4 ft arms..

So this weekend was another woosh one

Friday night we had Susan and her hubbie Suburta over for Sci Fi Friday. Had never met her hubbie and himself hadn't met either. We all got on like a house on fire and after some Chinese takeaway (poor himself is looking forward I think to having Indian again in house post Hobbit as much as Hobbit coming ;-) We sat down and watched last weeks Eureka for Susan to catch up as well as this weeks and in between chatting telling stories and laughing a lot. Such a great great night, sure be the first of many. Both are so easy to get along with and we all just clicked and had great craic.

I told them one of my most favorite Sinead's Dad stories. Anyone who has met my Dad knows he's a character. Very Dublin, very organized and nearly military in his out takings. When we were teenagers in high school (secondary for Irish folks), my Mum went to a nursing conference. She hadn't left us with Dad alone for a weekend ever and so big test for Dads skills. We came home on the Friday night and my Dad told us to get our uniforms off and in the wash ASAP as he wanted all the washing done that night to dry next day. He was ontop of the to do list and we all changed into our weekend stuff and handed him our school uniforms, gray long skirts and pillar box red v-necked wool sweaters (jumpers as we call them). My Mum had knitted all our school sweaters on her knitting machine and they all matched beautifully.

So next afternoon my Dad proudly declares that all the laundry is done and all it needs now is the sweaters need a bit of a bang of an iron... Thinking it strange I went outside to our washing line. There on the line was our 4 red jumpers but in miniature. I called to Grainne and Fiona and we stood in shock outside looking at the line laughing. All our jumpers had been shrunk, the arms were now 4ft but the bodies 5 inches long. My Dad asked what was wrong and we pointed to the now mini school jumpers.

Nothing wrong with those that a bang of an iron cant fix he declared.. He took the jumper off the line and started pulling the jumper to get it back in shape. When he asked Gra to pull on the other end I started choking with trying to hold in the laughter. You don't laugh out loud at my Dad when hes all worked up. So all of us were silently laughing with shoulders heaving as he and Gra attempted to pull back the jumper into place. Then next he tried to iron them back into shape which of course made it worse.

Mam came home Sunday and saw the shrunken jumpers. What did you wash them at Christy, boiling? Dad said he put them on 60 - hottest wash.. My Mum rolled up her eyes and began looking for alternatives to our jumpers for next day for school.

So next day we went to school and I handed my first teacher a note re my uniform. She burst out laughing and shared the note with the class.


To Whom it Concerns,

My daughter Sinead is not wearing her normal school jumper (sweater) today as I was away for the weekend and my husband took over the washing of the school uniforms. I now have jumpers to fit children with 4 ft long arms and 5 inch bodies. Since my children do not fit these requirements they will be wearing temporary uniform sweaters until I can knit some more.

Yours Sincerely

Pauline McDonnell

We all had notes like this for our teachers...

Here's a picture of what two of the jumpers looked like before Dad took over... An old photo of Gra and Orla in theirs with my brother Colin (on his confirmation I think) and Maeve all sweet in her wee outfit in our back garden.