To whom it may concern....................................

Ah yes Christmas time is coming, time to sit down, go through the address book and get those cards done. As time goes this task has been getting quicker why?


Orginally when I left Ireland for France it was for one year, yes the classic tale of an au-pair going to France for a year and then 20 years later still been here, well for me it was au-pair gig which led to a job in a creche which then led to a job in a school and meanwhile meeting a Frenchman and then it all went downhill from there................................har har har


When the decision was made to go to France all my friends swore on a stack of bibles that they would write to me on a regular basis (stack of bibles swear outweighs a pinkie swear!!!)
And at first there was a regular correspondence going on but then my one year turned into two, three, four years etc it got less and frankly (well I am soooooooo honest) it was from their side.
Life does take over we all get busy it is normal but what I found was when I went home for Christmas or during the summer and phoned them I would get the usual:
"oh I haven't heard from you in ages.................."(oh my five page letter sent last month doesn't count then)
"I sent you a letter .................."(no is it was a postcard 7 months ago which just said 'hi from Killarney!")
When you do meet up they tell you about their new jobs, new boyfriends, engagement parties (the one they had the night before but forgot to invite you too eventhough you had sent a letter with the dates of your arrival) and of course babies (yeah had one last week, oh I didn't tell you cos I didn't have time - yeah 9 months of pregnancy just flies past!!!)
Basically as I had  left Ireland therefore it was entirely up to me to keep this friendship going cos well I had the cheek to abandon ship and make a life elsewhere.
So I had to do the letter writing and for heavens sake don't expect an answer because that is just crazy, when you do go home to Ireland then you are expected to go to see them and so what if you just had something important happen in your life like an engagement or even had a baby who had just had chicken pox, no don't be lazy get in your car and do the three hour drive to see them, have one bloody cup of tea (be friggin thankful to get that) and then leave cos I am going out to a club with my friends!!!!!(oh I forgot to get you a gift for said engagement or new baby hey I'll send it on by post - still waiting!!)
And then sure you try and give them the benefit of the doubt and actually start phoning them cos well they are obviousily so tired from going out clubbin etc with their new friends and have no time to write a letter the poor things.
But no that is nearly as bad, either they are about as talkative as a stone or else they spend time having a conversation with other people in the room with them (thanks so much for letting me listen in to a conversation with your flatmates that you see on a regular basis and for letting me pay for this pleasure !!)
Yes I was a dim wit but it is only when these things happen that you get the light bulb moment and well you say to yourself "screw that!!!" and suddenly your address book becomes lighter, only the quality is left and not the quantity - oh how poetic!




Do I miss any of them? Well yes of course at times I do there was a reason that we were friends in the first place and I wonder whatever happened to them but in the end I think that I probably valued them more than they did me (can you hear the violins in the background?) and of course I can shake my fist and say "their loss" but such is life and well you just know that when they make the film of my life I will pick the most horrendous looking women to play their roles - yep karma is a bitch!!




So if you don't receive a Christmas card from me you should know that it is in the post.........................honest!!!