Photo of the Week

Fun in the sun: Jeffrey Carolan had an innovative way of cooling down during last week’s hot weather.

Rural Rhymes

The Sheep on the Hill

Today on the twelfth the sheep on the hill

Are spread all around and they graze with a will

They are very content each side of the hill

And they talk to each other as their stomachs they fill

The evening has come and the sun it goes down

Then the shepherd he comes with a car that is brown

He looks at the sheep that are grazing away

And he knows they’re all right at the end of the day.

Then he goes back down again to his home in the glen

And the sheep they all gather as the night it draws in

Their breeds they are many as they do congregate

There are Suffolk and Blackface that comes from the glens

Then there are Dortmoors that come from the fens

There are Galways and Cheviots that are in Wicklow still

But the best of them all are the wee Kerry hill

So all of these sheep they sleep in a bunch

As the fox he goes through them in search of his lunch

But tonight he gets nothing as the mammy does come

And he goes away hungry as home he does run.

He finds a few slugs down near the wood

And these they do fill him and then he feels good

But now the wee sheep are starting to stir

And the sun it comes up and shines on the fur.

Beneath the fur bush there came during the night

Two little lambs and their eyes they shone bright

For their mother she had them as the clock it struck four

And the fox was a-prowling just outside the door.

But now they have risen and have drank their fill

And soon they will join the sheep on the hill.

Instagram Inspiration

One of the accounts we’ve been glued to recently is @denise_bethphillips from Newbridge.

Denise is Mom to eight-year-old Beth, who was conceived after nine rounds of IVF. She and her husband Mark have been trying a long time for baby number two, a journey that was documented in 2017 by TV3’s The Babymakers.

Then earlier this year, she found out she was pregnant naturally, and not just that, she was 27 weeks pregnant. It was a pregnancy filled with lots of surprises, including her getting Covid days before giving birth, which she has also documented on her account.

The good news though is baby Jude was born healthy and happy earlier this month.

Her account isn’t just about babies and fertility, the business woman is also co-owner of Pelo Hair which has salons in Newbridge, Dublin and Belfast and she also runs Voduz Hair, a range of hair products so you’ll get lots of hairstyling tips.

Tweet of the Week

Home management tips with Katherine O’Leary

Continuous washing can dry out zips and lead to them sticking. Both metal and nylon zips are easily lubricated with a little Vaseline. Run them up and down a few times and wipe off any excess Vaseline. Do this periodically to avoid trouble. Invisible zips sticking or popping open in evening gowns, dresses, trousers and skirts are more problematic. A tiny rub of soap can help or the use of a lead pencil along the teeth if the fabric is a dark colour. Again, gently rub off the excess. An expert dressmaker advises me to avoid thick seams running horizontally across the invisible zip as this added strain makes them pop. Watch out for that when purchasing. An invisible zip that does not run easily when worn might have a few stitches too close to the teeth. Mark where it is sticking and undo the few stitches. Repair using secure backstitching or machine if seam is accessible.

Number of the Week

221,946

The number of people stuck in a backlog waiting for their driving or theory test. Read more in Consumer Watch.

Quote of the Week

From our sports columnist Denis Hurley:

At the end of June, the local tennis court – idle for the previous 50 weeks – was booked out as Wimbledon fever descended; then it was time for the Tour de France, so we scaled the local hills and pretended they were the Alpe d’Huez; before climbing our imaginary horses and scaling the cushion-based jumps like Eddie Macken around the time of the Dublin Horse Show