5 MINUTES WITH - EDEL BURNS

Edel Burns lives in Carndonagh is a qualified chef and has been working in the catering industry for the last twenty-five years. Originally from Swords, Edel moved to Donegal when she was 19 and has also spent time in Newry, Spain and Scotland, where her fiancé Robert hails from. Edel and her brother run their business supplying schools around the peninsula with packed lunches. They also hire out chocolate fountains for weddings and parties. The hours are long in the careering business but Edel wouldn't have it any other way, as she loves what she does. Edel is also available for catering for special events. For more information call her on 086 865 9708


What music are you listening to at the moment?
I'm listening to Lady Gaga, Poker Face and BelX1. Everyone says that I have a terrible taste in music, but what's wrong with liking pop music that 10 year olds enjoy?

What book are you reading?
I am reading an old Jeremy Clarkson book - The World According to Clarkson…. again. They are mostly articles from his newspaper column… I think he's great

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
I went to see a film called Valkyrie, which is based on actual events about a plot to assassinate Hitler during the height of WWII. I enjoyed the film and though that Tom Cruise was very good playing Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
I am hooked on Suduko so that's the page I always go to. I also have a Suduko book in my bag for the quieter moments in the day…

What would you never throw away?
I am very much a hoarder and I have loads of stuff lying around. I haven't thrown anything away for years and I have boxes that have been sealed up and I don't know what's in them. One day I will have a clear out.

Most embarrassing moment of your life?
Like most of us I would suspect, I have too many to recall.

Favourite TV programme?
It has to be Top Gear with the lads; Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May. I also enjoy a good Kerry GAA match if Top Gear isn't on Dave and I will always watch Moto GP… Rossi Rules….

Favourite meal?
Just give me a cheese and tomato sandwich.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I had two plans. One was to work in Dublin airport as most people I knew worked there, coming from Swords. I didn't mind what I would do. We used to come to Donegal for holidays and I loved it so wanted to come and live and work here….At least plan worked out...

Where was your best holiday and what made it special?
I spent four great summers in Rannafast Gaeltacht College. There were up to seven hundred of us , a lot of us from Inishowen. It was great fun. I loved it there.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
The Italian professional motorcycle racer Valentino Rossi for the craic. He is one of the most successful motorcycle racers of all time, with 8 Grand Prix World Championships to his name. Clarkson for the controversy and the Kerry GAA team to do the washing up..

What do you do for a special treat?
Hug the television remote control.

Biggest Challenge?
Getting to work at 4am- five days a week.

What was the best present you ever got?
I got hand made thank-you cards from some of the children we supplied lunches to. It was so unexpected and it was better than winning the lotto, we have them pride of place on the walls.

What was the last thing you bought just for yourself?
Wedding shoes. I am getting married to Robert in July, so I have to prepare.

The world's most irritating/most useful invention?
The most useful is the computer- the most irritating has to be a bad can opener. I have a really good battery one and I like it so much people get them as presents.

Favourite past-time?
Sleeping.

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
The Second World War. There was so much going off. I would have loved to have seen the dogfights.

What do you have for breakfast?
Nothing. I am usually up and running to work. Anyway, who wants breakfast at 3:30 in the morning…

Do you have a favourite cartoon character?
Calvin and Hobbes the comic strip written and illustrated by Bill Watterson is my favourite. It, follows the s antics of Calvin, an imaginative six-year old boy, and Hobbes, his energetic stuffed tiger.

What was your first paid job?
I was a lounge girl in a small hotel in Dublin(waiting tables). I worked Friday-Saturday and sometimes Sundays.

Best/worst household task?
Best: Cooking of course
Worst: Cleaning.

What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
When we finished college we were told "Now you begin to learn."

Personal philosophy?
It's a long road with no turn….

BUNCRANA TIDY TOWNS

There was a fantastic turn out on the shorefront in Buncrana this weeks as the Tidy Towns Group went out in force to do a tidy up.

STRAW BALES AT LISFANNON

The straw bales used in an effort to prevent erosion took a battering in a recent storm. Inch Island is in the background

The bales last year

See more stuff about Lisfannon

WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 52

The Wisdom of Geese

When geese fly as each bird flaps its wings it creates an uplift for the bird following. By flying in a V formation the whole flock has 71% greater flying range than if the bird flew alone.

Many of us recognise that there is a lot we can do by ourselves, there is a lot we can do with a partner or colleague, but there is considerably more power working with others. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are travelling on the thrust of one another.

Whenever a Goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back in formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.

If we have as much sense as a Goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go and be willing to accept their help, as well as give ours to others who are looking for support.When the lead Goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another Goose flies up to the point position.

It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing the leadership. People and geese are inter-dependent on each other's skills and capabilities and unique arrangements of power and resources; no one person is right to lead in all circumstances and at all times. Leaders need to learn to let go at times, and others must feel comfortable in stepping forward, no false modesty, no greed for power and position for its own sake.

When a Goose becomes wounded or ill or is shot down, two Geese move out of formation and follow it down to help to protect it. They stay with it until it is able to fly again or dies, then they launch out together with another formation or they catch up with their flock.

If we have as much sense as Geese, we, too, will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.The Geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.We need to make sure that our honking from behind is encouragement and not something else..

In groups where there is great encouragement against great odds, the production is much greater because of the power of encouragement. The word encouraged means to stand by one's heart, to stand by one's core, to encourage someone else's core, to encourage someone else's heart.

5 MINUTES WITH - BEV DOHERTY

Bev Doherty lives on the outskirts of Carndonagh with her husband Mike and son Ronan. Their married daughter lives in England. They have a ¾ of an acre smallholding surrounding them with organic fruit, herbs, vegetables and chickens. They have a polythene tunnel and greenhouse that increases their growing period and have invested in solar panels. Bev runs different workshops and also teaches the piano and recorder. She is a member of Transition Inishowen Initiative, part of the worldwide Transition Towns Movement that is empowering people to explore the challenges of climate change, peak oil and the economic crisis and how to come together as communities to live more on harmony with the earth.

What music are you listening to at the moment?
It’s a CD called Show me the Path made by my Dutch friends Wim Wali and Arienne Van der Zwan - a wonderful mix of sacred chants from the world's spiritual traditions.

What book are you reading?
I am re-reading the Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins. It has an excellent account on the various crises that humanity is facing and how we can build up resilience by coming together as communities to produce locally grown food, energy and public transport.

What was your favourite childhood game?
Stilts, they were a real challenge and the top and whip. You don’t see either of these much now.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
I went to see The Age of Stupid. I was at the world premiere recently. I was gobsmacked at the images the film has that showed the outcome of climate change if we carry on with the “Business as Usual” attitude. The film stars Pete Postlethwaite who plays a future archivist who looks back from 2055 at old footage to understand why humankind failed to address climate change, and asks "Why didn't we save ourselves while we had the chance?"

What would you never throw away?
Anything that could be recycled or re-used. We recycle Christmas and birthday wrapping paper and never have to buy any.

Favourite TV programme?
I watched an excellent programme on the BBC Natural World series called A Farm for the Future recently. Wildlife filmmaker Rebecca Hosking looked into how to transform her family’s farm in Devon into a low energy farm for the future. She discovers that nature holds the key. I also enjoyed the series Around the World in 80 Faiths.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I always wanted to be a teacher.

Where was your best holiday and what made it special?
My 11 month trip around the world. I was travelling from September 06 to August 07 and it was the adventure of a lifetime. I was in the US, Australia, New Zealand, India and Europe. I worked on organic farms and with communities.I also stayed with friends and family and taught peace dances in ashrams in India. I met really inspirational people and saw many natural wonders. I discovered that the world is basically a friendly place.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
Rob Hopkins, the author of The Transition Town Handbook, he is so inspiring. I would also have Satish Kumar, the editor of Resurgence Magazine around. He walked around the world for peace in the 1970’s and is a very spiritual person and great storyteller.

What do you do for a special treat?
Grind some organic and fairtrade Colombian coffee beans, and make an amazing cafe latte with hot frothy milk and cream. It would be accompanied by a couple of squares of Seeds of Change dark chocolate.

Favourite animal?
A milking goat with a nice big udder. We used to keep them but then our home- schooled children went to school, got sophisticated and demanded cow’s milk.

Biggest thrill?
Going to Dublin with other members of the Inishowen Environmental Group in 1986. We went to collect £3000 for our 3rd prize in the National Washday Competition for our Inishowen Clean Up Campaign. At the time nearly every school, community group and individual in Inishowen cleared Inishowen of litter in a single weekend. Anneka Rice turned up on the GAA pitch in Carndonagh with three helicopters as part of our reward, which in hindsight probably wasn’t the most environmentally friendly thing to do, but you couldn't move in Carn for people!

Biggest Challenge?
Living in the present moment.

What was the best present you ever got?
The gift of my two children.

What charities do you support?
Concern, Irish Seed Savers, Voice, FOE, Practical Action, Garden Organic, Soil Association and local causes too.

Favourite meal?

Spanking fresh mackerel with vegetables from the garden - new charlotte potatoes, roasted squash, and green beans. For dessert a large bowl of fresh picked berries with a dollop of Rachel’s Greek yoghurt, washed down with freshly pressed apple juice…..

The world’s most irritating invention?
GM crops. Far from feeding the world biotech companies are leading farmers to bankruptcy and suicide.I saw it for myself in India - 20,000 deaths a year.

Favourite past-times?

Growing food and teaching the Dances of Universal Peace.

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
1650 – 1750 All that wonderful Baroque music and I could have met Bach and Handel and asked Telemann to write easier recorder music!

What do you have for breakfast?
An apple to start with, then a huge bowl of porridge with dried fruits and seeds mixed in, milled flaxseed on top, a dusting of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup. Prunes on the side. I 'll have a hot water or weak green tea to drink.

Do you have a favourite cartoon character?
When I was young I loved Rupert Bear. I now have a favourite cartoonist. He goes by the name of Polyp and comments on the state of the world. It’s razor sharp.

What was your first paid job?
Working behind the delicatessen counter in David Greggs, a small supermarket in Wokingham in the UK in the 60’s.

Best/worst household task?
The best is baking bread, the worst is trying to get to the bottom of the mountains of clutter in the house.

What is the best/worst piece of advice you have been given?
The best was being advised to take up meditation. The worst was to plant hawthorn hedges in between our veggie beds. They get very prickly and the thorns can easily go straight through your gloves if they are lying on the ground after being pruned.

Personal philosophy?
Believe in the goodness of people and live lightly on the earth.

WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 51

Baking Fish

A little girl was helping her mother prepare a fish for dinner. She laid the fish carefully into the baking pan.

“No, no,” her mother said removing the fish from the pan “We have to cut off the head and tail first.”

She duly chopped them off before replacing the fish back into the dish.

The little girl thought for a moment then turned to her mother asking,
“Why do we do it like that mammy,”

Her mother thought for a while and then said, "I've always done it that way - that's how babicka (Czech for grandma) did it."

Not satisfied with the answer, the little girl went to visit her grandma to find out why she cut the head and tail off the fish before baking it.

Grandma thought for a while and replied, "I don't know. My mother always did it that way."
So the little girl and the grandma went to visit great grandma to find ask if she knew the answer.
Great grandma thought for a while and said, “Because my baking pan was too small to fit in the whole fish”.