At last the rain has stopped

At long last the rain has stopped. It's Sunday afternoon, I've had lunch, though not done the washing-up, and mowed the lawn. We're ready for the summer now.

One minor irritation occurred while I was mowing the lawn. The oil filler cap on the lawnmower engine came loose and spilled oil on the outside of the engine. It was a bit messy, but no harm has been done. I checked the oil level and it is still above the minimum. I was planning to change the oil anyway, so now I have a further reason to do it.

Even thought it hasn't rained all day, the atmosphere still feels humid. I hope that doesn't mean that it is going to rain again, because I would like to walk down to the pub this evening. Talking of the pub, I've just been down to town in the car to fill up with diesel and get a new can of petrol for the lawnmower. I should have bought a bottle of oil at the same time but I forgot. There's no urgent need to change the oil, but it would be good to get it out of the way.

On the way down to town I say Benjy my neighbour walking, so I stopped to give him a lift. That's another reason for hoping it doesn't rain, he didn't have a coat.

Summer reading

My reading list this summer is:

• Head Strong and
• Rainy Brain Sunny Brain

Both of which focus on getting the best out of people, rather than "fixing problems".

A thought: Don't hoard negative emotions

Have you ever thought of your mind as being like the boot of your car?

You must have been told from time to time to clear out the boot of your car, because the weight you carry around in there costs you money in fuel that you burn to no purpose. I don't mean the weight of the atlas, or the car-jack, or the spare tyre (which after all, you might need), but: the half of a pair of trainers, the discarded wrapping, the stuff you were taking to the dump but got distracted by something else.

Now think about your mind. What are you carrying around that you don't need? Not factual memory: that doesn't weight much, no more that a note in the atlas "I was in 'Somewhere-or-another' in June 2012"; or the positive memories, which are more like fuel than dead-weight; but the negative emotions.

Even if you feel you are fully in control of yourself, wouldn't it be more "fuel efficient" to leave some of the junk behind?

Clear air

At long last the rain has stopped. The air is beautifully clear (which is unusual in Ireland). I've taken a few pictures which I will try to add tomorrow. I've just got back from the pub, so I'm going to curtail it here.

Still bats

I'm pleased to report that I still have bats around my house. I saw a couple at the weekend, and I went out this evening and saw another couple. When I've finished writing this, I'll go out and have another look, now that it is fully dark. I don't know if they are roosting in the trees or somewhere in the house. If it is the house, then it must be the roof but I have no idea where.

A new toy

It's Father's Day today. My wife and children gave me a "Sat-Nav". It's nice to receive a gift, and this one will be useful for the summer holiday. Personally, I like to review my route before I set out, and I will continue to do that, but this piece of technology will make the navigation en-route simpler and less stressful for everyone.

I couldn't resist taking it out this afternoon and seeing if it could cope with the minor roads around where I live. It passed pretty well. If it had a route then it detected that I had "gone off track" almost immediately.
That's good, because that's always a problem. I did manage to confuse it when it wasn't actually following a course and I turned up a bohereen (minor road) which it didn't recogise. I think that has to almost count as cheating on my part.

I'm looking forward to the vacation. I hope the sat-nav will play it's part in getting us there and back safely.

A Matter of Life and Death?

(2nd June 2012)
Is one supposed to enjoy a funeral? Probably not, but it is possible to enjoy, or at least gain comfort from, the support of friends.

A close friend died recently and I attended his funeral. To attend I undertook a long and quite difficult journey. It has cost me money that I would rather not have spent. Before setting out I grudged the time I was going to spend. Now the trip is nearly over (I set out to return tomorrow), I have changed my mind. I am glad that I came. The money and the time have been worth it.

Why do I think that the trip has been worth it? My friend Dave died suddenly and unexpectedly. He was middle aged. A middle aged man. Unusually, he was not overweight, and while many people would have criticised him for having an unhealthy lifestyle, nobody thought that he was ill. I found that I was quite shocked by his death. The funeral was attended by a large number of people. Dave was not a religious man, so the service was held at the local crematorium. The crematorium chapel was full to capacity and a large number of people were left outside. There "wake" was held at the pub where Dave drank almost every evening. I have not seen the place so busy for many years. I felt people supporting one-another. I hope Dave's family felt the same.
 
Community. What is a community? I don't know, but I felt it at the funeral service and at the pub afterwards. Not something it is easy to define, but something which is shared together, something which people feel together. I suppose, by definition, it must be something "communal". Whatever it is, having encountered it, I feel it is something good.