The dogs and Albert have been fed and walked and all are slowly settling down for the evening.
I made a low fat turkey lasagne for supper, which Winnie finished off as a treat
She now has tomato sauce on her forehead after cramming her head in the casserole dish
The framed print of Wyeth’s Christina’s World arrived from America today and I’ve hung it up the stairs where I can always see it from my armchair which sits just left of the inglenook.
I had another Covid based run in yesterday morning.
This time with a group of seven female joggers
It was unpleasant and upsetting
And this time I was on the receiving end of their righteous indignation
I was walking on the track or a former railway line with Mary and Dorothy when I heard them far in the distance . A set of joggers in close formation all shouting and laughing.
Their ages ranged from 30 s to 60 s
As they neared me I put Dorothy back on the lead and moved to one side to let them pass which they did .
But then they stopped filling the track as they gasped and talked and laughed all within inches of each other .
I called out a sharp “ Excuse me !”
and they moved to one side to let me pass but not before one of the women, buoyed up by numbers called out in a stage whisper
“Some People Are miserable,”
“ I’m not miserable but angry” I told them, whirling around
“You block the trail, are not social distancing , are spluttering and shouting all over the place and putting yourselves and me at risk of Covid” I said and added
I’ve just finished a twelve hour shift as a nurse with Covid patients so I know what I am talking about!”
(Well it was just one Covid patient but I thought it unwise to be pedantic)
The women threw back several comments but I only heard one naming one of their party a “ worker in healthcare”
“ Well she should know better” I told them suddenly realising I was on a hiding to nowhere
I started to move on
As I did so one of the women shouted “ We look after ourselves , we arnt obese Like you! ,”
I stopped and turned around
Shocked and upset at the personalisation and stupidity of the insult
For once I was lost for words and stood there open mouthed
“Really ? ......
Really ?” I asked shaking my head
Then I walked on
But the insult stung as it was meant to
and it was made worse because these women were middle class types , the ones that did care for their own bodies and ate healthily after a few kilometres run.
And I was a lone, invisible man who had dared to challenge them
Strange as it may seem I used to be a rather bad driver, but now with my lengthy daily commutes I have become a more confident and practiced one.
Another positive to come out of divorce.
I tell you this in way of a bit of local colour, for the main gist of the story centres upon me leaving the house early, early enough to bump into the new village leaders Ian & Helen who live down the lane
They were out walking their jaunty beagle.
Ian asked me if I had found my nurses Watch which he had in turn found in the lane and had placed it through Bluebell’s open window onto my passenger seat
I told him that I didn’t have such a watch and went off to search for it.
Dorothy had been there first.
The only thing left of the watch was it’s plastic case.
Like Captain Hook’s Crocodile she had swallowed the watch whole!
I’ve left a message to the watch’s owner on the village what’s app group saying that if anyone has lost it to please have a look on my garden lawn Later today
Dorothy is regular as clockwork and may deposit it after lunch!
The affable despot known as Jason has just phoned with a somewhat worrying tale of ghosts and ghouls
Now he is not know for tales of fancy but last night as he was putting out the bins on the side of his house on chapel Street he saw a stranger walking along the road.
The man was elderly and walked with the gait of a very old man. He was short , perhaps five foot five with a shock of bright white hair and although not frightened in any way , Jason stopped to watch the man as he had never seen him before.
As Jason stopped the man vanished
Now this is spooky
The area between Jason’s house and the chapel next door ( one of the oldest buildings in the village) seems to be a hotspot for the strange sightings of what is thought to be John Wynne the founder of Trelawnyd and village shepherd Graham as well as Auntie Gladys and several village schoolgirls have reported strange sightings of a man in a long coat standing near to the village hall which sits on Chapel Street .
I’m having a break from blogging for a bit but not from writing everyday.
That I would find an impossibility. I’m on my last night this week ( 48 hours total) after the same amount Of hours last week. Next week it’s the same
I’ve felt somewhat overwhelmed and not in the right frame of mind to publish
Yet I write?
Go figure.
I bought sweets for the day staff and an orchid for my trained colleague before I came to work as she has had a shit time recently.
Much shittier than mine .......
Lisa Tarbuck was laughing on the radio as I drove to work and this piece of nostalgia pleased me when she played it
I’m not sure, if I will post these mini snippets of daily life
But I will continue to write them until I feel ok to blog again.
I feel I have nothing worth reading or to share at the moment
11th October Sunday..2.20 am
He was waiting for his wife to pass away and she was comfortable under sedation. We talked about many things in the side room that night. But I particularly remember talking about Andrew Wyeth my favourite painter in those wee small hours before dawn.
We shared anacdotes, they were less painful than reality.
He appreciated my love for Christina’s world but didn’t share my affection for it
But, as it turned out we both loved Wyeth’s portrait of his wife Betsy in his piece Maga’s Daughter
Which remains in a museum in Seattle .
That was many weeks ago now and I’ve just been passed a note from the visitor, who was now a widower
He had found me a print of “Maga’s Daughter” in the US and was sending it me
I forgot my great niece’s birthday which is not like me
I’m not cooking on gas
Maga’s Daughter
Me looking at my much loved Christina’s World in MOMA New York 2014
12th October Monday10.35 am
I slept heavy. I always do after nights.
Yesterday my family met for soup and Cornish pasties in the garden
It was lovely but I felt lacklustre and boring
We are talking about Christmas ....turkey sandwiches and soup outside
It’s a new Way of looking at things
12th October Monday 6pm
I actually didn’t get up until 1pm.
It’s pouring down and miserable
I made cannon ball sized low calorie scotch eggs and spicy butternut squash soup
And I watched Sorry Wrong Number on the iPad as I did so
I feel brighter today
Bloody lovely
I feel better today
Rested and more in balance
The scotch eggs did it
Not the eating of said eggs ( I managed one at a push as it needed two hands to lift it)
But the planning and making of them and some spicy soup.
Me time...gentle space time
If I feel like this again (and more long stretches of nights amid lockdown are on the horizon)
Suo Gân is perhaps the most lovely of Welsh lullabies
It’s final verse talks about not being fearful
Do not fear it’s only a leaf beating at the door
Do not fear it’s only a small wave that murmurs on the seashore
I have my own personal connection with this piece of music as I now always associate it with my hospice Work
I’ve posted this before but I think it’s worth repeating but last winter as I was writing up notes after a particularly busy shift one of my fellow nurses, a welsh speaker started to sing the lullaby gently to herself as she completed her paperwork . From across the ward another Welsh speaking nurse suddenly joined in and as soprano and Alto they sang Suo Gân together quite beautifully
The lullaby wafting through the quiet rooms and corridors like a warm hand
It’s ok to acknowledge it, as most of us are experiencing a shitty time at the moment...
But it has been especially hard for me....there I’ve said it.
It’s been hard as I’m on night shifts that have exaggerated my separation from the real world...a life which has already been separated by Covid rules and lockdown.
My tentative move into sociability, cinema, friendships and contact external to my own bubble has been curtailed and so
I’m sad and I’m suddenly lonely
And I’m allowed to be sad......
Even though I hate it......... anyway conference calls to old friends Nigel and Cheryl have helped so much too,
Perspective gained....virtual hugs given
I’ve just watched Grayson Perry on his American road trip too
And I’ve realised, quite quickly, that I’m doing
A bit crap....but in essence I’m doing .....just fine ...
Apart from the necessary jobs , I’m intending to watch Bombshell the Charlize Therzon, Margo Robbie filmon dvd
I’ve made macaroni cheese for supper
It’s my sister in law’s birthday today so I’ve dropped off flowers and cake and a gift
She told me I looked rough
I do! She was right.
Gifts, whether birthday or otherwise do lighten the heart, I always think and today Kristi sent me one of her paintings which I complemented her on , on her blog. It’s a very welcome addition to my art wall and I’m sending you a big thank you for your kindness.....
( I must add here that I’m wearing another blog reader gift today, a lovely bulldog T shirt from Jackie D it made a welcome change from my now rather robust collection of Walking Dead t shirts)
Trump’s idiocy post Covid has left me speechless
As did his maskless wave to the nation to the avengers theme
Arsehole
I’m not watching the tv news now
The dahlia and rubekkia are blooming their last in the garden and look cheerful
Cheerful is good today
Ps
Bombshell proved to be an inspired choice of dvd purchase
It’s a wonderfully insightful and intelligent study of the sexual harassment of female anchor women from Fox News by the CEO Roger Ailes.
Worth seeing especially for Therzon’s powerhouse performance as anchorwoman Megan Kelly
The books I’m about to read are being stacked against the foot of my new Sofa in readiness of my days off.
I am yet to claim the sofa as my own as yet
Quelle surprise!
I note from the village what’s app site that Trelawnyd’s son poet and author Emyr Humphreys has died at the age of 101 in his Anglesey home.
Humphreys was brought up in Trelawnyd and many characters and situations described in his books were taken directly from his upbringing in the streets I know well
On the recommendation of Pippa in the rectory I have just bought his most famous novel A Toy Epic written in 1958
No doubt that will be placed on the pile for when the sofa finally becomes free!
And Dorothy has now mastered sleeping with me and Mary during the day in bed without losing control of her bladder.
As you can imagine, it makes for a more peaceful day all round.
She still has to get as close as is bulldog-ly possible in order to watch me sleep and more importantly breath, but after the first half hour of anxiety filled dread, she finally relaxes enough to sleep herself, that is, after she hears me snore like a pig a sound that presumably reassures her that I haven’t slipped away in my sleep.
The village wardens have all reported in to our leader the Velvet Voiced Linda yesterday evening before I set off for Llandudno which was nice
There was much light hearted discussion about reinstating village stocks after one rather grumpy member of the warden group complained about lights being left on in the village hall but no one had any real news, given the lockdown.
We were all hoping for some sort of social gathering before Christmas....hummm that looks unlikely unless the 30 people outdoor rule changes
My sister Janet visited yesterday afternoon too, but didn’t disturb me as she left a gift in the box by the front door.
A gay rainbow for my window, which was nice.
I’ve been reading about the history of the rainbow flag.
It’s not only the adopted flag of the LGBTQ community ( circa 1970) but also the International peace flag
It’s brightened the cottage on a very blustery and wet weekend.
The lockdown over the North Wales coast coupled with a month filled with night shifts have effectively pushed me into a cul-de-sac of antisocial activity.
The night money will come in handy.
The invoice from Mary’s vet came today 😳
At least her infected ear seems better
It fucking well should be for £180 !!
I have decided that I will have to fill the void with some old fashioned winter pursuits, namely reading and video watching. The reading of good books has been put on the back burner since Chris left so over the last two days I’ve done some research and have ordered a load of second hand books on Amazon
Giovanni Room by James Baldovir, Tales of the City by Amistead Maupin, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour
All gay themed and interesting sounding.
I’ve also bought a whole plethora of esoteric dvds Such as some Korean Horror movies like The Wailing and Flu as well as a selection of classics that I feel I know but have never watched
George Cukor’s The Women, John Ford’s Stagecoach, Fellini’s La Dolce Vita are just a few films on order
I guess with Covid rules applying to filmmakers, it is understandable that the finale lacked some of the epic feel of those past. Beta for example gets killed in a somewhat underwhelming way that if you sort of blink and you’ll miss it. The same can be said for Maggie’s return, which seemed totally filled with serene smiles and as for the collective populations of Oceanside, Kingdom, Hilltop and Alexandria all climbing Unseen down a lift shaft to safety, well you have to use your imagination for that.
No the finale was somewhat of an anticlimax but it had its strengths
The scenes between Daryl and Carol were movingly observed as were those between Carol and Lydia perhaps finally Carol can mother the daughter she needs so much.....we have only one more series to go to see.
It’s time for The Walking Dead to finish now
Of the entire franchise it’s had the best characters and the best plot lines but it has also suffered from some Mistakes in storytelling which disappoint and spoil the whole.
I was reading The Lost Language Of Cranes By David Leavitt with my feet in the sun which created a rectangle of gold on the new carpet framed by the little square living room window
The cottage faces south and by 1pm the stone front has become quite warm after the autumn chill of last night.
I must of fallen asleep, just for a moment
But as my eyes opened and head jerked back slightly the room was suddenly filled with the scent of cold cream and talcum powder.
It was intense and almost overwhelming
and it was as if my grandmother has just bustled past,
Her big arms filled with laundry
Her face wide from smiling
A broad plain blue dress with short sleeves and a short apron
It was a good job that I didn’t understand the new lockdown rules in Flintshire last night when I had that run in with the two “ ladies” last night
If I had I would have said a little more than just cheap shoes!
The new lockdown in Flintshire has been a terrible disappointment
Organised cinema trips To Chester are now cancelled , meet ups with Liverpool friends postponed and even our 1940 s moustached choir master is now isolated along the coast, unable to meet us outside our choir venue.
These little luxuries of social contact have been a life saver
Now many are on hold.
Anyhow I’m luckier than most , so I’ll shut the fuck up...I thought this , at lunch with a friend today when I learned he was about to lose his job thanks to the virus
All I could do was to treat him to the meal and to listen
Not much in the great scheme of things
It’s wet and miserable tonight
Sod the diet...comfort food and a real fire is the ticket tonight
Certain trolls will bust their pantyhose at the chance to remind you all of this fact.
I won’t disagree
I can be a real bitch when I’m in the mood.
More about this later, firstly, I must big up Y Shed cafe again. I met my friend Ruth and after a nice walk with the dogs we chatted for hours over a very passable corned beef hash and coffee
Quite lovely in fact
That was this afternoon
Later on, I was indulging in a loud debate with a fellow customer at the checkout in Tesco
I wasn’t happy.
I wasn’t happy at all.
I noticed the woman and daughter were not wearing masks as they were yelling at each other about the cost of some luxury ice cream . The younger woman had a baby looped over her arm.
I gave them a wide birth, out of range of any droplet splatter
Later on, of course, they came up behind me at the checkout .
Loud and brazen
It’s called sod’s Law
I caught the older woman’s eye and asked her “why no face mask ?”
I had to repeat myself as she couldn’t hear me
“ what’s it to you ?” She snapped back
“ I’m a nurse and I wear one to protect you as well as myself “ I told her
“ Oh Fuck off “ the younger woman raised her voice “ mind your business “
The cashier looked at me pleading for the argument not to go any further
So I shook my head in a patronising way and looked down
Both women were wearing plastic sandals below Stretch leggings
and I resorted to the old tried and tested
“ Cheap Shoes !” I said and the younger woman countered with a “ yer what? “
“C h e a p s h o e s “ I said clearly and rather too loudly
And I could see the cashier half smile as I walked away
Ps..local lockdowns in Flintshire and Denbighshire start on Thursday
Pps thank fuck I was wearing my blue brogues rather than my Aldi crocs lol
