BLOOM IMAGES FROM PHOENIX PARK DUBLIN

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Egg Melt Sandwich

...
"Then imagine opening it and look inside."
Okay. ... left ... though.
"What's in the fridge?"
Greasy sausage gravy ... peppermint sugar syrup.
"Do you want to eat these things?"
... have heartburn ... nine or ten hundred years.
"Eww, that's disgusting."
... I'm closing ... heading right ....
"No way! I'm not taking you there!"
... I know you'll take me there eventually.

Gathering up the ingredients is an essential step for creating a food dish. Usually you’d do this with a shopping list planned out ahead of time with words written on it. I love it when I see words written for me. But I didn’t have one of these. I was gathering up interesting things. Eggs are easy, so I grabbed a few of those. You may not know this about me, but I am a master at cracking eggs. I can crack a hundred baker’s dozen eggs and not even know it. I put those on the counter and sort of wrapped a towel around them so they don’t crack themselves. I took out the cock sauce, since it always adds potential. I needed something tasty, so I headed into the bone cellar for some canned tuna. It’s pretty cold there. I once was carrying a bowl of soup there to eat, since I was sick, and it was spilling all over my hands, burning them. I saw some instant mashed potatoes so I grabbed those as well. Heading back to the kitchen, I realized I still need some odd and ends to put things together. Couldn’t find any bread, so I took out a bag of small tortillas, and the package of swiss cheese that was sitting next to it. Cheese is pretty great, especially when it’s melty. I tossed things into the frying pan for the first attempt, which didn’t turn out well since most parts were added as an afterthought.

[Beginning Cooking]
[Potatoes and First Sandwich]
[Sandwich with Additional]

It tasted good enough to make me want another, and bad enough to make me think I could do better. This time I added everything in during the cooking organization.

[Cooking Sandwich 2]
[Sandwich Formula]
[Final Sandwich]

WISDOM OF THE WORLD - WEEK18

The Snake’s Lesson
A snake living in the forest in India was fed up with his life. “I see a person, I bite a person, and people hate me and scream and run away when they see me coming.” He said to himself. “There must be a better way of being in the world.”

At that moment, a wise Indian spiritual teacher was passing. The snake approached him. “Please help me,” implored the snake. “I want to change. People are afraid of me and I don’t want to hurt people any more.”

The old man took pity on the snake and agreed to be his teacher. He taught him not to bite and to centre in love, sending out loving thoughts and blessings to the people in the nearby village. The snake was a willing student and after a few months the teacher thought he was ready and left to continue his travels.

A year later, the Guru was again travelling in the forest where the snake lived and thought he would look in on his friend. He found the snake in a terrible state, all battered and bruised. “What happened to you?” he asked him. “Teacher, it was awful.” The snake replied through tears. Over the months the little boys realised that I wasn’t attacking, they became more and more brave, coming closer and closer, eventually they would run up and give me a kick and now I am constantly being beaten.”

“Poor little snake” the master said with great compassion, “I didn’t tell you not to hiss.”

5 MINUTES WITH - MARTIN MALONEY

Martin Maloney has always had a keen interest in birds. He is known as the bird doctor and at the moment he is caring for a baby owl that was in danger of being eaten by larger birds in the nest. Martin travels around the schools of Donegal with his peregrine falcon, barn owl and Harris Hawk entertaining and educating children on the wonders of birds. Throughout the summer he will be at Glenveagh National Park demonstrating the fine art of falconry to enthusiastic tourists. Martin is a member of the Inishowen Wildlife club and goes bird watching most weekends.

What would you never throw away?
I would never throw my camcorder away. I always seem to have it recording. I use it a lot for filming wild birds in the countryside. If I go to weddings and other social events I use it then. I also tend to record the family when they least want me too …

What book are you reading?
I have a great book that I am reading at the moment called Jesus In His Times, it’s a history book that was printed by the Readers Digest in 1989. I also have a lot of bird books that I use for reference.

What music do you like?
I like some of the old classic bands like Thin Lizzie, the Eagles and R.E.M. I also really enjoy church music. I am in the folk group at the Cockhill church and also sing with the Gateway singers so church music can be inspirational.

What was your favourite childhood game?
Sledging. Some might not believe this but we used to have snow that settled for 2 to 3 weeks in the winter. My friends and I would go down the hill near Castle Park in the town and sledge right down until we ran into the Stone Jug, which used to stop us from careering into the Swilly.

Have you been to the cinema recently, what did you see and was it any good?
Elizabeth, my wife and I try to go often to the cinema. The last film we went to see was Blood Diamond. This is a film starring Leonardo DiCaprio about a fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen matching their wits over the possession of a priceless diamond. It was based on a true story and was very entertaining.

What section of the newspaper do you turn to first?
The sports pages, especially football.

What is your idea of a good night out?
A good meal, then over to the Cruiskeen Lawn.

Can you be forgetful?
Yes. I have been known to go to the wrong venues when I am singing. I was due to sing at Cockhill church but went to the oratory in Buncrana instead. And there was that time that I went to singing practice with my daughter Lisa and forgot she was there! I realised when I got home and had to go back for her…

Have you a favourite TV programme?
Any nature programme, especially ones on birds. There are some fabulous documentary programmes.

How do you relax?
Birdwatching and flying birds. It is so relaxing flying falcons and hawks.

What job did you want to do when you were a child?
I always wanted to do something that was linked to wildlife, maybe a vet. I went out with my father Nicholas when I was young to catch goldfinches and linnets. It isn’t legal now I must stress, but years ago you could catch these birds and keep them as pets. They had beautiful singing voices and lived happily in cages. My father would catch the birds and give them away to people who could give them a good home. I picked up my love of birds form doing this.

Where would you like to go for your holidays?
Rome – We (The Gateway Singers) are going at the end of June to sing in Venice. We will also have an audience with the Pope.

Your idea of hell?
Being the only Leeds and Celtic fan in a room full of drunk Rangers and Manchester United fans.

What famous people would you invite around for dinner and why?
David Attenborough - he could talk about his latest series Life in Cold blood, which explores the lives of amphibians and reptiles.

Favourite animal?
No surprise, my birds and two dogs.

Biggest fear?
I really do not like to see injections. I am not squeamish; I can look at hospital dramas and operations. I just don’t like to see the blood being sucked out of people.

Biggest thrill?
Finding birds nests of special interest such as the Hen Harrier.

The world’s most irritating invention?
That would have to be the JCB. They destroy the countryside and wildlife habitats.

Personal philosophy?
Never give up.

Which period in history would you most like to have lived through?
2000 years BC The days when falconry hunting was the main means of bringing food to the table.

World’s most useful invention?
The computer. It is fantastic for keeping the records of bird nest findings and documenting wildlife photographs. (You can see some of Martins photos on http://www.inishowenwildlifeclub.com/)

MEDITATION DAY IN BUNCRANA

Day of Meditation to be held in Buncrana

A day of meditation will take place on Saturday 31st May at 5 St Mary’s Road in Buncrana from 10am-4pm. Noel Bradley and Julie Brown will facilitate the day, which will introduce you to the practice of meditation. Meditation is a wonderful opportunity to connect to the peace of your own being. It is a great support for managing the stresses of modern living.

During the day meditation techniques will be practised for relaxation and healing, becoming more aware of our body, mind and emotions and finding inner peace.

Both Noel and Julie have been meditating for years. Noel, an experienced group leader in transformation workshops explains, “I have always used meditation as an integral part of development, growth and transformation at workshops, as well as a spiritual discipline in my own life. I believe it has kept me physically, psychologically and spiritually more healthy over the years.” He says, “I really think it is important for people to learn different ways to meditate, relax, centre themselves and to access the depth of their inner lives.”

Julie has also been practising meditation for the past fifteen years and has worked with groups locally and nationally sharing the benefits that meditation has brought into her life. “Meditation is a very important practice for me and brings joy and contentment into my life. I have had many wonderful teachers in meditation and enjoy sharing what I have learned,” she says.

Booking will be essential if you are interested in taking this opportunity for connecting with your inner being before the summer holidays start. The cost of the day will be €40 and will include a light lunch of soup and salad. Please book by contacting Noel on 074-9362390 or Julie on 074-9363684

Underrated Chocolate Cake

My brother recently left on a trip to find some wild cougar that has been reported lately to be hanging around forest preserves. I was pretty excited, so I used this as an excuse to get baking as a celebration and have myself an Eatrian Odyssey. I found a bag of premade cake mix inside a box on a shelf, but when I looked at the instructions, I just wasn’t satisfied. I just had to shape it to my personal taste, so I took out the eggs and vegetable oel. Peanut butter is really great, and I really don’t like chocolate chips, so I tossed in a bunch of those. Also, I added some water, since it doesn’t work without that. You have to be an experienced chef to know these subtle factors that influence the cake. I mixed it up with a fork, and it already was looking good enough for me to eat at this point, but I decided to stick it in the microwave oven just for the heck of it. I set it to two minutes, and took it out when I felt it was right. It turned out great. I am a huge fan of things that taste good. Although I am proud of myself for this, I feel that I want to experiment and further alter the recipe next time and truly make it my own.

Tip: If possible, use Chicago tap water for zebra mussel taste.

to taste – chocolate cake mix
to taste – water
to taste – peanut butter chips

[Ingredients]
[Finished Product]

ORGANIC FARMING SEMINAR - INISHOWEN

Press release from Mary Reilly

There has been a lot of negativity in the media recently about the future of Farming in Donegal, Inishowen in particular. One local paper has gone as far as saying that farming is going to ‘the wall’.

There’s good reason for this, the price of diesel has gone through the roof in recent months, and petroleum based fertilisers have doubled in price since last year. And global warming has everybody confused!

So what’s the good news? With the introduction of the Single Farm Payment, farmers now have a certain amount of freedom to experiment and look for alternatives to exclusive livestock farming. There are lots of ways to utilise farmland. Many people are talking about growing biomass willow for alternative fuel when the price of oil goes beyond what we can afford. Forestry is always another option.

But what happens when fuel prices go so high that we can’t afford to import all the food we need? At the moment, most of the food in our shops is imported. Why can’t we start looking at ways in which we can feed ourselves?

Organic Farming is fast becoming a realistic option for many farmers seeking a way to stay on the land. Now that farmers don’t have to overstock in order to get a decent headage payment, the traditional option of mixed farming can be opted for.

There is a lot of interest among consumers in getting locally produced food, and this demand can’t be met unless more farmers start producing food for the local market.

The Inishowen Organic Group, in association with the National Organic Training Skillnet (NOTS) are hosting an evening of information in McGrory’s of Culdaff on the 28th of May. Starting at 6.30pm, the evening will include a buffet meal and talks and presentations on all aspects of Organic farming, from production to outlets.

Speakers on the night will include: Elaine Leavy, Teagasc, Kevin Hickey, North West Organic, John Brennan, Leitrim Farmers co op, and Sean McGloin, NOTS. Farmers from Donegal and Derry who produce organic beef and grain will be there to talk about what they do and one to one consultations will be available free. Organic produce will be on sale from the Farm Shop, Moville and North West Organic.

Admission, including the meal is €10

For more information, go to the Inishowen Organic Group’s website http://www.iog.weebly.com/ or http://www.nots.ie/.
For information on training in organic production call Sean on 086 1728442

WHAT? ORGANIC FARMING SEMINAR

WHEN? WEDNESDAY MAY 28TH AT 6.30PM

WHERE? McGRORY’S CULDAFF