Losing A Loved Friend...

Went to have my hair cut yesterday...I keep it very short indeed then sort of spike it up with gel...Trish...the hairdresser...can talk for Ireland so she can. She'll be standing behind me wielding her scissors while she tells me all about her daughters wedding...an extravagant affair which then ended in a honeymoon to Bali...Sri Lanka and the Maldives. I had a week in a lodging house at the seaside, paid for my new in-laws...lol

Then it sort of digressed into who has died...one was an old man I was friendly with, who lived on his own and was a great believer in the Faerie...he was a wealth of knowledge about many subjects...and once told me the sad story of Captain Jack, who was the leader of an IRA platoon...he was betrayed to the Black and Tans who dragged him out of the house he was hiding in and beat him to death. Captain Jack is buried just inside the walls of the graveyard after the Black and Tans patrolled the area for days to try and prevent his lawful burial...his body was snuck over the wall and the priest came out in the dead of night and dug his grave...

Eoghan used to bring his cattle from the fields each evening to spend the night in the barn so as not to leave them at the mercy of the Faerie...

He rode an ancient bicycle into town...long coat flapping...he waved his arms around like a whirly-gig when talking to me and used to sort of jump to one side every now and then...

There were the three of them once...all old friends...Paddy who said little enough...Sean and Eoghan. They'd go round the 'plots' looking in skips to see what they could find...Sean gave me a book he'd found...published in 1725, it was a series of rather rude stories written in rhyming form He had an old Collie dog and lived with his grumpy brother...Paddy had an affliction which made him suddenly jerk his head and he used to become excited and his words would tumble out all sort of scrambled...

It was they who told me about the days of the town fairs when people travelled from far and wide and the Tinkers came in Bow-topped wagons to sell clothes pegs and fine hand made lace and pretty ribbons...they told of the days when bonfires were lit on the hill tops and there was dancing at the cross roads and Paddy swore he'd seen a man hanged when he was a little boy...

Eoghan was the last of the threesome...he died softly and without a care, in his chair by the fire at the age of eighty-three.

I suppose there won't be another threesome quite like Sean and Paddy and Eoghan...they all spoke Irish fluently...they absorbed new knowledge like sponges...interested in politics' and local affairs and comfortable with their faith...none of them had ever married...they'd hint at the girl they'd once loved but had lost to another or who had died from TB while still young...Sean had his old dog...Eoghan his cat...Paddy also had a dog...a little Jack Russell who was fat and bad-tempered...

So I was sad enough to hear of Eoghan's passing...

The last of the three elderly men who were my friends for a little while.

[Hidden]

I mourn their loss as well vashti. I remember a great pub I used to frequent when I lived in London until 1996. It was an Irish pub full of the old east enders all of whom are probably dead now. There was Stan and Dolly - he told the most wonderful jokes which would last for 20 minutes and have the whole pub listening. He also said his family had a dog back in war time who was trained to nick sausages from the butchers and would come home with a whole string of them which was often all they had for tea. He was a little cherubic man who was a born comedian.

Then there was Stan and Dot. He died then she fell off a balcony 3 stories up and the rumour was that her evil only son pushed her off but nothing was proven. They were there in the pub when I heard my poor cat had died at the vets and she started telling me to get a new one. Old Stan was annoyed at this and kept saying all in good time etc.

Then Tom died - Tom of Irish descent, who taught me to play darts and when I beat him would say - 'Hang on it was me who taught you to play' To which I would say 'Yeah - and?' and laugh.

Then Larry - a big bear of a man who was the sweetest person who ever lived. Then John who even though he was married with 6 kids fancied me rotten. He was the first player I ever beat at darts in the pub. The landlady Eileen said 'You beat John?' I'm going 'Yeah' and danced round the pub on a high

Oh the memories your post brought back. I treasured all of them and may God bless their souls. xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Beautiful memories to treasure xxx

[sassy59]

So many come into our lives and stay a little while vashti. It is nice if they leave good memories and you seem to have lots of those. Keep well and look forward to more of your amazing tales. xxxxx

[Hidden in reply to sassy59]

It's said, everyone you meet, you meet for a reason...think that must be true.

[Hidden]

Another lovely one Vashti Xx

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you xx

[Dmactds]

What a lovely remembrance; I'm sure you'll cherish your 3 friends forever..., just as I'll cherish your telling of the story of your acquaintance with them.

[Hidden in reply to Dmactds]

Thank you xx

[helingmic]

The ol' wisdom dies. Who will remember it? and a new world is built up, not always with the same wisdom. One day bits of memories will come up again in another wise ol' man.

[Hidden]

As long as someone remembers those who have passed on they will never be forgotten. x

[peege]

You make your reminiscences so alive Vashti I always feel I'm there witnessing them all. Thank you xxx