Two Walls and a Roof Read Online Free PDF

blankets, but I also had the tearing at my head as well. Aside from that, all seemed good to me then. I was becoming her idol and could do no wrong. Her comparing me to Kyrle also began about then, and of course I was way, way better in her eyes. Mother never bought into this crap and just felt the Nan was the Nan. Time rolled along.
    Nannie was a great one for the walking and she and my mother would drag us off for long walks in the country for no apparent reason. We would be starved when we trudged along but it made no difference. We had a saying that the 'hungry grass will get us yet’, and I was very often actually weak with the hunger, and Kyrle too.  I don't know what was expected of these walks as I felt I'd rather be hungry at home, rather than face a long journey with my belly rattling.  Nannie had no sympathy and would say, "Trot along there now and be good boys, sure twill make men of ye yet". We used to pick mushrooms for food on some of these occasions, and to this day I hate them because of those memories. I suppose she and the mother would be wondering where our next meal would come from, and a few mushrooms was a start at least. If we went for the blackberries she told us “Stop that, they’ll fill ye with worms”, its no wonder I love jam because I craved sugar, and we rarely had any, and instinctively I must have felt it was in the berries.
    After walking miles they would soon sit down on a wall or on the grass and start fixing the world, especially my dad’s world. Despite his failings Nannie never really gave out too much about my father, she had a soft spot for him I think, as he was always struggling and she saw an affinity with him in this also. She would say “Ahh sure he’s useless, quite useless I tell you, but then he’s a Cahill what do you expect from that lot” In later years I found it hard to reconcile her words, because Nannie was the one who had made the match between my father and mother. As usual though, mother just agreed with her for a quiet life.
    My Nannies arguments with Michael were legendary and sometimes violent.  She would steal his money and fags. She did this for the mother while he slept, and in the morning there would be a big row about the theft. Nannie had a poker face and would swear blind that she knew nothing of his 'fags' or his money either. When this failed she would go on the attack and tell Michael to clear out of her house and to get a real job.
    She used to ‘steam open’ his letters to read any personal mail and to see if his 'writing' payment had arrived.  This was a terrible thing to do and even though I was young, I felt it inherently wrong to read other peoples mail.   This steaming of mail was a black side of her, which I felt dishonored the woman's amazing integrity, which she undoubtedly had in all other ways. Poor Michael had no chance at a love life either as a result of her steaming. If by some fluke he managed to get a girl to write to him, Nannie could almost surely sense it, and she would immediately put the kettle on. As she read the letter, I can still see her muttering away to herself’ “Sure I’ll give her love, that bitch, that confounded bitch, sure she’s only a tramp, not good enough, no no..not good enough at all” and yet another letter went into the fire. Michael never got married, he just couldn’t because of Nannie constantly sabotaging his women. He lived to support her all of his life until he finally died from a stroke at a very young age. I think just like Eunice, Michael was never properly appreciated by my Nan. She always felt I did more for her which was untrue because, Eunice took care of her, and Michael fed her, life often treats worst those who deserve better .
     
     

Three blind children .
     
    My sister Lill came next into our world and all I remember of her early childhood was that she was always asking U ncle Michael for a penny for a pop. He was always great for the nicknames and he called her Nell