“ No George it’s not the peas, it’s the last thirty years!”


In December I ended a friendship .
I ended it ostensibly due to one spoken word 
One word which underlined , to me , that there was no respect in the relationship.
All this, I know is purposely vague

Relationships often end messily 
An amalgam of things generally 
But with a straw that broke the camels’ back

Fa venire l’acquolina in bocca



 After walking the dogs, I slept heavily until 3pm
I must have needed the sleep , for I woke cuddling Albert which never happens when we are both conscious. 
Subsequently I’m on catch up.
The place looks like Coventry after the bombing. 
Having a new puppy is like having a toddler without a nappy and this compounded with night shifts mean than the cottage looks, well rather grubby.
I drove to Sainsbury’s listening to the seven minute Last Resort by The Eagles 
And sang it all the way through.
I bought healthy
Mozzarella, Basil, huge organic tomatoes and a small Italian ciabatta. 
Chic Eleanor caught me by the fruit aisle and peered into my trolley
Fa Venice l’acquolina in bocca” she purred
She’s taught me that phrase before.

I came home and made proper coffee in the Moka pot. 
I gave each one of the dogs a pigs ear ( Dorothy always has two as her mouth is bigger) so I’ve got, I reckon a good 15 minutes piece until they start demanding again.
I pour my coffee and sit at the table 
I need a few minutes to write my blog and chill.
I note I have written several syringe driver readings on my hand in pen
You can always tell a hospice nurse when you see them, written above the glove line.

There’s a Trelawnyd Community Association meeting at 5.30 and because of the brief rain we had everything feels humid and sticky.
I need a shower too
But not before coffee and kitchen table time.
Dorothy kicks the cat flap in a diva anger strop and I let her in. 
Villager Jim is standing outside the cottage on two sticks 
I haven’t seen him since before lockdown. 
He wasn’t well then
We chatted for a while 
“ Apparantly I have  early onset Alzheimer’s John” he told me
“ You remembered my name after three years” I reminded him
“ Oh yes I did” he said rather pleased with himself.
Roger threw up his pigs ear onto the patio and Dorothy gleefully sucked it up.
I took my coffee and ipad into the living room, pigs ear smell is revolting

Winifred’s Rubber chicken lies forlorn on the carpet.
And from the kitchen I can hear Mary chasing Roger outside in order to bark a welcome to another passerby…Dorothy joins in because she feels she should 

Nothing is still except the chicken

I may light the log burner tonight

Winter Is Coming

 


As Carrie Bradshaw would say And Just Like That…..it’s autumn.
It’s seventeen minutes past six and it’s not yet dawn.
Where did the summer go?
I’ve booked the chimney sweep, and ordered the logs 
And the Bake Off have another motley group of 12 for us to either love or hate over the next few months.
The Christmas request rota is up at work 
The WalkingDead returns for its finale 
And I’ve already sorted through my jumper drawer trying to find ones that will fit.

Where has the year gone? 
Lockdown seems a million miles away now but the memories of isolation make us feed on company more more than we ever did. 
I’ll filling my diary with stuff and I have a list of things to do around the cottage for my last holiday of the year the week after next.

Cooking



 I’m on a couple of nights, tonight and Saturday and have spent the morning cooking.
I’m back on a healthy eating diet so have cooked some healthy meals to enjoy when I’m at work.
This morning it’s a katsu curried king prawns with udon noodles and stir fry.
Chicken and crispy potato salad with yogurt 
And garlic prawn, avocado and chicken sushi.
Each one can be split into two meals and are just as nice cold as when heated.
Sweet stuff is a box of sliced mango

I love making sushi. 
It’s mindful and careful and precise 
I love the smell of the shaoxing Rice Wine which infuses each piece 
The kitchen is filled with the scent of it

Chester



 I spent much of the morning in urology outpatients 
I never tell staff that I’m a nurse, I’m funny like that, I feign ignorance and watch everything like a welsh terrier. 
The consultant was nice enough 
I didn’t think much of the nurse I met. 

This afternoon, I went to Chester to see the Welsh horror movie The Feast , which was so dire, I left after an hour .
A friend texted me a simple, sad message about him starting radiotherapy  and I was glad I walked out of the cinema . I hurried out of the Storyhouse and sat in the sun , in the Cathedral grounds 

And we talked a long talk 

Cushions


 Mrs Trellis caught me hanging my underpants on the garden bushes this morning. 
I don’t need a washing line as I tend to wash small loads at 30 degrees.
I tell you this as a bit of fluffing.
She was walking Blue who has matured into a calm elderly greyhound with a graceful neck, and as Mrs Trellis has shrunk a little with age , I always think that when she walks him he resembles a large alpaca rather than a dog, so noticeable the change in height.
I asked her how old Blue was and she told me that he was eleven .
He looks good” I told her 
“ He eats what I eat “ she told me as way as an explanation 
“He had porridge for breakfast”

I met chic Eleanor for brunch which was lovely ( the meeting not the food) and caught up with her news. 
I haven’t seen her for a couple of months and she looked relaxed and radiant 
We arranged to go out for dinner with some mutual friends soon.

And that’s about it for today so far.
I popped to see my sister, bought some nice cushions from TK MAX and did grocery shopping, 
I also washed the dog throws and hung them in the sun on the field gate, watered my laburnum and walked the dogs twice, both times holding three leads in one hand!

Blogger is playing up again 


Square Eyes

 Managed to get to the Community Council meeting at the Hall tonight to co represent the community Association support for the hall.
Got home as it was getting dark after the meeting 
It’s been a nice sunny relaxing day 

Roger is watching Master Chef tonight
He’s a total tv addict 


Ram Dressed As Lamb

 I’m in the middle of a night’s overtime
I supposed to be saving for the electric direct debit hike due very soon.
Total false economy 
Just bought these on line from Harlow & Lloyd


I’ve message a friend in the states who I know would be up and around 
He sent a brief message back 

Ram dressed as lamb

The “Dont Hurt Him” Conversation



 I still listen to The Archers and will occasionally refer to the long standing radio show here, when certain subjects of interest raise their heads over the mundane.
Last night matriarch Jill ( 91 year old Patricia Greene) was having a bit of a heart to heart with her grandson’s twenty something girlfriend over a quiche.
Now I am the first to say that The Archers can at times be incredibly heavy handed and prescriptive, and to be honest that is part of its charm, I feel, but last night I felt the scene between old lady and young woman had a certain poignancy about it.
Only last month , it was broadcasted that Green was leaving the soap after playing the velvet voiced Jill for over 57 years. No reason rather than retirement was cited, but it was clear to me by listening to the change in the actress’ voice that she was frail and probably rather unwell. 
The scene she was playing revolved around a huge circle in the Archer’s storyline. In the 1950s Jill entered the soap as the lead’s second wife, a city girl, who was morphed into being a country farmer wife and last night’s scene had Jill discussing life with city girl Beth ( Rebecca Fuller) who is her favourite grandson’s girlfriend.
The scene was unhurried and full of gentle pathos with Green’s rasping vocals adding an extra depth to the scene and when eventually Jill turned to Beth and said “ You Won’t hurt him will you?” I was suddenly reminded of a similar, intense conversation from decades ago now.

My grandmother was long dead when I started courting. My mother was never privy to any partners I ever had, but I remember my elder sister meeting my husband to be many years ago now, a meeting she realised for the first time that I had decided that he was a “ keeper”
Just before we drove away from that first family meal, I remember her leaning into the car and saying to my boyfriend with a smile but in a low and rather serious voice. “ Don’t ever hurt him, or you will have me to deal with!”

It was a message , I know he never forgot, for I think it was the first time anyone had spoke to him in such a way.
And It was a message I never forgot also.
Having that matriarch in my corner .

Ladies View



I’m glad I made the effort to go to Nu’s party
I’m glad for so many reasons .
Of course seeing her, Jim and her family and friends, many who I consider as my friends for years , was the driving force for the trip 
But I also really wanted to push myself out of my ever comfortable comfort zone by driving the length and breadth of Ireland on my own .
To some , this may not sound too stressful.
A little arduous, perhaps but not stressful, 
But I must admit, for me it was! 

I’m always envious of friends such as Rachel (https://racheldubois.blogspot.com/) who seem happy and comfortable travelling all over the world by themselves. 
I’ve never done it, so I felt I needed to push myself with a series of firsts
Taking my Car on a ferry for the first time and navigating a new country was two firsts 
Ok it was Ireland 
But this morning I was the only car driving down the magnificent Ring of Kerry from the awesome Moll’s Gap
I was the only person at Ladies view , watching deer cross the road in front of me
And it was a first  for me to pass the glorious St Mary’s cathedral Killarney where I stopped for a full Irish breakfast at a delightful cafe, where the owner gave me a sandwich , for nothing “ to eat on my way” as she said it’s a far drive for you ! 

But now that I’m home, somewhat tired I must say I feel just a little proud that I’ve finally done it.

The Party


I won’t post photo after photo of merry partygoers, suffice to say that the afternoon and evening was paced and good humoured and full of friends old and new.

The bus picked everyone up from Kenmare square at three and dropped us off at Nu’s cottage not long after and she was there like the Queen at the gate to greet her guests. 

We drank gin and ate delish extra thin pizza freshly baked straight from the oven and talked bollocks until 9pm when the bus returned and everyone hit the lights of Kenmare’s pubs.
I got off the bus early and went back to my Airbnb.
I’m driving back this morning and couldn’t face another late night.
I slept well in my bed 
And this morning have just drank my bucket of coffee and ate the last of my scones


 It’s been a lovely weekend all told 

Scones for Breakfast

I hit Kenmere running. 
I knew I would. 
My sat nav crashed in Dublin port and I had to wing finding my way to Nu’s, so late I arrived at my own spotless little Airbnb apartment at Mrs O’Sheas for only a few minutes, before being picked up by the affable Brian, ( the designated driver for the day) and whisked to a lovely restaurant with Nu and family.
The rest of the evening was, to be honest a loud bit of a blur with more mutual friends and their grown up kids joining the fray at a bar which would not look lost in The Commitments.

The party proper starts around 3 pm today when a bus stops in the square to pick everyone up and takes them to Nu’s cottage, so I have a bit of time to go into Kenmare and have a mooch. 
As promised Mrs O’Shea has left me some of her scones ( tied Auntie Glad style on the doorknob) so  you can Have something with your tea


 I dozed after my breakfast then walked down to Kenmare Pier 
And listened to the gulls diving for fish in the bay





Across the Irish Sea


 This ferry lark is all a bit new to me.
Ok I’ve enjoyed the Manley Ferry in Sydney and years ago I was drenched and frozen on the Seattle ferry over Puget Sound but I’ve never taken my car on one of the new Ferries who boast everything all singing and all dancing.
I’ve yet to find the calming hygge lounge but the public rooms seem spacious and well designed and I love the sound proof boxes set aside for small children to run amok in. 
Every home should have one
The skies were somewhat bleak in Holyhead when I got to the ferry , but boarding was painless enough.

I probably won’t have time to blog again, until tomorrow. 
It should take four hours to drive down to Kenmare and this, my second trip , I am very much looking forward to. 
My first trip was four years ago, and was organised by Nu as a diversion after my husband left me. 
I can’t remember much of the trip except the quietness of her cottage and the beauty of Kenmare. 
I was very bruised and battered emotionally and all I needed then was her quiet company and a bit of sun on my face.

I am a third of the way across the Irish Sea and the sun has just come out as I type, a good omen me thinks .

Tonight I will join Nu and her hubby Jim and her extended family for dinner. I’ve known many of them for as long as I’ve known her , so I’m prepared for the noise.
Tomorrow I will explore Kenmare again before Nu’s party tomorrow evening
The party will be craic as many of Nu’s Liverpudlian/ Irish friends will be there 
They are exhausting and  energising all in the same breath and loudly refer to me as Jonney Gray! Or by my old and somewhat perplexing nickname of cheese and chives ( this is far too long to explain) 
I love them dearly 

I shall also be meeting up with an old friend from ITU and her husband who was a consultant there who have retired only a few miles from Kenmare. I put them in touch with Nu a while ago and they will be coming to the party too..
It’s a small world.

A Little Adventure



 Tomorrow I’m embarking on a little adventure
I’m catching the ferry to Ireland for the weekend. 
Not only that , but I am driving Bluebell 350 miles to Kenmare in County Kerry to meet with Nu and her family and friends at her yearly party there. 
I’ve booked myself into a lovely farm Airbnb just outside the town where, I’m told scones and jam will be waiting.
I’m a little nervous as it’s a new experience for me 

Toilet Training

 Roger has had a good day 
Four pees outside 
And a solid hour watching Eastenders and the start of Repair Shop



Pompous

 Like some people who have their insecurities I can be pompous at times.
My mother would occasionally sneer and say You love the sound of your own voice, you do.
Something, ironically that would increase my insecurities as a child.

I was in the supermarket this morning and passed one of the staff, in an aisle. 
She was a smiley, attractive middle aged woman.
She caught my eye and chirped “ You’re from Sheffield arnt you?”
I preened a bit and laughed “ Do you remember me ?”I said, thinking she must have a good memory of me or perhaps she was a blog reader who suddenly recognised me 
We stood looking at each other , smiling for a second 
Then she pointed at my T-shirt 
Before walking off



My Laburnum

 

When I remember, I go over to the churchyard with a watering can to give “my” laburnum a good soak
I’m too lazy to walk up the lane and up to the Lych gate, so I climb up the field gate, and stand on the gate post then crawl over the top of the wall, pushing the watering can in front of me.
It’s not dignified but it’s quicker.
I always fill the rabbit drinker first, then water my tree which is doing well 
As I finished I heard a voice say something I didn’t catch and I turned to see two women walkers sitting on the bench outside the Church. 
They were eating a picnic.
“ I’m sorry ? “ I said 
It was the older woman that spoke and she asked if the tree was a memorial to a relative.
I told her that it wasn’t but had been a replacement for a giant laburnum which had been blown over a few years ago
“ And you water it regularly ? “ she asked
I feel responsible for it” I replied 
The woman, as it turned out was a Lecturer in History in Dundee University and was completing the pilgrim way across the a north Wales Coast. They were on the last leg of their journey to Holywell which is around 7 miles to the East.
She seemed well versed in everything

“ In folklore Dreaming of laburnum blooms is a prediction that you will overcome adversity through rigorous effort” the woman told me “ But never give the blooms as a gift” she added 
“ I know they are poisonous “ I replied 

No the message in the giving is that the recipient is forsaken “ she replied




Bowl

 


My sister Janet has made Roger a glazed food bowl at pottery and dropped it off this afternoon when I was snoozing before nights. 
It’s rather handsome
I won’t show the reading glasses thoughtfully delivered by Amazon roughly at the same time as they are tiny and make me look like a caricature of a Japanese WW2 soldier.
I’m watching Hitchcock’s Lifeboat with a bucket of coffee before nights

Chasing Bees

 

It’s been an ordinary day here in Trelawnyd so far.
No big shakes.
No excitement .
I’ve planned not to be too far from a loo today, so after a walk this morning.
I’ve been reading People Person by Candice Carty-Williams on the trendy blue sofa, which catches the morning sun and acts as a border to the windowsill plants clustered with their leaves and stems in the warm light.

Sundays are often like this now.
Quiet
Sun filled.

The dogs are in the kitchen where they have access to the garden. 
Roger is not housetrained and only after outdoor wees is allowed into the rest of the cottage
I can hear him galloping around the kitchen table before bouncing onto the patio and up the garden path.
He’s been busy at this for a while now.

Intrigued, I put my book down and walk through the cottage. Mary and Dorothy are asleep in the reading chair. Albert is on the window sill looking out into the garden.

And Roger? 
Well Roger is gleefully bouncing up and down the path 

Chasing Bees away from the flower tops 

I was reminded of this post from a few years ago now

Village Business


 I have been a member of the Trelawnyd Community Association for a few years now, but my involvement has been limited due to the fact I have worked full time and worked shifts. 
Going part time, was originally designed for me to start  my counselling course, but just as nature abhors a vacuum a few village bases projects need a pair of hands and I’ve been conscripted back into the fold so to speak. 
This lunchtime I went to a TCA meeting and said my piece on a pressing matter. 
It’s a nice group all told , perhaps a good dozen and a half people with the community’s well being at heart. 
I’m working on a web page relating to the historic well that used to stand on Well Street ( duh) and have taken photographs today of the newly refurbished pond which lies next to its site. 
The velvet Voiced Linda and I are helping to organise an open evening for the pond so that the village can learn of its existence and and perhaps help contribute to its aquatic planting costs



Ma Manly was at the meeting, she has glorious long white hair which twirled around her head in the breeze like a demon as we talked in the street. She is another of the amateur village historians, much more talented than I in unearthing information of note about Trelawnyd . I asked if she would contribute to my history blog and offered her free rein to the website to do so. 
Her daughter , Kelda runs the folk nights in the Hall.
I photographed the pond and the well  then went to Linda & Nick’s cottage for coffee and scones ( with jam) with some of the others where we gossiped for a while.

This part of community life is nice . 
It’s not always so peaceful , as any minor village politician will tell you, 

But it’s home .