Last weeks tragedy of Dublin, the stabbing of an adult and children was a shock. For goodness sake in the centre of Dublin City. But what was to follow heaped shock on top of shock, the uprising of certain members of society, the rioting, the looting, the total disrespect for law and order. Pictures on television brought back memories. Justice Helen McEntee has encouraged people to come into the city however Muslim leaders disagree. I’ve never understood why people immediately call for the top brass to be sacked or stand down. Surely keep them there and make sure they put things right. So many move on to something else with a shed full of compensation. I hope the brave biker who weighed in and hit the man with the knife with his helmet doesn’t end up being sued for assault. Stranger things have happened.
I watched The Crown last week – more than a tad disappointing but still intriguing. The actress who played Princess Diana probably studied her closely but I found it irritating the way she looked under her eye brows and simpered non-stop. I looked at the real McCoy yesterday and Diana didn’t behave like this, she held her head up and looked people in the eye. I met her at Hillsborough Castle and although I’ve aways been a Charles fan I was captivated by her, her eyes were like sapphires, stunning. She seemed interested in everyone she talked to and left an impression of an intelligent caring woman who’d done her homework and was at ease in our company as we were in hers. When it comes to looking back, Concord took her last flight this day 20 years ago. I remember the thrill of standing on the road side watching this magnificent plane take off from the airfield at Aldergrove. It was literally a shock to the system as the blast of hot air hit us as she rose to her supersonic heights.
As the song says, Baby It’s Cold Outside. Winter comes every year but still we shiver and complain about the temperature – inside as well as out. However, it’s not too late to stop the draughts and warm the house and next week the Housing Executive with the Energy Saving Trust will help you when they dedicate a week of advise for everyone of us.
They title next week, Wee Changes, Big Differences! and it addresses the cost of living crisis we’re experiencing. It’s divided into five days covering – energy, wastage, saving money and simple changes to improve the winter experience and an important schools competition.
In my effort, I’ve been able to cut down on clothes washing, twice a week on average and as I’ve no tumble dryer I hang them on an old pully in the warm kitchen until they are dry enough to iron. But there again, I’ve cut down on ironing just fold neatly and stack, it works for most things although shirts still need smoothed as my granny used to say. My freezer was getting overwhelmed with a build up of ice and it was impossible to empty it to allow it to thaw so I poured a little salt on the worst places and bingo, the ice slid off easily with a little coaxing using a wooden spatula, careful not to puncture the skin of the freezer. Took about 20 minutes.
What About Air Fryers?
A recent television programme researched their efficiency and they came out on top by a long way. Shorter cooking times mean less energy used, some findings say a 1750W 5.2L air fryer costs about 24p per use on average, while a 2100W electric oven costs around 28p for the same 30-minute period. It all adds up. I’d be lost without Alexa who tells me what temperature to cook things and for how long. Amazing how she knows everything; I thought I’d catch her out with the the Northern Ireland Protocol but she was up for it and explained in details. She knows you know! Now so do I.
You can buy pretty draught excluders but if you’ve an old pillow or a few cushions put them along the bottom of the door; wearing socks in bed is an essential for keeping warm, if your feet and head are warm, a night cap works well, then you’ll sleep better. Filling a hot water bottle can be done in the evening, leave enough for a cup of tea and put the rest into a flask for later. Draw the curtains late afternoon and keep the heat in, a pity in a way as the early evenings can be very beautiful at this time of year.
During next week we’ll get all the usual guidance about turning down thermostats and insulation and these are contained in the links at the end of this article.
But you need to be planning months ago if you want to protect yourself against the cold.
Talking to Robert Clements, Head of Sustainable Development with the Housing Executive he believes a lot is about behaviour and being aware of the things in our lives we can change for the better, as simple as unplugging appliances when not in use to studying temperature controls in rooms, Eco settings on the washing machines and dishwasher. We don’t have a dishwasher just a big window over looking the garden so hand washing, is a joy – boiling the kettle rather than turning on the emersion.
“NI Energy Advice service is freely available for all NI householders not just executive property, roughly 800,000 plus homes in public and private housing. As the one-stop shop for energy advice across Northern Ireland, we offer information including help with information on available grants, renewable energy, how to switch energy provider, debt assistance, fuel poverty advice.”
Energy Saving Week
This is run by the Energy Saving Trust in conjunction with the NIHE. Programme manager Kevin McGarry explains one aspect of the week, beginning on 27th November, which is encouraging primary schools across Northern Ireland to take part in a schools challenge in partnership with the Housing Executive and Eco Schools project by completing a range of energy saving tasks daily and through this challenge children will continue to consider their actions now and In the future regarding energy consumption and the impact this has on the environment. Each school that participates will be issued with a certificate to illustrate the amount of carbon saved by completing the challenge.
“The school which saves the highest amount of CO2 (pro rata according to the size of the school population) during the energy saving challenge will be awarded £1,000 to contribute to a sustainability project to benefit the school. This prize has been kindly sponsored by Power NI. Schools need to complete the challenge and tell us they have taken part by 15 December 2023.’
For more details look up Energy Saving Trust Schools Challenge 2023 and Energy Saving Week 2023.
Telephone number for more on Energy Savings Week 0800 1114455
Finally, didn’t he do well! And there he was next morning doing his things on BBC Sounds, nine o’clock and bright and breezy after the wonderful Toy Show on RTE on Friday night – what entertainment! The children were just delightful, the surprise on the little faces as their wishes came true and they could sang and danced their socks off. I have great affection for Patrick Keilty and always have had since his early days in Ulster Television. We (front of camera boys and girls!!) were all singing round the Christmas Tree at the airport singing carols, towards the end Patrick said goodbye, he had a plane to catch, he was on his way to impress the big wigs at BBC and it was to be the beginning of his stellar career. Always modest, talented, happy in his skin and above all a family man who loves his audience.
