Diary of a busyish woman

Many moons ago, I was a year behind my peers when I eventually struck out on my own and headed to Cork to begin an intensive secretarial course. My parents decided I should stay in a hostel and that proved to be a learning curve. I always viewed it as a stepping stone but met people who had spent years living there! I became a 'joiner'. It was a case of anything but sitting looking at four walls and I was never the person who'd been involved in sport so voluntary organisations were the natural outlet for me. One organisation very often led to another so that when there was a N.Y.C.I  - 80's Revisited ( National Youth Council of Ireland ) gathering in The Mansion House , Dublin recently, I was delighted to go. From Scouting to church organisations and political, this umbrella organisation crosses many a divide and those people who were involved in voluntary organisations 30 and 40 years ago are still willingly giving their time to the same and other organisations in thei...

Hi, Quite some time ago, I started to write this blog, which I really enjoyed as I could rant and rave about stuff, but it wasn't related to work. Then as happens in many a busy life, I just didn't have time to write, but writing is one of the things I really enjoy so I'm going to have another blast. I hope you enjoy it. As always, comments are so welcome. The difference between this and the Rosscarbery Recipes blog  is that the latter relates more to work and what's happening on the farm and in our business and of course related issues including recipes. Where to start was never going to be a problem as I have quite a number of interests including education; health; tourism; and I could go on, but let's explore some of the things about which I have a strong viewpoint over the next few posts. I was and am the eldest of a family of girls from an agricultural background. Back in the day, it was assumed that girls would follow a pretty traditional route: teaching -...

More years ago than I care to remember, I was a Girl Guide in Bandon , where I rose to the lofty heights of attaining my Gold Cords. I still have them, but they are just a tangible sign along with the host of badges I collected of the fun and the learning. Always having an interest in cooking, I managed to collect the Irish Cook, Cook and Outdoor Cook badges, but it's the recipes that I used that continue to draw me back. One such was this odd favourite of mine: Get a banana, wrap a slice of ham around it. Place in a lightly buttered dish and top with grated cheese. Bake for about 6-8 minutes at 180°C. Enjoy as a light nutritious meal. I wasn't prepared to switch on the oven tonight so my take on it was to chop 2 Caherbeg Free Range Dry Cure Streaky Rashers and cook them in an ungreased pan. Add in sliced banana. Toss for a few seconds to heat. Add two lightly beaten eggs. As the eggs begin to set, sprinkle with a little black pepper and some grated cheese. Remove from the he...