Happiness is a working mower and baby swifts

After a rather fraught few weeks it is nice to have some better news to share with you. Our big problem recently is the breakdown of the ride-on mower. This may seem like an indulgence but with the area we have it makes keeping it in order just about possible. My shoulders are not yet healed and Jacqui is still recovering from various ills making anything too physical almost impossible. The mower stopped working a month ago, throwing out black and then white smoke and coughing before dying completely. The determined and talented Andy worked through possible solutions, from dirty plugs to a choked carburetor. Despite new parts and lots of cleaning it still refused to run. Then we tried draining the fuel tank and adding all new petrol. Like a miracle it worked and we had a working mower again!

Andy says he’s had a number of calls about similar problems and it may well be down to the new “green” addition to petrol. Bio fuel, even at 10%, can attack rubber so hoses and seals rot away, break down and pollute the engine. Certainly the seals and hoses on our machine showed significant breakdown. Well, the weather finally cleared and we spent a happy couple of days pushing back against the weeds, brambles and long grasses that threatened all our recent progress. Happiness is indeed a working mower!

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As some rather nasty storms swept in last week we needed to get a bit more wood from the store. We’ve been very quiet and slow if we needed to go into that end of the lean-to as we didn’t want to disturb the swifts nesting there. The growing pile of guano on the floor indicated there were still birds there though we hadn’t actually seen them. This time however I glanced up and was startled to see three little heads poking over the edge. Baby swifts! We have baby swifts. They weren’t in the least scared by our activities, just watching us. It is getting late in the season now and the swifts are already lining up on the wires ready for the flight to the sun. They are not massing yet but we are worried our little family may be too late or too young. I’ll let you know if they get away safely.

The animal rescue mission continues, this time with newts. Our friend Noel found the first one whilst working on the raised bed. Since then I’ve seen several more and late last night I spotted one lying on a flagstone in the back garden. It looked as if the dogs had stepped on it but I managed to pick it up. It flopped over onto its back when I put it down in a small pile of greenery so I turned it over but it was limp and still. I fetched some water and trickled it over the newt and the greenery hoping it might help, then got the dogs in. Just a few minutes later it was gone – newts can play possum, I think.

One less welcome arrival is a rat – or possibly several rats – appearing from the field at the back. We were alerted to them by Charlie, who has taken up a position by the back door, alert and barking as soon as they appear. I moved one of the trail cameras and have pictures of it clambering down the wall late at night. Then Mabel, the feral/farm cat, appeared and the rats, very wisely, stayed away. I hope that between them Charlie and Mabel will persuade them to move on somewhere else. I don’t think Charlie has met Mabel properly but he is familiar with cats. We had cats with all our Tibetan dogs in Saltburn and they always got on very well.

Elver Man note

Now, a bit of writing news. I’ve always fretted over the ending of “Death of the Elver Man”, my first novel. I reached the end and realised I had no idea how to finish it off. Well, fourteen years later I have produced a new final paragraph and this will be in the new edition when it is republished. However, this seems a bit unfair to all my loyal readers who have already bought the book so if you are one of them and would like to see this ending please email me at jennie@jenniefinch.me.uk and I will send you an e-copy. You just have to promise not to share it with anyone else please!

Well, that’s about all for this episode. Thank you for reading and I will be back in a couple of weeks.

August is the cruelest month – in Tipperary

TS Eliot declared April was the cruelest month but I would say this is not the case in Tipperary. Here I think it is August instead. August has the false promise if Eliot’s April – decent weather at last, a time to rest and relax, a break from the harder months – but, alas, fails to deliver. The warm weather comes with high humidity, the heat mixed with sudden and fierce squalls. Plant life goes mad as only Irish plants can. There is the miasma of slurry (and worse) some mornings following a flurry of overnight spreading. But worst of all, the flies are back. There have been fewer large flies this year but the tiny biting types are everywhere and they can get everywhere. Each day brings a new rash of painful, itching bites on feet, arms, legs – and other places I’m not going to detail.

All set up ready
Only in Ireland?

August for us was meant to be a quieter month but in fact it has been rather frantic. I was preparing for the North Tipperary Agricultural Show last time I wrote. This took place on August 5th, the summer national holiday here. In keeping with August’s “cruelest month”, it dawned cold, overcast and with high winds whipping over the site. Despite this we managed to set up the gazebo with the help of our new neighbours, Alan and Michelle. They have a stand called “Noodles and Chig”, selling accessories for pets, especially dogs. As we were next to the show ring for dogs it proved to be a popular spot and a good day was had by us all, despite the ever-changing weather. Alan and Michelle do a number of shows around the area so do look out for them.

We had just recovered a little from the show when we were off to Limerick, to see the dreaded endocrinologists. On a scale of one to all the other appointments this came close to the bottom. Generally the junior doctors are quite positive, taking a good clinical history and being open to questions and discussions. Not so this time and a frustrating quarter of an hour culminated in him threatening to call security and have us removed! I was so startled I burst out laughing – “For two little old ladies?” I said. He went bright red, slowly getting more embarrassed as the appointment went on. After he wheeled in the obligatory consultant, the man we had seen previously and told him we were not seeing again, we left – without a security detail and with no help, advice or changes.

We wouldn’t have managed the trip, ghastly but necessary as it is, without our lovely friend Catherine. Despite being wiped out from organizing the show on Monday she came round and kept the dogs company, let them out and played with them and still had time to cut the grass for us. Our mower needs a new carburetor and we can’t find one anywhere so are watching as the weeds threaten much of our hard work. Thank you Catherine – we cannot say how grateful we are.

Getting ready for spring

The grass cuttings were a godsend when our next visitor arrived earlier this week. Noel was on his annual trip to see family and friends and stayed for a few nights. Apart from being good company and bringing a few things for us he is an amazing and determined worker. With all the medical appointments and my ongoing weak shoulders we have struggled with the tasks we set ourselves around the land. Noel dived in and with a bit of help from me stripped out the wild growth around the site for the raised bed. Catherine’s grass cuttings were laid over the existing straw and cardboard layers, covered with more cardboard and weighed down with top soil bags. Come next spring we can cut the bags, spread the soil, add compost and we are ready to plant. The dogs loved him and a good time was had by all.

Things definitely improved this week as after over a year’s wait we finally got another appointment at the eye clinic. Jacqui had tried to phone, repeatedly, wrote to the department and we even called in hoping to get an appointment, all to no avail. It did mean another trip to Limerick (oh joy) but this department runs close to appointments and we were away for less time. The consultant we saw was a delight. She listened to the sorry tale, checked all the new scans and gave us two good bits of news. No need for injections at the moment, she said. But the eye problems are due to cataracts and she put Jacqui onto the list whilst we were there. I cannot express the sense of relief we both feel.

Katy Apple (the very first)
Katy Apple (quality control)
Katy Apple (remains of)

Well, the weather is still fickle, we are both now struggling with a cold – not covid, I checked – and the loss of the mower is a big problem. Still, I picked the first of our apples from the Katy tree today. It was delicious – sweet, a bit sharp and so juicy. There’s something quite magical about food you grow yourself. So maybe August isn’t quite the cruelest month after all.

Take care and thank you for reading.

A few weeks of preparation and planning

After the last few settled days we have found ourselves in the midst of a whirlwind of preparation and planning. As is often the case, we have been expecting some of it but some is new and rather unwelcome. There was some nice weather to begin with so we got out the mower and spent a happy hour or so whizzing around the wood, garden and orchard. It’s still the total mad growing season so we have to be vigilant and keep the undergrowth at bay. This requires some preparation – checking the weather forecast, being ready early in the morning and having a spare can of petrol to hand to keep the mower topped up. Still, the results are immediate and very gratifying.

Jacqui’s driving license needed renewing and we realized she needed both medical and eye sight forms completed. This needs some planning as both required a trip to town, about 40 kilometers round trip. We were able to book both on the same afternoon and with a bit of cunning planning I added a shopping trip whilst she was having her eyes tested. This triumph of organization fell flat when we got the news she needs some urgent medical intervention for her eyes. She’s fine to drive at the moment but the failure of the hospital in Limerick to follow on with her injections is having a bad impact now.

After some serious thought we decided we would try one more time to get this put right. We have another Limerick trip next week (oh joy) so will haunt the eye department until we see the specialist. This needs quite a lot of preparation as we will be away most of the day and the dogs can’t be left inside and alone all that time. Enter our lovely friend Catherine who has promised to sit with them for part of the time. So, off we will go to arm wrestle some sense and help out of the hospital. Wish us luck!

Some of the preparation involved getting ready for our good friends Helen and Adrian this week. They are walking along the Wild Atlantic Way every time they visit Ireland and then come to us for a bit of R&R. Actually I’m not sure how much R&R Helen gets as she spends a good amount of time weeding the drive and clearing areas of the orchard or wood when she is here. We love to see them both and are very impressed and grateful for all her endeavors but it’s supposed to be a bit of a holiday for her! Seriously, thank you Helen.

A chunk of my time was spent getting ready for the North Tipperary Show on (Irish) August bank holiday. This has taken a lot of preparation, as I don’t want to be just a wobbly table in the corner especially if it rains. The show is a very eclectic mix of agriculture, dogs, craft and cookery competitions, art and music. It is, for this area, large and crowded so I want to stand out and be noticed. Jacqui suggested I should have some sort of small tent and found a rather lovely pop up gazebo that was delivered last week. As it was raining we practiced putting it up indoors, with Helen’s help and were very impressed. It was a bit large though, even for our kitchen-diner.
I also decided to go a bit professional and spent several days designing a roller banner. This involved a lot of photographs and struggling with the website but finally we had a finished design that looked good. This is also rather large – so tall I have to lay it on the floor to fix it and then lift it up. The result is very striking though not exactly as I planned. Whilst I ordered a rather nice soft purple it arrived a bright fuchsia pink. So much for careful preparation and planning! Well, I don’t think anyone can miss it anyway. The final result will be revealed next time.

11.30pm Slurry

It is now getting cloudy and wet again and once more we have (very) late night farm wagons on the road. I wonder why it is necessary to slurry the fields at midnight? Maybe a lack of planning and preparation…

Swift nest
Bull Finch on the fence

We have more birds around again including a swift’s nest in the new lean-to. They didn’t waste any time, arriving, building and moving in within a few weeks of completion. I spotted the nest when in the wood section and two very startled birds flew past me and out into the wood. I was concerned I’d driven them away but last time I was out I saw a large pile of droppings under the nest. I’ve never been so happy to see bird mess in my life.

“Katy”

We’ve also had a bullfinch on the garden fence eating the grass seeds. The next day there were four of them, a family I think as two were small and the other adult was male. On the down side, the birds (unidentified species) stripped the young raspberries one night. I must find some deterrent for next year. However one of the apple trees, “Katy”, has started to produce a crazy amount of fruit. Bear in mind the trees were planted just four months ago!

So, next week has far too many medical appointments and I will continue my preparation for the show, which is on the 5th August. I’ve lots of books to pack up, sets of crime novels to sort and a range of different bookmarks to arrange. I might have another go at the gazebo too, just to make sure. If you are around do pop over and say hello – it would be lovely to meet you.

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a happy few weeks.

Jennie.

Wildlife rescue, new friends and a different way of life

Last time I wrote about Pip and Squeak, the two tiny bats we found in our bathroom. Well, despite our best efforts we found another a few days later. We called him Wilfred. (I suspect you need to be British and over 60 to understand this by the way). Well, Wilfred was also rescued, placed in the pile of twigs and covered with a box to recover and he also flew away that evening.

I was considering getting us “Bat Rescue” t-shirts when Charlie, our youngest dog started clawing at some planks in the garden. Chasing him off, I saw the tail of a mouse jammed into a crack. When I moved the wood away I saw not a mouse but a little vole. It was actually shaking from fear but recovered enough to turn and dash for the safety of a wooden flower tub, not needing any more help from us. Charlie was furious, even more so when the next night he chased the smallest frog I’ve ever seen. It was the size of a fingernail, a lovely brown and cream colour and after I intervened it hopped into the drain and escaped too. Maybe I should get “Wildlife Rescue” shirts instead.

We took a trip to Cloughjordan last week to visit the Courtyard Nursery. Run by Sean, this is a lovely place and Sean is very helpful and knowledgeable. We met up with Lorraine and Andy, new friends who arrived about 18 months ago, and enjoyed an excellent talk in the courtyard along with refreshments from the little coffee bar. We left with a honeysuckle plant for Betsy’s Garden, some glorious yellow and red pot plants and a pocket full of advice. Andy has set up a maintenance business for garden machinery and just a few days later we had to call him for help.

Jacqui had been doing an excellent job mowing the orchard when the mower died on us. We realized it was probably out of petrol so I collected the spare fuel but – we couldn’t get the cap off the tank. It’s always a bit of a struggle but this time it defied all our efforts, including the mole grips. We managed to move the mover into the trees at the side and called Andy for advice. Although it was Sunday they both came over and Andy managed to open the tank. We’d run it down to nothing and in the (remarkable) few hot days the last few drops had evaporated causing a vacuum in the pipe. I cannot say how grateful we were for their help and promise this will never happen again!

After all the excitement of last month I find myself rather tired. Very tired actually. There is a lot to do around the place and sometimes it is hard to remember everything or work out how to do some things. Most of us grow up with the routine of our parents around us and the running of a house becomes familiar. We learn what needs to be done by watching and often by joining in as we grow older. When we move away and set up our own home we carry much of this knowledge with us along with the routines, impressed into our subconscious, and transfer them into our own lives. This is partly why hoarders often have hoarding parents – or react so strongly against the clutter they own virtually nothing.
Moving to a new country, many things are different. Do not make the mistake of thinking Ireland is just England with a funny accent. It isn’t. It is very different in the social, political and economic sense. Some things remain the same – the washing still needs to be done, hoovering is still necessary and the dogs certainly need to be fed. However, the food for the dogs now requires a 40 kilometre round trip to the shops. All the shopping, apart from a few staples, need planning and a trip to the main town. We are now getting better at combining tasks – trip to the recycling centre, pick up pills at the vet, pop into the bank and then shop. It’s taken a while but we have cut our trips down from many days to once a week most months.

There are some new jobs we never had to even consider before moving here. Watering the new saplings in the wood and orchard? Mowing the orchard and the paths around the wood? Even cutting grass is new as we had a tiny (concrete) yard rather than a garden. The water softener needs salt every week and the solar system and water meters are logged every evening. After a storm we need to check no trees have come down, especially over the road. And there is the dreaded grease trap that needs regular cleaning. We have a second sink for anything remotely oily as it bypasses the system but still the trap builds up. There’s the composting to keep up with and the wildlife – more wildlife, most of it very welcome.

Jacqui is of the opinion that now, as we are more settled, all the stress and effort we put in for the move and the time afterwards, has finally caught up with us. We are more comfortable in the house, we’ve made good progress with much of the land and we understand life here better. There’s a new rhythm developing and many things are more predictable, or at least easier to deal with. Time to kick back a little maybe. Time to stop and relax a bit more. This is a very lovely place so now we can take a bit more time to enjoy it.

But in the meantime I will be getting ready for my first public appearance as a writer in Ireland. I will be signing books at the North Tipperary Agricultural Show in Nenagh Showground on Monday 5th August. More on that to follow but if you are attending do come over and say hello!

An EPIC Adventure part 2 – and a batty return

I broke off the last episode part way through my trip to Dublin. Compared to our quiet life here in Tipperary it seemed a very eventful couple of days, too much for the one blog. So, picking up from the second morning, I was stiff and sore from my route marching the day before but determined to see the EPIC museum. I’d heard a lot about it, including the fact it had been placed in the world’s top 5 museums. Focussing on the numerous waves of emigration from Ireland, it has a personal link to some of my history too. I had to see what all the fuss was about.

One thing Dublin has in abundance is taxis. Not surprising as the buses and trams, whilst numerous, are very hard for a visitor to navigate. I bid the B&B a fond farewell and hailed a taxi from right outside. A quick run through slightly more familiar streets (EPIC is quite close to my overnight accommodation) and I walked through the doors into a huge glass atrium. I was a bit shocked at the cost – 21 Euros for an oldie – but I have to say it was worth every cent. The atrium stretched the length of the building and there are shops, cafes and different facilities all along both sides. Families and individuals were already settled at the tables or on the couches, reading or talking, some enjoying the excellent choice of food. I put my bag in a locker, admired the life-size model of a clover-covered pig on a table inside and cast around for the actual museum.

After wandering up and down for a few minutes I swallowed my pride and went back to the ticket office by the entrance. They were perfectly polite and gestured towards a stone staircase heading down. The whole thing is underground. Housed in the vaults below the old port building, the main exhibition has twenty different rooms, each devoted to a single topic. It is difficult to describe the impact of this amazing environment. It uses a lot of film and photography and links the general to the specific through short narratives from actual people. The sound and the film quality is excellent, almost (but not quite) overwhelming in some rooms.

As an artistic display it is stunning with huge models, costumes, paintings and artifacts brought together to tell a story. It is the story however that is so powerful. I think it is something you need to experience to understand it. I was partly expecting a fair amount of self-pity and anger, which would actually be justified given the history of this country. In fact it was quite the opposite. This is not a narrative of victims but of strong, resourceful people. It was enlightening and occasionally sad but ultimately hugely uplifting and inspiring. The journey through the underground barrel vaults can be marked off on a “passport”, issued at the entrance, something I did rather obsessively.

As well as being educational (who knew in 1770 all the Bordeaux wine merchants were Irish?), there are some nice interactive pieces. Selfies at the “convict for transportation” board are very popular especially as you can choose your own crime! The last room is a huge electronic wall of names where the emigrants are listed. I added my Great Grandfather to the hundreds of thousands already remembered.

With the help of a nice ticket inspector I was able to get a tram back to the station in good time, saving my poor swollen knees. The journey showed both the best of the city and some of the darker side also. The people are friendly and helpful. The murals and street art is fabulous (and occasionally subversive) and much of the architecture is splendid. But also there are a large number of rough sleepers, often with just a sleeping bag. Residents scarcely notice them, walking round the bodies without a glance. Small blue tents are reappearing on the riverbanks, soon to be moved on by the Garda. Fast food bicycles are everywhere, often ridden by young men who are almost gaunt as they take terrible risks to meet impossible deadlines. I came away with so much to think about.

As a footnote, a couple of nights ago Jacqui thought she spotted a large spider-like creature in the shower at night. Or maybe it was a small bat. At 3am you really don’t want to investigate too closely, just in case it’s a bat-spider or something equally scary. In the morning I couldn’t find anything so had a shower, but then spotted a lump of dirt moving in one corner, hidden behind a spray bottle. It was a baby bat, smaller than the top of my thumb, soaked through but still just conscious. I was mortified but Jacqui had done some reading about bats in the night.

June is the month when baby bats get lost and confused and can fly into houses. We looked around and spotted another resting above the bathroom door. Following the article’s advice we moved both bats wrapped in a soft rag and placed them outside in a pile of twigs. They were up high away from the dogs and covered with a box to keep out the light. At dusk we removed the box and resisted the urge to poke around the twigs for several hours. There were some signs of movement though so we were hopeful. They both survived and flew away when it got dark and that felt really good. We named them Pip and Squeak and it made a fine ending to a busy and very different couple of weeks.

Thank you for reading. If you are ever in Dublin do go to EPIC – it is an amazing experience.

Have a good few weeks and I hope you will join me soon.

The unexpected and EPIC trip to Dublin

Sometimes I sit down to write this blog and I find I’m struggling to find anything interesting to say. Not so this week – I think I’ve got too much to write. It was looking like a fairly normal week when my friend Jon Moore, a specialist make up expert in films, tv and theatre, contacted me to ask if I’d like to meet him in Dublin. He was working on the Brian Butterfield tour and offered to add me to the guest list. I’d never been to Dublin and Jacqui would have to stay behind to look after the dogs – holding the fort we call it. Worried I would bottle out if I hesitated I found trains, somewhere to stay that left a bit in my bank account and accepted. I was off to Dublin!

Our nearest station is Nenagh and they do run trains to Dublin but only one a day, at an ungodly hour, is direct. All the others go into Limerick, change for Limerick Junction then change again for Dublin. As Nenagh’s station is, to be frank, a total wasteland I had to scurry around Limerick Colbert Station to print off my ticket. Thanks to a very helpful conductor I managed it and got the connection to Limerick Junction. This is one of the coldest and bleakest stations I’ve ever experienced. There’s no shelter bar the roof and mean little squalls blow across the platforms as passengers huddle behind the pillars. Swifts were flying through it shouting loudly, presumably mocking our travel choices.

The Dublin train was a welcome sight. The last leg was much more comfortable with a reserved seat and – the height of luxury – a trolley service. Though this had 27 types of fizzy drink, many sorts of crisps and mountains of chocolate but no sandwiches to speak of. On Jacqui’s suggestion I’d made my own so I curled up in my corner and munched happily. There was even a trickle of heat from the vents at the side of the carriage.

After more than three years in the rural midlands, Dublin was a bit of a shock at first. One crucial difference to the UK is there is nothing resembling an A to Z of the city. It has many buses, a tram network and they are almost unusable for a stranger as all stops refer to unknown streets. I knew the address of my B&B so hailed one of the many, many taxis hovering around. The B&B was very nice – a bit old and worn, like me now, but welcoming and beautifully clean. David, at the desk, was typically welcoming and they had a tourist map available for all guests. I hoped this, combined with Google maps, would help me find my way around. How wrong I was.

RTE1 had just run three programmes on O’Connell Street, which was very close to my B&B, so I had a vague idea of where to go. In the centre of the street is the Spire – 120 metres high, shiny steel and visible from a long way away. It became my lifeline as I struggled to navigate the city. I made it to the Forbidden Planet bookshop fairly easily. I’d arranged to meet Jon there as Peter Serafinowicz, the star of the “Brian Butterfield” show, was signing books. Although it is 30 years since we last met we recognized one another at once and it was as if we’d never had such a gap. I got my book signed and the selfie taken. Peter Serafinowicz was lovely and I can heartily recommend the book, “There’s no business like…business”.

Cities – and especially Dublin – are for younger, fitter people than I am now. I went back to my B&B for a little rest, then wandered down the side streets to get some dinner. The side streets were a mistake, I was immediately horribly lost and I resorted to Google to guide me to the venue. This was an even bigger mistake as the stupid AI sent me to the wrong place – almost 3 km down the quayside and into another maze-like district that was not on my map. After a futile search I limped to a taxi stand where a driver took me along the quay to the area I needed – then wove through another maze and dropped me off back at the wrong theatre again.

I was almost in tears – I’d missed the start of the show, I was so stiff from the endless cobbles and hills I could hardly walk and I didn’t dare risk another taxi. Some lovely people outside a pub directed me to a bus that would take me back and after a short ride I finally arrived at the venue. Here the theatre staff were all kindness itself, taking me up to the bar, seating me on a sofa and getting me a drink. I chose a large orange squash with ice – I know how to party.

I caught the second half of the show, which was wonderful. Jon, despite being so busy, came out to see me again and we said our good-byes, promising to get together sooner next time. I am lucky to have had such clever, talented and thoughtful students over my years at the Art College. I hope some of them read this and know I think of them often, generally in a positive way.

The next day I was horribly stiff and sore but I had really wanted to go to EPIC, the Irish Emigration museum. Voted one of the top 5 museums in the world, it certainly lives up to its reputation. Despite struggling to walk without staggering I went in and – well, this has already been quite a long episode so I will save the EPIC for next time. Watch this space – it won’t disappoint.
Neither did Dublin.

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you back in two weeks.

Jennie.

Very little has happened and it’s very tiring

This last few weeks have been very tiring though it seems very little has happened. We had a few lovely sunny days when the countryside was glorious and the birds shouted their appreciation. The dogs demanded the back door be kept open so they could wander in and out at will. Jacqui had a good run at the new area for the greenhouse polytunnel and the raised bed. I managed two good mowings, the first of which was by hand on the top in the orchard. The grass was only sown in March but is already strong and flourishing. One more cut with the lighter mower and I hope to be able to use the sit on machine. Much easier on the shoulders.

Half cut orchard
Tiny little Victoria plums

Everything is bedding in nicely and I was amazed to see tiny plums emerging on the Victoria Plum tree. We didn’t expect anything but a smattering of blossom this first year but several other trees and the raspberry canes are looking good too. It was so hot for a couple of days we had to water the trees in the wood and orchard. As the wood trees are in deep holes cut through the stony layers they are especially vulnerable before they get properly rooted. I am being vigilant and watching for any sign of wilting out there.

The rain came back with a vengeance last week so work outside was suspended. Jacqui had ordered the untreated timber for the raised bed and it was delivered just as the heavens opened again. We are very grateful for the new lean-to as the timber came in 16-foot lengths. We have been able to keep it under cover ready for cutting and setting in the next weeks. This should give us a bed of decent height for – ooh, asparagus! We had an allotment in Bridgwater about 35 years ago and were almost ready to harvest our first asparagus when we had to move. We’ve been waiting a long, long time for another try. The base of the bed is now ready with layers of cardboard and a thick bed of straw, which was abandoned and scattered around us. No gifts refused!

Cynthia being nursed

Much of the last 10 days have been taken up with nursing one of our dogs. Cynthia, the middle dog – daughter and mother – had a very nasty tummy on and off for some time. Tests showed no cause, nor did an ultrasound. Then Jacqui woke early one morning to find her frozen, staring and almost catatonic. A trip to the emergency vet (our own practice but on 24 hr call) helped her a little. Then we had another ultrasound later in the week. Louise, our regular vet, diagnosed a bad neck/back strain and we came away with 3 types of painkillers, antibiotics for the stomach and Valium to keep her calm if necessary.

The poisoned dinner

She refused to even touch the powdered pills in her food, preferring to starve rather than be poisoned. She actually picked through the bowl, lifting out bits of scrambled egg and dropping them on the floor neatly. We resorted to a syringe of mixed liquid painkiller and pills whilst wrapping her neck in a towel to limit mobility that could make her neck worse. She’s recovering now and shows much more of her old self. The bad stomach remains a mystery however. As the land is still waterlogged but a huge amount of slurry spreading is still going on, we were worried about water pollution. The samples came back negative for e-coli but I’m exploring more testing options. We didn’t need the Valium for her though I was tempted to have a couple myself on occasions. Jacqui says I’d have to fight her for them but I know where they are!

We were very lucky to get our plumber back after such a busy season for him. The rain has caused a lot of problems and he’s been overloaded with work but found a couple of days for us. Now we have an updated bathroom with a toilet that doesn’t wobble around and a new heated towel rail that’s not hanging off the wall. We also have a new kitchen tap that runs at a constant temperature and doesn’t turn off at a whim. Luxury.

All excited – last year

This has been the season for the Tour of Italy – the Giro. I love the cycling and it is a good space to crack on and get a lot of the ironing done as I watch on the TV. This year however I’ve almost lost interest. There’s been little real competition for the win as one rider has mopped up almost a third of the stages. It comes to something when the sprint stages are the most interesting. I hope the Tour de France is better but as this “unbelievable” (quoted from the commentators) superman will be riding I rather doubt it.

Even the snails hide from the rain

Well, looking back, I guess quite a lot has happened so it’s not surprising we are so tired. I thought retirement was supposed to be a chance to rest and enjoy different things. We are certainly doing different things and learning new things. There’s always something that needs our attention or is ready for the next stage. I guess that’s really just life and we are lucky to spend it here. The trees, the land, the birds and wildlife are a daily delight.

Hoping for fine weather for all and a happy bank holiday for my UK readers.
Thank you for reading. See you in a couple of weeks.

The good, the bad and the ugly this week

I was not sure I could manage a blog this week. It’s been a very full and stressful time recently. However, I realized this would be blog 100 – not bad for a series of 12 as originally planned. I often sit down and wonder what the heck I’m going to write about but this time we have a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. This is just a way of saying “life”, I think, though sometimes (like now) some really bad bits appear. Have no fear though – spoiler here – it’s working out and getting better, so read on without any worries.

It has been a very busy start to the year so we are already a bit tired. All of the improvements around the house are heartwarming and welcome but they come with additional work. The spring growth spurt is finally here and we risk losing some of our hard won progress unless we can keep it under control. This involves a lot of weed cutting, mowing and tree branch clipping. Also we have had an unexpected dry and hot spell so the new trees in the wood and orchard need watering. Now that was not something we expected in Ireland! My shoulders are still weak and painful and Jacqui is still a bit unsteady and in a lot of pain from her joints so we are trying to pace ourselves, hoping to keep up and even make a little progress.

The warm weather has led to a number of unwelcome visitors in the house. Not our neighbors, no – the inevitable insects and some rather large spiders. I’m fairly tolerant of the latter, provided they are not too large and catch some of the flies. This latest intruder failed on both counts and I’m ridiculously proud of myself for catching and releasing her outside. The warmer weather has been very welcome however and unexpectedly a few of the bulbs appeared. I’d given up hope of them surviving the long, wet winter and spring but suddenly we have irises at the back. The primroses are also flourishing now including one that’s appeared in the middle of the drive. We drive around them very carefully.

The worst part of our recent weeks however has been the sickness in Cynthia, one of our dogs. She’s had bouts of a bad stomach for a few weeks but took a major turn for the worst just before the May holiday (of course). We nursed her carefully through until the vet was open again but she was getting worse. As we’d also had some stomach issues we were concerned about the water again so a sample has gone off to check for ecoli.

Despite all our new systems, if there is a lot of effluent in the water the UV light can’t work properly and there’s been a great deal of slurrying recently. In fact, there have been tractors, trailers and slurry tanks along the road some nights as late as 2am. This is one of the bad – no, ugly parts of life as water is so important and there’s no other source but bottles out here. If it is polluted again we will need to take more advice and further precautions.

Some good news however – Cynthia is recovering well though in typical Tibetan form she is not co-operating with us. We have a range of medicines for her, some pills we grind to powder and some liquid to mix into food. This, apparently, is all poison. Although she is hungry (we are cutting off the biscuit supply) she will pick through her food and spit out onto the floor anything remotely tainted. Now we are faced with the ugly option of using a syringe to get some good “poison” into her.

A fitting end to a rather difficult few weeks I think. But we have our trees, we have brighter weather and Cynthia is much, much better so it’s all good in the end.

Thank you for reading and I hope the rest of May is good for you all.

The mini digger and very boggy ground – it’s April alright

Well, it’s April still, just, and the weather is a bit better at last. It has finally shifted from relentless rain to “changeable”. There were even a few wonderful days of bright, warm sun – a most welcome development. The expected spring growth spurt has been delayed this year, which is certainly a blessing. The last couple of years we’ve looked over the garden and the wood where things were just starting to emerge. Then a week later the grass, brambles, bindweed, thistles et al were up over our knees. Terrifying and very, very dispiriting.

Well, this year we were more prepared. The orchard is growing a carpet of soft green grass, mixed with some determined intruders. We are equally determined and were planning to use the lighter electric mower on it but then we had a bit of an incident with the mini digger. We’ve been hoping to try this out for some time and finally managed to book it for a week. A very dinky thing, it weighs just (!) a ton and is very small. It rolled up the new ramp into the top of the orchard and we prepared to shift some of the feral buttercups. Alas, within a few minutes it began to sink into the ground. After some nifty maneuvering we got it out again but the top of the land was badly churned up and we had to abandon that job.

Later we tried to change the bucket as we hoped to get it around a very tight corner to clear a space for the polytunnel greenhouse. I’ve always found this very difficult and after a number of attempts the damn thing coughed, jerked violently and stopped. Unwilling to be dissed by a tiny digger we let it settle and tried again, with the same result. A quick consultation with youtube and we had to drive to the nearest garage (4 kilometres), buy a new can and get some diesel. It started but kept jerking and cutting out. It got so bad it was like trying to ride a bucking bronco so we waited for the next day and rang the Hire Company. They sent out a mechanic who got it running and we were able to maneuver round the corner and start some digging. Three scoops later it coughed and died. Overall a bit of a bust.

After that we decided the land was still too soft, even for the flymower, so we are heading to the hardware store to get a pair of long handled shears. That should see to the determined intruders until we can start some regular mowing. It being April, we were watching the new planting and every tree, in the orchard or wood, is now putting out leaves. A number of them have also sprung into life and have sprays of blossom. Irish trees seem particularly hardy. I remember my father cursing the wind in Essex as it stripped the flowers from the apple trees. Here we’ve had some very high wings but the trees cling to their blossom despite the storms.

It has been a rather busy month. In fact we are close to the end of April and we’ve almost finished the jobs we need to enlist men for. As we didn’t manage to get the corner cleared and neither of us can cope with the heavy digging or move the blocks by hand we have called on Donal for help. We’ve been looking at ways to make life easier, especially over winter, and one big issue is the woodpile. We finally got Bill, the amazing fence man out. He spent a couple of days putting up a lean-to in the corner of the wood so now the tarps are off and the remaining wood is drying nicely. It will be so much easier, not having to drag the covers around and sort through for dryish logs, often in hail or snow. We won’t have damp logs drying inside either, which will reduce condensation and danger of mould. Bill even moved a couple of chunks of wood round our primroses to protect them for machinery and boots.

It is finally April proper as yesterday I saw the first swifts flying madly over the wood. They are a beautiful sight and catch so many midges too, an added bonus. We have birds nesting in our hedge and up by the orchard as well as in the Juniper tree outside the kitchen window. I was outside calling the dogs last week and could hear them rustling and tweeting softly. The next night a small group of bats did a quick fly past, about half a dozen. Remembering the bat that flew into the house last year I hurriedly closed all the doors. It is nice to see all the life around us though the downside is the birds and bats do keep setting off the security lights!

We are doing okay here and are looking forward to a quieter summer and autumn as so much of the work is already done. We are just waiting for the long anticipated visit from the plumber, a species slightly more rare than the unicorn over here. With some fine weather we can relax a bit, sit outside and enjoy the garden and indulge in a bit of gardening. And use the mower on our new grass of course.

Thank you for reading. I hope we all get some decent weather and a summer to remember for the right reasons!

And the rain it rains every day

Yes, it’s still raining, every day, here in Ireland. I see from the news it’s raining every day in the UK too. I’ve seen some bad years for inclement weather over the years (quite a lot of years – it astounds me just how many) but nothing like this. Some people have blamed El Nino which is a regular occurrence, but much more pronounced over the past year. There are worrying signs of climate change as the Earth’s temperature continues to rise. And a good friend reported a comment by a local farmer in England. According to him, there were two full moons in July 2023. Whenever this happens it will rain for the next twelve months. Well, we are almost there now.

Apart from being really rather gloomy this has had quite an impact on everyday life in our little corner of Ireland. Our house is at the top of a hill but just below the brow. This is good as we have some shelter from the worst of the storm winds. Generally they come in from the south west, off the Atlantic and whistle down the road but go over the top of the house. It is not so good however when there is very heavy rain. The field out to the south drops down to our boundary and there can be a lot of run-off. This flows over our land and works its way into the Majestic.

When Donal cleared the land for the small orchard he made an earth barrier along the boundary and this has reduced the amount of water considerably. Thank you Donal! And thank you for the wonderful work you’ve done on what was overgrown wasteland. One good thing about the rain, especially as there are now some brighter spells, is that the trees are already growing. They all have leaves or buds and a couple have a dusting of blossom, despite the high winds. The newly sown grass has sprung up in the last week and the whole area is transformed. It makes us smile every time we look at it and neighbours walking or driving past have also commented favourably.

One of the best ways to help dry out waterlogged land is by tree planting. It’s rather long term but more of a permanent solution so we are already planning the next round for the wood. Just like the orchard, the new trees are already starting to grow and one of the flowering cherries has some sparse but lovely blossom. Next year we hope there will be a real show of colour to herald the coming of spring.

Much to our surprise, the road menders arrived a few weeks ago and did a very decent job of repairing the four major holes on the road. We can now actually drive along there without risking our tyres, though the downside is they dumped the damaged tarmac in the pond opposite and threw some over our side boundary. There has been a massive increase in road damage over the winter – the local paper led with the headline “Thousands of potholes on our roads”,and it’s not much of an exaggeration. Sometimes it’s like being in a particularly difficult video game, with one of us driving and the other acting as a spotter. A trip to the shops now sounds like, “Hole left…bad bit right…mind the middle…holes left, about four…” It makes journeys interesting if a bit tiring.

Not content with all the progress with the trees, we have a mini-mini digger coming next week. This is only one ton but is small enough to drive (very carefully) round the side to get at the patch next to the back wall. Some time ago we bought a polytunnel greenhouse and we hope to clear the brambles and bushes from this area, set it up and use some of the remaining blocks to build a raised bed just outside the door. We will probably be reliant on raised beds for a lot of plants as the ground is extremely stony. We were shocked when Donal, digging in the wood area, reported hitting rock just a spade depth down. In the end he used a digger, made deep, wide holes filled with earth and planted the trees that way.

The lack of any soil deeper than about eight inches would explain why so many young trees were dying when we arrived. Yes, there’s considerable ash die back but the poor things didn’t stand much of a chance with no space to put down roots. We puzzled over the size and depth of the rock, which comprises tightly packed stones of various sizes. Then we had a chat with a neighbour from just up the hill. She is also having problems finding anywhere to plant as the stones and rocks are only six inches below her soil line. Apparently a lot of this hill was used as a quarry a long time ago and much of this could be abandoned spoil. Well, we have wonderful soil in the top area as years of leaf mould, scrub die back and the fallen trees have rotted down to form rich, deep earth for planting.

The rain has played havoc with our wood store as the high winds brought the tarps down months ago and we have been trying to pull them over and weigh them down ever since. It’s not all bad however. Quite a lot of the wlogs have shed their bark which will make a wonderful mulch. Maybe in a few years we will have lovely rich soil in the wood too. We are hoping Bill, the excellent fence man, will come to repair it and construct a lean-to shelter ready for next winter, when once more, the rain will rain every day.

Thank you for reading. Here’s to a decent spring and – let us whisper it – even some summer this year.