My Michaelmas Daisies.

 Yep it's  Michaelmas tomorrow the 29th of September.  It's the time of year when the Asters or Michaelmas daisies come into flower.

The Anglican/Episcopalian and Roman Catholic churches all celebrate the feast of Saint Michael.

It was traditionally the day for paying rents, hiring staff and eating goose.  A lot of goose fairs like Nottingham were held around day.   

The next big feast was Martinmass or November the 11th, Armisstice Day.  This was the day when animals were slaughtered and smallholders decided which farm animals to keep for the long winter and hunger gap.

I think we best order some logs and coal.

Another Trip To The Carboot Sale.

A lovely jug featuring Welsh ladies in their national costumes.  They originate from the 
 Dragon Pottery in Rhayader in Wales.  I think the Veg Artist would like this?  Three Euros. 

Price Kensington  Apple Sauce face pot.  From the 1950s for 8 Euros.   They also made  the Cottage teapots the wife collects.

Two bird and nests cushions for one Euros each..

I also picked up 6 CD  albums for 30 Cents each.  Not a bad mornings shopping.

Mince Pies In September?

 Yep.  We happened to be in Iceland  looking for Blighty culinary delights like Vimto and Hollands pies (Lancashire delicacies) and doner kebabs and stuff for my nosebag: dinner on the island across the bay.  

We noticed mince pies and:

Yes less than fourteen weeks before Christmas Day.  

It seems to get earlier every year doesn't it just?

Rescuing A Young Snail Crawling Along The Top Of The Kitchen Sink.

 Call me soft but..?  I picked a beetroot from one of my raised bed old baths yesterday afternoon.    I brought it into the kitchen and placed it in the sink.

A few minutes later I was summonsed to the kitchen and asked to remove a young snail from drowning.   

Believe it or not I felt sorry for old Snaily and dutifully carried  it out to the garden and gently placed the beetroot leaf and snail in the herbaceous borders.

I know one day it will grow big and devour my veggies but for now I let it go free. Perhaps I should have painted it's name  Snaily on it's shell? Then next year when I see it in my cabbages we can reminisce and discuss how I saved it's life?  But if it doesn't  leave my brassicas alone I will not be a happy bunny ..

My newly picked beetroot lying prostrate and looking forlorn in my polytunnel.  Do you think it would make a good still life photo? I do.

I Found A Miners Lamp From Wigan At A Carbootsale In West Cork.

 

We got up this morning and  went to a carboot sale here in West Cork.  It's great to see things getting back to normal after the Covid lockdowns and restrictions.

I  bought a few things, just for a change! I spotted the silver and brass miners lamp.  It's 1940s and JH Naylor Ltd Wigan is engraved on it.

I've put it next to my brass M&Q safety lamp made in Ecckles  1977.  I have been looking for another one for a while and never expected to find one here in West Cork.

You never know what you might find on a carboot sale do you?

More Pastoral Pictures From The Carboot Sale.

 We went for a ride out to a carboot sale on Sunday.  Just for a change of course!

I obviously found some carboot treasure: two old sheep and cattle prints in relatively modern gold frames.

We took out the prints and they're not signed but I would say they are around turn of the twentieth  century.

Wifey says she'll touch up the frames with gold paint and I'll find a wall to strike a nail or two in.

This weekend I'm supposed to be selling some of my Sedums perennials.  Suppose I could always mosey on down around the other carboot stalls and see if I can find  something else to collect?🤔

A Advert About Tom Crean And The Blackstuff.

 

Visiting A Antarctic Explorer's Village In County Kerry.

Tom Crean's picture and pub sign looking through the Hydrangea.

We had a run out on Saturday.  We went shopping in Tralee and then we stopped in Annascaul.

Tom Crean's pub.   It was closed when we visited.

A warm Penguin welcome!

A stone from south Georgia.

Tom's bronze statue of him and his pups.

Shopping For Japanese Onion Sets And Henry Vacuum Bags.

 Tiz the time of year when I go shopping for my onion sets.  So we went in Woodies in Tralee and I purchased two packets of 'Electric' red onions and 'Shenshyu' onion sets.  

The wife went off down an aisle looking for Henry vacuum cleaner bags.  Unfortunately I am sad to say she found some.  What's wrong with a house brush and dust pan or even a Ewbank?  They don't use electricity and they don't make a noise!

I've been growing my 'Japs' for donkeys years.  You plant them now in the vegetables garden and they will be ready to harvest next June before the maincrop summer onions are ready.

Japanese onions are so resilient to the gales and snow and rain and they really are tough beggars.  They also have a good taste.  I might plant some in fish boxes in 'Portugal' my polytunnel like I did last year?  To be honest they don't mind being planted outside.

Anyone else grow Winter onions?

A Japanese Mountain Print From A Carbootsale.

 Not sure if I showed you this picture I bought at a carbootsale for 3 Euros in County Limerick a few weeks ago?

Me thinks it could be Mount Fushi me thinks?  Oh how  I love Japanese tea gardens.  I have some Japanese pottery and have very fond family holidays memories in Scarborough visiting the Japanese themed gardens Peasholm park.  There would be model naval frigates sea battles, a man playing a Wurlitzer style organ and it seemed like the sun shone every day.

Not a bad find all for 3 Euros and the subject for a blog post!

"Keep on Carbooting In The Cheap World"

 If Neil Young was me he'd be probably singing my blog title.

It was a mizzle day in Kinsale and we stopped there and switched to Google maps and followed the road to our carboot destination.

Well one needs to satisfy their inner Womble don't they just?

Here's some treasure we found:

So what  have we got here? There's a pastoral scene picture in the middle of the table.  A book about Amy Winehouse by her dad.  That will no doubt be a blog topic at a later date.  More cottage teapots and I treated the missus to a salt and pepper and mustard cottage on a tray set.  They are from the nineteen forties and the collection gets even more abundant.  I also did purchase a wooden cow money box with a missing ear.  The tablecloth came from a charity shop recentlyand cost the princely sum of two Euros.

Not a bad mornings treasure hunting in the Irish mizzle.  We also went to Iceland.  The shop not the country!😊

Butterflies On Sedums.

 

I have never seen so many Butterflies than this year.  They fly around me when I'm working outside on the island and they're at home when I come home and look at my Sedums.  The honeybees quite like them too!

I have quite a lot of them for sale but they can stay here in my Butterflies haven/garden if nobody wants them.  If you want to  attract Butterflies or honeybees in your garden then plant Buddleias or Sedums.  

The sad thing about the Sedums being in flower is that it means Winter is not that far away.   

I love Sedums do you?

Classic Cars At Gougane Barra.

 We stopped off at Gougane Barra last Sunday on the way back from County Kerry.  It's a beautiful lakeside setting and the home of the patron saint of Cork Saint Finbarr.  

There is a chapel and oratory there and couples often get married or just have their wedding photos taken there.  It's also got an hotel, pub, gift shop and forest and lakeside walks.

We stopped off to stretch our legs and give the dog a walk and a drink and she decided to cool down by jumping in a stream.

It was a red hot day and we bought ice lollies and noticed there were classic cars parked there after an annual memorial run.  Here's some pictures:

A taste of Anerica or even America.  Complete with a double front seat,  I  thought of the Fonz and Happy Days.

A reminder of Blighty.  This Rolls Royce is bespoke fitted with leather seats and walnut dash.  I think they only go nine miles to the gallon?  I suppose if you can afford one you can afford to pay for the motion lotion or petrol even?

Classic cars parked next to the lake and you can see the beautiful church  in the background.  It was a nice stopover enjoyed by  all.

A Ride Out To Fenit of "Feenit" even!

 I am often corrected when I pronounce Irish words.  For example Rory Gallagher one of my Blues Rock guitar heroes surname Gallagher is pronounced without the second "G" over here. I've always pronounced the second "G".   On Monday morning we discussed where we had been for the weekend with my work colleagues.  I said: "we went to Fenit in County Kerry and I was told "You mean Feenit".

 Spelt Fenit!

Any road or I digress:

Fenit is rather beautiful and is on the opposite side of Tralee Bay and Camp  where I recently posted  a blog about on here.  It was  a pleasant few hours walking about along the beach and the dog had a swim.