My Freerange Chickens

Free Range Chickens

In or about February of last year I decided to buy six Free Range chickens. I love eggs and as my garden is a good size I decided I could accommodate 6 chickens. The Chickens are easy housed and easy feed and each morning there are fresh eggs for breakfast. In fact my chickens produce one egg each per day which means that I can also supply family and friends with fresh eggs.

Now chickens are not kept without some effort on my part. Once per week I must clean out their house. Each morning and evening they must be feed with layers pellets and spoiled with some bread. I love watching the chickens interact with each other as they go about the garden eating grass and enjoying their freedom.

Layers pellets cost 9 Euro per bag in any Farm supply store, the bag of pellets can last a month. The chickens originally cost me 7 Euro each and so all in all this has been a cost effective, healthy and worthwhile purchase. The personal satisfaction I get from watching and rearing my chickens is priceless.However, the story does not end there. A friend gave me a rooster and I put him in with the chickens.

A few weeks later one of the hens started to clock. This means that she sits constantly on any eggs laid in the nest not just her own. I took her off to another little house and left her to clock. Unfortunately this was not successful and after 24 days there were no chicks. I put the hen back into with the rest of the hens and again she started clocking. This time I left her with the other hens but separated the nest, after 21 days 6 little chicks were born, this is their picture below without blacky who is always doing his own thing.One of my hens was accidentally killed by my dog and so now I have 5 mature hens, 6 babies and a rooster.

I also attended Dunderry Fair in the summer and bought myself 2 ducks, these are great and again fresh eggs every day. All of these animals are so easy to keep and can be feed for a few cents per day. However, you do need a bit of space, not allot but enough to let them walk about and eat grass.

Curves of Ashbourne

Curves: New members recieved 50 percent off service fee and first 30 days free at local women's fitness centre.

Curves is all about strengthening women. And that also includes strenthening their purses with an offer that allows them to keep more money in their pockets when they join Curves.

Between the 1st of January 2010 and the 28th of February 2010 the Ashbourne Curves is cutting 50 per cent off theri service fee and offering the first 30 days free to help new members save more and weigh less.

If you want to get fit and stay fit call Lorna Howard on 01 835 7757.

Mystery Shopping in Meath

Mystery Shopping in Meath

Just been to Dunnes in Navan, the town is quite. Dunnes have a few good offers on at the moment, cereal 3 for 3 Euro, white sliced still at 55cents (same as Tesco), chilled and froozen items can be grabbed for 2 Euro.

The chilled meats are also good value, depending on how many your cooking for the diced stewing steak is well priced. There are also four packets of soup for the price of two, good.

Couple of things I would suggest changing in the Navan store. Is that small counter needed at the Kennedy way end of the shop. The one nearest the goods inward door. I would take that out and make more space between the check outs. It is a very tight squeeze particularly for women with buggies/prams.

Staff all in good spirits this morning and helpful. Although I would suggest that staff dont abandon their station to go on a tea break without good notice. Let people know you are going on your break well in advance, remember, no customers, no job.

Easons: Dropped into Easons to get a magazine and do the Monday Millions, Staff friendly as usual, but I am still finding prices in Easons high compared to their sister shops in Newry. Easons really need to take a long hard look at their price structure. Even small things like paint brushes are three times the price they are in Newry. We need to give people reason to shop in Meath, not reason to go North.

Notes:

The road between Navan and Slane is due to close today for up to five weeks. This should take some pressure off the much embattled village of Slane.

Tonight in Trim Castle, the Minister for Transport, Mr Noel Dempsey TD will present certificates to the many participants who have recently graduated with certificates from Meath County Enterprise Board. Good luck to everyone.

Mediterranean Tiles

With Spring just around the corner I thought I would buy some nice tiles for my bathroom and Mediterranean Tiles were recommended to me. Mediterranean tiles that is located on the Dublin side of Ashbourne on the N2 is well laid out, the staff are friendly and helpful.

The tile range is simply amazing, however, I had a budget and I intended staying within that budget, it is always a good idea to have a budget and stick to it. Mediterranean tiles will also fit the tiles for you if your not up to the job yourself, however, I am determined to do the job myself having done smaller but similar jobs before. I will let you know how I get on.

Mediterranean Tiles will also give you a no obligation design service and quotation. Well worth a visit, i got my tiles, within budget and got a few helpful tips from the staff at Mediterranean tiles.

Mediterranean Tiles are open Mon to Sat (not closed for lunch) 8.30am to 5.30pm. Call 01-8352264.

Chic Unique

Chic Unique

Ashbourne Town Centre

Elegant fashion,

exquisite accessories and fashionable hoisery.

Stand out from the crowd with a wardrobe from Chic Unique

Please feed the Birds

Tesco

I have been extremely busy with trying to get back to normal after the Christmas holidays and then froozen pipes during the cold weather. Anyway getting back to some kind of normality now, I was in Tesco in Navan this morning and I had to ask myself what has happened. The busy highly motivated staff that I had witnessed over the Christmas period have been reduced to careless zombies in many cases. One lad was standing with his hands in his pockets while I assume he was supposed to be stacking shelfs and facing off the isle, two other members of staff were standing chatting as if customers were a thing of the past, one checkout lady was busy working on a security gaget on a radio that someone must have wanted to purchase but was not at this particular checkout, this cheackout lady left customers quing while she messed about with this gadget. Not a happy lot this morning folks, time to get the act together...customers are not just for Christmas.

Ashbourne Town Centre

Ashbourne Town Centre has become a shopping hub for many Meath shoppers. Those of us who dont want to travel to Blanch or Newry but simply want to shop in our own county can find Ashbourne Town Centre to be a shopping wonderland. Yesterday I spent several hours walking around the shops in Ashbourne Town Centre and I would have to say that my time was well spent and my effort was rewarded with good old style friendly service and a few bargains as well.

I started off with a very nice lunch in the Ashbourne House Hotel, where a carvery is served on a daily basis, the food selection was good and the service and value second to none. I visited The Design Gallery, Trousseau, Shoe Zone, L'Avenue, Chic Unique, La Petite, Saphyre, by which time my hands were full and my purse empty. I made a final call to award winning butcher Hugh Maguire where I purchased a couple of steaks for the tea.

Asbourne Town Centre is a must, there is loads of parking at Tesco and other areas in the town, you can do as I did and park in the Hotel car park, have a bite to eat and then do your shopping leaving your car safely in the hotel car park.

Take Responsibility

Shopping in Meath is not always about price and service, the condition of the footpaths during the on going cold spell has seen many shoppers slip and fall causing terrible hardship for many. All of the town councils in Meath and Meath CC have worked hard over the Christmas and New Year period to try and provide safe walking and driving conditions, yet we as individuals must also take responsibility for our own safety. If I had a euro for every young person I have seen slipping while they were wearing runners I would be very rich, older people too wearing inapropriate footwear. There have been many falls and slips that could not have been avoided yet there were many that could have been avoided.

Its not enough to simply blame the councils for the dangerous conditions, we must ensure that we only walk and drive if we have too, driving two hundred yards to pick up a child from school is not necessary, wear appropriate clothes and footwear. Check your car for bald tyres, anti-freeze, oil, water etc. If you cant do this yourself call a garage and make an appointment for a service. Stop putting yourself, your family and others at risk just because you cant be bothered or your too vein to wear good boots ot wellies.

Meath Policing in Safe hands

Meath Policing in Safe hands

Superintendent Michael Divine of Navan Garda station has told the Meath Post today that over the Christmas period Meath drivers had listened to the Gardai in relation to their drink driving and driving carefully in the poor weather conditions messages. Supt Divine has reported that over the Christmas and New Year period fewer drivers than previous years had been found driving while drunk and fewer accidents were also reported.

This is welcome news for the road users of Meath the majority of whom are safe and careful drivers. Meath Gardai under the leadership of Supt Divine continue to have much success in other crime areas including break ins, armed robbery, drug dealing and so forth. However, the Gardai need all citizens to be alert and to report any suspicious activity in your area. If you are aware of any criminal activity do not hesitate to contact the Gardai in your area.

shoppinginmeath.blogspot.com wishes Supt Divine and his officers continued success in their work and hope that 2010 will bring all our officers health and happiness.

Mystery Shopping in Meath

PiNK

As promised shoppinginmeath.blogspot.com has begun 2010 by continuing with our mystery shopping reports. Some times one has to go off the beaten track to seek out those nice little shops that offer something different, classy and nicely priced. PiNK accessories which is situated at 3 Peston Place, Navan - ticks the box for all three of the above mentioned. While this is a small shop it is well laid out so that the shopper can move about freely and take time to look at the range of accesssories including handbags, purses, scarfs, costume jewellery etc that are on display.

The lady behind the counter was welcoming and helpful but not pushy as can often be the case in some high street stores. I purchased a hand bag and scarf that were reasonably priced and I returned a couple of days later to purchase a purse and hat, everyone who has seen me wearing my new accessories have asked where I bought them and I have had no problem recommending PiNK to friends and family.

PiNK is a little off the beaten track but is well worth finding if you want something different and dont want to break the bank. Preston Place is a side street that connects the pedestrian area of Kennedy Road with Church Street. If you are in the pedestrian area of Kennedy Road walking towards Dunnes you go left and up the steps towards Mc Donalds. Mc Donalds is a good reference point and just walk down the side street that is Preston Place. Happy shopping from shoppinginmeath.blogspot.com.

Ireland - New Years Day 2010