Welcome to a week in the country

Pictured above left to right, Emma (8), Chloe (3) and Kate (5) Doyle at granda Albert’s farm in Quilty, Co Clare.

This week’s poem is from reader Anna Horgan. She explains more: “I grew up on a farm in Co Kerry in the 1970s/1980s. When I watched An Cailín Ciúin I was struck by how familiar I found the sounds of the farm. I wrote the following poem, which I hope may interest you.”

Going to the creamery with my father

by Anna Horgan

Feet dangling.

Waiting.

Carried on a soft breeze,

through open car window,

a familiar song of sounds.

The scrape of milk tank lids being wrestled into place.

Then dull thud of steel on trailer floor.

Handles clang against heavy metal bodies.

Reluctantly, the Ford escort door rasps open.

Engine coughs to an uncertain start.

It shudders to stop at boreen’s end.

Grate of bolt pulled back.

Long creak of gate’s slow swing.

Rumble of wheels on cattle grid.

“Were off so.”

I nod.

Engine hums in time to hopping tanks on the open road.

Quiet companionship.

When applying make-up or shaving one’s face, it is helpful to have your face well lit. Many people make the mistake of lighting from behind the person into the mirror, which can throw shadows on the face, making it difficult to see the face clearly. Ideally, a soft light source should be directed towards the face, lighting it properly. Consequently, the face and the work being done on it is viewed clearly in the mirror.

Consider lighting for reading a book. The light source should come from behind your shoulders onto the book to illuminate it properly. A flexible lamp behind the chair or couch is the ideal solution.

€2,500 the amount (up to) of funding provided by the Local Enterprise Office’s online trading voucher scheme. Crafting an online presence

"So, when I set this up, that was my whole thing: no matter where I found the money from, we weren’t going to make it a financial obstacle that in order to become a classical musician or that in order to be in an orchestra you have to have money". Susie Butler Orchestrating a community

in Charleville and beyond

With Dr Catherine Keena

Teagasc countryside management specialist

Look out for birds’ nests, while still visible, before leaves form a protective cloak around them. Branches, twigs, grasses, moss, hair and sheep’s wool are used to build them. Nests differ, with every species having a specific design and structure. Identification can be easy if the associated bird is to be spotted. The magpie’s nest is usually high up in the fork of a tree, but can be in a hedge. It is elaborately constructed with a foundation of clay, with a domed nest of twigs on top, lined with grass. Birds’ nests and their eggs are protected – part of our native Irish biodiversity.

In this week’s Meet The Maker, Nicky O’Dwyer and Donnacha Ryan of Metal and Mallet, who turn sustainable and salvaged materials into functional art.