Bloggage · Books · general · Life

I’ve Been To The Library

I always thought that I was bad at blogging because I had a boring life.  Well recently I’ve been doing THINGS so it seems I’m just really rubbish at writing about it!  I’m not going to list off all of the things I’ve been doing –  in fairness it’s not really a long list, but it’s more than two things so that definitely constitutes as being a list right?

Today I took the day off work to go and get my eyes tested.  It seems my vari-focals will see me through for another year or two and after that I’m reverting back to single vision lens because I tend to use my reading glasses for all things bar seeing.   My eyes are complicated – long sighted/shortsighted/astigmatism <- I should point out that I do only have two eyes but one of them has two defects, just in case you were getting carried away with notions.  When I was finished with the opticians I decided to drop into the library.  Now this is no longer my local library – but it was when I was growing up and I remember the joy of being able to go from taking books out upstairs in the children’s section to taking out books from the grown-ups library downstairs.  Of course all of that has changed now but the memories were wonderful.  I went in and although it’s smaller, it definitely felt like they had more books than my local disappointment.  I decided to take out a book anyway – I mean, how daring!  and yes it does mean I have to go back and return it in a few weeks but that’s no great hardship really – ok maybe the parking is – but…

The book-du-jour is “A Nice Cup of Tea” by Celia Imrie

A Nice Cup of Tea

I’ve listened to the Audio books of the other two in the series and they were lovely!  “Not Quite Nice” & “Nice Work (If You Can Get It)” were both read by the author herself and believe me when I say she really has the voice for audio books – absolutely delicious!  This trilogy (so far a trilogy) is about a group of British Ex-Pats, plus Carol the American, all living in Bellevue-sur-Mer, along the coast from Cannes.  I don’t want to spoil it but it’s basically about their friendships and adventures.  I’m almost tempted to compare it to the Famous Five, if they had all retired to the south of France.  The south of France is also why there’s so many plays on the Nice and the British nice.

Anyway – I’m off to put the kettle on, this has put me in the mood for a nice cup of tea, and I’ve a book to be reading!

 

 

Bloggage · Celebration · Childhood Memories · Family · Life · Not Taken By Me

A Day Trip

Whenever we go to Waterford it’s always to visit family, never really to visit the place.  So yesterday that’s what we did.

On International Women’s Day, March 8th, I spotted a post within a group on Facebook that said:

“International Women’s Day exhibition at City Library, Lady lane. Opening today featuring unveiling of Blue Plaque to Rosamond Jacob, Tapestry by Waterford Women’s Centre and profiles of more than 120 forgotten Waterford Women”

Lady Lane Library Exhibition
Lady Lane Library Exhibition via Waterford History Group (closed) Facebook

Now, I had recently been reading about Rosamond Jacob, an Irish Suffragist, a Republican and an activist to her last day – she had been born in Waterford in 1888 and moved to Dublin in 1920  (She was also a Diarist – a wonderful insight to history) So the above post definitely tickled my fancy!

Saturday dawned and off we went via Bus & Luas to Heuston Station and off on the train we went to Waterford.

 

When we arrived down the library was closing for lunch so we went off to the Medieval Museum and then to the Bishop’s Palace  Wow!  It’s amazing that when you think you know something, even just a bit of something, then all of a sudden you realise you don’t even know the half of it.  Sometimes the realisation that there is some much more out there – it really is a mind blower!

After wandering around those two museums and realising we’re really going to have to make more time for them, we headed back to the library.  As we were wandering slowly along the ladies, himself called me to a particular sheet:

The Keatings of Comeragh
The Keatings of Comeragh

I couldn’t believe my eyes!  Their brother William was my great-grandfather.  Yes we know their story but to see if acknowledge,d here in a library, by others, well, it’s heart-lifting!  These stories get lost as generations come and go – even within families – so it was truly wonderful to see them here.  It has also given me that little bit more impetuous to get the stories before they (the stories) are gone.

So yes – this was definitely a day that has made me smile (even if we didn’t get to the blue plaque)

Waterford County Museum: http://www.waterfordmuseum.ie/exhibit/web
Waterford Library: http://www.waterfordcountylibrary.ie
Glimpse app: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/glimpse-capture-video-moments/id969793701?mt=8
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