When Daddy was eighteen years old
he went to Dublin
and over the course of a weekend
he discovered the delights
of O’Connell Street –
four ice-cream parlours!

Daddy enjoyed several
ice-cream sundaes
and concluded that,
in his expert opinion,
the best sundae of all
was one mysteriously called
“Melancholy Baby”.

Seventy-two years later,
Daddy still talks about
that Melancholy Baby!

One day
I have a wee chat
with Michael at Fiorentini’s
and a fortnight later
we all go to Fiorentini’s
where Michael serves up
Melancholy Babies
for Daddy and me.

Colourful layers of
ice-cream and fresh cream,
jelly and tinned fruit
with sprinkles and a parasol
on top
all beautifully-presented
in tall glasses.

Truly a treat to behold!

We both tuck-in
and some time later,
Daddy proudly polishes his off.

Wow – that was yummy!

Thank You, Lord,
for the kindness
of people like Michael
who are prepared to go
that extra mile
to help Daddy (now 90 years old)
relive happy memories
of long ago …

Melancholy Babies …
in O’Connell Street …
seventy-two years ago …
Boys-a-boys …
those were the days!

© Claire Murray, 18th January 2025

Paul and I are working hard
in the garden
on a cold winter’s day.

The conifers down the garden died
and sadly had to be cut down
making our garden feel
a bit more public
as cars, lorries and pedestrians
all pass by
on a busy main road.
But, thankfully,
we still have our hedge
which stretches,
all green and beautiful,
along the bottom of the garden.

But, it is what it is
and, right now,
there’s work to be done!

Hundreds of logs
lie in a heap
waiting to be wheel-barrowed
to a spot
where they can dry-out.
The work is tiring
and, as my Daddy often says,
“Hard work’s not easy
and easy work’s hard to find!”

When we finally stop
we are disappointed to see
that we’re not even
half-way through yet!

Something catches my eye
as I leave the garden
and, turning round,
I see a brightly-coloured rainbow,
huge and beautiful,
stretching across the sky.

Wow!

I remember
that the rainbow is a sign
of God’s covenant with man
and, as I try to remember
what exactly that covenant was,
words of Jesus
spring to mind –
“I am with you always.
Yes, till the end of time.”
And I have a sense
that Jesus has been with us
all that time
as we worked in the garden
and that He is with us right now
as we take this wee break.

You know,
we wouldn’t have seen that rainbow
if the conifers hadn’t been cut-down.
And, see that hedge?
It’ll grow,
and make our garden
a wee bit more private.

(Hmmm … I wonder …
will we get to see more rainbows
now that the conifers are gone?)

© Claire Murray, 20th December 2024