The same lady 2002. Minus the light behind the eyes.

From the brilliant Steve Mc curry currently at the gallery of photography Dublin.

The march issue of Vanity Fair wonders at Irelands singular lack of outrage at the
the sorry state we find ourselves in. Feeling duty bound to respond, I,d say the above pretty much cuts it in terms of Mna Na HEireanns current feelings for the
good gentlemen of Fianna fail,The Banks,The Developers and the rest who bankrupted our childrens future.

Well yes Mr Lynch.We do take also the only half in jest, point being made quite often recently by eg. The financial Times etc as to the current state of our Nation.
But heres the thing; We are a small post colonial island whose defining national characteristic might best be summed up as "having the crack".A nation with generations of poverty and deprivation sewn into its bone marrow.We were, for a time there handed the keys to the sweetie shop.Yes we proceeded to run amok.No we are not sorry.Yes we are doing our best to sort it out.Your further advises? No Thanks.

The wonderful Dervla Murphy whose travel books I loved and who inspired much of my own wanderlust. Here holding court in her seventies in the lovely town of Lismore Co. Waterford with a well deserved pint of plain.
Her Daughter Rachel the product of an informal but clearly loving relationship with the erstwhile literary editor of the Irish Times has recently been quoted as saying that she" can never really forgive her mother."Oh how like a serpents tooth......

My wonderful daughter Isabella (11) has just been assessed in the national top 6
percentile of intellectualy gifted. She also pretty. And kind. And super wacky.

Beyond Proud.

Mom ( roars my 13 year old son) Did you see my new take that CD anywhere?
Um no? my disengenuous reply.But the fact Is I have stolen the thing.It is in the CD player of my car and has been for quite some time now.Because it is excellent fine.

Notes on a scandal, Everything you know,The believers.Just how much more
stunningly brilliant can Zoe Heller get? Linguistic brilliance is a given; "internet apocrypha, envy disguised as moral outrage" etc etc) But the knowing kindness and seering insight into the human condition that seem to define her work, put her in my most humble opinion, into a league of her own.

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Merry Christmas to all my friends! ( except those two I mentioned......)
Have a great one!!! x