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This post is going to be an odd one. It is way over due, it should have been posted on the 21st of March. On the first day of spring, yet as many of you know, my mother fell suddenly very ill in Mexico that week and it's been a hell of a month since. She's recovering well now, thank God, but the worry filled my days and weeks and the anxiety of being so far away and helpless added to it. So please forgive me for posting this now. It was written then, but life took over...
This day last year I lost my best friend John to suicide. It was a gloriously sunny Wednesday and I should have met him that day, but I had gone home with a bad headache so did not think strange that he hadn't texted to arrange. We used to meet on Wednesdays for lunch or for a cuppa after work. He did not ring that day, instead he drove to Howth and walked into the sea. I will never forget the phone call that evening, driving to the hospital where he had been taken after someone alerted the authorities. Walking into A&E just to discovered that there are places, small chapel like rooms, where bodies are kept for a few hours for people to say their good byes. He was laying there, sleep like, still him but not there any more. His wife was distraught, we were all distraught.
I believe in Karma. I believe that for every good or bad deed we undertake in life, there are ten of those thrown back at us. If you do good, good will come your way, and as silly as this may sound, karma has ruled most of my behaviour since I was a young girl. The past few weeks have really showed me how true Karma is. It all began with the thought that Alan and I were burning the candle both ends: full time jobs, a business to run, blogs, friends, family, household chores... we were constantly on the go and very, very tired. We decided to take a break and spend some time unwinding. We picked beautiful West Cork for this. We stationed ourselves in the little village of Glengarriff, as it is a nice central point in the region with loads of holiday homes to rent. The plan was: loads of resting, sleeping, reading, eating and taking long walks. It was one of the best holidays I've ever taken.
None of it would have been possible without a few foodies and bloggers who helped us along the way. First of all, Bill & Sharon Gunter from Gunternation, these two amazing people offered to mind the shop's stall at the market while we were away, we didn't even have to ask and they did a super job! Then it was my brother in law Sean, who minded the on-line business end of things while we were eating cheese and sleeping till ten. Our friend Kate Packwood, from The Wild Flour Bakery provided us with plenty of goodies for the trip, including some of her outstanding brownies and what I have renamed as 'volcano cakes' with passion fruit glazing on top. Thank you all for being so great!
