LATE April in Ireland and the woods are carpeted in bluebells, a sight to behold.

MANY readers of this column will have holidayed in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands and will know this extraordinary island much better than I.

IT is wonderful how nature adapts and turns opportunity to advantage.

IT IS early April and the train from Budejovice in the Czech Republic to Linz in Austria takes us through a wintry countryside, not a wild flower, weed or blade of new grass yet to be seen.

I REGRET to say that I cannot tell my readers much about Irish bird activity this week other than what I can see in my garden or from the windows of the car parked alongside the bay.

We arrive back in time for the spring and the St Patrick’s Day parade at Courtmacsherry, a very special event indeed, attended by hundreds with great effort put into costumes and bands.

IN the “casas particulares”, the private houses at which we stayed in various towns in Cuba, we never encountered fleas and only once did we see a cockroach.

Damien Enright visits a friendly haven of resplendent nature

THERE is a conspicuous absence of insects, other than gorgeous butterflies, around our idyllic temporary home, at Pon de Rock, Fort Charles Bay, Jamaica, although, according to the information pack supplied by our hostess, scorpions are abroad in the garden at night and one should wear shoes.

I WROTE last week about standing at the foot of an old wood, near Timoleague, one bright morning, watching flights of dunlin over the bay.