Month: March 2021

Today I wrote a story in my book referencing an experience with a baby I cared for whilst training in Ballinasloe, Portiuncula Hospital, as a nurse. The baby was admitted and we cared for the baby for two weeks until he was well. The family were a travelling family but I could not recall their name. What I did recall was their generosity upon discharge of their baby. They brought in chocolates for everyone and flowers.

I had worked for some time on the private ward where we had some patients that were with us for 2-3 months. It was rare to receive gifts in thanks.

Later on at the Vets I was talking to a man that was cleaning out the stable.    He had a lovely little dog and he told me that the dog’s name was Mac. He said that he named it after the McDonagh’s as this is where he got the dog from 10 years ago.  I immediately knew that this was the name of the travelling family with the baby I helped care for.  It was so random a coincidence that I got goose bumps.

Have you had any ridiculous synchronicities of late that you would like to share? I believe that when they occur that they are a sign, perhaps an angel sign. Either way I believe that it is a good portent.

And I am off to have a Big Mac. As I am going with the signs.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

Hi, I’m Buzz. A rather likeable Morkie pooch. Apparently, it’s an unfortunate name, linked to some kind of female battery-operated thing.  I do all the regular cute pooch things but I am also an Olympic standard chewer. Give me anything chewable and I can magnificently whittle it down to microscopic proportions.

I have a few alter egos. Meerkat-as I can stand on my back legs for almost 2 minutes (depending on whether or not a worthy treat is being offered).    Kangaroo, I am called ‘Skippy’ on occasion as I have a tendency to bound through the park when my excitement levels reach maximum and finally, a parrot, as I rest on anyone’s shoulder if they will allow me.

My core skills are being cute, barking my head off, running, jumping, chewing and being a part time medical canine practitioner, aka Dr. Buzz. My assessments are conducted by using my extra sensory sniffing and licking technique. I have been known to cure cuts just by licking them better on more than a few occasions.

I used to have a girlfriend called Olive who lived above me in another apartment. Apparently, she was a ‘Cougar’.  She was fourteen whereas I was only a year and a half.  She was a ‘Westie ‘and a proper ole adorable grump. In the beginning she growled every time she saw me but as I like to see myself as a ‘love machine’ she came round to my exuberant ways. She died last year.    And I miss her. She was the love of my life.

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

 

https://youtu.be/MveqXxB12YA

In the beginning Buzz&Finn loved going to the vet.  Their response was similar to going to the pet shop. They treated it like Disneyland.  So many animals, so many animals with different scents.

Lately they have copped on to the fact that the vet comes with a caveat. Yes, there may be lots of lovely smells but there are also needles and fingers up bottoms which they are not too fond of. And as a result, as soon as we turn the corner to go up the driveway of the vets, they begin to bark their gorgeous little heads off.

I must admit to being somewhat negligent as a pet owner. Some months ago, I received a text message reminding me that Buzz&Finn needed their vaccines. I ignored it as I believed that it was just a money-making exercise. Embarrassingly it transpires that they require yearly vaccines. Specifically, for ‘Weil’s Disease’. Which is a disease contracted from rat’s urine.  I have a real fear around this disease. As a teenager I met a girl whilst we were both volunteering for St. John’s Ambulance. She was the first girl in Ireland to contract ‘Weil’s Disease’ in the early 1990’s.

It was a summer in the early 1908’s when the bin men were on strike for 3 months. She went out to put something in her bin and had a small cut on her big toe. A rat had peed on the rubbish around the bin which then entered her blood stream through the cut.

She told me that she was unconscious within 24 hours of the incident. None of the specialists knew what was wrong with her as they had never seen anyone present with these symptoms. She received the last rites 3 times.

The hospital flew in a specialist from the UK who could not diagnose her. An American visiting consultant decided to check her blood for Weils Disease once he heard of the bin strike. And lo and behold he was on the money. She made a full recovery with the only complication being 98% dexterity which meant that when she was writing her finger movements were slow.

I shall endeavor to do the right thing and bring my lovely pooches for their annual vaccinations.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

Happy International Women’s Day to one and all.  Although I am sure that there are some folks that ask the question why is there no ‘International Men’s Day’.    And then others who would rather that genders are abolished which is where we are heading anyway. And perhaps this is a good thing.

One of my WhatsApp groups for swimming posted a fella questioning when the Women’s Day would be over as he was starving. He was called a brave man by more than a few due to his temerity and cheekiness.

Another remarked on how the clothes wash he put on didn’t need too much ironing as he had pressed the non- iron program on the machine. He said some of the clothes still needed an iron to be run over them. But that he would like to be acknowledged for his consideration. He received a few comments that are even too incendiary for me to re print here.

We have come a long way. But have a long way to go yet.   Here are some comments from a 1960’s sex education book

‘If you need to apply face cream or hair rollers wait until he is asleep as this can be shocking to a man late at night’.

From Weinstein Gate to the #metoomovement it is clear that misogynistic and sexist attitudes will no longer be tolerated. There still needs to be more women in business and more women on judging panels for awards like the Oscars and the Golden Globes. But we are getting there.

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab and powerful

Adele

 

 

Here is Amy Schumer at her very best. Imagine trying to roast Mike Tyson? In fairness he was the guest to be roasted but I am still sure that most of the guests giving him a hard time had some degree of trepidation as to how their material would be received.

She is a young and incredibly successful comedienne and I wish that we had more of them. Although Melissa McCarthy, Sarah Millican, and Kristen Wiig are amazing. Come to think of it all of the female comediennes on SNL are off the scale funny. Oh, and our very own Eleanor Tiernan makes me chuckle.

In Ireland it would be called ‘A slagging’ as this is how we bring each other down to size. Just in case we have begun to have notions of ourselves.

Zach Galifianakis has a YouTube show ‘Between two ferns’ which is effectively an interview cleverly/ or not so cleverly as the case may be, disguised as a roast. He insults all of the guests and they return the favor.

Apparently ‘The Roasts’ began in USA in ‘The Friar’s Club’ in 1950. Comedy Central has been doing them since 1998.This is the funniest one with Steve Carell.

Donald Trump was also famously roasted. Below are the best bits.

Between two ferns ‘Zach Galifianakis AND Steve Carell’.

https://youtu.be/1c-3FQap7iw

Donald Trump’s Roast

https://youtu.be/io6wi8DVZ3o

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

There are just so many bands and so little time to be silly with their names. If you think of anymore, please let me know.  I am not sure which is my favorite from the list below.   Possibly ‘Lewd Zeppelin’ as with a name like this they have enormous creative license to be bawdy and salacious.

I can only imagine the band members themselves have probably come up with even crazier versions of their band names what with all the downtime that they would have on their tour buses.

I had the pleasure of seeing ZZ Top in Croke Park many years ago. Def Leppard played in the 3Arena a couple of years ago and they were amazing, even after all these years. Just as good as when they hit the big time 30 years ago.   I would give anything to see Fleetwood Mac. Maybe someday.

 

25. Eclectic loot Orchestra ( Electric Light Orchestra)

 

 

26. ZZ TIP (ZZ Top)

 

 

27. Rash (Rush)

 

 

28. Fill out Boy (fall out Boy)

 

 

29. Phooey Fighters (Foo Fighters)

 

 

30. Duff Leopard (Deff Leppard)

 

 

31. Blinkin Park ( Linkin Park )

 

 

32. Fleetwood Muck (Fleetwood Mac)

 

 

33. Zerosmith (Aerosmith)

 

 

34. Plank Food (Pink Floyd)

 

 

35. Lewd Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin)

 

 

36. The Bottles (The Beatles)

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

I heard Dave Fanning on RTE2FM on the radio today talking with Anton Savage about these Irish (silly names) tribute bands and they made me chuckle.  I thought that I might share some of them with you.   I got a little bit carried away and decided to create some of my own.

Here are Ireland’s top tribute bands (for real)

 

1. Abba toir
2. Red hot chili feckers
3. Irony Maiden
4. The Gardai (The Police)
5. Earth, wind for hire.
6. Nearvana
7. Surly Bassey.
8. Phoney M
9. Proxy music
10. Stereophonies
11. Non-Jovi
12. Vag Halen (a female tribute band to Van Halen)

 

This has to be one of my most favorite things to do as it combines two of my passions.

One is music and the other is being silly.

 

Here are my home-made ones that they didn’t think of

 

13. Horse did not slip ….( Horslips)

 

14. Basement Banjaxed (Basement Jaxx)

 

15. The not Happy Mondays (Happy Mondays)

 

16. Lots of Doubt (No doubt)

 

17. Nondescript (The Script)

 

18. Ga Ga Dolls ( Goo Goo Dolls)

 

19. Lamp Buzzkit (Limp Bizkit)

 

20. Artic Mankeys (Artic Monkeys)

 

21. Crude (Creed)

 

22. Dope Purple (Deep Purple)

 

23. Blank 182 (Blink 182)

 

24. Prick at the Disco (Panic at the disco)

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

https://youtu.be/KquYIzS3ot0

 

This has to be one of the cutest clips I have seen in a long time. The little dog has no idea of his limitations and is truly going for it.  I can relate to him. But not in an ‘I was carrying a very big stick’ kind of way.

I was dancing- ok let’s say clambering- through the sand dunes with my dogs the other day when I went arse over tits.  And not in a graceful fashion either.    Once I gathered myself, I quickly looked around to see if anyone had witnessed it.   I then proceeded to try and remove some of the sand that has found its way down to my ass crack.

Whilst I was having a thorough ass crack sand sweep, I looked up to see a man around my age looking in my direction. He was quite good looking and was embarrassed that I had found him watching my embarrassing actions which resulted in the both of us being embarrassed.

I said to him ‘I fell in the dunes’, he replied’ Are you ok?’ and I answered back ‘Just having the craic/crack in the sand’. He sauntered off and I smiled inwardly at my pathetic sense of wit to assuage the humiliation of the entire event. My dune dancing is off limits whilst the chaffing from the sand subsides.

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

 

 

One of my dogs is called Finn- a Morkie- and he thinks he is a mountain goat.  Whilst on Portmarnock beach today he was high up on the dunes, deftly clambering over numerous rocks and all with his inimitable grace and joy. I thought that maybe he needs an abseil harness to get even more of a work out. Then I remembered that he is not a human and would not know how to use a harness.

My dog training skills have always been questionable. However, recently I have been using the ‘positive reward’ system where I reward good behavior as opposed to admonishing poor behavior.

I have a small patio and at times – depending on their mood, or the color of someone’s socks as they pass by- they will bark. When they have been out for a few minutes and are quiet I will call them in and give them a treat.

After a while Finn would give a little bark and come running in licking his lips. When I checked there was no one passing by. I began to think, who is training who here?  I need to brush up on my skills.

The other day when I was visiting a friend’s house Buzz started barking relentlessly at no one in the living room. My friend and I got a bit spooked until I realized that he was barking at his reflection on the TV that was turned off. Dogs, eh?

 

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele

I came across this lovely prayer recently. It is an Hawaiian forgiveness ritual to be recited to yourself in times of need.  In particular when your self-critic is dominant and you need more self-compassion. This for me has been quite a bit of late.

I was thinking what the Irish version of this would be. It would possibly be something like this

Irish Ho’oponopono prayer

Cop yourself on

You gobshite

Get it together

Grand, now howz the craic?

 

As a nation we are not known for our self-compassion.  When someone is asked how they are the response is generally ‘Ah, grand, Thanks’.  Whether they are or not.  Any other response would silently be deemed as either too much information or a bit ‘wet’. Although this has changed with Covid. People are more honest and open as everyone is getting a bit fed up with never ending lock downs.

Considering a virus has changed our world I began to consider when everything started going viral? Apparently, this began in 2009 when the first video went viral around the world.

My mind began to run riot as I pondered the possibility of whether we manifested Covid globally.  Did this come back to bite us in the arse? Then I began to think that I was going nuts for even thinking this. Which, in fairness, I probably was at the time.

Our vaccine roll out strategy was not the fastest to begin with. They started with the over 80’s. I thought why don’t you just start with everyone over the age of 110 years and give yourself some decent leeway.

I think I need to say the prayer again now as sarcasm doesn’t suit me.

That’s all for now

Stay fab

Adele