Sunday Praise: What’s Made Me Happy This Week?
- When Good Prizes go to Good People! The wonderful Doireann Ní Ghríofa won the An Post Irish Book of the Year award for her non-fiction book Ghost in the Throat and the lovely Tara June Winch won the Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Fiction for her novel The Yield.
- Next Tuesday, Edna O’Brien will turn 90 and will give the TS Eliot Lecture to be aired on the YouTube channel of the Abbey Theatre – a date for the diary! In the meantime, this is a wonderful interview published in the Guardian today.
- This footage of Philip Springer (composer of Santa Baby) playing Moonlight Sonata at 94 was just amazing – what a beautiful pianist.
- More footage, this time of people in Ukraine trying to walk on an icy footpath made me laugh so much.
- I love that the actual Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs confirmed this week in the Dáil (the Irish equivalent of the House of Commons) that Santa has been deemed an essential worker and has been made exempt from the need to quarantine. Wonderful stuff.
- This weekend we watched Game Night and I haven’t laughed so much at a movie in ages!
- I’ve become a little bit obsessed with the art of Kay Nielsen
- Horrible Histories is very popular in this house, and as funny as the programme is, the outtakes are even funnier. What is it about watching people giggle that is so amusing?
- Northern Ireland’s third lockdown ended on Friday and although I plan to stay quite close to home over Christmas, it’s nice to have a few treats planned for next week – a coffee with friends, a haircut (yay!) and a trip to No Alibis Bookstore!
- I am loving Guy Garvey’s show on Radio 6 Music on a Sunday, so much so that I always have a pen and paper around to write down the names of tracks I love.This week he played a beauty of a seasonal song from the wonderful Jesca Hoop.
So, what in your life deserves some praise this week? Let me know in the comments!
Sunday Praise doireann nighriofa edna o'brien game night horrible histories tara june winch
Cathy746books View All →
I am a 40 something book buying addict trying to reduce the backlog one book at a time!
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Ooh thanks for the Horrible Histories outtakes tip! They look hilarious, will show them to the kids. Do you watch Ghosts? We love a bit of Ghosts.
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Yep, big Ghost fans too, although the twins are too young for it (they are 9) . There are Ghosts outtakes on YouTube which are also hilarious. I really want to be in ther gang!
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What a lovely, cheering post!
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Thank you Liz – it’s good to focus on these little moments when the big picture is so uncertain.
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Glad you had a great week, Cathy. Things are closing down again here in Pennsylvania. I did get a haircut in so I’m happy!
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The importance of haircuts should not be underestimated 🙂
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Definitely – I waited too long last spring and missed my opportunity. So now I’m on top of it!
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That’s a good idea with writing down the tracks. That’s why I don’t listen to more 6 Music – I know I like it but the individual songs can blur into noise so I couldn’t say what I’d just heard. I do like Jesca Hoop.
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I like Jesca Hoop a lot – I loved the album she did with Sam Beam of Iron and Wine.
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A cup of tea in a friend’s house.
We in Melbourne had, I think, one of the longest, toughest lockdowns in the world, and I hadn’t been *inside* a friend’s house since all this started.
I’m still absorbing the significance of that myself.
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We find ourselves in the strangest of times.
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Ive heard amazing things about A Ghost in the Throat. Coming out here next year. Enjoy your outings, we’re on day one of increased restrictions here 😞
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It’s so tough, isn’t it? Ghost in the Throat is wonderful, I think you will love it. Stay safe and well.
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Glad to hear Santa has a travel exemption 🙂 Much to the relief of little people across Australia our State Premiers had to make that same announcement confirming that Easter Bunny had permission to travel interstate!
The footage of the people walking/sliding/crawling along the icy footpaths is hilarious!
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It’s such a good thing to do isn’t it? Because questions have been asked in this house 🤣
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Now you have the official answer the questioners will be better satisfied 🙂
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I like hearing all the international announcements regarding Santa! Our health officer has shared that he was first in line for a vaccine and will be immune by Christmas!
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Great news that Santa has been exempted from quarantine! I shall leave out some hand sanitizer along with the sherry and carrots!
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That’s our plan too 😊🎅
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That candy. I’ve not seen those here!
Things I am grateful for: I was gifted a very warm, cable knit throw with my name on it for my 25 years of service at the University. It will actually be 26 years this January but 2020’s celebratory event was cancelled so I thought that was it. It showed up on my doorstep and let me tell you, it’s the coziest blanket. My dog has taken it over but nevertheless, when I can share it with her it’s so warm and cozy and improves my foul mood immediately. I’ve been struggling in the Christmas Cheer department and our colors are RED so the blanket looks so Christmassy too.
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I LOVE blankets. I have several strategically placed around thr house in case I need them! Enjoy!
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I’m glad so many things made you happy this week, Cathy. Game Night is a fun movie! I like Jason Bateman.
Baking Christmas sugar cookies with my son made me very happy last week. 🙂 He was excited to do it, which made it all the more fun.
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Isn’t it great when they want to bake? I love that too 😊
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No Alibis is a great name for a bookstore. Also, yay for Santa.
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It specialises in crime fiction so it’s the perfect name 😊
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I thought it might!
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Oh those poor people in Ukraine on the icy pavement! Why is watching people fall over repeatedly on ice so funny? I remember a walk home from school, back in the 80s when we still had properly cold winters, laughing until I cried as my friend slipped five times on the same spot. My attempts to help keep her upright were hampered by my laughing fit.
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I was just shouting at the screen to try and get her to crawl instead of falling over! Hilarious!
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