Dragon

I had the oddest dream last night.
It was a surreal story about my fraternal Grandmother, who died thirty years ago now.

When I was growing up I was lucky enough to have three grandparents living. My Maternal grandparents Gran and Grandad Fry, were huge dominant forces for good in their grandchildrens' lives, and we saw them constantly when growing up in those long hot days of childhood.

My father's mother, the diminutive Granny Gray, was to me , a benign and slightly more distant figure in my life. To us children she was a jolly, white haired , bespeckled, spherical old lady with slightly bowed legs and a handbag the size of her head.

She kept a folder hankie up her right sleeve of her cardigan, always smelt of talc and bought Battenberg cake for us to eat every Thursday afternoon, a day she used to "come for tea".
As Children, she remained a rather sweet, slightly bland old lady that never quite came up to scratch against a more robust, ham armed, big hearted Gran Fry, who seemed to eclipse everyone with her all encompassing maternalism!

Anyhow I digress. I thought it strange that I dreamt about Granny Gray last night. I have not really thought about her for years. But last night, there I was in my dream, stood in her 1940's style kitchen. On the walls were the over painted wooden cupboards filled with cups on hooks and flowery plates. The massive American style "refrigerator" was still motoring away with the old fashioned milk bottles inside it and on the drainer I could see glasses of sweet RIBENA all poured out to drink.I must have been 11 (coughs ...in 1973) when I last experienced this sight
The kitchen smelt musty and "old lady-ish" and the kitchen door was open so I could walk down the steep back door step into the sparse sun backed garden, where regimented rows of "old lady flowers" (carnations, hydrangeas and dahlias) lined up next to the brick path bordering.
Now in the dream, I knew what I was after. I walked to the front garden (through a green slatted gate) to find the small red stone Welsh dragon which sat against the path. I always loved this small garden figure, and when I grandmother died, I was always sad that I hadn't asked for it, now in my dream I was suddenly busy digging it up and off I went, with it tucked under my arm, stealing it!!!

Where the hell did this dream come from?
A few weeks ago I walked past my grandmother's old house ( her family had built four identical Edwardian houses for the siblings of the family in the centre of nearby Prestatyn). I remember thinking about the dragon (long since gone now)......

It would have looked lovely in our garden

Cabbages & houseperson blues

There was a funeral this afternoon at the Church, so I stationed myself in the field to prevent any bothersome turkey and runner duck activity as the mourners gathered around the graveside

I know just what to do now to minimise mourner irritation! The junior turkeys are locked away in their shed, and all of the poultry are fed spaghetti an half hour before the funeral starts; thus happily stuffed with carbohydrates the birds all retire to sleep in the field margins and minimal distraction is caused!

As the funeral took place, I planted row upon row of cabbages which all have been covered with netting. Then several rows of broad beans and peas followed as the sun shone down. The allotment is now completely back into shape if not just a little behind last year's growing schedule.

Now as blog readers be aware, I never complain about my allotment, and I am perfectly comfortable with my adopted role as "househusband"..but do you know, after today I feel just a little unappreciated with coping with the more banal aspects of home life.......now I expect just a little solidarity here by those, like me, who have to cope with the mundane and boring !
Today I had to wait a wasted hour or so for the car to have its MOT (which it bloody well failed), fanny-arsed around for an absolute age with my hand down the patio drain in an effort to clear a blocked pipe, scrubbed the lounge carpet with biological washing powder to remove George's uncharacteristic piss stain before mowing the front lawn ( a neighbour commented that it was looking scruffy), washing the cottage windows, and bleaching the kitchen floor free of grubby paw prints for the second time today before bagging up 7 bin bags of rubbish for collection tomorrow and dettol scrubbing the patio!
Chris (on his way to cosmopolitan excitement in London) was less than happy with the fact that the Berlingo failed, and my ill conceived presumption that he was "being all urbane and sophisticated" coupled with the fact I could actually smell just how bad my sweat shirt smelt after a good half hour's pee scrubbing...has made me feel a little undervalued....
I would really mind if I drank gin all day and watched Jeremy Kyle
Oh I wish I could always walk around the house baking pies and wiping my fat arms on my apron with a smile.............
or am I just being a little queeny again?

Wire Coathangers!!!!!!

I can be queeny as the rest of them!
However, if I do have "words" with a friend...I usually pride myself in sorting an "issue" out in a civilised, adult and only s-l-i-g-h-t-l-y Mommie Dearest kind of way!
Today was a case in point.
I have not heard from Hazel for a few weeks! no reply to my texts.....emails went unanswered and all this was pretty unusual...so yesterday I called again asking if everything was ok.....now when I got an eventual answer it was an email that did not acknowledge any reason for her silence and so I had two choices.....I could have said "well that's just Hazel!" and forgot about it....or I could have done a Sally Field from Brothers and Sisters and make a statement!
Of course I made a statement and I told her that I was upset by her apparent silence
I have always generally been able to share my bad feelings with friends as well as the good. I feel there is no point letting things fester....., done, that..worn the T shirt.......and boy, it doesn't work at all well and always seems to come right back at ya.
No, I think when you are pissed off with someone, you should endeavor to let them know it
and so I had a few words...
....and of course it was gratefully received....
Apologies were made,
Group hugs were initiated,
and we are going out next week....
.....hummm yes....I AM just as queeny as everyone else....

In just one day....we have GREENERY

At last spring has sprung. The flowering current in the garden has burst into life almost under the cover of darkness, and the field has turned from a dull lifeless brown/green to a warmer and more vibrant olive green. Accompanying the change of season has been a lift in my spirits. This is not just due to the warmer weather, the allotment itself has been under a bit of a threat recently, and this threat seems to have been resolved today.....and all I can do is sigh.

Anyhow after spending much of the day sorting out the trusty Berlingo for her MOT tomorrow (4 new tyres, new windscreen wipers etc), I sorted out some more chicken wire to nail to the dividing fencing between the field and graveyard. A couple of the more enterprising runner ducks have just developed the knack of sneaking under the smallest of breaks in the present day fencing...so with a bit of elbow grease, I should make the Graveyard a no go area.

Five more Chicks hatched out last night, so I have ten robust multicoloured hybrids squatting under the heat lamp in the shed. It is so nice to have some more babies again . In the post I received four goose eggs and some more guinea fowl eggs , so in a month or so, hopefully the next group of babies will be ready for some shed rehabilitation.....

The circle of life continues.

Finally, I must say a big thank you to Joanna (http://boonedockswilcox.blogspot.com/ ) for her thoughtful gift!..I have never had a gift from the Appalachians before!!

The silence of NO lambs

Two days early, and five chicks have already arrived amid a wreckage of egg shells in the kitchen incubator. Sorry about the slightly blurred image, I had to be quick so that the humidification didn't dissipate too much.
I have raced around all day sorting a dozen things in preparation for the lambs arrival. The shed has been cleaned out and sawdust and hay laid down. I collected lamb food, milk powder and feeding bottles and setup a new heat lamp in case we needed it. I also called in to see friend Eirlys who is a bit of an expert in sheep husbandry. She gave me a brief yet detailed pep talk on the dos and don't of lamb care!
Anyhow, the farmer who owns the lambs didn't turn up with them this afternoon and said he will do so the day after tomorrow! Chris is disappointed as he is working away in London....I will wait and see patiently aware that itmay or may not happen...I understand the vagaries of farmers all too well.

Next week I am having a night off from wellies and muck. I am meeting up with Nuala in Sheffield (we are staying in a hotel) and will hold court on Friday evening in some nice wine bar!
I have already enlisted old friends Mike, Bev,Katherine, Jane and Jonney H in joining us...and I can't wait to see them all...it's been too long. I am very excited..........at 47...how sad is that?

Swings and Roundabouts

I am not going to dwell on my dark mood for much longer....there was a reason for it, and all will be made clear at some stage fairly soon....all I can say at the moment is that I have appreciated your words of support and I have now got things into some sort of perspective.(Friends can e mail me if you want to know!)

I was incredibly busy last night and looked after a spinal injury patient, so I sort of enjoyed flexing my specialist knowledge muscles as it were.
Today I have driven up to Denbigh (to pay the rent on the field),visited my brother and sorted the break light on the Berlingo before the car's MOT on Thursday, in between jobs, I was amused to watch an odd three way interaction between George, Maddie and the now testosterone filled cockerel Jesus.
The cockerel seems to be shagging any passing hen he can get his randy claws on, and all fired up, he seems up for a challenge from any passing male regardless of size AND species!
Poor George! as he was doing his usual nose down, eggs stealing run into the duck house, he came face to face with Jesus, who started his usual show of dominance and threat with a sudden head up and loud wing flap!
George barked in a half arsed way then tried to leg it as Jesus attacked him. Nothing too amusing in that, you may think, and I would agree if it wasn't for Maddie who was standing nearby.
Like lightening the old girl flew forward and with a growl ripped a huge mouthful of feathers from Jesus' rear end.
I didn't know who seemed more amused with this sudden show of valour...me or Maddie as with a huge "spit" of victory, she expelled her feathered prize and ambled off.......at a smug trot!

By late afternoon most jobs had been completed; and as I walked back to the cottage my friend Helen stopped her car to ask a favour.
A friend of hers has a glut of orphaned lambs and is in dire need of some foster "mums" to take care of a couple of baby ewes........ever the sucker for a sob story I said I would ask Chris and immediately ( and rather surprisingly) he said it was a great idea.....
Now I guess, that he does not quite realise just how much work may be involved with a couple of new babies, but to be honest it will be me that does the majority of the leg work....
Tomorrow the lambs arrive!

Gulp!

ps. it's 10.30pm...and in the kitchen incubator the first pipping of the chicks within their shells has started

New York in Plain Sight

I can't quite shake this dark mood of mine today, despite having numerous common sense lectures from Chris and a couple of hours therapy planting brussel sprouts, cabbage, shallots and onions.
A diverting blog site which always seems to lift the spirits is the fascinating "New York in plain Sight"...blog which laboriously chronicles the street corners in the Island of Manhattan in hundreds of photographs.
http://www.richardhowe.net/zMSC/index-msc.html
Our favourite area of midtown is set out clearly for me to explore! The much visited deco bar and restaurant "Docks" located off 42nd Street and 3rd looks a little bland ; as does the Beekman tower hotel at Mitchell place..but to me the photos bring back so lovely memories of the big apple.
Have a troll around the blog site, it is fascinating
Below - a brown stone house on Gay street and Waverly place
Above The street vendors outside Central Park on 59th Street and 8th.

Midtown Lexington Avenue and 49th Street

Working night shift tonight.

Bah!

Received some news today which pissed me off big style.....can't go into it as yet, it is not the right forum, but I do need to clarify some things next week......then I will be in a position to discuss more.....

The whole thing has put a cloud on the entire day.....

so much so, that I have eaten my chocolate bunny 24 hours early

Midnight insomnia thoughts

Blogger Dan @ www.allthatcomeswithit.com asked me recently what are guinea fowl used for...is it for eggs or is it for meat?
Well my answer is Dan, it is for neither! The three guinea fowl I have (from left to right-Ivy, Hughie and Alf) have once single job, and that is to provide me with an early warning alarm that predators are lurking around the field borders!
Tonight is a case in point, as from their advantage point in the Graveyard Elm, the amazingly loud calls of "buck-wheat, buck wheat!" from little Ivy and the more distinctive "ah,ah,ah,ah!" call of the males warn us (and all of the households in a half mile radius) that something is creeping around that shouldn't be there. Already tonight I have been outside with my trusty wind up torch, to see what the problem was and to be honest all I can make out is the white flashes of rabbit tails as they disappear into the hedgerows......but I trust the guinea fowl, I am sure they are reacting to something slightly more sinister than a baby rabbit!

I have slept too long today..ok, I feel miles better for doing so, but I suspect that I shall now be wide awake until the wee small hours of the morning!....tv has been crap tonight....re runs of the vapid Lewis and the bloody awful Peter Jackson's King Kong.....so I have been trolling through ebay listings and have put bids on some goose eggs for the incubator!......more field security guards me thinks?

Anyhow , the other morning I was racing around like a blue arsed fly, trying to get birthday pressies for my great nephew and feed for the pigs, and it was only then that I realised that shops and businesses seem to open at 10 am nowadays!
Whatever happened to the old fashioned 9am start?
Am I that out of touch with things? I just presumed that most retail outlets start work at the traditional time, a time that I was sure that all shops used to open at when I was a kid in the 1970s?
How wrong I was....performing a straw poll in Prestatyn ,I found that nearly all of the shops clearly don't bother themselves until 10 am or even 10.30!.....is this because shoppers don't drag themselves out until Jeremy Kyle has solved his first bit of dysfunctional conflict resolution? or have shopping habits actually changed?
.....hummm more likely, I am only annoyed by this "deterioration" of standards when I was inconvenienced by the mid morning, coffee break time, opening hours...otherwise would I have noticed?
am I living in a sort of fantasy world where shopkeepers always wore a friendly smile and a fresh apron and the shop girl didn't say "I dunno" when asked if a particular item is in stock?...or am I just a grumpy old git?
Time for another diet coke

Not so Good Friday

I have caught a bug from somewhere.
At 5am I was crouched around the toilet feeling very sorry for myself indeed......
and the silence of the cottage was only broken by Chris yelling out rather helpfully from the bedroom
"You've caught bloody salmonella from those f*^king hens!!!"
I got up at 8am feeling like shit, fed, watered and freed the animals then returned to bed until 11am.
I then walked the dogs, returned to bed until 3pm when I dragged myself up yet again to feed the animals re walk the dogs and climb onto the couch to eat some soup in front of The Robe.

Jean Simmons looked quite lovely in this 1953 fictional romp through the bible..though I have never really liked Richard Burton as an actor....he shouts all the time, which I find terribly irritating.
Anyhow...that about sums up my Good Friday
Off now for another doze

Clash of the titans

I let Boris out of his pen today as I was repairing the damage done by yesterday's storm, and like a galleon in full sail he majestically glided across the field to mirror the juvenile male, Darcy in his pubescent posturing in the far enclosure.
I love watching the stags doing their masculine thing. There is no overt aggression in this kind of joust, no sudden moves and not much noise. just the gentle rattling of their wing feathers as they scrape the grass and the heavy snorts of concentration as both birds circled each other in a half moon shaped dance.

I could have watched them all day

Les Miserables (in tights) The Flames Of Paris

The live performance of The Flames of Paris ( from the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow) was a truly wonderful experience. It is not a ballet that I am familiar with, and on the surface it does resemble a jolly romp through familiar Les Miserables territory!
After all we do have a French revolution, revolting peasants , much flag waving and barricade rushing.......but more importantly we have some of the best dancing I have ever seen in a ballet production.
The flames of Paris is a cracking ballet! A huge cast of pure talent is given space and time to show what they can do, and I loved the fact that even the smallest characters within the ensemble perform some spectacular set pieces, the best being the heart stopping "Dance of the Basques" at the start of Act 2.
The Ballet's two leads; Ivan Vasiliev, (he who has buttocks like two rockhard footballs stuffed inside a condom!) and snow white look-a-like ,Natalie Osipova have to be seen to be believed! I have never seen dancers that can leap so high and so powerfully in a production before, and their ability truly takes your breath away.(see photos)

I will have to give the Bolshoi production a magnificent 10 out of 10......eat your heart out Cameron Macintosh, Jean Valjean and "One Day More"!

A storm & Mrs Jones' arteries

I knew we were in for some bad weather from the north today, but the severity of the storm that whipped in from the sea caught me a little by surprise.
Sheltered in the lee of Gop Hill most of Trelawnyd had been sheltered from the worst of the wind, sleet and snow, but we, on the Northern tip of the village got caught in the direct blast from up the valley.
It has been a while since I have seen purely horizontal rain, and looking a little like Dorothy Lamour from The Hurricane, I battled around the field for a while trying manfully to save my polytunnel and cloches that had all been ripped from their moorings, and had been blown into the churchyard.
The turkey poults had taken shelter in their robust house, but after a particularly strong gust of wind, I heard a bang, and the whole house was blown onto it's roof with all the birds shrieking and calling inside.

Luckily all four turkeys were fine when I got to them as was Mary the bantam and Kate Winslett, a buff, who was sheltering with them. The coop itself, was damaged, and the roof "door" was ripped off completely. It has taken me an age, in the freezing sleet and snow to repair it . (No photos I am afraid...my camera batteries are being recharged!)
The bad weather coupled with unusually high tides have caused chaos all over the North Wales coast. In Llandulas, residents have been evacuated from the Promenade area as the sea has burst into their houses so I can't really complain even after my polytunnel sailed majestically over the gravestones!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8597110.stm

The village seemed completely deserted when I took the dogs to deliver some eggs, but I wasn't surprised when I bumped into sprightly Mrs Jones, braving the elements on her way to the post office. In her late seventies ( or perhaps older) Mrs Jones, with her sing-song Welsh accent and big smile is always a joy to bump into. A retired farmer's wife, she calles down to the field regularly for eggs and a chat about the animals, and knowing that I am a nurse, I always get to hear about the problems she experiences with the "arteries in her head".......a condition that constantly baffles me to this day. I am always careful not to give advice about confusing symptoms like "problem arteries", but I never worry about giving her a bit of sympathy! even in the sleet and snow.

Tonight we are off to see a screened performance of the Bolshoi Ballet in The Flames Of Paris, let's hope the heating is back on in the Scala

Thought for the day

"There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won't anymore, and who always will. So don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason why they didn't make it to your future."
~Unknown

Back to a dirty reality and field jobs

Sorrel went home this morning and she seemed to have enjoyed her visit very much, despite the gloomy weather.
Obviously it is nice for Chris to have her up here; my immediate and extended family all live nearby, so I suppose this fact does make Chris feel slightly isolated from his family from time to time.
Having said this, Chris does have a rather special and close relationship with Sorrel and together they do resemble a bit of a double act. They banter away all day long like an old married couple and obviously enjoy each other's company in a way I never ever experienced with my parents, yet, I never feel pushed out when they are together.It's just nice that they get on so well.

Anyhow, this afternoon I have regained my usual scruffy (and dirty) daily garb and returned to work on the field. The weather, we have have been told will take a turn for the worst, so all of my cauliflower seedlings have been covered safely with cloches and polytunnels.

The old guinea fowl coop that was broken into by the badger has been recycled into a passable shelter for Boris and Gloria (below), and not surprisingly the opportunistic hens have used it all day during the heavy showers we have experienced. Perhaps the turkeys will get a look in tomorrow.

Gloria's neck has just about healed since her rather nasty turkey poult attack. She has started laying eggs this morning too!

Bodysgallen

The final "Sorrel Birthday" treat was a trip to the Elizabethan Bodysgallen Hall for afternoon tea.
We had the works! whatever type of tea you wanted-----( I had not got a clue) sandwiches cut into slices (without the crusts), freshly baked scones and a shop front of pastries and cakes!
Everything tasted better given the lovely historical surroundings, the peace and quiet and the classy decor.
You felt as though you wanted to curl up in front of the fire in the huge grate with a good book and read the rainy day away

Below the main staircase

Below a quick shot of the walled garden, which originally dated from 1620.

Sorrel goes home tomorrow. I was going to get on planting out cauliflower, onions and shallots but there is some talk of snow being on the cards again, so I may have to postpone the work.

I am slightly jaded, just two hours sleep this morning

Libera, O SANCTISSIMA

The visuals are a bit....well twee!.....
but the music is just right for a lazy sunday

Thoughts on A Single man

The homophobia of 1962 mid America was perfectly judged in the movie A Single Man. Living in 2010, I can honestly say that bigotry and prejudice never really features in our present day lives and existence.
Now I am sure that they (the bigots) are there! I know for sure that there is a "Christian" faction within the village that despises our existence, but to be honest it doesn't bother me in the slightest. I don't see homophobia because I just don't look for it.
Now, is that because I fit into that heterosexual stereotype image of middle class professional? ( at 11 hours a week at the hospital, perhaps that is pushing it!)..... a professional that is "settled down" with dogs, a garden, a mortgage and with a partner who is a Doctor and who has a great repertoire of curt one liners?
I think there must be some truth in all that. Being a part of a partnership, being a part of a couple does perhaps makes us feel "part of the group" as it were. In this world of "twosomes", having a partner does I guess makes life and the whole damm living thing a whole lot easier, and even today, in our enlightened times, it oils the wheels of social interaction and community a little more than it once did.
However I digress.
In the movie, Colin Firth's character had to suffer the painful rejection by his dead partner's family. To them, the relationship was seen as nothing more than a moral embarrassment, and that disregard IS something I have experienced from certain family members many years ago. Thankfully by a process of osmosis, patience and natural (charm! ) things got ironed out quite nicely and today it never crosses my mind that I wouldn't have the same say and status within my relationship with Chris as the Queen has with Prince Philip!
It is just a given to me.

Anyhow, I am working nights tonight, so Sunday will be a quieter day. No trips out, no birthday treats for Sorrel. Tomorrow we take her to Bodysgallen Hall for afternoon tea (so English you could scream), but today it is Sunday lunch at home, Church for her and Chris and some planting out for me.

A Single Man

I think that Sorrel has experienced an enjoyable Birthday.
After multiple Birthday card opening at home, we drove over to Llandudno to have a leisurely lunch at Osborn House, which was a real treat. Sorrel has a somewhat child-like ability to thoroughly enjoy things that have been organised for her, so, of course she makes an ideal guest.......she even seemed to enjoy the rather thought provoking movie A Single Man, which we took her to this evening.

A Single Man, has an interesting premise as the film chronicles the "last day" of the suicidal University Professor George Falconer (Colin Firth). He observes neighbours in their everyday lives,takes a class; meets up with an old flame and best friend Charlie (Julianne Moore) for dinner; has an encounter with a gay student (Nicolas Hoult) and has painful flashbacks to happier days he spent with his longterm partner (Mathew Goode),before his recent death in a car accident.

It is indicated that the love affair was profoundly deep and affectionate, so Firth's depression is not a guilt ridden, self depreciating romp, but is simply an understandable reaction to a deep deep loss and Colin Firth (not an actor I generally find appealing) captures quite wonderfully the slightly blank, pointless affect of a man numbed by grief.

It is a cracking and, I think brave piece of casting as Firth, (to me) is not really known for his more tortured characters.

The characters in this adaptation of Isherwood's novel remain for the most part precise and slightly enigmatic..a fact that seems complimented by a slight stylised cinematic style...with only the brief glimpses of George's lover in everyday normality and the full on cameo from neurotic best friend (Moore) giving the film the heart that it is so desperately needed.

Julianne Moore's performance, for me is a standout as she captures perfectly a woman who is stuck needing a man who is unattainable.....and yet I had to agree with Alex http://boycottingtrends.blogspot.com/ (who wryly described Moore as "ripe")

Her star turn perfectly balances Firth's depressive blandness.

A Single Man, isn't a gut wrenching romp into grief. It is a quiet, thoughtful study of loss and acceptance ( the scene when George receives a "cold" call informing him of his partner's death is subtle yet oh so traumatic), so I suspect the movie will be disappointing to some, who may be expecting more....well histrionic cinema .

For me, I thought it was pitched just right

8/10

How Apt

With Easter just around the corner, I think it is apt that Jesus has been sort of resurrected from him illness of the past week and has bounced back with a vengeance.
This morning he greeted me with his usual growling welcome when I let him and Halleh (the duck) out of their hen house. The four hybrids hens that usually live with them, have moved in with the gentle buffs, which is rather amusing.
Now I will post later...we are off for a posh lunch over in Llandudno now (I will have to make an effort and scrub up the best I can---been cleaning out pig sh*t all morning!)