unironedman

The loved ones we call the dead
depart from us and for a while
are absent. And then as if
called back by our love, they come
near us again. They enter our dreams.
We feel they have been near us
when we have not thought of them.
They are simply here, simply waiting
while we are distracted among
our obligations. At last
it comes to us: They live now
in the permanent world.
We are the absent ones.

‘The Loved Ones’
Wendell Berry

My father-in-law passed away on September 4th of this year, and today marks his birthday. As I type, his beloved Manchester United are playing West Ham in their home stadium of Old Trafford, a place he visited, as is fitting for a lifelong fan. It remains scoreless at half time, but I have everything crossed that they can do the business for Michael on this special day.

It’s been a tough couple of months for all the family, and I think Saoirse has been hit the hardest, partly by dint of the fact that she’s the youngest, but also because she had a special bond with her Dad. And I think the pure geography of the situation (the other sister and two brothers are further afield) meant that she saw him much more than her siblings.

But of course, I cannot look into the hearts of the other three, so I cannot say. And in any case, we all grieve differently. Suffice to say he is much missed, and it feels very strange that he is gone. Towards the end, when dementia was playing tricks on his memory, one of the few conversations we could have together was about football, and in particular, United. He was regularly watching the games until the last few months or so.

Rest in peace, Grandad Michael, and here’s hoping the Red Devils do you proud tonight.

Ar dheis de go raibh a anam dílis.

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In other – rather irrelevant – news, the little film I put out recently has already had over 130 views, which I find somewhat wonderful. And so, like buses arriving in twos, I think I will get working on another film project that has been ticking over this year. All the footage is in the can (‘can’ being a digital hard drive can, of course), and I don’t think it will take much to splice it all together.

No spoilers, but I’ll get working on it in earnest next week.

I had a lovely birthday last week, and the FamSquad were exceedingly kind as always. As a treat to myself, Saoirse and I headed into Dublin to see Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers performing with his current band. Powerful gig. Below are some images of the night. I picked up a signed A1 poster, which means I now have made an admittedly lovely rod to beat myself with, as it will need to be framed and hung on the wall…

The pic of the timber floor (below) is from work today, when I found a Polar Bear. Sorry the pic is rather… grainy!

Safe travels out there, everyone.