For the last couple of weeks, on the way to do the grocery
shop, I would see poppy flowers at the very edge of a corn field. Just one or two dotted in amongst the crop.
For the last couple of weeks I always meant to stop and take
a photo.
Two and a half years ago we moved house.We left a housing estate and moved back to
mine and Mister Husbands home town, and out to the countryside.
Two and a half years ago Oldest Boy came woke up with what I
thought was a bad chest infection.
Walking across the GP’s car park
that morning, he struggled to chat and had to ask me to slow down as he was
finding it difficult to keep up.
An hour later saw Conor about to
embark on round two of the surgery’s nebuliser.His chest was “very tight and not loosening” so it was thought best to
get him to A&E for a chest x-ray.
Holy shit.That was scary stuff.But I refused to panic until I knew what the
story was.
The story was, Conor had asthma
so we were discharged with a script for an inhaler, some steroids and a mask to
help him use his puffer.
As relieved as I was that it was
just asthma, a part of me was dismayed.I hated the idea of him being reliant on an inhaler.Was this going to be for the rest of his life
even though we had been told he would probably grow out of it?
Two and a half years later Conor
is smack bang in the middle of his third summer of asthma brought on by hay
fever.
We have tried everything from
showering at the end of the day to remove pollen and smearing Vaseline under
and onto his eyelids.
I was told a dog can help.The thinking being, pollen and traces of
flora and fauna will be trekked in and around the house thus helping to build
up resistance.
Local honey was also suggested to
me.But this is something you are
supposed to take all year round and not just when symptoms appear.
Earlier on this year, when I was
putting out hay fever cure feelers, a product was mentioned in passing by a
friend.And then by another. Great stuff
with great potential by all accounts.
I was filled with hope.So I bought several bottles.
It was also advised that I try a homeopathic
remedy called Pollenna.These are little
white pills and can be either sucked or chewed.
It was almost the end of
June.We are surrounded by those
glorious beautiful yellow Linseed fields.The air is heavy with the scent of pollen when it is released.
The garden needs to be mowed
every week.Conor is outside every day,
as often as possible.Coming in to rest
and have a break from the heat when he needs it.
His hay fever hadn’t abated at
all.
In school he needed to be excused
to wash his face several times to cool his streaming eyes.
He took his homeopathic remedies
regularly.
Nothing was working.He tends to get worse before he gets better
but the inhaler wasn’t bringing him any relief and his chest was starting to
rattle.He began to complain it
hurt.
I took him to the GP.Almost a year to the day since he had been
last and for the same complaint.
He was moved onto Beclazone, a
preventer inhaler.
The middle of the night coughing
and wheezing fits all but stopped nearly immediately.
I have grudgingly accepted the
inhaler is the only thing that works for him.
It is now early July and he has
been inhaler free for several days.His
eyes have stopped bothering him and he is back to sleeping normally as a
result.
I don’t like the inhaler.I don’t like it at all.But it is a necessary evil.
A wonderful month in general.It started out with glorious, unheard of in
Ireland continuous sunshine for more than 5 days.Hay fever arrived along with rashy feet,
cross, sticky and contrary kids but it was lovely.The good weather makes it all so much easier,
don’t you think?
It really felt like summer and all of a sudden thoughts of
looming school holidays, freedom for 8 weeks, weren’t so bad. How could they be
when the kids spend all of their time outside, covered in sun block and filth,
coming in tired but happy and eating for Ireland.
Then collapsing into bed to sleep soundly and
if I remember correctly, we may even have gotten an extra hour in the morning
once or twice.
Yes, life is so much nicer with a bit of yellow, melty, buttery
sunshine.
These are my lovely joy pockets for June.
Ice cream, lots of lovely cold ice cream for lunch.Double choc chip, honeycomb, mini Cornetos,
mini magnums.What’s not to like?
Jugs filled with home-made smoothies.Demands for more.
Finding a park not too far away from us.That makes another excellent place for us to
visit during the holidays.
Lovely soothing, cooling dips in the swimming pool.
K Leisure, Athy
The kids needing only two items of clothes namely and shorts
and a t-shirt.And a most welcome text
from the school saying they can be worn during the good weather.
Discovering that Smallest Boy will be going to school (two
and a half years down the line but still) with a buddy from group!I decided I am more comfortable with him
starting at 5 years 4 months.I think
it’s much better, for boys in particular, to start school that little bit
later.
Bird House in Bradbury's Athy
Music of choice for June was a forgotten Scottish gem called
kt Tunstall.By chance I discovered her
third album was released this month so I dug out her previous ones.She is amazing.Love her!
Planting sunflower seeds in some toilet roll tubes as I have
never managed to get sunflowers past the seedling stage.Despite what the packet said, they all
sprouted within two days!Let’s see how
we go from here, though.
Getting a text message from my sister informing me about a
bike propped up against railings not too far from me with a big piece of paper
bearing the word FREE taped to
it.I felt guilty taking it for nothing
so I got a very decent mountain bike for myself for the princely sum of
€30!
Making thank you cards for the teachers as Gaeilge for end
of school year.I got such a kick out of
a couple of crayons, some ready made daisy flowers and stiff paper.They looked lovely too!
From midday tomorrow I am going to have the four boys with
me all the time for 8 weeks.It is both
terrifying and strangely exhilarating.Exhilarating
because I will be free from the routine of school life for that time.Terrifying for the same reasons but I am going
to practise something I like the sound of.
There is nothing I can do to change the school holidays so I
may as well accept it.And by
recognising the uselessness in trying to change something that cannot be
changed, I am supposed to feel a sense of calm.
Kind of like the serenity prayer.
For all of you facing into the summer break, this is for
you.Enjoy it!It’s only 8 weeks out of your entire life. (Gulp!)
