Down boreen, tired cottage waited.
By Louis Hemmings
Down boreen, tired cottage waited,
gold thatch grassed, braided with weeds;
thick plastered walls sagged, building famine-dated.
Above, in kitchen ceiling, mice multiplied at speed;
later vermin gristle was kitten-teeth crunched
under the dining table – I gagged, as I lunched.
Stove-side friend, Daisy, my crazy dog
kept me company, cosy my turf-warmed reading;
then out, up overgrown lanes, over gates, into the bog;
ever onward, that bitch ran, pulled hard on lead,
half-choking, scent-sniffing of vermin trails:
mice and rats hidden in greying hay bales.
Before I quit that memorable dwelling
miracles were manifested: hundredfolds
of earth-buried bulbs started secretly swelling:
hundreds of small green swords danced around the old
cottage, bullet-buds flared, windmill flowers unfurled:
daffodils dumb-struck me - long-lost that rural world…
https://louishemmings.com/
Katherine O’Leary
It is the time of year for picking up the free calendars. Our smart phones have exotic calendars that allow for the planning of various events.
It’s a good idea to use the alert feature to keep you on track. It is really important that appointments are not missed and you are where you are supposed to be.
Nevertheless, when you are the home manager, it is important to use a paper calendar that is visible to all the family.
Get the children involved so that they too are understanding how to record and plan their lives.
Keep it in the kitchen where it is visible and easily accessible for all the family.
with Dr Catherine Keena,
Teagasc countryside
management specialist
Hart's tongue fern.
Look out for hart’s tongue fern, the most distinctive fern found on hedge banks, walls and rocky places, especially in limestone areas. Its fronds (fern leaves) can grow up to 75cms but when growing on walls can be shorter. It may not be recognised as a fern because its fronds resemble the leaves of flowering plants. Arching from a tufted rosette base, they are heart shaped at the base and are long narrow undivided tongue-like, with slightly wavy margins, tapering to a point. They are shiny bright green rather firm and leathery. Known as Creamh na muice fia, hart’s tongue ferm, is part of our native Irish biodiversity.
My 18-month-old niece Effy on her first visit to Ireland getting to meet the "moo moo's. Sent in by Alice Hodges, Cork
The number of tips from professional organiser Vera Keohane to confront the post Christmas clutter.
The results were really, really poor, significantly below trust levels of comparable results for the general population and also, significantly, for all SMEs
Martin stapleton on the results of a survey focusing on measuring the trust levels of farmers in the banks P11
Janine's holiday Tourtiere / Janine Kennedy
French Canadian Tourtière is a savoury meat pie which can be enjoyed any time of year, but especially around the holidays
Down boreen, tired cottage waited.
By Louis Hemmings
Down boreen, tired cottage waited,
gold thatch grassed, braided with weeds;
thick plastered walls sagged, building famine-dated.
Above, in kitchen ceiling, mice multiplied at speed;
later vermin gristle was kitten-teeth crunched
under the dining table – I gagged, as I lunched.
Stove-side friend, Daisy, my crazy dog
kept me company, cosy my turf-warmed reading;
then out, up overgrown lanes, over gates, into the bog;
ever onward, that bitch ran, pulled hard on lead,
half-choking, scent-sniffing of vermin trails:
mice and rats hidden in greying hay bales.
Before I quit that memorable dwelling
miracles were manifested: hundredfolds
of earth-buried bulbs started secretly swelling:
hundreds of small green swords danced around the old
cottage, bullet-buds flared, windmill flowers unfurled:
daffodils dumb-struck me - long-lost that rural world…
https://louishemmings.com/
Katherine O’Leary
It is the time of year for picking up the free calendars. Our smart phones have exotic calendars that allow for the planning of various events.
It’s a good idea to use the alert feature to keep you on track. It is really important that appointments are not missed and you are where you are supposed to be.
Nevertheless, when you are the home manager, it is important to use a paper calendar that is visible to all the family.
Get the children involved so that they too are understanding how to record and plan their lives.
Keep it in the kitchen where it is visible and easily accessible for all the family.
with Dr Catherine Keena,
Teagasc countryside
management specialist
Hart's tongue fern.
Look out for hart’s tongue fern, the most distinctive fern found on hedge banks, walls and rocky places, especially in limestone areas. Its fronds (fern leaves) can grow up to 75cms but when growing on walls can be shorter. It may not be recognised as a fern because its fronds resemble the leaves of flowering plants. Arching from a tufted rosette base, they are heart shaped at the base and are long narrow undivided tongue-like, with slightly wavy margins, tapering to a point. They are shiny bright green rather firm and leathery. Known as Creamh na muice fia, hart’s tongue ferm, is part of our native Irish biodiversity.
My 18-month-old niece Effy on her first visit to Ireland getting to meet the "moo moo's. Sent in by Alice Hodges, Cork
The number of tips from professional organiser Vera Keohane to confront the post Christmas clutter.
The results were really, really poor, significantly below trust levels of comparable results for the general population and also, significantly, for all SMEs
Martin stapleton on the results of a survey focusing on measuring the trust levels of farmers in the banks P11
Janine's holiday Tourtiere / Janine Kennedy
French Canadian Tourtière is a savoury meat pie which can be enjoyed any time of year, but especially around the holidays
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