Day 3

Today we go shopping, more looking than anything. As well as all the familiar high street names there seems to be a good number of independent and small chains of shops, we do notice that quite a few shops are closed up and assume that the global financial problems have also caused this. We had coffee in Banbridge, David found the games shop and I found the christian book shop. My mum used to change busses here, she recounts stories of her and my dad hitch hiking with one occasion they traveled by ice cream van back to Rathfrieland (they didnt get free ice cream though). From here we go to Newry, there is a traditional countryside saddelry and tackle shop that peak's Davids interest as it also sells guns we tell him he can look around this. David does not seem to do mornings very well, again we notice the patern of him animating as the day progresses. Lunch was taken in costa, it was good to see David trying each of our choises as well as the plain egg sandwich he had picked.

We drive back through Rathfrieland and I stop outside the funeral parlour that is next door to nana's old house, David does not seem interested in hearing how I as a child used to holiday here and was reluctant to follow me as I dragged us down memory lane. I wanted to find the playground where I was bitten by a very deceitful dog that had pretended to be my friend. On our way to the swings we pass the house of a long term family friend, Alma, as her and her daughter, Karen, where just off to put flowers in the graveyard. It doed not take much coercion, from Alma, before we are usherd in for cups of tea and catch up on births, deaths and mariages. It has been several years since I have seen Karen, she looks well (I think she has something over one of the fairy folk as she looks younger than me). Karen shows me an old photo of her brother Darryl, it takes a few moments but I do remember him, even without a reminder I remember some of the fights we had as children (he and Antony where much closer friends).

We go back to Newcastle, David makes a purchase and I get some ribeye for our tea. Afterwards we go to the pub in Maghera, this is where my mum lived as a child and she recounts several stories and tries to fit pieces of memory together, I really enjoy this. My mum tells me about Flush lane where gypsies used to stop in a field (I rename this Gypsie Lane as I keep forgetting it), nana used to press-gang the gypsie children into eating a meal then have a bath and give them my mums clothes (nana said they probably sold the clothes as next time they came back they would be in rags again). To dispell they myth that gypsies steal children my mum tells me of one lady who wanted a daughter but couldnt have any more children, she adopted a gypsie baby (the mother said she had lots of them and that she could take her, the lady insisted that it was done legally). The baby had tapeworms, my mum thinks it may not have survived without the care this lady gave her. I wonder what happened to this baby and if she ever had contact with her birth mother.

It was supposed to rain today (the misty mountain picture is from this morning), quite selfishly I have prayed that it doesn't and so far God has withheld the rain (he withheld the rain for Melissa's concert in the grounds of Hinchingbrooke house earlier in the year). I will let you know how the rest of the weeks weather goes, the forecast is Irelands usuall rain from tuesday afternoon until saturday.