How many people in the world still consider Sunday as a day of rest? It’s a thing of the past for most people here in Ireland. If we’re not working, we’re off doing other things. Life is fast-paced now. We don’t have time for resting!
When your body is tired let it rest
Go your own pace, your life is not a test
When your feet ache, and you can’t walk another mile
Stop, take a rest, and put them up for a while
When your mind is weary, your thoughts are in a mess
Take a break, relax, don’t worry, don’t stress. REST!
My mam sent me these photos and only for she told me what they are, I wouldn’t have guessed. Those of you from a farming background would probably know.
This one is a poultry feeder. Nothing much to explain; fill it with food and the birds eat from the trough at the bottom.
A Poultry Feeder
This one (below) is a poultry drinker. Open the lid, fill with water, replace the lid. The birds drink the water from the trough area.
The modern day feeders are made from materials that are more robust and durable, offering better protection from the weather and keeping the food fresher for longer. Some are automatic, waterproof and rat proof.
Most of us are familiar with the rubber hot water bottle that has been around since 1903. When I was a child I wouldn’t go to bed without mine in the winter months. We didn’t have central heating and our windows were single glazed. On frosty mornings I had to scrape the icy patterns on the window to see out.
I’m not sure when the rubber hot bottle came to Ireland, but up until at least the 40’s, these stoneware jars were used to keep the tootsies warm in bed. People wrapped a towel or blanket around the hot jar to protect it and to prevent burns.
Stoneware Hot Water Jar
Not everyone in a family had one though. Glass bottles filled with hot water were also used. And a common practice was to wrap the lid of the range, or a brick, in newspaper to use as a bedwarmer.
We all talk about the freedom we had as children of the 70’s & 80s. When I think about the places we played as children, I wonder how we came safe. I got stuck up trees, got lost in the woods, my brother fell into a slurry pit. That same brother threw another brother across his shoulder playing kung fu, he landed on his head and nearly died from blood poisoning.
All five of us fell into a river (at different times) and lived to tell the tale. None of this was unusual for the times we lived in. Children swam in the lakes, roamed fields and forests. Stayed outside until darkness fell and cycled for miles on their bikes. We hadn’t much fear I suppose, and we all looked out for each other.
My brothers and I spent a lot of time in the countryside where my father’s workplace was located. We played in the meadow and picnicked by a narrow river. When the dam (further up) was closed, the river was so shallow that we could play under the bridge; either barefoot or in wellies.
(Lucy’s big sister, Gemma age 27, is visiting and she wanted to draw a picture for us. They got very competitive!)
Gemma’s Drawing of a Bridge Across a River
There were rules and we followed them. There was a particular point in the river that we weren’t allowed to pass, and we never did, and we never got in while the dam was open.
Across the field where the dam was, there was a thicket of hazel trees. We used to cross the dam bridge, which was only a couple of meters long, to get to the hazel trees. With the dam closed, one part of the river was four or five feet deep. We would swing from a hazel branch across the river while our bums skimmed off the water. We got a great adrenaline buzz from it. As far as I remember, none of us fell in whilst swinging from those branches.
I got my dip with a simple loss of footing. It was in a very shallow part and I remember it as clear as day. My cousin was standing beside me at the time and for years I blamed him for pushing me in…although he has always strongly denied this! Mmm…
Gloria McBreen 