Nan Curran

Especially for those who are/had to deal with the death of a loved one 

The 14th of August 2019 marks my Nans 12 year anniversary passing. My Nan was a very special person to me as we were very close emotionally and physically (as she literally lived down the road). Eileen O' Connor (Mayden's name) was known by many names. To many she was Miss. Curran to her neighbors she was Ma-Curran but to me, she was my one and only Noggin.

About Nan

Nan lived in a small little housing estate where she raised her four kids on her own. My Mum and uncles must have been head-wreaking but no match for Ma-Curran I'd say. She had two great friends in the estate called Peggy and Bridy. They would often call and visit her to have a cup of tea and see how she was doing.

Memories

I have so many memories with Nan like messing with and giving her a nuggie along with something I called a "squashid", This was just a really really tight hug. I remember every summer I would stay at my Nan's while my family went to Mosney for the Community Games. I looked forward to these stays every summer as I just loved my Nan.

Nan knew that Thomas The Tank Engine was basically my life so she let me build tracks all over her sitting room. I used to love looking through my Thomas magazines and one day I showed her something I thought looked cool. She would always have my Birthday present ready for my summer stay and this Birthday it was the train that she remembered I liked.

The train Nan got for me.

Nan was a funny character but one Christmas she really topped it. My brother got a Go-Kart for Christmas and he brought it up to Nan's. Whatever was said, Nan ended up trying to drive the thing and ended up hitting the side of our car. This one hilarious memory we all still have especially due to the fact that it was caught on video.     

Sickness/Death

I never knew of Nan's sickness at the time, as I was only 6 so my parents didn't tell me because I wouldn't have understood and would only have worried. She was sick for a long time and after struggling with a long battle against cancer, Nan passed on August 14th, 2007. This was devastating for anyone who knew her, especially the family as you couldn't help but feel for the woman who created so many smiles 

Today

Of course, I would prefer if Nan was here today, I wish I got to spend more time with her and I wish I could talk to her about my problems today. However, I am happy I can say I got to know her, and I can look back on all the memories I have with her with every laugh and tear. We can always ask the "what if" question, but I rather look back and remember who Nan was. She was my Noggin and my Noggin she will stay xxx

Childhood Obsessions: Thomas The Tank Engine

Especially for those who have a child with a similar obsession

Most toddlers have one-track minds, meaning they will fixate/preoccupy themselves with one particular thing. This can occur in children to give themselves structure or comfort in their changing lives. This especially occurs in children with Autism, like myself. This is what I would call a childhood obsession. For me, there is no prize to whoever guessed what this for me, Thomas The Tank Engine. This carried on from when I was a toddler to my mid-childhood years. 

Toddler Years

I suppose I got my love of Thomas The Tank Engine from my playing with my brother's Thomas toys. I would rock that Thomas jumper or Thomas and Friends T-shirt while playing with nearly every single train that I could find within a mile radius of my house. I could also be seen in many old tapes singing the tune of the intro of the show like a little rockstar.

The Show

I was in love with watching Thomas The Tank Engine. Whenever it was on we would record it on the old VHS tapes as I didn't have most of the episodes on video and this was before the days of YouTube. My favorite season was Season 3, 4, and 5 as these were the seasons I had the most episodes recorded, on video or DVD.   

My old Season 3 DVD

The Toys

I have no douth in my mind that I had one of the biggest Thomas collections EVER!!! Every Birthday and every Christmas, in came the trains, tracks, and accessories, if I got money, guess what, I bought more trains. Ertl, Take-Along, and Tomy were my favorite brands or the big trains (Tomy) or small trains (Ertl and Take-Along) as we would call them.

(Left to Right) Tomy, Ertl, Take-Along

Memories

My family would be blue (like Thomas) in the face from listing to me talk about all the characters. I knew/still know most of them off by heart from ones that appeared all the time to the ones that were only in one episode. My layouts were another story. I could have made a track starting in the sitting room going threw the hall ending in my sister's room with all sorts of twists and turns. 

Thomas and Me Today

Even though I don't watch the show or collect the toys anymore, I did hold on to the show for a long time in my life. However, every now and again I will Google the show and see what it's like today and how it changed. The older episodes are pure nostalgic for me and it still holds a place in my heart because of all the memories I have with Thomas The Tank Engine.

This Blog was fun because I got to relive my childhood