How Things Have changed .

last Wednesday  i came home from the supermarket to find one of our neighbours in the house chatting to mom .  she was amazed to hear about moms illness  , also our neighbor had some sad news of her own . i had gone to school with her daughter, we were in the same year , and while we had not stayed in touch after school finished  , her mom kept in touch with my mom . we already knew that  her daughter was  living down the country working as a teacher married with 3 children .and she had got pregnant for a 4th time . last Wednesday we were told that sadly that baby was still born at 27 weeks .  the  reason i bring up this sad news is that the way the loss of the baby was treated today is very different form the way it happened back in the early 1970's when mom lost her baby also through still birth .

my mom never saw her baby or had a proper funeral for the child , we do know where moms baby was buried , in the plot of the holy angels Glasnevin Cemetery  but we don't know the exact grave  , if there is one as the cemetery has changed a lot in the 40 or so years since this took place .   finding out exactly where in the plot of the holy angels  the child was buried  was something i always meant to do for mom but never got round to . now mom is ill again it will have to go on the long finger again .

.  at the time my uncle Davy who was a very religious man had to ask to see if the baby had received catholic baptism rites (she had ) my mom tells me too that in the days after she  gave birth a nurse was with her all the time , even if she went to the bathroom  , it must have been some sort of suicide watch .

 my friend was able to hold her baby , a little boy , plan and attend a funeral   she also has a grave or some kind of memorial that she can go to so it can help with her grief .

 i can;t understand how mom was not allowed at least to look at the child she gave birth to or attend a funeral . her baby was quickly taken away after birth and buried by an unknown undertaker . i suppose it was considered less emotional strain on the mother if the baby was forgotten about  , not something i agree with .   .  nobody offered her counseling or professional help .  thankfully mom had the loving support of Dad and her family to help her through this horrific time . this was the first time she was pregnant too .

as it happened over 40 years ago mom doesn't often talk about it now but does mention it from time to time especially around the child's birthday in September .  she always tells me not to mention the loss of the child to Dad . she doesn't want to upset him .

i am very glad that my friend her husband and her parents could mourn the loss of their child in a way my mother was not allowed to .

Getting to know me

saw this on the net  thought i would fill it in here for a giggle .

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT? 

on my chest . it was an acne scar .

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM? 

some train and bus pictures pictures my boyfriend gave to me and one i bought myself in covent garden market London  , a page of music score to the song raingods dancing by the Scottish singer fish . it is  signed by the music 's composer Tony Turell  . i won it in the raffle at the fish fan club convention in 2009  . a steel manchester untied crest with my name engraved on it . i bought that in a shopping centre in Puerto Rico gran canaira couple of years ago  , and a Jean Michel Jarre poster i got when i saw him in 2010

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP? 

snore and occasionally talk in my sleep

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? 

classic rock , bit of  jazz ,  blues ,  electronic , Irish traditional and

  new age .

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN? 

i don;t as i am adopted and my adoptive parents were never told .

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW? 

A job. and for mom to get safely over her chemo therapy .

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS? 

my boyfriend .

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION? 

i pod , portable DVD player , computer

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU? 

5ft 5.

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?

yes

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK? 

no

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY? 

Me when i get my time of the month i cry like a baby for no reason .

13. WHAT'S YOUR WORST FEAR? dying

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX? 

not fussy to either

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF PROPOSING / BEING PROPOSED TO AT? 

doesn't apply i don;t want to get married

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK? 

Coffee.

17. FAVOURITE PIZZA TOPPING?
peperoni

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE? 

moms roast chicken dinner

19. FAVOURITE COLOR OF ALL TIME? 

red

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH? 

goldfish cracker yes actual goldfish no

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED? 

Jesus i don;t know .  i am just grateful to receive gifts form people .

22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH? 

yes on my boyfriend

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED? 

no

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND? 

outsize clothes shop Evans .

25. WHO IS THE HOTTEST FEMALE/MALE CELEBRITY? 

Hugh Laurie . strange to say i never got into house i like him from his music and his pre american comedy acting career .

26. DO YOU HAVE A PET RIGHT NOW? 

not now but we used to .

27. WHAT KIND IS IT? 

we had 3 Airedale terrier dogs .

28. WOULD YOU FALL IN LOVE KNOWING THAT THE PERSON IS LEAVING? 

yes . i am in a long distance relationship . i see him leave all the time .

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED: 

39

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES? 

not fussy

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA? 

i live in Ireland . the question should be have i ever been to the USA !

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES? 

i eat too much

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS? 

the cast of the BBC radio show I'm sorry i haven't a clue about 4 times now . the goodies , Alan rickman twice  , Stephen Frost  Richard Vranch and Steve Steen from English whose line is it anyway  ,  Phil Jupitus , actor from eastenders Todd Carty.  the year 2000 manchester untied football team  , especially David Beckham ( i must say he was a total gentleman ) fish , marillion  Rufus Hound , Jason Manford , Jack Dee ,

37. FIRST JOB? 

weekend job in my Dads shop

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL? 

once

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOULMATE? 

i think so

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT? 

browsing the net

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY? 

yes i had a lumpectomy on a lump in my breast back in 2005 .thankfully the lump was benign . i was told 3 cysts had fused together .

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST? 

nice personality

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES? 

no

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY? 

 some money

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT? 

none

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? 

not as far as i know . dad wanted a daughter called Linda so that what i was called

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Being over blokey , 

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU MISS ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL? 

 Nothing

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE? 

god i have to go and look !

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? 

nope i am dyslexic no one can read it .

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE LUNCH MEAT? 

ham

52. ANY BAD HABITS?

starting things and then not finishing them .

53. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON? 

try not to be . there will always be people better of in the world then you . having said that there will always be people less well off then you . no point in being jealous

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

i would like to think so.

55. DO YOU AGREE WITH FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS?
as long as you are not cheating on anyone else .

56. DO LOOKS MATTER? 

not to me

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER? 

i tend to throw tantrums .

where the fuck is 58 ?

59. WHAT'S YOUR MAIN GOAL IN LIFE?
to keep on going as i am now .

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE TOY AS A CHILD? 

don;t remember ( hell i am just about 37 !)

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE? 

20

62.WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID? 

too old to be a fan of barney !.

63. DO YOU USE SARCASM? 

sometimes .

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE? 

 Mashed potatoes

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL? 

Someone who treats me well and is nice to me .

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NAMES? 

Linda irishmanufan fcutdlady

68. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOW? 

whose line is it anyway  UK and USA  , dirty jobs , mythbusters

69.WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES? 

ignore them

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? 

vanilla

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES? 

yes.

72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM? 

no  in a converted bedroom across the corridor form my bedroom .

73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT?
to stay on my computer and answer my e-mails .

74. WHAT'S THE FASTEST YOU'VE EVER GONE IN A CAR? 

100mph on the m50 . i was driving .

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS? 

if you want to  !

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? 

marillion

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK? 

marks and spencer lemonade

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? 

Dad

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX? 

face

80. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? 

muck about online , support manchester untied , listen to music and watch dvd's  .

81. FAVOURITE THING TO HATE? 

hypocrisy and pomposity

82. FAVOURITE MONTH IN THE YEAR? 

August

83. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE TYPE OF CANDY? 

 not fussy

84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND? 

yes

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?
dark brown with Blonde highlights

86. EYE COLOR? 

Blue

88. FAVOURITE FAST FOOD PLACE? 

Eddie Rockets

89. FAVOURITE RESTAURANT? 

the guinea pig restaurant in my suburb of Dublin .

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI? 

yes

91. LAST THING YOU WATCHED? 

whose line is it anyway on you tube

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR? 

Christmas.

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS? 

no wish i did .

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?  i presume you mean liberal or conservative ? republican means something very different in Ireland ( it means an extreme Irish nationalist !) i am a lilly livered liberal .

95. KISSES OR HUGS? 

 Both

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS? 

 Relationships

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT? 

did some food shopping today

98. DO YOU HAVE A LOW SELF ESTEEM OR A HIGH SELF ESTEEM? 

middling

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? 

hello darlin the autobiography of Larry Hagman

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE

nice !

Duncan Edwards - A Manchester United Legend And the Munich Disaster of 1958 .

 i missed the tribute to the those united players who died in Munich  in 1958 this year  , which is is most unlike me  but thats the joy of mom being in hospital at the time . one of the united fans i follow on twitter mr mujac posted this you tube film about a player who died in the air crash , Duncan Edwards ,  on his feed earlier  today so i thought i would post it here

Duncan Edwards was arguably one of the best Manchester United players ever ( although comparing players of his generation and the players of today is impossible ,  the game is totally different ) he was part of the young united team built by manager Matt Busby in the 1950's . they were known as the busby babes . Born in Dudley in West Midlands UK in 1936 he sadly died age 21 as a result of  the plane crash at Munich airport Germany in 1958  .  he showed  the same strength he had as a player by surviving for 15 days after the crash ,  despite very serious injuries ,  but sadly lost his fight for life , he last words were reportedly asking assistant manager Jimmy Murphy what time kick off in the next match was and lets get stuck in . .

my dad was lucky enough to be able to see the team several times  . he was born in manchester ( although he came here in 1950) and along with my grandad always supported united  . he certainly rates Duncan Edwards very highly .

 for those of you that might not know the Munich air crash happened as the united team were flying back to Manchester after a successful progression to the next round after a 3-3 draw with red star Belgrade winning 5-4 on aggregate ( all early rounds of the European cup were played home and away )  .
in those days it was necessary to re fuel at Munich airport . twice the plane tried to take off and failed . on the third time it never made take off speed  , due to ice on the runway ,  crashed into a house and a fuel dump at the end of the it .

 the following people died in the crash  :

Players : Geoff Bent , Roger Byrne , Eddie Coleman , Mark Jones , David Pegg , Tommy Taylor , Liam (Billy)Whelan

Staff: Walter Crickmer (club secretary) ,  Tom Curry (trainer) ,  Bert Whalley (chief coach)

Journalists:  Alf Clarke  (Manchester Evening Chronicle) , Donny Davies (Manchester Guardian) ,  George Fellows (Daily Herald) ,  Tom Jackson (Manchester Evening News) , Archie  Ledbrooke(Daily Mirror) Henry Rose (Daily Express)  Frank Swift( News Of The World , also former England and manchester city goal keeper) Eric Thompson (Daily Mai)

Flight Crew: Capt Kenneth Rayment DFC  – Co-Pilot
 Tommy Cable – Steward

Others: Bela Miklos – Travel Agent
Willie Satinoff – Supporter

Those who survived:

Players:
 Matt Busby (Team Manager), Johnny Berry , Jackie Blanchflower , Bobby Charlton , Bill Foulkes , Harry Gregg , Ken Morgans , Albert Scanlon , Dennis Viollet , Ray Wood

Harry Greg showed a huge amount of courage by going back into the aircraft , after having been warned it could blow up at any time . this was due to the fact it had a full tank of fuel  ,  to rescue Vera Lukic and her child Vesna .  he also rescued a third member if the Lukic family as unbeknownst to Greg Mrs Lukic was pregnant .

Journalists
Frank Taylor , Peter Howard , Ted Ellyard

Flight Crew
James Thain – Captain , Rosemary Cheverton – Stewardess , Margaret Bellis – Stewardess
George William Rodgers – Radio Officer

Others :
Mrs Vera Lukic – **Contrary to popular belief, Mrs Lukic is NOT the mother of John Lukic, who played in goal for Arsenal and Leeds**
Mrs Lukic’s daughter and the child she was pregnant with .Mrs Bela Miklos – wife of travel agent who arranged trip . Mr B Tomasevic - passenger

 all information taken , with thanks ,  from http://munich58.co.uk/

on the 50th anniversary of the crash 6th of February 2008  i read on the net MUTV was to be broadcasting for free . Dad and i cried off work to watch the tributes . i asked dad does it seem odd watching something you lived through being shows on TV like a history lesson .  my Dads response was it could never be just history to me .

Something to make you giggle .

 

just trying to learn how to add a you tube clip . this is a hilarious bit of whose line is it anyway USA . this clip shows you why i love Greg Proops

teaching myself how to add a picture .

this is a picture of one of the cabins that went to make up what i called the Dun Laoghaire Christmas market  . it was taken outside the pavilion theater marine road Dun Laoghaire Co. Dublin .  i posted this in order to teach myself how to add a picture here .  for all you non Irish speakers the name of the town is pronounced Done Leary ! picture taken by me December 22nd 2011 .


 thought you might like to see a picture of the rest of my family . namely my mom and dad  , Derek and Rita . this was taken in moms hospital room last month . the reason this picture was taken is that moms brother Kevin lives in new york and we wanted to e-mail him the pictures and  reassure him and his housemate Todd that mom was doing fine . she is currently getting treatment for multiple myeloma ( bone marrow cancer )

Greetings !

my first post in my own blog .  god almighty !

in case you haven't read my profile i better introduce myself .  i am Linda 3 weeks shy of my 37th birthday living in Dublin Ireland . my passions are music ,reading ,  messing about on the net , supporting my beloved Manchester United  , comedy  , especially improv and  generally having a laugh and trying not to be too serious (unless i  have to be .)

i am in a relationship for the last 4 and a half years with my beloved boyfriend mike . he lives in the UK . i see him a few times a year and we keep in touch most nights by text .  it isn't easy to be in a long distance relationship at times but i have an independent streak a mile wide so i don;t think having someone around me 24/7 would suit . 

 i used to work with my Dad selling home brew . first we had a shop . dad took it over in 1987 and i joined him when i finished school in 1993 . in 2002 we gave up the shop and worked form home . our business became a recession victim at the end of last year .  dad was long over due retirement and i am currently without work   . i am not looking for any at the moment as mom is ill with cancer ( more of that in a future post ) i hope to look for shop work when moms chemo finishes .

what made me want to blog is having been a comment maker on Deb and Barbara's brilliant middle ages blog for a while i thought well i have a few things on my mind i would like to talk about , and i don't want to flood the comment section of the middle ages  so i will have a go at blogging  and see what happens. also i have read some of the blogs on their blog guest of honour  list and thought they were really cool . it inspired me to try this out and see what i can do . i am just learning how to work this blog so bear with me
link: click here to see the middle ages blog

 the address of this blog best freak at blogger.com comes from the lyrics of  a song by one of the best bands in the world  marillion . it was released in about 1988 or thereabouts just after fish left  . the song is called freaks which has the lyric all the best freaks are here !

 my politics i would describe as being slightly more to the left then anything else . after watching various conservative governments mash Ireland into the ground  i don't think any left wing government could do any worse ! thats if we had a popular party of the left here , sinn fein would probably be the closest we have but for personal reasons i won;t vote for them .  labour might have counted but since they went into coalition with Fine Gael last year but we are seeing more and more they are not as left wing as you would think .

 i am not a religious believer ,  an only child and thats about it really . i am what i call semi opinionated . i hold strongly to my opinions  and will express them freely ( after all this is my blog !) but  that doesn't mean my opinion on anything is the only right one to have on that subject !

 here is a link to my Flickr page so you can have a rough idea of what i look like  click here to see what i look like 

 one last thing i would warn you about . i do swear a good bit . i apologize in advance for any offense caused. the only person i swear at is me when i do something wrong . other then that i tend to swear a lot at inanimate objects and life in general ! 

 when i start posting here properly . you are welcome to leave a comment whether you agree with me or not  . please don;t post  abuse particularly concerning my taste in football teams   . you can;t come up with an insult i haven't heard before and i will just remove your comment . friendly football banter though is welcome . i know the difference !