Love in a Day Love in a Day

THEY YELL

SHE BREATHES DEEPLY

CLOCK TICKS LOUDLY

So we're expecting that it could be a busy night.

It's not always busy.

My last labour, my waters broke at 5:40 in the morning.

And at 11.14 I had her.

This labour here, I think, is going to be a wee bit different.

It's going to be a wee bit longer.

SHE BREATHES DEEPLY

BANJO PLAYS

Oh, this is really something, isn't it?

I can't believe I've been coming up here my whole life

and I've never been here for dawn.

It's incredible.

Well, here we are. Good morning, 18th of June.

Love is that feeling that you might be the only one awake,

as the city is sleeping,

just as the dawn is breaking.

Love is checking on a loved one,

and breathing a sigh of relief to see them sleeping soundly,

but knowing the clock is ticking.

Before long, it'll be all go.

-Oh, look at you!

-What's her name?

-Tiana.

-Oh, this one's Tiana.

Tiana, not Tamara.

Yes, you're here, you're here, all right. And you're the last one.

This here is what love's about.

A new life coming into the world, and having to look after it.

And care for it and everything that you can do for it

to keep it healthy and loved.

Oh!

Jesus.

-BABY CRIES

-There!

Mike, November, zero, Victor, Foxtrot, Whisky.

Come on, come on, come on.

It's a special time of day for us.

And to come in here, to be with the cows,

this is the best job in the world.

I can't think of anything better to do in the morning than milk cows.

Get real satisfaction out of it.

Well, look, it's sunny!

We have got a fantastic day today.

-And the tide's coming in.

-And what's that?

Just love it. I love the place.

Yeah.

Ah!

-Are you Daddy's girl?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

I'll just take it off you.

CHILDREN SHOUT

He's not the romantic type.

-I tell everyone I love you.

-I'd hope.

You have to be ASKED, though.

-No, I don't have to be asked.

-You do.

-No, I don't.

-You do.

No, I don't.

We can start an argument about it.

Is anybody wanting any more toast?

-ALL:

-Me!

-Me.

-Me!

-He fell in love first.

-I fell in love first.

-Yeah.

Cos he asked me to marry him first.

I don't know, something just clicked.

Something just clicks in your head, like.

And you change, you turn things round and hope for the better.

Obviously, hope for the better. We are nine kids in and one to go.

Happy to do this. At least we get the wee boy.

Nine. Julie, Sophie, Katie, Grace, Summer...

..Bethany, Amelia, Alicia and Katrina.

-You got the other two the wrong way round.

-Did I? Sorry.

That's why I had to think about that.

To get them all the right way round the whole way down.

And then one due in eight weeks...

And it's a boy.

And it's a boy.

I love this old seat.

In the summertime, when the children were small,

very early in the morning,

I would come out here and sit and enjoy the sunshine.

The children are all gone now.

They have children of their own.

So I sit here and think about them.

And listen to the birds.

# Little bird, sing

# Your sonnet of hope today

# How sweetly you... #

During the winter nights, I got the saw out,

and I made myself a seat.

And I brought it down here and we planted it in the ground.

And that was the seat started.

Some mornings I come down here, maybe six o'clock,

and the air coming from the Donegal Hills,

over the Sperrin Mountains,

across the loch, and it's pure.

There is no pollution in it at all, whatsoever. You know?

I really feel at home here. Ha-ha-ha!

I...

-I...

-Love...

-I...

-Love... love Mummy.

-Mummy.

-Mummy. What else do you love?

My faith is pivotal. It's the centre of my life.

I feel loved whenever I come here.

I feel like they open the box that's me

and pull out different things that I didn't realise were there.

Over the years that I have evolved as a woman into 48 years of age,

of pure love. To me, love comes from within.

It's inside each and every one of us.

We love motorbikes, because for us, it's just a passion.

It's how we bond. It's more than sport.

It's more than religion. It's life. It's what we know.

It's about who we are, basically.

People with autism often have obsessions,

special interest, real focus on things.

Chris's obsession from when he was very small has been trains,

steam engines of any sort.

Just steam has its own personality.

You know, you get these diesel locos,

there's absolutely no soul in them.

Every single steam engine is different.

Dylan is probably the best one we've had.

TRAIN WHISTLES

You had 60 years of marriage and love, real love.

I loved my wife with all my heart.

And that's the reason why I'm down here attending you,

because I loved her.

I loved her with all my heart. And that's it.

Three, two, one...

HORN SOUNDS

Go.

He's got a big heart.

And I always know he'll be there for me. And he's my best friend.

First of all, everybody sees the outside appearance.

But you want to be going under the skin and look at the heart

and to see how she is,

and how caring she is and what she would do for you.

You know, there is no words you can put towards that.

# Glorious you

# So dear... #

Oh, very nice. I hope you don't fall.

-Do you like it, Dad?

-Lovely.

I could wear that to work.

Very fancy.

# I have a wedding veil

# And I'll bring it

# I have a wedding bell and I'll swing it

# I have a wedding bell

# And I'm singing... #

There was 250 guests at our wedding.

And I was the first to get married in our house.

It was the best day of my life. It was brilliant. It was great.

I remember, now, he had a very soft accent,

and we just got on very well.

We just chatted away and talked away.

And great empathy with each other. Just seemed to click.

Just seemed to click. We just got on very well.

Until then, things changed, then, four years ago.

Stephen took cardiac arrest here at home.

When we got married I said, "I got the whole package.

"I got the sickness and the health. I got the whole lot."

All right, Stephen?

What's wrong, honey?

What's wrong?

He had a shadow on the left side of his brain.

But he was alive. And that was the main thing for us, he was alive.

-SOBS:

-So for eight months, he was in the Royal Belfast. And...

..he's still in a minimally conscious state.

He is alive.

He's still here with us.

And...

I still have him.

It's God's plan for Stephen at the minute.

But it is hard.

Settle down.

Settle down.

# Just close your eyes

# Save me, save me

# It'll all be all right... #

Oh, look at that yawn!

# Don't turn out the light

# Save me, save me tonight... #

Can you move your eyebrows for me?

# Save me, it'll all be all right. #

Hey.

Mm?

I'll put the fan on you, will I?

They're intelligent, they're kind, they're loving, they're fair,

they are funny.

They can be testing at times,

but they're amazing. Hello.

This is Knox, our newest arrival.

# My friend

# My friend

# My friend... #

Very much a family affair.

Didn't have a choice, so...

Sounds like you don't love it - you do. He loves this!

Yeah.

I just thought it would be quite cool to have a donkey.

Then it sort of grew on from there, and now I've got 20 of them.

# My friend

# My friend

# My friend. #

Summer is here, yay!

I'm delighted, I'm delighted. And the good weather too.

But you're all out there sizzling like a pack of Denny sausages

skating round the pond.

# Cos I'm happy as Larry banging on my drum

# I sing songs all day and I play guitar

# And I hang out with my mum

# Won't you come and join me?

# We can sing along

# There's no stressing

# In my little world

# It's all about the fun. #

-It's good. Life's good, isn't it?

-Yeah.

I just love having sex.

HE LAUGHS

I can't help it.

No, I'm only joking.

No, I love kids.

Aye, They're great.

They are great.

I want you to help me!

Sit forward a bit.

Do you want to get in, too?

-Come on.

-Come on in!

We're supposed to be doing gardening. Not...

Not wheeling wheels around in the wheelbarrow!

Right, get in.

KIDS LAUGH

LAUGHTER

You guys done great.

Get out now.

-Nobody else helps. We rear them.

-That's true, yes. It's true.

We don't ask anybody for help.

-Wouldn't change it for the world.

-No.

# You are my sunshine

# My only sunshine

# You make me happy

# When skies are grey... #

It has given me a whole new lease of life.

It's been the best antidepressant that I have ever been prescribed.

# Please don't take my sunshine away. #

I've been sick since I was six months old.

I've been in and out of hospital my whole life.

I suppose when I'm painting, I can block out everything.

It just kind of sorts you out of your head and you're just focusing

on mixing colours and your life is that much simpler.

So you focus on not what's wrong with me, but what's right with me.

# You make me happy when skies are grey... #

Ready? Go!

Getting out in the water is just something else.

It's a real stress buster.

Yeah, once you get on the water, a calmness comes over you.

# You are my sunshine, my only sunshine... #

Today I swam from here,

across, and then over and then back again.

I kind of love the freedom, just getting out and enjoying it.

It's great when you get a day like this, with the sun on your back. You can swim all day.

# Don't take my sunshine away. #

It's a family thing. So it started off with my grandad playing.

We just seem to have been around it for so long

and I'm just loving what my family love to do.

BAGPIPES PLAY

Marriage means an awful lot.

It means us both being together for the rest of our lives.

# It's only you...

# ..and I. #

Haven't got a wee bit of butter with you, have you?

Fairy Liquid's good.

It's on.

You can turn round and say, "This is my wife and I,"

which is a big part at the wedding, where everybody cheers.

But to have somebody that's your partner, soul mate, and, you know,

best friend, everything in one.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# It's only you...

# ..and I. #

But don't forget about the courting couples at night.

-Oh...

-They're here holding hands, too, you know.

You can't talk about them!

THEY LAUGH

Quite romantic, don't you think?

I'll say, yeah. It's lovely. It's a really nice ring.

No-one else has one exactly like this, because she made it,

and that's what's kind of special about it.

HE LAUGHS

We've not figured that out yet.

Yes, you know, communication, open communication,

stuff like that, you know?

Tell each other everything, don't keep any secrets.

And I'm quite choosy, he's my best friend, so...

Because you're going to keep them forever and it may as well be

a sentimental as possible.

OK.

Come on, open up for me. That's it. Open up.

That's it.

When we took Stephen home initially, we didn't know whether it was for a long time.

Probably, being honest, we probably thought it was a short time.

Are we clear?

That's it.

You're grand.

I think they were being kind to me, saying, maybe a few months.

You going to get up today?

Hmm?

The doctors told me he wouldn't be the man I married.

And I know that now. Three years on, I do know that.

There's grass out there needs cutting.

That thing's out there, going mad.

Hmm?

He needs to be groomed.

But he's still the man I married.

But in a different form.

He doesn't talk, so...

There's a good fellow.

That's it.

That's it. Good man.

I'd love to hear him talk.

I love to hear him talk.

It's not happening.

It's not happening, so...

I hope I'm as good a wife to him as I can be.

I love my guinea pig, Coco, she's so cute.

She's my special thing in my life.

She's just the cutest thing I know.

I love her to bits.

DOGS YAP

If you love dogs, this is the place to come.

DOGS BARK

As we're driving over the estate,

there's all the cats on the driveway.

They come up to see where we are.

It's just a privilege to be chosen by these cats.

So, up early, donkey's on the box and away we go,

down to the showground.

I'll be trainee judging.

So once I step out of the car, I'll be impartial.

I'll not be touching the donkeys, because it would be a conflict of interest.

But you've got to remember that every donkey's paid its diesel to get here.

So they've all to be judged equally.

Then it'll be the donkey dressage.

Now, there's a big word in there called "donkey", not horse.

Donkey dressage.

Very proud of the donkeys, very proud of what we do with them

and how we encourage them and how we encourage the love of them.

Christian and Dennis, you get two, very well done.

I suppose I feel quite proud of Dennis.

Because he was the one that's done every single jump to get all

those points, all right, Dennis?

Yes?

# I want to be closer

# Closer

# Closer to you

# I want to be closer

# Closer

# Closer to you. #

Your skin's drying up a wee bit, Stephen.

That's it.

I love Stephen as much as I did then.

Um, 25 years now and we were married in July.

There's a good fellow.

I don't regret it.

That's what marriage is about.

And it's not all flowers and having good times and...

There are hard times.

Deep breaths.

Settle. Settle.

That's it.

How do you explain love?

If people could explain that, that would be... It would make things

a lot... lot easier, would it not, for everybody?

I love it here.

It's hard at times, very hard, at times.

I'm sure it's harder on my wife than it is on me.

Because I'm usually working, most of the time.

-Come here.

-No.

-Come here!

-No!

# I've got love in abundance... #

There, sweetheart.

# This love, it will never expire

# Love in abundance... #

THEY LAUGH

# This love, it will always be there

# I've got love in abundance

# Can't keep it away... #

-Hiya!

-On the bus, guys!

# Got a feeling that we're going to make it through... #

Despite the seven years between us, we are quite close.

I think we get on really well because of the donkeys.

They bring us closer together, definitely.

# Love in abundance, can't keep it away from you

# Got a feeling we're going to make it through. #

Put your hands together for the bride and groom!

It was a happy day.

Joined together and sharing the love that Sara and I share for each other.

It's just been perfect.

# Love in abundance... #

Up we come. Up we come.

# Got a feeling we're going to make it through

# All the tough times that we're going to stumble in

# Every meaning the heart feels

# Is love in abundance, can't keep it away from you. #

I'll stay true to the end.

I'll stay true to the very end and see how it goes.

I've got you.

# I'm in l-l-l-l-l-l-love

# I'm in l-l-l-l-l-l-love

# And I'll always be grateful

# I'll always be grateful for that. #