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had lost all drive and ambition to achieve what my good teachers expected of me, and to study on, to pass the University's matriculation requirements, in the Senior Examination, later replaced by the "Leaving Certificate" and enter a course in Medicine or Engineering; assuming that my Father could afford the expense of maintaining me at the University for a few years.
However, in many ways, I was happy enough to settle down in our comfortable home, "Rosedernate", which had now developed into a delightful model sustenance farm, that demanded never ending work in gardens, orchard, ploughed field and stables. Our domestic animals comprised my old cattle horse, Bruce, two dark chestnut mares of Snowdon blood, two bay ponies, a big red-roan draught and plough horse, and two milking cows. Our fowls numbered more that a hundred at the beginning of the hot weather, but were reduced to half by the end of February, on account of often being eaten instead of meat, which was hard to keep in the heat before the days of refrigerators.
The orchard contained nearly an acre of various fruit trees, mostly Citrus ones. Stone fruits were hardly worth having, because of the inroads of sparrows, Codlin moths, and Borers. In addition we had nearly a hundred trellised grape vines of five or six different varieties, including a row of Centennials, which grew as large as small plums, in long straggling bunches. And of course there was, in season, a big melon and pumpkin patch, and Dad's fine vegetable garden, always well stocked with whatever was in season too. We had a superabundance of fruit with the first Mandarins in July, Oranges in August and September, and the last of the Grapes in February. We used to send our visiting friends away loaded with fruit, and big quantities were sent up to the local hospital. Many a happy watermelon feast we had around the kitchen table during late Summer nights.
In Summer scalded cream was spread on our bread and home-made jam, instead of "pouring" butter, molten in the heat on it.