UP DATE ON EDDIE THE EAGLE OWL

Remember my post on our owl rescue.?
Well I am happy to report that he is almost recovered,he is moulting at the moment,so getting his new feathers.He has started to fly and has become very fond of John.He hisses and spits at everyone else but he hoots when he sees John.
Today I was contacted by the head falconer of a bird sanctuary in County Clare,who have offered him a home .He will have a proper flight run and will be used for breeding in their rare bird program.The public will also be able to see him,which is excellent.
He can not be moved to his new home  until his moult has finished, I guess he will go at the end of next month.We will be sad to see him go,but it is for the best and this is an excellent bird of prey sanctuary and we can visit any time we want to.
I wish we could let him free,but we are not allowed to that,I found this poem that sums up my thoughts.

SYMPATHY by paul laurence dunbar .

I know what the caged bird feels,alas!
When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the spring grass
and the river flows like a stream of glass;
When the first bird sings and the first bud opens,
and the faint perfume from its chalice steals--
I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats his wing
Till its blood is red on cruel bars;
For for he must fly back to his perch and cling
when he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
and  a pain still throbs in the old,old scars
and they pulse again with a keener sting--
I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings,ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,-
When he beats his bars and would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea,that upward to heaven he flings--
I know why the caged bird sings!!

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FRUIT TREES AND SWALLOWS.

40 years ago Pam planted a cherry tree in the lake garden,it has grown quite large now but has never ever born fruit.We are high up the mountain and fruit trees do not do well at this altitude.We have a pear tree that has fruited once in 30yrs,a plum that produced 2 plums and apple trees that do fruit,but never ripen.
While trying to photograph a bird in the cherry tree,I noticed a red blob under one of the leaves,our very first and only cherry.!!

I searched the tree for more
but this is the only one.Don't laugh,but we cut it into 4 so that we could all taste the rare cherry!!
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The swallows have now fledged and left the nest.6 baby birds successfully raised and free.These are the last photo's,as they flew for the first time as they left the nest.

The parents were calling to them to leave,and dive bombing me.!!

The first two to hop out on to a drainpipe just under the nest.

The last two to go,I hope they all make it back next year.
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Thank you to those who responded to my last post,your comments and support were very welcome.I will let you know when B gets his transplant,when ever that may be.

A KIDNEY,TO DIE FOR.??

When you see the word 'kidney ',what comes to mind.??
Steak & kidney pie?
kidney beans ?
Kidney shaped dish ?

How many of you would have automatically  said kidney failure,or renal dialysis. ??

In Ireland the waiting list for kidney transplants stands at this moment,at two and a half years.
Depending on your blood group and tissue type,you could end up having to wait much longer than this,spending your time hooked up to a dialysis machine.
So what happens.?
Having been diagnosed with renal failure,you would die,so you are given dialysis,this takes out excess fluid and toxins from your blood,that in a healthy person,would have been done via the kidneys.
You also have to adhere to a strict diet and very strict fluid intake,as in acute renal failure,you cant 'pee'
 so fluids build up in your blood and tissues,dialysis removes it.
Why have I chosen to write about this,I hear you ask !!
The answer is twofold,Firstly a neighbour of ours,who had been on dialysis for over seven years,has just had a transplant.When I saw him recently,he said God had answered his prayers. **
  Also a member of the Castles household,is also on dialysis and waiting for a transplant and praying for a miracle. **
B had a transplant nearly ten years ago,but this kidney has now rejected and he is in renal failure again and back on the transplant list.
Last time he was only 29 yrs old and was only on dialysis for a year,now he is 40,and the waiting list has increased,so none of us know how long he will have to wait this time.all we can do is hope and pray** that a kidney becomes available.

You have probably noticed the little star markers I have placed in the post,these bring me to the second answer.
B. confided in me that he felt guilty praying for a second transplant,he had been given one,without really thinking of where it came from.He just got the call from the hospital,went and woke up the next day with a healthy new kidney,which has served him well for nearly 10yrs,allowing him a normal life and a career for that time.
To pray for a new kidney,means you are praying for someone else to die,even if you don't actually say that.Unless you are lucky enough to have a relative ,who is willing to give you one of their kidneys,the sad fact is someone has to die ,to help you.
Donations remain anonymous,we do know that B received his donation from a young man who died in a road traffic accident,but that is all he knows.He is and always will be grateful to this young mans family for allowing their sons body to be used for transplant.In the midst of all the terrible  grief and heart ache they must have suffered,they saw the better good their son could do after death.
As tragic as death is and all the pain that families suffer,If they could bring them selves to do what this one family did for B,so many more people could have transplants.
It is a fact that more people die from accidents,than there are people on the transplant waiting lists.Yet ,the list is two and a half years long.!!
I would like to urge those of you who are shocked by this post to carry a donor card,in the event of your death you could help so many. ( I am aware that some of you may have religious reasons for not doing this and I under stand. )
PS we have all offered B one of our kidneys,but the offer has not been accepted yet.
We will also have to re phrase our prayers.!!

AM I A COLLECTER OR A HOARDER ?

The Castle is full to bursting with ornaments,pictures,furniture and bric-a-brac,but that adds to it's character,it is what people expect  to find in a Castle.The cottage on the other hand,is my personal retreat and is full of my "stuff ".
I have my favorite ornaments,pictures etc,I also have my collection of hat pins,but I also have a lot of things that need sorting out.
My mother kept every thing as her philosophy was,that everything had a purpose and could be useful one day.So  she had cupboards and drawers stuffed with everything you could imagine,boxes,brown paper,neatly folded,string,wound into neat coils,food cartons,washed and dried,neatly stacked.Our worn out clothes,in case someone wanted to patch something or make something ,old sheets and pillowslips,you name it and she had it.!!
I suppose this to some degree has rubbed off on me ,I find it hard to part with things that have now become clutter.
I have a bag full of clothes,nothing wrong with them except they do not fit me !! but I keep them in case I lose a few pounds and can wear them again-Yes I know-wishful thinking.!!
I keep pretty paper bags (the sort you get presents in ) I have loads of them and rarely use any,Wrapping paper,again carefully retrieved from years of birthday,Christmas presents etc,elastic bands,bubble wrap,string,jam jars,I really am as bad as my mother.!!
So what am I,a hoarder or a collector of potentially useful junk.?One thing is certain,I have to have a clear out because I there is no room for anything else.I have decided that if I did not know I had it,have not worn it,have not used it,am never going to use it--it has to go.
I will take the good stuff to the charity shop,tell my family to retrieve what they want and put the remainder in the recycling bin. I just hope I have the will power not to change my mind at the last minute.
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NEW ARRIVALS ON THE LAKE
A mallard and 10 newly hatched chicks.

The moorhen watching  the procession of ducklings.