I have spent a rather dirty morning trying to rescue the pond from the damage done by the torrential downpours of the last few days.
It's a blustery, chilly day here in North Wales, and the skies remain grey and somewhat dour, so when I took the dogs around the village to deliver eggs, typically there was little human activity to be seen.
I did bump into one character on my travels though as I spied "Gay Gordon"cheerfully standing bravely at the bus stop as I ambled by.
Now " Gay Gordon" is the nickname I have given to an elderly chap who is one of the relatively new residents of the village. The Gay prefix has nothing to do with sexuality ( Gordon, I know is a bit of a ladies man) but it has everything to do with his flamboyant nature , for he is a chap with an ENORMOUSLY cheerful personality....picture a balding Brian Blessed with grey hair and a stick...and you will get where I am coming from.
Meeting him is a bit like having a debate on the acting merits of Maggie Smith with Kenneth Williams, Miriam Margolyes, and Graham Norton over a bottle of pink gin.
It's always a rambunctious event.
" Hello DOGS!" He bellowed as we approached and as he bent down to cuddle the dogs who strangely are quite attracted to this old chap who shouts a lot , they crowd round him like wasps around a sticky bun.
They seem to understand his friendly intentions
I want to be like Gordon if I ever reach a ripe old age. He a happy male equivalent of Jenny Joseph's old lady who wears purple ......larger than life, brighter than the proverbial button....and someone who makes a grey autumn day seem just that little bit sunnier.
......and, dare I say.....a little more .theatrical!
It's a blustery, chilly day here in North Wales, and the skies remain grey and somewhat dour, so when I took the dogs around the village to deliver eggs, typically there was little human activity to be seen.
I did bump into one character on my travels though as I spied "Gay Gordon"cheerfully standing bravely at the bus stop as I ambled by.
Now " Gay Gordon" is the nickname I have given to an elderly chap who is one of the relatively new residents of the village. The Gay prefix has nothing to do with sexuality ( Gordon, I know is a bit of a ladies man) but it has everything to do with his flamboyant nature , for he is a chap with an ENORMOUSLY cheerful personality....picture a balding Brian Blessed with grey hair and a stick...and you will get where I am coming from.
Meeting him is a bit like having a debate on the acting merits of Maggie Smith with Kenneth Williams, Miriam Margolyes, and Graham Norton over a bottle of pink gin.
It's always a rambunctious event.
" Hello DOGS!" He bellowed as we approached and as he bent down to cuddle the dogs who strangely are quite attracted to this old chap who shouts a lot , they crowd round him like wasps around a sticky bun.
They seem to understand his friendly intentions
I want to be like Gordon if I ever reach a ripe old age. He a happy male equivalent of Jenny Joseph's old lady who wears purple ......larger than life, brighter than the proverbial button....and someone who makes a grey autumn day seem just that little bit sunnier.
......and, dare I say.....a little more .theatrical!
Wasn't Gay Gordon one of dear Larry Grayson's 'characters'? I'm more Slack Alice myself....
ReplyDeleteI thought your were more like Lilo Lil
ReplyDeleteI used the word gay the other day and all we old fogies understood it. I'm not sorry it's been co opted, but I wish we could have it both ways. Such a nice old word.
ReplyDeleteI love him already. Hope we hear more about him.
ReplyDeleteI loved Larry Grayson. Whenever I travel through Nuneaton I always smile at the thought of him having Arthur Marshall round for a cup of tea and a gypsy cream....
ReplyDeletewasn't Fag ash Lil a character by Larry Grayson?
DeleteApricot Lil - she worked in a jam factory :-)
DeleteAnd don't forget the postman
DeletePop-it-in-pete
He calls everyone " flower " .....he is absolutely bonkers that fella .....but strangely infectious
ReplyDeleteAgree with your comment about the village at present, strangely quiet, almost as if people have begun the winter hibernation a month or two early ......I didn't see a couple in the bungalows by me from October until around April last winter.....it's a strange time of year and makes me feel almost melancholy
ReplyDeleteDon't be melancholy
DeleteIt doesn't go with your " affable despot" persona
Melancholic despot has a rather cool ring to it .....
DeleteOh bloody hell you've gone all Sylvia Plath on me
DeleteI talk to god but the sky is empty ......or something like that anyway
DeleteI've always wondered how one earns the title 'the affable'.
DeleteSo do I iris .....it's a complete mystery to me
DeleteA new version of Sylvia Plath? How exciting! I love depression and suicide.
DeleteThis comment string should count as an extra post. Flamboyantly melancholic despots...where else but here and the Flying Circus?
DeleteOh goody , a new character in the soap "Trelawynd" !
ReplyDeleteJane x
That's very funny.
DeleteI too remember when the word gay meant something else entirely. Sometimes I slip and use it in the 'old' way which raises a few eyebrows. Glad Gordon had a 'gay' old visit with the Dogs.
ReplyDeleteDitto here. All these characters with such pleasant names. Can we some time hear about the ones you would never mention in polite company?
ReplyDeleteYou first cro.....
DeleteI would be interested to hear about your " bad" characters!
We do have a couple ......I know who they are....John knows who they are .......but we are just too afraid
ReplyDeleteBe afraid.......be VERY afraid............
DeleteI like him already! The dogs can probably sense that his cheerfulness is natural and real.
ReplyDeleteGay Gordon could play himself when they make your life a movie. Sad when words change on us old farts. I remember the day I asked a young clerk if she would be so kind as to direct me to where I could find a pair of thongs. I stood patiently while she laughed hysterically, when she caught her breath I corrected myself and asked for flip flops.
ReplyDeleteYou mad kipper
DeleteI still think of flip flops as thongs.
DeleteI seem to remember dancing the "Gay Gordons" when I was in Scottish dancing classes. A robust, and jovial dance, legs kicking high in the air, and highly spirited.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your man !
I do love men who are outgoing, and share a love of dogs.
~Jo
Even your village on a grey melancholic day sounds nice.
ReplyDeleteWhen is Jason going to start a blog? Then we will find out how one becomes "affable". ;)
It's an award I bestowed on him a few years ago
DeleteWe had a similar character in our town a few years ago named Farting Freddie. Affable unless he'd been hitting the bottle - perhaps that's what accounted for the excessive wind.
ReplyDeleteFarting Freddie
ReplyDeleteHas a kind of ring to it
May he forever wear purple. He sounds a great character to have around.
ReplyDeleteI love folk like this John - a smile costs nothing and makes folk feel better. I do not like dour characters - sometimes I wish I lived in your village - it seems to have such a lot of interesting characters.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteStop by Janie Junebug's blog. Kind words needed.
Susie
You're so sweet, Susie, and not one bit neurotic. It's kind of like a party here at John's blog, isn't it?
DeleteSending you a welsh hug janie
DeleteThank you. Wish I could get it in person, but I don't think we'll visit Wales for quite sometime. The Hurricane's former boyfriend lives there now so she has declared Wales off limits. I can't afford to travel anyway.
DeleteI am glad that you introduced a newbie. He sounds a bit like the red faced farmer.
ReplyDeleteI do miss him you know...... I saw his son driving his old landrover today
DeleteI think you're more than half-way there already John!
ReplyDeleteThe dogs probably love Gay Gordon because he's so happy to see them. My dogs are thrilled to see anyone who obviously likes them and isn't freaked out by their size. They are frightened of people who are frightened of them. One of these days maybe we'll call you Jolly John.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Dogs are usually excellent judges of character. Janie Junebug nails it, dogs are always happy to see someone who is happy to see them. I hope we hear more about Gay Gordon, John!
ReplyDeletea wonderful person to brighten the day! And animals just know don't they?
ReplyDeleteMeeting people like Gordon always restore some small part of my faith in humanity. Of course, soon after that I see some news report featuring one of our finest American politicians and figure we are all doomed again.
ReplyDeleteTrue BB
DeleteBut I suspect I would want to kill him , if he moved in
Perhaps he thinks your name is John, Earl of Dogs, and he would like a scruffy cuddle from you? Nonsexually, of course, it's just that it's a bit chilly waiting for the bus.
ReplyDeleteLaughing again!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGordon's usual greeting is always a very loud "hello, flower", which really tells you what a lovely old soul he is. As you say, a relative newcomer, but helps out at lots of village events and really gets involved with everything around him.
ReplyDeletePS - we'd nicknamed him "Gay Gordon" as well!!
ReplyDeleteOnce again, you've made me wish I lived in Trelawnyd!
ReplyDeleteNancy in Iowa
There's a fife tune i've played called "The Gay Gordons." Wonder if it's the tune Jo danced to in the Scottish dance class.
ReplyDelete