How I Spent My Easter Monday

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Charlie the border terrier may be seven now, but he doesn’t know that, so still bounces about with all the energy of a three month old pup. We woke up to a beautiful, sunny day so I decided to take him for a walk around the village so as to burn off some of his excess excitability. The loop in question is 2.5 miles which I regularly run. It’s undulating so I was certain Charlie would be ready for a lie down by the end of it.

Charlie has a unique walking style which involves sprinting 30 metres, stopping, sniffing a fence/lamppost/wall, cocking his leg, and so on. He was on a mission to let every other canine within a five mile radius know that this was his village and it was time to set a few markers down. We tweet, text, and occasionally talk to one another. Dogs bark, sniff and er….urinate.

As such, my 25 minute run turned into a 55 minute stop/start walk. Charlie had a whale of a time and returned home to a well earned bowl of cool, fresh water. Followed by a snooze in the shade. Fionnuala was by now performing heroics tackling the ironing so I resorted to my next chore; clearing our front garden of a mountain of bark, prior to digging it up and replanting for the summer months.

I’m no gardener but who needs the gym after an hour in the son shovelling bark clippings into rubbish bags. I was covered in sweat and aching all over. It’s what we refer to in this part of the world as ‘real work’ which a pen pusher like me is totally ill equipped for. Fionnuala often remarks on how smooth my hands are, given I’ve never done a proper days work in my life. Today confirmed the above.

The sun was now high in the sky as we were blessed with the hottest day of the year so far. I decided to make the most of it as, let’s face it, it could be snowing this time next week. We do live in Northern Ireland, after all. Fionnuala raised an eyebrow when I announced my intentions, suggesting I wait until later in the day when it was a bit cooler. Did I listen to her wise advice? Of course, I didn’t.

The plan was a gentle 10K out of the village to the shores of Lough Neagh and back. As I set off I was greeted with a tailwind which ensured the outward leg was brisk and cooling. No problem. I turned in a reasonable time and headed home in good heart. That’s when the heat hit me in the face, combined with my dog walking and gardening duties. The inward 5 K was sweaty, stifling slog.

I returned home and promptly collapsed in the kitchen in front of a bemused Hannah and a wife wearing her best ‘I told you so’ expression. Thankfully neither CPR nor oxygen were required but maybe I’ll listen to my wife in future when I contemplate running in the Irish equivalent of a heatwave. Us Celtic folk are not built for such conditions. Give me freezing sleet any day of the week.

So a most productive Easter Monday so far and several welcome opportunities to work off the calorific excesses of the day before. I’m back to work tomorrow to start my new job as a BIG BOSS. I’ll be shaving, wearing a suit and tie, talking corporate gobbledygook, that sort of stuff. Thank God for WordPress where I can be me. Simple, silly me. You lucky, lucky, people. Happy Easter wherever you are.

How are you spending your Easter Monday?

Published by Fractured Faith Blog

We are Stephen and Fionnuala and this is our story. We live in Northern Ireland, have been married for 17 years and have three kids - Adam, Hannah and Rebecca. We hope that our story will inspire and encourage others. We have walked a rocky road yet here we are today, together and stronger than ever. We are far from perfect and our faith has been battered and bruised. But an untested faith is a pointless faith. Just as a fractured faith is better than none at all. We hope you enjoy the blog.

37 thoughts on “How I Spent My Easter Monday”

  4. Good morning Stephen, well it is still before noon here in PA. Glad you didn’t need medical attention. My aging body needs to push itself back to the gym. I enjoyed two walks over the weekend, and my legs are reminding me 🙂 May God bless you as you embark on the new job, tie and all!

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  5. It’s Dyngus Day here in Buffalo, NY … a Polish Holiday celebrating the end of the Lenten season. There’s lots of traditional Polish foods & lots of drinking & dancing.

    But I am staying home & doing laundry & general housework like any other Monday.

    I am also transcribing my 1993 diary … I want all my handwritten diaries in transcribed & saved on flash drive by the end of this year.

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      1. Ha! That’s still jacket weather for me. Or at least some sleeves. Although, running would make me want to take off the sleeves.

        We’re about that warm. But it should be hitting 27+ this weekend, with 80%+ humidity… I like to breath the air in through my teeth in summer. I pretend some of the moisture condenses on my teeth so there’s less moisture in my lungs.

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  7. Oh my! The past couple weeks of walking my dog, I’ve noticed how much her body functions remind me of social media. She will drop a post and then make sure she checks it on following days to sniff out which canine friends may have liked it. I thought about taking pictures, but fortunately decided that nobody wants to see that. As for the run, you finished. The wind always blows harder in my face and pushes more gently on my back. At least your loved ones were waiting with oxygen or a nice helping of “I told you so.”

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  8. Hi Stephen, those of us in tropical environs believe anyone without fur should not live in areas of sleet, snow and ice.😁😎I’ve watched my motivational video, done yoga and a senior aerobic workout, ready to carpe diem.

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  9. A fairly quiet day these parts, just a little tired. We just returned yesterday from a pleasant and active week in NW Scotland. Today therefore has been mostly laundry, food and DIY shopping. The weather is weird though. Everyone was out in their summer gear, you’d have thought it was August. Whatever happened to April showers? Have a good week.

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  11. So is Easter Monday generally taken as a holiday in Ireland? Here in the U.S. only pastors feel free to call that day a holiday. My day began with a hospital visit and pre-surgery prayer, followed by an hour-long workout class, mowing my lawn, and doing a few loads of laundry. What I am REALLY itching to do though is WRITE! Best wishes on the job tomorrow. You’ll do great.

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  14. I hear ya! I grew up in Newfoundland – the weather there is very similar to Ireland, or so some visiting students from the emerald isle told me, but with more sunny days, so I was told. At any rate, I also lived in Ontario for over 20 years and the summers there are hot and humid – it was one place I hated to see summer coming! I am now living in Alberta and the summer here is also hot, but without the awful humidity that drained my energy in Ontario. At least here if you can find a bit of shade you’re fine. I quite like Alberta. But, enough of all that – yes, listen to your wife next time. Wives are wise (but maybe it’s only because I am a wife that I say that.) Thanks for the giggles once again. You really are good for my mental health! Have a great week. Your humility will ensure you will be a very good “BIG” boss.

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