Turf Cutting

In rural Ireland, turf is an important fuel resource for many families. These days modern methods of peat cutting can very damaging to bog habitats particularly when carried out on an industrial scale. But even on smaller scales, modern turf cutting machines are being used more and more often, and the impact of these isn’t positive. The picture below shows rows of machine cut turf – sometimes called sausage turf.

Machine cut turf

Even when modern machines cut the turf, it is still footed by hand. Footing involves stacking the individual sods so that they dry. Dried turf is then put in stacks till people are ready to bring it home.

Footed turf drying

Dried turf stack

Post inspired by this weeks one a week’s photo challenge – Modern.

Machine cut turf

 

Happy Easter

Happy Easter – hope you find some chocolate surprises in your gardens!

Luck of the Irish

Well the luck of the Irish wasn’t with us today for our local St Patrick’s Day Parade but how great that everyone still came out – both those participating and onlookers. I just loved this yellow bee hive made from yellow drainage pipe.

And despite the rain there was lots of colour and great messages.

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Daily Prompt: Luck

Fences

No more than gates you can find a wide variety of fences in County Mayo (Ireland). You may have seen a couple of these before.

Fence on dunes at Betra beach, Co Mayo

Fence near Belmullet Co Mayo

Fence near Belmullet Co Mayo

Fence

Erris head fence

Fence near Louisburgh Co Mayo

Inspired by this week’s One a Week Challenge – Fence

Gates

There is something about gates that I like, particularly the old iron ones you sometimes come across, on the back roads around the west of Ireland.

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Inspired by this week’s One a Week Challenge – Gate

Relax?

With Christmas just around the corner, relaxing is still not something I am ready to do. There are a couple of gifts to find yet, presents to be wrapped, cards to be written, not to mention the food shop and cooking. But the tree is up and the children have made a great job decorating it. And I know it will all come together on the day (at least I hope it will!).

There will be plenty time to relax during the holidays – and that is one of the things I look forward too. No school runs and the chance for a little lie in (except maybe Christmas morning when no doubt we will be woken before dawn!).

The other thing I love about Christmas is getting cards and letters – and in particular the letters with all the news from friends and relatives far and wide. It makes me wonder why we don’t write more letters? They are so nice to receive. And I think I will have on my list of ’17 for 2017′ writing more letters – not emails but proper letters, that go in an envelope and get a stamp and you pop in the post box! And don’t get me wrong I love emails too. I have three friends in the UK who I communicate regularly with using email. We email about everything and anything, from family crisis to the woes of defrosting the fridge and I love finding their emails in my inbox too.

I encourage you all to write at least one letter this Christmas season and share the joy of receiving letters.

I hope to post before the weekend so in the meantime I hope you find a little time to relax before the festivities begin in earnest.

Prompted by today’s Daily Prompt: Relax

Wordless Wednesday – Beach Art

 

Beach art!