summerhill of my childhood. It'll be obvious which are the newer parts when you compare the obviously older parts which have hardly changed.

Summerhill in Wintertime....

Liz me cuz in Oz.. see if you can spot where you were born. That part of the street is wider now, but the bus stop is still in the same place, or very close to it's original spot. I can see my old school... the house where the old dinner house was is still there too. A close look will show the new houses going down in a slope where the old 27 Steps used to be. And how the junction of Summerhill and Gardiner Street has changed.

Back soon with a yarn or two......

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Memory of Ma by Marie

To the right is a photo of our Ma, taken in O'Connell Street Dublin about 1950.

I wanted to include this photo with the nice memory and tribute to Ma that my sister Marie wrote below.

The words that follow are Marie's......

"My ma was a wonderful woman she cared so much for us kids i will never forget her this is my little bit about my ma....

My ma was the best ma anyone could ever have I love her with all my heart....now I want to share my ma with you she would love that.

I remember my ma as the most beautiful woman I ever seen. She was loving and caring to all she met. She loved us kids and would do anything for us.

I remember when it was Jim's birthday she got him a cake she even put candles on it we did not know much about birthdays at that time but ma wanted to make it special for Jim cos he was going into hospital. He had an operation and we kids looked on as we seen that look between mother and son she loved him so much as she did all of us.

But Jim was going to have an operation and she was very worried about him because she did not know what the outcome was to be.

It was great that evening when Jim came home. I dont know where he had been, maybe at work but ma told us not to say a word to Jim so she went into the kitchen and brought out the cake with all the candles lighting it was great because it was the first time we seen a cake with candles.
She told us all to wish Jim a happy birthday. Now as I think of it it might have been Jim's 16th she made such a fuss over it wanted it to be right and it was great we all looked on as Jim blew out the candles and we had lemonade what a evening that was.

Then Jim had to go into hospital to have this operation, and we as kids did not understand what this operation was about but we seen ma was worried and told us all to pray for Jimmy.

I remember going to the hospital to see Jimmy and seeing ma asking him how he felt after the operation. She listened carefully to what he said but Jimmy was a young boy and he said he was grand.

Then ma got talking to another young boy in the next bed to Jimmy and was asking him what was wrong with him and was his ma coming up to see him. The young boy was from Artane Industrial School and had no one to come and see him. He told ma about things that had happend to him in the school. Ma felt sorry for this young boy so much that every time she went to visit Jim she talked to the young lad in the next bed to him, her heart went out to the young boy.

She held that young boy in her heart and as the years passed she always talked about him to us kids saying how lucky we were to have a home and a ma I think till the day she died she remembered that young boy in the next bed to Jimmy cos at times she would talk about that boy.

Ma loved everyone and I know she is watching over us kids to this day. I will love you ma for ever....kisses from your daughter Marie."

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Thanks Marie. Some lovely memories there.... memories to treasure. And I agree with something you said in the first line.... she would love us to share our memories of her.

I'm sure she's smiling now.