Month: February 2021

I came across the above topic at a zoom meeting during the week. And I was reminded of the importance of active listening in communication. The cynic in me looks at all the ways we can communicate now besides a face to face meet up or a telephone call.

We have email, text, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Blogging and Pinterest. And yet I sometimes think that with so many ways to stay in touch that sometimes I feel out of touch. I have always had a mixed reaction to social media.

Once upon a time, when I was growing up, there was this thing called ‘Mass’.    It is very much out of fashion now for a myriad of reasons (most of which are too upsetting to go into). All religion aside, it did have the effect of a community gathering and anyone that did not attend was noticeable by their absence and concerned questions would be asked.

Nowadays so much of our communication is conducted in isolation which is a bit of an oxymoron in and of itself, but there you go. We are all so connected, yet so apart.

I had fun looking up Gary Larson cartoons. I almost forgot how clever they are. There will be plenty more over the next few days.

Big Bang Theory – Active listening https://youtu.be/p1jzdSzGHnA

Everyone loves Raymond –https://youtu.be/4VOubVB4CTU

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

I love this joke that I am about to share with you and was telling it the other day to a friend. One of my favorite bits is when, prior to commencing the joke, I ask them to clear their mind. Then I immediately add’ Oh, you are way ahead of me’.

It’s a humor test and normally takes a second for the person to figure that I am calling them empty headed. By which point I can see the light bulb going off in their head and then I am hopefully waiting for a laugh. It doesn’t always happen but thankfully it did the other day.

So, here goes.

The 42 bus is driven by Pat who loves to listen to RTE 2FM.In particular Tara Stewart who plays his favorite Irish band ‘Fontaines DC’. When he starts off at the main stop 15 passengers get on. At the next stop four passengers get off and one passenger gets on. The next stop six passengers get on and eight passengers get off. The next stop two passengers get on and three passengers get off. At the next stop three passengers get on and two passengers get off. At the last stop five passengers get on and four get off.

I then say to the person/few people ‘Okay have you got that? Grand what was the name of the bus driver?

The hardest part is trying to keep a straight face as you watch everyone diligently doing their sums as to how many are left.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

Well, here we are. Officially on the run up to Easter. I have considered learning a new language for Lent. Mandarin? No thank you. I will have a satsuma. And then I may have a mandarin. Just to mix it up a bit.

Citrus fruit really brings out the crazy in me.  It never used to.  I put it down to lock down.  Don’t get me started on limes. They are my new culinary favorite additive. I could say that I need to get out more.  But then, don’t we all?

I feel obliged to share some of the ‘Pancake Tuesday’s’ puns.  Seeing as I have been on a roll with them recently. I promise I will stop after today as I know that I will be panned for them (Ouch…)   The woeful pun train really needs to leave the station at some point.   If I am finding them on the brink of being too cringe worthy, I can only imagine what you must be feeling.

• I can’t believe it’s pancake Tuesday again. Honestly, it just creped up on me.
• If anyone else makes a bad joke about ‘tossing’ on Pancake Day, I will batter them.
• My dad always makes the pancakes too thin… I shouldn’t have to put up with this crêpe. (My favorite)
• You’d batter believe it’s Pancake Day today.
• These pancakes are flipping delicious!

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

 

 

Today was my first sea swim for 2 weeks since my hypothermia episode.  It was 13.5 degrees in Dublin today, a difference of 11 degrees from two days ago. The sea was cold, but it was still blissful.

A giant dead seal was washed up on Portmarnock the other day which caused a lot of disturbance. The birds were circling and dogs were also attracted to it.  I can only guess that it must have been hit against the rocks throughout the course of the storm last week.

At least 2 feet of sand has been eroded from velvet strand in Portmarnock. It is now more ‘rocky’ and ‘stone’ strand.  Let’s hope the coming weather will bring the lovely sand back.

I believe that Katherine Hepburn swam in the sea every day up until she was in her 80’s. She claimed that ‘the bitterer the medicine, the better it was for you’. I tend to agree.

Although I gather that non sea swimmers are getting fed up with the popularity of people hurtling themselves into ice cold sea water. (WPA-Woeful pun alert) There has been something of a back splash with non-swimmers hurling waves of witty remarks towards sea swimmers.

The pier pressure has not gone unnoticed. However, my favorite response to the naysayers would have to be ‘Please excuse my resting beach face as I go about my day swimmingly’.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

 

 

Love My Valentine

You add the sparkles to my soul

You let me grow and let me be

You cheer me up when I am low

You are my safe harbor my sanctuary

You are my consciousness you are my bliss

You are my guide through strife and woe

My heart melts with your embrace and kiss

Where you go, I will follow

You add rhythm to my day

You left me fail you let me succeed

You do it all in your own way

I love our union our personal odyssey

By Adele Leahy

 

Here are a couple of valentine’s stories that tickled me.

They are from

www.readersdigest.ca

My boyfriend and I met online and we’d been dating for over a year. I introduced Hans to my uncle, who was fascinated by the fact that we met over the Internet. He asked Hans what kind of line he had used to pick me up. Ever the geek, Hans naively replied, ‘I just used a regular 56K modem.’” —Contributed by Anne McConnell

 

My friend Mark and I work in a lawn-mower-parts warehouse. Somehow Mark got the idea that his wife did not want a card on Valentine’s Day, but when he spoke to her on the phone, he discovered she was expecting one. Not having time to buy a card on his way home, Mark was in a quandary.

Then he looked at the lawn-mower trade magazines scattered around the office—and got an idea. Using scissors and glue, he created a card with pictures of mowers, next to which he wrote: ‘I lawn for you mower and mower each day.’ Mark’s wife loved it. The card immediately graced their refrigerator door.” — Contributed by Gene Hyde

Wishing you a day filled with love, laughs and friendship.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

 

News and social media appear to have lit up regarding a judge’s decision to deny Britney Spear’s father increased power over her affairs. The original conservator-ship was ruled in 2008 following a very public mental breakdown.

Britney is not the first and certainly will not be the last celebrity to have mental health issues as a result of her tumultuous rise to fame. I am rather baffled as to why this is news. Considering everything else that is going on in the world.

Young stars immediately become a meal ticket and a puppet for the agency that they represent. Rarely is their welfare of paramount importance. The young star music machine must continue to provide for its crew lest it gets eaten alive. This is often the case.

WPA (Woeful pun alert- I am sure that you saw this coming…. ) Britney became the epicenter of a Toxic management team that eventually drove her Crazy.

Not just Sometimes, but it appears, Everytime.  She wasn’t a Girl or yet a Woman when all of this transpired and yet her family and management team claimed that their interests were entirely meant to Protect her.

She rightly claimed that they all wanted a Piece of her (me) and had to stand by and witness the Circus enfold. Besides the dreadful puns I do wish her well, as she is a mother and someone who has suffered greatly at the hand of fame.

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

https://youtu.be/B8ISzf2pryI

This gorgeous Labrador is hilariously guilty and reminds me somewhat of Buzz and Finn when they are up to their antics. Buzz has always been a bit anxious and barks at people when they pass by my apartment.

I am not sure if he has taken a dislike to the color of their socks, trainers or just their general attire. He is definitely nowhere near as bad as he used to be. I put it down to when my father died as I had to leave him with someone for the weekend whilst I attended the funeral. I had him for 6 weeks when this happened and I can only imagine that it may have contributed somewhat to his anxiety.

He has taught Finn his tricks. Great training on my part, I know. I am really proud of myself, NOT.  Now when someone passes by and Buzz has not clocked it, Finn is his look out.

I then begin my admonishment which results in them curling up on the sofa, wrapped around each other and gazing at me with their ‘we are far too cute for you to be mad at us for any considerable length of time’ eyes.

Which actually does of course transpire as I seem to be incapable of maintaining any sort of strident discipline where they are concerned. I will work on a better ‘game face’ for tomorrow and let you know how I get on.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

 

https://youtu.be/ZAfmM06pVUw

Carrying on from the ‘Ab Fab’ theme of a few days ago I had to remind myself of its brilliance on YouTube.  I cannot believe that this series is 27 years old and I still find it hilarious.

Patsy played by Joanna Lumley was 46 years of age when she took the role.   Edina played by Jennifer Saunders was 35 years old. They were both amazing in it and looked fab.  Maybe hence the name?

The expression ‘Bottle of Bolly’, aka ‘Bollinger, was a well-worn phrase at the time. As was dressing up as Edina and Patsy for fancy dress parties complete with white powder all over one’s nose and top lip to emulate Patsy’s propensity for coke.

One of my favorite fancy dress costumes that I can recall was a duo I witnessed when I was working in the Gaeltacht in the 1980’s. The two girls went dressed as ‘the night before’ and ‘the morning after’.

Obviously, the girl dressed as the night before was resplendent in perfect make up and an immaculately sexy attire. In contrast ‘the morning after’ girl had mascara down to her neck, laddered tights, hair that looked like she had been dragged through a bush backwards and brandishing a large glass of soluble aspirin for a woeful hangover.

Needless to say, they won the prize for the ‘best fancy dress’ end of season party.  They had great fun recreating the ‘morning after’ look for the rest of the night.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

Here is one of my favorite clips. ‘Joey ‘from Friends and his ‘smell the fart acting’.

https://youtu.be/8c4YhwpiaKU

I knew that acting was no walk in the park but where there was once method acting, now there is eyebrow acting, mouth acting and smell the fart acting.  I wonder if Daniel Day Lewis has ever employed these alternative acting techniques?  He is one of my all-time favorite actors- besides Anthony Hopkins.  Whilst writing this I wondered if there were any outtakes of his acting?  And look what I found.

https://youtu.be/yjNw3pNsSmM

A rare moment of Daniel breaking character. I remember hearing many years ago that someone met Daniel Day Lewis in Belfast Airport whilst he was filming ‘In the Name of the Father’.  Apparently, he was still in character and was conversing with the ground staff in a perfect northern Irish accent whilst checking in.

Besides his exemplary acting one of my favorite Daniel Day Lewis moments was when he accepted his Oscar for ‘My Left Foot’. He said – to the Academy- ‘that you have just provided me with the makings of one helluva weekend in Dublin’.

The look of excitement and admiration of all his peers in the audience warms my heart.  I believe that he works as a cobbler now somewhere in Italy.  What a man.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

Buzz let one rip in the car today. It was an SBD- silent but deadly. I thought that I was going to sustain chemical burns to my lungs. The car windows were all swiftly opened to allow the gale force Baltic winds to clear the car of the putrid fumes. Buzz looked as though butter wouldn’t melt. Not even a nod towards any degree of embarrassment.

Finn went to the back seat to hide under the blanket. I began to wonder about what I was feeding him and realized that it was nothing different from the usual. I wanted to react in a similar fashion to the cat in this video.

It reminded me of a time when I worked in Dubai and a few of us were taking a taxi with a lovely Indian driver. The only problem being that the lovely Indian driver had a rather severe BO problem that made all of our eye’s water collectively.

One of the girls took a notion to remove her travel size Chanel bottle of perfume from her handbag and spray the back of the man’s neck. We all watched in disbelief and started to giggle.

She reminded us of the fabulously eccentric character ‘Edina’ from ‘Absolutely fabulous’.   I apologized to the driver as he was unsure as to what was going on. I explained that she sprayed it in the air to see if it was working properly.    Our friend was stuck with the nickname ‘Edina’ for quite some time thereafter.

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele