Gremlin’s Fireside Chat

“Pope Resigns” said the news – and I had to read it twice to check that I had read it correctly the first time. For the first time in 600 years a reigning Pope has resigned in office and the web and news channels are doing over time over it. Many thought that being Pope was a ‘job for life’ – that is those who have not read their Catholic history no doubt, How many Catholics realize that married priests were the ‘norm’ for the church until the 11th Century where upon the then Pope forbade it – ‘officially’ to allow the Priesthood to concentrate on the word of the Lord, although more probably to do with disputes between Widows and children of deceased Priests and the church over money and property.

I digress somewhat. What a day indeed, and I am still a bit ‘knocked for six’ by the news. The Pope says he is too old and frail at 85 to continue with the rigorous demands of being Leader of the worlds billion or so Catholics and this is very understandable, Cardinals and Priests must retire when they reach a certain age, and I think that the same should apply to the Pope too going forward. I think this will be better for the Church in the long run as part of a more general and fundamental reform of the root-and-branch of the Church itself. The Church is still way to self-absorbed in itself at the higher levels and has moved too far from its fundamental function of teaching the Gospel and helping the poor and suffering of the world – both of which still in the 21st century are far too numerous.The Church has isolated itself from the people and the Lords work and has paid a heavy price in recent decades for doing this. This is an opportunity the Church needs to grasp if its to remain relevant in modern life.

Pope Benedict is, and has been shown to be a humble man; His resignation today shows this and signals to us all his true beliefs and wishes. I wish him well and contentment in the Lord.

Today is truly an historic day.

Today five years ago my beloved father died in his sleep at the relatively young age of sixty nine. My Father died suddenly in his sleep in pretty much great health and before the birth of two of his grandchildren of whom he would have no doubt adored.

Even after five years I am still in many ways are grieving for my father – a grief although dulling with time will never go away. I miss my father – my mentor and my friend. Now I realize the truth and luck in choosing my father to be my best man at my wedding simply because he was – and is – the best man I have ever known. Every month I raise a single smokey Scottish malt whiskey in celebration and toast to the man who was my father. So many good memories, and twinges of pain at never having the opportunity to say goodbye. I look at today’s papers at the awful news of families and children slaughtered in Syria by a Government desperate to keep power, and in Afghanistan by an American solder “gone rogue”; I was lucky to have been brought up, known, and molded by a man of honour and substance – my father.

I still miss you dad. You are still my hero.

I am not too sure what period the following covered (prob in the last 10 years) but they are the Meals-ready-to-eat (MRE or ‘Field Rations’) that are issued to troops in the field who are not near a army canteen or mobile kitchen. There are a number of “menu’s” and which one you get on any given day was pretty much a random lottery from what I remember. Most troops used to hate field rations for a number of reasons: they can’t cook, the limited menu (snacks were pretty much the same and breakfast was almost always some form of meat and beans) and most people usually don’t like something in each menu so swapping a pudding for a tin of sausage-and-beans was common. For me I did not like afters (puddings apart from chocolate ones) and I don’t drink tea so would swap those for a tin of beans and a coffee ration for example.

One thing my father taught me was you needed to “supplement” the rations anyway you can. For me I used to bring a supply of salt, pepper, dried soup, OXO cubes, tomato ketchup and mustard sachets (kind you get in cheap cafe’s) and a plentiful supply of “instant potato” to help “improve” the rations. If the truth be known I actually quite liked Army food. Anyway I digress from the list of menus.

Menu ‘A’
Breakfast: Hamburger & Beans
Snack: Oatmeal block, Fruit Biscuits, Brown Biscuits, Cheese Spread, Choc Bar (2), Boiled Sweets
Main Meal: Soup, chicken & Mushroo & Pasta, Treacle Pudding

Menu ‘B’
Breakfast: Corned Beef Hash
Snack: Oatmeal block, Fruit Biscuits, Brown Biscuits, Meat Pate, Choc Bar (2), Boiled Sweets
Main Meal: Soup, Beef Stew & Dumplings, Choc Pudding in a chocolate sauce.

Menu ‘C’
Breakfast: Chicken Sausage & Beans
Snack: Oatmeal block, Fruit Biscuits, Brown Biscuits, Cheese Spread, Choc Bar (2), Boiled Sweets
Main Meal: Soup, Lamb Stew & Potatoes, Fruit Dumplings in a Butterscotch Sauce.

Menu ‘D’
Breakfast: Corned Beef Hash
Snack: Oatmeal block, Fruit Biscuits, Brown Biscuits, Meat Pate, Choc Bar (2), Boiled Sweets
Main Meal: Soup, Pork Casserole, Treacle Pudding

Menu ‘E’
Breakfast: Bacon & Beans
Snack: Oatmeal block, Fruit Biscuits, Brown Biscuits, Cheese Spread, Choc Bar (2), Boiled Sweets
Main Meal: Soup, Lancashire Hotpot, Fruit Dumplings in a Butterscotch Sauce.

Menu ‘F’
Breakfast: Beefburger & Beans
Snack: Oatmeal block, Fruit Biscuits, Brown Biscuits, Meat Pate, Choc Bar (2), Boiled Sweets
Main Meal: Soup, Steak & Veg with potatoe, Rice Pudding.

Menu ‘G’
Breakfast: Meatballs & Pasta in tomato sauce
Snack: Oatmeal block, Fruit Biscuits, Brown Biscuits, Cheese Spread, Choc Bar (2), Boiled Sweets
Main Meal: Soup, Chicken Stew, Choc Pudding in a chocolate sauce.

Daily Drinks and Sundries
You are also issued on a daily basis a number of drinks: powdered chocolate, coffee, tea. You also get vegetable stock, powdered milk, sugar, lemon or orange powder.

The Irish National Archives have today released the 1901 Irish Census – and I could not help but take a dive and have a look at my mothers side of the Bartleys. I knew that in 1911 they lived in Whistlemount just outside Navan. The census results for 1911 shows :

My Grandfather Joseph (a kindly but tough and pious man) is the 7 year old mentioned and his Parents are Joseph and Jane.

In 1901 in the same place both Joseph and Jane are mentioned:

But Joseph’s parents Pater and Kate are there also along with Joseph’s and Jane’s daughter Eliza aged 2 months. Eliza must have died at a young age (May the Lord have mercy on her soul) but isn’t in the 1911 one.

You will also note that Joseph is in 1911 aged 40 and in 1901 is 25! From the scan of the census record I see that the age entry for Joseph is in a different ink than the rest. I wonder what the story was for this..

It is rare that one has the opportunity to gain direct physical contact with an event that happened in 1912 and one which has entered the cultural consciousness of mankind. I am sure when I say the word “Titanic” you understand exactly what I mean. A ship that some said was “unsinkable” because of the new “Water Tight” compartments in her innovative and luxurious design. Yet Titanic was a ship which sank on her maiden voyage one cold April night in the northern Atlantic after a collision with an iceberg taking some 1500 souls to a watery grave.

For the last couple of months the Titanic exhibition has been in Dublin showing artifacts recovered from the wreck (which is at 15,000 feet below sea-level) and which the family visited yesterday. It was a fascinating visit with reconstructions of a 1st and 3rd class cabins and where you can see some 300 items ranging from the bell rang by the lookout who spotted the iceberg, the chronometer and “speed communication device” from the bridge through to personal items of jewelry, clothes, bags of some of the passengers. In between was s port-hole bent out of shape by the sinking, plates and knives and forks from 1st, 2nd and 3rd class dinning to name a few. The exhibition is well laid out and informative. For example a 3rd class ticket cost £8 where the most expensive 1st class ticket cost £600 – or £500 and £62000 in modern money!

For me the single item that create a direct personal contact to that famous ship was a small piece of her hull which you could touch. A tingle of electricity when down my spine when my hand touched the Titanic and hence the tragic events of that night,

If you get the opportunity its well worth the visit.