The ocean is everything I want to be. Beautiful, mysterious, wild, and free.
Anon.

This day last week, we were on the Brittany ferry “Salamanca” on the way from Bilbao back to Rosslare, following a brilliant 9-day trip to the North of Spain.

On the second day of that trip, Pádraig’s sister was in her cabin when someone knocked on her door. She thought it was one of us and was quite surprised when it was one of the crew asking her to meet the purser at 10am at the information desk, as the captain had invited us to visit him on the bridge.

As a lot of people with kids, we had had the opportunity to have a quick peep into the cockpit of a plane, many moons ago.

This visit was a whole different ball game.

This was like I imagine the command centre of a space ship. It was magnificent.

Perhaps not surprisingly, there was nobody at the helm – which in any case looked closer to a fancy steering wheel of a car than the big wheel of a ship

The mostly French crew were incredibly nice to us and took a lot of time to explain how they navigate the ship, how they dock it, how they chart the course on their computerised systems. We noticed a whole shelf of different flags with a poster explaining their use – but we were told that these weren’t really used anymore and were kept there mostly – because they had always been there on the bridge of big ships.

When we were back home, we saw a short Instagram reel about Pádraig’s visit to the great Neuro Rehab Centre Élize in Torrelavega which our Spanish friends had put up. We are so grateful to them for their fantastic support and dedication.

Last Friday, we went to see The Book of Mormons with Pádraig and one of his best friends. It is the most politically incorrect musical you could imagine. To a point where you think, “how are they getting away with it?”

The Bord Gáis Theatre was much bigger than we had remembered. It has a capacity of more than 2,100. There is no intimate theatre experience here. But the packed theatre provided a superb platform for this outrageous show. We were up on the third floor, a little removed from the action. Pádraig and his friend luckily had premium seats, just a few rows from where it all happened.

We went to a matinee and it was a really great afternoon out, with tears running down our eyes when we just couldn’t stop laughing. It is hard to believe that such a potentially offensive show is an absolute hit in our so politically correct world.

It has always been my dream to sail around the world. A dream, for which Pádraig as a young kid had developed a plan to realise. Like the ocean, he is beautiful, mysterious, wild, and free.

Each journey, especially one involving sea crossings, reminds me of that – if I needed a reminder.

Perhaps, one day, we’ll find a way to make his and my dream come true?

In the meantime, we carry on riding the waves of life. At times deep down. At times right up on the crest. What an adventure.