hello everyone! I have enjoyed reading the posts here and decided to join you all.I moved to ireland 8 yrs ago from a rural setting in southern england to a much more rural space.I live in a rather old longhouse..one storey,very thick walls and little windows! I am lucky to have a row of outbuildings on a yard close by the house which I have managed to convert to stables for the ponies.They have 7acres to get fat in and there is a garden field for my fruit veg and hens of about an acre.Its quite wet here on the atlantic coast..its about half a km from me. Windy too but you get used to it! they say here that there isnt any bad weather just bad clothes!
I live as simply as I can,cook as much as I can,make as much as I can and just enjoy life!
I hope to get some new ideas and learn some new ways too. Looking forward to meeting you all here!
helly said:
they say here that there isn't any bad weather just bad clothes!
Welcome Helly!
The more I hear about Ireland, the more it reminds me of Oregon. I usually advise visitors to dress in layers, and make sure the outer one is waterproof!
How many ponies do you have? Any pictures?
If you can't be a shining example, be a terrible warning!
Hi Helly - Welcome. I had a holiday in Ireland years ago and have always wanted to return, it was so lovely. My sister's husband hailed from Westport, and his family are still all in that area. It sounds a grand part of the world. This is a great place to get inspiration on all sorts of things, and plenty of fun, too, so keep tuning in.
Gone crazy. Back soon.
hi michelle! not sure its as cold here as oregan, although we did get down to minus 12 last winter for a few nights but that was very unusual.The wind can cut you in two if its in the north.Living here really puts you in touch with the seasons and nature and I love that...ask me again in feb though and I might have changed my mind!
I have four ponies, all rescued. Two were bought over from england and have been with me since foals,they are now 13 and 10.I have two youngsters aged 2 and 3 too.They take all my time,money and strength but I would never be without them.Its a struggle in the winter but I try to get as much hay and straw in ready as I can, they have to be stabled at night from november till april to save the ground.They arent frugal at all! but they repay me a million times over...I know I cant save all the neglected and poor ponies here but I can take care of these few and to each one that came into my care I promised they would never be hungry cold or unloved again!
I will try and post their pictures if I can work out how!!
Hello, Helly, and great that we have a voice from the extreme (almost) west of Europe. Link here to Google maps just to give folks an approximate idea of where you are.
I can picture what you call your longhouse. Hope it is dry and snug inside. Certainly you have plenty of space outside. Enough to make many on here very envious!
Never knowingly underfed
Welcome Helly, I look forward to seeing the pictures when you work it out.
This is the link you might need if you are having problems
Thankyou very much for my welcome! Yes it is very snug inside...have plenty of turf ready for winter...now if I had the room for the ponies I wouldnt have to go out so early in the morning.
Today was the first night that the older ponies came in to their stables.It has been so wet that it had to be done..so its going to be a long winter!The youngsters have the bigger more sheltered field away from the atlantic windward so I am hoping they might be out for another few weeks.Although it is hard work it is rather comforting to look out of my backdoor and see dry warm ponies happily munching hay.
I am working my way through the posts and finding plenty of ideas and advice....
Welcome Helly to the Forum which is the most liberal Forum I have ever been on. Have visited South ireland Cork once with my young son and truck, halfway through unloading I missed my son to find out later that some of the dockers had taken him home to see the wives and he had a great time, he was about 7 at the time, I of course thought the IRA had nabbed him.
Our children reap what we sow
oh dear! That probably was the norm a few years ago!I think some of the older people here find it very hard adjusting to how society has changed in its attitude with regard to talking and being friendly to children.Over here you still see a lot of children playing out even in fairly quiet areas.There are so many little family farms dotted around,often a few scattered within a mile that have connections and share work and the children are used to cycling between them to meet friends.Some of school pick up points are also very rural and lonely.Neighbours would always look out for each others children,offer lifts and catch misbehaving children too! Its changed now hasnt it?
this is a bit off topic!
I don't think it is off topic exactly as it is still about life in Ireland and you have the hello out of the way anyway. The kids here play outside all day even now and I was chatting to one little chap this summer - chatting being a very loose term for him chattering away in Latvian and I nodding and making suitable noises at the right time so he didn't really cotton on to the fact I didn't understand a word he was on about - anyway he was fishing while I was collecting water and he was only 4, but had his own fishing rod and was fishing unaccompanied by a deep enough pond for him not to stand up in with head above water. The authorities would have had a dicky fit in the UK I'm guessing.
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