CLOSING OFF THIS BLOG

All good things must come to an end. I no longer use this blog to chat about life. You can find me on Twitter as HOBO SOUL @ormelling1 - a mish mash of radical politics, art, blather, occasional swearing, some philosophy, cute dogs and cats and other animals, announcements about my work. For updates on performance art piece THE TRANCE MISSION DIARIES go to Twitter #AreYouCrew @areyoucrew1. Also gorgeous pics of the universe, space station, astronauts. There will be occasional posting over on the Book Blog. But no longer here, folks. Good night, fare well, oíche mhaith.

Apologies

There was my first Christmas without my Mum which I spent with my daughter in Donegal, then a horrific dose of the flu followed by another wave of grief and loss which I am still feeling. No heart to blog. But I shall return at some point. Now over to my Book Blog for a little note about writing.

Off on Retreat to Write

Off to my favourite Buddhist Retreat Centre to work on the last draft of my latest book. Nothing like a monastic schedule and daily meditations to get the thoughts focussed and the work done! www.jampaling.org

Daughter's Book!

Well I'm so proud that I am blogging about this twice, here and in my Book Blog. I claim Mother's Prerogative (and spelling that word correctly while I am at it). My daughter Finn ni Fhaolain will be a published author herself next year with her healthy lifestyle delicious food cookbook being brought out by Gill Books www.gillbooks.ie @Gill_Books. These are some of the pics from her photo shoot in Donegal today. You can find Finn herself at www.finsfitfood.com and @Fins_Fit_Food.

A Day at a Time

Dealing with the loss of the most amazing woman I have ever met. I wrote a poem that I read at her funeral called She was the Sun. She left, trailing stars behind her. Now I'm writing a book about that last journey with her, two months of day and night shifts as cancer slowly killed her. It can be a cruel place, this world. Greater than pain is the bond with people, said the great Jean Vanier.

Apologies

Little heart to post much these days as I deal with tragedy. It has been a strange Big C year: first my tests, thankfully clear; then my daughter's procedure to remove early abnormal cell growth; and now my mum with full blown disease. Not much more to be said right now.

Courteous Canadian?!

So this is bizarre. As one commenter here said "if the Irish Ambassador to Canada tackled a native Canadian protestor at a ceremony in Ottawa, would he not be recalled immediately?" The fact is Ambassador Vickers shamed the Irish police who were there. It was their job to deal with the situation, not his. The protestor was shouting, he was not violent, and the Ambassador's manhandling of him was, in legal terms, an assault and in social terms, a gross and reckless over-reaction. Ambassador Vickers was undoubtedly a hero in Canada but this act was not heroic. If, as Prime Minister Trudeau says, he was acting spontaneously as a former policeman then he is not fit to be a diplomat. They are required to be diplomatic! Ambassador Vickers needs to do the right thing and resign, saving the Canadian government further embarrassment by having to recall him.