5 MINUTES WITH - MARY REILLY

Mary Reilly lives on Greenhill farm in Fawn on the outskirts of Culdaff with her husband John and two children. Together they grow organic vegetables for sale to the public and supply local shops with fresh, high quality home grown produce ranging from fresh salad crops, root vegetables, greens and of course spuds. Mary also has to juggle her time with being a student and is studying for a degree in organic farming. When you buy from Mary and John you can walk around their farm to choose what you want from the ground. This ensures top freshness and food that is packed full of goodness. If you would like more information about what they supply or would like to arrange a time to visit, then check out their website on http://greenhill.weebly.com or phone 086 327 3315

What music do you like?
Rock… I am particularly fond of the old classics bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. I also enjoy the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, but I am still not sure why…

What do you have for breakfast?
Nut free muesli and yoghurt, it’s a great start to the day.

What would you never throw away?
I dislike throwing anything away. I started recycling my bottles years ago before the bottle banks were here. I used to give them to the bloke that collected the bottles form the pubs. I tend to get a bit annoyed paying for packaging that I didn’t want anyway.

What book are you reading?
I am reading Terry Pratchett’s Making Money. It’s another book from the Discworld series.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
Ratatouille was enjoyable; I went to see it with the kids. We also went to see Bee Movie, I didn’t think much to it. That’s definitely one for youngsters.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
The front page for the news.

What is your idea of a good night out?
Somewhere you can hear yourself speak and doesn’t have a television. I enjoy a good live band gig as well.

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
I did an interview about a school dance on ICR. I didn’t enjoy listening to my own voice…

Have you a favourite TV programme?
I really only watch the news and sometimes a good film.

How do you relax?
I have to read a lot of texts for my studies so I find reading a good fictional book very relaxing.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
An architect.

Where would you like to go for your holidays?
A safari in Africa would be wonderful.

Your idea of heaven?
A vineyard in the South of France.

Your idea of hell?
Living in a city.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Nelson Mandela, Denzel Washington and Joy Larckom. Joy’s book about how to grow vegetables is our gardening bible.

Favourite animal?
The giraffe.

What couldn’t you live without?
A comfortable place to sleep…

Biggest fear?
I really don’t like stormy weather and gale force winds, they play havoc with polythene tunnels.

Biggest thrill?
When my children were born.

The world’s most irritating invention?
Can openers and things designed for right-handed people.

What is your idea of a good night in?
A roaring fire, good film and a good wine.

Do you have a hobby?
I enjoy history and Celtic traditions.

Biggest disappointment?
When a careers advisor at school told me that I couldn’t be an architect because I was a girl…cheek!

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
The Megalithic period –3200 BC. I could see the tomb at Newgrange being built. It took a workforce of 300, 20 years to build.

World’s most useful invention?
The Internet. Also sending e-mails, it takes up less energy than using paper.

Personal philosophy?
Take each day as it comes.

WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 23

Thanks to Scoil Naomh Padraig school for the image.

The Dalai Lama’s Outlook on Life

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self, Respect for others and Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules, so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

5 MINUTES WITH - TERESA MCLAUGHLIN

Teresa McLaughlin lives in Drumfad, Linsfort. Along with her husband Peter and her family, she is running their new company Inishowen Quad Safari. The business started just five weeks ago and is proving to be a massive attraction for tourists and locals alike. There are three tracks depending on your level of experience, ranging from a level surface for the novice, to humps, hollows, trenches and lots of water for the more advanced rider. Open all year, Inishowen Quad Safari is a must for all thrill seekers. They do individual tuition or groups. You can find out more on 087 664 6346

What music do you like?
I like most Country and Western music. I listen to Steven Lynch on Highland radio in the afternoon; he plays both Irish and American Country music.

What would you never throw away?
I don’t very often throw clothes away. I have “Maybe” pile and a “Dump” pile of clothes in the bedroom. Neither of them get thrown away very often….

What book are you reading?
Ugly by Constance Briscoe. It’s a true story about a girl who was abused by her mother. When she was thirteen her mother walked out leaving her with nothing. It is a story of how she survived her terrible start in life.

What was your favourite childhood game?
We used to make our own hopscotch squares on the road and I always enjoyed skipping as well.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
The girls wanted to see Sex in the City but we ended up going to see Prom Night instead. The tag line is: It's Midnight Everyone's Ready To Go Home...But Someone Has Other Plans… You can probably guess it’s a bit of a horror…It’s more fun watching these films with an audience in the cinema.

What is your idea of a good night out?
A good meal and a dance. The last time I went out was to the Laurentic, the new bar that has opened in Linsfort. The food and meal were excellent and the band playing got everyone moving.

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
I was in the front of our car with my father driving and I was keeping a sheep calm by holding it in the back seat as we drove home. My dad drove around a corner and the front passenger door flew open. I fell out of the car…. It was my pride that suffered the most…. The sheep was all right though…

Have you a favourite TV programme?
I really enjoy Casualty. For some reason I enjoy the realism.

How do you relax?
I enjoy a long soak in the bath.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
A hairdresser. I don’t know why, I just fancied it.

Where would you like to go for your holidays?
One of my daughters is in San Francisco so I try to get there as often as possible.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
The fine singer, Charlie Landsborough and actor John Wayne. My cooking isn’t the best though so I would probably take them out to a restaurant…

Favourite animal?
Toby, our one year old Jack Russell. We have had him since Christmas and he is totally spoilt.

What couldn’t you live without?
I couldn’t live without tea….

Biggest fear?
I am not that keen on snakes, but as there aren’t any in the wild in Ireland I don’t think that is much of a problem.

The world’s most irritating invention?
Alarm clocks. We have one that has different sounding ignition noises from John Deere tractors. On the hour, every hour, it would chime up with the sound of an old classic engine being stared. It has ended up in the shed.

What is your idea of a good night in?
Watching a film and having a Chinese meal.

World’s most useful invention?
The car. It is a must for people living in rural areas.

Personal philosophy?
Mother knows best.

FIRST ATTEMPT AT YOU TUBING

STAINED GLASS WINDOWS - BERLIN

WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 22

Thanks to Scoil Naomh Padraig school for the image.

Relax Your Efforts

Once Abbot Anthony was chatting with some of the other monks and a hunter who was after game in the wilderness came upon them.

He saw Abbot Anthony and the brothers enjoying themselves and he was most disapproving.

"How come you are sitting about enjoying yourselves? Aren't you men of God? Have you no work to be getting on with?"

Abbot Anthony looked at the hunter straight in the eye and said, "Put an arrow in your bow and shoot it."

This the hunter did. "Now shoot another," said the elder. "And another..and another.and another."

Eventually the hunter stopped and turned to the abbot with annoyance, "If I bend my bow all the time it will break."

Abbot Anthony replied: "So it is with the work of God. If we push ourselves beyond measure, the brethren will soon collapse. It is right, therefore, from time to time, to relax our efforts."

Desert Fathers