MISTLETOE

Giz a kiss

It will not be long now before the real festivities begin. Not that they have just begun though. A friend of mine went to a Christmas bash with Santa coming down the chimney and all of the trimmings way back at the beginning of November. You have to feel a bit sorry for the employees of these establishments. One Christmas bash is not too bad, but when you have to attend about forty of them I would imagine they would get a bit tiring. It’s a bit like the film Groundhog Day. One tradition that is usually kept until the last minute though is kissing under the mistletoe. Mistletoe used to be a symbol of fertility and good luck, which would ward off evil spirits. It is easy to see why the plant appears to have magical powers, as it grows off a branch in a host tree, seemingly in mid air. In Ireland the mistletoe is usually grown on apple or poplar trees, but other countries can see oak pine and larch being the hosts. The seeds are wrapped in sticky mucus to hold them onto the branches and are often put onto the tree by birds having to wipe their beak to get the seeds off. The mistletoe that we see here for sale mainly comes from France where they grow on poplar trees. If you fancy having a go at growing some after the snogging has finished then push a seed or two into the cracks in a large branch of an apple or poplar tree and see what happens

HOUSEPLANT CARE IN DECEMBER

As we start the last month of the year, I suspect that only a few hardy people would be out in their gardens. Either those tidying up jobs have been done or they can wait until the New Year. One area that doesn’t get neglected this time of year will be the inside of the house. There’s something very satisfying getting the house all nice and fresh and cosy for when any visitors come knocking over the festive season. So during your preparations it might be worth putting in a bit of time to make those house plants look their best.

LOOKING AFTER HOUSE PLANTS
Houseplants are a very attractive addition to the home. They can make your living space an extension of the great outdoors. Another important functions of indoor houseplants is their ability to absorb pollutants out of the air and purify them, the common spider plant is one of the most effective plants to filter these. I have mentioned before that I now grow very few houseplants. Only the strong survive… (The ones that only require watering twice a year is what I really mean). This is mainly due to the fact that I don’t really feel as though I need to have plants indoors. I only have to look out of the windows to see lush vegetation in the garden, hedgerows and hills. It wasn’t always like that. When I lived in a city on a heavily populated housing estate, the only green I saw, especially in winter was my next door neighbours ten year old Ford Cortina. Because of this my house was full of indoor colour. I had forty-seven different types of plant and they probably took more looking after than a full sized garden.

PLANT CARE
Most plants need to be pampered to survive in a modern house; central heating is one condition that plants don’t generally like. The air around the plants can get very dry and shrivel the plant up. One method I found quite successful if you’re not prepared to spray them with water everyday, or indeed you cant because the pots are near plug sockets, is to put water on the radiator. Now before you run over and pour on a kettle full of water over the front room rad. I mean you can get ceramic containers that can be clipped onto the front of the radiator and the heat gently evaporates the water put in it and makes the room more humid which is the condition the plants will prefer, (You may even find it more pleasant too). It is important to make sure that the leaves of all the plants are clean. The leaves are the breathing apparatus of the plant and they have pores that will block up if not cared for. There are certain plant such as the large leaved rubber plant of cheese plant that can have shining leaves by using water mixed with milk, the fat stays on the leaf after the water has gone, but for most plants just use tepid water applied with some cotton wool is preferred.

Water plants more sparingly at this time of year and cut off any leaves that have died or gone yellow. These will be targets for fungal growth such as botrytis.

CHRISTMAS PLANTS
If you don’t have plants in the house but do intend on buying a few, here is a list of the most popular Christmas plants that will probably be on sale. I’ve mentioned a few details so you can get the best value from them once you bring them home.

Azalea: Water carefully –keep the compost moist at all times, keep cool, a hall or porch is ideal as long as the temperature is constant. Keep in bright, indirect sunlight. Can be put outside when the threat of frost has gone
Christmas cactus: Water sparingly-don’t let the compost dry out. They don’t like it too hot. The plants should flower for about six weeks. Don’t move the plant once the buds have formed as they could drop off with the shock of it all. Will get bigger and better for next year with a bit or care.
Cyclamen: These plants do best if kept cool and kept in porches and conservatories. They tend to wilt in central heating, if they do dry out, stand the pot in tepid water and leave to soak. After the compost has soaked up the water shake off the excess water, hopefully the plant will recover. After flowering allow the corm, (the bulb bit in the middle) to dry out then store until late summer. Repot again in fresh compost and start watering.

Poinsettia: Again don’t overwater; keep at a cool room temperature out of draughts. They should flower for twelve weeks and even more if the leaves are sprayed with water and the pots are put on a pebble tray to increase humidity. Put the plants in bright light to keep the plant colour. The plant can be over wintered by following a strict regime of light and dark for an eight-week period (14 hour darkness then ten hours of daylight) starting next September. The time this will take it would pay you to buy a new one!

MAKING A CHRISTMAS WREATH

To make an original Christmas wreath start with either a moss ring or an Oasis ring. You can buy these from most florists. If you don’t want to spend any money, get some thin willow or hazels sticks and curl them around into a circle. These can then be tied to form the base of the wreath. Next have a look around for some strong evergreen plants, including those with variegated foliage and of course plants with berries. The favourites of course are holly and ivy; try not to take any out of the wild though as the supplies of holly especially are dwindling. There are many other plants that can be included though. Plants with good foliage include conifers, bay laurel, rosemary, box and yew. You can also use the bottom branches from the Christmas tree: - cut them up to fill any spaces. For variegated leaves euonymus and spotted laurel will liven up the arrangement. Other plants with berries include cotoneaster, pyracantha, skimmia japonica and the hips of wild roses.

Completely soak all the branches overnight in a bucket, before arranging. This fills the plants with water and keeps them looking fresh over Christmas. Also steep the Oasis or moss for a couple of minutes to soak through, and then arrange the cut stems in clumps around the ring. Using wire, fill the inside with fir cones, apples, walnuts, dried fruit or artificial flowers.

TRELLIS CHECK

REPAIRS
I was out in the vegetable patch the other day clearing the hazel sticks out of the pea beds. The hazel probably won’t last for another year as it was quite rotted. It might be an idea if you went around your gardens and checked that the woodwork is in order. Fence posts need checking, especially near the ground where the worst of the rot usually occurs. Check fence panels for damage too, if they are rotted they could do with being replaced along with the posts- if strong winds come the damage could be made a lot worse.

Treat timber that is in good condition with a wood preservative. You can get environmentally sound products that aren’t harmful to wildlife or the soil- ask the staff at the hardware shops. Check trellis too, if you have climbers growing up the walls. Cut back the climbers so you can get to the trellis if it needs any maintenance. If the trellis is in good repair you might still consider trimming back the climber, this will ease the stress on the trellis and promote healthy new growth for the climber in spring.

ICY WIND

COLD COLD COLD!
The first reason I mention the cold is that just as that icy weather came in on the east winds last week our central heating decided to stop working. (I was going to bed with a hat on to keep my ears warm!) We have also been trying to keep the rabbit a bit warmer too. I don’t know if all rabbits are as daft as ours but he never seems to go into his hutch. If it’s raining, snowing or a gale force wind he just sits there open to the elements. Because of this we decided to bring him indoors for a while to allow him to thaw out. Bad idea, with three cats about and a jealous dog he was soon back outside in his run (he was a bit smelly too). I’ve done my best to insulate the run with cardboard and a tarpaulin sheet and so far he is still wet and with us.

The cold has got into the polythene tunnel too over the last few days. I have obviously had a frost in there because of a few tell tale signs. The money plants, which are succulents, have gone mushy, and the tops of all the potato plants have wilted and died. These plants were supposed to give me some tasty new spuds on Christmas day. It’s very strange because I have borage and marigolds still in flower in the garden. I would have thought they would be the first to go. Whilst we’re on the subject of frost, don’t forget to put the frost sensitive pots in a sheltered place to prevent them from cracking.

WOOD BURNING

When I go out walking the dog I often pick up wood that has either dropped off the trees with the wind or been washed in with the tide. I usually bring this home, dry it out and chop it up to use on the fire. This is a real luxury for me as I was brought up in an area that could only use smokeless fuel. That made little difference to us as we didn’t have an open fire anyway. We relied solely on central heating, (how deprived I was).

Some wood I have to drag half a mile across the beach but if the wood is good for burning it is well worth the effort. I find the fast burning wood great for getting the water hot in the tank. Some wood is better than others at keeping the fire going. I remember once a next-door neighbour of mine, who was a gunsmith, gave me a box of old stocks for burning. These were made out of cherry and they didn’t half warm you up on a cold winters day. There are certain woods that need a safety warning attached to them as they have a tendency to spit the fire out onto the living room floor. I have found pine is a main culprit as is the wood from pallets; I don’t bother burning them anymore. Other wood that spits badly are poplar and sweet chestnut, so avoid those unless you have an enclosed fire or wood burning stove.

All wood burns differently, Poplar, for example gives out just half the amount of heat for the same weight of Oak. There are quite a few rhymes around to help us remember which wood to choose. Funnily enough none of them seem to mention old pallets or Christmas trees.

Beechwood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year.
Oaken logs burn steadily
If the wood is old and dry.

Birch and fir logs burn too fast,
Blaze up bright and do not last.
Chestnut’s only good they say,
If for long is laid away.
But ash new or ash old
Is fit for a Queen with a crown of gold.

It is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your room and makes you choke.
Apple wood will scent your room
With an incense-like perfume.
But ash wet or ash dry
For a King to warm his slippers by.

The biggest hazard that I am faced with when I salvage any old wood is if there are any nails or old barbed wire sticking out from them. I carry a pair of gloves around with me just in case I see a choice piece that looks as though it could be chopped into fire sized pieces. Sometimes the wood is of a good enough quality to be spared the fire and goes into the garden to add to the raised beds that are slowly being built. I found a six-foot section of the base of a telegraph pole one week; I’ll tell you it took a bit of effort to get it into my car. When I got it home I didn’t fancy the prospect of cutting the wood up so I buried the bottom two feet into the lawn and it now stands pride of place in the front garden and is used every day as a very sturdy bird feeder.

NOELINE IN GHANA

Receiving shipped goods from Ireland.

Goods arriving in Ho to help leprosy sufferers. The ambulances were also shipped over

Noeline Haylett with Dr Grace

This was the condition of the drinking water before the wells were put in

BATTERIES

Millions of batteries are used every year in Ireland and the range of appliances and equipment requiring them is increasing all the time. Many batteries contain hazardous materials, including cadmium and mercury and can cause pollution in disposal.

Here are some useful dos and don’ts on batteries:

Do:
Use mains power wherever possible. Remember that manufacturing batteries can take up to 50 times more energy than the batteries can provide. Mains electricity is many times cheaper than batteries.
Do:
Switch to using rechargeable batteries. A battery charger can make a useful Christmas gift.
Do:
Look for batteries that are free of mercury and cadmium.
Do:
Dispose of batteries carefully. Carndonagh recycling centre is about the closest place but Letterkenny Council take them at their Blaney Rd site as well.
Don’t:
Use old batteries with new ones. The new batteries try to recharge the old ones, cutting their useful life.

ENTERTAINING AT CHRISTMAS

Are you one of those people that have lots of people around the house at this time of year? Taking a bit of time out to think about the waste at Christmas can help you combat the ever-increasing mountain of rubbish that is produced.

Avoid disposable paper plates and plastic cutlery.

Buy snacks and beverages in bulk, which produces less package waste. Better still, make your own.

When preparing meals, buy organic produce if you can get hold of it, which reduces your exposure to toxic pesticides, and supports sustainable non-polluting agriculture.

We do not really have the facilities in Inishowen to do our grocery shopping on line but hopefully someone will catch on soon as this method of shopping can eliminate the pollution from car travel and save you the bother of having to push and shove at the checkouts as hysteria sets in.

We can order a lot of goods online though, especially smaller items that don’t cost too much to post such as DVD’s

Recycling all drinks containers - glass, cans, paper and plastic bottles will help in the battle against bulging waste sites.Any unwanted gifts can be given to the local charity shop.

Unfortunately our local shop doesn’t take in toys anymore but no doubt there will always be someone who would take them off of your hands. The reason for the shop not taking the goods, I have been told is because some people seem to think that a young kid will want to play with a toy that is broken and has pieces missing. It looks like toys were dumped in front of the shops because the old owners couldn’t be bothered to take them to the recycling centre.

Electrical items are the same; the shop cannot take in these because of safety issues. If these sorts of things are given to you it might be an idea get the receipts to go with them. That way they could be taken back to the shops and exchanged for something else that you do need. Other gifts such as clothes and furniture is always welcome at the charity shops though

ALL WRAPPED UP

How are you getting on with the Christmas wrapping? If you are anything like me it will be left until the last minute. It doesn’t have to be stressful though because you can forget about covering the presents in shiny wrapping paper. You can use the excuse that you are helping the environment by coming up with some imaginative alternatives.

IT’S A GIFT
Buy sturdier gift bags/boxes that can be reused or reuse old ones you have received. An even better idea is to make your own gift box out of recycled corrugated cardboard. Most shops throw out heaps of the stuff.

Make your own gift tags by cutting out a shape of your choosing (star, simple flower, heart) from last year's Christmas or birthday cards and punching a hole through it.

Avoid wrapping larger presents. There is no need to cover a large item with loads of paper. If you have a bike for the kids there is no point covering it up because it will still look like a bike!
Start a tradition of Christmas stockings for each person. Little gifts can be put in the stocking without being wrapped. The stockings can be used year after year.

If you are sending presents abroad, make a large pot of popcorn and use instead of bubble wrap.
Use string, ribbon or scraps of wool for wrapping gifts instead of tape. Sticky tape does not biodegrade and can be only used once, whereas string or wool can be used again and again. So can the paper, as it hasn’t been messed up with sticky-tape marks.

CHRISTMAS NO-NO'S

IDEAS FOR RECYCLING AND PINCHING THOSE PENNIIES
(That ended up in the bin!)

Save money on washing powder, go to the shops and buy new clothes every week.

An old pair of underpants can make a very attractive tea cosy. It would make a good conversation piece about recycling too.

Old jars can be used to fill empty shelves.

Replace bulbs in the house with broken ones, you will save loads of money.

Instead of buying expensive grease, use earwax to stop hinges squeaking. (My two lads thought that this idea was very amusing and insisted that I printed it!)

Save lots of money buying expensive oven cleaners, eat out in restaurants every night.

Save toast and turn it back to bread, simply scrape with a knife and wash under the tap.

Put up wallpaper with blu-tak, that way you can take it with you when you move house.

Sawdust from the wood yard makes ideal fake snow and is also an indispensable ingredient in the kitchen. Use it to thicken soup, add it to cereals, cakes and biscuits and it makes a great substitute for Parmesan cheese. It can bulk up a cheap cut of meat too. And it’s free!

If you have children, don’t let them bring any friends into the house. Walking in and out of rooms will wear out your carpets and lino a lot quicker. And replacing the floor covering will be expensive.

When you are buying vegetables make sure they are dry. If not then dry them with your sleeve. You don’t want to be paying for water.

(After reading this one again we quite like the idea and we have decided to take it out of the bin. We do know someone who goes into the grocery shops armed with a small knife. She uses this to cut off the big stalks from the broccoli and to trim leeks before they are weighed. She also has a cloth to brush off the peat that is put on carrots to make them look fresher. She hasn’t started peeling bananas before going to the checkout yet, but it’s only a matter of time!)

TOP TIP

Lets finish things off by making a homemade fly swatter. Simply use a coat hanger and a cereal box. Straighten the hanger and fasten it to the box together with a piece of sellotape and hey presto! Your very own, home made fly swatter, ideal for keeping the flies off what’s left the turkey when it’s still on the kitchen table in January!

NOELINE PHOTO'S

Noeline with some of her beloved orphans

This hand peddled wheelchair was bought in Ghana from the money sent over.

Noeline Haylett is greeted in the new school she funded,by the education staff in Ho Ghana.

WATCH THE WALLET

I had a bit of a scare last week. I went into my local supermarket to get a few bits and bobs. It wasn’t until the following morning when I looked in my pocket that I realised that my wallet was missing. I searched high and low thinking that there was no way that I could loose such an important item. The car got a total clear out under the seats and I checked the pockets at least twenty times to make sure that it wasn’t in the jacket. Its not until something like this happens that you realise just how many important things that are kept in a wallet. I had my driver’s licence, cash cards, cash, credit cards, telephone numbers and even a condensed copy of my family tree. The thought of having to cancel all of the credit cards and reordering a drivers licence put me in a bit of a tizzy. So close to Christmas as well, my life seemed to be turned upside down. The wallet thankfully turned up but the incident made me realise just how important the contents of a wallet are and how they need to be kept very close to you especially at this time of the year when consumerism reaches fever pitch.

GIVE TIME THIS CHRISTMAS

Christmas doesn’t have to be a time of mad consumerism. There is a strong movement this year for people to give time to people instead of presents. It makes sense really. Its probably far easier and more rewarding to spend an hour with someone than it is to traipse around the packed shops looking for things that you assume that people will like for a present. There are other types of gifts that you could give that will save your nerves from being eroded by the crowds. Buy memberships in an environmental organization or donate to a favourite charity in the recipient's name. Another good way to rise above the regular is to; give waste-free presents like leisure activities, theatre tickets, beauty salon vouchers, book tokens, or traditional gifts like my mum does home-madecakes, Christmas puds, mince pies and even home-made chocs! You could also offer your services free of charge. We all have things that we are good at, so offer those - paint a room (or a picture), help to tidy up the garden for the winter, knit, sew -find something that you enjoy doing and it will be a pleasure to do the work.

If you still feel the need to go out and do a bit of last minute shopping then use these ideas as a guide.

Check Energy Star Labels when purchasing electrical appliances and computers.

Look for goods that are made of natural components, such as organically grown cotton, or wood, and hemp.

If you are buying for a baby then avoid toys and teethers made from vinyl plastic containing PVC components, which is a health hazard and pollutes the environment.

Spread the word about environmentally friendly products Buy goods for people that help them think about the environment.


Buy products that are recyclable or have recycled content.

CHRISTMAS TIPS

The amount of ribbon used every Christmas could tie a bow around our planet. The amount of packaging recycled at Christmas is greater than any other time of the year.

Design your own gift-wrap by using old paper bags, brown paper, comic books, cellophane, tissue paper, Sunday Supplements, magazines, posters etc. Add decorations such as old buttons, drawings, bows, stamped patterns, pictures cut from magazines, a small posy of dried flowers or other natural things such as wheat, seedpods or pinecones. If you do use shop bought wrapping paper, buy the kind with recycled content. I was told a tip recently that suggested that we cook up popcorn to use as a protective filler for fragile packages when they are sent through the post instead of polystyrene. It would be all right for local deliveries but might the presents might get confiscated at customs in some countries!

SANTA-THE FACTS!!

SANTA…. THE FACTS (ACCORDING TO MISGUIDED SCIENTISTS)

Most years I am asked by at least one child how Santa manages to get all of the presents delivered on time. Every year I come out with more and more fanciful ideas to the solution. Well this year I have done some research. If I’m asked, I can bombard any unsuspecting child with a few statistics that will get their brains ticking over.

Lets start by taking a look at Santa’s mode of transport, -his trusty reindeer. No known species of reindeer can fly. But there are roughly 300,000 species of living organisms yet to be classified. While most of these are insects and germs, this does not rule out flying reindeer -although only Santa (and maybe a few people who have plenty of Christmas spirit have ever seen one)!

Lets get down to the facts… There are two billion children (small people under the age of 18) in the world. But since Santa doesn't (appear to) handle most non-Christian children, this reduces the workload to about 15 per cent of the total (roughly 378 million according to the Global Population Count). At a rate of say, 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there's at least one good child in each. Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west. That's 822.6 visits per second. For each eligible household, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, put presents under the tree, eat any snacks, kiss mother when available, get back up the chimney, hop in the sleigh and move on. Assuming each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed around the earth, we're now talking about 0.78 miles per household - a total trip of 75.5 million miles, not counting stops to let Santa and the reindeer do what most of us must do at least once every 31 hours.

This means Santa's sleigh moves at 650 miles per second, or 3,000 times the speed of sound. The fastest person-made vehicle, the Ulysses space probe moves at a poky 27.4 miles a second (a conventional reindeer, by the way, can run 15 miles per hour at a strong gallop). Assuming each child gets nothing more that a medium-sized Lego set (two pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting overweight Santa. Conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting flying reindeer could pull 10 times the normal amount, Santa would need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload (not counting the sleigh) to 353,430 tons, or four times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth II. 353,000 tons travelling at 650 miles a second creates enormous air resistance, which would heat the reindeer to incandescence in the same fashion as spacecraft or meteors entering the earth's atmosphere.

The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 quintillion joules of energy per second. In short, they will burst into flames almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them and creating deafening sonic booms. The entire team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to centrifugal forces of 17,500.06 gravities. A 250-pound Santa (a wee bit underestimated) would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force. An eminent scientist who collated some of the fascinating facts about Santa concluded "If Santa DID deliver presents on any Christmas Eve, he's dead now."


So what do scientists know –ask any child and they will tell you that Santa is magic!

Check out some Christmas No No's

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Have a look at the Wiki site too

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Fun games for kids

A FEW CHRISTMAS STATISTICS

It is estimated that over Christmas as much as 100 square km of wrapping paper will end up in UK and Irish rubbish bins, enough to cover an area larger than Guernsey. Use string to tie up your parcels so that the paper can be reused.

Around 125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging are thrown away over Christmas. When buying gifts, try to avoid items that are excessively packaged.

An extra 500 million aluminium and steel drink cans will also be used over the festive period - vent your festive frustration by crushing your tins before placing them in the recycling banks.

Around 5,000 tonnes of aluminium foil gets thrown away in the UK and Ireland each Christmas. Try reusing the foil or make some decorations to hang on the tree for next year!

Check out some Christmas No No's
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Have a look at the Wiki site too
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Fun games for kids

FESTIVE TIPS

After Christmas parties, sort out all those items that can be recycled - drinks cans, bottles, packaging - and take them to the nearest recycling point.

If somebody gives you a present that you don't really want or your children receive a toy that is soon thrown into a box in the attic - rather than throw it away, pass it on to the play area at local health centres, hospital, play school or charity shop.

More than 80,000 tonnes of old clothes are thrown away over Christmas - if you get a whole new wardrobe, donate your unwanted clothes to charity shops.

FESTIVE LIGHTBULBS

Old light bulbs that have blown make great decorations for the tree. Paint either a snowperson or a Santa head on an upturned bulb. You can decorate them with all sorts of old coloured cloth and cotton wool, these can be stuck on with PVA glue or even some sealant left over after you have finished the globe. Tie string to the metal bit and hang on the tree. Make sure children are aware that bulbs can shatter if handled roughly, much the same way that glass baubles can

MAKE A CHRISTMAS SNOW GLOBE

The Christmas decorations are out in force now. If you have a few hours to spare over the next few days you could get the family together and make some interesting decorations out of recycled bits and bobs that are floating around the house. Young children usually come away from school at this time of year with a little something to add to the tree, usually made from a dissected egg box or toilet roll tube and cotton wool, and very good they are too. I would like to suggest a couple of ideas that also rely on things that have been used.

CHRISTMAS SNOW GLOBE
You can get snow globes from the shops for next to nothing, but to make one yourself will be far more satisfying.

What you will need:
- Glass jar with tight fitting lid (Any type of jar will do)
- Distilled water, or boil some water and use it when it's cool (Adult supervision needed)
- Glycerine (this helps to slow down the snow fall and is available in most chemists)
- White or silver glitter (avoid the ultra-fine glitters, they tend to float rather than fall!)
- Clear silicone sealant (a tube of aquarium sealant or the stuff you get from the DIY shop)
- Small waterproof ornament or figures
- Plastic jar lid, to fit inside the jar as a base to elevate the ornament within the jar, if needed
- Another plastic jar lid, or wooden circle plaque, just a bit larger than the diameter of your jar, to use as a stand (optional)
- Acrylic paint for the base of the ornament in your choice of colour
- Coiled Christmas rope
- Craft glue to attach the decorative rope

How to Make Your Own Snow Globe:
Check to make sure that the ornament you have chosen will fit within the diameter of your jar.
Make a trial run. Invert your globe jar and remove the glass part, leaving only the lid. Place the plastic base in the centre of the lid, then position the ornament on top of this. Place the jar over the ornament and check the fit. If the ornament is high enough to view clearly, use silicone or aquarium sealant to glue the ornament firmly to the lid. If you need to raise it up a bit put it on the other upturned lid and then stick that to the original lid. Use another small jar to test the snowfall. Fill the test jar with distilled water, or boiled water that has cooled, then add a teaspoon of glitter. Put the lid on and shake it to see if you like the effect. If the snow is too sparse, add a little more glitter. Add a few drops of glycerine and test it again. The glycerine should slow the rate of the snowfall quite nicely.

Working over a sink, pour the water and glitter into the globe jar, filling it to the very top. Invert the ornament assembly into the water and screw the lid into place. Some water will be displaced and spill over the top of the jar. Wipe the jar dry and shake it up! You can use the sealant to glue the jar to a wooden base or another plastic lid, if you like, for extra stability.
Paint the base and the jar lid in your choice of colour. Once the paint is dry, use craft glue to add your choice of Christmas coiled rope, a circle of Christmas lace, or whatever you wish to add as embellishments.

Check out some Christmas No No's

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Check out the Wiki site too

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Fun Games for kids

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TAKE A SEAT

ME AND MY MOTOR-MARION MCDONALD

Cllr Marion McDonald from Moville is in the motoring spotlight this week. Marion is a tireless campaigner for improvements in green issues on the peninsula. She is involved with the Tidy Towns group and is presently campaigning for more bins to be provided in the town as well as introducing effective by-laws to clean up the doggy doo that covers the pavements. Marion is driving a 2006 Daihatsu Terios


How long have you had the car?
One and a half years. I bought it new. I always buy my cars from Michael Doherty in the town. I used to drive Fiats but now I drive Daihatsu, as Michael is the main dealer.

Any plans to change?
No, I am very happy with the car that I have.

Is it reliable?
Very reliable. The only time it sees the garage is when it goes in for a service. I stick to the recommended service intervals. I need a reliable car for the work that I do. I clock up a lot of miles going to meetings around the country. I was in Wicklow this week at a conference about the Parnell Summer School, and next month sees the start of more and more meetings, so reliability is very important.

Are you in a breakdown service?
No, I don’t feel that I need to be. If I did have any trouble with the car (like I did with a Fiat Punto once) Michael came straight out and fixed the problem. He is my best friend when it comes to cars!

What is the best thing about the car?
I love the high driving position. It makes me feel safer on the road as I can see obstacles better.

How often do you wash it?
It gets a good wash every week at the carwash.

How would you help motorists given the chance?
Although reducing tax is the usual answer I feel that this money is necessary, so I would recommend reducing the actual cost of the car instead.

What would you really like to be driving around in?
I must confess that a car really means nothing to me! It isn’t high on my list of priorities, as long as it gets me from A to B I don’t care what I am driving. The only thing I know about the car is when it needs to be filled up with petrol!

PLANT GIFTS

Another favourite is the cyclamen

Plant gifts
Plants solve all sorts of present buying dilemmas. There is really something for everyone (who likes plants), from novice gardener to expert. For people who appreciate houseplants, the traditional gift is Euphorbia pulcherrima, better known as the poinsettia. It’s main interest is the showy red, pink or white bracts (leaves) that come as the same time as the tiny flowers. The plants survive all right in room temperature but they do tend to be short lived. I have tried on many occasions to make them last for a year but have come to the conclusion that the end up on the compost bin some time in February. If you want to try to make the bracts come again next year then water them sparingly and put them in total darkness for two months prior to flowering (October).

Another good one is the Madagascar jasmine, Stephanotis floribunda. This climbing plant is usually sold on a hoop or wire where the glossy dark green foliage is best displayed. The main reason these plants are so attractive is the abundance of clear, white, highly perfumed flowers. Give this to someone who has a bright, sunny window and won’t mind misting the foliage regularly and watering with a liquid feed every week or so during the flowering period. The sweet fragrance of the flowers fills the house.


Outdoor plant gifts
There are plenty of outdoor plants that look good at this time of year. Try Chimonanthus praecox, the winter sweet. This deciduous Chinese plant is often overlooked in favour of more showy summer performers but in winter few plants match it. The deep yellow flowers have strap like petals and a spicy fragrance. It makes a great specimen fan- trained against a wall or fence.

One of the most reliable plants for winter flowers has to be Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’ . This produces a mass of delicate looking, highly fragrant, pink flowers from November to March. It is best suited to a sunny position in moist soil, close to a path where the fragrance can be appreciated.

ANNUAL VISIT

Nora is always good for a laugh

Paul left us this week to travel back to his homeland (England). He wanted to get back in time to see his youngest lad perform in the school nativity play. Willem, his son is only eight years old but finds himself typecast in the acting world. This is his third year of being a camel. He’s fine about this and says he’s not taking the hump (groan!)

I took advantage of Paul going home by jumping in the back of his estate car with my youngest lad and headed off to do my annual visiting in England. I am catching up with the gossip with friends of mine that also have children, which saves me having to apologise all the time for sticky fingerprints on the woodwork. My friends Rick and Karen Ann have themselves a house, which backs onto a mature, natural woodland. It’s owned by the council and is in need of some serious maintenance, there is a lot of dead wood to be taken out and as far as I can see there are very few new trees coming along to replace those that are dying. I’m itching to get in there with a chainsaw, but have to keep telling myself that I’m on holiday.

Christmas is coming
Nativity plays, late night shopping and hangovers are on the agenda over the next few weeks. There are plenty of distractions and excuses to keep gardeners from their gardens, and that’s without mentioning the weather! However, a few minutes in the garden could be exactly what you need to bring a little sanity into the hectic Christmas period. It’s also a good place to hide to get a break from all those festive jobs!

CRACKED POTS

There are a lot of them around!

Not all patio pots can withstand a winter outside. Some may be labelled as frost resistant, but this won’t always guarantee the fact. Don’t risk frost cracking your favourite terracotta and glazed ceramic pots. Empty them out, wash them and store them in a frost-free place.

WINTER COLOUR

This is the time of year that garden centres are stocking up on early spring flowering plants. If you have any money left over after Christmas and the New Year sales it might be an idea to invest a few euro in a bit of winter/spring colour. I still have a few summer flowering containers outside the front of the house, I have been meaning to empty them for a couple of months now as they are in a real state with soggy looking geraniums and bits of dead twigs hanging from them. This week I’m definitely going to get around to it. I thought I’d put some pansies in them to brighten them up. The old compost from the containers will have to be taken out and composted, as the summer plants will have taken all of the nutrients. You never know what horrors lie in the soil either. Vine weevil love container compost and once those start munching the roots it’s not long before your prized pansies topple over and die.

WINTER HANGING BASKETS

I was at the garden centres last week and saw some great hanging baskets. Winter hanging baskets shouldn't be seen as the poor relation to summer displays. Winter displays can be equally alluring although they are subtler. For example I saw a very attractive herb basket. It wasn’t full of colour but it looked marvellous and smelt divine.

Winter baskets are relatively low maintenance.

The occasional water unless unseasonably dry.

In the depths of winter when frost and snow is about, you can stop watering completely as it will freeze the roots. With the onset of a thaw give the plants a good drink. Cold winds can also quickly dry out baskets.

Before planting think about the type of compost to use i.e. if planting heathers use ericaceous compost. Any compost used should be free draining. When planting, remember plants grow more slowly in winter so plant closer together or buy larger ones. Winter baskets - especially those containing winter-flowering plants - should be planted as early as possible as plants will not grow much in the winter and so won't initiate flower buds. Try and have them planted by the end of this article if possible!

CONTAINERS
Here’s a list of some of the popular plants that are available for containers, all of them can be planted out into the garden when it’s time to put in summer flowering plants, or alternatively leave them where they are and they will come back next year.

Violas. Very colourful and very hardy plants. This year we can see even more varieties in the shops.

Winter pansies. There are loads of different colours available. Make sure they are sturdy plants and not too leggy, plant them a bit deeper to stop them wobbling around in the wind. With pansies and violas they will flower a lot longer if you deadhead them regularly. Save the seeds and plant them out in spring.

Trailing ivy. Both plain and variegated ones look good. This plant brings shape to a container and fills them out.

Dwarf conifers. Dark or light green, take your pick.
Primulas and polyanthus. Both will give colour in spring and will spread nicely in the garden for next year. Again there are loads of colours available.

Herbs. Buy small plug plants if you can get them, they will soon fill out and provide plenty of foliage.

Heathers. I’ve found the winter flowering ones grow really well around the peninsula; they will flower well into the spring too.

Bulbs. There is still time to buy bulbs for planting out now. There are fabulous varieties to choose from. Ensure the bulbs are firm and disease free. Varieties such as the dwarf narcissi, crocus, iris and tulips look very effective in containers and flower for a long period.
Small shrubs. Shrubs with berries look effective, such as skimmia. There are many to choose from, try Euonymus for attractive foliage or bay and box for a strong central feature.

All of the plants mentioned are frost hardy and will cope with the worst of the weather. Sometimes just one specimen shrub can look more effective in a container than a lot of colour, for example a clipped box will look stunning on it’s own.

If an instant effect is what you are looking for then plant the plants close together. If you put them in the containers with a bit of room, they will soon fill the gaps as the growing season starts.

PLANTING UP CONTAINERS.

Make sure the containers you are using have drainage holes! Then put in some stones or old, broken terracotta pots. If the pot is heavy and you don’t need ballast to stop it blowing away in the wind then use old polystyrene. This will help the drainage. Some slow release plant food will help the plants along. You can try making up a hanging basket with these spring plants. The pansies, herbs, heathers and ivy’s will all look good. When planting the basket up, start from the centre and work outwards. There is more chance of root damage if it is planted up starting from the outside and working inwards. Water retaining crystals would be beneficial too but they aren’t so vital in winter baskets. Remember, plants will still dry out in baskets, even on the wettest of days, so check them regularly.

ME AND MY MOTOR- ANGELO CALLAGHAN

Angelo Callaghan from Newtowncunningham has recently created the funky Frocksrock Dolls with her business partner, Nicki Cole. These dolls are pretty funky too, as your child and her doll get to wear identical fashions. Frocksrock have set up a giant doll’s house in Santa’s Lapland at Doagh Island in the run up to Christmas to give people the opportunity to see and buy their dolls. The craft shop in Tullyarvan Mill also has some in stock.

Check out their website http://www.frocksrock.com/

Angelo finds her Chrysler Voyager 2.5 XD a versatile car with loads of room for humans and dolls!

How long have you had the car?
I bought the car a year ago. It was bought privately from Dublin, where it was being used as a VIP chauffeur driven vehicle for the likes of the golfer Tiger Woods.

Have you any plans to change?
No, I am totally in love with the car. It is just so versatile. One minute it is being used to take the children to school. Then the seats fold down to transform it into the works van.

Is it expensive to run?
It does over 35 miles to the gallon so it is about the same as a standard saloon. We have just had new tyres fitted though, which worked out at €120 euro each! The walls are re-enforced for extra safety, which is compulsory for MPV’s

Best and worst thing about the car?
The legroom is fantastic for everyone. The children love the in-car entertainment in the back. We have a fold down television on the roof with wireless headphones. The children can watch a movie if we are on long journeys. It’s great to hear the laughing coming from the back! The only negative is the security glass that has been fitted. People can’t see you waving at them when you drive past.

Does it ever get a wash?
We live in the country so the roads tend to be covered in mud from the tractors, especially when the spuds are being dug up. Last week we went to the Guildhall in Derry to a craft fair and I was backwards and forwards all day. I didn’t want to turn up with a dirty car so it got washed three times that weekend! Not since though I might add!

How would you help motorists given the chance?
People with four or more children have to drive MPV’s by law to ensure the passengers are seated safely. Most MPV’s have large engines and with the increase in tax, it makes drivers of these vehicles feel punished for upholding the law! VRT should be revised too.

What would you most like to be driving around in?
I have a soft spot for the Mercedes C180 coupe. I don’t know if I would get all of the boxes in the boot though!

INTERVIEW WITH JOE

A couple of weeks ago in the Inish Times, the editorial raised the point about recycling, or the lack of it in the County. Especially if the Christmas tree recycling scheme is anything to go by. This got my little brain ticking over as to why recycling isn’t catching on very quickly in Inishowen. After a bit of thought I thought the best thing to do would be to go out and about to ask a member of the public, so I headed down town.

At a local bar I met Joe (real name withheld due to marital reasons) who kindly agreed to give me a few minutes of his time.

Q. Hello Joe, nice of you to talk to me. My first question is, do you recycle any of your household waste?

A. Yea, course I do, one flush and it’s gone! (Laughs) But seriously now, I was thinking about getting one of those plastic bin things from the council to put me kitchen waste in. The council doesn’t deliver them so I didn’t bother me head. I don’t know if we have much kitchen waste anyway, it’s the wife that does the cooking so you’ll have to ask her.

Q. Do you ever use the bottle banks that the council provide?

A. No, I don’t bother with them either, there’s enough sand in the world to make glass forever. They ought to put a deposit on the bottles- that will give young kids something to do taking them back to the shops. I did it when I was a wa’in and it kept me in fags.

Q. What about the idea of recycling Christmas trees, why aren’t more people doing it?

A. What’s the point? They rot down in the back garden anyway. It just uses energy to get them to these drop off points and you get nothing for them. There’s that company makin’ money out of turning them into garden mulch as well, I’m not doing their job for them! I’ve heard some councils in England will give you the shredded stuff back for nothing…I might do it then.

Q. What about other household waste. The manufacturers of electrical equipment are being made to safely dispose of obsolete appliances such as fridges. Do you think that is a good idea and will you use this service?

A. Yea, that’s a great idea! Any company, or council for that matter that is prepared to collect old electrical stuff and get rid of it for you can’t be a bad thing. The council should get a massive lorry and collect all the stuff from people’s houses, and while they’re at it they can clean up all the old junk that’s littering the countryside and roadsides. Yea.. In Japan there’s this island that they put all their electrical goods on so people don’t have to look at it…

Q. You seem to expect the council to do all this for you. Have you ever thought of not being so dependent on others and take responsibility for your own recycling?

A. It’s what I pay me taxes for innit!

Q. So you work then?

A. Well, no, not exactly. But I do buy stuff that I pay a lot of tax on, such as me fags.
And do you know how much tax you pay on a pint these days; I don’t know where all the money goes to. Not on the roads I can tell you.

Q. O.K. O.K. what are your views on the prospects of large incinerators being built to accommodate all the waste being produced?

A. Oh yes, I’ve heard about them. They sound like a great idea. The council could get rid of all the rubbish easily. There would be no need for landfill sites either, which would be a good thing.

Q. Don’t you think that the use of incinerators is just substituting one potentially harmful method of rubbish disposal for another?

A. Huh?

Q. Well apart from toxic fumes there is also the issue of once the fire is lit it will need to be constantly fed. This might mean that the company running the incinerator will probably have to import rubbish from other countries to keep it burning

A. Aah yes, but it wouldn’t be built around here though would it? They could build it over in Cork or somewhere out of the way.

Q. The pollutants could be carried great distances in the air so it probably wouldn’t matter where they were built. What about the ideas that all of us can drastically reduce our waste in the house by buying products without packaging; this would reduce the need for landfill or incinerators.

A. Hey, don’t blame me, blame these companies that make the packaging and cheap plastic rubbish on the market that breaks as soon as you use it!

Q. I’m not blaming anyone, I’m just saying…

A. Look, I haven’t time for all this, I’ll tell you what, get me another pint on your way out will you. Oh yes and a packet of those dry roasted peanuts as well……….

TOPPLING TURBINE

A new turbine in Inishishowen had a bit of a setback recently when the top section came crashing to the ground. No-one was injured but the cost of the accident was in excess of 1 million euro.

WINTER INTEREST

Fatsia Japonica

I would like to plant some shrubs in my garden that have some winter interest. Have you any suggestions please? Regards F.N. Newtown.

Reply. This fits in well with the winter fragrance shrubs I just mentioned. There are others that you could consider as well, some of these listed give off a smell but others are just nice to look at.

Cornus mas: This shrub has an open, spreading habit and produces a mass of yellow flowers in late winter.

Eleagnus macrophylla: This is a great shrub for the coast. It has pretty silvery, evergreen leaves and produces fragrant flowers, which are also silvery around late autumn time.

Fatsia japonica: (False caster oil plant) This evergreen shrub is a great addition to any garden. It has exotic white flowers in early winter. There are some fine examples around the peninsula and they add a touch of the Mediterranean to the area. They don’t like being cut back though so just cut out dead wood in spring.

Prunus subhirtella: (Autumn cherry) This is, in fact, a tree, but it is compact enough to grow in a container. ‘Autumnalis’ has semi-double; white blooms and can flower between late autumn and early spring. Both of these small trees will enhance a patio planter throughout the winter.

WINTER SHRUBS

Daphne mezeruem 'rubra'

WINTER FRAGRANCE
There are wonderful fragrances around in the plant world at any time of the year. One in particular that evokes memories of summer evenings is the honeysuckle. The smell of their flowers in the evening is very distinctive. Just because we are heading into the dormant season doesn’t mean that we are lacking in outdoor scent either, if you use your nose when out for a walk you will still notice some lovely aromas. To start with autumn itself has a wonderful earthy smell. Individual plants such as the Christmas box (Sarcococca), which can be planted even in the smallest garden, are delightful. There are loads of other plants that will give your nose a bit of pleasure; here are a few more common plants that you should find in the local garden centres now.

Daphne mezereum: This deciduous shrub has bare branches wreathed in sweetly scented, pink or white flowers. The shrub is very hardy and shouldn’t outgrow its site for many years. There are less common types as well; the Daphne ‘Aureo-marginata’ is a variegated evergreen is also a good choice as it thrives on acid soil.

Mahonia Japonica: This plant has other hybrids as well that are equally popular such as ‘Charity’ and ‘Winter sun’ but the original Mahonia still has the most powerful fragrance. The rosettes of holly shaped leaves set off the yellow flowers brilliantly. The smell is similar to the Lilly of the Valley plant and has a very long season of flowering. It can grow big but you can keep it in shape by pruning out the old wood.

Hamamaelis mollis: (Chinese witch hazel) and its hybrid H. japonica will eventually grow into small trees, but will stay as a medium shrub for years. The flower colours vary from yellow to bright orange, depending on the variety you choose. The wispy petals seem unaffected by even the heaviest of frosts and the scent can penetrate from one end of the garden to another as soon as the sun comes out and the day warms up. If they are planted in a sunny spot in rich soil then they will also develop the bonus of bright autumn colour.

Chimonanthus praecox: This plant will thrive on alkaline soil and the flowers have a spicy winter fragrance. It will make a smaller bush than the Witch hazel and will need a sunny site to get the best results.

Viburnum x bodnantense: I saw some very good examples of the ‘dawn’ variety in the garden centre last week. These hardy shrubs do very well around Inishowen. There are other varieties such as ‘Charles Lamont’ or ‘Deben’ that are equally as good. These shrubs seem to do well in any soil and have small, sweetly scented tubular flowers between autumn and spring

ME AND MY MOTOR-DONAL MCKINNEY

The old garage has now been demolished

IT’S BUSINESS AS USUAL AT PIT STOP TYRE CENTRE IN BUNCRANA

The original building where Donal McKinney runs Pit Stop Tyre Cenre in Buncrana has recently disappeared but it’s still business as usual for the highly successful company. Donal started Pit Stop Tyre Centre on Ferris lane in Buncrana, just off of the main street nearly ten years ago and the time has come for a new purpose built workshop to be erected in its place. The new state of the art building will be here soon! You can still contact them on the usual number (074) 93 61386

Donal is driving a 2004 Fiat Doblo 1.9 diesel van


Why did you choose an Italian van?
I have always had a passion for Italian cars. My brother and I used to work on my father’s Fiat 127. We reconditioned replacement engines to be on standby for when the one in the car packed up. We could replace the engine in no time. It made me very familiar with Italian engineering. Since then I have owned a Lancia Delta, a Fiat Punto and Alfa Romeos.

How long have you had the van?
I bought it new four years ago. It replaced an old transit van and the Fiat’s small size makes it very handy for running around the towns. I have a larger pick up truck for the bigger jobs but most breakdowns that I deal with are either tyres or batteries and the van is perfect for dealing with these types of problems.

Is it reliable?
Yes. Italian cars can have a bit of a reputation for being temperamental but I have had no problems with the Doblo. It has a great driving position too.

How often do you wash it?
Nearly every day! In the quieter moments the young lads who work with me take it to the pressure washing facilities that we have. I think the lads enjoy it as well because it gives them an excuse to do a bit of driving.

Are there any modifications?
The car has alloy wheels, that’s about it. The performance and style are sporty enough.

What would you really like to be driving around in?
It has to be Italian. The new Alfa Brera would do nicely.