A "Jo March" kind of Christmas

This morning I realised that I have done bugger all in preparation for Christmas!!, Now this is a big thing for a middle aged, obsessional gay man to admit to, as it touches on neglectful behaviour that borders on the Joan Crawford! but at least the shame of it all has galvanised me into some prompt Yuletide action.
So after a brief trauma of escapee guinea fowl and pet cats ( more about this later) I organised the ingredients to make mince pies, stamped all of my non Welsh Christmas Cards, posted them with Jenny at the Post Office, dug out the Christmas decorations from under the bed, and then went Christmas shopping.
I am a whizz at Christmas shopping, I have a mental list of what I need to buy, and without distraction I go and buy them, it is swift, painless and as precise as an attack by an Exocet missile!

This year I am going for a Little Women type of Christmas wrapping paper.....yes all very American civil war....plain and classic.......Susan Sarandon would be proud as punch. (don't worry I know the gifts look a little austere...I will be decorating them tastefully with some pine cones!)- go on Nige....say something!

Now, back to the guinea fowl trauma. Just before I left with my gingham shopping basket there was a knock at the kitchen window. It turned out to be one of the ladies that took part on my last Chicken course, she had seen two baby guinea fowl sat on our garden wall and wondered if they were mine!

I couldn't believe it, I had left the shed door open for the chicks to get some air and two had somehow escaped their cage and had made a bid for freedom. Far too young to be left outside, as they were still poor flyers I galloped outside to find the two babies now walking nervously towards the main road.

The kind lady ( I couldn't remember her name!) got into the spirit of the chase and left her kids, sitting quietly in the back of her 4 x 4, to head the babies off at the pass, and like two demented dinosaurs we lumbered around the lane with the now completely hysterical chicks bouncing like ping pong balls off the Church wall in their effort to escape us.

It took an age to catch them, but catch them we did, and with her Laura Ashley pearls clinking merrily around her rather flushed face, the lady triumphantly brandished the final chick above her head and as she passed it over to me, we were interrupted by a very loud catty miaow and a bang! I couldn't quite believe it as Albert suddenly tumbled out of the bathroom window, and landed square in the centre of a large potted bamboo plant on the patio. The bamboo collapsed towards us and the yummy Mummy good Samaritan suddenly lost her middle class composure and shouted "What the fuck was that?" as Albert shot passed obviously uninjured....

Never a dull moment..

Where does the time go?

Gawd, it is almost 2010!
The older I get, the quicker the years seem to fly by, yet it is sobering to realise that Chris and I have been together for a decade now.
I know I don't wax too lyrically about Chris on the blog. In actual fact I am careful not to refer to him to excess as professionally he does not like to be splashed over the internet in a light which is not purely confined to Stroke research and his University life.
Yet, occasionally I think it is important to put flesh to his blog confined bones, as I am sure that an intermittent reader may be forgiven to think that he does not actually exist in my chicken filled, allotment obsessed country life.
I drive Chris potty from time to time; I am bossy, opinionated,slightly obsessional and very middle aged......he is forceful,opinionated, work obsessed and an intermittent smoker ( with the highs and oh so many lows that accompanies nicotine withdrawal). We banter constantly, fight occasionally and after a decade we both know that we are together for life.

All this self discussion was sparked off my a phone in on radio, I was listening to this morning as I was picking a stubborn tick from out of Gladys' ear. The discussion was centred around partnerships and was a humorous exploration of those "little things" that do your head in, when in relationships!

Chris cannot close a cupboard door after he has opened it, nor can he ever tidy up after himself. He is incredibly loud and "artistic" at times (think of Brian Blessed), sulks at the drop of a hat and has no idea of how to treat dogs on their own doggy levels, yet, of course, I wouldn't change him for anyone.
The glue the binds couples together is subtle and invisible for most of the time. Our own relationship ,to me it is neither a saccharine and sugar frosted partnership nor a partnership of necessity, it is, I know something deeper, more realistic, yet can be taken for granted, especially after ten years together.
My grandparents made nearly 60 years together, given our late start, my blood pressure (still down by the way), his stressful work life and our ages, it is unlikely that we will reach that milestone, but I suspect we will give it all a good go!

hey ho!

Pissed off with being pissed on! and Chicken course II is on

The new cockerel Bill (the lucky chap that I didn't cull with his excess brothers earlier this year)

We had 20 minutes of sunshine today! The warmth and sudden brightness galvanised the animals out of their usual hunched depression amid the rain, and the hens crowded around the garden furniture, sunbathing for the briefest of moments.

The rest of the day has been a bloody washout. Village elder Steve, passed by when I was dragging my sodden carcass into the marshy field and informed me cheerfully that it was the wettest November since the 1930s!

I dropped Chris off at the station this morning . He is off to London for a few days where he will be presenting some of his work to the House of Commons select committee (no less!!!), yes it's all go in his giddy world of academia.....my life of miniature small holdings...remains...well.....just very VERY....wet!

Nora and Gladys are still suffering in their mud filled enclosure, so I have spent ages raking straw over the entrance and around the perimeter of their hut, in order to give them a raised dry "island" on which they can be fed and watered. I filled their hut with warm new straw and cooked some extra pasta as a treat for them, given their sodden state, and spent a glorious few minutes hand feeding them the long ropes of spaghetti which they swallowed gleefully, with tiny piggy eyes closed in pure rapture.
Tonight I received another two "applications" for my next "chicken course", which is nice! I now have enough "students" to make the course viable, so I will book the village hall again early in the new year! Subscriptions will pay for the old Berlingo's road tax!

Tonight I have another heady whirl of excitement to look forward to! it is a night in front of the fire writing the rest of the Christmas cards.....at least with Chris away I can watch what I want on dvd...tonight it's a bit of daring do and Zulu ! (I dare anyone not to be stirred by Ivor Emmanuel as Private Owen bellowing out "Men of Harlech!"

The X Factor 2009 - Danyl Johnson: Relight My Fire -

The best guy is out of the X FACTOR....a million miles away from Alan Bennett (and sex starved ducks for that matter)....but he is still still kinda cute.

A lady Of Letters

I know this video is 10 minutes long, but it is well worth re visiting, as it is one of the best observed, uplifting and ultimately best performed of Alan Bennett's monologues.
Bennett shines when he turns his attentions inwards to the well travelled subjects of loneliness, mental illness and Northern pragmatism.
I absolutely loved this re run of Patricia Routledge's Lady of Letters

Growing older gracefully & drake sexual tension

I believe that we as a nation possess a rather patronising and nanny-ish attitude to older people. They are sometimes seen as surplus to requirements, a burden on resources, slow, cumbersome and more often than not, less than vital in deed and thought
Yesterday Chris, Nigel and I witnessed something that reminded us all that old people aren't the weak willed, physically frail characters we think they are.
We were getting ready to leave the cottage for the railway station in Prestatyn, so that Nigel could catch his train home to Manchester. Outside it was almost dark and raining (when isn't it?), and through the gloom farmer Ralph drove noisily past on his massive tractor!
As we watched all of us could make out a small figure perched precariously on the backplate of the vehicle and I burst out laughing when I realised it was Mrs Jones from Pen-y-cefn- Isa (above right) Down the lane, and without the usual health and safety worries, Ralph was giving her a quick lift up to her old farm!
I giggled at the fearless fun shown by Mrs Jones and smiled at the lack of patronising worry shown by Ralph.........and I think the three of us watching learnt a small lession in how not to pigeon hole people and their behaviour!

On the home front Halleh ( the broody Blanche's adopted duckling son) is suffering from a sudden rush of sexual tension. Still unaware that he is , in fact a drake, he has shown some half arsed amorous interest in some of the more delicate hens. Every morning, "stiffened" by his sudden urges he has pounced upon a passing hen and rather messily grabs her by a beakful of feathers. He neither tries to mount his victim or flattens them by holding down their head down in typical drake/duck style, but holds onto their feathers briefly before the hen gives him a bit of their mind and chases him away.

Mindful that things could well get out of hand in the future, I will keep an eye on him, and if he becomes too sex fuelled, then I am afraid he will be placed into a run on his own.......here's hoping he realises that the six remaining runner ducks are a better prospect for some duck on duck sex!

Nige

Nige is easily pleased.....we drove to Rhos-on-sea this afternoon and walked along the promenade, ate ice cream, talked,laughed and had a thoroughly "English" good time.
It was only a flying sort of visit as Chris and I are off to his "Christmas ", work do in Conway tonight.
The turkey poults are still doing fine by the way

Living a small life

Compared to most, I know I lead a fairly small and uneventful life. This fact doesn't bother me at all, especially when I remember the headaches and mental exhaustion I experienced ( and to be fair also enjoyed) when I was a career nurse in Sheffield.
Village life suits me, It really does but I am also very aware that it makes me look "inward" a lot of the time, and I do fear that at times I may be, (shock horror) a bit of a boring old geek!
I guess sometimes, the minutiae of what duck did to what pig isn't that important when I could be discussing the recent banking bail out or the latest debate over the Kercher murder trial, but hey, that's what I signed up for.
Perhaps an example of the small nature of my news ( and the way village communication works) was how the news about the demolishing of the bridge down our lane spread like wild fire. When I took the dogs out this morning, I was informed of the prang no less than four times in a 2000 yard amble....and I even took a skip down the lane (pretending to pick dandelion leaves for the guinea fowl chicks) so I could have a peek at the damage!!! Anyhow the rest of the day has concentrated on my friend Nigel's visit. Rooms have been prepared and supper made, but I did have a worrying few minutes fussing over the baby turkeys in their new run. I woke up several times during the night, fretful that the cold may be too much for them in the big bad field, but this morning they gave me a chorus of trilling calls when I opened up their run, before bolting down an extra feed of pasta and corn.
I have just realised that I worried about my staff in Sheffield a great deal less than I do over a quartet of skinny turkeys...what does that make me?.
anyhow....coffee break over, it is time to scrub a wayward terrier pee stain from the spare room bed cover.....
hey ho

No news day

Not much has happened today- The Scotties have had their winter haircuts , and both are exhausted from the nervous energy spent with being forced into having a day with strangers.

Finally I have moved the remaining four turkey poults from the claustrophobic shed, into their own coop and run on the field. Two weeks shy of three months old, it is way overdue for them to be "outside", but I wanted to be careful as the little buggers are delicate and susceptible to illness and cold. I am still not sure what sexes I have yet, so I have not named them...with the disaster tha befell poor Wellington, I am loath to take the chance until they are a little more robust

Sandra, from the Flower Show committee has branched out from her single allotment in the centre of the village by buying some hens and two weaner piglets. Both pigs are quite delightful and have been placed on another allotment in order to clear the weeds. I couldn't get a good photo of them this afternoon as the light was fading, but you can make out William's head after he clambered up on the stone wall in order to watch them rooting through the brush

Christmas Song

I was sent this video via email this morning from mum in law Sorrel, I am not quite sure if I think it is cute or ever so slightly creepy

A fan

Now It may surprise some people but I have always been a fan of the tv music show Never Mind the Buzzcocks .. the latest team "leader" is the odd looking Noel Fielding, who over many weeks I have found to be one of the nicest (yes, you can tell!), sharpest and funny stand ups on tv.
I really enjoy his humour AND his humility!

A Case of Less is More

Now I am a little snobby when it comes to Christmas Decorations.....and with thoughts of Yuletide "trimming up", much to the fore, it is definitely a case of out with the tinsel and in with the real Christmas tree!

Trelawnyd is lucky when it comes to public shows of Christmas. Thankfully we are spared the gaudy, Blackpool illumination-esque shows that are dragged up every year in the nearby villages of Dyserth and Meliden, and mercifully we do not have to suffer the fake Christmas trees ( green tinsel wound around a few wire coat hangers) that have been propped up on the shops in Prestatyn.

In Trelawnyd, the village has gone for a rather minimalist approach, as today I spied the conservation group members erecting the single village Christmas tree outside the Memorial Hall.

I always think that when it is lit, the small tree looks rather valiant and brave against the austerity and darkness of winter. It stands alone, with no beaming Father Christmas's or flashing neon "NADOLIG LLAWEN" signs to overshadow it...(Nadolig Llawen is Happy Christmas in Welsh by the way) and I must say the tree always looks appropriate and welcoming in its central spot.

Tonight, with Chris still away, it is a case lighting the fire and finishing off the Christmas cards. I am crammed onto my sofa with all four dogs and Albert in tow..(not one wants to sit on Chris' sofa), Our friend Nigel is visiting Friday and Saturday and I am due to work on Sunday, so at least with Chris away I can concentrate on card writing tonight

Last Year's Christmas card

This was last year's Christmas card....I have not got around to design a new one this year!

Winter jobs

Overnight the wet Autumn has been turned into an icy winter. as temperatures have dropped dramatically. The frost was thick this morning before I let the birds out, and I did feel so sad for Hughie (centre of pic) who has spent another frozen night up in the Churchyard elms.

Tonight I have gotten my usual lists ready and have started my Christmas card writing, which I think is a tradition that has become somewhat out of vogue the more we gallop into the paperless Internet noughties.
I love writing, sending and receiving Christmas cards. The best cards, of course are the carefully written ones sent through the post and part of my own ritual is the anticipation of knowing who has written which card. after it "plopped" comfortably on the door mat.

With The Royal Mail practically defunct, and with people feeling that cards are no longer "green" or indeed necessary the thought of the dreaded E -card taking over, is, in my opinion a step too far in this energy saving, slim lined world!
Christmas cards take effort and some thought in their execution, by taking a little time to write the card, address the envelope and indeed to lick the stamp before posting, you are saying to the recipient "I am making this effort to remember you"...and to me, that is never a chore...

Ho Ho Ho

The cottage is still this evening as the animals crowd around the fire, Chris is still in Glasgow, it is quiet not having him around

Back to normal & A Serious Man

Again Chris is working away for the majority of the week, so with the weather cold but dry, I have gotten on with outside chores for over eight knackering hours. All 13 coops have been cleaned of the wet steaming bedding that has almost gone mouldy in the damp weather and fresh bedding has been laid down in them and in the pig hut. The baby Turkeys and guinea fowl are still holding their own in the shed and have been cleaned out too and I have arranged for local feed shop owner Helen to deliver an old unwanted shed to the field, which should house all of the turkeys including Boris and Gloria. The guinea fowl can then be housed in the old turkey house and the circle of animal movement can continue.I even had time to fit in a bout of dog bathing

Hopefully I can catch up with some more good cinema this week with Hazel. She wanted to see A Serious Man , but I think was glad she didn't after I gave her my slightly lacklustre review of it this morning.
I was disappointed with A Serious Man. Typical of the Cohens, this voyage down the vagaries of fate and life of a1960 middle class Jewish Professor, centred about the misfortunes that beset people, but unlike their previous movies, all of the bad luck that visits academic Larry Gopnick (the excellent Michael Stuhlbarg) is not of his own doing. In characteristically deadpan black humour, we see Gopnick's career,homelife, family and health crumble around him , and although I could appreciate the humour and pathos of it all, I found the whole film rather exasperating and just that little bit indulgent and irritating
I gave the whole thing 7/10...... and thought to myself as I left the cinema, that the whole excitement over the film was perhaps a case of The Emperor's New clothes?

London Photos

We had a lovely informal chatty dinner party last night. Annie Lennox (lookalike and indeed soundalike), Jen (left) kept the conversation animated and fun and it was great to catch up with Nu's hubby, Jimmy (right) too.

It has been ages since I have felt so sophisticated!

Kew gardens is probably one of my favourite places in London, and was quite deserted yesterday. Below is Nu in the vast Victorian glass house, which you can see more clearly from my "action" shot from the treetop walkway (second below photo)

The walkway was an amazing experience and as I have already mentioned was a truly terrifying experience for me, even though we were only 59 feet in the air.

Organic sculptures of seeds (fashioned in willow) by Tom Hare, were dotted all around the grounds and looked wonderful in the Autumn sun. We spent most of the relaxing day ambling around talking and laughing....

Mindful of the fact that Nu doesn't often have time to catch up with her work obsessed hubby, I reluctantly left them early today to have a mooch around London before my train this afternoon. Typically the weather was dreadful, so I treated myself to an expensive visit to the cinema to see A Serious Man. (Mini review tomorrow)

Scary Mary

Nuala is busy cooking for a dinner party tonight, so that leaves me a few minutes to catch up with a quickie blog.
We have spent a delightful day at Kew Gardens, where I scared myself silly negotiating the terrifying treetop walkway (have you ever seen a middle aged man, white with fear dragging himself hand over hand around a flimsy metal catwalk?.......not a pretty sight)
It is lovely to be here

Country Mouse

The partridge buff Lillian and the lace buff Peggy this morning(partridge buff Jennifer is looking on)

Well, I got up early this morning and have completed the chores promptly. With the animals all watered and fed and the dogs walked, I have dug out some clean pants (without the usual bleach, sawdust and animal waste stains on the kneecaps), ironed a couple of shirts and am just about to walk down to Prestatyn to catch the train to London to see Nuala.Back blogging on Sunday
Very excited at the prospect at seeing Nu....tee hee

Reaping what you sow

Now I know I can be a fairly "assertive" individual at times, ( actually the word bolshy comes to mind), but I know I do make an effort to be sociable with people from the village and that sociability can have its rewards! and today was a case in point.
When selling eggs to neighbour Mike, I mentioned that I wanted a new "free range eggs for sale" sign, and he stated that he and his wife Viv enjoyed painting and perhaps could knock up something for me.Well today he showed me the first draft of the sign completed by Viv ( before it was to be varnished), and it was absolutely wonderful! People generally can be so kind I think.

Time after time I have received small but welcomed kindnesses from people here.......some free bedding from the red faced Welsh farmer, bags of home made scones tied to the front door from Auntie Glad, help with wall building from Steve, pasta parcels for Susan the sick hen from Joanne and left over designer bread all neatly packaged up from Pippa, left as a special treat for the pigs.
Carole and Ewan have babysat the dogs on numerous occasions, the birds have been locked up by Geoff in his designer wellies and vegetable cuttings and seeds have been left for me by the Camerons, who have planted out the new allotments at Bonk terrace........
I don't want to sound too sugary about all this, but I am very grateful for these small but consistently kind deeds!
I feel like a group hug!

Susan Boyle - Wild Horses -

Now I heard this on the radio and loved it, without knowing it was in fact Susan Boyle.....good luck to her, the girl has obviously done very well for herself....