Every now and again...

What music did you enjoy when you were younger?

Whilst I was a teen and younger I was like any teeny bopper of my age, I loved Pop music and countdown- Australian popular music show. I was raised in a fairly secular home.
When I was a preteen, I saw Suzi Quatro on the TV and I fell in love with her music and wanted to research her every song and move, everything she liked. Obsessed. Maybe....
I grew up with her music and posters all over my walls and remember every tour she did of Australia, every song to every album. I was hooked. I had scrapbooks and collected everything Suzi. I liked that she was a Catholic.  I identified with us both being Catholic. This was yet another piece in the puzzle  in my discovery of God.
As my relationship with Jesus grew I tried to weigh this all up. I know that I needed to renounce this music, but it’s not that bad. Its just good fun.
You see I have personally met Suzi, so I knew she was a really normal cool person. She is like a friend to my whole family.  I have watched as a fan as she branched out into theatre, stage acting, as she became a mum, as she hurt when her Mum died, joined her on facebook, and as wrote her autobiography, and remarked at each new song she wrote.  All our children know who she is and have been raised with her music. Some have even seen her concerts.
So my little secret is now out there, I am a huge Suzi Quatro fan. ( Not that I am ashamed of it, its just I don't discuss it regularly.) I have seen her around the world and even got to spend time with her on one aussie tour in particular. I was friends with the road crew and her band. We have a friendship forged with Bev in the UK.
So how does this fit into my life as a committed Catholic. ?
How do I weigh it all up?  I don’t. I leave it up to God. Every couple of years I see her play a few gigs in Australia. I am Leanne- little rocker for a few hours a night and then I return to normality..
Suzi is back in Australia for the next few weeks. Dermot took me to see her in Queensland and last night in Sydney.  We have one more show to go and that will be a family affair.

a few years ago...

So do you have any secrets in your closets.???

Dads day

Last Sunday, We celebrated Fathers' day.
Dermot received a few gifts first thing in the morning. Brid could hardly wait. She took hours, the day before wrapping her treasures and making them just so. I eventually needed to hurry her along. It was nearly time for Vigil Mass.
So after a simple breakfast we made ourselves ready for our visitors, making sure to spoil Dermot along the way.
We had planned to gather together early afternoon for a BBQ lunch and catch up.

The evening before our visiting Priest had asked the Dads to stand for a Blessing and several Dads including Dermot were asked to read the Prayers of the Faithful. It was a lovely touch to his weekend as he called it.
Anyway, We chose a fairly simple menu for lunch, so I wasn't in the house cooking.
I wanted the Men-my Dad and Dermot, to enjoy there day.
They opened there carefully chosen Gifts from there family. Lots of lovely smiles and gratitude as there gifts were warmly received.
It was a gorgeous afternoon, no wind, mild sunny weather. We chatted til after 5 o'clock outside without needing to be chased inside with the cold air.

My Dad, Brid Louise & myself

the two happy Dads

Daddy & Brid

Grandad & Brid

Here are a few shots of our day. We are so Blessed to have such loving Dads in our lifes.

24 years ago...

We celebrated our 24th Wedding Anniversary earlier this week. We were married in my local parish.
We met 25 years ago in London. I was working in a pub, as most Aussies did when they took up a working Visa in the UK. Dermot was a London resident.
We met the first week I arrived. My heart skipped a beat.
We eventually spent more and more time together. We would take long walk in the park, enjoy Covent gardens, all those things couples do. I would leave work and he was there at the back, with his wink waiting to drop me home.
Fairly quickly we realised that we were meant to be together.
Within three weeks we were talking Marriage, the name of our children, how many children do you think we would be Blessed with?
Then the big decision were to live? I could get UK residency. That was not an issue, but was this the right place to start our life together?
Dermot decided that he would emigrate to Australia. This process took quite some time.
The Australian Embassy was quite slow at processing Dermot's forms.
We had a couple of hiccups. The Australian Government was only interested in Legal and people with 3 A levels. Dermot had neither. So we chose to apply for a fiance' visa.
This still took many months but at least if I stayed in the UK, He was more assured of being successful in his application. So we kept busy working and enjoying life together. By this stage I was a live out Nanny.
In the mean time, We needed to tell Dermots parents. They were not amused at all, and I was not the most popular person.
Eventually they knew it was inevitable and we would be leaving the shores of the UK with a destination of Australia.
The go ahead was given, and we needed to choose a date, it was governed by our marriage date, so the 5th June was our exit date. If you have a Fiance' visa, a 90 day period is givenfor you to Marry. So with my Parents assistance and the documents supplied by the Parish Priest we were to be married some 90 days later.
So our day arrived. I was late arriving at the church. The photographer held us up.
I looked at the invited guests. I said to my Dad, "There aren't many people". He said, "don't worry about that". It was a big arc shaped church, so it does hold a large congregation....The rest for another day.
So 24 years ago Dermot & I were married. I feel like the most Blessed women in the world. He is so adorable and he tries so hard to love me like I would like to be loved.

So Little Brid put a lovely request on the radio. "walking her home". Its all about the journey of a married couples life. I hope and pray we are able to walk each other home, even to our Lord. What a Blessed life we have loving each other. That is the  witness our world needs. Married couples loving each other through every good and difficult time.

I love you my Love, my best friend.  

Daddy time- ......This is what I am Thankful for

Brid and Dermot have been reading every night. They have finally finished Pippy Longstockings.

I am not sure what they will read next but here they are laughing and enjoying there reading time together