Saturday 23 March 2024

Woke this morning to a beautiful sunny day with clear blue sky. Those big juicy doves are back on the lawn, the little squirrels are dashing about but the pheasant is hiding in the scrub. We are off to the Kings Arms pub in Dorking today to catch up with John Riordan, the son of Mary and Patrick. Mary was the Irish Daily for the Ogilvys when Lady P nannied. Irish Daily is the quaint term for a lady cleaner with Irish ancestry, who comes to the house each day to clean. We caught up with Mary and hubby Patrick in Kilburn, some 20 years ago. They have both died since then but the connection is maintained through their son John (55 yrs young)

Here's a funny story which I may or may not tell over lunch. The last visit to Patrick and Mary was for dinner at their place in Kilburn and Flashy had not met either before. Patrick had a strong Irish brogue and drove earth moving equipment for a living and Mary was making those take home meals pioneered by Sainsburys all those years ago and so prevalent in all supermarkets these days.

Now they’re Irish, right. Patrick was in a jacket and his only, 'Sunday go to meeting' tie, for the occasion. Flash is a bit thirsty. “Now, would you be having a drink,” says Patrick. Ah, here comes a Guinness thinks Flashy. A small beer is poured. Not much else during the meal. Perhaps he has forgotten what an Australian thirst means. Never mind, Mary has prepared a poached salmon and mashed potatoes. A huge stock pot full of said potatoes. “Would, you like some more taties?” Damn right. They were delicious.

So, to make conversation when the ladies were in the kitchen, Patrick tells me the story of the Ogilvy dog. Apparently, Mrs O had this Labrador dog, exceptional pedigree of course, which Mary would occasionally take for a walk. Patrick, or perhaps his mate, I'm not sure, had this Labrador bitch.  See where we are heading? So, he says, “Mary, make sure you take the dog to the park when old Lucy here is in heat. We’ll be able to sell the puppies for a fortune!”

Not sure of the outcome - but it’s all Irish, so Patrick’s Lab probably got stuffed by a greyhound!

I did tell the story. John reckons he remembers it or was certainly not surprised by it. We had a great lunch and a catch up and found out about some great places to visit in Ireland. They are lovely people. While we were in the 15^th century Kings Arms pub, it rained, hailed, clouded over and broke out into sunshine. Sort of like Melbourne!

 Back home after actually getting my BP pills from the chemist and a “have a great trip” from the friendly staff, who apparently rang around a number of suppliers to get enough pills for six months. Nothing wrong with the pharmacy service in the UK.