Late Dog Walk

 

Dorothy swam in a river in Dyserth  this evening in an effort to keep cool.

It was almost dark when she dived in with eyes closed

Mary stayed by my side , pursing her lips.

I haven’t been so proud since I attended my ex husbands doctorate graduation 

She swam like a baby hippo, head held high, sharp doggy paddle, big smile on her face 

And it totally made my week, if not my month when she struck out from the bank like a professional.

I never knew the daft old girl could do water like an otter

But she did and like a new dad , it made my day.

And I cried silly tears as she eventually made for shore.

Smiling like a loon

She’s now snoring loudly dripping the blue trendy sofa in water

Chatty Cathy

Bluebell tells be its 95 degrees in old money 

Which is too hot by anyone’s money

Constance

It’s been almost 30 degrees here yesterday and just too hot for bulldogs outside.

This will be a “ Chatty Cathy” kind of blog today.

I took the dogs for an early walk and that will be it until tonight after dusk.

For those that remember Constance ( my first rescue bulldog) they may recall that she died walking on only a mildly warm day. She was an old dog, who had health issues , but the heat could well have been a factor in her death and I will never take that chance again, never

https://disasterfilm.blogspot.com/2011/08/you-give-your-heart-to-dog-to-tear.html

I couldn’t get off to sleep so found a Valium tablet left over from my husband’s  nervous flyer days in the medicine box and slept the sleep of the dead until it was ready for work. I  took magnum ice creams in for day and night staff when I came on duty as a bit of a morale booster and as the hospice has no air con in the patient areas we have set up fans throughout the building corridors which now has a cooling rush of breeze about them.

I am reminded of the convent in Black Narcissus 

It’s all very comfortable if a little breezy.

I was due to collect Roger tomorrow , but it is a long drive to Alfreton and I just knew his breeder would cancel because of the heat . I’ve provisionally rearranged for the 1st of August. She describes him as “ Smart but cuddly”

Now I have five days off……part time status is hitting home just a little. 

Whooooo hooooo

I’ve enrolled in the counselling course which starts in September and have sent all the paperwork off as well as the fees so that’s another box ticked. 

The rest of the week has been organised with my typical and no doubt irritating detail

Choir returns tomorrow , Wednesday it’s Ness Gardens for a mooch and lunch with a friend and Thursday Ive got tickets to the filmed version of Jodie Comer’s hit play Prima Facie 

Friday my sister and I are going to the Grovensor Park Open Air Theatre to see Little Women which will be frothy fun all told.

Check Out

 I get very exasperated at supermarket check outs

I always have.

Women tend to wind me up the most, as it is common for them not to have their payment cards ready when the cashier states the cost of a shop. 

We then have to suffer the whole rigmarole of the where’s my handbag ? face.

The unzipping of the bag, the fishing for the purse and the shuffling for the cards go next and before we can proceed the whole procedure has to bet into reverse before they can start loading bags into trolleys.

I try to look away before any of the dithering starts 

But it’s like a car crash, 

You can’t look away.

Yesterday, I was stood behind an older couple ( 65 perhaps) where she verbalised to her henpecked hubby where every item was to be placed and in which bag. To be honest I only noticed when I caught the cashier’s gaze, who was desperately trying not to smile and conspiratorially we watched the drama unfold until the husband finally offered the wrong bag up for filling and his wife slapped the bag away with her hand

In a fit of pique, the husband waved his arms above his head and stormed off snapping “You cow” leaving the wife to do the where’s my handbag? thing as well as proclaiming I don’t know what’s that all about.

I didn’t look at the cashier until the woman was walking away and we then both burst into giggles 

“ I’m very tired “ the cashier said in way of explanation. “ But that poor man”

We giggled some more.

I tell you this small tale on the back of a now deleted post by Rachel Philips who shared a funny and well written post about how singletons can inflate health worries to Diva- esque levels when they are alone in the house without the constraints and common sense sense of a companion. 

The cashier was the only person I had spoken to all day. 

And therefore the joke, the shared humanity of the altercation 

Was even more important and significant.

The scene between us, a wonderfully timed conspiratorial bit of fun. 

Butterflies

 My sister called yesterday to bash the garden into shape.

We discussed the total absence of honey bees and butterflies on the buddliea bushes in the garden which have just burst into bloom.

I checked each of the three bushes in turn.

Not one pollinator could be seen. 

Their absence has worried me for days now.

Perhaps it’s because today seems warmer, a precursor to the proclaimed horror temperature due on Monday, but this afternoon the bees were back in good numbers and the butterflies, noticeable in ones and twos rather than the dozens I was used to last year.

The back garden buddliea 

At least they’ve started to return. 

I cooked stir fry vegetables and mixed them with udon noodles and hot Korean sauce for supper.

I’m back on nights tonight.

A Pretty Shitty Love

 I am glad and thankful that I have no hang ups about going to the theatre on my own. 

Tonight, I grabbed a cheap 10£ ticket for Theatre Clwyd ‘s production of A Pretty Shitty Love by Katherine Chandler and again I was stunned by an innovative, provocative and intensely moving piece of Theatre. 

A two handed piece set in working South Wales we are introduced to a cheerful but damaged Hayley ( Danielle Bird) abandoned by an alcoholic father as a child and desperate for love. The object of her affection is the taciturn and damaged soul Carl ( Daniel Hawksworth) the product of a drug induced death mother as a teen. The couple’s tragic love affair is cleverly portrayed in and around a Perspex set full of photos and words from Hayley’s prison letters to Carl and although the physical violence of the abuse between perpetrator and victim is only alluded to the true horror of the violence is underlined by one, clever but truly horrid scene when Hayley s left for dead and buried on a Sandy beach.

Domestic Violence has been depicted many times in stage and screen as we all know but this production, which depicts a true story, brings a new terrible light to an age old abuse problem.

No News

Ive nothing to say this morning. 

Off to the theatre later

Evening Stroll

Walk a few steps past the ponies and this is my view of the valley to the South West. 

I forget sometimes just how beautiful it can be. 

The dogs, Albert and I walked to look at the view this evening. 

A peaceful walk. 

Roger arrives next week so things will be fraught for a while . 

Puppies can be exhausting if you let them be .

I know, I’ve had enough of them 

I’ve painted the upstairs doors a gloss white today, 

Another necessary job to do before a puppy arrives.

Wipe clean surfaces are the order of the day. 

I’ve sorted out my sister’s birthday trip on the 27th. I’ve rebooked trains for the day before the strike and booked us another hotel room for the night. Not the boutique Z Hotel in Covent Garden , that was full, but a travel lodge on Drury Lane. 

I hear there are more rail strikes for the weekend of the 30th

Thank fuck I’m working that weekend.

Crossing the Bar

I had bought my friend Ruth a ticket to her favourite chorale group The Spooky Men for her birthday . With her all communed up in Scotland I was in two minds driving a hour West to see them last night, but having managed to get a work friend Steve to take the spare ticket I went. 

It was a great concert, set in the historic Capel Jerusalem in Bethesda. 

Funny, innovative, odd and at times incredibly moving , The Spooky Men , perform their own songs about such varied subjects of sad audience members, eyebrows, Men’s Groups and politics ( Vote The Bastards Out being a highlight) 

But they peppered the humour with some truly beautiful singing , with a couple of Ukrainian folk songs and the sublime Crossing The Bar being true standouts.

I could hear several of our choir members singing in the audience as like me, they went to support Conductor Jamie ( sans his RAF moustache ) who is a guest choir member on The Spooky men’s Uk tour.

Jamie is on the far left

Ps . Remember that I’m taking Janet my sister to London for her birthday treat? 

Well the RMT has decided to strike that day ! 

Heyho

1970s Holidays

 I never went abroad as a child with the exception of my near fatal visit to Lloret de mar with my sister, Mother and Aunt Greta when I was a ten year old.

My memories, apart from the drowning centre mainly around large ants, the smell of leather goods in the thousands of shops my mother dragged us into and fields of hotel filled flooring.

The rest of the very few family holidays we had were in a beige caravan in Scotland, complete with orange melamine cups, midges, and family arguments.

Holidays were never happy affairs when we were children. 

A thing that changed considerably when, as older teenagers, we were invited away with my elder sister and her family to Spain, where we sat at restaurant tables, were allowed to drink and were treated as adults for the first time in our lives.

My parents were not bad people, they were just a little sad and unable parent very well, but that did not mean that they did not want to, for I remember after my father had uncharacteristically made my sister and I laugh as we sat in the back of the car and only after he had got out to do something, my mother made a pointed comment that he wasn’t all bad. 

Another dampener in another rain covered lay-by near Drumnadrochit.

Next week,(easyJet permitting) my family will be meeting up in Sitges at The Santa Maria. 

I’m only popping over for three days but it will be enough to remind me of those first teenage holidays where we’re had fun for the first time and learned how to be adults

Life Finds A Way

I was busy yesterday, as I was the two days before 

Four loads of washing, cutting the lawn, watering 30 planters,housework, painting

I overdid it

My post covid lethargy is back with a vengeance today and I have slept most of the morning.

I can’t quite get going, a feeling not helped by the weather which is humid and overcast .

It has rained very gently off and on all day, but the rain has been so gentle, the droplets have more or less evaporated before the ground got wet. 

The buddliea in the garden has suddenly blossomed in the heat but there are no butterflies to be seen on them at present. I can’t wait for them to return

As I took the dogs out I noticed this perfect little antirrhinum clinging onto the cottage garden wall.

Life always finds a way

My sisters and extended family have now booked to meet at La Santa Maria Hotel in Sitges next month. I was in two minds to join them , but I have booked my flights nevertheless  

Why the fuck not? Let’s take a chance .

The humid conditions here today coupled with my thoughts of the shabby chic Santa Maria transported me to those cheapo holidays in the sun of yesteryear.

1972 Lloret de mar. 

Never supervised once in the pool by my mother 

I nearly drowned in the deep end after slipping through my rubber ring

Today it’s called neglect
 

Nipples on the concrete

 

It’s still and very hot indeed.

The ponies in the field are standing quietly in the shade of the hawthorn hedges with back legs bent and Dorothy is lying nipples to concrete in order to cool down after a short walk. 

The cottage is peaceful as my neighbours in the new build have put Charlie inside out of the sun, where he can bark his voice box out of his head without bothering anyone.

I’m off out shortly to buy white gloss paint. 

I’ve been meaning to paint my bathroom door since CBM was here. 

Not only did I buy white paint but I saw some planters going cheap at Sainsbury’s so brought them home and filled them with cheerful pink geraniums 

I’m not booked to work until the weekend and have emailed the dog breeder about picking Roger Up

It sounds that a majority of the village has covid

Btw my booked train home last night ( the last one from London ) was cancelled, thank goodness I got an earlier train, the guard on which let slip that the recent excuses of shortage of personnel wasn't quite the truth? 

Hummmmm

Old Friends

 

Walking into town from Bloomsbury , not far from Russell Square I literally bumped into an old friend from North Wales. I had forgotten he was a solicitor in London now as we’d sort of lost touch but it was lovely to see him.

We arranged to meet last night and as it was so warm I decided to blow off My Fair Lady for some proper conversation, A very cold Italian beer and a cheap pizza. 

Soho was heaving, and felt oppressively busy what with the trans rights supporters demonstration swelling the street, so we walked down to the south Bank where the air was fresher and the streets less noisy.

This morning I packed up a brunch from the hotel dining room and went out with coffee and a book to St James’ Park .

It’s already hot and I’m mindful that Avani West Coast trains have already cancelled several trains north this morning so I will plan to return a bit earlier , to make sure I get home

I’ve seen some of the visitor posts  of comic con at Olympia on Facebook , it looks fun

I’ve promised Leo we will go next year if everything works out fine

London

 It’s hot 

Sushi, then Bloomsbury for cinema ( an odd bromance film Brian and Charles ) then a walk to St. dunstan’s Church (a garden in a former bombed out church in the financial district ) 

The lovely ladies at my hotel couldn’t refund me Leo’s hotel room but did give me 2 complementary drinks and a free breakfast which was sweet.

Soho is buzzing…..

Strange as it would seem Ive just bumped into an old friend and we are just going out for a drink shortly

Hey ho

 I’m allowing myself a slightly ironic smile this morning

The direct 8am train Prestatyn to Euston has just been cancelled

A Sleeping Dog

Then I look at the face of a sleeping dog

And all feels a bit better with the world. 

Dogs sleep when their pack slows down and they feel safe

And I’m watching over my sleeping dogs I realise

What a great job to have

Best Laid Plans II

 My nephew Leo is now unable to meet me for comic con at the weekend , which is a shame as I was so looking forward in catching up with him again.

The mantra of the past month must be best laid plans should it not.? 

Comic Con or not I still now have a spare ticket to the theatre and another empty hotel room for Saturday night which is a shame as so far I’ve not been able to conscript any fill ins.

And even my two new Walking Dead T shirts were delivered again today. 

No trouble 

I’m not going to be downhearted, London is always fun to visit on your own and according to my friend John Vanessa Redgrave completely steals the show in My Fair Lady.

Anyhow I made meatloaf in the air fryer for supper today and spiced up the recipe with Korean hot sauce. 

It’s a lovely evening with a blue sky fringed with clouds and Merv Price’s racing pigeons are roaring above and around the Church like giant shoals of fish. 

And so I’m eating outside, my eyes closed in the sun,  listening to the WOOSH of feathered wings as they circle a dozen or more times before settling

I will leave you with this tiktok video . It’s a cross between a social experiment and some visual silliness where an attractive man pretends to need a helping hand in order to cross a busy street.

I found this excerpt rather uplifting and it sort of reminded me a little of when Leo was a small boy…when we were in the centre of London for the very first time, he would nervously take my hand with his before crossing the road.

Early Dinner Out

 Caught up with an old friend over from Australia.

Lovely to have grown up conversations with her kids over a meal and a walk with the dogs up the Gop

Not a late night , bloody hell , I’ve had hardly any sleep today so 

I look rough as a bears’ arse 

But a nice afternoon, easy, unhurried and perfectly normal 

Lies

 

Brought down by a gay grope

Boris will soon have to go, even non stick Johnson can survive the latest bout of lies and the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid .

It’s a sad state of affairs indeed and has been for a considerable time.

I’m just waiting for that slimy little weasel Michael Gove to come crawling out of the gutter with platitudes aplenty as the rats are swimming hard from the sinking Tory ship

I despise them all 

Scratching an Itch

I had haggis for yesterday’s tea. 

Haggis and fried eggs

Bloody lovely. 

Sainsbury’s had haggis on special offer 

Like you do.

I have lots to say today but can’t quite express myself coherently 

Do you ever get like this?

My head is filled with thoughts of travel, and change and movement and I feel unsettled 

But before anyone commiserates, I don’t feel bad , just a bit restless.

That feeling you used to get the night before school. Or the day before an interview , or a holiday .

Waiting for something to happen

Later this week I’m off to comic com with Leo. It’s a weekend which will be filled with extremes , his superhero's and my My Fair Lady . 

This will scratch some of the itch, I suspect 

I’ve ordered my walking Dead t shirt for the day, knowing I can’t overshadow his superhero outfit.

We’ve organised for sushi too in between geeks and has-beens.

I’ve been talking about going to Berlin with a friend and am suddenly sick of the fantasy of the proposal 

Time for action dearhearts 

It’s now a time for action with many things 

Buggery Bollocks

 I’m writing this at work.

No I wasn’t expecting to work last tonight either! 

I arranged to meet up with a friend and make supper, so as the fish pie was browning nicely in the oven and a nice white was chilling in the fridge I was surprised by a phone call from work .

I failed to notice it was at 7.30 pm, the start time for night duty .

A month ago I have volunteered to cover a night duty without a second R./N on duty

I’d totally forgotten about it

Supper wasn’t scheduled until 8 pm so I did the dash of shame , dropped off the wine and dinner at my guest’s house with profuse apologies before driving to work a good hour and a half late.

Bollocks, bugger bollocks 

Any dinner party disasters out there?