So, that in itself makes a change, doesn't it? Truth be told I've drafted a couple of posts and have basically lost all interest in either the topic itself or posting it. Life can be like that, can't it? I suppose it's the build up of the small things that one can usually cope with that just bogs one down. It is in my case, starting with an enjoyable outing to a revival of the Muc Fair down in the village.
For those of you whose Oirish isn't that great, a Muc is in fact ós gaeilge for a Pig! Apparently in days of yore it was tradition to have a pig fair on the village green. Now that was a long time ago, far beyond my years, but the Geashill Tidy Towns committee decided to use the opportunity to raise a few coppers towards essential items and maintenance of the village.
Unfortunately I didn't sell too many of my cards, but I did attract a lot of attention from the local children. Sadly it wasn't my fancy 17th century dress that was the star of the show, it was more a case of having carefully chosen my time to reveal my new found skills as a tattoo artist! Yes! You did read that correctly, I've turned my hand to body art!
Actually, I'd bought the tattoos some time back, with the intention of invading the Phoenix Festival dressed as your common-or-garden variety gypsy rose, doing a bit of tarrot and tattooing everybody and anybody daft enough to volunteer themselves. This of course didn't happen and I'd all but forgotten about my fabulous Bombshell Stamps and temporary body ink, until on a whim I decided to bring them with me for the craic (fun!)
I'd a great time. Dressed like an eejit in layers of wool and cotton I survived the initial drizzle that threatened to put a big damper on the Muc Fair, while those that hired beautiful costumes got drenched! The weird thing is that the rain didn't put the punters off, actually the crowd appeared to grow as the rain got heavier, which still strikes me as being a bit strange, but fantastic.
A month or so later the news came through that we came first in the Tidy Towns competition this year, breaking the 39 year run by Clonbullogue and you know what? The Tidy Towns Committee well and truly deserved this long awaited accolade as they've put in so much work this year and every other year. The village is beautiful, even in the middle of winter, unfortunately this shot doesn't really show it off at its best, but you get the idea, don't you? I even managed to sell a couple of framed photos for a fiver each just for their sentimental value. Walled village greens are something of a rarity over here, especially when they're surrounded by listed buildings...
In my previous post you probably read about how I then was struck down with a dose of gastro-enteritis and the effect it had upon my mental health. I should say, the effect my employers had on it, rather than the dose itself really. When suffering with a bout of the old liquorice, it's not a great idea to try and drive into the doctors for fear of soiling oneself and everything around one! Apparently my big boss didn't agree, but that's another story...
Since then I've had a lot of time out. First of all I stood up one morning to inspect the speakers on the pc only to put my stupid shoulder out which resulted in my adhering to the absentee policy to the letter and I do mean the LETTER! I'd a fantastic week off on that one, in agony and dosed up to the eyeballs on pain killers and muscle relaxants, and of course the ubiquitous rubber ball that my mum was able to pick up in the local shop.
Strange girl, I hear you say? Not really, they're truly great for applying just the amount of pressure directly into the centre of the muscle spasm and bringing both intense pain and then relief. Unfortunately this is only a temporary measure, as I can't really wear one in tight fitting undergarments all the time now, can I? Well...
So, I went back to work for a week or so and then came down with the weirdest 'flu I've ever had. Over here we have a tendency to refer to a head cold as the 'flu, but this one was influenza itself; I can assure you! Starting out with a stinking headache (24hrs worth) and a stinking attitude on my part, being open and honest here is probably the best policy as I did have to make a number of humble apologies for that one. The next day, Saturday opened with the flood gates that lie just at the top of the nose and continued until Monday with the coughing, sneezing, wheezing, runny eyes, lethargy, fatigue, blah, blah, blah and c.
The problem was that the nasty infectious bit wasn't too nice, but it was a walk in the park compared with the steam roller that hit me on Monday afternoon. The recouperation was far worse than the illness itself and given that it was my second virus since the beginning of September it knocked me for six. Two weeks off work! Followed by a shift down in the Medical Assessments Unit upon my return. OMG, whatever next?
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