The Faery King's Advice.

..... Dark is the colour of ash; timber that makes the wheels to go;
Rods he furnishes for horsemen’s hands, his form turns battle into flight.
Tenterhook among woods the spiteful briar is, burn him that is so keen and green;
He cuts, he flays the foot, him that would advance he forcibly drags backward.
Fiercest heat-giver of all timber is green oak, from him non may escape unhurt;
By partiality for him the head is set on aching, and by his acrid embers the eye is made sore.
Alder, very battle-witch of all woods, tree that is hottest in the fight–
Undoubtedly burn at thy discretion both the alder and whitethorn.
Holly, burn it green; holly, burn it dry;
Of all trees whatsoever the critically best is holly.,,,

A quick trip down to Kilcrohane and a gasp at how dreadful the roads are. The lads have been doing some widening and made a right mess, mud and potholes all over the place. We have our own crew of County Council Road Operatives (is that the right term I wonder)  - only a few of them but they do all the road stuff and are equipped with a mini digger, tarmac, a stop go/sign and vast quantities of curiosity - ever person going up and down the peninsula is noted, at a bit of cost to the stop/go sign which can be a bit unreliable!

Anyway I passed Lord Bandon's Folly, last seen looking a bit bleak but was rather taken with the tree in the field next it. It looked a bit faeryish and being a holly it's in with a chance, though the tree preferred by the Little People would be hawthorn. 

The extract is from The Faery King's Advice on Trees whereby Lubhdán, said King, advises Fergus mac Leide, King of Ulster on the special quality of trees and which are best for burning on a household fire. The poem dates from the early Medieval period. The things you learn on Blip, eh.