The Tangney Times Dec 2004
Volume 1 issue 9

Hello to all,
Well it’s that time of year again and a special effort is required to say hello to everyone and let you know how life is in the Tangney home.
It is lovely to hear from you all and to hear how all of you are doing also. It’s been a great year for visitors and it’s a very pleasant way to catch up with people. You have time to have a chat and get all the news.
But first of all a run down on the Tangney boys and girl! All of the kids are at school and for the first year I am finding peace in the morning that is those mornings where I’m not off to work myself.
David is in 5th year and studying for his Highers but also has a girlfriend. Exams are in early June and he isn’t sure about what he wants to do but 6 th year will give him a chance to see what he wants.
James is now 14yrs and as he has had numerous tests recently at school so the teachers are getting a bit a break from his cheek

. He is still playing shinty and football and lots of other sports especially if it gets him a day off school. Girls are on the agenda too as I have just sent about 6 teenage girls home, none of whom are his girl friend he tells me !!
Ronan is now half way through his first year in High School. He seems to be enjoying himself with plenty of friends but he’s the quite one of the family (don’t know where he gets that from) so his usual response to how was school is “fine”. In actual fact it’s his answer to pretty much everything but his great.
Ciaran is now 10 and the big boy at Primary School he is also big into sport but loves skiing most of all. So hopefully we will have a good season this year. However we hope to go to Norway in late March to visit Esther and Mike and also do lots of good skiing.
Joseph is as like his Dad in every way it’s uncanny. He is full of life most of it mischief. He also made his Confirmation in November and was really good for almost the whole day.

Aoife is also full of mischief but looks the perfect angel the part she just played in the school’s christmas concert. She’s quite happy heading off to school every morning with her brothers and John across the road who also acts as another minder not that she needs any of them. Joe continues to work away in High Street and will be there ten years next July. It remains a challenge but he continues to enjoy it and is busier than ever.
I am working 18hrs in casualty and also doing some Paediatrics. It is plenty to keep me more than busy and I enjoy it.
It was great to see so many friends and family this year in Scotland and especially Regan and her friend who came up from London . We hadn’t seen Regan for 10yrs and it was just great to see her as it was to see Kim and J.D. Kim and I talked so much that we took the wrong road from Edinburgh to Fort William !!
Have a great Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Liz, Joe the boys and Aoife. xx

Yes , David’s advanced texting skills after 4 years of practice day and night finally came in handy when we as an entire family were faced with the ultimate life or death decision last Sat evening ….will we watch the final of the X factor or Strictly Come Dancing ??? Both were on at the same time. A vote resulted in a dead heat David’s highly nimble little fit fingers saved an almighty row as he confidently took executive command of the Sky remote control. In the Tangney household there are fierce battles on an hourly basis for possession of the “remote” as he who has it is in the powerful position of being able to watch the programme of his or her choice which can drive your siblings completely mad as we are all tortured watching Sponge Bob square pants for the 15th time !!!

! Of course there will be several planned missions to recapture the “remote” and extreme violence is the norm !!! When the going gets rough , dirty tricks are produced and the “remote “ is hidden usually by Joseph . A massive search party ensues and the finder is given 10 minutes to watch the programme of their choice

before I surgically remove the “remote” from their little white fisted baby hand to watch a gardening programme which clears the sitting room in a millisecond every time !! Anyway back to last Sat evening and David with supreme skill had us flicking back and forth between the X factor and Strictly come dancing quicker than the speed of light ( 3 x 10 8m/s ) . I swear at times I wasn’t sure which programme I was watching as the flickering almost sent me into an epileptic fit !!

This year’s Oct school holidays were in Devon and Cornwall . I feel duty bound to deliver this a public health warning.
Do NOT ever undertake or even remotely consider a 12 hour drive with six screaming kids in the car if you are over 35 with normal hearing, a full head of hair, normal coronary arteries, of sound mind, you must have a “living will” , have exorbitant life insurance and make sure you have prebooked yourself into a rehab centre for a month at least !! We spent two nights in Alton Towers theme

The mini frogs

Eden Project Siesta time!!

Joseph is confirmed (£££) at last

is that Joseph has yet to make his first holy communion (strange but true as some new ruling meant that he has these events in reverse order) David, Alison, Cathal and Alana all enjoyed their visit to the Highlands and are pictured here with all their Tangney cousins. Aoife was Alana’s body guard while in Fort William .

David T raises an eyebrow (singular !!! )

cards on a daily basis , think their parents are an endless source of cash , never get out of bed until lunchtime on a weekend , race out the door rushing for the school bus with less than 30 seconds to spare , always find time to gel the hair in the morning but no time for breakfast, !!

Argue with anybody who does not agree with their many points of view which all result in personal gain for the said teenager Finally for now….I could go on for another few pages….. arrive into the kitchen on a Sun morning with one eyebrow completely shaved and look totally surprised when we all fall on our hands and knees laughing !!!! ( Then spend the rest of the day gazing in a bathroom mirror wondering what happened !!!) Now is the time to bring out the ever present teenager woolly hat and wear it pulled down to the eyelashes!!! (Assuming you still have some !!)

car park she suddenly got a new burst of energy and leapt out of the car to maximise the shopping opportunity (ie spending money !!) We parted company “amicably” as I went for B& Q as Liz went for “Next”. I showed her my interdict from my lawyer saying that I was barred from all clothes shops for at least 50 years.

In the medical world “clots” are always bad news !!

Clotted cream is everywhere in Devon and there are even road signs promoting it all over the place !!

I was surprised to see any body still alive down there over the age of 15 and apparently all new born babies are fitted with implanted defibrillators before leaving the hospital.

Also “bypass” operations are also available in every corner shop usually over near the ice cream fridge.

The locals are very friendly and cheerful despite all the high hedgerows and clots !!!

The Belford Hospital is saved !!
It has been an eventful year here in Fort William with our local hospital under threat of severe downgrading. Fortunately there has been a reprieve for the moment and further national reports are being undertaken. Small hospitals all over the country are threatened with closure as centralisation is in vogue. General practice has also had a new contract since last April and we are still trying to come to grips with it!! Our old rulebook has been replaced by a new one and the emphasis is on quality in practice. Data collection is now crucial and we are going paperless shortly as we are overwhelmed with paper in the practice. Also we hope to be in our" super duper" new premises in about two years. Our present premises are simply too small and inadequate for today’s demands. It will be great to have everybody under one roof as the other two practices in Fort William are also moving to the new build.
We are all looking forward to a visit to Norway this Easter and some good skiing for all !! Esther and Mike are bracing themselves before the invasion !! Elaine my niece is getting married next Oct so we will have a clan gathering then !! So I could be a grand uncle in a year or two….a frightening thought for someone as young, fit, youthful, athletic and totally as yet unwrinkled as me !!
Thankfully we are all in good health over here and there is never a dull moment in the Tangney household!

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and great New Year !!! Joe