Growing up in West Clare in the 1970s my grandparents had a fairly big back garden. However they didn't grow much variety of vegetables. I remember them growing potatoes, carrots and rhubarb. They might have grown a couple of other vegetables, but I don't have clear memories of them. As a teenager we used to pick fruit from orchards nearby and my mother used to make all sorts … [Read more...] about Growing my own Vegetables & Fruit is Wonderful
Sound of Silence
Simon and Garfunkel's Sound of Silence is one of those songs that has been covered so many times over the years. There's nothing wrong with a cover version, but most of them don't really stand out. There are exceptions. Disturbed's rendition of "Sound of Silence" is exceptional. The vocal range of lead singer David Draiman is truly impressive and this version of the … [Read more...] about Sound of Silence
A New Low: I’m Now Excited by Dining Room Tables
It's been a long 15 months. I have now reached the stage of my existence where I am genuinely excited by a dining room table. A table. What have I become? Admittedly it is a very nice table, but it's still a table! When I bought this house it was fully furnished. Of course the quality and style of the furniture wasn't exactly wonderful, but the dining room table was … [Read more...] about A New Low: I’m Now Excited by Dining Room Tables
Irish Accents are Insanely Diverse
Ireland is not a big country. We're a small island. But we do have a lot of very different accents. Even within a very small area accents change dramatically. The late Niall Tóibín did a very clever piece where he "toured" the country's accents starting up north. I'm not sure how well non-Irish people cope with this sort of thing, but I find it very entertaining. … [Read more...] about Irish Accents are Insanely Diverse
French Vaccination Advert
You don't need to speak French to understand the message behind this advert from the French health authorities: The key message in the French campaign is, roughly translated, that which each vaccination we're all getting back to normal life. "A chaque vaccination c'est la vie qui reprend" and the other part of it is the simple message: "Tous vaccinés, tous … [Read more...] about French Vaccination Advert