The Eurovision song contest was on last night. Every year, I say to myself: "No way I'm watching it!" and like every year, I end up watching bits of the Eurovision song context.
I knew Ireland did not have a chance to win: they sent a real bore of a song which, to tell the truth, I could not stand listening to until the end, and the fact that they sent a previous Eurovision winner made them look way to desperate to win the contest. No surprise that they did not win. At least they did not send a song that sounded like it had been fished out of an 80's Top of the Pop chart like Great Britain and end up last. Niamh Kavanagh may be an excellent singer, but that song would make anyone cringe!
Another country I was curious to see was France, because that is where I come from. But what was that? A song that sounded like it was written by La Compagnie Creole (don't worry if you have never heard of them, believe me, you don't want to!) and that was trying to force us to have a good time: "Allez, allez, il faut danser!" meaning: "Go on, go on, you have to dance!". Coming from the country of Jacques Brel, really, they have no excuse!
Click here for the French entry (but I wouldn't if I were you!).
Anyway, I must admit there were a few songs in there that were not too bad, and for once, it looks like the best one won, even though I am not sure about the lyrics (see Germany here). So I am sorry for those who say that the Eurovision song contest is not fair because the public just votes for their neighbour countries (by the way, you did not say that on the 5 years in the row when Ireland won), but if we keep sending out crap, we will keep getting crappy votes!
If you want my advice, here is what to do next year: get a good Irish singer (we have plenty of those), get a good song (we have excellent songwriters too, the thing is just to write a good song, just don't try and write FOR the Eurovision), get a few Irish dancers to perform, make it look a bit like Riverdance, but with only 5 dancers, since the maximum number of people on the stage is 6. If that is not a winning formula, I don't know what is!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
First Day At The Beach
We have had hot weather for the last few days, at least by our standards, I know that 25 degrees celsius is a bit of a joke for most normal people out there, but we, in Ireland are all stripping off at the lightest ray of sun because we are used to getting crappy weather for most of the summer by now, so it is in our interest to make the most of the good weather when we get it.
I have always liked swimming but don't get to do it anymore because when we get anywhere near water I am just so afraid my kids might drown that I spend all the time watching them, and as I my legs were not beach-proofed (read not properly shaved enough to be fully exposed to the public), it suited me just fine to just sit and look after the kids from a distance.
We went to a lake as that was probably not very clean (even though it has got a blue flag); the place where my kids were splashing about was not deep enough to swim in so I was not too worried that they would get into trouble even though I kept telling them to stay on the less deep end. I suited me that it was not deep enough to swim because after I spotted that dog poo on the edge on the lake, I really did not want to get in there (the kids had a bath after we came home).
It was a nice way to spend the day, especially since it was a lake, there was less sand messing up everything, but now I am almost hoping for a not too good summer so that my kids do not beg me to bring them back to swim in that dog-poo infested water again.
I have always liked swimming but don't get to do it anymore because when we get anywhere near water I am just so afraid my kids might drown that I spend all the time watching them, and as I my legs were not beach-proofed (read not properly shaved enough to be fully exposed to the public), it suited me just fine to just sit and look after the kids from a distance.
We went to a lake as that was probably not very clean (even though it has got a blue flag); the place where my kids were splashing about was not deep enough to swim in so I was not too worried that they would get into trouble even though I kept telling them to stay on the less deep end. I suited me that it was not deep enough to swim because after I spotted that dog poo on the edge on the lake, I really did not want to get in there (the kids had a bath after we came home).
It was a nice way to spend the day, especially since it was a lake, there was less sand messing up everything, but now I am almost hoping for a not too good summer so that my kids do not beg me to bring them back to swim in that dog-poo infested water again.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Teaching my Kid to Ride a Bicycle
Sometimes I wish I had bought a tricycle for my eldest daughter when she was little. Her Dad did buy her a bicycle with training wheels when she was about 3 but it was a bicycle that would have suited a 5 year-old better (I must ask him if I can get it for my nearly 6 year-old).
Anyway, to get back on the subject to teaching my kid how to ride her bicycle, she has no experience of pedalling and she must learn to keep her balance on 2 wheels so it is tricky (and painful for my back too). Since I have a small yard and another younger daughter that I can't leave at home on her own, if you see a wobbly pink bicycle on a big footpath with a woman taking turns holding the seat and picking up the kid followed by a smaller kid flying in front of us on her scooter, that's us!
Yesterday we went to a sportsground nearby to have more space to practice as well as softer landings and so far so good, I managed to let her go and she didn't fall straightaway; I am also more confident in letting her go as I know the grass won't hurt her as much as a hard ground - sometimes I wonder which one of us needs training the most but that's mothers for you!
My daughter is so proud of herself when she manages to cycle for a short while on her own that she doesn't even seem to mind falling down. There has been lots of falling and laughing and her (our?) confidence is building. It should not take her too long now to learn but I am wondering what I signed up for when I let her her have a bicycle because I really don't want to see her riding on the roads yet as there are no bicycle lanes around here. Hopefully she will be happy enough staying on the footpaths around our house until she gets a little older but even then, I will be a nervous wreck when the time comes to let her go.
I thought things would get much easier after both my kids were toilet trained but it turns out it's just one thing after another and life is only getting more stressful as children grow. Sometimes I wish they could just both get back inside my tummy but that would not be very practical. Ah well, it won't be long now before they have their own lives and they throw me into an old folks home, no more worries for me then!
Anyway, to get back on the subject to teaching my kid how to ride her bicycle, she has no experience of pedalling and she must learn to keep her balance on 2 wheels so it is tricky (and painful for my back too). Since I have a small yard and another younger daughter that I can't leave at home on her own, if you see a wobbly pink bicycle on a big footpath with a woman taking turns holding the seat and picking up the kid followed by a smaller kid flying in front of us on her scooter, that's us!
Yesterday we went to a sportsground nearby to have more space to practice as well as softer landings and so far so good, I managed to let her go and she didn't fall straightaway; I am also more confident in letting her go as I know the grass won't hurt her as much as a hard ground - sometimes I wonder which one of us needs training the most but that's mothers for you!
My daughter is so proud of herself when she manages to cycle for a short while on her own that she doesn't even seem to mind falling down. There has been lots of falling and laughing and her (our?) confidence is building. It should not take her too long now to learn but I am wondering what I signed up for when I let her her have a bicycle because I really don't want to see her riding on the roads yet as there are no bicycle lanes around here. Hopefully she will be happy enough staying on the footpaths around our house until she gets a little older but even then, I will be a nervous wreck when the time comes to let her go.
I thought things would get much easier after both my kids were toilet trained but it turns out it's just one thing after another and life is only getting more stressful as children grow. Sometimes I wish they could just both get back inside my tummy but that would not be very practical. Ah well, it won't be long now before they have their own lives and they throw me into an old folks home, no more worries for me then!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Gerry Ryan R.I.P., But Enough With The Tributes Programmes!
It has possibly been the biggest and saddest news in Ireland for 2010, even though this year is not over yet: Gerry Ryan, one of the most (if not THE most) famous radio broadcaster in Ireland, died at the age of 54.
I understand that all of Friday's and Saturday's radio and television programmes talked about and gave tribute to Gerry Ryan but when I switched on 2FM this morning and the radio presenter was still paying tribute to him, I said enough!
First of all, I want to say that my radio station of choice is not 2FM (which was Gerry Ryan's primary place of work) but TodayFM; I only listen to 2FM when Today FM has a sports or boring business programme on because for me, radio is about music and entertainment and I am just addicted to the two Rays (D'arcy and Foley), so I never used to listen to the Gerry Ryan show (which was on at the same time as the Ray D'Arcy Show).
So not being a fan of Gerry Ryan (I didn't say I didn't like him, I just did not know him that well) when the whole country is suddenly paying tributes to him, I suddenly feel very alone: am I the only person in Ireland who has had enough of everyone talking about him like he was their best friend even though they only knew him from a few television and radio programmes? Am I the only person around here who remembers the national uproar when he would not take a paycut? I clearly remember some people calling him a sleazebag back then but now that he is dead, suddenly he is a Saint?
As a reminder, here are a few hate links with comments of people who did not seem to have the slightest ounce of respect for the late Gerry Ryan (these do not reflect my own opinions, as I am not qualified enough to have one):
http://bocktherobber.com/2009/03/facebook-group-removed-gerry-ryan-is-a-complete-and-utter-wanker
http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/how-gerry-ryan-turned-into-mr-smug-1499629.html
http://twentymajor.net/2008/01/07/operation-transformation
I would like to say that I did not know the guy enough to say whether I liked him or not so don't misunderstand this post as another "I hate Gerry Ryan even though I don't even know the f***er" article, this post is just to say that 2 whole days of Gerry Ryan tributes are more than enough and it is way past time to get over this and get on with our lives!
P.S. I wonder who will replace Gerry Ryan on 2Fm though.
I understand that all of Friday's and Saturday's radio and television programmes talked about and gave tribute to Gerry Ryan but when I switched on 2FM this morning and the radio presenter was still paying tribute to him, I said enough!
First of all, I want to say that my radio station of choice is not 2FM (which was Gerry Ryan's primary place of work) but TodayFM; I only listen to 2FM when Today FM has a sports or boring business programme on because for me, radio is about music and entertainment and I am just addicted to the two Rays (D'arcy and Foley), so I never used to listen to the Gerry Ryan show (which was on at the same time as the Ray D'Arcy Show).
So not being a fan of Gerry Ryan (I didn't say I didn't like him, I just did not know him that well) when the whole country is suddenly paying tributes to him, I suddenly feel very alone: am I the only person in Ireland who has had enough of everyone talking about him like he was their best friend even though they only knew him from a few television and radio programmes? Am I the only person around here who remembers the national uproar when he would not take a paycut? I clearly remember some people calling him a sleazebag back then but now that he is dead, suddenly he is a Saint?
As a reminder, here are a few hate links with comments of people who did not seem to have the slightest ounce of respect for the late Gerry Ryan (these do not reflect my own opinions, as I am not qualified enough to have one):
http://bocktherobber.com/2009/03/facebook-group-removed-gerry-ryan-is-a-complete-and-utter-wanker
http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/how-gerry-ryan-turned-into-mr-smug-1499629.html
http://twentymajor.net/2008/01/07/operation-transformation
I would like to say that I did not know the guy enough to say whether I liked him or not so don't misunderstand this post as another "I hate Gerry Ryan even though I don't even know the f***er" article, this post is just to say that 2 whole days of Gerry Ryan tributes are more than enough and it is way past time to get over this and get on with our lives!
P.S. I wonder who will replace Gerry Ryan on 2Fm though.
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