Patience went to work today; for the first time
in her life. The Prodigal arose at 6.30 and invaded the kitchen to make
breakfast for the newest recruit to the workforce. I felt like a mother seeing
her child off to school for the very first time. The pan was slapped on and
browned four Denny’s sausages, a bap was sliced and the kettle was ordered to
sing. Herself arrived downstairs much indignant at the fact that I didn’t trust
her to look after herself. After a lifetime of going to work I am now consigned
to the role of housekeeper.
You’d want to see the finished get-up of her
before she departed. Some sort of pull-ups, vests and jumpers, a waterproof
overall, pixie cap and a pair of heavy boots laced to the ankles. She was
better equipped than Ernest Shackleton when he headed off on his Antarctic
expedition. Of course they have nationality in common.
She was bound for Coole in County Westmeath to
replace dead young conifers in a state forest under the guidance of one
stalwart, John Keegan. The deal is that for a few weeks she will be on
probation with a forest contractor and if deemed capable might be recruited to
the forestry state agency ‘Coillte’. As my mother used to say “a permanent,
pensionable job”. I won’t hold my breath.
I started work in the Post Office at eighteen
and I remember my first day as clear as day. My ould fella was employed by a
local block-factory at the time and told his boss, Charlie Byrne, some scéal to
get off for an hour in the company lorry to drive me to Roscommon town.
We arrived in the square. The old man handed me
a battered suitcase with the mothers stuffing in it, told me we there, handed
me a red ten-shilling note and said “Get out now, you’re on your own”. Not much
sentiment in Ned. Then he never was molly-coddled either.
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| Patience |
At any rate Patience left the house at 8.45 and
just rang me to say she had arrived on location. First hurdle negotiated. Now I
can settle a bit. Patience is 7 years older than I was when I started work and
much better educated, having attended third level for a number of years, both
in Letterfrack at the GMIT and the Institute of Technology in Athlone. Fingers
crossed. This household needs a hunter-gatherer if survival with a modicum of
comfort is to be the order of the day.
Patience, like Shackleton, has always preferred
the outdoors and now is her opportunity to see the reality from the idyllic
image. Shackleton has a statue erected outside the London headquarters of the
Royal Geographical Society. Let’s wait and see………
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