TINNED DELIGHTS

I still have a memory of a woman on a telly program tucking into a can of Whiskas cat food. She was doing this to prove that there was as much nutrition in it as conventional food for humans. Although the thought of it was pretty yucky, she had lived on it for about six months and was perfectly happy. This was about thirty years ago and the issue has arisen again. This time it’s not to prove that the food in the tins is comparable to human food, this time research has shown it’s actually better for us! Yes, a tin of dog food contains less fat, salt and sugar. In some cases about one eighth the amount in fast food chicken from a fast food joint. The dog food also contains more fibre and protein. The taste of the dog food is more meaty than a fast food meal but less spicy. It can’t be all that bad because most young toddlers that I know have all at some stage had their head stuck in the dog’s dinner!


Another popular product on the market are those drinks and yoghurts that contain probiotic substances. The probiotic product market is worth about €1.2 billion euro and has risen 500% since 1998. American researchers tested 55 probiotic products and found that just 20% of them contained probiotic products labelled. Nine of the products had no bacteria at all. The group also claimed that most of the bacteria can’t live in the gut anyway so they are a waste of time. However as the manufacturers’ have a vast budget for advertising, we are going to see a lot of probiotic products pushed at us regardless of whether they are any good for us. One benefit from this type of product is that it will make us look more closely at our diets and we can choose a healthier alternative, whether we buy their goods or not. At least with probiotic products we have the freedom of choice.



There was a very disturbing report about fluoride in water recently, which has come about because of the lack of this freedom. The claim was that new research has found that the inclusion of fluoride in the water supply is directly linked to the increase of bone cancer in children. Put fluoride into the search blg box to find out more.

Click the Tinned Delight title above for a report on flouride in water from the Irish Independent.


Environmental

SIMPLER WAYS

Cosmetic surgery for vanity has become more acceptable and more affordable. There are simpler and more natural ways of keeping young if you don’t want to go under the knife. As nutritionalists say, it’s what you put in that will show on the outside. There are several cultures whose elderly live long, healthy and productive lives although they probably have wrinkles! In these societies there is no association with old age and poor health as we find in western society. For example, the Hunzas of northern Pakistan live exceptionally healthy lives, well beyond 100 years old. Their elderly men still work breaking and carrying rocks and even father children well beyond 80 years of age! The biggest factors in the well being of these cultures could be their simple diet, stress free lives and high level of physical activity. I could live with that!



Ian
Is it safe to use spray insecticides in the house? Thanks S.T. Newtown

Reply
In countries that have regular hot weather and lots of flying insects the doors and windows are fitted with fly screens. These are highly effective at keeping out the pests and leaving the fresh air to circulate from outside and is something we here in Inishowen should consider when the weather it at its hottest in the summer months. We tend not to have long periods of that sort of weather though, so these screens are very seldom used. Cans of insecticide are surprisingly low down on the list of household poisons, as long as you check that the ingredients contain pyrethrum. Pyrethrum is the name given to several cultivated chrysanthemums. The dried, ground up flower heads are a powerful pesticide for aphids and mosquitoes and will also kill the flies in the house. The biggest problem with these aerosols is that it will upset anyone with allergies, so extreme caution is advised. Try not to use it in confined spaces or near the family pets. It won’t be long before the flies start coming, try not to keep anything in the house that will attract them. Remember:

Time flies like an arrow...

Fruit flies like a banana.


Environmental

VERBAL CRUTCHES

How are you at deciphering text messages?

I enjoy the fact that language is fluid and caters for every generation. Texting, I think is a great way of the young to alienate the older generation from conversations. If find this refreshing as there is nothing in this form of communication that is unnecessary, it is all vital, for example cu2n8, means exactly what it says. There are certain things about language though that isn't so attractive or necessary. There are certain words and phrases in common use that seem to have an ability to steal power,impact and punch from peoples speech.

THE CRUTCH OF THE MATTER
Ahs and ums in conversation is something we all do from time to time and these are known as verbal crutches. These fill spaces in the conversation whilst our brains catch up with our mouth. There are other filler words we use such as sos, ands and wells inserted as unnecessary fillers that end up making our points less clear, less powerful and less effective. It doesn't end there though there are plenty of other words that sap our speech. For example: Really. This word is often used as a modifier when another word would be better. "It was really cold" would be more interesting if the words"icy cold",or "bitterly cold" either of these would create a better image. Really then is usually used to underline particular words."The festival was really spectacular"of "the food was really delicious" Both of these statements would be stronger when stated simply as, "the festival was spectacular" or "the food was delicious"

PRETTY
Pretty good, pretty exciting, pretty wonderful, pretty amazing. Are these not the blandest expressions you have ever heard! Was it amazing or not! If it wasn't then what was it? -surprising, unusual, unexpected? The right word to describe the experience is the one to use. We need to know what it was, not what it almost was.

NICE
Without wanting to sound too much like a grumpy old man I will continue with my pet irritation, the word "nice". Nice has a tendency to keep the listeners at arms length by acting as a substitute for a specific detail. "She was a nice person" could mean anything from"she was compassionate,attentive and helpful"to "She didn't treat me nearly as badly as I had expected her to" Sort ofs and kind of can be powerful if use correctly. "I won't stand for that kind of treatment". More commonly though kind of and sort of give the impression that the speaker isn't particularly committed to what they are saying. "I felt sort of confused" leaves listeners wondering just how confused they were. Saying " I felt confused conveys the situation far better. Similarly "I felt kind of angry" gives the impression of being half hearted even though it probably isn't meant like that. Sort of and kind of ( as well as really and pretty) are also used as fillers when the speaker is struggling to find the right word "I felt.....kind of strange"for example. Compare this to "I felt....strange" The second statement grabs the attention more powerfully and the puse creates a dramatic effect, you just have to be brave enough to have a pause.

Just is also another word that could be used effectively as in "The arrow just missed the mark" Used carelessly though this innocent little word can take away meaning to your sentences. "I just want to say...." or "I just feel....." I inserted in a sentence like this weakens what you have to say. "I want to say" or "I feel" says it all without having to add "just'' At times I know I use words such as these because subconciuosly I am trying to fend off imagined critisism, aviod confrontation or defend my own anxiety. The reasult is that thew words lack power and authority. " I just want to say" really means " excuse me for opening my mouth and I might be wrong, but if I could just have your attention for a minute.."

MAKE EVERY WORD COUNT
It's important to make every word count in conversation ( and writing for that matter!) and if this is done in a texting manner than that's OK with me. Although I know an English teacher who would strongly disagree. Cutting out unnecessary words like "kind of" would be a start though. Imagine how flimsy Marin Luther Kings speech would have been if he started by saying "I have a kind of dream!" Or how Neil Armstrong's; “This is one pretty nice step for a man, erm,just one good leap for mankind.

Environmental

DID YOU KNOW?

Here is the beginning of a list that covers all sorts of useless information. It is destined to get longer as I delve into 6 years worth of articles!

Glass is a liquid. After approximately 10 years a window will be thicker at the bottom than at the top.

'Coca-Cola' translates to Chinese as 'Bite the wax tadpole'

Cut an onion in half and rub it on the sole of your feet. An hour later you will taste onion in your mouth.

Why do we clink glasses when we 'cheers' someone before drinking? Because in mediaeval times they would clash glasses so that liquid from each glass would spill into one another's glass & prove that both were drinking with good will and not to poison each other!

Remove a dint from a carpet by placing an ice cube in a spoon and resting it in the dint. It'll spring back up.

If you mouth the word 'colourful' to someone, it looks like you are saying 'I love you'!

A 'chicken tarka' curry is similar to a 'chicken tikka' only 'otter.

Spiral staircases are anti clockwise to make defending from above easier with a sword and attacking from below extremely difficult if right handed. Thus left-handed swordsmen were paid a premium.

There is more salt in a bowl of corn flakes than there is in a packet of ready salted crisps

The expression 'eaves dropping' comes from when houses had a gap between the eaves and the wall. From outside internal sounds appeared to 'drop' from the eaves.

Squeezing hard on the fleshy joint between your thumb and hand for a few minutes will relieve a headache. This area is a pressure point that releases endorphins (happy signals) in the brain and knocks out the painful effects of the headache!

AND FINALLY
A man went into a fancy dress party with his girlfriend on his shoulders. His friend said, “What have you come as?” He replied, “A snail and this is Michelle”

Household-environmental

PHOTO ALBUM (press here to get photobucket link)

Here are a few photos that were taken recently. Most of them are from a recent trip to Australia, where I spent time in Byron Bay and the surrounding areas.

Photo left: Brisbane.

Photo centre: Buncrana bridge.

Photo right: Byron Bay flags.

Environmental

MAKING RAISED BEDS

We transformed our waterlogged back garden into a productive plot in just two days. With the use of paths and raised beds the work needed to keep it tidy won't take up the summer.



PIC. 1 The waterlogged garden before work commenced.

PIC. 2 With the help of the neighbour, the site was cleared.

PIC.3 The whole area weas covered with 6 inches of coarse sand.

PIC. 4 Detail of raised bed edges.

PIC.5 The new raised beds were laid out in the sand.

PIC.6 Weed block material was put down.

PIC.7 Lots of muck is needed to fill the beds.

PIC.8 Next, the wood chip went on to the paths.

PIC 9 Young plants flourish with in the heat of the raised beds.

PIC 10 An arial view shows the growth in just one month.

PIC.11 Time to concentrate on the details.

PIC 12 Even in winter the beds look attractive.

CREATING YOUR OWN RAISED BEDS IN EIGHT EASY STEPS

If you have a wet site or would like to grow plants and vegetables but dislike weeding, then raised beds are for you. They can be built quickly and cheaply without being too sore on your back. The back garden I am using as an example was a marsh when we started and because of the fact that the area was built on rock. This meant that there was no soak away for the water. Initially I dug a 1metre soak away and the water just sat in it and didn’t drain away. So we had no choice but to build up the garden. Here is a step-by-step account of the work that was needed to create a small productive plot.


STEP 1
Firstly we measured out the size of the site then came up with a workable plan on paper. We were very adventurous at the beginning, but it doesn’t matter if anything is left out as they can be added at a later date. We then decided what features were going to stay in the garden. This didn’t talk long as there were only two clothes line poles in the garden and nothing else apart from mud!

STEP 2
The existing garden was waterlogged for six months of the year (Pic. 1) The first thing to do when work started, was to clear the site of all of the rubbish and unwanted features. (pic.2)

STEP 3
The next step was to build the level of the garden up to allow water to drain away and also to get a level surface for the beds to sit on For this we used about five tonnes of coarse sand (pic.3)

STEP 4
We chose six foot by three foot (2mxIm) fencing panels for the bed structures; these are a manageable size for the beds as we can reach the middle of them with no effort when it comes to weeding. The planks were nailed together with the help of wooden blocks in the corners. (Pic.4) The wood has been pressure treated and should last at least five years hopefully more.

STEP 5.

After the beds were constructed they were laid out on the sand. I painted them with a wood stain to match the fence and blend everything together. We chose to have a path running along the centre of the garden and we left at least two to three feet (0.75-1m) between the beds for access with the wheelbarrow and for weeding. We then put the weed block fabric down on the paths. The fabric pushes underneath the wood. This eliminates gaps where weeds can get a hold (pic. 6)

STEP 6
Now it was time to fill up the beds. I collected a few large trailer loads of good topsoil form a local builder. He was kind enough to give me this free of charge. Before this was used I put very generous amounts of well-rotted horse muck into the empty beds. The manure came from the stables at Inch Island and it is fabulous stuff (Pic.7). I also added all of the contents of the compost bins that were in the garden. I heaped the soil as it settles after a week or so. We also decided where the small patio areas were going to go. I didn’t cement them in, as they are not going to get heavy use and we planned to get the shed put near the fence, which we have done, and the slabs were easily lifted. Wood chip was then put on the paths, we decided on wood chip in preference to gravel, as it was softer on the feet. (pic. 8)

STEP 7
Now we were ready for planting. Although the area was predominantly for vegetables, we though that room should still be made for flowers. Especially ones that attracted ladybirds and other beneficial insects into the garden. Seeds that were planted soon shot up in the sunshine and heat stored in the soil of the raised beds (pic 9)

STEP 8
Now it was time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labour as the garden is very low maintenance. We added a few inexpensive features such as chairs and a small container with water plants. We also filled up some containers with specimen plants for a bit of height in the garden. After two months the garden was really starting to takes shape (pic 10). After a while we were able to concentrate on the finer details of the garden. (pic 11) Because we have grown over wintering vegetables such as broccoli and kale we will get winter interest. The birds will enjoy the feeder that we put out on the cold mornings (pic 12)

WORK IN PROGRESS
The garden is a work in progress and we try to improve it all of the time. Although it is only a small area, the costs can still rise. That is why the plan is a great idea. We can dig it out once a year and see what needs adding next.

You might be surprised to learn that all of the materials came to well under €300, with enough money to spare to buy some seeds and a bird feeder. We did all of the labour with the help of a neighbour, and all of the goods were sourced locally in Inishowen.

Horticultural