Six on Saturday, 17/07/2020

The big event of the week was the arrival of this pheasant hen with seven chicks. These are wild pheasants and have been part of our garden scene for many years. We used keep a few hens and the availability of easy food attracted the pheasants and several generations of them have been reared in …

Strawberries and Garlic, Anyone?

"Reeking" is the word often used to describe how one smells from garlic. It is a word which carries with it an implication of something unpleasant, undesirable and unwanted and, though I disagree strongly with this description of the garlic aroma, I must admit to washing my hands thoroughly today after an hour handling garlic …

A Dirty Day!

I've heard it said of a spot in Co. Clare that, regarding the weather, they say that if you can't see the local hill it is raining; and, if you can see the hill, it is going to rain. We had such a day here today, a dirty day, a day when the rain clung …

Nothing but Vegetables!

Gertrude Stein wrote, "A vegetable garden in the beginning looks so promising and then, after all, little by little it grows nothing but vegetables, nothing, nothing but vegetables." Obviously, Gertrude Stein was disappointed with her vegetable patch and, I suppose, it is hardly the most beautiful part of the garden. We seldom visit a garden with the purpose of …

The First Day of Spring

From my childhood spring began for me on the 1st day of February, St. Brigid’s Day, but it seems that spring 2018 began today, Tuesday 20th March, at 4.15p.m. While I might argue for old and traditional dates I couldn’t deny that today was the first day this year when the weather was truly spring-like. …