Clair Whitty

When being a stay-at-home Dad is no pushover

A FORMER journalist turned stay-at-home dad has put his misadventures of being thrust into the deep end of parenting into a new book titled ‘Diary Of A Wimpy Dad’.

David Diebold, a father of four teens at the time, admits he thought his new role would be a pushover compared to the stresses of nine to five in a busy national newspaper.

“How wrong I was,” he tells The Kilkenny Observer. “It quickly became clear that I was in way over my head,” he admits, adding: “When your teens outnumber you, you’re in big trouble.”

David says that, after 12 years in a busy news room, he felt he was missing out on his kids’ lives. “I wanted to experience for myself what I was only hearing about at the end of the day.”

He kept a weekly diary of the resulting triumphs and challenges – “mostly challenges”, he says – some of which were the stuff of award-winning columns, all of which ended up in the book.

‘Diary Of A Wimpy Dad’ spans a year at what David describes as “the coal face of parental ineptitude” – a year in which David learns that keeping the welloiled machine of a busy family home firing on all cylinders requires, well, oil . . . and a machine.

“I won’t sugar coat it,” chuckles David. “I’ve done some crazy stuff in my life, but giving up everything to be at home with my family was probably the toughest and craziest thing yet.”

If a family of six in a rapidly degenerating house weren’t enough – “none of us are much good at housekeeping” – there’s Molly the ancient, toothless, perpetually moulting dog, hell bent on murdering the postman. It’s not all missteps and pratfalls, however. Amid the comedy and chaos, David and family must contend with the trials of teenage angst, and the death of a loved one.

So is he really such a

‘wimpy dad’? “The title is a play on the Wimpy

Kid books, obviously,” admits David, “but this is essentially a book for grownups who don’t feel anything like grownups. “I’ve always suspected my children are braver, smarter and more mature than I am, and I was right,” laughs David. “In the face of how simply staggered I am by all of them, yeah. Call me wimpy.” The second-time author was a guest just last year on KCLR’s ‘The Way It Is’ with Sue Nunn, in which he talked about his remarkable life recounted in ‘This Is How We Dance’.

“I have danced with the Kirov, cooked for Senator Ted Kennedy, clashed with Shaolin Kung Fu fighting monks (for real) and dressed as a woman as an investigative reporter,” recalls David.

“But nothing prepared me for the stress of negotiating parent/teacher meeting day alone, or having one of the kids’ new boyfriends or girlfriends to tea and being sworn to my best behaviour.” * ‘Diary of a Wimpy Dad’ is available soon at all good bookshops, and online from www.MonumentMediaPress.com

Ear candling: looking after your ears

CLAIR WHITTY

DO you suffer from excess ear wax, ear pressure problems, buzzing, or whistling sounds in your ears? Then you might be interested to hear about ear candling. This technique has been around for thousands of years and used by many different cultures. Modern ear candles like Otosan Ear Cones are based on these historic candles.

They’re a safe and effective device which you can use in the comfort of your own home. They can help to eliminate impurities and excess earwax from the ear. They are easy to use but you do need some help. If you’re the person with the problem, you lie on your side and your helper places the cone inside the ear according to the instructions on the pack. They place a towel over your shoulder and you simply relax. Then they light the top of the cone and let it burn down to the metal part letting the cone do its work. When finished, roll over and do the other ear. It’s recommended that you do both ears even if you only have a problem in one ear.

As the candle burns down you may hear some sizzling sounds. The heat generated regenerates local blood flow, providing a feeling of wellbeing and general physical relaxation. It’s a very relaxing experience. You can use the candles once a month depending on your needs. Don’t use them if you have perforated ear drums, or on children under three years of age.

The purifying effect can help to resolve problems such as buzzing, whistling, background noises, transmission loss, and blocked ear sensation, offering relief for any of you suffering with these problems. They can also help to eliminate any residual water in the ear canal after swimming. You can use Otosan ear drops to soften wax before using the cones for optimal effect.

Some use the ear cones for general ear hygiene to keep the ears clean.

Nobody likes having problems with their ears so it’s nice to know that there is something simple that may help. Take a look at them and see what you think. They might work for you, no harm in trying.

For more information and advice call in to see us at Market Cross Shopping Centre, or give us a call we would love to help.

Let us keep our City clean... I think there’s a song in that!

IT WAS William Shakespeare who said “If music be the food of love, play on” at around the time Kilkenny’s medieval streets were being built. Now Kilkenny County Council is turning to musical messages to reward those who do their bit to keep the city clean and tidy as the city prepares to reopen to local and visiting shoppers and tourists.

Having done much to create and reimagine outdoor spaces for meeting and dining and increase the ability of people to walk and cycle in comfort in the narrow streets, some City bins are being transformed to entertain and reward those who do the right thing by giving them a musical treat when they bin their litter! The City would normally welcome thousands of visitors to the annual ‘Roots Festival’ over the May Bank Holiday, flooding the city with music. To fill the void, tunes will belt out from the litter bins for the month of May and may be continued if people like what they hear. Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr Andrew McGuinness, said that Kilkenny was always breaking new ground in litter management: “We are still celebrating winning the national IBAL Litter League earlier this year and our Council, along with the fantastic Tidy Town volunteers of Keep Kilkenny Beautiful, have ensured our city is still gleaming, even when littering is all over the news around the Country. I hope that our youngest citizens, in particular, will be motivated by the tuneful reaction and continue the good habits that generations of Kilkenny people are so proud of.”

Mayor of Kilkenny City John Coonan has called for all generations to play their part and said: “The best thing we can do for the next generation is to acknowledge that individual actions they take make a real difference. Walking and cycling, instead of relying on cars, hugely helps our environment but putting our litter in a bin and ensuring it is safely disposed of is a way each of us can make a difference. It protects our local wildlife, ensuring biodiversity thrives and that our pollinating insects get the

Music maestro please: Cathaoirleach of Kilkenny County Council, Cllr. Andrew McGuinness, Mayor of Kilkenny Municipal District, Cllr. John Coonan, Keep Kilkenny Beautiful Representative, Ann Mulrooney, with the wonderful, young members of Vesper Dance Studio.

chance to ensure our flowers and wild plants thrive.”

Meanwhile, County Council Chief Executive Colette Byrne said that she was confident this novel idea would “hit the right note” in protecting our local environment. “Kilkenny and Irish people like nothing more than a blast of ceol. We hope that by associating responsible behaviour with fun and craic, that we will keep Kilkenny at the top of the table when it comes to litter leagues and lists of favourite places to live and visit, she said.

Price of a stamp to increase to €1.10

THE price of a postage stamp is set to increase to €1.10 and its standard international letter price by 30c to €2 from May 27.

An Post says it is implementing the price increases announced last February 2020 but subsequently postponed as part of its public service measures for consumers and business during the lockdown.

“From May 27, the standard national letter stamp will increase to the EU average price of €1.10c (currently €1.00). There will also be an increase in the standard international letter price to €2.00 (currently €1.70),” said An Post.

“To assist in the postCovid Lockdown recovery period, An Post will extend its temporary SME supports to the end of 2021. Discounts of 34% on parcels and 5% on mail will help SMEs to recover through this period.”

An Post’s community focus supports such as calling in on vulnerable citizens, free postage to and from care homes, and free newspaper delivery for older customers will also be extended until at least the end of the year.

This price increase will enable An Post to further invest in essential national infrastructure to continue to serve our communities nationwide and shape a more sustainable future for Ireland.

Covid hits weddings but we are waiting longer to tie the knot

KILKENNY hadn’t the lowest number of marriages registered last year – falling by more than 50% on the previous 12 months as Covid cancelled weddings en masse.

New figures by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show just 227 marriages were registered in Kilkenny lin 2020, down from 573 in 2019.

The huge drop came as Covid-19 restrictions on religious ceremonies and large group gatherings forced many couples to postpone their big day.

It is the lowest figure since the CSO started recording marriages back in 1997. Conversely, the 571 marriages in 2019 is the highest recorded over that same period.

The figures also reveal the average age of Kilkenny women getting wed is still on the rise. For the first time ever, the average age for a Kilkenny woman getting married is now above 35, at 35.4 years. When records began in 1997, the average age was 29.8.

However, men are getting married slightly younger than had been the case over the previous number of years. The average age for Kilkenny men getting married last year was 36.2, which is lower than it has been for three years. The highest recorded average age of local men getting wed was 36.7 years in 2019.

Tributes for popular Stoneyford publican Charlie Malzard

TRIBUTES continue to made for the late Charlie Malzard.

The popular publican, whose family has served in Stoneyford for decades, died at home, 11 months after his wife Mary.

Tributes cited him as a “formative figure in the hospitality industry”.

Kilkenny City bar owner Pat Crotty told KCLR that Charlie was somebody he and others looked. “I only came into the industry in 1996, and he was already a major figure. He was a life vice-president of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, one of the very few to achieve that honour, and was involved for many, many decades, never mind years.

“He was the heart of the branch in the Co. Kilkenny and and many people will remember Charlie Malzard for that.”