Lorna and Joleen from the Henry Girls provided the entertainment.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Fire Fly.
Several of my readers have issued complaints about my recipe collection severely underestimating the intelligence of the reader. In response, I have begun work on a second first edition printing which will both include corrections for and introduce a few typographical errors, eliminate large portions of cooking instructions, and contain an additional section of photographs of food.
I found myself in darkness. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but it must have been the middle of the night. I raised the upper half of my body and look around, seeing only empty space, so I swung my legs around the edges of my resting place, searching for some sort of ledging to lower myself to ground level. It was a success and I began my descent, but about halfway down, a window caught my attention and I halted progress to take in my surroundings. The window was part of an undeterminable-colored house. So naturally, I climbed right in. I smelled some chomps, so I headed through a door to a room with a stairwell going down on one side and the other with a typical bedroom setup: dresser with mirror, desk, shelving unit with books and movies, bed with single shoe placed in center. I was drawn to the shelves, where I picked up a huge piece of strudel that must have been placed to cool and forgotten. I took a bite. Lovely berries flavor. So good. I have it preferred to forest apples. Some brownies on a plate were on the desk and I snagged those too for eating later. Next, I was getting thirsty, so I headed down the stairs and grabbed a half-gallon container of 2% milk sitting out on a table. I broke the seal with a butter knife, drank some of it, but couldn’t finish, so I fumbled around in my pockets for some silica gel but couldn’t find any. Seeing a cabinet door to my left, I open it up and find a tub of rice. I drop a handful of grains into the milk carton and leave it where I found it.
~I missed the Barley Chef today. Even though he’s my favorite, I’ve only seen a few episodes of his show. I have a fear that if I learn the secrets of barley this way, I may ultimately not have as great an overall appreciation for it as I might if I were to try on my own. But if I try to teach myself barley cooking, I won’t ever come close to the amount of barley-related knowledge as modern barley cooks.~
As I walked forward, the thought of the sandwich I ate occupied my mind. I don’t know how much time passed, but it was now night and I could make out something that left an impression to me as being an concrete loft cube at a dig site. I didn’t stop at it, and continued on, reaching a home. I really had to take a piss, so I headed inside, but there was a huge line for the washroom. After getting in, it was completely empty. Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I had to use the water to fix up my hair a bit, but I was soon lost in thought. What am I doing here, and why did I get here? What does it look like when someone has a fire burning in their eyes? My eyes look black in the middle. Maybe robots have lights in their eyes. If my face were slightly more robotic, I might be a robot. Everyone kind of is a robot. After all, they pray to Robotsk—someone entered the door. This person had a sad look in the eyes, but I knew how to offer a cheering up. I reached into my cargo pocket and grabbed a handful of brownie. “Hey there, what’s wrong? Don’t worry.. sshhh.. sshhhh... just look at me, everything’s gonna be all right. Here, I brought you some of mother’s brownies.”
I found myself in darkness. It didn’t occur to me at the time, but it must have been the middle of the night. I raised the upper half of my body and look around, seeing only empty space, so I swung my legs around the edges of my resting place, searching for some sort of ledging to lower myself to ground level. It was a success and I began my descent, but about halfway down, a window caught my attention and I halted progress to take in my surroundings. The window was part of an undeterminable-colored house. So naturally, I climbed right in. I smelled some chomps, so I headed through a door to a room with a stairwell going down on one side and the other with a typical bedroom setup: dresser with mirror, desk, shelving unit with books and movies, bed with single shoe placed in center. I was drawn to the shelves, where I picked up a huge piece of strudel that must have been placed to cool and forgotten. I took a bite. Lovely berries flavor. So good. I have it preferred to forest apples. Some brownies on a plate were on the desk and I snagged those too for eating later. Next, I was getting thirsty, so I headed down the stairs and grabbed a half-gallon container of 2% milk sitting out on a table. I broke the seal with a butter knife, drank some of it, but couldn’t finish, so I fumbled around in my pockets for some silica gel but couldn’t find any. Seeing a cabinet door to my left, I open it up and find a tub of rice. I drop a handful of grains into the milk carton and leave it where I found it.
~I missed the Barley Chef today. Even though he’s my favorite, I’ve only seen a few episodes of his show. I have a fear that if I learn the secrets of barley this way, I may ultimately not have as great an overall appreciation for it as I might if I were to try on my own. But if I try to teach myself barley cooking, I won’t ever come close to the amount of barley-related knowledge as modern barley cooks.~
As I walked forward, the thought of the sandwich I ate occupied my mind. I don’t know how much time passed, but it was now night and I could make out something that left an impression to me as being an concrete loft cube at a dig site. I didn’t stop at it, and continued on, reaching a home. I really had to take a piss, so I headed inside, but there was a huge line for the washroom. After getting in, it was completely empty. Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I had to use the water to fix up my hair a bit, but I was soon lost in thought. What am I doing here, and why did I get here? What does it look like when someone has a fire burning in their eyes? My eyes look black in the middle. Maybe robots have lights in their eyes. If my face were slightly more robotic, I might be a robot. Everyone kind of is a robot. After all, they pray to Robotsk—someone entered the door. This person had a sad look in the eyes, but I knew how to offer a cheering up. I reached into my cargo pocket and grabbed a handful of brownie. “Hey there, what’s wrong? Don’t worry.. sshhh.. sshhhh... just look at me, everything’s gonna be all right. Here, I brought you some of mother’s brownies.”
WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 8
OUR HISTORY
If we imagine that our 15 billion year history was compressed into a single year:
The Milky Way galaxy self-organised in late February;
Our solar system emerged from the elemental stardust of an exploded super-nova in early September;
The planetary oceans formed in mid September
Earth awakened into Life in late September;
Sex was invented in late November;
The dinosaurs lived for a few days in early December;
Flowering plants burst upon the scene with a dazzling array of colour in mid December;
The Universe began reflecting consciously in and through the human, with choice and free will, less than ten minutes before midnight on December 31st
On this scale of 12 months, Jesus would have been born on December 31st at 11:59:45 pm.
The major scientific discoveries of this century would be in the final second before the end of the year.
In the contemporary scientific worldview we are latecomers to this planet. Not only are we latecomers, we are totally dependent on an ecological system that nurtured us very slowly into existence through a long process of adaptation, changes and upheavals in the development of life on this planet.
If we imagine that our 15 billion year history was compressed into a single year:
The Milky Way galaxy self-organised in late February;
Our solar system emerged from the elemental stardust of an exploded super-nova in early September;
The planetary oceans formed in mid September
Earth awakened into Life in late September;
Sex was invented in late November;
The dinosaurs lived for a few days in early December;
Flowering plants burst upon the scene with a dazzling array of colour in mid December;
The Universe began reflecting consciously in and through the human, with choice and free will, less than ten minutes before midnight on December 31st
On this scale of 12 months, Jesus would have been born on December 31st at 11:59:45 pm.
The major scientific discoveries of this century would be in the final second before the end of the year.
In the contemporary scientific worldview we are latecomers to this planet. Not only are we latecomers, we are totally dependent on an ecological system that nurtured us very slowly into existence through a long process of adaptation, changes and upheavals in the development of life on this planet.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Internotable Potables
I was getting pretty excited. Mouth salivating, about to take a bite of a delicious bacon-flavored marshmallow. This must be the first time such a wonderful product has been made widely available. Images raced through my mind, wondering about a new world. I would burst into random houses and rifle through kitchen cabinets, searching, and there would be one item that is a sure find every time: the bacon marshmallows. As I placed the marshmallow into my mouth, I almost didn’t realize the truth of the situation because of my preconceived flavor ideas. This was in fact just a normal strawberry marshmallow.
Seeing there was no longer a wall in front of me, I got out of my cross-legged sitting position, one of my favorites from childhood. Today’s children have much more uncomfortable sitting styles. For example, I believe the current procedure for proper sitting instilled upon youth is to have the right leg stretched out fully, middle finger of right hand wrapped around the right index toe, left leg bent at the knee with left foot resting on ground beneath right leg, left elbow resting on left knee, and back of left hand placed over the mouth and schnoz. All this got me thinking about when I used to watch the Barley Chef on television...
~”Now, our next recipe comes from a Lars Cooldude of Sandwich. Let’s see, first we boil a pot full of barley. We’re off to a good start here! I don’t think anything can go wrong, we have a recipe for success! Alright, drain the water, and stir in some mustard mustard to taste. I’m feeling a little adventurous here, so I’m going to add chopped onions and garlic cloves to mine. Some of you out there might not be able to handle this, I can understand. We’re about done here, so I’m going to pour this into plastic baggies for snacking on the go. Wonderful idea, Lars! We also had a recipe from a ‘Zeefer’, but sadly we do not accept submissions from large organizations, no matter how great the recipe is.” I watch the screen fade through watery eyes and some commercial appears for an upcoming movie everyone has been talking about lately.~
The emergency food station was just ahead. Excellent timing on the food station’s part since I was starved. I headed down the stairs and examined my surroundings. Operating in this environment is first nature to me. I was about to get to work, when I saw that someone must have been here already, since there was a completed sandwich with nondescript soy drink waiting for me. It was really something else: meatballs with a certain special sauce drizzled all over them. So good. Glancing around some more, I found a package that claimed to contain ingredients for a drink that fixes love problems. Even though I didn’t want to risk bringing an end to my relationship with sandwiches, I couldn’t help but imagine the end product. Terrible. I’m ashamed to admit that I thought of it. I’m sorry. On the way out, I saw a tableau that reminded me of someplace I might have been before, but I couldn’t quite place it. I closed my eyes and shook my head, then moved on.
Seeing there was no longer a wall in front of me, I got out of my cross-legged sitting position, one of my favorites from childhood. Today’s children have much more uncomfortable sitting styles. For example, I believe the current procedure for proper sitting instilled upon youth is to have the right leg stretched out fully, middle finger of right hand wrapped around the right index toe, left leg bent at the knee with left foot resting on ground beneath right leg, left elbow resting on left knee, and back of left hand placed over the mouth and schnoz. All this got me thinking about when I used to watch the Barley Chef on television...
~”Now, our next recipe comes from a Lars Cooldude of Sandwich. Let’s see, first we boil a pot full of barley. We’re off to a good start here! I don’t think anything can go wrong, we have a recipe for success! Alright, drain the water, and stir in some mustard mustard to taste. I’m feeling a little adventurous here, so I’m going to add chopped onions and garlic cloves to mine. Some of you out there might not be able to handle this, I can understand. We’re about done here, so I’m going to pour this into plastic baggies for snacking on the go. Wonderful idea, Lars! We also had a recipe from a ‘Zeefer’, but sadly we do not accept submissions from large organizations, no matter how great the recipe is.” I watch the screen fade through watery eyes and some commercial appears for an upcoming movie everyone has been talking about lately.~
The emergency food station was just ahead. Excellent timing on the food station’s part since I was starved. I headed down the stairs and examined my surroundings. Operating in this environment is first nature to me. I was about to get to work, when I saw that someone must have been here already, since there was a completed sandwich with nondescript soy drink waiting for me. It was really something else: meatballs with a certain special sauce drizzled all over them. So good. Glancing around some more, I found a package that claimed to contain ingredients for a drink that fixes love problems. Even though I didn’t want to risk bringing an end to my relationship with sandwiches, I couldn’t help but imagine the end product. Terrible. I’m ashamed to admit that I thought of it. I’m sorry. On the way out, I saw a tableau that reminded me of someplace I might have been before, but I couldn’t quite place it. I closed my eyes and shook my head, then moved on.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
INDIAN CHARITY GETS A BOOST
CARNDONAGH CHARITY SHOP RAISES MONEY FOR INDIAN CHARITIES
Last Friday, the Action With Effect charity shop in Carndonagh, closed after successfully raising over €8700 for Indian charities. The Independent spoke to Catherine White about her efforts to raise money for the organisation, which provides humanitarian aid to lepers, orphans and destitute children.
“I became involved with the charity after taking part in a historical fundraising walk around Carndonagh,” Catherine explains. “I had been talking to Anthony Conaghan from Carndonagh on the walk, who is involved in Action With Effect. Later I met Eamon Melaugh from Derry, who invited me to visit India in September 2006 to volunteer with the work that is being supported over there,” she tells us. “The project works in three areas north of Delhi; Derhadun, Hardwar and Rishakesh, where there is great work being done and of course, loads more to do,” she continues.
Action With Effect works with the very poorest and most destitute people, including lepers and children. Lepers are considered untouchable and are outcasts. They are physically unable to work and even if they could no one would employ them. Their only means of support is begging and they live in degrading misery in conditions of abject squalor where they face a bleak future of shame and humiliation. Millions of destitute children never go to school and face a distressing future of stunted social and economic deprivation.
BUILDING HOUSES
Action With Effect has so far build over 50 houses for lepers, as well as 12 schools for impoverished kids. So far they are putting 2000 children through education, which is the way for a child to break out of the poverty cycle. An orphanage has been built as well as a hospice to provide more humane conditions for lepers.
Having seen the conditions that people are living in first hand, Catherine is only too happy to put in a bit of graft to raise money for the charity. “The children have such terrible lives,” she tells us passionately. “Some of them are no better than slaves and have been sold into bonded labour and expected to work 15/16 hours a day in exhausting physical work such as breaking rocks. The charity rescues as many children as possible, but of course they need money. They are completely reliant on the generosity of people here in Inishowen and Derry. They receive no other funding from anywhere and every penny raised goes straight to those that need it,” she continues.
MOTIVATION
So what made her decide to run a shop? “Well, I got the idea of running a charity shop from Mary McCallion from the IRDL who had successfully raised money for breast cancer before Christmas.” Catherine informs me. “I was able to take the shop over with all the fittings intact which was great. It has been very successful and I have been overwhelmed by the level of support I have had. Inishowen people are so generous, visiting the shop often and making donations. It was also great fun, meeting people and having the craic,” she smiles. “I am absolutely delighted to have raised this money to send out to India. I know it makes such a difference” she concludes.
For more information about the work of Action With Effect or to make a donation call 048 71364029 or e-mail action with effect
Last Friday, the Action With Effect charity shop in Carndonagh, closed after successfully raising over €8700 for Indian charities. The Independent spoke to Catherine White about her efforts to raise money for the organisation, which provides humanitarian aid to lepers, orphans and destitute children.
“I became involved with the charity after taking part in a historical fundraising walk around Carndonagh,” Catherine explains. “I had been talking to Anthony Conaghan from Carndonagh on the walk, who is involved in Action With Effect. Later I met Eamon Melaugh from Derry, who invited me to visit India in September 2006 to volunteer with the work that is being supported over there,” she tells us. “The project works in three areas north of Delhi; Derhadun, Hardwar and Rishakesh, where there is great work being done and of course, loads more to do,” she continues.
Action With Effect works with the very poorest and most destitute people, including lepers and children. Lepers are considered untouchable and are outcasts. They are physically unable to work and even if they could no one would employ them. Their only means of support is begging and they live in degrading misery in conditions of abject squalor where they face a bleak future of shame and humiliation. Millions of destitute children never go to school and face a distressing future of stunted social and economic deprivation.
BUILDING HOUSES
Action With Effect has so far build over 50 houses for lepers, as well as 12 schools for impoverished kids. So far they are putting 2000 children through education, which is the way for a child to break out of the poverty cycle. An orphanage has been built as well as a hospice to provide more humane conditions for lepers.
Having seen the conditions that people are living in first hand, Catherine is only too happy to put in a bit of graft to raise money for the charity. “The children have such terrible lives,” she tells us passionately. “Some of them are no better than slaves and have been sold into bonded labour and expected to work 15/16 hours a day in exhausting physical work such as breaking rocks. The charity rescues as many children as possible, but of course they need money. They are completely reliant on the generosity of people here in Inishowen and Derry. They receive no other funding from anywhere and every penny raised goes straight to those that need it,” she continues.
MOTIVATION
So what made her decide to run a shop? “Well, I got the idea of running a charity shop from Mary McCallion from the IRDL who had successfully raised money for breast cancer before Christmas.” Catherine informs me. “I was able to take the shop over with all the fittings intact which was great. It has been very successful and I have been overwhelmed by the level of support I have had. Inishowen people are so generous, visiting the shop often and making donations. It was also great fun, meeting people and having the craic,” she smiles. “I am absolutely delighted to have raised this money to send out to India. I know it makes such a difference” she concludes.
For more information about the work of Action With Effect or to make a donation call 048 71364029 or e-mail action with effect
SPRING INTO THE GARDEN
The sight of daffodils and crocuses dancing in the wind is the sign that spring is upon us. This glorious season brings with it the beauty and promise of new beginnings and longer days. And of course, spring is the time to kick start the gardening year. So what are your plans for your garden this year? Whether you are re-vamping your established plot or starting from scratch, it is worth taking a bit of time to plan. What are your requirements for your garden this year? Perhaps you might expanding your vegetable plot, planting a few fruit trees or reshape a bed? What about adding a new feature; maybe a patio or even a pond? And when you get out in the fresh air to prepare for the season, remember, Inishowen has everything you need to build, maintain and plant our prized plots.
GARDEN DESIGN
If you are thinking of a total design package for your garden then Gareth from the Lifestyle Garden Centre in Newtowncunningham has a complete garden design and build service. With a team of professional, experienced landscapers behind him, Gareth says that there is no time like the present to bring your garden up to it’s potential “Now is the perfect time to get your garden sorted for the year to come” Gareth advises. “Don’t put it off until the summer! Thorough planning and designing now will pay dividends as your site matures.”
BRINGING IN THE HEAVIES
If you are the type of gardener who just likes to do a little sowing, weeding and pruning, but you aren’t keen on the heavier jobs then A&M Landscaping from Moville provides a great service. They are happy to do the jobs you hate, from groundworks, fencing, drainage, lawns and garden maintenance, as well as building and stonework. The company also have a digger and dump trailer hire available.
VERSATILE WALL BUILDING
If you are thinking of building a new boundary or feature and the price of a wall scares you, think again. You could use moulded stone. “The cost of building a wall can be kept to a minimum with the moulded stone,” Brendan McKinley from Templemoyle Concrete Products tells us. Brendan produces the versatile moulded stone and concrete slabs from his company in Culdaff. “There is no limit to the size of wall you can build and they age beautifully”, he tells me “They are great for retaining the sides of steps too and will finish off the edges of a patio perfectly”.
FENCING AND DECKING
Grianan Precast Concrete, who are based in Burt, supply a comprehensive range of concrete products for the garden and they also supply fencing and decking. Eddie McBride from the company realises the importance of good quality products which can cope with our climate. “We supply a wide range of quality products from kerb edging to fencing, decking and patio slabs, which make up the structure of any garden” said Eddie. “Spring is the perfect time to be building new features in the garden.”
NEW PLANTS FOR THE GARDEN
Garden centres are stocking up with spring plants and flowers. Jacqueline from Willowhill Nursery in Fahan loves the riot of spring colour that these bring. “Daffodils, primroses and pansies are perfect for brightening up any rainy day and they cope with our climate so well!” she tells us with great enthusiasm. Besides the spring flowers, Jacqueline is also receiving new plant stock in daily. “We have a fine selection of trees, alpines, roses, heathers and climbers for our customers to enjoy” she says. If you are in any doubt about what to plant, Jacqueline, with her vast horticultural knowledge will be more than happy to let you know the best plant for your site.
REGULAR LAWN CARE
As the ground is drying out we can start repairing any damage the winter has done to the lawns. Regular maintenance of your green space is important and if you need a contractor to take the effort of lawn maintenance, Stephen Proctor from SP Landscapes is here to help. Stephen from Buncrana stresses the importance of booking early to get the lawn maintained. “ The lawn is growing all of the time and regular cutting is very important to keep it looking good,” he advises. “It’s never too early to think about the lawn and I am taking bookings now for the coming season. I am also very busy doing the last cuts of hedging” And as Stephen says, the growing never really stops.
WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK 7 - STARFISH
A man and his grandson went for a walk down to the beach. It had been a rough day and the tide had been high. When they arrived they found that hundreds of thousands of starfish and been thrown onto the beach by the storm and they were all dying. Immediately the man started to pick the starfish up and throw them back into the sea. The boy, copying his grandfather’s example, started to do likewise. After about half an hour the boy was getting tired. He straightened up and looked around him. He was struck by the amount of starfish still on the beach. He turned to the old man. “Grandfather, what is the point of this,” he said. “Look at all those starfish dying. What difference can we possibly make?” His grandfather, who was picking up a starfish, turned and looked at the boy right in the eye. “It makes a difference to this one,” he said as turned and threw it into the ocean.
Sometimes, when we look at all the sorrow and suffering in the world, we can feel overwhelmed. Whatever we do to bring a bit of joy into another’s life, we can never erase all the troubles of the world. Instead of getting caught up in the misery, just remember, when we do what we can do, we do make a differen
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