Month: August 2021

Headshaking to Black Betty

What a choon. I just adore this video as the song brings back so many memories. Here it is in the original version with no less than 231 million views.

Big up to all ye rockers out there.  This is an incredible funked up DJ Mix but it is still unmistakably ‘Black Betty’ by Ram Jam.

https://youtu.be/Qk449uj2jgU

As a youngster I had long hair and I loved nothing more than shaking it to songs like this. One of my proudest moments was teaching my younger sister to headshake in a night club in Lahinch, County Clare, Ireland in the 80’s.

The dance floor of the club was bowed with all the drink that had been spilt on it over the years.  I distinctly recall being on my knees – always my favorite position- and shaking my head to this song until it felt like it was going to fall off.

One of the tricks I recall when headshaking standing up was to stand hip width apart and be very strong in my stance to prevent myself from falling over. I do believe I taught my sister well although at the time I most probably considered her headshaking talents to be of a novice standard.

I’m off to headshake to Blue Oyster Cult ‘Don’t fear the Reaper’.

 

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

 

Whilst I was nurse training one of my sisters was working in Moscow. I loved writing to her and as Head of our class I also loved giving her the gossip re our training.

We were all nervous as our nursing registration finals were looming. Our Nurse tutor had a propensity for going off on tangents whilst teaching us and delivering anecdotes.

I was tasked with the job of asking him to give us further lessons as we all felt that we would not pass our finals. I am glad to say that he took my request with candor and grace and we all passed.

In one of my letters to my sister I had mentioned that sometimes we all wanted to fall asleep during his anecdotes. My sister came home to attend my graduation and I was so happy to see her and to meet her new boyfriend.

After I gave my speech on our graduation night my tutor asked me up for the obligatory dance. Once finished he took me to my seat and my sister introduced her boyfriend. He stood up and said ‘Hello, you must be the very interesting tutor? My tutor blushed. As did I. My sister must have told her boyfriend of the challenges we had.

Saying all that he was a very kind and gracious man. We were lucky to have him as a tutor.

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

Today a young man was rescued off the coast of Kerry, Ireland having been in the sea for 12 hours.   What was even more remarkable about the rescue was that he was surrounded by a pod of Dolphins.  Twelve in total.   The coastguards would not have been able to spot him from the helicopter had they not seen the circle of dolphins.

            The young man had planned on swimming to an Island 9kms away called  Mucklaghmore Rock. He set off from Castle Gregory beach.  Perhaps it appeared a lot closer than it actually was.

‘Frostbit Boy’ was another name for the young man as he had risen to fame in 2015 when interviewed by RTE (Irish television) about the weather.   He was eloquent in describing the cold saying ‘you wouldn’t be long getting frostbit’.  Hence the ‘Frostbit Boy’ name.   ‘Ruairi McSorley’ is the man’s real name.

The other hero (besides the dolphins) was RNLI coxswain Finbarr O’Connell who figured out where the man was likely to be having studied the prevailing tides.

Dolphins are well known for their intelligence but it is unusual for them to actually try and save somebody’s life.  They have been known to cure depression, assist autistic children in speaking and some have also been known to detect cancer.

I do a great dolphin impersonation. It is a bit of a party trick as I am obsessed with them. I like to say that ‘I can speak Dolphin’. That’s a TikTok for another day. Maybe I will start a ‘Speak Dolphin Challenge?’.

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

Whilst on the beach today I noticed a very strange thing.  I had seen it before but paid no heed as I actually thought that I was seeing things ( wouldn’t be the first time).

Somebody had not picked up after their dog. Which is not unusual in and of itself.   However, the dog poo was colored red.   I have seen this now three times over the last month.   And each time the poo was red as was the surrounding sand.

Therefore, I can only conclude that there is somebody going around with a tin of red spray paint and spraying the dog poos that are left behind red. This must be to highlight his/her indignation at the dog poo and the carelessness of the owner.

This fascinates me. Most people can quite clearly see when someone has not picked up after their dog as it is a dog poo on the ground that should not be there.   I am not sure whether spray painting it red will do anything to prevent the owner from not picking up after their dog.

How did this person come to the conclusion that this would be a good idea?  Did they wake up in the middle of the night and go ‘Eureka I will spray paint any dog poo that is left behind red’.

I would love to see the person in full spray-painting mode.   Maybe she/he is the new Banksy or Damien Hirst creating sandy shit art?   Apparently #shitart is a thing on Instagram. I have described Buzz as doing a ‘shituesque poo’ in a previous blog.   Maybe I am onto something?   Let me know what you think?

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

Today Buzz&Finn went to their favorite groomer.   Buzz has been going there since he was a puppy and knows the lady and her children very well.

He has always been an anxious dog and loves to bark at times at passers-by.  However, my groomer did mention that as a puppy he behaved like a therapy dog as he was able to calm down any of the other new dogs that were anxious.  I was thrilled to hear that.

Although coming to think of it a dog that barks intermittently would probably not win therapy dog of the year no matter how cute he is.

Buzz got the actual Buzz cut as did Finn.  Both were modelling their new bandanas as per the front page of my blog.  Buzz’s bandana had foxes on it and Finn’s had little penguins.

The grooming day furry hugs are the best as the lady sprays them with doggie cologne. This time it was fruit flavored. They both smelt like delicious furry peaches. I have to resist letting them off the leads when they are groomed to minimize the risk of Finn doing poo rolling.

Once or twice, there was no point in me running after him as I knew that he was too far gone.   All I could do was stand and watch him having a doggiegasm( yes, I did just make that word up. I enjoy making up new words).

He would do his sniff, drop and roll at least 10 times just to ensure that he was covered in it.  As I would gaze on realizing that a very thorough dog bath would be in order when we got home.

 

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

I booked myself into the dog spa today.  It has been a hairy few weeks for me.  Not in the depilatory sense although I did attend to that myself but in the sense that a number of things have happened which I found challenging.

Whenever I get frazzled, I feel that I need to concentrate on doggie mindfulness hence my need to book myself into The Buzz & Finn Doggy Day Spa.  My two therapists today were-of course- Buzz and Finn.  I decided to treat myself to the exclusive package and for this I received the following.

 

Welcome therapy– I must say that this was probably my favorite therapy of the day as when I returned from being out for less than an hour the welcome, I received were an apoplectic Buzz&Finn  who were over the moon to see me.

Visual mindfulness therapy– this is where Buzz stared at me longingly and lovingly for a few moments to alleviate any stress.

Cuddles & Hug therapy– Both Buzz and Finn delivered incredible hugs which I found very nurturing indeed.

Hand and feet licking therapy– Again both Buzz and Finn were the primary Therapists. The relaxation effect was incredible.

All that was required in return was three walks and regular meals. All stress was alleviated entirely.

 

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

As I have never properly marketed my blog due to possibly a degree of imposter syndrome, I finally decided to bite the bullet and begin tidying up my blog this week for marketing purposes.

I shall bite the bullet and present (and market) my writing to the world.   Imposter syndrome can eat my shorts. This blog is the first in a trio dedicated to Buzz & Finn to celebrate my decision.

I know that I have written a lot about my two lovely dogs Buzz&Finn but I didn’t realize how much I had written about them until I began the editing process.  As a result, I have decided to write a book featuring Buzz&Finn where Buzz is the narrator.  It shall be called Buzz & Finn do Dublin.

Reading back through their adventures over the last year has brought a smile to my face. In essence my blog has become a bit of an online diary for me. My initial intention was to blog for three months but then I decided to extend it to a year.  It became my writing gym.  A discipline I needed in order to keep the creative juices flowing.

The book will contain a lot of adventures and information that has been featured in my blog but there will also be a story arc.  Finn will be Buzz’s trusty sidekick.  Or the Batman to his Robin.  I am off to begin the first woof draft.

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

I still cannot believe that Sean Lock has passed away. He was such a young man. Over the years he has unfailingly provided the surreal left of center humor that perfectly complements Jimmy Carr’s acerbic wit in 8 out of 10 cats.

There are not many comedians that can have all the other comedians in stitches and Sean Lock was one of them.  I particularly loved his silly inventions. He always went to so much trouble to get a ridiculous prototype ready for the show.

https://youtu.be/mtvpouHcrz0

This has to be my favorite line from Sean Lock ‘That’s a challenging wank’.  The fact that Rachel Riley and Claudia Winkelman are cracking up makes it all the better.

I had blogged about Johnny Vegas a few weeks ago and was watching and re watching some of 8 out of 10 cats. Maybe that is why his death was more of a shock as he was fresh in my memory.   Sean famously ridiculed Jimmy over his tax evasion when it hit the news.  It was obviously the hot topic of the week.

https://youtu.be/pr_0TiX1V_E

Being the (tax evading) professional that he is Jimmy takes it on the chin.  This is what contributes to his comedic genius. I suppose it was best to allow the panel to ridicule him to illustrate how he can give it and take it himself.   As well as to get all the jibes over and done with.

All the best

Stay Fab

Adele

Niall Horan does a magnificent job here with Vanity Fair in explaining our Irish vernacular.

https://youtu.be/0NTczzgcYzI

To be sure, to be sure is how we reply to something here in Ireland that we generally do not want to do. It is such an old and unused phrase that when it is used it is done so in an ironic way.  At least it is when I use it.

Asking someone to slow down if they are speaking too fast is best phrased as ‘Stall the ball’. Even if you are not a football fan. As I am not.  Although maybe it refers to many different types of sports that use balls. I am pretty sure that at this point, I am reading far too much into it and I actually need to stall the ball meself.

An establishment that has less than the required standard of hygiene as per food and safety regulations may well be referred to as being ‘Manky’ or even a ‘Kip’.    As in ‘I went into the petrol station for some messages(groceries) and their toilet was a kip.

If the person in front of me in the queue in the petrol station wins some money on a scratch card, he/she would be called ‘Jammy’ (lucky). And if they were served by a person from the country that person would be called a Culchie (Kull-chee).

If the person who won money on the scratch card accidentally throws it in the bin the Culchie behind the counter may well remark ‘If they had brains, they would be dangerous. I never realized that we had such a rick lexicon of phrases and insults in Ireland. Although they are always delivered with our very own inimitable Irish charm.

All the best

Stay fab

Adele

Continuing on from yesterday. The Irish have a gift for putting you in your place if your behavior is not up to par.  ‘The sea wouldn’t give him a wave’ describes a person that has notions of himself/herself.     Or the wonderful phrase ‘He/she is a dryshite’ refers to somebody who is allergic to having fun.

If you are lucky enough to be called either a ‘Gombeen, Sap and Eejit’ enjoy it as they are all terms of endearment. This conclusion may well have been reached if said person is able to take a ‘Slagging’ (affectionate ridicule),

‘A face like a smacked arse’ is slur for a person that looks like they are in bad humor. Steer clear of any ‘Gobshites’ as they will be displaying idiot like characteristics.

If a dry shite does come out of his/her shell and decides to have a bit of ‘craic’. The overall response would be ‘Deadly (as in great), fair play (as in good on him).

If a dry shite goes one step further and manages to tell a good joke he/she may be described as being ‘gas’(funny) although he would have to be very funny indeed to be called gas as this is truly a great compliment indeed.  It is generally reserved for an individual who should be a comedian on the stage.

All the best

Stay fab

Adele