The Fickle Nature of Ducks

Im am deeply hurt.

In the middle of November, I forgot to fill the automatic feeders.
I recon they gave me about 24 hours and then abondoned me. One morning I went down to the pond and there they were......gone.

Among the rushes I noticed movement. One lone female duck emerged. She seemed a little embarassed by the behaviour of her flock, though I made it plain that she was not being held responsible.

A few days later a drake returned, initially to visit ( and possibly to asess the current supply of food, which at this stage was fully stocked).

In the meantime a friend was trying to move out 2 geese, excess to requirements.
They arrived, subject to a commitment that they would not form part of the Christmas festivities.
The remaining duck formed a deep attachment to the geese. However this was not reciprocated.

Fortunately, the drake decided to take up permanent residence. Subsequently a more natural bonding was re instated.

So now we begin again.
Hopefully, in the springtime, the remaining ducks will fall in love and do what is natural.

With regard to the geese I am not sure what the natural thing is, not being able to establish the sex of the birds.

So...lets see..

I will keep you informed.

Ireland Boys Hurrah. A state of the nation from a section of the small business people of Ireland

This season is over for us. Its been really interesting and mildly successful.

Talking to so many people has been a great experience. Finally I got the knack of starting a conversation with one person, and introducing the conclusions of that conversation to the next person who had some time to chat.

Conversation concentrated on the state of the country.
Below is a synopsis of the problem and the solution.

We got to start and stay with facts to understand the problem.

We, the voting people of Ireland got it wrong. We took a short view, putting our own desires for immediate gratification ahead of our long term needs, the needs of our children and our grandchildren.
The consequence was that we elected a group of cute but incompetent politicians to rule our country. This group knew that we were willing to sell out, given the right incentives.
So incentives were supplied, mostly in the form of increased income and promises of never ending economic growth.
To ascertain what our price was, surveys were carried out, along with focus groups and the flying of kites.
We told them the price, they promised to supply it, we closed our eyes, they took advantage.

But...... WE VOTED THEM IN .......... so therefore we are responsible.
Now it is unlikely that any of them have the skills, or the leadership qualities to lead us out.
Don't even think about Vision.

So..... we the people have to decide what we want. If we want more of the same....then vote for the present lot or their clones.

If we want our politicians to take a longer view, then what are our priorities?.
When the election comes, ask and tell.
Our politicians are cute, what we want we will get, as long as it gets them elected.
In time, when it becomes apparent that the people want to have politicians of substance and character, they will emerge. For the last 20 years, this was not a requirement.

In the meantime there is a country to be saved, and we are dependent on the present crew to do the steering, at least in the short term.
Political priority has to be given to showing commitment and to regaining , even to a small extent the confidence of the people.

Hold and pass the budget. People accept it will be difficult. The cry is out.... get it right and make it soon, we can deal with it. It's the uncertainty that's killing.

Set a general election for March.
Prior to the election put the following in place.
Reduce the number of TD's by between 1/2 and 2/3. All 4 seat constituencies to be reduced to 2 seats, all 3 seats to 1 seat.
Supply all TD's with a state car, mid range saloon, diesel. Supply all diesel.
Take one of our state owned 3 star hotels and provide B&B and evening meal for all TD's outside the Dublin area.
Each TD to have one staff member supplied by the state.
All TD's to be paid the Average Industrial Wage, staff members to be paid similar amounts.
An allowance of €10,00 in vouched expenses to available for each TD. No other monies to be paid.
Senators to be paid a nominal sum of €5,000. Those from outside Dublin to have similar subsistence arrangements as TD's. No expenses to be paid to Senators.

Ministers to be paid 1.5 times the Average Industrial Wage. Merck's to be traded for People carriers. Cars interiors to be altered to facilitate a table and as many seats as practical. This should allow a minister continue work while travelling. Junior ministers to receive no additional remuneration or expenses above TD's.

Taoiseach to be paid at max 2 times the average Industrial wage, and the same transport arrangements as other ministers.

A max of €3000 to be paid in vouched expenses to elected local authority members.


With the above in place, you the politicians are now in a position to again seek the trust of the Irish people. But it is not advisable to hold your breath,.

Hopefully we can get enough competent and patriotic individuals into leadership roles in the near future, to develop a country fit for those who come after us.

An alternative to War.

His Godmother took him out as a treat, for breakfast. Now remember that this boy is a serious and totally committed Deice ( Waterford) supporter, and attends all matches with his Dad.
Godmother notices him gazing out the window of the restaurant.
"Tristan..... what are you looking at"
No reply. No indication that contact was made. 10 seconds pass. One slightly puzzled Godmother.

"Leeesa...........Did you see those two fellas with the Cork jersey on...................well I was sending them silent boos."

Godmother speechless.

Ireland 2010

In the last two weeks we have been speaking to our customers all around the country.
Mostly they are small business owners, shops, garages, wholesale, in the service industry, etc etc.

Following these contacts, I am much more positive about the future of our country.
The people I spoke to are grafters. Long hours are the norm. There is a growing confidence among them.
It is a confidence which stems from an acknowledgement of their own ability, determination and commitment. It is an internal thing, influenced by, but not determined by those who govern. This is what gives me confidence in the future of our country.

There is no doubt but that these people, and their like, are the patriots of today.

The past ten years or so have seen a huge growth in management systems, ISO 9000 /22000/45000, HACCP, FEMAS, etc. Along with this development came a raft of legislation controlling the minutiae of business.
So much management time is spent in managing systems, recording information, filling forms, sending reports, preparing for audits, carrying out corrective action, reporting on the corrective action, signing off, signing on etc etc.
There is not enough time or energy left for managing the business.

And all the while, the little people were toiling away, managing the details, the "big" people drove our economy into a bog hole.
And who will rescue this country.........its the little people..........but maybe this time we need to look up occasionally to see which direction the ship is pointed, and take the necessary corrective action.

Mallard at the full moon

The young mallard, born in May are now fully fledged and flying.
Ten young mallard of the 19 born have made it through. With the 5 older ducks this gives a total of 15.
I have noticed that ducks are affected by the full moon.
Much more flighty and nervous.
Lots of quacking, right through the night.
Makes me wonder what call from the wild are they responding to.
Once the full moon has passed the mood changes.

Its really funny to see the young ducks take off on their maiden flight. Sometimes they will take off and land almost immediately, as though afraid of heights.
Eventually they get the hang of it.
The problem then becomes landing again.
The area around the pond has a lot of trees and some scrub,and is surrounded by a high fence to keep Mr Foxy at bay.
So landing can be a challenge, even for an experienced flier. This often results in many aborted landings and is often concluded by a crash landing.
I suppose the one certainty that helps to concentrate the mind is that not landing is not an option.

The photos above shows the mallard at feeding time near the pond, and also a photo I downloaded which is a really good shot of a mallard coming in to land.

Is this dangerous ?

We were in a town in the south west of the country last week. Calling around to shops and businesses, selling our Calendars and Diaries.
Went into a well established shop, selling a range of products. I have this philosophy ( which may have to be reviewed soon) that if a person is good enough to give you some of their time, then you have to be prepared to listen. And I did.
15 to 20 minutes later, having been interrupted as the lady served several customers, I seriously considered giving her €20 to compensate in some way for the difficult trading conditions. The list of woe was mind-bending. While I knew it would only be a gesture, I felt it may make a difference.
Thankfully I desisted.
Next shop, same type of produce, bouncy chap behind the counter, " Oh they are lovely, How much..............Oh that's reasonable...................OK.... Mary -Take a look at these.....Oh they are lovely.......OK.......The customers will love these.......put me down for 200....and can you put a photo of the shop on them as well..........No bother........ great."
Job done. I'm out the gap with a broad smile on my face.

Could an over exposure to these type of scenarios lead to schizophrenia.

A Grandad's Diary

Another of my favourite people, my grandaughter Macie arrived at the beginning of summer. All the way from Roscommon.
This provided a great excuse to do a bit of touring around.
The countryside was at its best. Wheat and barley standing proudly. In a summer breeze I saw it perform one of the most co-ordinated Mexican Wave's I have ever witnessed.
It seemed that birds called the day into being, singing, demanding, and reminding all and sundry of their presence and importance.
In the evening, they closed off the day with their thanks.
It must have been one of the most beautiful summers in South Tipperary.

During my various chats with Macie, I was amazed to be reminded of how wise and uncomplicated children can be. Thanks Mace.

For Christmas this year, I received an Owl Box from one of my favourite people, my granson Tristan.

His Dad told me it literally took blood sweat and tears to build.

So in Feb, at great risk to life and limb, I managed to get it into an old ash, about 10 meters off the ground.

I expected a queue of owls all requesting accommodation. It didn't happen.

However, one evening late in July , a ghost like shadow passed through the yard at about 10.30pm.

Rushing out, I saw it float down along the front field ditch, rising at the end of the field, dropping again into the next field.

Waiting a few weeks I checked the Box, to find it filled with bits of sticks, grass and sheep's wool. The jackdaws had been busy, but here was no sign of any owl activity.

At the Game Fair in Birr this year, I met a guy from the Irish Wildbird Conservancy ( I think that's what its called). He spoke of the difficulty of getting Owls to nest in nestboxes.
He also told me of a case in England, where an owl was nesting, but jackdaws brought in so many sticks, that the owl became trapped inside and died.

Here's hoping for a tenant next year. (Rent reasonable)

Bird Life 2010

We released some cock pheasants near the duck pond in March of this year and were rewarded by at least one clutch of young.
Obviously there was a Mammy waiting for a Don Juan.
But which one.

Any suggestions.

The bird table was brill this year.
We had blue tit, great tit, coal tit, green finches and siskin.
I find it hard to distinguish between the greenfinch and the siskin.

We also had sparrow and robin running around under the table.

We have a wild pond area where we feed mallard during the winter.
This year I noticed we had a really large flock of sparrows feeding with the mallard.
It was lovely to see them rise and to hear them chattering in the springtime. They seem to have disappeared now.

I am still a bit confused as to whether to feed on the bird-table throughout the year or to stop in late spring.
There seems to be conflicting advice.

Having taken a sneak preview of November in the Greenleaf 2010 Calendar, in January of this year, I added Niger seed to the Bird table, as suggested.

In a very short time I had a flock of goldfinches decend.
They rejected any effort on my part to photograph them.
This photo I got with the aid of a zoom lens.

The Greenleaf 2012 Calendar. :_ Irish Folklore.

This is a funny business.
We are now setting about designing the 2012 Calender.
It will have as its theme " Irish Folklore".

We are looking for local folklore, of interest to a national and international audience.

It is open to any and everyone. We want stories or folktales, which are of significance to local communities, but may not have a national profile. We are searching for the hidden Ireland.
We will also need a relevant photograph to accompany the story.

The amount of space is limited to a max of 200 words. However we will refer readers to our web site or blogspot to read a fuller account.

More details will be posted as we go along.

We need to have all the details completed before the end of Jan 2011.

2011 Your Personal Care Diary.

Also introduced for 2011 is the Personal care Diary.
A Diary, showing each month in a Calendar format. Each month reflects the changing seasons.
There is room to write in important engagements and an area at the bottom of the page to record your own priorities for the month.
Each month also displays a short few words of wisdom and encouragement, something of benefit to us all.
At the back of the Diary are 6 pages to record any events, thoughts, or items of importance to you.

For more info visit www.greenleaf.ie

The 2011 Ideal Family Organiser

For 2011 we have introduced the Ideal Family Organiser.
In an era when families are so busy, it is very useful to keep track of what each member of the family is doing on a daily basis.
Write the family names in the spaces provided and record important events for each member.





Here is what January looks like. All pages are similar in layout, but with different background imaging for each season.

At the end of each page is the month laid out in standard calendar format.


For more info visit www.greenleaf.ie

Calendar 2011 January

The Oak, known as the king of trees, takes pride of place in January.
A majestic old oak, possibly many hundred of years old, pictured in the splendour of winter snow.



How many stories could it tell, how many birds have nested in its shelter. How much oxygen has it gifted to the world, how much longer will it grace this place.

For more info visit www.greenleaf.ie

The 2011Greenleaf Calendar : Native Irish Trees

The theme for next years Calendar is Native Irish Trees.
Text and some of the photos supplied by John McLoughlin of the Irish Tree Council.
A native tree is defined as one which was present in Ireland, prior to the breaking of the land-bridge with Europe.


All the usual trees like the Oak, the Ash, the Rowan etc are covered.
But did you know that the the Arbutus, or Strawberry Tree is a native Irish tree?

John has included some fascinating information about each species.
We also managed to get photos of the of the flowers or the fruit of each tree as well.

2010 Greenleaf Calendar Irish Garden Birds.

So many have commented on this years Calendar. The love of Nature and particularly birds is evident.
Hard to believe that August, came and now has gone. Soon the Swallow will follow his cousin the swift and head off as far south as Africa. Its a long way from Mooncoin, in County Kilkenny to Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, South Aferica. That's the journey undertaken by a swallow, in 1999. 9623 Km.
September features the Blackbird. Go out into the Garden at dusk and these birds will object to your presence. Making themselves heard from the hedges with sharp calls of protest.

The 2009 Greenleaf Calendar Flora of the Burren

The cover page of the 2009 Calendar. Information on so many aspects of the Burren.
Beautifully put together with the help of Burrenbeo.com