Blaa – SOCIAL BRIDGE ~ Jean Tubridy connecting with you from Ireland

We’ve had very little pure light here in the South-East of Ireland in recent weeks. It’s been as if the ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’ has been seeking to have it all her own way.

The country woke in a state of dejection this morning trying to shake off the effects of the horrible defeat by the the flowing Argentinians in the Rugby World Cup. (I knew nothing whatsoever about Argentina before this week except the overwhelming natural brilliance of Gabriella Sabatini and Diego Maradona ~ magical duo that should have been enough to forewarn me.)

So it started as a ‘one foot in front of the other’ kind of day:

But, as the new day unfolded, there were signs that nature was striving to lighten our spirits. I simply had to follow the opening sky and it brought me to the Anne Valley in Dunhill for my morning run. As I got out of the car, I was greeted by the clatter of horses hooves on the road beneath Dunhill Castle. Instinctive thoughts of The Highwayman, The Listeners …..

The light danced on the cinder path of the Anne Valley Walk and there was a softness that made running seem like the most natural thing in the world.

Dunhill Village called at noon where the Church bells rang out and the local dogs sang along:

No possibility of resisting a call to Harney’s Shop

Harney's, Dunhill, Co. Waterford — Harney’s, Dunhill, Co. Waterford

for a blaa (Co. Waterford bread roll) and some of their home-cooked ham:

Perfect day for a swim at Annestown Beach in the heat of the midday sun:

‘One foot in front of the other’ took on a whole new meaning on the golden sands of the Co. Waterford Coast.

The clarity and magnificence of the day lasted right up to sunset and beyond.

I guess everyone deals with anniversaries of death in different ways and I suspect that for most people the number of anniversaries that truly penetrate the heart is very limited.

My father’s anniversary is one of those which has huge significance for me. He died on September 10th, 2010 and yesterday all I wanted to do was to feel as close as I possibly could to him. I’d done all in my power to keep the day as clear as I could but I had no specific plans for what I’d do.

It proved to be one of the most beautiful days of the year here in Co. Waterford with the gentlest light you could possibly imagine. It’s always been important to me to be somewhere that he and I loved at 10.57 a.m. the time he died (and also my birth date, something that he would have pounced on with his fascination for numbers.)

I just sat into the car and let instinct drive. At 10.57, I was walking Kilfarrassy Beach ~ a beach where we spent so much time as kids and where Dad and I whiled away many hours chatting and watching the waves in the final years of his long life.

It never occurred to me on September 10, 2010 that the natural world, which Dad loved so much, could possibly be bursting with colour, vibrancy and continuity. Nor did I envisage that a time could ever come when I would stand in the presence of nature on his anniversary and feel a true sense of celebration ~ celebration of a life well spent, a father/daughter relationship filled with trust, empathy, fun, shared interests and unconditional love.

Instinct drove me out along the Copper Coast, into the picturesque village of Kill with its aptly named, Happy Days, shop where I bought a picnic lunch that had to include a Waterford ‘blaa’ (type of bread roll) and a little Cadbury’s snack bar like the ones Dad always seemed to have hidden away, just in case!

Onwards to Mount Congreve Garden which was like The Garden of Eden.

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Yes, ‘Light and shade by turn but love always.’

And how better to round off the day than with a swim at sundown at Garrarus Beach with son, Harry, who seems to have inherited many of Dad’s traits, especially his passion for nature, sport and his hearty laugh.

Tag: Blaa

Let There Be Light

But Love Always