April brings the Primrose sweet, Scatters daisies at our feet.

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DEFIB MEETING:

Wed 27th Apr; 8pm in the GAA Complex, Ballingarry. An important meeting regarding the future of the Defibrillator group will take place. All local organisations are asked to send a representative.

ORGAN DONATION:

This is organ donor awareness week - did you realise there are around 600 people on a waiting list for organ transplants including heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas. The message from the Irish Kidney Association, is to "Share Your Wishes", to approach family members to discuss organ donation wishes.

Pick up a donor card in the chemist, there is an app where a digital donor card is available to download and people can have Code 115 on their driver's licence to indicate they would like to donate their organs.

Professor Jim Egan, Director of Organ Donation and Transplants Ireland, said there are approximately 30,000 deaths every year in Ireland and there are only one hundred donations required most years.

EASTER LEAK:

The Easter surprise I mentioned last week was short lived as a water leak was discovered in front of the altar !

Workmen arrived last week and began digging... For the anniversary mass on Friday, the Church could not be used so Kathleen decided to change the venue to the Hall. This meant several phone calls, transferring altar items, flowers candles etc to the Hall. Thanks to Kathleen for going to all that trouble to facilitate the family.

There was a huge job of cleaning to be done after the repairs, dust everywhere. Again, Kathleen sent out the call and eighteen volunteers turned up Saturday morning to help. Thanks to each and every one - many hands make light work.

ALOE VERA EVENT:

Wed, 11th May at 8pm: Community Centre. You are invited to a Summer Aloe Vera event. Come along to hear some free tips on achieving a healthy glow for the Summer.

All are welcome. Any enquiries, please contact Sheila Duggan on (087) 7830390.

EARTH DAY:

It was actually on Friday 22nd, this annual occasion encourages people to look towards solutions for the on-going damage being inflicted on our environment. There are small changes that we could all make such as using reusable shopping bags rather than plastic ones, bringing your own coffee cup rather than disposables, and buying second hand toys for kids - especially younger children who wouldn't notice the difference!

We throw away enough food in Ireland to fill two and a half Croke Parks, that's the equivalent of binning up to €1,000 each year. Waste food rotting in landfill produces methane gas which is more harmful than carbon dioxide. So, buy less and plan your meals.

We need to be more responsible when it comes to buying new clothes and then donating and passing on older items. Check out www. freecycle.org. The Freecycle network is a grassroots and entirely non-profit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills. Membership is free, and everything posted must be FREE, legal and appropriate for all ages.

There is such a thing now as chew toys / bath toys, perfect for all ages, 100% natural rubber and painted with natural food dyes. They meet all EU safety standards, they are biodegradable but not compostable - because natural rubber takes about four years to biodegrade.

Around the house - Beeswax food wraps are the easy to use and practical alternative to single use cling film and tin foil. Adjusting your boiler settings to a few degrees lower will save on your oil bill. Probably in Ireland, we wash our clothes more than is necessary and a tumble dryer uses twice as much energy as a washing machine.

Keep in mind, the kitchen tap and dishwasher account for about 12% of water used in the home.

Did you know that the average person goes through 300 (mostly plastic) toothbrushes in their life? Plastic toothbrushes take over 400 years to decompose and the majority of toothbrushes end up in our oceans or washed up on our beaches. Toothbrushes made of bamboo are a renewable alternative.

Also, it saves up to six litres of water per minute if we turn off the tap when brushing teeth or shaving.

By keeping a jug of tap water in the fridge, a cool drink is at hand rather than running the tap until the water reaches the temperature you like, this could save up to ten litres of water per day. Showers are currently responsible for 30% of our water use. An average shower uses about 10 litres of water per minute, some showers use a lot of water, particularly power showers. Dermatologists suggest that ten minutes and no longer, is good for our health as shorter, cooler showers are generally better for your skin. Also, overusing soap or showering in hot water can negatively impact your skin and hair.