I've just come back from Mayo, where John and I went to my second oldest nephew's 18th birthday last night. I was still in Uni when him and his older brother were born, and my mother was their child minder for their pre school years. As a result, I spent a huge amount of time with them when they were little guys, and along with my two beautiful god daughters, they are the siblings' kids with whom I would have the closest bond.
What I love about them these days is that the actually seek out our company socially. They're both talking about coming down here for a weekend on the raz, which I am really looking forward to. The funny thing is that I could see them fitting right in with any of our friends down here, since most of our mates are in their twenties.
When we moved here over four years ago, we found there was a culture of locals versus blow ins. The locals were far too absorbed with their own lives and family circles to have any interest in making new friends. The blow ins however were the most inclusive bunch of people I have ever had the good fortune to meet. They were in the early twenties to early thirties age group, and always willing to make the effort to draw new people into the social fold. This made life so much easier for us, moving to a town where we knew nobody. Before we knew it, we were being dragged to Christmas parties, barbecues, bouncy castle parties, St Patrick's Day brunches, boozy Sunday afternoon lunches, weddings, christenings and leaving dos. As a result, when John turned 40 two years ago, the average age of party punter at his 40th was late twenties.
What really made us laugh yesterday evening was when the birthday boy popped in to say hello shortly after we had arrived at my parents' house. He was explaining to us that the party theme for the night was rave. So it was white clothes, glow sticks and whistles all the way. This was in the local pub in Knock, Co Mayo. Xbox will understand the incongruity of this, it's a bit like throwing an orgy in Lourdes. Then the plan was that he had hired a bus to bring the revellers to the night club in the nearest town club five miles up the road. And he wanted us to come clubbing with them!! Can you honestly imagine a forty two year old engineer and his thirty nine year old accountant wife on a bus with a shower of tequila fuelled glow stick brandishing school kids? No, neither can I, but it's really nice that he couldn't see anything out of place with that picture. To say thanks, I bought himself and his brother a fat frog. Cos I is down wit de kids.
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3 comments:
Aye. Dat sounds wicked man, innit. But Fat Frogs, no, surely that's not legal?
Picture it...North County Cork, Old man's pub, and in walk my niece and a bunch of her friends on an Xmas do.
One glittery faced young one wanders up to the bar and asks old man Eddie for a 'fat frog'.
"Oh jesus no love" was his reply, "we only have cheese n'onion".
...not related at all I know, but anyway.
Are they your eldest nieces & nephews? 18 or so?
I've a fistful of years on you and I've a few staring down the barrel of 26...weird.
@ WFI - yes, they're legal, and some would say lethal, but surpisingly drinkable all the same!
@ X box - PML at your Fat Frog story!
Yeah my oldest nephew is 20, I became an Auntie at nineteen. So you were an Uncle at what, five? Do your nieces and nephews seem more like younger siblings? I'm always saying to the lads that they should introduce me to their friends as their cousin, calling me their Aunt makes me feel about 100 years old.
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