Sunday 25 August 2013

Warning! Bogger Alert!!

  This is Studio Benny as her now stands.  Sad and abandoned.


All the internal walls have been removed to make one big open space.


Unfortunately we found some of the dreaded rot in the floor so some timbers will need to be replaced.


And this is the cause of the halt to all work............Turf!!!!  Bloody Turf!!!!!


When I was a kid I used to tease my friends because they had to go to the bog and work on the turf with their sandwiches wrapped in greaseproof paper and their little bottles of tea.  Now I'm stuck in the middle of the bog and married to a man that's absolutely obsessed with the stuff.


When we were on holidays he missed it so much and talked about it most days, to the point where he was actually getting into a bad mood towards the end of our time away. Needless to say, the bog was the first place that he visited on our return!!


After 12 years with my sod obsessed husband I've gotten to know a little of the process and the passion that is put into this stuff. This year, after many summers begging from my husband, I finally agreed to venture into the bog to help with the work. All in the hope that work resume on Benny quicker, you understand. I'm not turning into a bogger at all. I'm too much of a townie for that!!

There is so much work into getting this turf home for fuel for the winter.  It needs to be cut and let to dry.  The weather is closely watched in case rain washes the sods back into the ground.  Then it needs to be picked off the ground and stacked in order for the wind to be able to dry the turf further.  This is called footing. After a few weeks of drying the sods will shrink and the footings will probably need to be rebuilt.  Another few weeks of good weather and they will be ready to bring home.  This could take up to four evenings.  Finally the turf will then need to be clamped.  This is what you can see in the pictures.  They are stacked in such a way that the rain will run off the sides while still allow the wind to breeze through it.  After all that work it's not surprising that they call this Black Gold around here.

People are very protective of their turf and their right to cut it.  It's a tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation.  But the EU have decided that this tradition should be stopped to save the bogs and I can understand that. But when you see the massive machines that the big companies use to strip the bog for commercial fuel or for compost for gardens or to burn to make electricity, then I can also understand the locals fury and refusal to accept to give up their rights.  What is cut by hand for domestic use is only 1% of the damage that is done by the big bog companies but there is no plans to stop this.  Surely a law that is passed should be applicable to all!  Go figure.

Something relaxing after all that.


As I've probably mentioned before, I'm quite often up at dawn to see the sunrise and listen to the dawn chorus.


I was delighted the other day to finally capture a stunning sunrise.  The sky looks as if it was on fire that morning.  It was a glorious start to the day.

Thank you all so much for popping in and reading all my mad ramblings.  I love your comments so much.  They really do make me smile.  And a big welcome to all my new readers too.

Rosie xx

17 comments:

  1. Hello Rosie

    What a brilliant space, thank you for sharing your stunning sunrises and bog story with us.
    luv
    ir3ne
    xxxx

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    1. Irene, I don't know if it's just me but I've been finding it very difficult to leave comments on your blog lately. Maybe its only because I'm using blogger a lot more.

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  2. It's interesting to read about the turf. That has always seemed like such an exclusively Irish thing to me but I really didn't know a lot about it. Your sunrise photos are truly stunning.

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  3. I really enjoyed reading about the whys and wherefores of bogging! I often read about this and the damage that it is doing but I agree with you that if it was left to those who were more responsible than the big 'corporates', the world would be a better place!

    The sunrise looks stunning! I don't plan on seeing a sunrise for a week while I am off work! :-)

    Take care. Chel x

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    1. Hope you enjoy lots of good lie ins Chel.
      Rosie xx

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  4. Crikey Rosie - you learn something new every day! I think a sunrise like that would certainly help me get up a bit earlier - stunning! Jane x

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  5. I'm more a night owl than a lark, thank you for posting what it looks like in the mornings.
    Love the pun in the title of your post, it made me smile.
    S xx

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    1. I'm more of a vampire than a night owl I think!! When I see these sunrises it is because I haven't managed to sleep yet. A strange kind of calm comes over me when the dawn arrives and it's only then that I am normally ready to sleep!!
      Rosie

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  6. That saying " protecting yout turf came to mind " I always thought that the only meaning of turf was land ...today I was enlightened to more meaning !
    Lovely Sunrise pics.

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    1. I've never thought about it like that before. That there might be a connection between the two sayings. There probably is you know. Us Irish are everywhere!! :))
      Rosie

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  7. Hi Rosie.
    Thank you for the congratulations. What a beautiful photo of the sunrise what lovely colours.
    Well, well thank you for sharing your bog story x

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  8. Poor Benny, hope he gets some attention soon. I'm glad we have no bogs otherwise I would be a bog widow...my man raids skips for our wood stove at this time of year.
    Stunning skies. EE xx ps did you spot your bag in my pic?

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  9. Hello lovely Rosie, what an interesting post. I certainly know very little about this, so thanks for sharing this with us. It seems like you are going to have your hands full with the work you're having done, goodluck with it all. Beautiful photo's of a wonderful sunrise, such a special time of the day (not that I see it ever to be honest!) xoxo

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  10. hi Rosie....LOVED the story and the hauntingly beautiful picture of the sunrise...I'm a morning person too !Men I guess mine would be into his bog too, if we had one hehe!!.......Hugs and summer kisses ***** Maria x

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  11. Rosie, I am laughing my head off! Hours of my childhood spent footing turf and drinking my flask of tea......being a culchie you know.

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  12. I was listening to a radio segment about this the other day. Hands off the boggers say I, we need rules that apply to everyone. But if you've helped on the bog surely it's only fair that he puts in the hours that he's saved on Benny?!

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  13. Benny is much larger than I imagined!

    That is fascinating about the turf ... and reminds me of a poem I just saw on another blog. Here's a link:

    http://angalmond.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-pen-is-mightier.html

    I hope that something may be done to let you keep cutting your own turf.

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I adore to see a comment popping up. If you have the time, please do leave a few words. I try my best to reply to all the comments that I get.
Rosie xx

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