by Peg Prendeville

Half the year gone already! Let’s hope that July and August will give us a pleasant summer. It hasn’t been too bad overall up to now, except as I write these lines on Monday night it is lashing down.

I had a most pleasant time on Sunday afternoon visiting the Gardens of Glin, all in aid of Milford Hospice. It is such a surprise to know that there are so many beautiful gardens hidden from view behind houses and shops. These were opened to the public on Sunday afternoon and what a delight was in store for all. I started my tour in Drumrisk at Pat Enright’s very creative garden. Pat clearly has an artist’s eye as he uses stone, glass and plants to create a magical space, hidden from the road. He informed me that he has been working at it for the past thirty years as a hobby. He has built arches, beehive huts, waterfalls and so much more. It is a real work of art. I continued on to Glin to O’Shaughnessys, O’Driscolls, FitzGerald’s Ryan’s, Murphy’s, Dunne’s, Fennel’s, Hogan’s and, finally, on my way home to Tom Wall’s Roman garden. Each of these has its own character – some have beautiful colour, some are greener, some have little nooks and crannies with surprises hidden within but all are works of art that  involve work and loving care by the owners. The beautiful sunny afternoon made the day even more enjoyable. Though I had not time to stay and enjoy the tea and cakes provided at O’Shaughnessy’s I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. I think it should be done more often! Well done to the organisers.

Our daughter Sarah and her boyfriend Gerard Nash are home from Dubai after five years teaching out there. There was a little scare last week when the air space in that part of the world was closed down. We thought they may not get home but thankfully common sense prevailed, for the time being, and Iran and Israel and USA called a ceasefire and things came back to normal. Let us hope that it stays that way. The world is in a very unstable place at the moment but if we all work towards peace then peace will have to come. Therein lies the problem – some people still wish to stir up trouble! We will continue to hope that peace will win out.