paddy's day: the preview..

so i thought i would let you in on a secret...
i cannot wait for st patrick's day
it is clearly still two weeks and four days away, but i am so looking forward to it..and here's why:
its almost like going home for christmas....
i head to the shire, knowing that love awaits me, daddio at the station..the others already installed in le cafe rene, as per shire fridays, and the run-up begins...ah the joy of a year in which the 17th of march falls on a weekend....
present will be the usual stuff of a shire friday: magners piled all round, an embarsassing number of bottles stacked on the table...roll-ups to hand, rob and amy giddy to see me, mum on her g+t's and angela enjoying a few glasses of red...and nicko with the hugs that only a brother built like a bear can bestow....and then the lovely princess fiona...hopefully...with the grinning...and maybe with the welsh boy in tow...and luke, and yes hopefully, his girlfriend...josh and big aid..bar-staff i went to school with..and lots of laughing..
and the saturday..should probably go to mass.. but won't.
and then gloucester v harlequins at kingsholm, three pm in the shed..
and then probably back to the rene via the gate for free guinness
the evening of st patrick's fay for the haywards takes place in a pub called the great western which we never go to any other night of the year...and all the camping crowd are there, and dad with his guitar, maddie with her bohdran, desie on the accordian, ben the fiddle and everyone in the room knowing that at some point they will have to sing "their song" which means, as you grow older in an irish family, most people who can hold a tune end up adopting a song as their own, which on any given occasion they will be expected to let out, cigarette in hand and their mum's eyes watering up next to you..mine is named arthur mcbride..
it won't be an early night..
and you know what, my uncle and aunt, michael and dierdre are going to be present for the whole thing!! they are heading over from clonmel for the weekend, making our collective joy complete...
anyone want to come with..?! x
(this post is dedicated to mr hughes and his blog-attentiveness...)