but this is extreme to the max
Popularity: 7% [?]
I like a spot of crochet
Crop swap
We will soon have a bumper crop of beetroot and potatotes followed by carrot, parsnips, red onion and er spring onion, all from our garden here in Dublin. While I like my veggies I certainly won’t be able to eat all of those we have grown. Especially the lettuce… Himself and I got to thinking that we are probably not alone in this situation but there might be other gardeners out there with bumper crops of other vegetables. Would you like to swap some of your peas for our beetroot? Or cabbage for our potatoes? (I’m probably totally displaying my ignorance about vegetable growing times here but you get my drift…)
No money need change hands. All we’ll need is a public venue, indoor or outdoor, where a group of home gardeners can get together and swap their crops. August would probably be the best time in terms of harvesting right? Or am I being ignorant again?
Please leave your comments below if you’d like to get involved or if, indeed, this is already happening somewhere in Dublin and I’m just slow on the uptake.
Popularity: 55% [?]
Suits you sir!
Ah the Irish Summer! Well so far this year we cannot complain too much. Most primary schools will finish up this week so expect a turn for the miserable in no short time. This year, however, I am uber-prepared. I have a list of things to do, I’ve sorted the toys and with quiet optimism I have purchased* a pair of children’s wetsuits from Puddleducks. I say quiet optimism because, while I hope to hit the beach, I am presuming it will be cold enough to require said wetsuits. About 3 years ago I bought a wetsuit for Himself so that he could “enjoy” surfing when visiting friends in Donegal even in November. Either the wetsuit or male bravado enabled him to stay in the water for up to 3 hours while myself and the other surf wag chased children up and down the beach purely for the purposes of keeping us all warm. We soon realised after one weekend in Donegal when the kids were paddling with their Puddleducks raincoats on and nothing else (I kid you not!) that wetsuits were a no-brainer for the Irish weather.
Last year we holidayed in lovely Lahinch. (I never did rustle up the energy to post about the lovely holiday we had there. We rented a holiday home in Ballyellery from Trident Holiday Homes. Photo on right was the view from the cottage on one of the truly Irish days 
Ask me if you need more details.) Lahinch is a major surf destination so Himself and some of our friends had a great time. Yet again I missed an opportunity to surf as I was pregnant and too bloody tired even though I wasn’t so far gone. The weather was only okay at the time and we looked at wetsuits in the surf shops in town. The available range wasn’t great in Lahinch and even the second hand ones were pricy so we left it. However there were a number of days where we had to quit the beach as children’s lips turned blue!
I sent a tweet to Puddleducks earlier this year asking them if they were planning to stock wetsuits ever and Aedan replied to me that they were researching the options. A while later Suzanne contacted me and said they were sourcing two different types of wetsuits from suppliers and would I like to try them out. We opted for the full length suits in XSmall and Small. They have since launched a range of different beach products including these suits, a shorty version and various UV suits and beach shoes.
Due to the fact that their father has a wetsuit the Nippers were already favourably inclined. Considering the pair of them had to date refused to even put a two in the water we were concerned that it would be money badly spent regardless. Well the Nippers seemed to think that these suits would make them invincible and Nipper 2.0 even had great plans to go bodyboarding! (Where does he get these ideas!) Their first outing was literally a wash out which involved a real Irish picnic in the car before putting on all our raingear for a walk and some sandcastling in the rain on the beach. Our next outing was on one of the hottest days in this recent hot spell. My sister and I rustled the two of them up after school and headed for Sandycove. While I wouldn’t recommend Sandycove for a hot day, even midweek it was jammed, it was perfect to get the boys in the water in their suits. It’s a very calm inlet which helped them get over any reservations they might have had.
They played happily for the 2.5 hours that we were there in and out of the water. No blue lips and we are saving a fortune in suncream! The suits are great and a good fit with some growing space in them. The Nippers are very different shapes and both at the smaller end of the scale for their age. You can see from the photos that the limbs require a little turning up. Nipper 1.0 is whip thin and so we managed to pull the suit onto him no bother. Nipper 2.0 still has some of his baby fat (he recently turned 4) so we struggled a fair bit to get him into his. Let me put it like this: a child who was disinclined to put on their suit would win that particular battle! That would be my only issue with the XSmall size – it doesn’t seem to allow for the fact that a child that age might be likely to have a little more pudge. Add neoprene, however stretchy, to the mix and there’s a bit of heave ho-ing. But they were both very easy to remove and because of their size far easier to rinse than an adults. In fact I rinsed them in the sink and there is no way you would fit even a small adult suit into a sink.
We subsequently spent an afternoon on Curracloe strand in Co. Wexford which was far less sheltered and there was a stiff breeze that day. Again they played very happily in and out of the water although Nipper 2.0’s courage failed him somewhat. (Who’s talking about bodyboarding now, eh?!) Of course, I put them all to shame by swimming in plain ol’ togs. Due to the ongoing fluctuations in my body weight over the last 8 years there has been no point in getting a wetsuit for myself!
At €35.99 for the suits I think they are well worth it. They seem to be well made (I’m not expert) and include all the features you would expect on a wetsuit: tight ankles and cuffs and a turtle neck with adjustable fastener. The zip is sturdy with a strap for closing and it tucks away neatly. All the tech specs are included in the Puddleducks listing. Look at it like this: on an overcast day you might decide that the beach is just too cold for the kids so you go to the swimming pool. In Lahinch last year that notched up €21.00 for 3 of us. Alternatively if you compare it to the cost of suncream at circa €10.00 per bottle which may get wiped off as soon as it’s on it’s also a far longer lasting bargain. I also really believe it’s the way forward for holidaying in Ireland. I’m the only family member who doesn’t have a suit but I noticed in Lahinch last year that most of the families were all kitted out in them and many of them were not surfing at all, just swimming.
*Disclosure: I received these suits at cost-price from Puddleducks.
Popularity: 47% [?]
Blagaigí!
Fuair mé r-phost le déanaí ó Oifigeach na Gaeilge in Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath. Tá siad ag déanamh urraíochta ar an gComórtas Blagadóireachta san Oireachtas arís i mbliana. Is dócha (agus cur i gceart mé má táim ar strae faoi seo) nach bhfuil comórtas blagála eile sa tír seo le duais chomh mór le bhuachan: €500.00 don bhuaiteoir! Cé tá ag tarraingt a bhfoclóir Uí Dhónaill amach ó chúl an chófra anois?! De réir na rialacha, áfach,
Ba cheart don scríbhneoireacht sa bhlag a bheith dúshlánach, spreagúil, corraitheach agus taitneamhach, agus insint agus stíl bhríomhar sholéite i nGaeilge nádúrtha a bheith i gceist. Maidir le hábhar, bheadh aon cheann de na seánraí seo a leanas inghlactha: prós; filíocht; dialann; gné-alt; tuairisceoireacht nuachta; tráchtaireacht spóirt/pholaitiúil/eacnamaíochta; léirmheastóireacht cheoil/drámaíochta/scannánaíochta; alt taighde nó eile (níl aon srian maidir le hábhar).
B’fhéidir go bhfuil níos mó béime sa chomórtas seo ar caighdeán, stíl agus cruinneas na scríobhnóireachta ná mar atá i gcomórtas eile blagadóireachta ach is mír den chomórtas liteartha den Oireachtas an comórtas seo. Ní aon íonadh an bhéim sin mar sin. Má tá tú ag smaoineamh ar iontráil a chur isteach ní leor tús a chur le blag i nGaeilge inniu (don bhliain seo ar aon nós!) Caithfidh do bhlag i nGaeilge a bheith beo agus tugtha suas chun dáta rialta go leor ó 30 Márta 2010 go 30 Meitheamh 2010. Is é an spriocdháta ar iontrálacha an chéad lá mí Iúil agus gheofar tuilleadh eolais i leith iontráil anseo.
Déanfar an blag a mheas maidir leis na critéir seo a leanas:
- caighdeán na scríbhneoireachta tríd síos;
- chomh húdarásach is atá an scríbhneoir agus é ag scríobh faoi pé ábhar atá roghnaithe aige/aici;
- an méid a chuireann an blag leis an bpobal Gaeilge ar líne trí ábhar suimiúil a chur faoi bhráid a lucht léitheoireachta (idir thagairtí d’fhoinsí eile agus a c(h)uid scríbhneoireachta féin);
- an tuiscint agus tiomantas a léiríonn an t-údar i leith úsáid na meán ar líne ar bhonn sóisialta agus na buntáistí atá anseo don Ghaeilge;
- an méid idirphlé a chruthaíonn an blag agus an dóigh a spreagtar an t-idirphlé seo (mar shampla, spás do nótaí tráchta agus naisc le blaganna eile a bheith curtha ar fáil).
Feicim ó suíomh álainn nua an Oireachtais freisin go bhfuil comórtas nua acu freisin le cabhair ó Ionad an Léinn Cheiltigh i Má Nuad darbh ainm de Giob Geab do theachtaireacht téacs! Speisiúil!
Go n-éirí libh!
Is le Eric Caballeroan ghriangraf thuas (cc)
Popularity: 13% [?]
Rosie put the kettle on
I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to give a kettlebell workout a go. I’ve been to two classes and have enjoyed it. As well as being a toning workout, it also includes cardio aspects and builds your core strength. Obviously I have a bit to go before there will be visible improvements but it’s great to feel like I’m doing something! I always enjoy the social aspect of a class too.
Photo owned by wu_135 (cc)
It’s great to hear from Shane Nicoletti, our kettlebells instructor, that he has been given permission to run a twice weekly lunchtime course in St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin City Centre. The classes will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1pm – 1.30pm starting June 21st. If you are looking for something to set you up for an afternoon of work this is perfect way to re-energise especially as it takes place outdoors – a particularly fine way to exercise!
Check out the Kettlebells Ireland site for more details.
Popularity: 8% [?]
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