Day 2

When Nursing a hangover, there is one sure fire cure and that is a brisk walk in the dales.

I haven’t been to Derwent and Ladybower for years, and it’s wonderful to see the beauty of the place once again. 

Had lunch in Hathersage and am just about to meet another friend for a early tea in town.

 

Sheffield

 The journey was a fucking nightmare 

Dorothy barked solidly from inside her crate for 2 hours solid 

Even the insertion of an emergency sausage roll only gave me a respite of around 50 seconds

And snake Pass being closed, I had to drive to Sheffield via Woodhead Pass which was shrouded in mist worthy of any Jack- The -Ripper 1970s thriller.

The Airbnb is a sweet little terraced house in the surburbs, an area I know nothing about even though I lived only 2 miles away for 20 years.

My friend Jane turned up on time with a bottle to match mine  and we put the world to rights as Dorothy made goo goo eyes at her. 

Tomorrow I’m meeting Jane for a walk at Ladybower Then tea with Sarah and an evening with Mike 

I went to Morrisons to buy provisions , a visit to an old supermarket I haven’t been to in 17 years

Rather emotional all told 

Sheffield bound

 The roadtrip begins

Breakfast Out, St David’s Day, a very small world and A Pure Heart

 

Americans seem to do " Breakfast Meets" . Brits less so. 

I like them. Ive Just got Dorothy out of her car crate( which went much better than I dared hope, -probably because of the pigs ear I'd hidden in her blankets) and after a walk on the beach I'm off to meet my friend Polly for breakfast at Bryn Williams in Colwyn Bay

Breakfast always tastes fabulous after a walk

And it did.

Film studies  on zoom lecture thus afternoon, then choir....

My film studies course is an in-depth review of five world famous movies. This week the film in question was the 1935 musical comedy Top Hat.

It’s not a film I particularly like or indeed have ever sat through for its entirety , but I enjoyed the forensic dissection and discussion of the movie, which is also stimulating . 

In one of the breakout groups I met a woman from Kent who, as it turned out knows my ex mother in law.

It’s a small world.

The “professional “ Trelawnyd Male Voice Choir singing Calon Lân

Choir was hard tonight. Jamie ( sans 1940 RAF moustache) only had 13 of us to deal with and decided we

Should sing the traditional version of Calon Lan which is one of the most famous Welsh Hymns ( it means a pure heart) 

The harmonies proved to be very difficult for me as the bass lines are so different from the original tune.

We also sang an anti war song which had incredible resonance with the news from the Ukraine and today I’ve been reminded of my own Ukrainian Village here on the field which also has its own resonance .

One of the village wardens , Jo ( the powerhouse that runs the toddler group in the hall) has organised a collection of necessary goods to be sent out to the Ukrainian refugees and within hours had pledges of all manner of items by village people. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/516296659309750/user/1219668197

Crates

Housekeeping day 

I popped down to the pet wholesalers and bought dog food ( there is a shortage in the supermarkets ) 

While there I also bought two dog crates for the Airbnb jaunt, petrol and fire logs.

Any longer journey will need the energetic Dorothy safely confined in the back of Bluebell.( hence the crate)

I called in to Aldi too and purchased lots of cheap spring flowers to cheer up the day and the patio 

It’s been a miserable and very wet day all told made better by the presence of two pre teenage girls outside  the supermarket who were holding a homemade Ukrainian flag as they filmed their supportive waves on their phones. 

I’m having breakfast out tomorrow, then have booked a film course before choir .

Pottery later

The Duke ( Yawn)

 

The Duke bored me

I didn’t like any of the characters 

I didn’t get them 

The bumbling Broadbent, I found irritating , rather than his usual endearing self and Mathew Goode looked rather odd when he faced the screen in bifocals which gave him the look of the terrible Japanese horror that was Micky Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s 

I feel odd today 

Flee

I’m sat in the Storyhouse cafe feeling something thoughtful 

The film I’ve just seen was called Flee and it’s a powerful, heartwarming animated piece which tells the story of Amid , who is a successful academic living in Denmark who is about to get married to his boyfriend Kasper. As the wedding approaches Amid retells the story of his journey to the West. An illegal immigrant trafficked from Afghanistan , his story  is a complicated and at times a dramatically harrowing one and his suspenseful tale of liberation is not only from political oppression, and depredation but is one of sexual liberation and freedom.

It’s beautifully told and at times incredibly moving , so much so that when I got up to leave I caught the gaze of a man sitting behind me who mouthed the word “ Wow” as he stood up

“ That was incredible “ I said as we fell into line on the way out and started to chat as people do.

The man was perhaps in his late forties and wore an old fashioned duffle coat with toggles.

He had a very kind face.

We chatted more and stopped in the foyer to continue our conversation on just how good the movie was. He told me he “blubed “ several times. 

I told him I hadn’t heard him.

We laughed hands in pockets

I told him I missed giving a good film a post Mortem and he agreed.

“ Over coffee and cake is the best way! ” he said cheerfully and I suddenly almost thought it was a kind of invitation.

There was a slight pause , then he added awkwardly

“ Well I have to go……I’m meeting my husband…..he hates dubbed films” 

“ Mine did too” I replied and we both did that little hand up smiling wave thing men do when they say goodbye somewhat shyly.

Im having a coffee with a slice of cake, now

And I’m writing this  

Missing Your Rubber Chicken

The dogs were hyper when I collected then this evening from Trendy Carol’s 

She had family visiting including children all day  and my girls had delighted themselves playing and socialising for hours

Dorothy fell asleep immediately she was lying next to me

Albert sneaked next to her carefully and dozed carefully.

But Mary had missed her chicken so very much  and has woofed playfully at him solidly  for the past hour We’ve  all been home

Where’s the gin bottle  

I’m on holiday for 10 days !!!

 

No News

Im Working today

It's mild and the goats have filled the nurses car park with a thick smattering of little black pellets before climbing the Orme in order to graze.

It looks as though a group of kids have been playing a boring game of marbles before dissapearing to bed.

There's not much more to share

Giselle -

Ghosts

 

I didn’t tell Nu until our third glass of white that our trip to see Romeo and Juliet was a sort of red letter day for me. 

It was my first physical visit there for over three years and the Opera House in all its shimmering red and gold upholstery and sky blue ceiling had been a very special place that my husband and I shared over the years. 

She listened with watery eyes of concern and we chinked glasses and laughed slightly sadly together

Acknowledging the past but not dwelling on it.

It remains a special place 

And always will be.

The Opera House Conservatory 

It’s Friday morning and already I’m on the 9.10 Glasgow train home 

After hours of talk yesterday, it’s nice to be reflective and quiet.

London feels back to normal now post covid. 

The tube was packed as was the very trendy No Mad Hotel bar on Bow Street which we sneaked into  for post ballet cocktails .

I’m back in London to see Nu in nine days time

We are off to see Cabaret

Hey ho

Making The Most

I’m looking through my Filofax ( I know I’m a dinosaur) at the next ten days and apart from one long shift on Saturday , my days off and annual leave is filled with things to do.

I think that over the last two years I have pushed myself to be busy. And what I mean by that , is that I wanted to be productively busy….enjoyable busy……appropriately busy.

The world and his wife doesn’t come to you, when you’re on the wrong side of fifty, single and not blessed with Russell Crowe ( circa 2001) good looks.

You simply have to make the effort.

Today I’m off to London, (a flying visit to touch base with Nu ) as well as a real post covid treat- tickets to The Royal Ballet and I’m mindful that. I’m back in London early March to see Cabaret also with Nu ( her Christmas gift to me). Im planning to catch up with my friend Alex in the big smoke in April too, and no doubt we will get some cheap theatre tickets for something stimulating 

The capital has been well and truly rubber stamped as it were.

Next week I’m on holiday. Sunday I’ve got two cinema trips booked Flee ( an animated gay themed film from Afghanistan) and The Duke ( the comedy heist movie with Jim Broadbent ) Monday it’s pottery with my sisters and lunch out with a friend. Tuesday it’s choir and the start of a five week film course on zoom.

Wednesday the dogs and I are off to Sheffield for four days and all of us are stating in a dog friendly Airbnb, a cottage in Loxley which overlooks Hillsborough, my old home town.

I’m a little tired of visiting Sheffield in a rushed manner. Dog sitters and time off work often means that I have to grab just an overnight visit, necessitating a triage of who to catch up with first. 

This time as well as meeting up with stalwarts Mike, Jane and Jonney H , I’ve arranged dinner out and in  with my old friend Sarah, and with Meggie and Mick who I haven’t seen together since their wedding back in the day when I had a waist and brown hair.

I’ve arrange walks with Jane and Bev and Maisie ( who was a baby when I left Sheffield ) and coffee and cake with Kathryn and Vince and everything is slotted in without rush and without drama. 

For a fee my host will dog sit the girls if needed 

Meggie and Mick’s wedding

I say all this, not to boast… look at me what a good friend I am! Perhaps I'm actually underlining what a poor friend I’ve been. Friendships are like tomato plants, they need regular feeding, and with relationships and work and the pace of life in general it’s easy to let things slide, concentrating on the few rather than the all. 

It’s also easy not to be a good friend to yourself.

I think we all can act the martyr at times, the slouch, the couldn’t be bothered whilst sometimes the best thing to do is to hike up those bra straps and get on with doing

I’m trying to live that mantra, but it can be hard 

Very hard

Gorgeous Dave messaged me the other night.

“Found dirt cheap tickets to Rome in June , fancy coming for a weekend?” it went

My reply was within minutes 

“ let’s go for it!”

The train is just motoring through the midlands,

I get into London at 1pm. 

A walk through Bloomsbury and I’ll be at Dishoom well before 2.

  

The Log Burner

The log burner is going full blast again.

Mary and her trusty rubber chicken lie warming themselves until they steam

The radiators are working again and the thermal store is full of boiling water 

The cottage has been properly warmed back into life again.

Tomorrow I’m off to London. 

Last year I bought Nu and I tickets for the Royal Ballet 

Romeo and Juliet at the Royal Opera House 

How lovely is that? 

I’m meeting her at Dishoom Covent Garden 

I’ve missed her so recently

“ Old Man”

 I’ve ventured down to Y Shed for one of their strong Americanos

The ones that blow yer tits off and and give you a zing

And I’ve taken the obligatory snapshot of my coffee cup to prove the fact.

I will have another one too, so I will be bordering of ADHD by the time I get home.

I’ve just had a row with two middle aged women joggers ( Quelle Surprise) but this time I was provoked ( again) 

They ran up behind me like two ninjas and surprised Dorothy who suddenly found herself in front of them before she and I realised and called her to heel. 

I called out “ I’m sorry” As Dorothy stopped and raised her head to say hello and one of the joggers, exasperated with the interruption yelled “ Oh God  GET OUT OF MY WAY “ as she waved her arms wildly

“ She has every right to be here as you do” I called out, irked that my original apology hadn’t registered 

And what only could be called a fishwives’ Bitch off ensued .

“Fucking dog walkers lording the path” 

“ What if a child ran out in front of you?”

“ Dangerous Dogs should be on a lead”

“ She only has a brain the size of a soddin peanut!”

“I could have broken my ankle falling over her “

“ Nazi Jogger”

“ You Should have called out you were coming past, what am I ? Fucking psychic ?”

I think you get the gist

The other Lycra covered jogger then decided to Wade in and with her hands on her hips yelled a somewhat   Surprising and simple “ insult” of

“OLD MAN ! “ which smarted somewhat

They jogged on

Another couple who had been walking behind me called out with a supportive “ Weren't they rude ? “ 

but of course they had a dog too, so they would wouldn’t they? 

“It happens to me regularly” I admitted and had to laugh at myself 

I wonder why….

At last

 Islwyn has been casting his little bits of magic again.

Nothing huge , but my wheelie bin now has an elasticated latch which stops it flapping open in the wind of the three named storms which has hit home recently.

He’s the sort to do jobs like these. 

No fanfare no lectures 

Just a little kindness.

Recently I was witness to another quiet bit of kindness at choir.

One chorister who has recently suffered a bereavement was quietly leaving at the end of practice and she stopped to say hell to the gaggle of sopranos who immediately surrounded and group hugged her within an inch of her life

People are so naturally kind I always like to think .

My sisters both made me a cooked dinner last night too, which was a treat. 

I’m still somewhat rough with another kidney infection and they think I need looking after .

Today the heating engineer rang and asked if he could come and do the chimney lining today instead of Friday . 

I couldn’t say no, but could have done without the subsequent mess 

He had an apprentice who forgot he was wearing soot and charcoal covered working boots all around the living room  

And I caught him red faced, frantically trying to get rid of the evidence with some kitchen paper.

I told him not to worry , but it’s been a bugger to get rid of , even with my trusty carpet cleaner.  

I can relight the fire tomorrow but I must be honest , I did light a very small one tonight just to please myself 

At last

Walking Dead ..the final series

Daryl and Connie

 I’m on the last season of The Walking Dead 

And I’m still as loyal as ever.

So much so I will be dressing up as Hershal at the next comic con with my nephew ! ( God help me )

So much happened in this episode 

Gracie and Judith was saved by gay hero Aaron from the flooded Walker filled basement 

Maggie went rogue

Alden died

Negan walked away and in the best reunion ever Since Daryl and Carol …. Daryl hugged Connie 

All this means nothing to most of you, but after investing ten years of my life to one tv programme

I’m loving it 

Daryl and Carol 

Creak Of A Dress

I had a dream last night.

A dream that made me wonder if it was a dream at all.

I was reading in the living room and I heard my grandmother singing from the kitchen.

She wasn’t  singing per se.

It was a la-la -la, some ladies of a certain age do when their hands are busy 

But her voice was sweet and the clatter of cutlery on the drainage board ( I haven’t got one) was reassuring .

lids rattled and I imagined she was retrieving a cake from the old cake tin with the green lid and I heard side plates being put out on the table, and the kettle steamed on the gas ring even though I have only an electric hob.

The brown teapot filled with boiling water and I could smell washing powder, cold cream then cake sponge which I knew was made moist by raspberry jam.

The ironing board clinked open 

More la la singing 

And the creak of a dress a shade too small for a waist.

In the dream, I put down the book and walked to the kitchen door 

And of course my kitchen was empty, and neat and very cold

And I woke up feeling rather flat…..

Debby’s words from yesterday caught in my head this morning

“We are surrounded by the ghosts of loved ones gone on, aren't we?”

Rubber Chicken 2 - The Revenge

 I never thought I’d ever buy another rubber chicken after Winifred’s object of affection was framed after her graceful death. 

But today, when I was buying dog food from Aldi ( the only supermarket that doesn’t have a shortage ) 

I bought Mary her own rubber chicken which squeaks like teenage girl when squeezed 

All day she has been guarding it, playing with it, squeezing it, squeaking it  and……. watching it 

I’m rebirthing a monster 

Serve You Right

 kidney’s playing up today.

If my mother was alive she would have said 

“Serve You right for showing off about your pension yesterday”

My mother could be a real cow when the mood took her.

I am reminded of her when anon ( et al) start to micro pick at blog entries and blog comments 

Tiresome all.

Sad Mothers…..and sad people in general , can be real cows

Anyhow

The weather today feels worse than it did when Eunice arrived.

It’s blustery and very wet and cold too.

I walked the dogs earlier and was caught short and had to have a pee behind a tree which caused a few logistical problems .

I’ve put my thickest jumper on today and don’t feel like eating.

I will nap later, covered in dogs.

Speaking of eating, I will leave you all with this charming video.

Tik tok , does post a few amid the crass

It’s rather hypnotic and moving

I’m off to make olive, spinach and bread bean soup

Serendipity Again

 

Eunice came and went and left very little mark on Trelawnyd yesterday.

I wasn’t woken by the wind but by worrying that overnight 8 thousand pounds had been deposited into my current account without my knowledge and not long after I had tried to sleep for an hour or so after getting home, I got up and rang the nhs pensions department in order to clarify why they had sent me the money .

The young man who eventually answered my call, laughed in genuine good humour.

My former nhs employer had processed my pension incorrectly and I was being recompensed for the mistake

Again when it has come to money,

Serendipity has chosen some brilliant timing in my life of late and she’s done her stuff just when I needed her too.

This is the third time in so many years that good fortune has smiled on me when I’ve needed money the most. 

Not having to scrimp and save for things like I’ve had to do with the chimney repairs is wonderfully satisfying. 

I’ve paid off my overdraft, my credit card bill and have deposited the rest into my savings account while I do some thinking…..

How lucky am I ?

Hey ho

Last night the goats walked back through the car park again but this time they were returning to the Orme 

The hysteria of Eunice is finally over