Green and Clean

That Ireland is green needs no saying, but green in the twenty-first century sense it is also.  And very clean.  There is a strong consciousness of keeping things tidy.  Every town, even the tiniest, has signs advising “Don’t drop it on the ground, put it in the bin”.  And they are as neat as a pin.  Homes, too, are pristine.  The rectangular structure, door in the centre front, two windows either side, and sometimes, for the more prosperous, an upper floor with five windows, - this is pretty much the rule.  Everything is symmetrical, including setting of house in its yard, and fences, gates and driveways.  All proudly kept.  A common housing set up in the towns is the Close.  A semi-circle of identical houses with the diameter of the circle being parallel to the road, and the space between houses and road given to the Green, lawns and gardens,  where often there are people out in the evening light. The houses are only distinguished by the colour of their doors.  (Like the roofs back in Quebec).  It being summer, there are flowers in every garden, as well as hanging pots and window boxes.  As in North America, you can sense the exultation in the summer.  It is so short, and the winter so hard, that summer with its colours and kindness is embraced with enthusiasm.  Everyone is out and about.