I had a scroll through my gallery to see if I had anything that would fit this week’s CFFC (Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge) on Dan Antion’s blog; nofacilities.com
I knew I’d have something because I love taking photos of old things.
I found this old cash register, which at the time was an invention that made life easier for tradespeople. Of course, things have come a long way since then. Scan, tap your card or your phone, and now we have self-service check-outs.
I took this photo in Fitzpatrick’s Castle Hotel in Dalkey, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin
Then I came across a short video that my daughter recorded on her phone. We were driving through town one evening a few weeks ago, and saw this guy on what seems to be a homemade Dr Suess-type bicycle. Perhaps we could call it a reinvention of sorts.
This is a ‘foto’ challenge, so I took a couple of screenshots. Not great quality. I’ve included the video too, though, for your entertainment.
I still have questions about this strange bicycle. Who is he? Why did he build this bike? How did he get on? How did he get off? Did he get off? Where is he now? This keeps me awake at night!
Click on this fabulous foto if you’d like to see more invention pics or, take part yourself.
I accidently came across Kiun B – on YouTube and I spent a whole evening watching her videos. She lives in Yakutsk, the coldest city on Earth.
In Yakutsk, everything is a chore during the winter because of the severe weather. In one particular video, a young boy gets up very early to top up the fire with logs because if the fire goes out the house can get extremely cold. Many homes don’t have a plumbing system. They have to melt giant blocks of ice for water, and they use outhouses and pit toilets. It takes hours to prepare the bathhouse, so baths are only once a week.
Even owning a car is a huge challenge so most people use public transport. Apart from the dangerous driving conditions, some car owners are known to keep the engine running constantly to stop it from freezing. Some use a portable insulated garage, which is like a huge quilt that completely covers the car. To keep the car from cooling down, a rubber pipe is used to vent the exhaust gas. These covers take ten or fifteen minutes to put on every time the car is parked.
Some fit parking heaters to their engines and some use timers that turn the engine on and off automatically. Oh, they have to constantly pump their tyres too. I think I’d be happier getting the bus.
Their summers are short and that’s when they prepare for their long cold winters ahead.
The one thing that truly amazes me about the people living here is how little they complain about their winter weather. They just get on with life regardless of how cold it is. They continue to go to work and school closes only when the temperature drops to −56°C. They dress up and go out socialising. They can’t be outdoors for longer than fifteen minutes, so there’s no dilly dallying.
In Ireland, the schools close when it gets too windy or if the roads get too icy. We’re just not set up or prepared for harsh weather, which is fairly mild compared to what some countries get. People here complain constantly about the weather. It’s a topic of conversation nearly every day of the week. You would think that we’d have accepted our weather for what it is. We can’t change it, but we can dress appropriately for it, go out in it, and even enjoy it.
The coldest temperature ever recorded in Ireland was −19.1°C and that was in 1881. In 2010 we had -17.5°. In 2025 the lowest we had to endure was −4.4°C
Even our coldest days are warmer than they used to be.
Learning about life in Yakutsk makes me complain less about our cold, damp weather here in Ireland. It’s not so bad, really, but… if we had nice summers, maybe the winters wouldn’t bother us so much.
Written for Charli’s 99-word story. February 27, 2023, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a golden onion. Any golden onion. One planted or harvested. An onion chopped for a meal. How can you use an onion as a prop in a character’s hand? Go where the prompt leads! I have a TRUE story for this one!
Robin was fun at parties, until the night he did this!
Alicia, our special friend from Spain, had some important news for us. She was excited, nervous, and a little worried.
Alicia’s Dad on His Way to Help Ukranian People
Her dad and his friends are travelling from Spain to Poland to rescue some Ukrainian people seeking refuge from their war broken country. A trip that may be exciting and adventurous, but in a very different sense than in normal circumstances. No doubt by the time the small group arrive back in Santander they will be exhausted, and goodness knows what mixture of emotions they will experience.
Broken things can be fixed and all of the world is praying that one day the Ukrainian people can return to their homeland and try to repair their lives.
But for now, they are depending so much on their European neighbours for help and refuge. Groups such as the group Alicia’s dad is part of, are truly amazing. They’re giving up their time, their money and their respect for their fellow human beings.
Their WhatsApp group is called, “Ayudamos a Ucrania.” Translated in English; “We can help Ukraine.”
They left Santander on Thursday (two days ago) and they will soon arrive at their destination, Kraków.
First they will load their provisions onto a truck with their contacts at the border. The truck will drop the supplies inside Ukraine.
Then they will pick up a family of fourteen; women, including the grandmother, teenagers and five young children. They will take them to Spain where they will receive support and shelter.
Alicia is very proud of her dad, and rightly so!
Other ways to help Ukraine.
The Irish Red Cross have already received 14m in cash donations to help Ukranian people. Donate HERE.
The Voices of Children Foundation has been helping children who are victims of war. Today they are providing emergency assistance to the children and families of Ukraine. Find them HERE.
You can also help by raising awareness of this humanitarian crisis. Share posts like this one, and accurate fact-based news about the situation to your family and friends on social media.
Gloria McBreen 