When I was a child I yearned for the city. I dreamed of liberation in the sophistication of urban life. And one of the jewels in Dublins cultural life is Grogans pub on Castle Street. Saturday was always my favourite day to go there, although its years ago now since I stepped across the threshold. So in memory of Tommy Smith that outstanding supporter and patron of Dublin's cultural life, I call to mind some of the mad fun and long ago memories of that wonderful drinking house.

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There's no naming it. Call it Joy, or Heaven. We all have names for the strange condition of being here, being still, being present. It's like experiencing a beautiful full moon or hearing a bird sing or seeing the complexity on the wings of a moth. And today the weather has changed. it's wonderfully windy and soft and misty up here in the hills. Blustery. And the news on this first Saturday of June is that the self isolation will end sooner than planned. in another 4 weeks we will be able to travel across the countryside. I'm looking forward to that and to podcasting from the camper van. So exciting. so I'm upbeat and wanted to share this personal reflection with you. 

Later in the day you'll find a post in memory of Tommy Smith and in praise of Grogan's pub in Dublin. And later still there should be a little clip of video available which I recorded on one of the first days of this lockdown. Thank you for being with the podcasting. I'm loving your company.

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It's lovely to play a flute, or to be alone or to sit watching  cats. 

The space inside me is always looking to be filled. I am an empty cup; I need an other to be the wine. 

So that's how I am when I'm dozing. My mind is never still. It's more like a river; a mighty agitation of emotions and ideas ever  flowing and all I can do is watch the river. That's as near as I can get to calm abiding. But maybe it's close enough.

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In a hotel in Galway,

Nothing serious here. Just a bit of fun on a Sunday bank holiday. An old memory about being badly caught out on the corridor of a Galway hotel years ago. It happened when I was young and myself and the beloved were giving ourselves a big treat. But I suppose things can go wrong even in a hotel. And the most frightening moment was when I heard the beloved’s voice and her asking; who’s that?

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it's a long long time ago now since they used to have Corpus Christi processions in public, and thousands of people would line the streets. This is a memory of a very human mistake that an old priest made in the middle of one such procession. And on a more serious note, I've included a report regarding a  mouse in my studio.

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  So this is just a personal reflection; a kind of riff, a bit of jazzy meditation. I take a phrase and I chew it a bit. "Calling myself home," seems like a contradiction. 

How can I call myself?   

And home; where is that? 

 

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I thought I'd do a podcast about the duck. But I also wanted to talk about Joe Dolan.  So I put them together here. Joe used to sing - I love you in my own peculiar way.  He made us all feel good. And I suppose there's things happen every day that do the same. Small accidental things that are like invitations from  the Cosmos - to come closer. That too feels good. 

I made this recording yesterday morning. The duck was still in the garden. but the good news is that yesterday evening he suddenly stretched his wings and flew away -  home to his loved ones, I hope. 

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The funny thing about a walk is that things just come into my head. Often people I had long forgotten make a return, for no discernible reason. So this is just a bit of rambling I recorded in the camper van after a good walk up the hills.

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I was sitting in my study this evening and the flute just happened to be on the desk. So I picked it up and then one thing led to another in this little thread of memories.

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I've been thinking about this word Soul. I don't understand it. But I can't avoid it. There's something about it which affects me deeply. So I thought I'd offer you this audio. I'm just playing with the word in a way. I suppose Soul is a word I can only think about as poetry. Hope you like it. and hope you had a good week end. 

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