Traditional weather signs

When I was younger, I was told that pine cones could forecast the weather as they change shape according to whether it is wet or dry. In dry weather, pine cones open out as the scales shrivel up and stand out stiffly. When it is damp, they absorb moisture and as the scales become flexible again, the cone returns to its normal shape. I used to keep a fir cone near my back door and they were pretty reliable. Nature is good like that and can give us far more indications of the weather, not only for that day, but for the whole year. Problem is that most of us have lost the art of seeing the signs.

One person keeping the old tradition of weather forecasting going is Michael Gallagher from Glenfin. Michael’s forty years as a postman has given him an opportunity to meet some of the older people (particularly from the Croaghs) who still know a thing or two about predicting the weather.

In the past, people in rural Ireland, who depended so much on the weather for sowing, reaping and harvesting of crops had a fairly reliable system of their own to predict the weather. They understood that all life on earth depended on the sun so they looked to the sun and planets, wind and water, bird and beast which all depended on the sun, for guidelines. The heavenly bodies were studied very carefully by our forefathers for any changes in the weather.

Michael explains that the outline of mountains against the horizon and their ever-changing hues from day to day portrayed to the people of the Croaghs the type of weather that could be expected. “A blue haze on them meant heat, while mist meant rain. The outline of Cruach na mBoc or Gaigin appearing further away in the distance meant fair weather.”

It wasn’t just the mountains that were a signal of weather conditions. Frogs, insects, bats, bees, butterflies, birds and animals by their outward appearances, moods or movements, indicated the weather that could be expected in the days or weeks ahead. The cat was regarded in ancient Egypt as sacred, but in the Cruacha it was regarded as prophetic as regards weather.

The moon played an important part in predicting weather. The moon in all its phases was a great weather guide for the past generations. A far ring on the moon meant a storm near hand while a ring near the moon meant a far away storm. If the weather does not change at the beginning of any phase of the moon it means it will not change for the duration of that quarter. Also the first quarter of the New Moon follows the same pattern of weather as the last quarter of the old moon. In winter and early spring if the New Moon makes her appearance on the second or third day and appears like a small silvery crescent with upturned ends, it foretells frost and snow for the duration of the moon. If the moon appears to be racing behind the clouds that means wind and storms aren’t far away.

Birds

Michael also found that people looked to birds and insects for indications of weather patterns to come. “Our feathered friends are most sensitive to changes, and people who study them minutely can foretell changes in weather conditions.

The wren, robin, sparrow or finch seen washing and preening their feathers in a pool of water is a sign of fine weather. If Willy wagtails can be seen fluttering about street or farmyard, heavy rain may be expected.

Robin Redbreast

The robin flies near the house and into the barn when snow is forthcoming, but she flies in on the open door, a heavy fall of snow is fast approaching. If the robin sings in the evenings in spring or summer, rain is sure to come on the morrow.

Ducks

Ducks waddling is a sign of wind. When ducks stay out in the rain, it’s a sign that it won't fair all day!

Hens

Hens picking themselves are a sign of rain.

Magpies

As for magpies, when they gather together and chatter loudly, this means storm and rain.

Insects

Insects, slugs, butterflies, bees and frogs are sensitive to changes of weather. Worms, crawling on the road or on the surface of the ground, is a fore-bringer of rain, but, if seen crawling on the doorstep, look out for floods. During cold and inclement weather in autumn, if black horse-worms can be seen crawling on roads or walls, a good warm spell of weather can be expected. Slugs and caterpillars crawling on wallsteads, forecast rain in the near future. Ants, known as flying ants, or 'Siongain eiteogach' in Irish, when seen flying in multitudes and settling on window-sills, railings, ledges, or even on roofs and bonnets of cars, are a sure sign of approaching rain. A sting from a flying ant can be very painful, and, the more painful it is, the nearer the rain. Spiders, patiently threading their webs outside doors and windows presage bad weather, but, when they weave their webs on tops of rushes or whin bushes in early Spring, good weather is on the way.”

Buy the book

Michael has amassed a lifetimes worth of knowledge for local weather predictions and has wisely catalogued all of the stories, tips and advice in his new book ‘Tuar na hAimsire - Traditional Weather Signs’. You can order a copy from his website www.michaelgallagher.ie. It is great that old wisdom is not dying out but thanks to Michael it is accessible to a new generation. Perhaps if I had bought the book earlier, I would have got some snow chains in time for the big freeze.

NEW INISHOWEN GIY GROUP

 

l-r. Donal Doherty, Michael Kelly, John Hamilton, The Doherty/Donnelly family and Bev Doherty.

I’m walking into Harry’s Bar in Bridgend. It’s not often I venture out into bars, but tonight is something a bit special. It’s the first meeting of the new Inishowen GIY (Grow It Yourself) group. The GIY movement was started in 2008 by Irish Times Journalist and author Michael Kelly as a non profit making venture in Waterford. The idea is help people find out more about growing their own produce and has quickly spread nationwide with over 80 groups forming around the country.
The bar is packed, I know a few familiar faces such as radio gardening expert Gareth Austin, gardening gurus; Willie Grant , Bev Doherty and Colm Grant, as well as others I haven’t met before, all with the common interest of growing their own produce and in some cases rearing their own livestock in Inishowen.
Michael taps his glass and introduces himself to the 50 or so people in the room. “I’m no gardening expert,” he begins humbly. “In fact my first attempt at looking after plants ended in disaster when I managed to kill off some very old bonsai trees. “ (That’s not that difficult I can assure you, keeping a plant in a tiny container and cutting off its tap root is best left to obsessive fanatics.)

How GIY began

Michael continues to tell us how the idea for GIY began. “About eight years ago I bought a garlic bulb from a supermarket. I had got used to the fact that these bulbs had been grown in Spain or Portugal, but this one I picked up was grown in China. I couldn’t believe that this item, which cost less than 50 cent, had been shipped 5000 miles across the world. I got on my high horse and decided to grow some for myself. I took the bulb home, divided up the clove and planted them in the garden.
The cloves were then ignored and neglected, but that didn’t stop them sending up green shoots, which eventually fell over and withered away. I thought the plants had died so I started to dig the brown shoots out. To my surprise the single cloves had grown into fabulous bulbs. “
This realisation that plants instinctively want to grow inspired Michael to want to learn more about the art of growing his own. “I was impatient and tried to find local groups to join but as there was nothing in my area, I decided to set up a small group locally.”
The first meeting was in Michael’s local library. He set out ten chairs for a small gathering. 100 people turned up and the enthusiasm was contagious.
In just two years the idea has spread throughout the country. To date 6000 people have joined the local groups, with Inishowen being the latest group to sign up, lead by Donal Doherty, the proprietor of Harry’s Bar.
“People came to that initial meeting for different reasons.” Michael explains, “It could be that the recession was forcing people to rethink their spending and grow for financial savings. There were people who had money but also had time on their hands, people who worry about getting good healthy, nutritious food and also people who liked the exercise that gardening gives you.”

Well travelled

Michael bought a few vegetables on his way up the country earlier in the day and showed us a pack of tomatoes (from Morocco) some mixed red peppers (from Holland) and some grapes (from Brazil). “The combined food miles for these basic vegetables, is about 13000 miles.” Micheal tells us. “I was on the Sean Doherty show this morning and he asked me if this was just the ‘Global Village’ we now have and expect with food. I had to disagree. The statistics don’t add up. We import 5 billion euro worth of food a year into Ireland and export 7 billion euro. The most ridiculous fact is that Ireland imports exactly the same amount of onions as it exports. Now where’s the logic in that? Ships are passing each other in the oceans with the same products on them?”
There were more statistics for us. “In the 1980’s 35% of our disposable income was spent on food. Now that amount has reduced to 17-18%. (You might find it interesting to know that here in Ireland we spend the same amount of our income on mobile phone charges as we do on food.”
Of course Michael is here to welcome Inishowen to the GIY fold and doesn’t dwell on the negatives. This is a positive movement to nurture locally grown produce, reducing our dependency on imports and benefit from a community spirit.

Michael’s Top Ten

Michael is keen to tell us his top ten favourite vegetables for growing.
“Tomatoes, potatoes (early ones like Orla or Sarpo) peas, garlic, leeks, herbs, salad crops, (which can be grown all year round), courgettes( one of the most prolific and easy crops to grow) cucumber (you can get 40 from just one plant), leaf beet, fruit bushes and an apple tree.” Observant counters amongst you will notice there are 12 in the list, but whose counting anyway. “Just grow what you really like” is the advice that Michael gives us.
“The space needed for a family of four to be self sufficient in vegetables is just 30 feet by 50 feet and a polythene tunnel 40 feet by 14 feet and should only take about 8 hours a week to upkeep .“ Michael can even tell us exactly how much it costs him to feed and rear a chicken to 12 week maturity (€7.50). He’s done the maths.
Michael concludes his fascinating talk by saying, “GIY wants to inspire people to gain and share skills in the edible garden. Please give it a try. The worst thing that can happen is that something doesn’t grow.”

Time for me to mingle....

Monthly meetings

GIY Inishowen will have monthly meetings at Harry’s Bar. See the GIYireland.com website for more details. The meetings are non profit making, fun and open to all levels of gardeners from the professional to total novice. Refreshments will be served and there is absolutely no charge.

Bird Care

A pain in the neck

I am sitting at the computer finding inspiration for this week’s article when there is a thud at the window. The kids are off school with the snow so we all go over and open the window. A wee bird is lying looking a bit dazed in the snow. One of the lads goes out and comes back in, hands cupped and a wee pair of eyes looks up. The bird is popped into a furry slipper and left there to recover. This isn’t the first time this has happened. A few wee chirps emanate from the wee thing. We leave him in peace and start chatting amongst ourselves, reminiscing about other bird rescues and wondering whether his wing has been damaged. After ten minutes or so a beak opens. Water is put in a dropper and the bird gulps the drops down and is left in peace again. Shortly there is a flutter of wings and the bird flies to the window where one of the boys catch him while the other opens the window. We watch as our temporary visitor flies to the top of the tree wondering what tales he will tell to his friends about the strange warm world he was in and then he swoops down, landing on the feeder to tuck into some nuts.

We always enjoy putting out food for the birds. It is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to see wildlife really close up. In winter, birds may have difficulty finding natural foods such as berries, insects, seeds, worms and fruit. Earlier in the season we noticed the holly absolutely laden with berries – a sure sign of a long cold winter or so the old wives’ used to tell me when I was a kid. Nature has signposts for us, if only we could read them. Mind you not all of us have forgotton (I heard  the Donegal Postie on Highland radio who seems to know how to read the signs).

Feeding the birds regularly over winter will help the birds survive until the spring and God knows they have no supermarkets and oil centrally heated nests.


What would they eat?

Most kitchen leftovers can be used to feed birds. Bread can be crumbled up and scattered - moisten very dry bread first as it could cause dehydration.

Biscuits provide a rich source of fat, and cooked rice, pasta and pastry are packed with starch. Potatoes can be boiled, baked, roasted or mashed, and cheese - crumbled or grated - will be very popular with robins and wrens.

Fat is a wonderful source of energy - cut bacon rinds, fat from chops or blocks of suet into cubes. Mealworms can also be very useful, you can get large tubs of them from the petshop, Lidl were selling them too last week.

Fruit, such as windfalls or bruised apples and pears, goes down a treat with blackbirds and thrushes. It may also attract winter visitors from Scandinavia such as fieldfares and redwings.

Beware: Grapes, sultanas, raisins and some artificial sweeteners can be very toxic to dogs and some other wild/domestic animals. These foods should be put on a raised bird table and never scattered on the ground.

Go nuts

Fresh coconut in the shell is a great favourite with tits. Drill two holes in one end and drain off the milk. Saw the coconut in half and hang outside. Never put out desiccated coconut as it swells up inside a bird's stomach.

Peanuts are rich in fat and attract nuthatches, siskins, great spotted woodpeckers, tits, greenfinches and house sparrows. Peanuts may be naturally contaminated with an invisible toxin so make sure you buy peanuts of guaranteed quality. Use a darning needle to thread nuts in their shells onto string or put shelled peanuts in wire mesh containers or spiral feeders. Robins and dunnocks will eat crushed or chopped nuts. Never use salted nuts.

Bird seed mixes with sunflower seeds attract greenfinches and chaffinches. Dunnocks and finches prefer smaller seeds such as millet or canary seed.


Reduce risks

Scatter food on the ground for thrushes, dunnocks and wrens. Cats pounce from bushes and trees so don't put food nearby. Don't put food out late in the day; it might attract rats and mice overnight.

To reduce the risk of spreading disease, clean bird tables and feeders weekly and water bowls daily.

Bird pudding

* Make a mould, a half coconut shell is ideal, and thread some string or wire through a small hole in the base.
* Mix some seeds, chopped nuts, sultanas, biscuit crumbs and rolled oats in a bowl.
* Melt the same volume of lard or suet in a pan.
* Add the fat to the dry mix and stir well.
* Pour the mixture into the mould and leave to cool.
* When the pudding is set, hang the mould upside down in the garden.

Thanks to the DSPCA for their advice

Winter Tips

Trouble free shrubs

We have lots of evergreen shrubs in the garden. They do need pruning back occasionally to stop them merging together and taking over but generally they are trouble free. One thing I like about them is their resilience to adverse weather conditions. When we move out of the recent ice age the shrubs can bounce back and the garden resumes its green state. There are some people that suggest that we should brush or knock the snow off the branches or they will snap, but we generally never get snowfall that badly. Anyway it wasn’t snow in our garden; it was compacted hail which stuck to the shrubs like superglue, so there would be no flicking the stems clean. Best to just leave them as they are I say.

Mountain madness

Just like Christmas last year, we find ourselves snowed in. We are not exactly in the middle of nowhere but we are on the top of a hill with an uphill driveway. Getting the car out was impossible so it was a case of getting the backpacks out and walking through the fields to get to the shops. What usually takes just minutes turns out to be a morning’s jaunt. Not only do we experience the beauty of the Inishowen coastline walking into town but we also get to meet all the other folk in the shops that are also succumbing to mountain madness. We can exchange stories of how we can see the oil and coal levels falling fast as we attempt to heat our houses. All except one friend of mine I bumped into in the vegetable section of Aldi’s. He was insightful enough to build a nearly passive eco house, so even the winter sun is enough to warm enough to heat the rooms and water. Envious isn’t the word.

The snow and frost has been a bit of a shock to the plants and trees. Walking through Swan Park we notice that there are still leaves falling onto the snow. Autumn hadn’t finished. We still have lettuce popping its leaves out from under the ice as well. We probably won’t be eating it now but it will come in useful for feeding the guinea pigs. I’m still wanting to fatten them up for Christmas (I’m outnumbered though with my cost saving idea for a Christmas dinner ) Our broccoli and kale are still looking fabulous in the garden, they can withstand anything that’s thrown at them. I like to eat the small florets when they appear in late winter. Looking around the garden there’s very little else that we can eat in the next couple of months (hence the reason for being at the veg section of Aldi)

I cleared most of the vegetable beds before the weather closed in and I will be building them up in spring with some of the 25 tonnes of topsoil that I got last month. This way I can start the growing year off with weed free surfaces. A first for me.

Winter tips

It’s probably a bit late for me to be suggesting that you put any delicate plants into a sheltered spot or even in the garage. It might be a bit late also to move any delicate pots inside too, hopefully there should still be some intact so you could have a walk around and give the containers a bit of a tap, you can tell by the tone if they are cracked.

Talking of taps, if you have any outdoor ones cover them up with an old sack or some bubble plastic or insulation foam.

You could also use some of the bubble wrap insulation to put under the birdbath if you have one. The water might need replacing often too. If you have bird feeders keep an eye on those and keep them topped up too.
Empty the petrol out of your mower if it’s parked up for the winter.

Keep an eye out for Christmas plants to brighten up your rooms over the festive period. Choose from an ever growing range of plants which include.
• Winter cherry (solanum)
• Poinsettia
• Christmas cactus
• Norfolk pine
• Orchids
• Kalenchoe
• Amaryllis bulbs
• Begonia
• Cyclamen
• Hyacinth
• Topiary balls
• And even indoor Christmas roses

Overheard in the aisles of the local supermarket

“Aren't we forgetting the true meaning of Christmas? You know… the birth of Santa. “
“The one thing women don't want to find in their stockings on Christmas morning is their husband.”

GIY Inishowen

Event Date/Time 14.12.2010 from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Host Donal Doherty
Location Harrys Restaurant Bridgend

Interested in growing your own food, but don't know how to get started or need a little bit extra help? A great solution is coming to Inishowen with GIY (Grow it Yourself) Ireland, a new not-for-profit initiative that is literally sweeping the nation.

Michael Kelly is the man behind the network that now has 80 groups around Ireland and helps almost 6,000 people grow their own food. The aim is to provide people locally with the practical skills they need to grow successfully.

GIY Inishowen will launch at Harry's Restaurant, Bridgend starting this Tuesday 14th December at 7pm. Regular meetings will take place to talk, learn from each other and exchange tips, produce and war stories. Regular expertise will be in the form of some of Harry's local experienced growers, Whiteoaks Organic Community Centre & An Grianan Organics.

"This is a perfect opportunity for people to get involved on a community basis & learn more about making the most of the space around the house & growing your own vegetables. It's great to see so many more polytunnels & enthusiasts around Inishowen, but there are so many more that would like to get started or share experiences & learn more. It is totally free to attend and it will be as practical and light hearted as possible. There will always be free tea/coffee & nibbles served at each meeting.

The timing is perfect as Harry's are just developing our own greenhouse & growing plans for 2011, so people are welcome to join while we learn too! It's great that Michael is travelling up for the launch, his expertise is second to none" says Donal Doherty, Manager, Harry's.

"I'm delighted to be coming to Inishowen and see the network of GIY expand into Donegal for the first time" says Michael Kelly, Founder GIY. "This is a great opportunity for people to become involved with talks, access seeds & seedlings, attend garden visits & meet more experienced growers in a relaxed environment. That produce from local growers are already used by Harry's makes a perfect fit and Harry's is very accessible from all over Donegal & Derry for anyone interested in coming along. I look forward to meeting everyone on Tuesday and sharing plenty of growing tips."