Trelawnyd Pre Christmas

 

Mrs Trellis marshalling one of my field open days a few years ago

The Hat!!

It was dark yesterday afternoon, when there was a tiny tap tap tap at the Lane window.

It was so quiet even Mary missed it.

It was Mrs Trellis with a gift,a card and some bad news.

Farmer Basil’s sister Mona had passed away last Monday 

She was in her nineties and he is in his eighties, and they both had shared the glorious old  Georgian farmhouse overlooking the village  since they were children.

The farmhouse is called ochr y Gop ( side of the Gop Hill)

I invited Mrs Trellis in but she refused due to covid, so we talked in the dark wet cold until my teeth chattered 

Mrs Trellis is cooking a partridge for Christmas dinner……a pheasant, she informed me, if Basil accepts a plate.

This morning I popped up to Ochr Y Gop with cake and a sympathy card , Basil is a darling man and one who has always been kind to me. His sister, Mona was the school mistress at Gwaenysgor School ( our neighbour village) in the 1940s, and also often cooked a mean ( and bloody massive) scotch egg for my flowers show’s cooking section….I remember that they looked like robust hand grenades 

( Their page on my history blog http://trelawnydhistory.blogspot.com/2011/05/mr-basil-davies-miss-mona-davies.html)

The chimney still has not been fixed as yet so I’m relying on oil heaters to take the chill off the cottage

Without the fire , the living room lacks cheer so last night I lit the candles on the mantle to warm the living room 

Chic Eleanor has  just messaged……she’s had a hard week all told 

” Darling John “ she trilled breathlessly  “ Meet me for a G&T at 5 pm,……I insist ! “

I was touched as I always seem to be by her

The last bit of morning, I’ve been pottering around the village. I dropped off matching Christmas decorations to affable Despot Jason’s girls , both still in their pyjamas I must say. 

Liv, who is twelve tomorrow, lay on the couch covered in a blanket with her computer games. She saluted me cheerfully, eyes not leaving the screen.

I think I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a pre teen off school.

I dropped off final cards and got home after midday to a sweet bowl of hyacinths and card left by Bridget & Family who live on Well Street. She had pushed chocolates into the card envelope.

Colin the postie dropped me a personal card on his rounds, I left him a small bottle of port.

I’ve just opened the last of the posted Christmas cards

And sat quietly with the dogs at the melancholy some of them caused

Hey ho

The bulbs were infact a gift from the village nursery 

Anyhow !

Tomorrow I’m meeting up with Gorgeous Dave in the afternoon for a brusque ( brisk? )  walk, Villagers velvet Voiced Linda and hubby , for an hour, early evening with a bottle of nice Sherry  and my Sheffield friends Jane and Mike on zoom at 10 pm so socially Christmas Eve has seemed to have worked itself out alright.

I’m cleaning Bluebell in the morning at the jet wash.

A real treat in itself .

Thank you to everyone who has sent me a card or gift. I’ve been very touched by everything received

I will leave you with Madge & Bisket