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The snow fell and the children, bored with the lack of routine, were excited at the prospect of something new.
It fell but it did not last long enough for any major snowpeople to be constructed. A hard frost replaced the softness of the fluffy flakes and any water that was not moving froze.
The children found new amusement in walking on water troughs. And our DPD driver – who regularly laments the impact that our pothole-laden lane has on her van - was happy for once with a smooth passage to our house.
We all know that screen time is unhealthy for adults so I am worried that we are now foisting this on our young children for an unknown period of time
Last Sunday night we received several emails from the girls’ school outlining the week ahead. I am nervous as to how long schools will be closed and for how long children will have to suffer their parents’ unqualified attempts at fulfilling their educational needs.
Last week, Ryan Tubridy spoke of how parents should not feel guilty about putting the children in front of the TV for a few hours to watch the RTÉ educational shows. We all know that screen time is unhealthy for adults so I am worried that we are now foisting this on our young children for an unknown period of time.
The 2021 BT Young Scientists exhibition was won by Cork student, Greg Tarr, who developed a piece of software that can detect “deepfake” videos on social media. This comes at a time when we are purposely introducing our children to “online resources”. Well done to Greg, but it does little to stem my concern.
There are lots of ways we learn in life and one of those ways is through the influence of our parents
Sometimes the path is not clear in education, but it is never too late to go back to learning. I have spoken to several artists, who use the Irish countryside as the inspiration for their work. We start with Samuel Scomparin, a lawyer by education, who honed his artistic skills with a group of older ladies in his local library.
There are lots of ways we learn in life and one of those ways is through the influence of our parents. Those experiences can inspire us in later life.
One of the positives that has come about since the New Year was the arrival on social media timelines of the #run1000 initiative
Rosemary Cleary O’Shea (this week’s cover feature), is an example of this unintended education. Rosemary grew up consuming the products that she is now producing on the farm. Although the knowledge was there from her own experience, she utilised the expertise of Eddie O’Neill in Teagasc, Moorepark, to get her products to market.
One of the positives that has come about since the New Year was the arrival on social media timelines of the #run1000 initiative. One champion of this initiative is our agri solicitor Aisling Meehan. Monies raised are in support of Embrace Farm. Aisling writes this week on where responsibilities lie in relation to fallen trees, an issue that is always of concern when the weather is against us at this time of year.
Our team in Irish Country Living are supporting Aisling’s effort and have promised to clock a few extra miles to cover for my convalescence. If you are thinking of hitting the roads, read our interview with Cormac Byrne from Bluezone Fitness. Cormac, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in his teens, realised that while there was little he could do about it other than manage his own illness, most others had the option to be healthier. This inspired him and, despite COVID-19, his business is expanding. Exercise is good for the body and good for the mind, just be careful with frozen potholes.
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