Viagra, Hair and Sunshine

Wednesday, 30th May 2012

It seems that while there might be a lot that is happening at the moment that can easily wipe the smile off anyone's face its good to be reminded that it isn't all doom and gloom out there. Of course there are many things that might perk you up but as a nation it seems that this week in particular it has been the Jedward boys and the glorious weather that we've been having. Naturally enough the Jedward twins are an acquired taste but you have to admire their sheer chutzpah when it comes to promoting themselves and making people smile even if its in sheer bewilderment. Eurovision might not be everyone's cup of tea but it is sheer escapist fun and while we might have wanted them to do well that doesn't necessarily mean that we wanted them to do well. Could you imagine all the hand wringing that would have had to be endured at the thought of the cost of hosting next year's Eurovision. Its estimated that over 400 million euros were spent in Baku just to host the event and while the thought of constructing a purpose built stadium for Euro crooners might strike you as a little bit over the top the whole attitude towards the event really did up the ante for next year. Rather Sweden than us. Then of course there was the schadenfreude of a certain perversely named English person doing rather disasterously. It might not keep 'serious' or 'real' news off the front pages for very long but at least it was a break from the usual diet of woe and misery that we have been fed for so long now. Even if Jedward and the Viagra Hair wasn't your thing there was one other event that was going on that could be appreciated by just about everyone. That is the weather. While for a couple of days the country was basking in a veritable heatwave it seemed as if the weather gods were ignoring us down here in the South East. But eventually the sun did break through and people were able to break out the factor 50 and head to the coast or at least to your back garden. Good weather is just one of those things that seem to put a good slant on everything. Like snow at Christmas it isn't something that we necessarily get no matter how much we wish for it but when it does happen we really can begin to appreciate what we have. We are really blessed here in Waterford with an absolutely beautiful coastline that offers so much. No matter what you are looking for in a beach there are such a wide variety to choose from that you just won't be disappointed. Of course the thing is that while we enjoy the beauty of the beaches that we have we have to truly learn to use them in the best possible way and that is to leave them in as good a condition that we found them in. We have great beaches so why spoil them. Being tidy at the beach should come as second nature to us. And its not just beaches that we have here in Waterford that we can be thankful for. We have some great countryside and some great little villages and towns that are well worth a visit. There are some people out there for whom a day lazing at the beach isn't their idea of fun and thats fine. If you don't want the beaches or the countryside then there are also the Comeragh Mountains replete with waterfall and lakes. Its funny that it takes really sunny weather for us to begin to realise just what a beautiful county we have here in Waterford. We should be proud of what we have. We have been living on a diet of such bad news stories for what seems to be years now that sometimes you have to step back and look at what we have and how fortunate in a lot of ways that we really are. Sometimes its a matter of seeing the wood for the trees. If we can do that when the sun is shining and there is a feel good factor in the air then it should be possible to translate that in to something more deep and tangible. You don't have to be Pollyanna to see the good in things, maybe just sometimes all you need is a little bit of sunshine.