Though I have lived for nearly twenty-nine years in West Cork, I have mostly managed to retain my mid-Atlantic accent. I have however, invariably picked up on local sayings, and turns of phrase. I have often been accosted by a waiter in London, or New York and asked: “Are you […]

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese proverb What does the term ‘Bare root’ mean? Put simply, it means plants that have been grown in open ground, then dug up for despatch and planting during the dormant season. They are called ‘bare-root’ […]

Beginning in this issue, Mags Riordan of Bumblebee Farm is going to guide us all through the planning, planting and caring of a bed for cut flowers. By the time summer arrives the bed should boast an abundance of pollinator-friendly flowers ready for cutting and enjoying. The glorious weather in […]

We’ve entered the New Year with a lot of uncertainty but luckily the chickens are tuned in to the universe and their inner egg radars have turned back on. It is amazing how quickly that incremental increase of daylight brings on the eggs. Which really and truly proves once again […]

As 2021 starts in pandemic-induced lockdown we could all be forgiven for being dismayed about progress in environmental and climate change issues.   In the first seven months of 2020, more than 13,000sq km (5,019sq miles) of the Brazilian Amazon was burned; we saw wildfires raging through Australia and the West Coast of the […]

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