Reaping Oats.

We took these photographs the other day.  The Combine Harvester cut a circuit round a field of Oats.  To allow for a David Brown Tractor and Reaper to come into the field and reap the Oats.

Its a two man operation.  One to drive the tractor and one to release the sheaves.  They will be threshed later.  These threshing events show people how crops were harvested before the Leviathian machines of today were invented.  The threshing events also raise money for charities.  Do you have any vintage threshing events near you?

Gardening Help With A Farm Ratter and A Mouser.

I often talk about rural isolation on my blog.  Two white furred helpers decided to help me with new garden today.

 Domino attacking the Nepeta (Catmint).  Apparently there is a chemical in the scent of the plants that make cats high and say"Groovy man."

Domino and Fido watching the sheep.  I had to put the fence up because the sheep kept climbing up the small cliff into the garden. 

New solar lights and a solar lighthouse.  The lighhouse light spins around at night and the bats fly around the lights.  

Domino decides to use my new lawn for his outdoor cat litter tray.

Solanum Tuberosum .

Two pans of freshly dug potatoes waiting to be washed.  

Its been a mixed summer weather wise.  But we have still managed to grow something.  Yes the weeds and slugs are having a field day on the veg plot but there is nothing to beat home grown vegetables.  The potatoes are Duke Of York.  

For the rest of the year I will spend many hours preparing for next years produce.  Lots of digging and trenching and adding home made compost.  We never use chemicals and always find we are chasing after the weeds.  My late dad use to tell me it only takes three months for a vegetable plot to become fully overgrown.  He was right and its easy to beat yourself up mentally when the plot looks scruffy.  But you can live with the weeds and still have some great meals.

I still miss my allotments I rented in England.  Its good to have a smallholding but you miss the camaraderie of the allotments.  What are you growing next year.  Have you thought about getting and allotment or perhaps a smallholding?  

More Ornament Collecting.

I found these two adorable creatures in a antique shop the other day.  They are made of resin and have a nail hole in the back to be hung on pub walls.  I don't know if you can still buy Black and White Scotch whisky? Do you?  Do you have any advertisement ornaments?

A Day Out To Kings John's Castle Limerick.

I said on my last post that we went to King John's Castle in Limerick one day last week.  Here are some pictures of the 800 years old castle.

 

I think the double yellow lines are a modern addition to the road?  I don't think any body would have booked knights in armour and damsels in distress.

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Canons in the courtyard and a modern building housing the cafe, souvenir shop and an exhibition of architectural finds.

King John.  He's often been called a villian in Robin Hood and Richard The Lionheart tales.  But his greatest work is said to be the signing of the Magna Carta.

King John never actually visited his castle in Limerick.  

Setting up for a concert.

The remains of the Great Hall and you can see the magnificent river Shannon.

A model of Limerick.

It was a good trip and we learned that even then the world was always crazy like today and Normans, Irish, English and Vikings all played a part in the history of Limerick castle.  

Tea Pot Cottage Hunting

We went to King John's Castle in Limerick (will post a blog about our vist) the other day.  On the way there we looked in a bric a brac shop and a antique shop.  

We ended up buying three Beswick teapot cottages and a cheeseboard and a biscuit barrel cottage.    They now sit proudly under our painting of a ancient Hereford cow.

I could never be a antique dealer because I only buy what I like.  Then I don't want to sell them.  Perhaps we put the stuff on the shelf in a box and make room for some more teapot houses.  What do you collect?

Toys From Childhood.

I found these toys when I was digging off the old lawn the other week.  They are all toys belonging to our two lads when they played there during their childhood.  

There is a plastic cow, plastic hay bales, a gun, cars, tea spoons and a plastic horse.  I placed them on the downstairs bathroom window sill.  The window frames them in a way.  Modern art or sentimental items from childhood past?  

I once knew a man who kept all his children's old bicycles, toy tractors, prams under his conifer hedge.  Said he hadn't got the heart to throw them away.  Now I know what he means.  Childhood is so very short.  Perhaps the Tate Modern will buy my display?  What do you think?

A Murmuration Of Starlings.

There are over seventy four or seventy five Starlings perched on this electricity overhead cable the other day.  I think Starlings are one of the few creatures that can make the pylons attractive.  I always wonder about the spatial proximity between the birds and do they believe in the old saying: there is safety in numbers?

I Can See Clearly Now The Weeds Have Gone.

The sun decided to play today and Fido our ancient terrier decided to saunter around the new border and meanderingpath I created a few weeks a go behind the old farmhouse.  The weeds have come back with a vengeance.  So this morning we weeded the new border and Fido supervised our weeding.

 The view that Fido is looking at from behind the farmhouse.

 Fido sniffing flowers and I think she suggested planting a 'dog' rose?  Sorry I couldn't resist that one!

The new lawn area could do with a good weeding and these concrete edgings need moving out of the way.

I promised you another video of a concert I recently attended.  I found this great You Tube video recording of the Hothouse Flowers concert in Killarney last month.  It was a great night and I have never known acoustic (semi acoustic even?) guitars could sound so heavy.  I last saw the Hothouse Flowers back in 1989 at Glastonbury Festival.  The three day festival only cost 28 quid.  The very first Glastonbury admission price was a Pound and they gave a free bottle of milk!

Hope you enjoy the video.  The songs been covered many times and I think this is a very good version.