Bliss

It is ages since I have done two night shifts together.
Unlike my normal "no sleep and get on with things", I have got to go to bed during much of today so that I can face another shift tonight.
So Chris has just fed me a nice cooked breakfast, I have no dogs to walk and have just fed and watered the birds so I can climb into a clean crisp bed without the guilt of jobs to do.
Our bed is quiet! and empty.....without the usual cacophony of grunts,farts and dog dreaming woofs it is now a haven of peace and tranquility where I can spread out in peace and decadence....
bliss

The Ghost

Today is wet and misty. I am working night shift tonight and tomorrow night, so I wanted us to "do something" this afternoon to ensure that the weekend was not a total bust.

So we went to theatre Clwyd to see Polanski's The Ghost.

It wasn't a half bad thriller , well that is for a rainy miserable afternoon that is and I liked the showy cast of thesps:.Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams ( a particular fav of mine), Kim Cattrall (a nice cool and sassy performance here) and the ubiquitous Tom Wilkinson, not to mention surprise pop ups by an almost skeletal Eli Wallach and a bald James Belushi.

The plot centring around the ghost writer for an ex British PM's biography, a CIA plot and murder, is far fetched to say the least but the direct comparison with the grinning Tony Blair is pleasing enough for the audience to enjoy and Polanski's use of a wintery New England and a strange colour tint to the filming makes for an interesting movie.

Don't look Nigel

but I gave it an 8/10

The raping of the hens

Chatting to neighbour Mandy over the compost heap yesterday, I was in an ideal position to see the sex crazed drake Halleh molesting another juvenile Hen. Being adopted by a hen, has given this handsome drake a penchant for nubile young chickens and 2 poor hybrids Ripley and Newt have been repeatedly flattened, mouthed and harassed by him
Mandy watched open mouthed when I interrupted our conversation with a sharp "oi!!!!!" and on impulse and with some frustration I lobbed a metal feeding bowl at the duck as he tottered past with his mouth full of hen feathers.
The bowl unexpectedly clacked Halleh on the head, and the poor thing stopped and immediately fell over, shaking violently.
"Bloody hell!" I cried to Mandy "I think I've killed him"
Mandy got on with her weeding, used to the somewhat bizarre goings on on the field, but as I checked on Halleh she did ask "well?............is he alright?"
In fact he was alright.....well, eventually that is.
He came around slowly, shaking his head from side to side then went to sulk in a patch of nettles for the rest of the afternoon.
Gawd I felt guilty, and checked on him occasionally, just in case he suffered a delayed subdural haematoma.
Every time I found him, he watched me warily with beady black eyes following my every move.......

Post Office Gossip, George and Dan's duck eggs

I bumped into Aunt Gladys in the post Office this morning. Deaf as a post but with her eyes bright and interested in all village gossip and news she eagerly asked me how the open allotment went. (although I am sure she had already had a detailed run down of the day)
When I informed her that her 60 "world famous labelled" scones had been sold within minutes of our opening I was delighted to see her beam with pride and mischief.
It is this almost childlike quality of enjoying life's little victories that seems to keep Gladys "younger" than most people in their twenties, and her genuine pleasure over the success of our open day was rather moving.

The only other bit of drama of the afternoon was the fact that George got a twig stick in his throat when we were out for a walk up the gop. A blue light dash to the vets, a quick anaesthetic , a nifty twist of a set of magills forceps and thirty five pounds later he was returned home non the worse for wear.....
These animals will be the death of me.......

......and finally....... the second batch of this year's duck eggs have just had a clean and polish and have been set up in the kitchen incubator!
I am hoping to hatch out a score of ducklings for a guy that attended the open day and for Dan, a fellow blogger over at http://allthatcomeswithit.com/, who is risking divorce by agreeing to add several runners to his back garden menagerie!
hey ho

ps welcome to another village blog reader at Anchor house!!

But. . . he's gay!

couldn't you just kiss her?

Crossing the Stone (Tros Y Garreg)

I heard this traditional Welsh piece of music on Classic FM this morning and it kind of stuck in my head.

Traffic cones in the Graveyard and morning observations

After the council workmen had cut the old Churchyard grass yesterday three brightly coloured traffic cones appeared much to the consternation of the guinea fowl, who crowded around them chattering furiously.
I ambled over to have a nose at what was going on, only to find that two of the older graves had collapsed into themselves, leaving rather creepy dark cave like holes in the grass.
I have been asked several times do I ever get nervous at living right next door to the Graveyard and I can honestly say no.
Now I am no goth here! I don't get my kicks wandering around, dressed all in black and musing about death all of the time, but there is something rather peaceful and almost comforting about the presence of old tombstones and graves.
No doubt the health and safety boffins will be swarming around the Church with their clipboards and red tape tomorrow!

Boris is slowly improving but still remains weak and pale after his collapse of last week. This morning he ambled over to stand under my arm as I fed him titbits of left over dog food and a piece of wholemeal bread and although quiet, I think the improvement I saw on Tuesday is continuing.
I have given him the wonder drink of apple cider vinegar in his water,wormed him, and sneaked him tasty morsels but the recovery remains slow.
Perhaps some of the turkey owning blog readers could suggest things that may well help even more?




On the other hand, the Ghost hens are going from strength to strength! Fat like ducks they waddle out of their coop every morning eager to face the day. They resemble a gaggle of old fashioned (mack and headscarf- you know the type) ladies that are off to do a bit of shopping as they do their circuit of the vegetable patches. Then, when they realise that they have daringly walked some 20 yards from their hen house, they look at each other, raise their heads in mild panic and then break for home (right pic)
I know I will not cull them now, the joy of seeing them turn from sick, sad little birds to robust bouncing hens is such a tonic, that the thought of eating them literally leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth....I have an idea....If they continue to improve, I will set them up with Jesus when his leg mite problem has improved. - Hopefully they will breed some impressive eating birds who will also lay

Continuity bollocks

Hazel and I walked out of the movie Samson and Delilah (2009) after around half an hour. It was not because it was bad ( ok the story of poor and dispossessed aboriginal teens was not a bag of laughs), it was because the reels of the movie had been mixed up and the narrative jumped from one unconnected part of the film to another.
I got up and complained after 20 minutes and was told that the film was being shown "correctly" which was a load of bollocks, so we walked out.
I have just double checked with a wikipedia version of the plot and found to my delight that I was right........
so at least we will get to see another movie free of charge!
Hazel took me for a drink and a nice (and overdue chat) at the lovely Soughton Hall (pic) which is situated just outside Mold, so the night was not a total bust

A Man's gotta do......

My Brother is Walking down Snowdon on Saturday. Snowdon ( Welsh name Yr Wyddfa) is the largest Mountain in Wales and the walk is not an easy one for anyone "our "age let alone for a guy who is suffering from a particularly nasty neurological condition. Yet my Brother is giving it a bash in support of his friend, the Welsh singer Mike Peters who supports a whole array of cancer support services in the North Wales region.(below information regarding the day from Google)

On Saturday August 7th 2010, Mike Peters, the internationally acclaimed singer of Welsh rock and roll band The Alarm will once again host 'Snowdon Rocks' for an incredible fourth year running. For 2010, Snowdon Rocks is also expanding its format to include a first ever concert at the historic Rhuddlan Castle with a very special guest performance by The Levellers and additional appearances from acclaimed singer songwriter, Nick Harper and Mike Peters himself.Mike Peters is once again calling on all members of the Love Hope Strength / Alarm community who are fit and able, to join him on the mountain for 'Snowdon Rocks 4' (Supported by Barclays) on the weekend of August 6th and 7th 2010

Typically,my brother has kept this challenge rather quiet, (I only only found out that it was happening via an email from my sister).and I must say that his stoic reaction to his own debilitating condition ( with the unwavering support from his wife Jayne) has been impressive to say the least.

We send him our love, admiration and best wishes for the day.....

and my only advice would be......don't wear flip flops!

Quietly Nuts

Albert dragged in another flapping hysterical young sparrow this morning, which escaped from his clutches in the kitchen as I was feeding the stock outside. When I eventually returned soaked to the skin, a scene of carnage lay before me. The bird had managed to wedge itself in a bloody heap behind the toaster, and in his effort to retrieve it, Albert had kicked an enamel pan, a whole array of utensils and my favourite American coffee cup onto the floor!
I could have cried.....not because of the mess......gawd having 83 animals,means that mess is a way of life, no, it was the potential loss of a simple ceramic mug that upset me the most.

My reaction beggared the question of Why on earth do people have such close relationships with inanimate objects?
There is no real reason for it, is there? but I can honestly say that I love my battered old coffee cup, with its typically American rounded, slightly art deco edges and chunky comfortable handle.
I "hate" drinking coffee from any other mug ( it doesn't taste the same either) and I have lovingly looked after my mug since "our eyes met" on the shelf in the tourist shop on the top of the Rockefeller Centre.
I know there is more important things going on in the world. But in my own little goldfish bowl here in Wales, my mug , does have a special place in my affection......
Anyhow the story does have a happy ending.....with its robust chunky make up, my mug survived its fall and now is steaming away on the kitchen table with its usual cargo of coffee.

Message to self.
Am I odd...or do I really need to get out more......

Allotment Open video 1

The husband of one of Chris' work mates took this video.....you will be glad to hear that because of this I am now back on a diet!!!

Open Allotment day video 2

Some nice shots of the magpie ducks....I had four offers from punters to take them!...You won't be surprised to hear I refused

Being careful

Boris HAS turned another corner.
I got up this morning to a small pile of over ripe fruit piled up on the kitchen garden wall. an incredibly sweet gesture from a faceless local who must have read yestrday's blog!
I made a sort of "platter" out of the fruit, leftover rice and sweetcorn, added some white bread and finally garnished the plate with a small dead baby mouse (courtesy of Albert).
I let Boris out and set him up with the food and he ate and drank reasonably well. I am just starting to allow myself a little glimmer of hope.

A nice ripe pear (pair) and the Ghost hens are released

I have returned all of the borrowed chairs and tables to Prestatyn vicarage this morning and have delivered all of the raffle prizes to their respective ticket owners.
When I was in Prestatyn, I had a brainwave and called into the grocers to see if they had any ripe pears. I remembered that Boris was a sucker for soft fruit and although I had released him from his house early this morning I noticed that he still had not eaten anything.
I explained to the young girl on the till that I needed a very ripe pear for a sick turkey and she yelled my request to an unseen guy in the back of the shop!
After a minute or so the guy called back
"I can't find any pears but I've got a manky orange?"
"No" I replied..." He only likes a ripe pear"
"Don't we all" responded the shop owner with a chuckle.
After a few more minutes, they kindly found some fruit and above is a photo of Boris eating his first bit of food in over four days. The big guy looks dreadfully weak and wobbly at the moment, I only hope he may have turned some sort of corner

This morning I have also released the ghost hens from their prefab run. One fat hen ,caught up in the excitement of it all ran the length of the field on stiff fat legs only to return breathless ad fraught when she realised that she was alone.
They have not ventured far from their coop but it's early days yet......they are beginning to resemble healthy young hens

A Childhood Regret

AJ's on her blog " A Little Farm With A Big Heart" http://wwwaj-oaks.blogspot.com/ wrote a rather moving piece on a major regret she still has regarding a rather cruel but fairly minor childhood spat she experienced when at junior school.

It was fascinating that decades after the fact the perceived slight she caused still haunted her, and it got me to thinking if I still harboured some sort of childhood regret.
Do you know, I have!
When I was eight, school holidays in summer were always slightly boring affairs. My mother was never one for trips or "activities" so we were expected to play outside out of the way. Now this, we usually did ( my twin sister and me) except on those days that my grandmother called up. She did this at least three times a week and always in the mornings, where she would prepare vegetables for dinner,help with house work and iron the mounds of washing whist telling us stories about her wartime exploits in Liverpool.
Her presence was still a normal factor of extended family life that had almost disappeared in today's world, and as children we loved her warm and funny despot humour.

At lunch one day and Idea spring into my mind and thinking I was being clever I piped up
"You know Gran when you come up here, it must be good as you get a free lunch three times a week!"
I think I must have laboured the point a little too much as little boys have a want to do, and I only shut up (eventually) after my mother said quietly and rather uncharacteristically for her " That will do!"
My grandmother ate her lunch without speaking and I remember realising that I had said something wrong but not quite understanding exactly what it was I had done. She was clearly very hurt by my words and I still remember to this day, that "pang" of shame when I watched her cut her food up without being able to lift her eyes from her plate.
It was one of those moments that make you grow up just a little
Funny what seeps into your consciousness when it is pricked by someone else's stories and experiences !

Anyhow today it's back to normal.
It is just after 6.30am here and the first coffee of the day is just about to kick in. The dogs have all nosedived back to bed after their mornings ablutions and Albert is busy dispatching yet another vole on the kitchen floor...I need to clear the back shed of gosling droppings all of the gazebos and seating needs to be returned to Prestatyn Vicarage....and I am pondering what to do with old Boris if his antibiotics have not done the trick

Open Allotment 2010

I'm Knackered.
After four hours of open day, over three hundred visitors have ambled around the allotment and field, scoffed a trailer full of homemade cakes and downed a fair few gallons of tea out of china cups!
We are officially a success!
The weather kept fine enough for the numbers to exceed last year's event and this year I noticed a greater number of children attending (they got in for free too!!! which is not bad seeing that everyone entering got a cup of tea and a cake!!!)
I think we have raised nearly 520£!

Hazel with new boyfriend and kids in tow

Chris was on tea tent duties with my hard working sister Janet and Aunt Judy and her sister Bridget (top photo) whilst my elder sister ran the gate, raffle and all the produce sales.

The chap that brought his own allotment produce to sell, did a cracking trade and gave me a nice donation for letting him come, which was very kind

I made lots of contacts with other hen owners, a duck enthusiast, a pig breeder and even a couple of bee keepers from Dyserth, approached me in respect of setting up a hive here, so all the hard work has paid off two fold

Anyhow I have found the whole "open allotment" experience a very positive one. I have found the many small kindnesses very touching as many villagers have gone out of their way to contribute to the day. Apart from the ton of cakes baked by the ladies of the village ( and Geoff of course!)Jars of jam and bunches of beautiful lavender tied up with ribbons found their way onto the gate table with a score of freshly cut vegetables, potted up seedlings and cakes and scones all wrapped in clingfilm and priced individually ready to be bought. My sister in law dropped of a ton of goodies even though she has a lot on her plate at the moment and we even had a donation of some ancient allotment implements ( above) to add some interest to the filed borders

Thank you everyone for your hard work and big thank you for everyone who took the trouble to attend

I even got 2£ for my prize winning beetroots....result!!!

Casanova's still with us

Hurried post today.
Mr Sex is still with us, but looks very unwell.
All be can do is rest him and wait and see

Help Trundles in

The weather has closed in this afternoon, so my last minute strimming and weeding has been put on hold until tomorrow.
I have started to bake cakes and an apple pie for Sunday, and have been (nicely) interrupted by a steady stream of donations for the day!
Auntie Gladys must have been up at dawn baking as 60 neatly bagged scones were ready for collection at 10am, and this afternoon Pat braved the torrential rain to deliver two Bara Brith loaves.
Now for those that don't know, Bara Brith is a traditional Welsh fruit loaf where the fruit is usually soaked in cold tea. The Welsh name means literally "speckled Bread" and the loaf is served sliced with lashings of butter! It's delicious
Pippa galloped past with the dog last night stating she will bring her cakes on the day as will Heulwen and Pat's daughter Joanne, who has made a carrot cake. More sponges are winging their way from Sylvia from the Flower Show and old Mrs Jones ( the old farmer's wife I caught hanging on the back of a tractor a way back)
Chris, (the guy that owns Theresa the turkey on loan) is dropping off some old farming implements to display and another allotment holder Graham has just rung and agreed to set up a stall of his home grown produce for sale on the day!
Things are starting to come together

The Prestatyn Flower Show (and Boris update)

The Prestatyn Flower Show got off to a slightly wet but hugely successful start today. Entries were up a third on last year and must admit I was very impressed with the flower and vegetable classes
Janet ( twin sister above) wiped the board with firsts for her Orchid, Cut flowers and best garden in Prestatyn while Elder sister, Ann won for her floral art entries and nabbed the "best in show" award for one of her displays.......I was left somewhat in their shadows but was pleased I won a first for my beetroots!!!!

Below : a selection of show photographs:-

Janet's winning cut flowers

Cake and craft tent

The Flower and Vegetable Tent

My Beetroots were stunning!

Janet's winning garden

I had a nice mooch around the show with Meg tucked under my arm. We shared a ham roll and a cup of tea and listened to the Jazz Men musicians as the weather started to brighten just a little! I hope that our Trelawnyd Show is half as successful as Ann's show seems to be.

So this afternoon I am back in my dirty wellies and scruffy pants. Boris remains ill and droopy after his collapse yesterday. I have spoken to the new vet who is at a bit of a loss of what actually happened but suspects that because Boris has been so "preoccupied" with matters of the flesh,so to speak, he has become run down and has picked up an infection of some sort.

I gave him his antibiotic and sat with him for a half hour stroking his bald head. He looks very shaky bless him.

Crisis of confidence and a sex injury

I have a lot on today. I need to get my entries in for the PRESTATYN FLOWER SHOW, which opens tomorrow, and I still have tons of things to do before the Open day on Sunday.
I had a crisis of confidence about the day yesterday after I bumped into a few villagers who apologised for not being able to attend, Auntie Glad was one of those people, which upset me a little as at ninety she has always had the energy to ....having said this she rang with the offer of making a "few" scones for the day...... I had to laugh when she asked "will 60 be enough?"
I do so hope enough people will attend

So this morning, as I was planning which vegetable would be best to enter, I heard a strange dull thud and tuned just in time to see Boris fall to the ground after climbing onto Gloria to mate for the millionth time !
I ran over to find the old guy panting a little as he squatted on his knees and he did look pale and shaky. As he is normally fit and well, I have the awful feeling that he has suffered some cardiac type event after his mating exertions. How the hell do you take the pulse of a 15 kilo stag turkey? and what is a normal pulse for one anyway? I have no way of knowing
I know that hens run on incredibly high blood pressures and are prone to strokes and cardiac arrests, but turkeys?
Anyhow I picked him up and put him in the quiet of his hut with food and water and NO FEMALES to distract him. His head is down and he looked shocked which is not a good sign. I do so hope he will be ok

Last night I made black current jam into the wee small hours, and subsequently felt sick all night after tasting the jam too many times to see if the sugar had melted. The kitchen looks like a gypsy encampment at the moment, with everything piled up ready for Sunday. My sister Janet ( who is more than a list maker than I am) gave me her check list for the day and I think I have ticked every box so far.
Sometimes I wonder if it all worth the effort. after all , all of the money raised will be going to the
Church and not me! I could do with a few hundred pounds........I need a new hen house of the Ghost hens!
hey ho