Rural Rhymes: The World (in 2050)

The world is just a pile of junk

Nothing more than a rubbish dump

A place not fit to live and breathe

For a boy or a girl or an animal breed

It isn’t safe or fresh or cool

There’s no clean water in the pools

The Antarctic is a bit of ice

flouting gently like the Knife

that stabbed poor Greta to the ground

With an unforgettable single pound

The demand for coal is getting higher

But plastic is the most desired

Young children ask ‘What is a fish?’

‘Is it some kind of magical wish?’

No one ever cares to think

About the Fish that are Extinct

So little children never get to taste

What it is to eat a flat white Plaice

The smell of pollution fills the air

So much of it, it’s hard to bear

And when you hurry up the stairs

it’s bedtime and your tired and scared

You realise the world is dead

So you fetch some paper from the shed

And write a letter to the past

To tell them that they must act fast!

The year I chose is 2021

To help us now before the sun

decides it’s time for us to go

Wherever it is that the dead do go

And so I wrote this poem

Inside my garden shed

To tell you all please help the world

Or else we’ll all be dead

By Juliet Phelan (10), Ballinderreen, Galway

Sent in by Nuala Martyn, Co Galway

Use a shopping list

Home management tips with Katherine O’Leary

Managing the finances of the household and keeping within the funds available for spending is challenging. Sometimes, the spend is too big. Many of the cleaning agents we buy can be replaced by soap and water and a good scouring pad. There is no need to have a different spray for everything. Try not to impulse-buy items. Two cartons of fruit for €5 is not a bargain if one ends up in the compost bin. Think before making decisions on special offers. Ask yourself if it is really beneficial for your household? The best way to keep your shopping to budget is to have a shopping list. Have a small notepad in the kitchen where all family members can add to it. Tell the family that you will only purchase what is on the list. The hard part is to stick to your shopping list. Try it; you will buy less.

kkoleary@gmail.com

Instagram inspiration

A beautiful wreath on your front door has become the ultimate Christmas decoration and we are loving the Irish florists that are flooding our Instagram accounts with their stunning creations. @_the_tilted_tulip doesn’t just make wreaths, she also has tutorials to help you make your own, as well as lovely table arrangements. She will post you out everything you need as well as the link to an online tutorial. After that, all you need is a scissors, some Christmas music and a glass of wine.

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Changing colours: Lesley Lavin's cat Jackie enjoying the winter sunshine in Co Mayo.

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