Sunset on Inch island in Inishowen
Sunday, 16 December 2007
GRIANAN CHURCH INISHOWEN
Grianan an Aileach at the top of the hill is the ancient Temple of the Sun christianised by St. Patrick. Founded by the Druids, this ring fort dates back to some 2000 years B.C. . The panoramic view from the walls of this ancient palace is truly magnificent, 7 counties can be seen on a clear day. The legends and history behind Grianan is interpreted at the Grianan Aileach Centre, 2km from the fort.
OPEN DAY
Inishowen Gardening and Equipment Open Day
Inishowen ATV (All Terrain vehicles) & Garden equipment in Shandrum had their open day on Saturday. A fun time was had by all and there were some very interesting products on display. There were a couple that especially caught my eye. The first was the new decking that they have in stock from America. The planks are made from recycled wood and recycled plastic and the result is a smooth, non-slip hardwearing surface. I know a lot of people that are put off decking because they think it will be slippy when the wood is wet. This material seems to actually get less slippy when water is on it. The company that manufacturers the decking is called Trex and it’s definitely worth a look.
The other thing that caught my attention was a wheelbarrow called the Wheel Easy. I had a play with it and found it very useful. The centre of gravity is 50% lower than a conventional barrow so it’s very stable when there is a load in it. The whole thing folds away by removing one bolt and it is made out of a hardwearing material that is very difficult to tear. The advantage of this design is that you can simply roll large stones onto it without having to lift them. When I first saw this barrow I wondered why I had never thought of it myself. It’s the simple designs that are the best and this one works
NEW YEAR CLEANING
I was reading the statistics about the percentages of people that manage to stick to their resolutions. It makes for interesting reading but it shows that it depends what you have decided to give up as to how successful you are. The percentage of people that stick to putting their socks on the right way around and not inside out is very low, whilst the percentages for people who decide to cut something like smoking out of their lives is a little better. Cutting cigarettes from your daily diet can cause loads of tension in households and so can saying no to sugar. I have every admiration for those of you that made a decision to abstain in something, it’s not easy making the changes but I’m sure the benefits will show through in no time at all. If you fail in your resolution, don’t be too hard on yourself! For me this year, I have resolved to put up some shelving in the front room. This sounds like a small project but to get to the tools to do the job I have to go into the attic. When I beat a path into the loft space I will have to clear it out to find the tools, it’s no wonder I put it off from last New Year!
Here are a few other ideas that could go on the list of jobs to do.
NEW YEAR CLEANING IDEAS
If you have a dishwasher it will probably have been working overtime over the last few weeks. Run a hot vinegar rinse through your empty dishwasher, just to clean out the interior. Add lemon juice for a fresh scent.
Purge leftovers from your fridge. And any old condiments, or weird food items you just don't know what to do with. You will probably have loads of old food and half empty jars of red jelly stuff left over from Christmas. Throw out the contents and recycle the jars. It's easier to cook, and keep your fridge interior clean, when you can see what you have.
Pull out your fridge and vacuum those coils! You'll get big energy savings and your appliance will run longer.
· Next sunny day, turn off the heat, throw open the windows and doors, and let the clean air carry out your musty indoor atmosphere. Fluff your bed pillows outside in the sun, and turn them over to air after an hour or so. Drag everything outside: couch cushions, blankets, dog beds, upholstered chairs, and your sock drawer. The ultra-violet sunshine will kill off any clinging microbes, while the fresh air will linger inside your home for weeks. Watch out for rain showers though.
Here are a few other ideas that could go on the list of jobs to do.
NEW YEAR CLEANING IDEAS
If you have a dishwasher it will probably have been working overtime over the last few weeks. Run a hot vinegar rinse through your empty dishwasher, just to clean out the interior. Add lemon juice for a fresh scent.
Purge leftovers from your fridge. And any old condiments, or weird food items you just don't know what to do with. You will probably have loads of old food and half empty jars of red jelly stuff left over from Christmas. Throw out the contents and recycle the jars. It's easier to cook, and keep your fridge interior clean, when you can see what you have.
Pull out your fridge and vacuum those coils! You'll get big energy savings and your appliance will run longer.
· Next sunny day, turn off the heat, throw open the windows and doors, and let the clean air carry out your musty indoor atmosphere. Fluff your bed pillows outside in the sun, and turn them over to air after an hour or so. Drag everything outside: couch cushions, blankets, dog beds, upholstered chairs, and your sock drawer. The ultra-violet sunshine will kill off any clinging microbes, while the fresh air will linger inside your home for weeks. Watch out for rain showers though.
CHRISTMAS CANDLES
RECYCLE OLD CANDLES
We have a lot of candles this year. Candles give off a lovely warm glow and add a bit of cosiness to the long winter evenings. Most of them burn fairly well for the first few times bit they can get very messy and irregularly shaped, which makes them a bit dangerous to burn. This year we decided to recycle them into new candles and the result has been very successful. When soap bars get too small to use they can be compressed together to make a new bar, candles can be re-used in much the same way but instead of pressing them together we melted the wax. The whole affair proved to be a bit messier than we thought, but this shouldn’t put you off. We found an old saucepan and popped in all of the old candles then put them on the Parkray to melt slowly. We then used an old Pringles tube as a mould and used old string from a yo-yo as the wick that was held in place by a pencil resting on the top of the tube. I was very careful to tell the children to be careful, as hot wax is both dangerous and messy. As I was doing this I managed to spill the liquid on the cooker and also as I poured out the wax into the mould I spilled it all over the kitchen table. The washing up bowl has a ring of wax around it that I can’t get off and I have wax splats on my jumper and trousers. But I don’t care because we have this great big, tube shaped, red candle taking pride of place on the mantelpiece!
We have a lot of candles this year. Candles give off a lovely warm glow and add a bit of cosiness to the long winter evenings. Most of them burn fairly well for the first few times bit they can get very messy and irregularly shaped, which makes them a bit dangerous to burn. This year we decided to recycle them into new candles and the result has been very successful. When soap bars get too small to use they can be compressed together to make a new bar, candles can be re-used in much the same way but instead of pressing them together we melted the wax. The whole affair proved to be a bit messier than we thought, but this shouldn’t put you off. We found an old saucepan and popped in all of the old candles then put them on the Parkray to melt slowly. We then used an old Pringles tube as a mould and used old string from a yo-yo as the wick that was held in place by a pencil resting on the top of the tube. I was very careful to tell the children to be careful, as hot wax is both dangerous and messy. As I was doing this I managed to spill the liquid on the cooker and also as I poured out the wax into the mould I spilled it all over the kitchen table. The washing up bowl has a ring of wax around it that I can’t get off and I have wax splats on my jumper and trousers. But I don’t care because we have this great big, tube shaped, red candle taking pride of place on the mantelpiece!
ME AND MY MOTOR-ROSE CULLEN
Rose Cullen has been a local councillor for Fianna Fail on Buncrana Urban Council for three years and is involved in many local issues. One burning issue at the moment is the improper use of fireworks. “I have had two frightening experiences with youngsters throwing fireworks this week. Possessing fireworks here is totally illegal and if used incorrectly without the proper safety procedures they are extremely dangerous,” Rose states. “It is important that both children and adults know the dangers of fireworks”.
Walking down Rose’s driveway you can tell straight away that she feels very strongly about environmental issues. There is the blue recycling bin, with products neatly stacked to go to the recycling centre and to save on weed killer there are carpets to keep the weeds down. It makes perfect sense then that the car that Rose decided to drive should be one of the most frugal cars on the road, a year 2000 Nissan Micra 1.0.
How long have you had the car?
I bought it new seven years ago. It was my first new car. I bought it from the main Nissan Dealer in Letterkenny.
Have you any plans to change?
Definitely not. I think it makes far more financial sense to hang on to your car for as long as possible. It is better for the environment too.
Is it reliable?
I have never had any trouble with the car. It just has the regular services.
Best thing about the car?
The reliability and economy are the best (my daughter drives a Micra too). The car is an A to B car and it can be a bit lacking in comfort on long journeys.
How often do you wash it?
I hardly ever wash it! It got a going over last week because I went to a wedding in it. That was the first time in a year!
What would you do to help motorists given the chance?
Now that the nights are drawing in it is important to maintain the streetlights and illuminated traffic bollards in the middle of the roads. It is safer for drivers and pedestrians alike.
What would you really like to be driving around in?
I wouldn’t object to someone dropping off a Lamborghini onto the drive!
Walking down Rose’s driveway you can tell straight away that she feels very strongly about environmental issues. There is the blue recycling bin, with products neatly stacked to go to the recycling centre and to save on weed killer there are carpets to keep the weeds down. It makes perfect sense then that the car that Rose decided to drive should be one of the most frugal cars on the road, a year 2000 Nissan Micra 1.0.
How long have you had the car?
I bought it new seven years ago. It was my first new car. I bought it from the main Nissan Dealer in Letterkenny.
Have you any plans to change?
Definitely not. I think it makes far more financial sense to hang on to your car for as long as possible. It is better for the environment too.
Is it reliable?
I have never had any trouble with the car. It just has the regular services.
Best thing about the car?
The reliability and economy are the best (my daughter drives a Micra too). The car is an A to B car and it can be a bit lacking in comfort on long journeys.
How often do you wash it?
I hardly ever wash it! It got a going over last week because I went to a wedding in it. That was the first time in a year!
What would you do to help motorists given the chance?
Now that the nights are drawing in it is important to maintain the streetlights and illuminated traffic bollards in the middle of the roads. It is safer for drivers and pedestrians alike.
What would you really like to be driving around in?
I wouldn’t object to someone dropping off a Lamborghini onto the drive!
OVERWINTERING FUSHIAS
I’ve been attempting to salvage some of my summer bedding plants this week. There are a few plants that I have in my garden that are worth saving for next year.
I have a few geraniums, or pelergoniums as they are really called that I am putting in my polythene tunnel for a few weeks along side some begonias. Both these types of plants are sensitive to frost so I will eventually have to bring them indoors where I’m going to try to over winter them for next year. I have a very bad track record for keeping plants indoors though as they either die from lack of water or get eaten by greenfly. I remember last year trying to microwave the pests growing on my busy-lizzies. The greenfly survived but the plants ended up in the compost bin. Space is at a premium in our house and the window ledges aren’t practical for putting pots on, as they are too narrow so I try not to have too many plants in the house. The only one that has survived my neglect is a money plant (Crassula argentea) or Jade plant, as they are also known. This plant has managed to live quite happily with little or no attention for the past six months.
I have a couple of fuchsias in the garden that will want some form of shelter now that the nights are getting cold. There is the common hedgerow fuchsia and other hardy ones such as “Tom Thumb” that will withstand the frost around the coast, all they need is a mulch of straw or dry grass put around their crowns to protect them. The more tender shrubs that are in containers and hanging baskets will need that little extra care.
OVERWINTERING FUCHSIAS.
After flowering all summer, fuchsias, like gardeners, need to have a rest period. If you have the plants in larger, mixed containers, take out the fuchsia and pot up into it’s own container, make sure that there are no grubs in the old soil such as the dreaded vine weevil (small curled up white grub with an orange head) as these will eat the roots over the winter and you will be left with a dead twig stuck in the pot in spring. The compost should be just damp to the touch, as they don’t need much water when they are not growing.
Cut back the stems of the plant by about half with a sharp pair of secateurs. The aim is to create an even, well shaped specimen that you can start into growth again next spring.
The leaves will probably have started to die and drop off already, but if there are any left on the plant they are best removed as they could cause pest and disease problems when the plant is in storage.
Label the plant and put it in a cool frost -free place, check the plant every six weeks and give them a drop of water if the compost is very dry. Don’t over water, as this is the main reason for the plants dying.
REVIVING IN SPRING.
It’s probably a bit early to talk about what to do in spring but if I don’t tell you now I will probably forget until next summer and by then it will be too late. So, in late February or March, bring out the plants and put them in a warm, well-lit place. Don’t be alarmed if they look dry and twiggy (unless you didn’t check for vine weevil) because in a short space of time they will be covered in fresh, new growth. If you are worried that the plant might be dead, scrape back a tiny piece of bark to see if the wood underneath is green, if it is then the plant is still alive.
Give the pots a little water every few days and mist the woody stems with tepid water as this will help to soften the stems and encourage the buds to break. If you have the plants somewhere near the kitchen the steam from the pan full of boiling spuds will have the same effect. When the plant is safely back in growth, start to feed with a balanced plant food.
FUCHSIA CUTTINGS
When the new growth on the plant reaches a couple of inches, nip them off, pinch out the growing tip and either push into a small pot with some moist potting compost added or simply rest them on the side of a glass of water, they root very easily. This will increase your stock and save you money on your bedding plants next year.
CARING FOR STANDARDS
If you have a standard fuchsia (the ones that grow on a long stick) then you would probably have paid a lot of money for it. For this reason alone it would be worth trying to hold on to it until next year. The stem is the most vulnerable part of the plant, so protect it with a length of pipe insulation tubing. The pot head can be protected with horticultural fleece or bubble plastic. When you revive it in spring, lay it on its side to encourage the sap to flow to the top of the plant.
SWILLY GARDENING CLUB
SWILLY GARDENING CLUB IS ONE YEAR OLD
One year ago this month a group of gardening enthusiasts living around Buncrana got together and formed the Swilly Gardening Club. These intrepid enthusiasts realised there are plenty of other keen gardeners in the area that were looking for somewhere to learn more about horticulture. “You only have to look into peoples gardens around Inishowen to realise that there is a wealth of knowledge and interest when it comes to plant care” says Ian Gomersall, a member of the group. When the group was formed a year ago the committee didn’t really know what the reaction to it would be. They were not disappointed. In fact the attendance on the first night last February was fantastic. They practically filled the main hall at the local school! Over the first year the club has had some very prominent speakers to entertain and enlighten the members. Gordon Toner from Limavady, started the year by talking about spring bulbs and alpines and showing slides of his fabulous collection. Danny Mc Laughlin from Carndonagh came in and gave a talk about what to do in the garden in April. Stephanie Stephens from Greencastle talked about organic gardening in July and Patrick McCartney from Moville sang songs and cracked jokes in October. Other events throughout the year included a quiz night, a very successful plant sale and a bus trip to visit gardens of interest around Northern Ireland. In August there was a show night where members could bring their own grown plant or vegetables to be judged.
The club will be starting up again in February on Monday the 21st of February in the main hall, Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana at 8pm. The speaker on the night will be Clive Alcorn, from Letterkenny who will be showing us how to make colourful planters for this time of year. Throughout the year the club committee will be searching the country for speakers to give stimulating talks on all aspects of gardening.
The cost of the evening will be €2 for members and €5 for non-members which includes entry into the prize draw. At the first meeting there will be the opportunity to pay an annual subscription. Tea and coffee are served and the evening is great for networking with likeminded gardeners.
The club now meet at the Angling Centre
One year ago this month a group of gardening enthusiasts living around Buncrana got together and formed the Swilly Gardening Club. These intrepid enthusiasts realised there are plenty of other keen gardeners in the area that were looking for somewhere to learn more about horticulture. “You only have to look into peoples gardens around Inishowen to realise that there is a wealth of knowledge and interest when it comes to plant care” says Ian Gomersall, a member of the group. When the group was formed a year ago the committee didn’t really know what the reaction to it would be. They were not disappointed. In fact the attendance on the first night last February was fantastic. They practically filled the main hall at the local school! Over the first year the club has had some very prominent speakers to entertain and enlighten the members. Gordon Toner from Limavady, started the year by talking about spring bulbs and alpines and showing slides of his fabulous collection. Danny Mc Laughlin from Carndonagh came in and gave a talk about what to do in the garden in April. Stephanie Stephens from Greencastle talked about organic gardening in July and Patrick McCartney from Moville sang songs and cracked jokes in October. Other events throughout the year included a quiz night, a very successful plant sale and a bus trip to visit gardens of interest around Northern Ireland. In August there was a show night where members could bring their own grown plant or vegetables to be judged.
The club will be starting up again in February on Monday the 21st of February in the main hall, Scoil Iosagain, Buncrana at 8pm. The speaker on the night will be Clive Alcorn, from Letterkenny who will be showing us how to make colourful planters for this time of year. Throughout the year the club committee will be searching the country for speakers to give stimulating talks on all aspects of gardening.
The cost of the evening will be €2 for members and €5 for non-members which includes entry into the prize draw. At the first meeting there will be the opportunity to pay an annual subscription. Tea and coffee are served and the evening is great for networking with likeminded gardeners.
The club now meet at the Angling Centre
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