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Over the years, I have taken many approaches in the war against slugs. I have diligently watered and then collected them each evening. I have poured salt on them so they “melt” (to quote niece No 2).One summer, I decided to use beer traps, only to be woken at sunrise each morning by drunken magpies, […]

This weird spikey plant was spotted at Errislannen, near Ballyconneely, Co Galway. It grows upwards like an echium, though straighter and thicker, and was grown from seed collected in Tresco. Anyone got any idea what it is? The brain is getting exhausted from all the racking I’m giving it…Have found out; it’s a Puya chilensis: […]

Here they are – the family of swans as they grow up in Blackrock. According to a Man on a Bike who stopped to comment as I took these pics, the mother and father are two years old; the original pair was killed by foxes. The parent swans chase the babies away when they can […]

A letter from the Irish Times on our post democratic state: Madam, – Now that Fianna Fáil seems destined to be in power forever, it is time to amend the Constitution and our electoral laws to match political reality. Fianna Fáil, as the natural party of government, should be permanently allocated 80 Dáil seats without […]

A letter from the Irish Times on our post democratic state: Madam, – Now that Fianna Fáil seems destined to be in power forever, it is time to amend the Constitution and our electoral laws to match political reality. Fianna Fáil, as the natural party of government, should be permanently allocated 80 Dáil seats without […]

Love the mixture of colours in the bottom image; yellow aquilegias for a start.

Like most reasonable people, am profoundly depressed by the results of the “election”.That we may have a coalition based on two independent TDs, who were expelled from their parties because they are borderline criminal (Cooper Flynn and Lowry) but still get elected, beggars belief.That people don’t understand that the only reason Bertie has anything to […]

Like most reasonable people, am profoundly depressed by the results of the “election”.That we may have a coalition based on two independent TDs, who were expelled from their parties because they are borderline criminal (Cooper Flynn and Lowry) but still get elected, beggars belief.That people don’t understand that the only reason Bertie has anything to […]

Had noticed just one swan lurking around the water in Blackrock Park recently and decided cygnets were on the way. I was right – at 6pm this evening there they were – all eight of them – although therre had been no sign earlier. Now the park has three adult swans – and although what […]

From the Guardian, Fri 18 May (and a new book) “Britain, on the 10th anniversary of Tony Blair’s arrival in Downing Street, is a place whose default mode for earning its crust is to employ the gift of the gab. The Germans may have the engineers, the Japanese may know how to organise a production […]