Sallygardens Smallholding

Interactive Food Map of Ireland

Paul O Mahony of Siopa Eile has launched the Interactive Food Map of Ireland. It's a brilliant idea for both producers and consumers. If you wish to locate an artisan made food product zoom into the area in question and click on the pointers to read contact information and product descriptions. Anybody can add or amend information on the map so if you are a producer go ahead and add your details, or if you know of a producer who isn't on the map please and add them. The success of the map depends on it's users adding information so don't be shy, jump in and help to make it a fantastic resource ... and don't worry you can't break it either!

What better way could there possibly be to start International Downshifting Week than to support a local food artisan in your area.

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Now Its My Turn To Receive A Free Gift

I've been asked to review a Toyota SPA 15 ergonomic design sewing machine and afterwards I get to keep it.  This is going to fit in nicely with International Downshifting Week. How? Well instead of watching TV in the evenings I want to try and use up all those pieces of material I seem to have collected over the last few years. I'm going to start by making clothes for my children (mainly because they are the only recipients who would be delighted with my efforts!).

As well as various materials bought from bargain bins in fabric shops I've also got a variety of old clothes to cut up and remake into new garments. Another great source I've discovered are the sample books from interior design shops. Just call in and ask if you can have their out of season samples. They are only too happy to pass on their waste rather than pay to put it in the rubbish bin. Some of the pieces are really generously large and the smaller samples are perfect for various crafts, particularly quiltmaking or collage.

Why I Blog at Sallygardens Smallholding

Quite a few people ask me this question, and sometimes I ask myself too! I remember when I first came across  a blog, it hit me that it was a really exciting way to reach out to an audience in an interactive way. When I considered starting my own blog it was for a variety of reasons. Initially I was looking for a way to promote my craft work for sale, so that I could fund my new rural based life. I wanted to find a way to earn an income so I could work from home and the internet offered a global audience to a farm down a lane in Co Leitrim! After a while I realised I was thoroughly enjoying writing and the photography. The contacts I made with readers and other bloggers was very fulfilling, true friendships were forged.  A few months into my first craft blog my subject matter was increasingly about life on our smallholding, it was what I wrote passionately about, and so I started up this blog to purely focus on sustainable living. Since finding my niche I haven't looked back and doors began to open. Soon after the launch of Sallygardens Smallholding blog it became evident that there was a huge interest in our type of lifestyle, with many people hungry for more practical information. This, in turn, lead to the launch of a range of courses on various aspects of smallholding ... pig rearing and goat keeping, with vegetable gardening and possibly a poultry course to follow soon. I also run felting courses, thus getting my necessary fix of crafting.

Before I started blogging I had no previous experience of this phenomenon. If you can write and send an email, you can manage a blog, it really is simple to get up and running. There are free blogging platforms such as Wordpress, and others with an annual fee such as Typepad (favoured by professionals), which is what I use (see the link on the left for free 2 week trial). The only downside is that you may be totally sucked into a virtual world ... I set myself an hour each weekday night and try not to go to blogland other than that, otherwise you can get lost in there for weeks on end!

Recently I got through the first round of judging in the Irish Blog Awards which was a huge boost to my 'on-line' confidence. As a consequence, I was contacted by TaraIT (a web development firm in Cork that do blog consultation) who graciously offered me a blog consultation free of charge in return for a mention. As I'm the opposite of a blog expert I jumped at the opportunity. I answered a questionnaire and received back a list of recommendations which I'm working through, alongside a blog guide they sent me. Its quite a lot of hard work on my part but I hope to see some positive results over the coming months. You may notice some tweeks in design, but there will be other changes behind the scenes. I might even ask you, the readers, some questions to find out what topics you'd like to see more of. For a professional who is setting out in the world of blogging, and is hoping to seriously raise their company profile, the route of blog consultation might be a worthwhile consideration as it saves an awful lot of time and legwork on the learning curve.

Why not start up your own blog on a subject you are passionate about? Beansprouts, one of my favourite bloggers, recently challenged her readers to do so... 23 of them took her up on it. If you do too, be sure to let me know.
 

Eco Conscious Skin Care

One person who has commented regularly on this blog is Marie Chantal. Following her links I found that she makes skin care products using essential oils.  What I really liked about her website and blog was the fact that she feels passionately about making top quality eco friendly products for sensitive skin, and you can feel that passion for what she makes come through from her site. She is somebody who hasn't just jumped on the eco-friendly band wagon, I believe she is doing it because its something she truly believes in. As a consumer this is the line on her website that grabs my attention ... this is the nitty gritty information glossed over by other skin care providers with pretty pictures and marketing blurb... 'Our products contain only natural preservatives and are free from parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, mineral oils and synthetic perfumes.', heres a product that has nothing to hide ... how refreshing. Take note of the list of nasties in that sentence and check your other beauty products, even your toothpaste, for culprits.

For these reasons I mentioned her in a post last year where I gave a few links for possible eco-conscious Christmas gifts. Then early in the new year a package arrived from America on my doorstep, and a card as a way of a thank you for mentioning her product on my blog. You can't imagine what a treat this was for me because I rarely, ok never, buy skincare products. I tend to make my own, or more often, not use any!

The first thing I noticed from the skin cream and the lip balm was the amazing smell of roses. The natural aroma from essential oil of rose is so appealing in comparison to synthetic fragrances. This made the product a pleasure before it even came into contact with my body! Being a practical sort of person and spending most of the day outdoors can take its toll on the skin. Dry lips and cheeks are generally my companions  this time of year, but when I remember to use them, and then if I manage to find them in a myriad of pockets, the creams Marie Chantal sent me are a real delight. They smell delicious and they do exactly what they say on the tin! They feel natural and light. The creams are as close to the raw product as one can get which to me means less room for contamination, and ingredients that are far less likely to upset the natural balance of my skin. All those qualities shine through in the final product. Unlike mass produced items with massive marketing campaigns and gross budgets thrown at creating a totally fabricated 'natural' image, Maries collection is beautiful, humble, has a sincere eco conscious ethic and putting it on my skin is like introducing it to its soul mate. Artisans like this deserve to be supported and I wish her success with her fantastic line of products.

Painting the House

Once  you start devoting your time to growing your own meat and vegetables on a smallholding, other things get put on the long finger. Things such as painting the outside of the house. This has been on the 'to do' list for two years now so a couple of weeks ago we finally admitted that enough free time would never present itself for us to do the task ourselves. A few enquiries around Leitrim, word of mouth recommendations, a subsequent phone call and the same afternoon Johnny Markey (086 6059090) promptly turned up at our house and gave us a quote. So here she is before ....

and after an intensive week of power washing, gutter clearing, paint scraping, wire brushing and several coats of paint ... this is what she looks like now in all her glory ...

The door is a Victorian blue. We have a salvage Victorian knocker to fit that I inherited from my Dad who saw the magic of salvage in the 1970s when much of Victorian Dublin was being demolished.  Decades later salvage is now trendy, and indeed an important part saving architectural  history. We have ordered reproduction brass letter box and door knob to match. The staff at Knobs & Knockers in Dublin couldn't have been more helpful ... it was a pleasure to speak to them, never rushed, true gentlemen and couldn't do enough for us.

Now all I need is a makeover of this intensity for myself!

Beekeeping

On Saturday last I attended a workshop at the Organic Centre in Rossinver on beekeeping, given by the inspiring Sue Anthony. I fully intended to take a few photos of the bees there (safely housed behind glass!), some lush images of beeswax, perhaps a few pots of honey (yes we did tastings too!) and a dismantled beehive. However I was so engrossed in the subject for the entire day, that I completely forgot. These little creatures are just amazing, and the art of beekeeping is incredible. I had never appreciated just how interesting, complex, enjoyable and rewarding this activity is. Now, I would love to get my hands on a nucleus of bees ... and a beesuit, and a smoker, and a hive, and a hive tool, all the other things one needs to get started (preferably mostly second hand). I may also seek out a bee sting allergy test first, as I'd rather not discover a severe allergy while kitted out head to toe in a beesuit at the end of my field all on my own during my first ever contact with bees!

So the first step to get involved is to do a course like this one, or this, and/or contact your local beekeeping association. Oh, and contrary to popular belief, members need not be only male and over 65 (but of course they are most welcome too)!

Dublin Zoo

We set off to Dublin Zoo, probably for our third time in a year. On arrival I kicked myself for forgetting the pram for my two year old and dreaded carrying her around all day. Actually, I must remember to forget the pram more often. She ran around the entire zoo and I had trouble keeping up! The enclosures these days are enormous, and each one has several windows at various levels to suit children and former children of all ages. We made it to the African Plaines where we opted for the thrill of the zoo train guided tour, which is a great idea for getting the little ones around as much of the zoo as possible. Hey, did you know that chimpanzees can’t swim because they have such dense body muscle and hardly any fat, so they sink, oh, and it takes two hours to boil an ostrich egg … and, and, and the Maribou Storks legs are hollow inside.

Bring a picnic, theres plenty of lovely spots to eat, including picnic benches at the playgrounds. No need to worry about finding a bush, there are enough toilets dotted throughout for even the most frequent toddler … I know! Theres also a good restaurant with everything from sandwiches to Thai curry with a view onto an active meerkat colony. Having been to Eagles Flying recently, the kids were disappointed that they couldn’t touch the rabbits, guinea pigs and goats in the Zoos pets corner. The Zoos Discovery Centre made up for that because there they got to touch the skull of a ‘hypnobottamus’ and put their hands in a crocodiles mouth!

For me returning to this Zoo where I came as a child, its wonderful to see the improvements, but also great to see some of the surviving beautiful architecture that gives parts of the zoo a fantastic sense of history.

Tip : In the summer arrive before 11am to find parking nearby and avoid entry queues. Better still, get the no. 10, 25 or 26 bus. The Dublin Zoo website gives great directions and information about events at the zoo, including ‘meet the keeper’ details.

Review of Eagles Flying

I follow a saying my cousin said recently, ‘if its meant for ye it won’t pass ye’. So having loosely decided to visit Eagles Flying the previous day, we ambled through lunch and wondered, in a very non-constructive kind of way, how we would get our hands on the phone number. Luckily Nana being a 21^st Century kind of Granny, went on-line and Googled the necessary information. Next and final demonstration that day was scheduled for 3pm, it was 2pm and at least a 50 minute drive. Dan and I glanced at each other, each mentally assessing the length of time for manic packing, organising of children and pets. Could we do it? No, so we jumped into action nonetheless and by 2.20 we were heading off. We arrived at 3.10pm. Knowing the family running the venture were German, it was a safe bet to say that the demonstration would have started on time! We were on the verge of abandoning mission and carrying on to the beach, but Dan in his wisdom coerced us out of the car and we strove up the track to the outdoor auditorium. We had missed the beginning but were allowed to go in at a suitable juncture which ensured our scalps weren’t ripped off by an alarmed bird of prey with our untimely entry! Lothars commentary is laced with intriguing facts punctuated with superb dry wit, his own and his families passion for the birds is contagious. The commentary itself is enough to keep an audience spellbound, and the addition of these beautiful birds makes the whole experience one to remember. Falcons, vultures, owls and eagles swooped to and fro inches above our heads. The birds were taken to the spectators to show each and every person these magnificent creatures at often unnervingly close quarters which left us awed by their magnificence. As Lothar explained ‘don’t touch the bird unless you plan to feed it’ ie with a finger! After the show the children indulged in cuddling newborn rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, chicks, friendly ferrets and even a tame rescue hedge hog. This is one of our favourite places to visit in the West. I can’t wait for another house guest to come so we have an excuse to go back again. Memo to self : plan outings at least a day in advance.