A Labour of Pride
Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon I was in Grange, visiting my brother, Tony, and his family, as well as my good friend, Brendan Madden. Around 7 o'clock in the evening, I set out for home in Limerick via the Old Road. In Lower Grange, near the home of Jerry O'Riordan, I encountered Mickey (Michael) O'Connell and his little red tractor. The televised Sunday GAA games over, Mickey was out and about, tending to the beautiful roadside flower and shrub beds and hanging baskets. The tractor trailer held many large containers of water. I parked my motorcar to chat with Mickey, who laid down his watering can to converse. He had just tended to a particular flower bed. The earth was moist and a variety of colourful and healthy pert blooms seemed to stand to attention in acknowledgement of Mickey's tender care, their thirsts well quenched by then. For his part, Mickey's countenance was a study - contentment personified - an obvious oneness with nature, an enormous commitment to the task in hand and a great pride in having his locality looking beautiful. I admired the gorgeous shows of colourful blooms, expertly mixed and matched, and Mickey asked if I had noticed the displays in Upper Grange? Using my smartphone's modest camera in the evening light, I captured images of the Lower Grange flower arrangements and returned to Upper Grange to do the same, before pointing my car towards Limerick once again. Some of the images captured are included with this post. I left Grange feeling a huge sense of gratitude to Mickey O'Connell and his Grange Cross Residents Association colleagues for keeping the Grange roadsides so tidy, well-presented and seasonally colourful, for the enjoyment of all: those who live locally, those who pass through and those like me who visit Grange from time to time. I look forward to enjoying the ever changing shows of colourful blooms when I visit Grange again soon. Thank you Mickey et al. Tommy Hourigan
