Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
My Dad repaired most of our shoes believe it or not, I can hardly believe it myself now. With 7 pairs of shoes always needing repairs I think he was quite clever to learn how to “Keep us in shoe Leather” to coin a phrase!

He bought several different sizes of cast iron cobbler’s “lasts”. Last, the old English “Laest” meaning footprint. Lasts were holding devices shaped like a human foot. I have no idea where he would have bought the shoe leather. Only that it was a beautiful creamy, shiny colour and the smell was lovely.

But I do remember our shoes turned upside down on and fitted into these lasts, my Dad cutting the leather around the shape of the shoe, and then hammering nails, into the leather shape. Sometimes we’d feel one or 2 of those nails poking through the insides of our shoes, but our dad always fixed it.

Hiking and Swimming Galas
Dad was a very outdoorsy type, unlike my mother, who was probably too busy indoors. She also enjoyed the peace and quiet when he took us off for the day!

Anyway, he often took us hiking in the mountains where we’d have a picnic of sandwiches and flasks of tea. And more often than not we went by steam train.

We loved poking our heads out of the window until our eyes hurt like mad from a blast of soot blowing back from the engine. But sore, bloodshot eyes never dampened our enthusiasm.

Dad was an avid swimmer and water polo player, and he used to take us to swimming galas, as they were called back then. He often took part in these galas. And again we always travelled by steam train.

Rowing Over To Ireland’s Eye
That’s what we did back then, we had to go by rowboat, the only way to get to Ireland’s eye, which is 15 minutes from mainland Howth. From there we could see Malahide, Lambay Island and Howth Head of course. These days you can take a Round Trip Cruise on a small cruise ship!

But we thoroughly enjoyed rowing and once there we couldn’t wait to climb the rocks, and have a swim. We picnicked and watched the friendly seals doing their thing and showing off.

Not to mention all kinds of birdlife including the Puffin.The Martello Tower was also interesting but a bit dangerous to attempt entering. I’m getting lost in the past as I write, and have to drag myself back to the present.

Fun Outings with The camera Club
Dad was also a very keen amateur photographer, and was a member of a camera Club. There were many Sunday photography outings and along with us came other kids of the members of the club.

And we always had great fun while the adults busied themselves taking photos of everything and anything, it seemed to us. Dad was so serious about his photography that he set up a dark room where he developed and printed his photographs.

All black and white at the time. He and his camera club entered many of their favourites in exhibitions throughout Europe. I’m quite proud to say that many cups and medals were won by Dad. They have been shared amongst all his grandchildren which I find quite special.

He liked taking portraits of us kids too, mostly when we were in a state of untidiness, usually during play. Dad always preferred the natural look of messy hair and clothes in the photos of his children.

Being healthy is a basic requirement in order to fully appreciate the good things around us and be inspired to work for the realization of our dreams and goals. It is a fundamental necessity to earn a living in order to survive. When you are not healthy, your routine activities are disrupted. Medical news show that discomforts caused by annoying bodily disturbances or by nagging problems result in persistent unhappy moods that may drain your capacity to cope and adjust.But then, how do you know you are healthy? Perhaps you may consider yourself healthy but are considered unhealthy by another. You may have your own idea of what characterizes a healthy person. It is indeed better if everyone has a common basis for determining when a person is truly healthy. What then are the qualities that one must have in order to be considered healthy?To determine the status of your health, you should look into the six dimensions of your life which is the physical, mental, emotional, social, vocational and spiritual dimension. These six dimensions will give ideas to ascertain the level of health. Medical journals say that all these are expected to interact in conformity with each other. Any disorder involving one dimension may affect other dimensions.Physical health involves the different systems of the body. All the body mechanisms are expected to operate harmoniously to be considered fit in meeting the demands of daily activities. Each system should monitor the functioning of the organs to make the necessary adjustment in order to maintain balance. For example, when you are suffering from loose bowel movement, the other organs that release water such as the sweat gland and the kidneys will be called upon to conserve water to prevent dehydration.Mental and emotional health can be seen as your way of looking at your ability to perform your task and face problems in an appropriate manner. It is also the capacity to make and apply good decisions and at the same time feel good inside. If you possess mental and emotional health, you are optimistic in life and are appreciative of the things around you. You can also accept disappointments with courage and composure. Social health includes your ability to get along with others and create a relaxed atmosphere by being sensitive and responsive to the needs of others.Vocational health applies to your behavior and attitude in carrying out the duties and obligations of your chosen career. As an adult, you should consider your attitude in doing your responsibilities as a worker in preparation towards gaining financial independence in the future. Spiritual health is also another important dimension. Any disturbance in the operation of the other dimensions may still be handled as long as spiritual health is maintained.All these dimensions overlap and interact with one another. Therefore, to be in the best of health and experience fulfillment in life, you should see to it that all these dimensions work cooperatively to attain balance. Be alert with the latest health news and what you can do to maintain optimum health. To achieve this, you have to accept the responsibility of looking after your own health to live longer and at the same time experience satisfaction and happiness.

Getting a job in travel and tourism can enable you to earn some money while traveling the globe or staying overseas for a year or more. This way, you can be continuously traveling and enjoy the discoveries that come with it.Many larger tourism operations (cruises, beach resorts, hotel chains, airlines, amusement parks, travel agencies and wholesalers) are needing a variety of skilled employees (bartenders, cooks, waiters, receptionists, flight attendants, tour guides, musicians, security personnel, shopping specialists, massage therapists, medical personnel, babysitters, photographers, drivers and pilots, clerks and various customer service personnel, etc.)If you already have training and/or experience in any of these fields of work you could be an excellent and easy candidate for a travel and tourism company. Many of them will hire overseas and arrange for the necessary work permits. If you don’t have prior experience in these fields, there are training courses galore – but you could always try as you are for some of these jobs. Several of the junior positions are geared towards students.These kinds of jobs do tend to be more long-term and will suit those inclined to the traveling lifestyle. They can also give you the chance to live abroad for an extended period of time without necessarily engaging you in a career. Many of these jobs will be found within large companies but you can also find them out in smaller businesses where there can be less constraints and looser structures.It is also interesting to look into the direction of becoming a travel writer or to be producing travel videos on your own. There are now many opportunities (especially online) to create written, filmed and photographed content related to your travels. Lonely Planet, for example, will pay you 500$ for a travel video if they find it interesting. In several countries, you can easily live on 500$ for a month.There are quite a few online and printed magazines that will pay for and publish good travel writing. This also includes literary mags which will sometimes accept travel fiction and poetry. In addition to getting some money back this gives you a platform for self-expression and connecting to people. On top of this, there are travel writing contests that will give out cash prizes and free trips to the winners. Look them up online in Google.There are many kinds of free travel opportunities – getting a job related to traveling is only one of them.