I had my best Walking Dead T shirt on.
I was listening to Just a Minute and then The Archers on my headphones. Mary was watching the village schoolchildren ride their bikes up and down Chapel Street.
Seven year old Liv Randa trundled by with her thirty six year old attitude very much on show.
" We are off to bingo in a minute" she told me seriously pointing at the village hall " We won a tray of biscuits last time"
Apparently Cameron the not-so-teenage boffin now calls out the numbers and so has injected some boy band sex appeal into the usually dry proceedings .
Mrs Trellis walked past with Blue and she waved, she had her winter bobble hat on. The man with the husky type dog who attacked William and Mary a while ago passed too. He didn't wave .
We ignore each other.
Jo from the old police house stopped her car just as the Archers' bladebladebladebla and told me that she was glad that I was now staying in the village and Sandra, the village caretaker hurried past with the hall keys in order to open up " Bingo waits for no man!"
As Pip showed her new baby to a somewhat fraught Elizabeth at Lower Loxley, dusk started to fall with more gusto. The Living room lights started to appear in the windows of Hattie's little cottage, Carys's long cottage on London Road and in various of the pensioner bungalow windows, and as the bingo players started to walk slowly out of the lengthening shadows like zombies towards the hall and the temperature started to fall Mary and I made our way back home in order to light the wood burner .
What a wonderful picture. And I too am glad to hear you're staying in the village. It's your home.
ReplyDeleteBlogger has just deleted this post
ReplyDeleteI have just managed to find it again but the comments were lost
Here they are
When you say that the goddess who is Mrs Trellis was wearing a bobble hat, was that all she was wearing? on Bingo Waits For No Man
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Yorkshire Pudding
at 13:02
As I sit here with my re-injured Achilles' tendon, my trusted knee scooter at my side, I was with you and Mary for a bit. It felt nice....except I flipped off the turd with the uncontrollable dog. on Bingo Waits For No Man
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Catrina
at 12:58
The village where you live really does sound delightful. I must have missed when you said you were staying on. Instead I picked that up from your home being withdrawn from the market. I do stalking really well. I excitedly emailed a couple of blog mates, looks like John Gray of Wales is staying on. What a great photo of the local scooter hoons. on Bingo Waits For No Man
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Andrew
at 12:42
You should write a book. A modern day Laurie Lee. I haven’t been to your village but felt part of it for that moment. on Bingo Waits For No Man
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janipi
at 12:38
I seriously think you should write a book a village series you really write well and imagine the fun you would have in complete control of how everything turns out on Bingo Waits For No Man
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Unknown
at 12:37
I so love your musings on everyday life in what sounds like an idyllic village, really transports me there John. on Bingo Waits For No Man
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Sue Tooze
at 12:35
That's a pretty tough looking gang you got roaming the streets of Trelawnyd there. Nice tat, little girl! on Bingo Waits For No Man
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Debra She Who Seeks
at 12:34
You use words to paint so real a scene that I can picture it all quite clearly, as if I were there on the green myself. You really do have a talent with writing, John, I'm grateful that you share it with us by blogging. I hope you felt the sense of peace and warmth your last sentence conveyed. - Mary on Bingo Waits For No Man
What a lovely warm feeling, so glad you are staying in the village
ReplyDeleteJohn, maybe one evening you will venture into that bingo hall (you DO love zombies you say) and experience this universal social phenomenon. You may be surprised at what you see and hear. My grandmother lived for bingo and could play many many cards at one time! I used to drive her to and fro and each night on the way home home shae would say: "Same old luck"....night after night.
ReplyDeleteNo I need to see a change of scenes sometime
DeleteLoved this post!!!
ReplyDeleteAs much as I love this post with it's word pictures, it's the photo of the kids with their scoots I love the most. Some things are just universal and those children could easily be my own grandchildren, dyed hair of many hues and all.
ReplyDeleteBingo's pretty universal too.
Yes, I sure agree with you, the scooter and dyed hair.
DeleteYou paint a lovely picture of home, which I so appreciate.
ReplyDeleteBingo sounds like fun! You could join in.
ReplyDeleteGimmie a chance dave , I need some excitement
DeleteIt can be fun, give it a try. I was walking in Derbyshire, staying at a Youth Hostel, saw a sign for Bingo 7pm that night. I went and had a jolly time, lots of banter with the ladies, and won a bottle of champers.
DeleteI am glad to hear you are staying and I enjoyed your twilight view of your village. All the best.
ReplyDeleteThe time of evening you speak of is my favorite time of day John.. just before dark... the world seems to stand still for a moment before the sun sets in earnest.. When i had a garden it was my favorite time to walk through it.. picking off dead leaves and blooms.. rubbing the smell of mint between my fingers.. letting my long hair dry by the setting sun... therapy i call it..
ReplyDeleteBing is great fun... When i was little my Aunt was a Bingo fan and i would go with her and she would have 20+ cards in front of her and she'd give me 'a' card to play..
Pssst... did i 'hear' that right....? Your staying?? Hugs! deb
Yes it looks as though I am, but the fine details need sorting
DeleteI'm inexplicably pleased by that John.. It comes across very muchly that you have found your home...Only you know if that be true.. But i look forward to visiting with you every morning over coffee... Do que in by 6am my time.. central US time that is.. much appreciated... lol Hugs! deb
DeleteI'm glad you are staying on. so will you resurrect the flower show?
ReplyDeleteNo I don't think so. But I think we will have another " open allotment " day next year god willing ...with cake sales, and raffles and stalls
DeleteLovely. You can settle again and it will become real.
ReplyDeleteAnd all is right with the world (chap with badly behaved dog aside).
ReplyDeleteYou have your book title: "Bingo Waits for No Man". It's sure to be a best seller!
I am glad you are staying put ... there is time for you to make decisions but I don't think now is that time. They say after being widowed, you should not make any big decisions for at least a year.
ReplyDeleteThere are adjustments to be made and how much better it is that there are familiar and kind people around you. I wish I could bake something for the cake sale ... no one ever turned down my brownies or apple cobbler.
You are staying!!!!!!! Glad to hear. You have "FAMILY" there. I wasn't born and raised in the community where I live either, but this is home. I couldn't imagine leaving all this support once I was (so I thought) "alone".
ReplyDeleteIt’s not quite “The curfew tolls the knell of parting day” but it reminded me off that.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post JG,
Traveller
Yes, me too !
DeleteWhat a lovely post, I’m glad you are staying in the village. I moved from my tiny cottage, following a separation, 35 years ago. My life is good and I am blessed in many ways, but I still think of that cottage as my real home.
ReplyDeleteI am still learning to follow my own heart and not to do what others think is best for me.
Sounds very Under Milk Wood to me. To anyone who doesn't know it, it's a Dylan Thomas poem, made into a film. Set in the fictional Welsh village of LLareggub over the course of a night, as in a who is carrying on with who sort of way! (Say the name of the village backwards - Thomas created it on purpose!)
ReplyDeleteThis reads like the wonderful beginning to a book. Now I want to hear more!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely slice of life post, John. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you are able to stay. It will allow you the time to get some stability before you decide what to do with the next chapter of your life. I've read that moving house is one of the most traumatic things to do in life and you can do without that right now! I like your description of the village at dusk. x
ReplyDeleteNext chapter, please!!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're staying and I suspect you are too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous post! I love this. I'm so glad you're able to stay in the village.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post. A little slice of life in the village.
ReplyDeletecute kids. little village scenes. a quiet night.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago a girl I was working with had as her leaving party a night out at the Mecca Bingo. She arranged membership for the night for us all as required by Mecca. It was a brilliant night out and the best ever leaving party.
ReplyDeleteIt's addictive .......this is the Facebook reply from affable despot claire about the evening
DeleteClaire Randa Lovely blog as always John Gray The girls won again at Bingo! This time it was two boxes of chocolate, shower gel with a sponge and pickled onions...they came home singing ‘we are the champions’ xxx
I love the time of evening you describe, and you described it so well.
ReplyDeleteIf you wore your best WD T shirt to sit on the green, whatever will you wear when you go out with Bunty et al?!
That's real village life.... They must be glad you're staying. I hope vice versa.
ReplyDeleteYou “paint” wonderful stories with YOUR words . . .
ReplyDeleteWish I had been walking by . . .
Or on a scooter, scooting by . . .
Beautiful post. I hope I sense correctly a certain amount of peace creeping back into your life.
ReplyDeleteYou d be wrong generally lol xx
DeleteLovely post reading the last line I felt I could turn to the next page as like a warm first page in a book where you can't wait to read more.
ReplyDeleteThis made me smile so il will repeat this a comment from claire Randa
ReplyDeleteClaire Randa Lovely blog as always John Gray The girls won again at Bingo! This time it was two boxes of chocolate, shower gel with a sponge and pickled onions...they came home singing ‘we are the champions’ xxx
Great blog post! I love visiting Wales everyday.
ReplyDeleteWhat a glorious evening saunter that was.
ReplyDeleteJohn, you are like a masculine "Miss Read". The most pleasant reads around.
ReplyDeleteHave you read any of the Thrush Green stories?
Green thrush? Sounds awful
DeleteI'm a Miss Read obsessive. Re-read her every year without fail. A perfect example of comfort reading. And I interviewed her once - she was lovely!
DeleteI have only just discovered Miss Read, after buying 3 of her books in a charity shop, for 10p each! They are wonderful, she really did have an eye for the intricacies of the human nature. I will be seeking out more of her books in the very near future.
DeleteSo pleased you're staying. If you ever fancy a coffee, give me a knock xx
ReplyDeleteWill do xxx
Deletei know this is very selfish of me but i wasn't quite ready for you to leave Trelawnyd. i'm so glad you are staying at least for a while.
ReplyDeleteYou make me want to live there!!....you have the soul of a poet John...Your village and characters would make a perfect story for a novel..with you the main character...you see things in the ordinary that most of us can't :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat brief description of life in a small Welsh village on one evening. The young lady on the right in your photo must be Liv Randa. She definitely has some attitude.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful picture of small town life. Too many of us never look around to enjoy these lovely scenes of everyday life. You did it with the trained eye of an artist.
ReplyDeleteJohn, have you ever thought of writing a novel about your wonderful village? Look at how many followers you have. We all hang on cheek to jowl wondering what the new happenings are. We are from all over the world too so you appeal to a wide audience. Heck, your past blog entries have practically written your book for you. Just a thought. I'm glad you're staying in the village which has given you support. How does your sister feel about you staying?
ReplyDeleteAn everyday story of country folk. And how good to see kids outside! they are usually huddled over a screen somewhere.
ReplyDeleteYou have a way with words... xo
ReplyDeleteJohn, Lovely blog today, thank you. Have you read the book Steeple Thatchby, by A.A.Thompson...I think you might enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteKathy xx
Yes, you should join in with the Bingo. You must have the wings for it by now.
ReplyDeleteThat's a double ooooch
DeleteA contented evening...
ReplyDeleteSounds like you're staying on in the Village which your writings here have made so appealing. Bingo or no bingo -- could be a passing activity if it suits your fancy -- though I've never wanted to be a regular. Well, in fact I haven't even been an irregular but guess some find it entertaining.
ReplyDeleteLovely and delightful. Also healing --are you sure you're not still a nurse?
ReplyDelete