Aimsir Eachainn, 20 April 1984

Monday

For some time I have been considering making more use of the 8 acres of land that are between me and the shore which we call 'the croft' or "the lot". At one time I was half-thinking that perhaps I would get 2000 chickens, but I was afraid that Domhnall Beag Ceann Urnabhaigh would jump. But then the IDP [Indegrated Development Programme] came along and I thought to myself - here is my chance. I'll put, I said to myself, the entire croft under asparagus. And if Eachann Ruadh had not come to visit me a fortnight ago perhaps I would have started on it. You poor sad case, he said, giving [me] a blow to the back of the head, didn't your mother tell you anything? Did you hear about the first man who came home with a scythe with two handles to it. They turned out of every corner to make fun of him. The fool they cried, he will break his back, and they went off home to their old single-handed sickles that they had had from the time of Noah.

Who knows if they were not right. Perhaps asparagus will not grow in any case.