Lily’s Blog

Just been a ramblin’, me, the dogs and my thoughts.

The dogs got an evening walk, for a change. There is a great half hour circle from the house. It’s lovely to see lots of walkers, runners etc enjoying a ‘newly rare’ fine evening.

I was thinking of many things including the subject of the next blog post. The new bloggy home may be in place but there is no bloggy freezer – not yet.

No I’m not yet at the stage of having frozen posts, posts ready for defrosting and consumption at a later date. I’ve a bit to go.

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John is back from the US since yesterday. He visited three colleges. ‘All sorted’, he says. ‘Mind made up’.

He’s going to a fourth!

Emma Watson (Hermione from Harry Potter) is going to Yale. John Collison is going to Yale!

Oh that decisions in life were always so easy!

Nah only joking. Decision time is by Friday.

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I shouldn’t have started blogging, eating into the precious time left with John. Anyway he is currently studying so it’s okay to write for a bit.

The circle has turned fully, I wrote a post about blogging, Alexia then took up the thread, then Tommy, then Grannymar. Now its back to me.

I warned you in one of my first posts, that I was afraid of myself. I was afraid to start blogging because if I like something, then I really get into it.

I’m afraid to admit – I like blogging.

Like Alexia, Tommy and Grannymar, I also love ‘wordcraft’. I also love working and re-working words until they shape up into something faintly resembling prose. The house takes tidying. Words take tidying too. Words misbehave and have to be corrected.

I’m addicted

Has Bloggers Anonymous been started yet? Now there might be an idea for the future! A twelve-step programme, taking it one day at a time and all that …

Now what was the subject of this post – ‘gorse’?

Think I’ll have to put that in a freezer ’til tomorrow night!

The real wealth we possess is our health. Our real poverty is lack of health.

I like Patrick Holford’s discussion of health at the beginning of his book ‘The Optimum Nutrition Bible’

‘ Positive health … can be measured in three ways:
1 Performance – how you perform physically and mentally
2 Absence of ill-health – disease sign and symptoms
3 Longevity – healthy lifespan

… a profound sense of well-being … is characterised by a consistent, clear, high level of energy, emotional balance, a sharp mind, a desire to maintain physical fitness and a direct awareness of what suits our bodies, what enhances our health, and what our needs are in any given moment. This state of health includes resistence to infectious diseases and protection from the major killer diseases such as heart disease and cancer. As a result the ageing process is slowed down and we can live a long and healthy life.’

A close family friend had cancer last year, fought and won a brave battle against this invader. She went into hospital for surgery and was due out after 10 days. She finally emerged from hospital 17 weeks later. During this period I observed at close range this mighty battle while visiting her almost every day. Through observing this mighty battle being fought, I learned a lot of life lessons.

I learned how easily health can be lost.
I learned how much we take our health for granted.
I learned how important it is to have ‘fight’ in us

Longevity in in my genes. My father died at 93. My mother was killed prematurely at 71 in a car accident. Both came from big families who lived long lives. I intend beating my father. I will be reasonably happy to depart at 100, having received my 100 Euro or whatever from the President. As someone said recently, they plan on their last cheque bouncing! I thought what a great aim. In the next 50 years I intend living not existing. I have lots of changes to make before then. I want to do a PhD but don’t have time at the moment. There’s lots of time yet.

To really enjoy the next 50 years and to get the most out of them though, I have to remain healthy. That’s why I read books such as above. I don’t intend slowing down.

But whose health is it anyway? I believe we are responsible 100% for our own health. We cannot sub-contract this responsibility. We can go to professionals but we remain the owner. It is our 100% responsibility to look after our health.

To get the most out of a car, it has to have regular maintenance. Do people go for maintenance checks on their bodies in the same way as they do their cars?

I feel if we don’t play our part then we have less of a ‘leg to stand on’ in criticising the health system in Ireland. I remember a friend with a lung condition questioning if the consultant they were under was the best, as she smoked yet another cigarette. I had to bite my tongue.

I don’t know if people have seen the transparent kid toy engines. One can see the inner workings. If we could actually see our arteries clogging, would we be more aware and do more to prevent? I’m all for transparent bodies!

I loved the Bodies exhibition and would highly recommend it to all. It gave a great insight into our bodily systems.

Our health is our responsibility.
Our health is our wealth.

I think I can get down off my soap box now!

I have decided that each month I will try to do a post of books I have just read and really liked.

‘Notes from an Exhibition’ by Patrick Gale is described by Stephen Fry as ‘… complete perfection’. The story chronicles the life of Rachel Kelly an artist of some renown. Rachel is a whirlwind of creative highs and anguished, crippling lows. All her life she has battled manic depression. She is something of an enigma to her long-suffering stoic husband and four children. Rachel is found dead in her studio, leaving behind some extraordinary new paintings. The book pursues the relationship between mental illness and creativity and decribes in chronological disorder, Rachel’s life and the lives of all those close to her. I loved this book.

If I was to decribe the books I like, it would be those about the human condition. Sometimes the extremes shed more light.

Anyone who teachers or has children is secondary school should read ‘Testimony’ by Anita Shreve. Testimony tells the story of a sex scandal at a private school, Avery Academy in Vermont. The book opens with the headmaster watching a video given to him by one of his staff. While the headmaster is shocked and repulsed, he is also desperate to contain the outfall so that it does not tarnish the school’s excellent reputation. But we, the readers, are told at the outset that the explicit video produces ‘… something very like radiation sickness throughout the school, reducing the value of an Avery education, destroying at least two marriages [...], ruining the futures of three students, and, most horrifying of all, resulting in a death.’

The story is told from the viewpoint of some 24 different characters. It sounds crazy to have so many voices, but the method works.

I have just counted Anita Shreve has written thirteen books and I have read all of them. What I like about her is that the books are easily read in a day or two. She has a great ability to write an entertaining story out of an often simple premise. While her books share similar themes, usually love, loss and family relationships in a New England setting, no two books are alike.

I previously mentioned ‘The Secret Scripture’ by Sebastian Barry. I finished it and it was really excellent. The ending is very unexpected and I don’t want to comment any further for fear of spoiling it for anyone. (I was in the denist’s chair when this book was being discussed on the Ryan Tubridy book club on radio and I had to make a big effort not to hear the ending. Didn’t want to spoil it for myself.)

I am currently reading ‘Never Let Me Go’ by Kazuo Ishiguro as recommended by Patrick and will cover it next month.

Because time is precious I hate wasting time on a ‘bad’ book. I give a book 100 pages and if I’m not enjoying by that stage, then I feel I am ‘allowed’ to give up on it. Life’s too short and all that. That’s why I like recommendations. When I run out of reading material, I often ring two friends (sometimes from the book shop) to get recommendations. They both read voraciously. Another good source is other books written by authors I have previously enjoyed. Recommendations from readers of this blog are also very welcome.

I hate the fact that I often forget about books I have enjoyed. I think writing about them here in the blog will serve me as a good record.

I haven’t added all previous posts here, just a sample.

Three Masters

Picking Primroses

Sunshine

‘Our animals – forget about the family’

Nothing really changes

Random thoughts on blogging

College Apps

I’ll add a link to my old site here, if you wish to look at more posts

A big event has just happened in my short four month life. I have just been moved from my parents’ bedroom to my new own shiny new bedroom. I feel all grown up. My own new shiny room has lovely green wallpaper.

I didn’t do the move. No at four months, I’d be too young to do that. Big people helped me.

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A big event has just happened in my short bloggy life. I have just moved from Posterous to my own shiny new Domain www.lilycollison.com I feel like a ‘big’ blogger now. My new Wodpress blog has a green header.

Do you really think I would have been capable of doing this on my own? You must be joking. No, big people like Tommy along with Gav, Barry and Alan organised it all for me. Thank you big boys!

Bye bye Posterous. Hello www.lilycollison.com

This week I was the victim of mindless vandalism.

I know who did the damage.

I know the two adolescents, brothers in fact, who were the guilty parties and I know they come from a good home. I know they were well reared.

Still that didn’t stop them.

They just did the damage with no thought for anyone else.

They are old enough to know better.

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The damage was done to our garden.

Specifically to the work I did last Saturday

The Coriander and Rocket are gone, stolen, pots lie bare.

The Dill has been trampled on. It lies dazed.

The Hydrangeas have been broken. They look a very sad, sorry sight

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The cheek of those mindless vandals!