The Journey of a Drain

May 30, 2011 | Mairead

(No more crossants)

Didn’t think I’d have something interesting to tell you about so soon. As expected putting the writing first has been a bit of a challenge today, but that’s not interesting, yet. Had an idea that I might play the tourist in my own area but needed to fit in a bit of “spring” cleaning first so that didn’t work out. Then the “interesting” thing happened.

(Nice shiny floor)

The interesting thing is that the drains got blocked… initially I thought they were the rain drains but no, it wasn’t rain…… Fortunately for us it was outside. I was brave enough to ask the man if I could take a picture for my blog. Only afterwards did I wonder who would want to see it……… trust me no one would. I didn’t even want to look when I was deleting it. The blocked drain subject is a bit more spectacular than I’m describing here but again, trust me, no one wants to hear the details… no one.

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(The N11 on the way to Enniskillen on Friday (haven’t been outside the front door today!), an advantage of rain, it keeps the screen clean!)

So, drains interesting? Yes, they are. Everyday we expect that when we run the dishwasher or empty the sink or flush, all will be well. The water will flow from our house into a pipe and that pipe will flow into a bigger pipe and then into a water treatment facility or maybe a septic tank. So we ignore it. We have no idea which way the water is flowing. We have no idea where the pipes run under our house. We have no idea where they might connect with other people’s pipes. And the potential for malfunction is enormous! The result of malfunction is also enormous…. and smelly.

(Flowers have grown while we were away)

The nice man unblocked our drains but said the problem had not been fixed, just postponed. He suggested a camera. It’s a special camera (like the one they use in hospitals…..) and will give more information than we have at the moment. This extra information will help them and us solve the problem.

(Some look a little raggedy because of the rain but still beautiful)

So that got me thinking about sorting things out quickly. I’d like this drain problem to be done, over, and forgotten about. And I’m getting a bit edgy about what the problem might be. And even edgier about what the solution might be….. lifting floor boards? digging tunnels? hiring a builder? Maybe we should hire a builder before we dig tunnels? I’m starting to feel a bit worried. A bit like the time I wanted the eight hour journey to the south of France to be over quickly? And until it was over I was prepared to make myself feel major pain.

(Others are just beautiful)

Maybe the drain problem is just another journey. If it is, then I need to be completely present to what’s happening now and not off in some possible future. What’s happening right now is the water is flowing freely and there’s nothing to do, but await more information.

Appreciate your drains, Mairead.

Now what?

May 29, 2011 | Mairead

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(Sunshine and clouds on the way home)

Ok I’m home….. well I’m back in my house and it feels a little familiar. I think I mentioned we were going to Enniskillen, camping for the weekend. We did and there was sunshine…. on the way home. But the rain and wind didn’t bother us or the many others who attended the talks, presented by people who have followed their dream to ride their motorbikes to many far flung places and back.

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(They drive on the other side of the road here)

Last year the same meeting inspired me to believe that it might be possible to leave home and travel for a month and later six weeks on the back of a motorbike (Denis’ motorbike to be precise). This year it has inspired me to continue doing something that I loved doing while I was away – writing this blog.

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(Inside the tent this morning – notice I’m wearing my thermals and scarf…)

It’s all very well for me to tell you that it’s possible to do the things that you want to do, and follow your heart. But to really demonstrate that, then it might just be necessary for ME to do the things I want to do. In other words, Walk the Talk….

(Some of the many bikes people arrived on…..)

For me the same excuses apply as they do with everyone else when we realise there’s something we want…..

I have no time – Me: I’m going to use my time by making the writing a priority. What about you? What if no one wants to read it? The reading is not part of what I want …. so that’s none of my business. What if I just can’t write it everyday? You big wuss, sure if no one is reading it what does it matter if it’s not every day? (Aidan, I don’t know why, but you inspired this!) What’ll I write about? The same thing you wrote about for forty-six days – whatever comes into your head, something always does. What if it doesn’t? Stop trying to frighten the be-japers out of yourself! Become Fearless and walk on…(Inspired by Biddy).

(Some of the tents on the football pitch – ours is the blue one)

So what does this mean to you the receiver of the email? Firstly, thank you for joining me along the journey, you have been a great companion! Secondly, you now have a choice. To continue receiving these emails… do nothing. To stop… click unsubscribe, down at the bottom of this email. (You can still read them online at http://www.maireadhennessy.com) This could be your finest hour, (inspired by Winston Churchill) are you ready? Even in this small thing, you can practice doing what you want. What YOU want…. not what you think I want…. not what you think you should do…… not what you have to do…. Choose.

(Jeep and tent – five star camping)

Later… or maybe not, either way I’ll be doing what I want…. will you?

With lots and lots of appreciation for the companionship, Mairead.

Canada Dreaming

May 28, 2011March 31, 2012 | Mairead

(The brasserie two doors down sells Murphy’s!)

We got up this morning in silence – the hotel’s closed and it’s our last day. Our boat doesn’t leave until 9pm so we decided to visit some more of the D-Day museums, as Arromanches was so inspirational. We headed for Pegasus Bridge. It featured in a movie called The Longest Day. It was a very interesting tour, mainly because the guide was so enthusiastic.

(Enthusiastic guide)

Encouraged by this visit and with more time to spare we thought we’d try the Juno Beach Museum, the lady in the tourist office recommended it. Juno beach was where the Canadian troops landed. With my four Canadian readers and a sister, brother-in-law and niece about to become Canadians maybe it was time to check Canada out….

(Big hoarding on the way to museum)

I am delighted I did.

(Canadian flag blowing in the breeze)

It’s another “follow your heart” museum!

Truly! Firstly we arrive and are asking for our tickets in French from the nice young man. He asks something we can’t understand so he reverts to amazingly good English with a Canadian accent. He must have learned English from a Canadian? Yes, his mother, he’s from Canada! They have a program to bring students to France for four to eight months of the year to work at the museum. It’s related to the “follow your heart” bit….

(There’s a Church Hill (well, Churchill) in Canada!)

The follow your heart bit….. each anniversary after 1944 Canadian veterans would return to France and see the places where they fought and where their friends and family members had died. At some point a group of them started to dream.

(The Canadian Juno Beach Museum – in the shape of a Maple Leaf – recognisable from the air)

They wanted to have a place that would tell the story of the Canadians who had fought and died so far from home. And they wanted it for the children and the children’s children, down through the generations. That is why they bring young people from Canada to work at the museum. The student who guided our tour said she was the same age as the Canadian (and British and American and Dutch and Norwegian and other) boys who came up the beach in a landing craft on D-Day (the same age as the German boys who tried to stop them.). So at the end of the tour we all clapped and she was just leaving when I asked her if she knew any more about the story of the veterans who had the idea to build the museum.

(A look-out bunker, now covered in sand to the roof, beside the museum)

She said she didn’t but she turned to a man who was on the tour and asked him if he would answer that. I had though he was a tourist. But no… His Dad was one of the veterans who had had the dream! Well, you could have knocked me down with a maple leaf. (The design of the building is based on the five points of a maple leaf.) He went on to tell us that he was involved in the group that made it happen. They had to find the money and it was going very slowly until Walmart gave them a huge donation. They had a site at another location and that fell through. But they were determined and went down the beach to the Marie (Mayor) of the small town of Courielle sur Mer. In 2000 they started building at the site (it used to be a municipal campsite) he gave them.

I am mortified to say I didn’t ask his name, but I did ask for a picture…….

(The dream-maker, the guide and me!)

(Do I look happy?)

And if that wasn’t enough……..

(Canadian and French flags)

At the beginning of the tour, the guide (more mortification, can’t remember her name, picture above) started to ask people where they were from and how come they were here. Very nice little touch, very natural and maybe she doesn’t do it all the time, but I’m glad she did, because something really nice happened. So she was going around the group and we said we were on our way home and just came to have a look. All the others were from different parts of Canada that I didn’t recognise. Then this tall man with his son and grand-son (about 12 years old) said “I’m from Barrie, Toronto”. And of course I pipe up “My sister is moving to Barrie in July!”. Everyone had a little moment… wow…. and then the tour started.

(Poster in the museum….love the bit “Canada is neither France nor Great Britain; and it’s not the U.S.A. either…”)

But just as we were moving on to a new bit, this lovely man gave me his number to give to my sister, because he remembers what it was like when he first moved to Canada. He was seventeen and he went to visit his aunt and stayed, fifty years ago. So Moira, remind me to give you his number, it’s in my camera case, I’ve already organised to go see him (and his son and grandson) when I visit you!

Consider Canada checked out and scoring very high marks. Go Canada!

(It would take thirteen and a half hours standing under the scrolling names to see them all. And it’s not going slowly.)

As I write this I am on the boat and the captain has said there’s trouble ahead…. stormy weather…. (it all sounds like songs) but when you read this I’ll be back home cutting the grass or getting groceries.

Hello Ireland, au revoir France, Mairead.

Go Winston! Final Part

May 27, 2011 | Mairead

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(The beach today…. nothing in the water here……)

Yes Blackberry A……. was in a different town, on a different beach.

So…

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(Nearly there)

It was really called Mulberry A and was to the west of Mulberry B in a town called St Laurent sur Mer. This was where the American Forces were going to man another version of the floating harbour. But there was a problem…..

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(Monument on beach)

Remember when Prince Winston, also called Winston Churchill, was explaining his plan to his advisors? Well, he had to explain it to the allied forces at Casablanca, too. His own forces may have been dubious, but the American’s were completely against the idea. They didn’t believe in it the way that Winston did. And for some reason he didn’t inspire them.

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(Blue sea and sky on the way to St Laurent sur Mer)

Below is a quote from Admiral John Leslie Hall, US Navy.

“I think it’s the biggest waste of manpower and equipment that I have ever seen. I can unload a thousand LSTs at a time over the open beaches. Why give me something that anybody who’s ever seen the sea act upon 150-ton concrete blocks at Casablanca knows the first storm will destroy? What’s the use of building them just to have them destroyed and litter up the beaches.”

(Mock up of a glider that landed at Pegasus Bridge)

Ok, you may think, so what, he disagreed, he still went ahead with it……

But the problem is not the disagreeing with the project. The problem is that the project didn’t even come close to a dream for the American in charge. He wasn’t “following his heart”, he was following his orders. And he passed on the same attitude to his men (and women). Not a big deal if the project had been straight forward, but… The project (the whole portable floating harbour idea) was so full of problems and difficulties that it needed someone to have constant attention on the desired outcome. The problem was that the Admiral has his attention on what he DIDN’T want.

(Putting together a fold-up motorbike, picture from 1944 in Pegasus Bridge Museum)

Everything seemed to be going ok. The same things that happened at Mulberry B (British), happened at Mulberry A (American). The ships were sunk, the caissons were put in place, the harbour was assembled. But then the storm that struck Mulberry B on June 19th, also struck Mulberry A and the cracks started to show.

(Headache potions)

The floating harbour floated away and was unusable. You’ll remember where the Admiral had his attention? On what he didn’t want? And that’s what happened,

“………..the first storm will destroy…….just to have them destroyed and litter up the beaches.”

(Example of Winston Churchill’s stubborn nature – his assistant had to change all times on his messages because he didn’t like reading the 24hr clock notation!)

So why do I think this is so amazing?

Because this is something we do all the time. (Well I do it and I’m going to pretend you do too!) We get this great idea, it grows in our mind and in our heart. We start to eat and sleep on it. Then something happens. We worry. What if..? Get real…. ! It’s just a pipe dream… Everyone will think I’m…… I haven’t the time…What was I thinking…..? It could never work…. What will they think…?

(Curvy Fanta…)

And of course it doesn’t work. We’ve started to put our attention on what we don’t want and that’s what we get… nothing… all our dreams destroyed and littering up the beaches……. So who do you want to be? Prince Winston or Admiral ..em what-his-name…?

(Reflection… in a window, Pegasus Bridge behind us)

Get putting your attention on what you want – the perfect scenario – and let the worries argue for themselves!

(Sunshine on way to Enniskillen……)

By now I’m waking up in a tent in a football pitch in Enniskillen, the sun is shining and I’ve had a great night’s sleep and I’m off to give my presentation and they love it!

See?

I can put my attention on what I want….so can you!

By the way, the Prince Winston story took so long that I didn’t get to post our last day’s adventure, so that will follow tomorrow….. if I can get internet access…. on a football pitch….. maybe it will follow the next day!

Isn’t it great to be home? Mairead.

Go Winston! Part 3

May 26, 2011 | Mairead

(Where the floating harbour road joined to the land)

Yes, they did assemble it!

When they finished on the third day after the date on the calendar with the big D, there was a floating road leading out from the shallow beach all the way to the deep water and the galleons with the weapons and food and horses and bandages and headache potions. And another floating road going back to the shallow beach. (In this way it is thought Prince Winston may have invented the one-way street system we have in towns and cities today).

(The floating harbour (code name Mulberry B) from the sky, 1944)

He had done it, the portable floating harbour was complete and the pretend fog worked. Now the galleons with knights and wagons and weapons and supplies could land and help all the people in the beautiful land.

But ten days later, just as Prince Winston’s advisors were starting to think it had been their idea all along, disaster struck.

(Heavy rain – File Photo)

A huge storm hit the coast right at the shallow beach. The floating harbour was hit again and again by monstrous waves. For three days the storm raged. The advisors began to mumble again. But Prince Winston held strong. After the third day, the sun came out and the rebuilding began. The floating harbour was badly damaged but had survived and was soon back working as intended by the Prince.

(They nicknamed the port after the man who followed his heart….)

It took nine more months to stop the bad boss but all that time Prince Winston’s floating harbour worked day and night bringing supplies and knights. Everyone agreed it was what won against the bad boss (at least at the museum they did).

(The flag of a united Europe with a caisson in the background)

After that, in the kingdom when parents heard their children say “but I can’t do that, it’s just too hard”, they’d say “What would Prince Winston of Church Hill do? And of course the children would shout out in delight, “Just do the first thing and stop thinking so much!”. Oh how their parents laughed…. well…. maybe not.

These days we say “How do you eat an elephant?”, “One bite at a time.”

(Monument outside the museum)

Oh and I forgot to tell you there is a post-script to this story. I might not have told you that Prince Winston had a code word for this dream of his – Blackberry B. There was also a Blackberry A. Yes…. But that’s another story…… for tomorrow.

By now I’m home in my own bed having a sleep in. But in a few hours I’m off to Enniskillen for the weekend, via motorbike, camping. Hoping for sunshine 🙂

Home Sweet Home, Mairead.

Go Winston! Part 2

May 25, 2011 | Mairead

(Shallow Beach – In low tide it’s a long way to the waves)

And this is what he wanted: He want to send a huge number of knights to the beautiful land with very powerful weapons in enormous big galleons (we call them ships now) and save the people from the bad guys. He wanted them to arrive by sea and to land in the most surprising place. A place where a galleon could never come ashore before. A place where the bad guys would never expect them to land. This place was called a shallow beach.

A shallow beach is not deep enough (even today) for an enormous big galleon. It would get stuck way way out in the deep water, and then how would you get the weapons to dry land? (This is the point when the advisors started mumbling to each other.) But Winston had an idea. “A portable floating harbour.” (This is the point where the advisors got a bit negative.) “and pretend fog, so the bad guys can’t see what we’re doing” (this is where the advisors started to get rude, and Prince Winston put up his hand to stop them.) “and finish it all by next June”.

(Some war time postcards)

Prince Winston was considered an inspirational speaker, so he must have inspired them, because they set to work. And they had a lot of work to do. Prince Winston had put the date in his calendar with a big D (for “this is the day”, I think) and there wasn’t much time. Of course he knew himself that there wasn’t much time, but he couldn’t concern himself with that. His job was to keep his attention on what he wanted and he did that very, very well.

(Picture of Mulberry B as it was in 1944 and the message sent to his CCO)

There’s a famous message that he sent by carrier pigeon to his CCO (I think it stands for, Chap who Carries out my Orders). It was at a time when there were a few dodgy problems with no solutions to be found. He said (and I’m paraphrasing a little) “The bits of the harbour have to float even if the sea is moving, the sea always moves. Whatever you do don’t lose any of the bits – tie them to something. Take a little break and stop thinking and don’t be worrying too much – never helps. Don’t be sending me any more messages about how difficult it is, if it wasn’t difficult we’d have done it long ago. Love and hugs Prince Winston of Church Hill.”

That was another example of his inspirational speeches, except he didn’t speak it…. he wrote that one down….

(Some of the anchor points of the floating harbour)

Well, the day (the one on the calendar with the D on it) came and the galleons set out in the dead of night. There were thousands of them. With hundreds of thousands of knights on board. They went in order of the job they had to do.

The very, very first ones to do their job were the men and women in the kingdom who built the bits of the portable floating harbour. They worked in secret in factories. When they had finished they had to hide the bigger bits in their famous The Ames river. This was so that the bad guys circling overhead would not guess what was going on. They worked hard, for long hours, but they were inspired by the Prince’s speeches so – no problem.

(Encouraging postcard)

The first ones in the sea were old galleons, they had to sail all the way from Prince Winston’s kingdom to the place of the shallow harbour. There, they were sunk. Their job was to break the water, a technical term which means “make the sea move less” (going out on a limb here but it’s my best guess). They knew it was an honourable and brave thing that they did that night. (The knights got onto small boats before the sinking, the old galleons went down alone). In doing so they honoured all the knights who were lost in the battle of the flying stones.

(View from the beach today of the Phoenix caissons (shoe box shaped stones))

Next came the Phoenix galleons, they carried enormous shoe-box shaped stones (there were no shoe boxes at that time, of course, but I’m mindful of giving you an accurate pictorial representation, so needs must…). There were one hundred and fifteen of them. When they were about two kilometres from the shore the stones were pushed into the sea. Their job was to be a nice safe wall, with enough space to let the later galleons in, but enough wall to keep the sea calm.

(Caissons in distance and blues)

With just these two things in place they had an area the size of one thousand football pitches in which to assemble their floating portable harbour.

But did they do it? Find out tomorrow……

By now I’m somewhere in the Irish Sea or maybe the English Channel, so it’s time to tidy the house, I’ll be home soon, Mairead

Go Winston!

May 24, 2011 | Mairead

(The town by the Shallow Beach)

As promised the details about the “follow your heart” museum. It’s a bit technical in parts so pay attention and then at the end you “may” be crying….. Just joking, it has a happy ending.

(Sherman Tank)

Once upon a time, there was bad stuff happening in the place called Europe. The bad guys had invaded the beautiful land full of amazing castles and hotels de Logis. No one knew what to do, although some brave people did try to resist, they were no match for the bad boss. Time passed and the bad guys took more stuff and land and some rivers. They took over the beautiful castles and the hotels de logis. Something had to be done, but who was a match for the bad boss?

(Bit of Sherman Tank)

Not too far away at the same time there lived a handsome (well his mother thought so) prince named Winston. He lived in a place called Church Hill (like the one in Kilquade but not it) just 175km (at one point) over the sea from the beautiful land. Some people called him Prince Winston of Churchill (I think). He was watching the behaviour of the bad boss and he didn’t like it a bit, not one bit. So he said “enough is enough” and he sent his best knights on dragon horses to fly over the beautiful land and throw rocks at the bad guys. He sent only his bravest knights and they had to be brave, it was a tremendously perilous mission. Many knights were lost and there was a lot of sadness in Winston’s kingdom.

(A town destroyed by war)

There was a lot of sadness in Church Hill too. Prince Winston was very upset. But he was an intelligent man and he knew that being upset wasn’t going to change things in the beautiful land or in his own kingdom either. He waited for his emotions to settle and then dissipate from his body (takes about 90 seconds, according to neuroscientist Jill Bolt-Taylor). He did not go over all the bad stuff that had happened, frightening and saddening himself even more. Instead, he considered what he really wanted. He said to himself “Ok Winston (he didn’t have to call himself Prince), I know what I don’t want but what is it that I do want? He began to imagine the perfect scenario. The exact situation that he wanted.

(Seat in church)

Then he gathered his best technical people and told then what he wanted. Well, I can tell you they were upset. Very upset. “It can’t be done” one said. “This is madness”, another suggested. But Prince Winston put up his hand and said “Stop, I don’t want to hear that it’s never been done – I know. I don’t want to hear that it can’t be done – you DON’T know. I want you to do only the FIRST thing that needs to be done to get it done and when that is done you will do the next thing. Thereby, one by one we will do the things that need to be done. We will find solutions and we will create miracles as we go.” Well, that shut them up.

Next part of the story tomorrow.

Soon, Mairead.

God Bless America!

May 23, 2011 | Mairead

(View from our window – you might be forgiven for thinking we’re in the United Kingdom… all will be revealed…..)

We’re staying at another Logis hotel here at Arromanches and it’s possible that our excellent record in hotel care-taking has preceded us. We booked for one night by internet and now we like it here so we’re staying until we return to our yacht (well…. the truckers ferry). This is the way we usually do it. We check out the friendly-ness of the host, the wifi, the dinner possibilities, the comfort of the bed, the breakfast, and then the opportunities for entertainment by foot or public transport.

(Map showing Arromanches (below compass) and Cherbourg (between the ears of that teddy bear shape on left))

This place scored well in every category. So this morning after breakfast we asked if they had availability. After a bit of haggling about the price (Denis’ favourite hobby) we secured a room for two more nights. Not only that but we will again be staying on our own for one of those nights because the hotel will be closed! This must be a sign…… that it happens all the time?

(Nice sandy beach, with history dotted around)

Anyway as promised I went to visit the museum in the town, about twenty seconds (fast running) from our (literally, again) hotel. And it was a lovely surprise. Mainly because it’s a bit of a monument to following your heart. Kid you not!

(Shells on the beach)

Cool thing happened as we got there. Two bus loads of American tourists arrived. In France this is a VERY good thing for us English-speaking souls. Because, from that point on all the tours, movies and slide shows are in English. How lucky are we? Very. Unfortunately they must have been speed-reading some of the exhibits because they got into the last movie before we realised it was even on. But the next one would be starting in ten minutes so we read some more and waited.

It was in Italian! I love listening to Italian, but I can’t understand it, so they gave us headphones. It’s just not the same…. roll on the next American bus….. I’ll be waiting.

(Potential English-speaking buses)

As I was writing, just noticed these buses parking outside the museum – they may be American – must rush…no time for the “follow your heart” museum, will tell you tomorrow.

Have a nice day, Mairead

Wait!!! I forgot something!

If you’re reading this in Ireland, you could do me a huge favour by checking out the new pages about Success Teams on my website and send a link to people who might be interested. If you do that, I’ll have more time to write this stuff I’m writing for you (I’m not really writing it for you – it’s what I want to do!) AND more people will be able to do the things THEY want to do. And you’ll be doing a good thing – go you!