The wife's sister emailed some more fabulous photographs of her recent holiday in Japan. I think they are amazing. If Kim Jon Ung makes peace with the West I would go there myself and maybe meet him and we could talk about our favourite footity ball team: Manchester United. Enjoy.
A new store opened in our local town the other week. So I reluctantly went for a look round the store. I usually head for the centre aisles to see what special offer highlights are for sale. So you spend 27 Cents for a tin of "El Cheapo" baked beans and 300 Euros for a 52 inch colour television that promises to cook your tea. OK I exaggerate. But you know what I mean. Any road. I walked every aisle and even checked out the price of vegetables. Ten bob or 50 Cents for a York cabbage. Sixty Cents for a small bag of onions... What on earth (even fym) am I doing hand weeding onions when I can buy them so cheap? The vegetables are probably sprayed and grown with chemicals and have massive carbon footprints from Israel and Scunthorpe? But what the heck, they're cheap! Am I going to stop growing my own? Of course not? But I realize I don't need to have a big plot. I will use some of it for more garden and for plant propagation. What do you think? Here's a funny song about Lidl for you!
I published this in December 2017. There's a lot of talk about statues this week. Here's one that celebrates ordinary people not politicians.
We went to Cork city yesterday and we noticed this statue called the "Onion Seller". It's a sculpture by Seamus Murphy. I wrote a blog last December about his statue : an speir -bean in Killarney.
The statue commemorates the "shawlies" women market traders who use to sell their wares in the Coal Quay area of Cork City. I think its great how the statue remembers working class people who lived there. Update: I Googled: The Shawlies and the Four Courts Press have published a book called The Shawlies, Cork women street traders and the merchant city 1901-50 by Susan Marie Martin. It sounds fascinating! Statues can be controversial and stir emotions. For me the 'Onion Seller' stirs warmth and dignity. The 'Trinity' outside Old Trafford makes me happy. A statue of someone like Margaret Thatcher makes me annoyed. What do you think?
We went Christmas shopping yesterday in County Kerry. One place we visited was Listowel. This is the home of the writer John B Keane who wrote 'The Field' and many other stories. I recently found two antique shops there (remember the Black and White Whisky dogs ornament?) and we decided to see if we could find any Christmas presents there. Unfortunately both shops were closed on a Monday. How ever we still looked round the shops. Here's some pictures for you:
Lartigue Monorail in Listowel is hosting the North Pole Express running up to Christmas. So the shops have dressed their windows with a train theme. I love it when shops make an effort and dress their windows, don't you?
My wife's sister told her that she was going to Japan with a pal of hers for a couple of weeks. When I found out I said: "Tell them to take pictures of the amazing Japanese gardens for me and for my blog". Here goes folks:
Aren't they absolutely beautiful. The nearest thing I have ever been to Japan is when we use to visit Peasholm Park in Scarborough on our holidays. We would spend many an afternoon and night there. Would you believe the Sycamore is related to those beautiful Acer trees? My dad use to grow Chrysanthemums in his green house, I love Rhododendrons and I know the Nolans were very big in Japan. I would love to go there, would you? Do you remember this song?
We got two dumper loads of fym delivered the other week. I have been spreading it on next years proposed new potatoes plot. Of course I dug it over first and piked and barrowed the muck. I don't kill myself any more though and the most I pike and wheelbarrow in one session is ten barrows. I don't spend all day knackering (is that a word?) my back when I can do it over a few days or weeks.
Dung spread and my empty plastic compost container called: "Compo". I lost the plastic piece on the side so I stick a piece of wood instead. Any vegetable waste goes in there now we have no livestock this winter. I got tired of paying for feed and mucking out for no profit. We will probably buy a couple of weanling heifers in March to keep the grass down and fatten.
My wheelbarrow having a rest. Hopefully the worms will take the fym down over the next few months. I don't want all leafy growth and small potatoes. I think I will dig a trench when I plant the tubers and put some dung under them. I am still not fully convinced about "No Dig". Old Jack Frost and the winter rains and some rough digging all contribute to making a good crop of potatoes and lovely friable soil.
We have often drove passed this sign going to Killarney. The other day on our way to Lidl in Kenmare we stopped and took these photographs.
We had never heard of the poet and composer Ernest John Moeran. Like myself he had and Irish father. He served in the First World War and was badly injured and had to have a metal plate in his head. He loved Norfolk, Herefordshire and Ireland. He settled there and died in his fifties. I have been listening to some of his work on You Tube this week. I think his music is wonderful. On his headstone it says: He rests in the mountain country he loved so well.
Killowen church is a gothic ruin and even without a roof it looks amazing.
I found this wonderful video on You Tube about Ernest John Moeran. Many thanks for making and posting the video on You Tube.
