March, 2026
What awful weather we had in February. It hardly got light for two weeks; the rain beat down; the wind was cold and strong, and then to cap it all we had a covering of snow, followed by fog. I think during last month we had a year of winter weather.
We have all heard of the Sycamore Gap Tree which was cut down by vandals. Well, 49 saplings were planted, one to represent each foot of the tree’s height at the time of the felling. Around 500 applied to receive one of these. One sapling has been planted at the Tree Sanctuary in Coventry. This project was set up by 3 teenagers who call themselves the 3 amigos and they rescue trees that have been vandalised. What a good job they do!
In my Countryfile magazine last month there was a recipe for “Irish Stew with Pearl Barley”. This brought back memories for me as we regularly had this tasty stew but we called it Pearl Barley Broth. Of course we didn’t have Thyme and we had never heard of a Bouquet Garni, but believe me it was delicious.
An Irish wish:
May there always be work for your hands to do;
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your window pane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow the rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near to you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
Marie Cove.