Hi, The summer hit the dust - literally. In the unseasonably dry weather the garden has been an unproductive dustbowl, with vegetables going to seed or not even setting. Our neighbour's well has gone dry, so we feel lucky that ours seems to be holdin...

Hi, After weeks of of frenzied house renovation activity, the builders have finished and gone, leaving us to tip away at the remaining work (see the story below). We acquired two extra dogs to look after for a while: respectively, our son's half-bree...

Hi, This month has been manic. First, my brother brought my 90-year-old Mum from England for a visit; the first time she's been able to visit us in several years. We had a great time delving in charity shops for bargains, taking short walks and long...

Hi, The daughter of a friend (fourteen, vegetarian by choice), while eating avocado on toast for breakfast, recently accused her mother's generation of not caring about the environment. Her mother told her: you are living in a centrally heated house,...

Hi, So, all was well in UK, but it's always nice to be back home in Ireland. The drive was tiring, as usual, but without incidents. Robin must have contracted Covid in the last few days in UK, but recovered quickly enough. I avoided it, but I have a...

Hi, March, a month of early frost and daily sunshine, has fast slipped into May, and this week has been as mild as midsummer, until evening falls and the temperature plummets. Veg seeds have been planted in the polytunnel, but we are still harvesting...

Hi, March 1st started off with a hard frost followed by bright sunshine. It's cold, but at least the storms have moved on. Clambering around on a crumbling roof in adverse conditions, trying to replace slates that bear a surprising resemblance to blo...

Hi, I hope February finds you well and happy. Here in Ireland the weather is surprisingly mild. The trees are budding, the birds are singing, the sun is shining, and the frost is lurking ready to strike late. My childhood winters were spent in Essex,...

Hi, A Happy New Year, One and All Let's hope this year brings somewhat better tidings than the last. The ongoing COVID virus is still reaping its grim harvest, and escalating what has become a major social problem for many. My own grandchildren, havi...

Hi, As they say in Ireland, there's nothing sure in life except death and taxes... Well, today I'm in England, somewhat out of the blue. My 90-year-old mother has been waiting years for a hip replacement, becoming ever more disabled, in extreme pain,...