Gremlin’s Fireside Chat

The last few days weather has been ideal – sunny with a cool breeze. The downside to this with the recent rain is that our lawn has grown alarmingly from something like 3 inches to 8 inches plus in some places over a few days. Time to get the lawn mower out.

Maeve my daughter – bless her kind soul – decided to ‘help’ push the lawn mower (although I did manage to persuade her to hold the power cable out of harms way). I digress. It was during the lawn mowing that my daughter announced “don’t cut the flowers (buttercups and dandy-lions) I want them for my wedding”. “Wedding” blazed red across my consciousness – “what wedding” I spluttered after almost having a heart attack. “Will asked me to marry him and I said ‘Yes’” she replied “we are getting married in June” she added. Not only did I not know this “Will” character – but I will definitely taking more interest in this young man in the future – but my Daughter is only 4 years old and this is the kind of conversation I was not expecting (dreading) for 20 or more years.

Anyway I managed to rein in my more wilder thoughts and get back to the task at hand and finished mowing the lawn. When I look back on it all it was rather funny; Her mom and teachers at the creche think so; and when you think about it a 4 year old having any comprehension of what getting married means is quite impressive. It is however a subject I would rather leave to later – much, much latter, and I am sure many dads agree with me.

Got a shock last night. I handed my daughter my Asus Transformer tablet with a drawing app opened and she then proceeded to draw/write this with her finger:

My 4 year 3 month old daughter can write her name (and I found out later my name too) and the numbers. I was an am in awe at her. I am also really pleased with the teaching at the creche Maeve goes to in the IFSC in Dublin.

Maeve is still charming everyone she meets – “so cute” is the most comment I have heard; and her English is excellent and advanced. Her emotional development is progressing nicely in that she understands others emotions (even that they are sad) and empathizes with those who have lost someone or someone is insulted.

Our 4 year old daughter has qualified as a “Seal 2″ (or “Navy Seal” as I call her) and we are really proud of her.

Really impressed in how she is taken to swimming – although its more “familiarity” than swimming at the moment. Ireland has an appalling track record when we come to swimming, its not usually taught in school – I was lucky in that I was taught when I was 7 or so – and it is important to learn from both a safety and fun perspective. Both my wife and I qualified as PADI divers.

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.

My Daughter is just four years old (16th Jan) and she has just made me roar with laughter. I have just put her to bed and after reading a story and giving her a hug and kiss I was getting up when she said – “Dad …. Dad ….. May the force be with you” – a saying from the star wars cannon