All’s well in Fiacrestan. / myLot

Ireland

October 8, 2026 6:15am CST

There’s a cold but searingly bright sun shining over cloudless Larne this morning and the word “refulgent” comes to mind. The otherwise silent garden is awash with the chirping of a robin or two and the loud laughter of the end of season nasturtiums, geraniums and dahlias. Down by the shore some of the dog-walkers are grumbling about the notices put up by the council that instruct all dog owners to keep their dogs on a leash at all times. This injunction I find reasonable and reassuring because some of the dogs allowed to roam freely are quite menacing which is why I always take an anti dog poking device with me to the shore cleverly disguised as a walking stick. And I, and my fellow Northern Irish citizens, all receive this month another psychological fillip in the form of a £63 deduction from our electric bills from our sweet little government in Belfast. Isn’t that kind? For me that’s about 3 weeks of free electric.

3 people like this

3 responses

Amber

@AmbiePam (132071)

• United States

8 Oct

I don’t like it when people let their dogs off leash. Too many dogs look like they want to eat my Chihuahua. And congrats on the approximately three weeks of free electricity service.

2 people like this

Judy Evans

@JudyEv (390491)

• Rockingham, Australia

9 Oct

Our son's union is on strike one day next week looking for more pay but that's a different government. They all got a 1% pay rise but inflation is 3 something percent.

1 person likes this

Michael

@Wrexxo (10349)

•

8 Oct

Refulgent is such a good word, I had to think about it for a second. The walking stick disguised as a dog poker made me laugh, and I agree about the leash rule. Three weeks of free electric is nice too, every little bit helps these days.

1 person likes this