Jango Fett
This afternoon I learnt all about the virtues of Mace Windu versus Jango Fett and what Jabba the Hutt thought of Darth Maul........what our 7 year old guest doesn't know about Star Wars doesn't need knowing believe me!
After Chris and Richard took him to Chester Zoo, I drove Leo to the video store in Prestatyn to pick a Harry Potter DVD. After 25 minutes of deep concentration ( when all available copies of the famous series had been taken off the shelves and put in a neat row on the floor) he spied a dvd of Star War -The Clone Wars and so excited he was about it, he told me in detail every character and every episode of the six film series!
His excitement and enthusiasm was quite infectious
Poor lad...after a long day's activity he just about managed to finish a cheese covered lasagne , watch a few minutes of clone Wars then after kissing each dog in turn he has fallen into a deep and timely sleep
Chris, Leo and an elephant
End Of An Era
Our Post office closes in two weeks. It is not one of the many thousand rural post offices that have faced the chop from last year's cuts, no, it is just a victim of a change of expensive computer system and a need of the owners Jenny and Mike to conserve their health and happiness a thing which is totally understandable.
I shall miss the post office greatly. It is not as though I am a huge and generous customer (I buy a diet coke, regular stamps and perhaps a bag of crisps daily) but I do feel that the daytime "heart" of the village will be effectively extinguished with its closure.
Post offices and shops are, I think the public daytime face of a village. They provide a public place, where people meet and interact and I am rather saddened that that ours is closing the way of many, many rural businesses have already done
After a rainy start the day has started to brighten up. So much so, that the "Gop" over looking the village looks as though it will be an inviting and pleasant walk.
Leo was awake around 5.30am and pottered around until he had his chosen breakfast of eggy bread and potato cakes.I turned into an Italian Mamma and shooed everyone out of the kitchen as I prepared a cooked breakfast and sorted out a packed lunch for them all to take to Chester Zoo.
"Howa canna I worka with all of youa arounda!!!!!"
I cooked a cheese sauce to have with pasta later then dutifully waved them all goodbye before collecting a somewhat exhausted group of dogs for their walk.
Leo has finally won Meg over ( with the help of some dog treats) and all three climbed into bed with him this morning after their early morning walk. Last night William sneaked upstairs after we had put Leo to bed and I found him curled up on the end of Leo's duvet, much to the sleepy delight of the little boy.
I suspect Chris' Brother and his wife is going to pestered constantly in buying Leo a puppy!
Badgers are proving themselves to be somewhat of a nuisance overnight, for the second evening running they have knocked over all of the bird feeders and have eaten at least ten pounds worth of layers pellets..........
A photographic record of the afternoon
Leo and I Coop Cleaning
Leo, feeding Bunny the runt
Leo and his new friend
The Cochins looking on
Leo wrestling with George
William, Leo and GeorgeKid care...pah it's child's play
This child care lark is exhausting! I have prepared a fireman's breakfast ( boiled eggs and soldiers), put together a lego policeman supervised a country walk, organised a wild flower collection and some chicken coop cleaning, taught a seven year old the life cycle of turkeys, calmed down an over enthusiastic wrestling match between boy and an over excited welsh terrier, given a guided tour of an animal feed wholesalers AND the sea aquarium in Rhyl..........and I even prepared lunch then delivered some eggs......
and Its only soddin four o'clock in the afternoon!!!!!
I must admit I have really enjoyed the day...Leo keeps his "whys? and whats?" to a minimum. which mean that you are not worn to a frazzle with little boy questioning and even though it is tiring reminding myself NOT to swear in everyday conversation...I have managed to keep him entertained when Chris was at work.
It also helps , when you realise just how polite and courteous Leo is compared to other people's children. There is always a please and a thank you whenever things are requested and he actually ASKS to be excused from the table after eating! He puts both Chris and I to shame!
Mind you his love affair with George (known to Leo as the "Black dog" as he cannot remember his name) and a hyperactive William , is firmly set, as every few minutes dogs and boy swap licky kisses and cuddles......I am beginning to run out of antibacterial gel with all this animal handling...thank god Leo isn't so attached to the poultry!
Anyhow tonight we are having fish and chips on the seafront and I have just captured a quiet 15 minutes to myself after sending Chris out with him to walk down gypsy lane with the dogs...Yesterday I spent an hour in the morning planting coins on the tree trunks, to form an interesting "treasure hunt" for him to enjoy........lets hope he finds some.....
Chris and his dad are taking him to the Zoo tomorrow.....
I am staying home with the dogs!
Small boys and dogs
Small boys and dogs go together like Hinge and Bracket.Leo let a huge amount of steam wrestling with William in the living room
and screaming around the field with a hysterical George in tow
I don't know who will be exhausted first dog or boy!!!As I write this Leo is shouting from his bedroom
"William is sitting on my head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
hey ho
I am Still Mommy
I have loads to do today, as Richard and Leo arrive this afternoon.
I am trying to ignore the feather strewn bodies of two sparrows on the floor of the living room, well that is until I have my first cup of coffee of the day, and then I can get things organised, clean and tidy.( I have also got the challenge to set up a two man tent which Chris bought for Leo as his own ready made "den")
Yesteday, I noticed that the goslings have formed themselves into a neat little flock with the magpie ducks. The five waterfowl totter around the field together quite happily,all seem shy of visitors and with me they all remain wary, a fact I do find rather odd seeing that the goslings were hand reared.
Yesterday Jo (the gosling with the damaged wing) wrapped himself up in some discarded garden twine and ended up effectively immobile behind the feedbins.
It took me an age to unravel his feet from the string, but as I did so he sat quietly on my lap and nuzzled my neck with his beak, it was obvious that he remembered his old mum!
I am trying to ignore the feather strewn bodies of two sparrows on the floor of the living room, well that is until I have my first cup of coffee of the day, and then I can get things organised, clean and tidy.( I have also got the challenge to set up a two man tent which Chris bought for Leo as his own ready made "den")
Yesteday, I noticed that the goslings have formed themselves into a neat little flock with the magpie ducks. The five waterfowl totter around the field together quite happily,all seem shy of visitors and with me they all remain wary, a fact I do find rather odd seeing that the goslings were hand reared.
Yesterday Jo (the gosling with the damaged wing) wrapped himself up in some discarded garden twine and ended up effectively immobile behind the feedbins.
It took me an age to unravel his feet from the string, but as I did so he sat quietly on my lap and nuzzled my neck with his beak, it was obvious that he remembered his old mum!
The magpie ducks, Winnie and Jo ambling off to the stream this morning.
Being belated
My best mate Mike had his birthday on the 9thI sent a card but forgot to ring him which was an awful mistake....
I can only blame night shift for my oversight!
Apologies mike! I am looking to book a Sheffield trip the first week of September if you are free?
Time for him, Jane, Jonney h and me to meet up for a night of too much wine, gossip, bitching and laughter!
Nancy!!! read em and weep
Now I feel I must defend myself here a little, when I wrote the following statement in my blog Bliss dated 8th of August!
"Our bed is quiet! and empty.....without the usual cacophony of grunts,farts and dog dreaming woofs it is now a haven of peace and tranquility where I can spread out in peace and decadence....
bliss"
bliss"
I was in fact referring to the dogs farting and grunting...not Chris as Nancy K seems to think I was:-
Nancy K. said...
"John! If Chris is really that obnoxious of a bed partner, why not ask him to sleep in a different room?
Much better than slamming him publicly like this.."
Nancy K. said...
"John! If Chris is really that obnoxious of a bed partner, why not ask him to sleep in a different room?
Much better than slamming him publicly like this.."
Now I have spent many blissful years sharing a bed c/o Dr Chris and in doing so would NEVER complain about any possible farts or grunts believe me!!! ( the odd bout of teeth grinding perhaps! and I absolutely cannot stand the way he gets up in the morning happy and singing like a bearded Julie Andrews!)
But all in all I wouldn't change the old git for anyone one else.(I suspect he would love someone cleaner with an Oxford accent and floppy hair!!!)
We bicker and spat like two old ladies out shopping but we are soul mates in the truest sense of the word
hey ho
;-)
;-)
Catch Me if You Can
I love rooting through youtube for movie memories... here are a few of my favourite movie title sequences
Wild domesticity and Sherlock gets better and Better
This morning I have been on catch up after the weekend. I caught two of the junior flock (the chicks that hatched in the spring) and had them ready for one of the sisters at work to collect to augment her small flock. I refused any payment for them ( this sister is a delight to work with) but she did present me with a large bag of corn, a bottle of wine and a huge chocolate cake in lieu of payment which was very kind.Swapping favours and materials is common in the country and I always make an effort to do people a favour as it were as often people will always remember a kindness. Today one of the old farmers stopped for some eggs, and as usual I refused any payment simply saying that he can do me a favour "whenever"..........In the future I know, there will be perhaps a bag of sawdust for the coops or a small bag of wheat left by the gate when I am least expecting it.
So this morning I have sorted the bedding out for our guests later in the week ( remember Chris' dad and 7 year old nephew are visiting) and have just had enough time to drop some scones and eggs in for Rowenna ( a very distant relative of mine that lives in the village) she has recently had her hip replaced and is just battling through her mobilizing rehab. I have been meaning to call around but the allotment open seemed to have monopolized my time somewhat.
Anyhow.....while I was busy nature seems to have governed the domestic side of the allotment animals, Bingley (above) the Bourbon stag escaped from his enclosure and sought out the convalescing Boris, who has always been somewhat of a Nemesis.
The younger male has obviously sensed that the more powerful Boris is still well under par, and has taken advantage of the older male's weakness.
When I came home, I found Bingley, all puffed up and fraught inside Boris' enclosure with Boris nowhere to be seen.........the old guy has somehow squeezed through the small poophole in the hen house and was sitting in the safety of the coop well out of the way of Bingley and his vicious beak and claws....For a turkey this show of brains is a rarity believe me
The goslings also have been stretching their natural aggressive wings and spied a local ( and unknown to them) family visiting the field when I was inside cleaning the kitchen floor.
As young as they are , their innate instinct to protect their territory from strangers kicked in and I could hear their angry honking from the cottage. The family has warily fended off the youngsters but I was incredibly pleased that my planned "watchdogs" had started to do their job!
This lunchtime I have been busy shelling, freezing and cooking a glut of fresh peas. Thank goodness for BBC i player, as I also had the opportunity to watch the final Sherlock series episode entitled The Great Game.Steven Moffit and Mark Gatiss has wisely kept the best story till last and I thought the whole episode was a masterclass in style, content and acting as Sherlock ( the immensely watchable Benedict Cumberbatch) and his only friend Watson (Martin Freeman) finally do direst battle against a remarkably evil and surprisingly young Moriarty.
The plot had more twists and turns to keep even the most avid Holmes fan entertained and Cumberbatch lends just a little more depth to the genius psychopath's irritating and self obsessed personality in a remarkably light performance.
To my American readers, try watching this episode on BBC i player (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/) I do so hope you are able to access it.
9/10
Flower Show Prep
I always enjoy the Flower Show Committee meetings; they are always a bit of a bun fight.
Overseen by the matriarchs Sylvia and Irene , who have been running the event longer than I have been a nurse, we thrashed out the smaller details of the day, such as who does what with who and generally everything was sorted out by the time we drank cups of tea out of china cups around Auntie Gladys' kitchen table and ate her "world famous" buttered scones which had been baked that morning especially for the meeting.
Our committee comprises of an interesting cross section of Trelawnyd Villagers. As well as the "matriarchs" and Auntie Gladys ,of course ( who has been on the committee 58 years!!) we have a sensible school teacher. two affable couples who have taken early retirement, a working mum, a businessman, a part time carer and of course, me.
Of course we had some minor blips ( none of the Children's cup have bee returned from the previous school winners including our own donated "Finlay memorial Cup") but I guess it will all come out in the wash
Overseen by the matriarchs Sylvia and Irene , who have been running the event longer than I have been a nurse, we thrashed out the smaller details of the day, such as who does what with who and generally everything was sorted out by the time we drank cups of tea out of china cups around Auntie Gladys' kitchen table and ate her "world famous" buttered scones which had been baked that morning especially for the meeting.
Our committee comprises of an interesting cross section of Trelawnyd Villagers. As well as the "matriarchs" and Auntie Gladys ,of course ( who has been on the committee 58 years!!) we have a sensible school teacher. two affable couples who have taken early retirement, a working mum, a businessman, a part time carer and of course, me.
Of course we had some minor blips ( none of the Children's cup have bee returned from the previous school winners including our own donated "Finlay memorial Cup") but I guess it will all come out in the wash
Ticking a box
My Brother (right) walked the height of Snowdon in miserable conditions supported by his son ( my nephew) Jon, Brother in law Tim (pictured left) and two ski sticks!He has exhibited a strength of will inherited from our formidable Gran Fry and after the trek didn't retire to his bed as most of us would have done but jumped into a frenzy of more work by acting as a musical technician at a local concert.
We are all very proud of him
seeing
As the laptop is in the bedroom with me, I felt the compulsion to get this little vignette of village life "on blog" as it were.
I slept for four hours then got up with my t shirt the wrong way round to make sure the animals were all watered and that Boris got his extra titbits. My friend Geoff and some visiting family called around for eggs so as I was seeing to them, I hardly noticed four walkers standing my the cottage wall. A young man was linking arms with an older man and both were admiring the back garden, so I left them to it,said a quick hello and went inside to collect some egg boxes. It was only after I had passed them for a second time did I realise that the younger man was blind and that the older chap was "showing" him a buddliea flower by describing it carefully as the blind man felt and smelt it.
I had almost overlooked this little moment in time due to over tiredness..hey ho
Off to bed again
I slept for four hours then got up with my t shirt the wrong way round to make sure the animals were all watered and that Boris got his extra titbits. My friend Geoff and some visiting family called around for eggs so as I was seeing to them, I hardly noticed four walkers standing my the cottage wall. A young man was linking arms with an older man and both were admiring the back garden, so I left them to it,said a quick hello and went inside to collect some egg boxes. It was only after I had passed them for a second time did I realise that the younger man was blind and that the older chap was "showing" him a buddliea flower by describing it carefully as the blind man felt and smelt it.
I had almost overlooked this little moment in time due to over tiredness..hey ho
Off to bed again
Bliss
It is ages since I have done two night shifts together.
Unlike my normal "no sleep and get on with things", I have got to go to bed during much of today so that I can face another shift tonight.
So Chris has just fed me a nice cooked breakfast, I have no dogs to walk and have just fed and watered the birds so I can climb into a clean crisp bed without the guilt of jobs to do.
Our bed is quiet! and empty.....without the usual cacophony of grunts,farts and dog dreaming woofs it is now a haven of peace and tranquility where I can spread out in peace and decadence....
bliss
Unlike my normal "no sleep and get on with things", I have got to go to bed during much of today so that I can face another shift tonight.
So Chris has just fed me a nice cooked breakfast, I have no dogs to walk and have just fed and watered the birds so I can climb into a clean crisp bed without the guilt of jobs to do.
Our bed is quiet! and empty.....without the usual cacophony of grunts,farts and dog dreaming woofs it is now a haven of peace and tranquility where I can spread out in peace and decadence....
bliss
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