country living journal - My escape to country life

We've moved ..... Country-living.info LAUNCHED !!

2004-05-07T19:44:00.000+01:00

We've moved hosts and my Country Living Journal blog can now be found at :

http://www.country-living.info

Recent Posts on www.country-living.info

recent rural living stories
natural country stone
my country garden

PLEASE UPDATE your BOOKMARKS.

Email me with any queries : jwalsh@blackbridge.com

We hope you will enjoy our new site and better layout ....

Country Living is not all fun you know ....

2004-04-26T18:42:00.000+01:00

The Ann Arbor News [Extract]

Spring has arrived, bringing mud with it, thawing of Livingstone County's 680 miles of gravel roads means a muddy mess

Like the sight of the first robin or a young man's fancy turning to love, a sure sign of spring in the country is the thawing of gravel roads.

The mud can sink a vehicle up to its wheel axles; the potholes and ruts can wear bearings and knock front ends out of alignment. And the April showers that bring May flowers have Mike Craine, Livingston County Road Commission managing director, saying tongue-in-cheek that conditions right now are "exquisite."

"This is country living," he said. "A lot of people still are not aware that country roads are like this every spring."

[ Full Article from Ann Arbor News ]

Country life, climate and the weather ...

2004-04-06T13:57:00.000+01:00

I've mentioned it previously, but one of the things that I find quite different about living in the country versus living in the city is the impact of the weather has on our daily lives. When I lived in the city, the weather was more an incidental part of our existence. Of course a beautiful sunny day would be appreciated, but it usually didn't impact on our daily life greatly as we busily scurried about our daily routine of getting to the office, fighting with the traffic, etc; Conversely of course, when the day was windy or rainy, it had minimal impact on our lives, it was more an minor irritant than anything else.

Since we have moved to the country, I find that we now listen ever more closely to the weather forecast, and often plan our day accordingly. In Ireland, the weather is always mild but always changeable. When the weather is good we are in a glorious paradise here, and when the weather is bad we tend to find a nice cosy spot and stay indoors. For example if it is going to be a sunny, warm day we will schedule the days activities around outdoor pursuits and leisure activities such as walking on the shore etc; or gardening etc; We will spend time in the sun room and in the rooms of the house that benefit from sea views. However, if the day is going to be wet and windy for example we will plan our days activities to minimize our need to be out in the elements, and will spend most of the time in the more cosy living room at the back of the house.

Our new found fascination with all things meteorological takes me back to the days of my childhood in the country, when my ancient grandfather would demand a hushed silence when the radio announcer would read out the weather. I remember the gilded phrases in dulcit mid-atlantic tones of "anticyclones", "rising slowly", and "isobars", the ticking of the old clock in the living room .... doesn't history repeat itself !!

April Fool pension joke falls flat (Reuters)

2004-04-01T13:11:00.000+01:00

I had a little chuckle when I read this on Yahoo News ... Happy April Fools Day !

"TOKYO (Reuters) - How's this for a government pension scheme: In lieu of payments, give eligible recipients five lottery tickets a year and a chance to win millions.

A Japanese daily playfully reported on Thursday, April Fool's Day, that Japan's government was considering handing out lottery tickets to make up for future cuts in payments from the ailing public pension system.

"The aim is to suppress the public's discontent by giving them a dream that they may win millions," the Tokyo Shimbun said in the article, one of four joke stories it printed for the April 1 edition.

Some readers, however, aren't laughing.

"I don't want to see a joke that may not be so much of a joke," said a woman in her twenties, one of many young Japanese who already feel like paying into the ailing system is indeed akin to gambling.

More and more Japanese, especially the young, widely believe that they are unlikely to get much out of the pension system even though they may have to shoulder a bigger burden in payments than their ageing parents did.

By 2025, Japan is expected to have one person over 65 for every two of working age, the highest ratio among industrial countries."

Mother Nature's flower carpet

2004-03-25T13:00:00.000Z

It's been a week since I managed to get out for my usual walk in the blissful woodland near our home. The weather had been wet and breezy for a few days, and so when I last visited the ancient forest, the river had burst it's banks and it left large swathes of the woodland under water. The last few days have been absolutely serene spring days, with bright sunshine and crisp gentle breezes... so I stirred myself this morning and got myself out for my woodland walk.

Well, what a transformation in a week ! Last week I experienced a waterlogged woodland walk .... today what greeted me was a spellbinding display of stunning color and awesome beauty. Mother Nature had been redecorating while I was away ... and had installed a brand new spectacular flower carpet. Because of the mild climate here (i.e. no frost/snow) plants and flowers seem to burst forth spontaneously in unison to deliver lavish displays of flora. What greeted me this morning was a stunning display of wild flowers, the obligatory daffodils have been in bloom for many weeks now, but they have still not lost their brillance. The new arrivals, consist of wild primrose in multitudes, both cream and yellow in color, interspersed with silky buttercups, and then millions of a white flower with a golden centre, and slightly pink veins running through the leaves, which I have never seen before. On this bright spring morn, I was invigorated by this simmering display, and I quietly thanked Mother Nature for laying on this breathtaking sea of color.

Happy St Patricks Day ...

2004-03-17T15:12:00.000Z

Wherever you are around the globe, may I wish you the best of greetings this St Patricks Day :

"MAY GOD BE WITH YOU AND BLESS YOU
MAY YOU SEE YOUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN
MAY YOU BE POOR IN MISFORTUNE, RICH IN BLESSINGS
MAY YOU KNOW NOTHING BUT HAPPINESS
FROM THIS DAY FORWARD"

(Old Irish Blessing)

How to make the move to country life (some tips) - PART 2 - "The What"

2004-03-16T16:51:00.000Z

Ok, in the previous installment I broadly explored "The Why" - that is the reason(s) you want to make the big move to country life. In this piece, I'm going to expand a little on "The What" - or to put it another way, now that you are clear on why you want to move to rural life, WHAT sort of country living experience are you seeking ?

When Una and I developed our reasons (The Why) for moving to the country, we also noted some loose ideas on the kind of life we wanted to live in the country. Having young children, naturally their needs were a primary concern, in fact one of the key reasons for the move was the better quality of life and freedom our children would have in the wide open spaces.
In developing a picture of the sort of country life we wanted we looked at the previous scribbles and thought about things like :

- The kind of environment we wanted to live in (i.e. forest, coast, mountain, small town etc), the kinds
of views and scenery that we ideally wanted to surround us.
- The kind of property we wanted to live in (design, traditional, modern, aspects etc)
- The essential services and facilities we wanted to have within a reasonable distance
- A list of things that we were willing to give up to achieve our desired lifestyle

After weeks of toing and froing, Una and I came up with a clear vision of the kind of environment we wanted to live in. Having evaluated all of the different types of environments, we decided that living on or near the coast with an ocean view was an important priority for us, and we concluded that we wanted a traditional property with at least 1 acre of ground around it. Given that our children were young, we were also mindful that living within a reasonable distance of a hospital and medical facilities was an important factor. We also concluded that living any further than 5-10 miles drive from a reasonable sized town with decent facilities was also important to us.

With this clear vision in place, it made the whole process of finding a suitable location, and then a suitable property a lot easier.

A roundup of recent country life articles that caught my eye :

2004-03-08T12:40:00.000Z

HOW we live - Country living holds sway in rural Clark County
The Columbian - Vancouver,WA,USA
By DEAN BAKER, Columbian staff writer. To a newcomer, the names of Clark
County's rural hamlets may seem quaint: Amboy, Hockinson ...

OAK Ranch in 1993. Among their first
Hood County News - Granbury,TX,USA
"Our interest had more to do with finding a place we could enjoy country
living and expand our opportunities to roam the land," Becky said. ...

ARE you fit to join the country club?
Telegraph.co.uk - London,England,UK
... a variety of ways of living in the country, and most people will thoroughly
enjoy being out of the city if they can just identify the kind of country
living ...

GRASS is greener across the bridge
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
... 30. And despite the perception that country living is healthier, the
wellbeing of urban dwellers and country residents was on par. ...

5-ACRE dream homes focus of controversy
Bellingham Herald - Bellingham,WA,USA
... five-acre lots as rural, but some people see them as sprawl that puts
more cars on more roads for longer distances, destroys the ambiance of
"country living ...

OPTIMISTS find a way to turn vast wasteland into rich farmland
Minneapolis Star Tribune (subscription) - Minneapolis,MN,USA
... Regina Ward has gotten over her aversion to country living. "I feel
like we're contributing to the advancement of the region," she said. ...

THIS historic old adobe has lasted a long time
San Mateo Daily Journal - San Mateo,CA,USA
... The thick walls of the three room adobe kept it cool in warm weather
and cozy on chillier days. Country living was simple in those days. ...

How to make the move to country life (some tips) - PART 1 - "The WHY"

2004-03-01T13:03:00.000Z

I've had quite a few emails from people who ask for my advice on how to go about making the move to country living. I'm no expert, but hopefully some of things that we have experienced may be of some help to others. I will add things to this list over time, as they strike me, so hopefully over time this will become a helpful resource to people considering the move to the country.

This is a rather large topic, and thinking through it, I have tried to break it down a little based on how Una and I approached the big move from the city to the country. I will update each piece over the coming weeks / months as my knowledge grows ...

1. The Why ?
2. The What ?
3. The Plan
4. Making it Happen

1. The WHY ?

Naturally, this is usually the biggest discussion point for individuals, couples and families considering the move. Why do you and/or your family want to break away from city living ? For Una, and I it was really the feeling that we were "existing" rather than really "living" and the sense that our quality of life would be a lot better in the country than in an ever burgeoning city. I hasten to add, a move to the country doesn't solve all these issues, because there is more to truly living than a nice environment in which to live, but it sure helps !! Thinking back, we spent many years kicking around the crazy idea of leaving the metropolis, however we got really serious about it about 10 months before we actually moved. We sat down each evening over a period of a week, and tossed around all the pros and cons, the hopes, the dreams, the things we would gain and the things we would lose. It was fun, but hard work also, as we were questioning many of things we'd always assumed to be foundations of our lives. At the end of the week, we had distilled a document which started with the statement of principle that we had decided to move to the country for a better quality of life and that we were willing to make some sacrifices in return for this better quality of life. We had also written out some loose ideas on the the kind of life we wanted to live in the country covering topics like the kind of lifestyle we were seeking, where we wanted to live, finances etc. The most important part of this work was the decision in principle to move to the country and our WHY was for a better quality of life for ourselves and our young children.

[to be continued ....]

Roundup of recent rural living articles that caught my eye

2004-02-25T19:18:00.000Z

... will we ever hear the end of reality tv ?

CITY GIRLS head to the Country (Reality TV Programme)
Nzoom.com - New Zealand
... The one qualification for these women is that they all have a desire
to try another lifestyle - to experience country living for real....

Unplugging UPN's Amish Experiment? (Reality TV)
(E! Online)
Lawmakers have blasted UPN for its proposed Real World-like reality series that would
feature Amish teens living it up in the big city ....

ANGRY Villagers Take Common Case to the High Court
The Scotsman - Edinburgh,Scotland,UK
... Householders in a similar plight across the country - living in what
they describe as "Villages of the Scammed" - accuse "unscrupulous"
land owners ...

Feds Part of Tribe Pushing for New Casino
(Associated Press)
A once-tiny, nearly destitute American Indian tribe is pushing hard to build a $100 million casino; but it's not traditional tribal members gunning for riches.

Recent articles on country life

2004-02-21T18:13:00.000Z

I am up to my neck in a new work project, so I haven't updated in a few days, but have loads of stuff I want to share ... when I get a minute !! Meantime here are a few stories about rural living around the globe that struck a chord with me.

Use of Internet in Rural Areas Increases
Associated Press
Use of the Internet in rural communities has increased, but still lags that of city dwellers and suburbanites, according to a new survey.

BLUE Cypress's remoteness one of its biggest attactions
Vero Beach Press-Journal - Vero Beach,FL,USA
... The February 2003 issue of "Country Living" depicted the 1958 trailer
of Charlotte Terry, a Vero Beach resident who represents people buying
beach homes in ...

'GO west' and escape Sydney's train chaos
Dubbo Daily Liberal - Dubbo,New South Wales,Australia
A cheeky campaign to advertise the benefits of country living alongside
train timetable delays is being considered by Dubbo City Council. ...

Some recent stories of country life ...

2004-02-17T13:44:00.000Z

THE Window sill Snake: A true and disturbingly vivid account
Dover Community News - Dover,NH,USA
... theory. At any rate, this was country living, where the flora grows
green, and the fauna drops in for the occasional visit. Marc ...

LOG cabins are growing in popularity
Quad City Times - Davenport,IA,USA
... The interest in log homes is I think growing every year," said Barry
Tripp, promoter of the Titan Log Home & Country Living Show this weekend
at the ...

SIP local bubbly with your sweetie
Fredericksburg.com - Fredericksburg,VA,USA
... Barboursville Vineyards' Barboursville Brut also has gained national
attention, and is featured in the February edition of Country Living magazine.

TREASURE hunt takes rain check
Houston Chronicle - Houston,TX,USA
... in. But I'll try again next trip. I've had enough country living for
a while, so I'm heading home. See you back at the house. You ...

The joy of a simple hello ...

2004-02-15T16:27:00.000Z

One of the very nicest things about country life, is the fact that people generally take the time to "pass the time" with you.
In the city as I went about my day to day routine, I very rarely made eye contact with strangers, or the people I passed on the street. Like all the other ants in the colony I carried along on my own sweet path completely oblivious to all of the other people around me. It was almost as if the other people who inhabited the space around me in the city (i.e. those outside my family, and personal circle of friends), were irritating obstacles in my path as I carried on with what to my mind were my own highly important daily tasks !

For example, as part of my get fit regime (that's a whole other story... ), I have recenly taken, every other day, to walking in a local ancient forest which has been beautifully preserved and mapped out with enchanting walking paths. It is a place of truly awe inspiring serenity and beauty. This ancient forest is indeed a treat to the senses, where most of the trees are many hundreds of years old, and even a few which might even have reached the ripe old age of 1000 years ! There are beautiful rivers and ponds, with every kind of vegetation you could dream of, and even in the depths of winter it is a riot of colour. I read on the public information boards posted around the reserve, that even the anthills in the forest are old ... with some of the ant families loyal to the same tree for over 150 years ! Anyway, I digress ... each day as I have walked thru this magicial woodland, without exception every single person I have met has saluted me with a smile and a simple "hello" or a "good morning" or "fine day for walking" ... all the more surprising is the fact that due to the beauty of the West Cork, all year round many of the walkers I met are city dwellers often from other countries as well as the Irish.

What is it about being in the country side that makes us all relax, chill out, and turns even the most brusque city dweller into a civil smiling chatty individual ? Whatever it is I like it ... if we could only bottle it ... we could again bring back civility to the whole world !!

I think the poem below sums it up far more eloquently than I could ever dream to ...

Leisure
"What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stop and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this, if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare."

By: W. H. Davies

CITY slickers go bush ...

2004-02-10T17:34:00.000Z

City slickers go bush ...
Bendigo Advertiser - Bendigo,Victoria,Australia

... of the Bush - a group of leading regional businesses - the campaign
seeks to encourage city residents to come and experience a weekend of
country living. ...

Cost of living in the country ...

2004-02-09T18:10:00.000Z

One of the pleasant aspects of living in the country is the fact that the cost of living is noticeably cheaper. Perhaps its the fact that we do not spend our lives in the malls, and shopping centres like we seemed to when we lived in the city. But in general the price and quality of goods, seems to provide better value overall. One exception we have noticed is that our land line phone bills did go up significantly when we arrived, the reason being of course that we were making a lot more long distance or national calls as opposed to local calls as previously. Thankfully the web came to the rescue again and we were able to get a much cheaper provider and we signed up online, and made great savings with FoneValue. Now, if anyone knows how I can cut our mobile phone bills, do let me know ....

Roulette

2004-02-08T18:23:00.000Z

I have to admit, I like a little wager from time to time, and I came across this useful online roulette information site.

Painting ....

2004-02-08T16:25:00.000Z

For the last few days the weather has been just horrible, mainly cold rain and blustery weather. As the growth season has already started, I have felt the building pressure to get out into the much ignored garden and clear up some of the winter debris, weed the beds and all that jazz. Fortunately however the weather has kindly oblidged and has kept me indoors. Today, I have been cajoled into painting one of the bedrooms that we rennovated shortly after arriving .... another job left on the long finger !! Eventually I gave in to Una, and agreed that today would be the day for the big paint job !! What happens .... the most glorious sunny spring day you could dream of, not a wisp of a breeze and beautiful warm sunshine .... and here am I stuck inside smelling paint fumes and cursing those awkward corners ..... I guess I just have to console myself that at least I can look out on a sparkling spring day .... Grrrrrr !!!

country life a price worth paying ....

2004-02-04T19:39:00.000Z

It seems some people's dream of escaping the city is worth any risk ...

RISK doesn't deter growth in fire-prone areas
USA Today
... Williams' country living falls within what foresters call the "wildland-urban
interface," open land beyond the bustle but susceptible to one of nature's
most ...

Doctor on call

2004-02-02T17:19:00.000Z

I've previously mentioned our local doctor on call service Southdoc. Indeed in deciding to move to the country with young children, a major concern was the reasonable availability of medical services. Well the other night, we had to put them to the test. Our little one, was very ill and was running a fever, and Una and I were very concerned about the Big 'M' (meningitis). We called Southdoc, and spoke to the nurse on call who was very calming, a doctor called us back within 15 minutes and following a discussion with the doctor, we decided that the doctor should see her. We had a choice to wait for 1 - 2 hours for the doctor to arrive, or bring the child to our local Southdoc centre, which we chose and the child was seen at Midnight and all our fears were addressed. You only realise how important such services are when you need them .... Thank You Southdoc !

Spring is here ?

2004-01-31T15:32:00.000Z

Today is a wild blustery and rainy day, and it feels pretty cool too. Not a pleasant day all round. One small thing sent my spirit soaring ... today our Crocuses burst open delivering a beautiful flower carpet of color in the bleak garden. In the last few days I noticed that they were close to opening, but today 6 or 7 of them opened up spectacularly delivering a deep hue of royal purple with a centre of butter yellow ... a glorious trumpeting that spring is finally here ?

RECENT COUNTRY LIVING stories/articles :

OK for mining irks Madison residents
Jackson Clarion Ledger
... APAC estimates 152 dump truck trips a day from the mining site. Neighbors
say the dirt pit will ruin what they have now - quiet, country living.

Weather eye ....

2004-01-29T17:36:00.000Z

Since moving to the country, one of the things I have noticed which impacts our life much more in the country than in the city is the weather. A glorious sunny day in the country is a priceless gift which can only be truly appreciated in the wide open spaces. When I arise early in the morning on sunny days, I can see for many miles across the beauty of Bantry Bay, the rolling green hills and the stunningly beautiful mountain range that is the Caha mountains. In the city, I found that I very much appreciated and enjoyed sunny days, but generally it was a more subdued enjoyment, looking out over millions of houses and chimney stacks or apartment blocks just doesn't do it for me in the same way that the awe inspiring scenery of where I live today. Of course the opposite is also true, in the city when the weather was bad, it was more an inconvenience to be put up or grumbled about rather than something one really took any real notice of. Whereas in our lofty perch in the country, a wind storm is a different kettle of fish altogether, a noisy electrical storm in the country is both awe inspiring and not a little frightening, particularly for the young ones. When the rain and wind are sheeting outside in the country one hears the weather a lot more, as you don't have the advantage (sic !) of the shelter provided by thousands of buildings crammed close together in the city. In my humble opinion though, the rewards of country living far outweigh the downsides, the scenery, peace, tranquilly and sheer beauty are truly beyond price even given the odd noisy storm now and then !

RECENT COUNTRY LIVING stories/articles :

THE very picture of country living
Christian Science Monitor
By Sue Wunder. Our farm is nothing if not photogenic. By some definitions,
we're part of the Midwest here in south-central Indiana ...

ROGUE River Rustics Creates Beauty From Mother Nature
Jackson-County-News.com
... of a designer in Los Angeles, their work found its way into the pages
of many national magazines such as Architectural Digest, Colonial Home,
Country Living ...

ROCKFISH Community retains country charm
Fayetteville Online
... They can afford to live here and have a nice place to call their own.".
There's still a sense of country living in Rockfish. The ...

DEVELOPMENT blues
Tenterfield Star
... formally approved the development but has agreed to move forward on
a proposal to advance the rezoning of additional urban land to develop
the 'Country Living ...

City folk grow 'roots' in the country - "Stronger Than Dirt" [Book]

2004-01-22T12:52:00.000Z

... this seems like an interesting book about those who followed their dream of making a rural living

"Stronger Than Dirt: How one urban couple grew a business, a family, and a new way of life from the ground up" is the story Schaye and Losee, a married couple with two daughters, wrote about how they ended up in upstate.

The 320-page book, published by Three Rivers Press last year, is their story about raising a family, establishing a flower farm, and adjusting to country living.

Article from TheRegisterHerald.com

Fringe benefits of country life ....

2004-01-20T15:41:00.000Z

I've been away for a couple of days, hence the lack of updating, also my comment utility seems to have disappeared. Will fix that up over the next day or so.

On my return to an overflowing email box (mostly spam ...!), I found this interesting tidbit which made me smile ... and they say city life is better than country living ....

"Sex life 'better in the countryside' - Source : Ananova

"Living in the countryside can improve your sex life.

Some 41% of those questioned in a survey thought moving to the country injected a sense of adventure between the sheets.

And 39% said the quality of sex had improved or they expected it to improve if they moved, 26% made love more often or predicted they would, and 32% were more spontaneous or would be as a result of the change.

The survey, by Country Living magazine, questioned just over 1,000 people who live in urban and rural areas.

Overall, 82% thought a country existence was better for their health, 80% considered there was less crime and 61% believed they would live longer.

Of those who had moved to the country in the past four years, 44% said they spent more time with their partner, 38% had more mutual friends and 27% had fewer arguments. The level of satisfaction among people who had made the switch from urban to country living more than five years ago was even higher." - Ananova

Red Letter Day ....

2004-01-14T17:36:00.000Z

Well today was a red letter day for the family !! The entire family has been inculcated into the rural community ... how you may ask ? Well, every member of the family is now the proud owner of their own pair of rubber boots (wellingtons or galoshes depending on where you live in the world !) ! With the weather having turned miserable, you cannot now walk accross the fields or indeed anywhere off the cultivated garden paths except by wearing wellington boots.

The kids have had their boots for some time, in red pink and baby blue if you don't mind. However today their parents finally gave in and both Una and I acquired our own personal pair of wellington boots. For former city slickers this is indeed a rite of passage ... we now really are country folk 'culchies' having own wellingtons. Una selected a very suave and sophisticated navy blue with matching soles and a "go faster" red stripe around the outside of the sole ! I being my old conservative self selected a very sensible dark green pair.

High fashion or what ? I can just see the Paris catwalks with Naomi Campbell wearing the latest Gucci galoshes with matching handbag ....

Blog Herald - For all the latest in the world of Blog

2004-01-12T13:59:00.000Z

In my very humble opinion there is only one place to go to find out the latest in the World of blog and that is Blog Herald, an indepth and intriguing daily review of the latest from the world of blogging.
I make it a daily visit. If you like it, do give them a vote in the World Blog Awards (the bloggies !).

irish and west cork property for sale websites

2004-01-09T12:36:00.000Z

I've had a few emails from people asking about the best websites for homes for sale in Ireland, particularly West Cork property and houses for sale. These are the ones that I used to find our house, and I hope they are of some use to those of you looking for an irish country living dream home.

SWS Property Services
Celtic Properties - West Cork
Key Properties
James Lyons & Co property
Irish Property News
Sherry Fitzgerald Countrywide

New Light thru Old Windows ...

2004-01-05T16:58:00.000Z

... today is my first day back in the office since the holidays. Like many many others around the globe (I'm sure) I am suffering a "hangover" effect following all the merriment, over indulgence and frivolity of christmas & new years ... now reality bites and it is back to "normal".

Today, I'm struggling to get my mind back into gear and focus on planning for the year ahead. As the new year has dawned it is time to clear the cobwebs and let in new light through old windows ... to look at things a new. For me 2004 is going to be challenging and hopefully exciting from a professional perspective as I seek to develop new business opportunities without the need to spend my life on planes or in cars.

In the relatively short time I have been blogging, I am stunned at how kind and helpful the more experienced bloggers have been to newbies like myself. I am particularly grateful for the kind support and comments of far more experienced bloggers than mysel. The following is a brief list of my daily blog reads and am regularly inspired by their thoughts and highly
recommend a visit.

James at Eirepreneur
Nancie at Simple Country Living Blog
Bogie at BogieBlog
Jim at Parkway Rest Stop

Happy New Year

2003-12-31T19:37:00.000Z

... well it's time to clear the decks and put the year 2003 behind us.
For me and my family, it has been a momentous one. Just this time last year I lived in a busy city suburb, worked in the corporate world, wasted a lot of time on planes internationally ... and said there must be more than this !

Well 2003 was the year of the big change for us, we gave all that up, we found a nice place to live and moved lock stock and barrel out of the "rat race" to the more relaxed pace of country living. It has been a big change of that there is no doubt ... six months after the move, we are very positive about the move. Though some of the euphoria has dissipated, in the dark depths of winter there are certain city comforts which are missed, but overall we could not be happier about the change we have made as a family. We have settled in remarkably well. 2003 was a big year, and one that will be remembered with fondness by us as a family. As we put 2003 behind us, we look forward with hope, optimism and not a little pride that we were not too afraid to make the big change from city life to rural living.

2004 brings with it a new broom, and a fresh start. This is going to be the year that we really have to knuckle down and make this new life work, the honeymoon is over, and we need to develop some income streams and really make a living in the country.

May 2004 be all you hope, and as momentously positive for you as 2003 was for us.

Christmas in the country

2003-12-23T13:30:00.000Z

Well the tree is up, the house is decorated, every bush and branch between here and Cork city seems to have been dressed up with bright baubles and colored lights ... a country Christmas is hard to beat. Needless to say, our children are very excited about Santa's impending visit, and now two days before Christmas the anticipation has reached near fever pitch.

People now seem to take as much effort decorating the outside of their houses as they do inside. Against the pitch black country night, the dazzling colours of the fairy lights, the animated santas, sleighs and snowman offer a cheery contrast in the depths of winter. At night, as a result of the pure blackness around many of the country properties, the bright festive lights stand out like lighthouses on the hills and valleys and it is a real treat to drive anywhere these evenings. Of course, there are some people who go all out ... and sometimes their displays turn out to be sad offerings to the god of consumer tack !! But there are others who do it in style. For instance a few miles from where we live, one of the houses is known far and wide as providing the most amazing Christmas display. Two nights ago, it was a very pleasant if bitterly cold winters evening, we packed up the children in their winter woolies and set off to visit this Christmas Mecca. The house itself is quite small and is situated on a small back road. When we got there there were already 4 or 5 cars which had pulled in to view the display. Well it is nigh impossible to describe the scene that spread before us. Think of a half acre of trees, shrubs and lawns covered in Christmas lights, lamps, santas, sleighs, stars and colored light ropes. Every single protrusion of the house itself had lights or some Christmas paraphanelia on it, every window frame, ledge, chimney pot, eaves, facing boards, and doorways. Think Griswald's family Christmas ... and you are getting close !! ... The house is surrounded by gardens with lots of shrubs and trees and every leaf seemed to have a light on it ... there were tunnels of lights, dancing fairies, and in the centre of it all was a magnificent crib with wonderful nativity statues ... and Christmas music blaring over stereo speakers. The owner of the house allowed people walk around the displays and they had a donation box on the gateway for the local hospice.

So we wandered in with the children, and they just loved it. The owner was adjusting a set of lights on the gable of the house, and she came over to talk to us. She was a lovely lady who clearly enjoyed the excitement her displays created for children and their parents. Before you could say jack flash, she had put her hand into her pocket and pulled out three bags of sweets one for each of the children. They were thrilled with the sweets and being able to wander around in this winter wonderland, they are still talking about their visit today ... who needs EuroDisney eh ?

As a youngster, one of the traditions we had for Christmas was the lovely old Irish tradition on Christmas eve of lighting a candle in every window of the house. The purpose of lighting a candle in each window, is to let the Mary and Joseph know that there was room for them in this inn if they were passing this way. On Christmas eve as soon as it got dark, the whole family would move from room to room for the ceremonial lighting of the candle. The youngest person in the house would have the honour of lighting the first candle which was used to light all of the others as we moved from room to room. Once all the candles were lit in all of the windows we would all rush out into the darkness to look back at the house with candles lit in every window. This is my abiding memory of Christmas past, and so I look forward to continuing that tradition for this country Christmas.

(... sorry, if you find the above a bit over sentimental ... please stay tuned ... normal blogging will return after the holidays !! Well we are choc a bloc for Christmas, so I will not be updating this blog for a few days ... but I will be back with updates on how the festivities went !! May I wish you and yours all the very best for this holiday season.)

Bringing Home the Christmas ...

2003-12-21T19:28:00.000Z

I have to confess that at Christmas I set aside my usual somewhat cynical approach to life and I get into the spirit of Christmas a little more than I would like to pretend ! Yes, I admit it ... I am a bit of Christmas fan ! All through the year I cannot abide shopping, it is a chore I detest ... Internet shopping was made for me ! However, at Christmas time for one shopping event only I set aside my disdain.

My mother had a lovely phrase for the big pre-Christmas shopping event, where all of the food and drink and related yuletide goodies were bought in one swoop. As we lived in the country, this expedition was a one off trip into the city. She used to call this expedition "bringing home the Christmas" ... and it really was, because usually everything related to Christmas was acquired in this one expedition. The expedition was planned with military precision, for days in advance of the trip, our lists would have to be in precise order, our shoes polished and each one us had a special mission from our "sergeant major" mother ! I always remembered that this event signaled the real start of Christmas in our house and so I looked forward to it every year.

I have to say, in our house we are not as regimented, mind you today was the day we ordained for bringing home the Christmas, I would have liked to have the "sergeant major" around because it was absolute chaos trying to get the kids into the car, and to have the lists ready etc. Our trek to the shopping Mecca was an hour and a half, and it was very pleasant. Though the centre was busy there was no problem with parking, plenty of room for us to move about, Christmas music everywhere and carol singers shaking their tins. It was all very seasonal and pleasant I have to say. My usual threshold (before losing my head) in a shopping centre is about 45 minutes. Because we are hosting the in-laws (or should that be outlaws ahem !) we had a lot of food shopping to do, so we spent 3 hours 20 minutes just on grocery shopping... and I managed to remain almost sane and somewhat jovial. Apart from the mammoth food shop, I even enjoyed browsing in a few other stores and picking up some gifts for our family and our wonderful neighbours who have made us feel so welcome since we moved here. The kids had a whale of a time of course, and what used to be a weekly occurrence, now a rarity a trip to McDonald's went down very well.

We got home, very tired after a long trek, my feet were killing me, but Una and I very much enjoyed bringing home the Christmas to our country home this year.

Simple Country Living ....

2003-12-16T15:43:00.000Z

If you are interested in Country Living this personal blog is a must read ...

Simple Country Living : A personal blog

Commuting time ...

2003-12-16T15:23:00.000Z

I know I am going to make any city folk who have to endure daily commuting in gridlocked cities very sick reading this ... (my apologies in advance !)

When I lived in the city, my daily commute driving to work was about 1 hour 15 minutes, which by many standards is not a huge commute. When the weather was bad, or we had a relatively minor accident on one of the main access routes into the city, the commuting time could balloon to 2 and half hours which was just mind numbing !! Every day I sat in my car, and listened to the same inane news stories repeated every 15 minutes ... and I asked myself "Is this all there is to life ?". Some people can handle commuting and can use the time well to ponder life's imponderables ... but I just couldn't, I would spend the whole time obsessing about all the things I could be doing with all this wasted time ! I guess after a few years of doing this, I couldn't take it anymore and I decided to go for broke and make the move to the country.

One of the things that attracted us to this property, was the fact that the previous owner was an artist and he had a workshop separate to the main property. This we felt would be ideal as a workspace for myself and so it has turned out to be. It is a good workspace, with plenty of light ... and each window provides good views of the sea and indeed overland views. Regularly when I am in my deepest thoughts and working I will hear a cow mooooing in the background or some of the sheep which inhabit the fields behind us ... and I think which is better the sound of carhorns or mooing cows .... tough choice !

My commuting time today, takes all of about 25 seconds from leaving the door of my house to walk my home office ... it is bliss, each day I thank my lucky stars for it. It is an ideal arrangement in many ways, but lest people think everything is perfect, though I am working on it, I still have to figure out how to generate a sustained income from my home working, so not all is perfect in my bucolic abode ... well not yet anyway !!

Broadband in rural areas ?

2003-12-12T11:59:00.000Z

In a previous post I noted the momentous impact that the internet is already having on rural life. To date the potential positive impact that the internet can have on the quality of country life has been severely hampered by the fact (I suspect) that most rural dwellers around the globe do not and will not have access to broadband internet in the foreseeable future. Regrettably, we are therefore consigned to accessing the internet via a 'narrowband' bohreen !

In this country our primary carrier Eircom really appears to be a luddite when it comes to the provision of telecommunications services to rural areas. How much worse will things get on the infrastructure investment side, now that it is an American corporation whose shareholders (venture capitalists) are trying to squeeze every cent out of every asset they have. I never dared to hope I might be able to access the Eircom or Esat Broadband services in from my country retreat ... however I felt sure I would be able to get ISDN and at least achieve a "dual carriageway internet bohreen" (!). But alas no, Eircom after months of cajoling (with no response) eventually responded to my request and said "ISDN will definitely not be possible on your line due to the distance from the exchange. This means that the line will never sustain ISDN".

Isn't it great to be part of the Information Age (sic !)

... I understand our Minister for Communications is today announcing broadband access for an additional 80 towns and cities ... I won't hold my breath !!!

Minister Announces Broadband Action Plan

Return to the city ...

2003-12-09T18:07:00.000Z

I've just returned from an extended weekend in the City. Having not been back for over 4 months since I left I wondered how I'd feel about being back, and whether we'd made the right decision ?

The marathon trip to Dublin took no less than 6 and half hours on a Saturday... because the traffic was so bad ...we arrived tired, bedraggled and with stiff limbs ! The main reason for the visit, apart from meeting family members before Christmas, was an invitation we had from my former employers to attend the annual corporate Christmas party on the Saturday night.

We were staying at my sisters in Maynooth and about an hour after we arrived, we changed into our finery and caught a cab into the city. On the way we encountered the M50 (Dublin's orbital route), which even at nearly 8 pm had a tailback of about two miles to get on to the "mad cow" roundabout and four lanes of a queue over the two toll bridges. I'd forgotten how BAD the traffic in this city was ... and certainly felt very glad to be able to leave that all behind. The cab from Maynooth to the city cost us the princely sum of 35 Euros ... Ouch !

The party itself was great. It was nice to meet my old colleagues and share some reminiscences about the good old days ... the reality was of course quite different ... but misty alchol imbibed recollection is always far better !! Though it is a relatively short number of months since I left the company, I felt as if an eternity had passed and that it was indeed a lifetime ago I worked in the corporate environment. I watched the jockeying for position and the office politics unfold before me with a detached air of indifference .... I was delighted to have all left the "politicking" behind. I felt oddly disconnected from my former colleagues yet at the same time strangely familiar.

Following the party, the rest of the weekend was spent visiting and being visited by various family members who were very keen to hear how we were getting on in the "sticks". As I mentioned, we were staying at my sisters house which is your average semi detached property in a nice new estate in Maynooth. It's amazing how quickly you get used to something. Both Una and I remarked to each other how restricted the space was in the estate and how on top of each other all the houses and gardens seemed to be ... which felt odd as a few short months ago, this is the exactly how we had lived ! In the country it is very nice not to be overlooked in every direction by someone or someone's property. With the exception of the lights of a few far off properties, our country house is surrounded by the darkness at night .... and so strangely I felt at a few points during the nights we stayed in Dublin, that it was nice to have a few lights and signs of life fairly close by. We drove back on Monday, and the journey was pleasant enough and uneventful. When we arrived we noticed a huge tanker had pulled up in the bay in front of the house, and was light up like a Christmas tree ... so I got my wish of having a few lights at night time !!

Leaving all that horrible traffic, the overpriced housing and very expensive services behind .... it feels good to be back in our country home !

Escape to the Country BBC2

2003-12-04T14:30:00.000Z

"Escape to the Country, the property show that helps prospective buyers find their dream home." - BBC2

Just came across this website for a show on escaping to the country. Haven't seen it, anyone know when it's on or have any comment on it ... is it any good ?

Escape to the Country television programme

24 Hour Doctor Cover ... Southdoc

2003-12-03T15:36:00.000Z

Another service I didn't think we would have in the wilds of west cork. I have just discovered that we have 24 hour out of hours cover if we ever needed a doctor (which hopefully will never happen). The nearest Southdoc control centre is less than 5 miles away. So if our local doctor (who has already proven to be fantastic by the way) is ever unavailable, you simply call a 1850 number and a doctor will be driven to your home. Very comforting particularly when one has young children ...

40,000 calls on, SouthDoc has proved its worth

... by the way my order arrived promptly from Woodies DIY online this afternoon. On Monday afternoon, I ordered two sets of christmas lights and the total including deliver came to significantly less than one set would have cost me locally. Good stuff Woodies !!

The internet impact on rural life ...

2003-12-01T20:04:00.000Z

Has there ever been a more momentus change for country dwellers than the internet ? It is very easy to underestimate its impact as unlike the "Industrial Revolution" it hasn't had a huge physical effect on the landscape. Nevertheless it's impact has been no less dramatic, even more so I would venture to suggest.

For example, one of the key reasons I felt I could move from the city, was my confidence (perhaps misplaced !) that with the Internet I could surely find a way of developing, and running businesses from idyllic rural surrondings. This trend can be seen dramatically in areas such as West Cork, where quite a number of inhabitants work in various roles from home via the internet, this despite the appalling lack of broadband in the region .. but that is a whole other story !

The other significant internet impact I've experienced since moving here is the availability of products and services. In an urban environment when one needs something one is conditioned to jump into the car and drive to the nearest retail park and "shop till you drop". For many of us, that is a way of life ... shopping is the new religion ! When I arrived in the country, I realised that hopping into the car every five minutes is not a realistic or desirable option ... after all this "rampant commercialism" was one of things we wanted to get away from !! That said, there are excellent retail parks within an hour or so of where I live ... but it doesn't now seem like the only way to get something. In the last four months, I've ordered the following items online and have received them in a timely and cost effective manner, all from the comfort of my home office !

- Queen sized automatic pumped airbed from Pin Stripe Stuff
- Satellite Digibox Satellite.ie
- Christmas Lights & Decorations Woodies DIY

... and best of all the Airbed wasn't available in any store in Ireland, the digibox wasn't available at any sort of reasonable price anywhere else in Ireland (that I know of !).
Not being a person who likes shopping this is nirvana ! Ironically I feel that I have a better choice of products and services, simply because my first port of call is now the net and not the nearest retail park !!

Country Living Magazine - Guide to Rural Ireland

2003-11-28T12:27:00.000Z

In my recent searches for rural living sites on the web I came across this guide by country living magazine to Ireland. Has anyone read this ? What did you think of it ...

Guide to rural Ireland

Services in the "sticks" ....

2003-11-24T14:45:00.000Z

Having been born in the country myself, I had a sense of how things work, or should I say used to work in the country. My expectation of country life was that availability of certain products and services would certainly be more limited in the country than in the city. I also expected customer service to be a bit better in the country as there was I assumed more time for the human touch !

That said however, I was somewhat amazed at the attitude of some of our extended family to our move to the country. One of the big perceptions was that in moving from a nice part of south Dublin to "the sticks", that we would never again be able to sample the delights of urban shopping centres, fashionable restaurants, taxi services, multichannel TV, hospitals, doctors and electrical discount stores ! In fact I was left in no doubt that virtually nothing of the 21st century existed "beyond the pale".

So what has it been like in this backward rural wilderness....
Geographically we are located on the West Cork coast, within 1 km of a national route that brings us to Killarney in less than 1 hour, and Cork City in 1 hour 15 minutes.

SHOPPING : Our local large town (5 miles away) has a large Super Valu supermarket and has everything you could want, and the best of local produce also. If you go within a radius of 4 miles of our house you will come across 2 Spar, 1 Centra , 1 Londis and a local non-branded convenience store. Killarney has, I understand, got not one Tesco, but two (!), and a LIDL discount store, brand name outlet stores, and fashionable shops that would put Grafton Street to shame. Meanwhile, as you would expect of a major metropolitan area, Cork city has multiple enormous shopping centres dotted conveniently on an orbital route around the outskirts of the city. Though our nearest shopping centre in south Dublin was less than 15 minutes away in off-peak traffic, it often took us 30/45 minutes to make the journey if you were unlucky with the traffic. Once you got there, you generally had to fight for parking and you then took your life in your hands by taking on the marauding packs of trolley wielding manic shoppers. Contrast this with the easy access and acres of parking anytime we have ventured to a major shopping centre in either Killarney or Cork. It seems that there is a much more sedate pace of shopping as there seem to be less people vying for the same space at any one time. But maybe I'm dreaming !! Believe me shopping is not my forte, but as you can see from the above, we are hardly stuck for choice!!!

RESTAURANTS : Well, what I can I say, this is West Cork ! We are certainly spoiled for choice when it comes to restaurants in this area ... and excellent quality as well. Unfortunately they seem to have "imported" Dublin prices, but at least it is good fayre. Certainly no complaints choice wise on this score.

TAXI SERVICES : This was one, I felt sure we would never see again when we moved to the country ! In fairness however, we are located in a very touristy area. But imagine my surprise when we arrived to find that no less than three taxi service companies will be more than willing to pick us up or deposit us home (when we've had one too many ... as happens sometimes !). I've tested two of the companies at this stage, and not alone has the service been extremely punctual, but the drivers were wonderfully engaging, they provided mines of information on the area, and seemed genuinely interested in us and in helping us settle in.

MULTICHANNEL TV – Not being major TV, Movie or Sports addicts, in Dublin we subscribed for the very basic package from our local cable provider and for 14 channels we paid something like €225 per annum. Of note I have a pathological aversion to enriching Mr Rupert Murdoch or other satellite Tzars … but I won’t even go there now !! When we arrived to our new home, I found we had two TV systems. The previous owner had put aerials in the attic and as result we can receive RTE 1,2, TG4, BBC1, BBC2, HTV and Channel 4 all for free in virtually every room of the house ! In addition the previous owner had a SKY satellite subscription, and though they took away their SKY digibox, they left the satellite dish up on the side of the house. So I checked with on the internet as to whether I could use this dish to access anything else other than having to pay for SKY. I learned that the BBC has recently launched a Free to Air satellite service and so I can get up to 30 english speaking channels simply by purchasing a receiver box which cost me € 190. I am still playing with my satellite setup to see how many more channels I can get, but so far I‘ve got at least 15 english speaking channels (amongst zillions non-english channels). So for free amongst others I have terrific quality reception for RTE1, Network 2, TG4, BBC 1,2,3,4, ITV, Channel 4, BBC News 24, Sky News, CNN, ITV News 24, TCM, Ceebies, Reality TV, Rapture TV, Fashion TV … and every conceivable shopping and travel channel you can imagine !

HOSPITALS – Having young children this is an important one, and so we checked it out before even considering moving. Our nearest big town (5 miles away), has a General Hospital, with a 24hr Accident & Emergency facility. Hopefully we will never need it, but it is terrific to know it’s there, mind you with all the current spending cuts in the Health Service, how long it will be there remains to be seen. But we live in hope and you can be sure we will be out with placards to save it, if necessary !!

DOCTORS – One of the things I should have mentioned at the start, which was a superb help to us when we moved here 4 months back, was the fact that in the house there were no less than two printed directories full to the brim of local services within a few miles radius. These directories saved our lives on more than one occasion I can tell you ! Moving to Doctors again we had a choice of three doctors all within a 5 mile radius.

ELECTRICAL DISCOUNT STORES – All our appliances in our previous house were built in to the kitchen so it meant that when we moved, we couldn’t take them with us. So when we arrived at our new house in West Cork, we had to purchase a dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, fridge, and fridge freezer. I expected that we would have to pay a certain premium for these “white goods” given that we were not near a city electrical discount store. In our nearest large town, we priced around and I was amazed to find that the prices were not alone very competitive but in one case cheaper than the discount prices being touted in the national press for Power City ! Plus the prices included delivery and after sales service. The next day Una, called our chosen supplier locally at 9:30 am, and before she even managed to make it home, the delivery truck with the goods arrived at 10:35 am and so I had the fridge and washing machine up an running by the time she got home ! Try getting a delivery in Dublin anytime the same day, or often the same week !!

SERVICE WITH A SMILE ? – I wanted to mention a little about our experience with after sales service since our arrival in the country. My expectation was that when I bought from a local supplier in the country that I would generally get a better level of customer service than in the city, but on the other hand I expected that response times would be much slower. Well so far I’m half right ! The day after the “white goods” arrived, I had plumbed in the dishwasher but it still wasn’t working right. The water was not flowing into it correctly and the dishes were not being washed at all ! After trying all the obvious things, I gave up, and next day Una called the local shop where we bought it. They responded that they would get on immediately to the Manufacturer who would send their regional repairman to look at the offending machine. I have to say we expected to be hanging around for days if not weeks chasing these people (as we regularly had to do with service people in the city). Imagine our surprise when in less than 1 hour the repair man arrived, fixed the machine in a flash and left us all smiling and happy ! He advised that he would do a circuit of his region every three days and so the longest anyone would be waiting was three days, but that this was highly unusual. We were suitably impressed !

Having had to do a few relatively minor alterations to the property since we arrived, we have had occasion to engage electricians, builders, and plumbers and our experience have been universally positive both on price, and customer service, though punctuality was a challenge for one of the tradesmen, but the others have been absolutely exemplary and far better in general than any tradesmen/service providers we have come across in the city.

Overall, both Una and I feel that the services available to us in the country are on a par with what we had in the city, that customer service is vastly superior, and that price is generally more competitive if not the same as the city. Sometimes, you have to travel a bit further mileage wise, but even then we appear to be saving on time stuck in traffic etc. I’m sure we will find things that rankle with us along the way, but so far it is a big “thumbs up” for rural living in regard to service availability, choice and price.

The joy of SPAM ...

2003-11-18T20:38:00.000Z

One of the reasons I decided to pack in corporate and city life was this constant feeling of being like the proverbial "mouse on a treadmill". Also I felt that though I was doing well in the traditional corporate world, I kept asking myself "is this all there is to life ?". The years started to slip by far too quickly so we decided to make a change. Somewhat naively I concluded that I could work from home taking on consultancy assignments and perhaps even running a local business. I felt sure I could turn my hand to something new once we had settled into the rural lifestyle.

Well the settling in period is over and it's time to get down to it. I spent much of the last 3 months converting the garage into an office space and now that it is a good workspace I am starting back into things. Today, I had the joyful task of starting my annual accounts ... oh what fun !! There are a few consultancy opportunities that might come off, and then again they might not. So I am looking at every real business opportunity that is out there to develop an ongoing income stream for a professional home based worker.

Is everyone else's email like mine these days ? I am overwhelmed by a sea of emails every day offering me all sorts of wonderful concotions that will help me feel better, smell better and even enlarge parts (ahem !) of myself that I quite happy with ... thank you very much !!

Best of all are these wonderful "get rich quick schemes" each one more boastful than the last. The best one I received recently promised me that I would be a "millionaire in a month" ... I ask you ... there must be one born every millisecond. Oh preserve us from business opportunity and medical miracle spam !! That said however, if you have found a genuine business that really works for YOU and you are willing to show me your real personal cheques ... hey I'm always open to new things !!

Fight Spam on the Net

Blog Resources

Technorati Profile

Popdex Blog Index (worth a visit)

Past & Present ...

2003-11-16T18:48:00.000Z

As if to make up for the recent dramatic storm, the last three days have been stunningly serene, sunny and breathtakingly beautiful, with not even a whisper of a breeze and a crystal sea as clear as glass. Today, as the day was so fine, I forced myself to get out and do some well overdue gardening … when you’ve been neglecting your garden for a few week, as I have, it makes it all the harder to motivate oneself to get out and do the needful! I raked up the many leaves from the storm shaken trees, now crisp as crepe paper due to the fine few days we’ve just had. Since we arrived in July, in fact, the weather overall has been very agreeable … pleasant, dry, and sunny, for the most part with probably no more than 10 bad days (most of which have happened in the last stormy week!). The result of this fine weather is most evident in the magnificent collage of colour in the fallen leaves that lay before me on the lawn. I remember visit New England in the autumn a few years ago and I understood why they said New England was “spectacular in the fall”. For the first time in years I’ve noted a stunning canopy of breathtaking colour on the leaves this year.

Anyway, after gathering a wheelbarrow of leaves, I brought them and much other unwanted garden waste over to a small stone walled burning area in one of the far reaches of the garden. The previous owner had taken great pride in sharing with me of the value this small stone walled crucible in dealing with the mountains of garden waste. The fire quickly took hold of the crisp dry leaves, the magnificent red flames flickered gold, amber and blue as if to echo the rainbow colours of the leaves they engulfed. I watched the fire and wondered if there was anything as therapeutic as watching the flames of that fire as they danced a merry jig on their floor of leaves? The crackle of the fire, the sound of the breaking waves on the nearby cove produced a symphony of nature whose beauty I thought was hard to better.

As I watched the fire to ensure it stayed under control, my eye wandered over the adjacent stone wall and across the field where the contented cattle grazed and I saw the ruins of a small famine cottage now derelict and bare. There are a few ruined ”famine” cottages around here, and indeed there is reputed to be a famine graveyard and temple on the headland a few hundred yards to the side of our property. During the summer I had visited a few of the ruins, and the one I was now looking at I recalled had been particularly striking. With the exception of the now well gone straw roof and door lintel, it was structurally and remarkably intact and I marvelled at how small it was. It was a one roomed cottage which was no more than 10 foot by 9 foot wide. It had one tiny window, a neat fireplace and a small doorway. Standing by the fire, my mind wondered what sort of life the people who would have lived in that small bothán would have had. That tiny space, and perhaps if they were lucky, a small patch or two of ground to sow potatoes was probably a home of riches to a small family. That family’s mortal fear in life was that even this meagre existence would be wrested from them if they had the misfortune to upset the local landlord or one of his agents It made me feel blessed to live in the present and not in the past …

Irish Famine Links

http://www.victorianweb.org/history/famine.html

http://www.people.virginia.edu/~eas5e/Irish/Famine.html

http://vassun.vassar.edu/~sttaylor/FAMINE/

http://www.nde.state.ne.us/SS/irish_famine.html

http://www.local.ie/general/history/famine/index.shtml

We made it through the nite ...

2003-11-14T20:58:00.000Z

... there's a song there somewhere. Well we made it through the night ... just !!

I spent yesterday afternoon monitoring closely the Metosat weather satellite images to gauge the progress of this disturbing “black hole” simmering off the southwest coast and wondering whether we would be spared from it’s spleen. It was very blowy outside with the rain pelting on the window panes like noisy dive bombing flies !! I reassured myself it wasn’t that bad. About 16:30 GMT yesterday Thursday the centre of the “black hole” storm mass hit land just off the Dingle peninsula. I watched anxiously the satellite images as it progressed and I saw the centre of the storm move off right up towards Limerick and Clare rather rapidly by 18:00. Outside the conditions remained pretty much the same, very blustery, sheeting rain, but it had been like that since midday …I thought to myself if this is as bad as it’s going to be, hey we’re laughing !! Naively I thought that once the centre of the storm formation had passed so too would the worst of it.

Things remained pretty much the same until 12:45 am, with the odd heavy gust of wind with accompanying dancing rain sending a shudder through the house from time to time. How wrong can you be, I contented myself, the main part of the storm has passed over … we’re fine I said ….how wrong can you be .,..

At 12:45 am, I was on my way to bed, and popped into the kitchen to switch on the dishwasher, there are two windows in the kitchen looking directly out over a few fields and down across the whole of Bantry Bay. I noticed in the bay there were two very bright lights slightly to the left of the bay; I guessed they were sizable vessels taking some shelter in the bay. I thought to myself …”they know something I don’t !” … then suddenly there was an almighty crack on the walls of the front of the house as an enormous gust hit the house … I shuddered and thought … sheesh... hopefully that was a “parting shot” !! It wasn’t there was worse to come. I went up to bed, hoping the very agreeable can of cider I’d had earlier would knock me out and I’d sleep through the whole commotion ! It didn’t, I was awake for every crack, every shudder, every eerie whistle, every bounding bang, flap and splash ! It was the night from hell .. I made countless trips to check the children (who all slept soundly thankfully), and countless visits to the window to check if we still had a roof over our heads. Una slept relatively well beside me, but each time I got out of bed or tossed too far she would grunt and growl at me … “are you not asleep yet ..” She told me this morning, the reason she slept really well was that I was doing enough worrying and fretting for both of us … that gave her a licence to snore happily off to the land of nod … charming eh !!

At 3:15 am I finally gave up and resigned myself to the fact that sleep tonight was going to be vain hope… I made my way downstairs to make that old reliable “hot milk” .. half way down the stairs I heard this gurgling watery noise ... I switched on the hall light .. and there was a big puddle in the hallway beside one of our windows … the force of the wind was driving the rain up under the outside frame of the windows and it was flowing down the inside of the hall window. I went into the kitchen to find one of the kitchen windows in the same state …school books left on the window sill drowned by the darned rain. Into the living room … where two skylights exposed to the full force of the storm, were gushing water onto the floor below …. I felt like I was in a boat, and I caught myself and thanked my lucky stars that we were on land at least unlike the poor souls out there on the mountainous seas ! I mopped it all up and got out the buckets …and spent the next three hours doing my circuit of the leaks to change the towel or try to figure out in vain if I could stop it flowing!

At about 5:15 am when all seemed at it’s darkest I was looking out at the wild seas and the roaring sheeting rain … and I caught myself saying now why did we move here again ? For a second or two I wished to be in the centre of a housing estate in Dublin where at least we would have some shelter from the houses around us! Man this is really getting to me I said …

At 7:30am, the worst was finally over and I went to bed to see if I could get an hour or twos sleep, our kids woke up blissfully unaware at 7:30 and that was the end of that idea !

Today was quite breezy again, but the sun came out around lunchtime and the clouds started to clear by 3pm, this evening is eerily quiet I can hear the water from the sea gently lapping against the rocks … and I wonder …is this the same planet …it must have been a bad dream. I am thankful for that quiet and I content myself looking at the stunning pictures taken from the house of the amazing and breathtaking views over the sea and sunset taken on balmy August days !

Batten Down the Hatches ... with due deference to Terracotta soldiers!

2003-11-13T11:28:00.000Z

There is a storm coming. Two days ago I happened to glance at a Satellite weather image of Ireland on the TV Weather and saw this swirling mass, not unlike a black hole simmering off the southwest coast of Ireland. They said there was a storm brewing!!

I hate high winds you see; give me rain, frost, snow, hail, sun ... but wind you can keep. To me there is no lonelier sound that of the swirling wind banging and sheeting off the side of my home, echoing down the chimney like a forlorn foghorn. So uneasily over the past two days, I have been watching the weather forecasts with more than my usual passing interest! This morning I awoke to the Radio weather forecaster blithely announcing that the Southwest will "suffer the brunt of the storm" and with torrential rain and Storm force winds gusting up to 80 mph and above!! It is time to batten down the hatches!

My wife Una and I spent an hour or so looking across all of the garden to see what objects would most easily suffer the consequences of the foul wind, what might not survive, what innocent inanimate object might suddenly become a deadly missile in the storm soon to come ? And they say Tomahawk missiles are dangerous ... try the force of an innocent looking terracotta plant pot swirling at untold velocity towards you ... now thats scary!! Maybe there is an aircraft carrier out there somewhere on the high seas with nothing in its arsenal but sun baked terracotta pots ... striking fear into the hearts of all nations who might dare to cross swords with the mighty terracotta army ! Didn't the ancient Chinese have this huge life size army of Terracotta soldiers ... of course their arsenal would most certainly have contained these lethal Terracotta flower pots! Just a moment ago it was an innocent plant nurturing vessel and suddenly it has the deadly provenance of what President Bush might call a "weapon of mass destruction" !! I wonder did they find whole underground bunkers of Terracotta flower pots under the sands of the Iraqi desert!!

So back to battening down the hatches. The wind is starting to pickup along with the dastardly dull rain showers beating us about the head ... we carefully picked up all the now deadly terracotta pots and placed them inside the conservatory. Next we ferociously hacked back the rather sad looking leaves of the wild rose bushes in the hope that less foliage would protect them from being violently uprooted by the violent winds. Gathered up the children's scattered garden playthings ... tractors, clam shell swimming pond, rocking horses, skipping ropes, and tied up the swings. Having looked askance at everything around the house that yesterday had a pleasant virgin innocence, those same objects today have taken on a genocidal capability in the impending storm, we retired to the house and felt content that at least we had done our best to batten down the hatches ! As the rain batters the window panes, time will tell ...