If I was a teen again, I think my “ phase” would be Boy George
I never did the Culture Club thing when I was 16 , but I think I would do now given the chance
His tops were very slimming
Good? Friday
The cottage, looking cute
It’s a beautiful blue morning.
Springlike and quiet.
I’d forgotten it’s Good Friday.
I’ve never liked the holiday if truth be known.
I’ve opened the cottage windows facing the field and the ponies raise their heads as one to the noise.
I will cut the lawn shortly and tidy up the patio.
If I have time the little flower bed by the church gate will get a weed.
That’s all I have planned today.
I feel I’ve not got much to share.
Sometimes I feel witty and interesting .
Today I feel reflective and quiet. Going Gently has always been a journal, not a forum for discussion blog like most others, where politics and news are debated depending on how vociferous and bright the authors think they are.
Im neither, when it comes to politics.
And I’m keeping away from the news the older I get
I check my messenger account.
A hello from a friend in hospital
Two late replies from yesterday’s hello to friends in Liverpool and Sheffield
Spam emails are next
Facebook likes.
Everyone intent on looking busy, vital, interesting and happy.
Albert resting in the sun
The ponies watching my sister in the garden
I cleared out a cupboard in the kitchen and boxed up an Art Deco clock, a tin tea caddy and bowls and other such bric-a-brac ready for the table top sale in the hall .
Then I watered the house plants in the cottage since covid I have collected 30 all told
I make another bucket of coffee,
It’s nearly 11.30. The phone rings it’s a chap from the village wanting to pop down a cheque for the pane of glass sponsorship I’ve had another two requests by email, found by accident in my spam folder.
A group of walkers go past, but these don’t stop at the cottage.
My mind wanders to childhood Easters filled with too many cheap Easter eggs and The Greatest Story Ever Told on the tv.
I hated Easter as a child,
And I’m allowing old patterns of thinking to Reenact them
We all so that so well me thinks.
So I switch on the radio, something bright
Chic Eleanor has just made me smile , she saw there is to be a silent disco at the local cathedral in September and has asked if I want to go. It’s a 1990s based do where you dance with headphones on.
Sounds bizarre but fun.
I said yes immediately.
At 60, I’m saying yes more and more.
My sister has just messaged that she will come and do the garden this afternoon.
I’ve just cut the lawn and chatted with Anthea who lives in one of the neat little cottages on London Road.
She had been cutting horse chestnut on the bridle path and told me about orchids growing on the Gop
She has also planted an oak tree in the community garden just outside the village.
It will be the first oak tree in Trelawnyd
I start brushing the patio. On the Garden wall was a box
In it was small Easter egg in yellow gold foil
There’s no note.
Good Friday?
Yes
Being Productive
The apathy of yesterday’s hangover has got on my tits this morning.
I looked for a diversion and saw there was a play on this afternoon at Theatre Clwyd with the occasional tickets left.
But I was good and gave myself a kick up the arse instead
The kitchen was feeling like a bomb site what with piles of papers, and other such detritus flung everywhere so I rolled up my sleeves and channelled my own inner Joan Crawford in order to take back control.
Cleaning and organising are like dieting, it’s a control thing and I’m thinking that right now in our history, there couldn’t be a better time for us all to be taking control over as much as we can.
Roger has enjoyed the momentum as he has had the opportunity to look into the back of cupboards he’s only dreamed about raiding in the past.
Already I have found his secret stash in the garden where he has hidden, an out of date packet of pasta shells, a burnt wooden spoon, a vegetable bag and a sprouting onion .
A walking group have stopped by the corner of the lane and the leaders are spouting all sorts of information I gave them earlier in the week about the history of the cottage.
“ He has a lovely honeysuckle over the front door “ I heard one woman comment
But another butted in with a more pithy “ Yes but his windows are in need a good clean “,…cheeky cow
That’s another thing on my list today.
Post clean photos
Off for a tiny lie down
Hangover
Unexpected boozy nights are the best
I have the first bad hangover than I’ve had in absolute ages.
A product of the velvet voiced Linda’s unsteady pouring hand and bitter lemon and limes which disguised a cocktail that could floor an average sized bison
I drank four of them
Roger and I are off to the beach and will stand in the wind
With our faces to the sea
The Village
This photo sums up why I love living in Trelawnyd
A meet up with members of the Hall Committee in order to iron out a few issues transpired into a gin filled chat feast .
A lovely unexpected night with some lovely people
I love these people
So much and am lucky to have them
On The Phone
Paperwork is not my forte
I’ve been overdue chasing up the sponsorship for the Memorial Hall Windows .
And so I’ve been on the phone, all morning, making notes and lists and sorting payments out.
It’s been quite fun really, chatting away to people and I caught up with former Flower Show matriarch Irene who needed a no nonsense discussion about the nuances of sponsoring a window.
Minimal pledges and orders stand at £1290
This afternoon I’m doing my own financial overhaul and speaking of numbers it was fatclub weigh in today….I’ve lost 5 kilos ( 11 lb ) in 2 weeks….👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Korea
Readers may know of my slight obsession with Korea
My friend Ruth and I had planned to go last year to meet our mutual friend Ben Who lives there with his family , but alas that wasn’t to be
Now I’ve heard that my great niece is going to her friends Wedding in Korea
How lovely she looks too in the traditional Hanbok wedding outfits
Next year , after Rome, Venice and Barcelona , I’m going
My great niece Ellie, far right
The Sea King
I often take a neighbour to the hospital for a blood test on a Monday lunchtime.
It doesn’t usually take long.
I double park and listen to the radio outside haematology and today the air ambulance took off from its hidden helicopter pad behind in service training.
In Sheffield’s Lodge Moor Hospital , everyone loved the sea king admissions , which, although rare, were popular with staff and local residents alike. Now the old Lodge Moor Hospital was perched on the Western most tip of the city at an altitude just shy of a thousand feet above sea level.
Originally a fever hospital, the “ South” wards were dominated by the Spinal Injury Unit where I cut my teeth as a junior staff nurse, and it was there, that the sea King’s used to bring their patients.
Our best nursing prank ever concerned the arrival of the sea king and a particularly dim student nurse I shall call Judith. Now Judith was a game student. She would give any nursing experience a gung ho approach and when asked to bring the helicopter in , she jumped at the chance without a delay.
First she was instructed to remove her hat and to don a nurses cape reversed, so that the bright red lining was showing on the outside. Then she was given two table tennis bats from physio and asked to stand on the field in front of helicopter pad to “guide” the helicopter in to land.
And to the astonishment of the nurses on duty, civilians from the local housing development and the two RAF PILOTS in the helicopter she did just that !
It was the funniest thing that I have ever witnessed at work…….as the giant wasp coloured aircraft roared in over the moors ,nearly blowing Judith off her feet, her glasses skewwiff , her red cape blowing valiantly behind her, as she frantically waved her table tennis bats in the air !!!
The Ponies Return
The ponies are back on the field.
Just before Dawn , I noticed their large dark shapes shifting from leg to leg by the gate and I walked over to say hello .
I adore ponies noses.
Soft and pink and hairy and all smelling sweetly of fresh grass.
I dropped my head against the first pony’s muzzle and inhaled loudly,
My nose against theirs and we stood like that for a while saying hello.
I dropped my head at the others in turn and did the same
It felt as though I was being polite and friendly
And so were they
Lovely Zombies
Something I never do. Perhaps it had something to do with the Hispanic leading man Sal Valez
I’m working days all this weekend.
And I can’t be bothered to light the fire as I’ve not long got home and will be in bed in half an hour.
I’m still eating very healthy but for a treat I’d plan in having a miniature gin with ice and two Jacobs cream crackers with white crab meat for my supper.
This time it was mary who stole the crab off the top of the crackers without moving the crackers from their plate….which in my mind was pretty nifty so it was the neat gin and licked crackers.
I ate the crackers.
Fuck it
Today was busy as we admitted a very poorly patient from the Hospice at Home team but I was on with a great bunch of staff so all went bloody well.
When work goes like that, it’s a tiring pleasure to do what I do.
I’ve just made a chicken salad for lunch
Time for bed
Friday
I met my friend Faisal for coffee this morning.
He was, you may recall at the first LGBTQ book club a few months ago.
He is the politest man I’ve ever met and soon will be moving back to his family home abroad, where he will help with the family business which is a garage and convenience store. He is in his forties and not out to his family.
I like him. He speaks carefully and with much thought and never rushes an answer, which is always considered and balanced.
He’s never had a boyfriend, but seems not to mind this fact explaining he has only been out with his friends for just under a year.
We have lunch from the Thai on Thai and I was made up as the owner came over as were were eating to tell me how good my technique with my chopsticks was. I was eating rice traditionally with the bowl up to my mouth and she gave me a toothy thumbs up which really made my day
It’s funny that I’m so clumsy with eating my food using a knife , fork and spoon but give me a pair of chopsticks and Im a wizz…..
This afternoon I took Roger to the groomer and he’s looking mighty fine when returned
A surprise gift from Nu
She does this from time to time
Venice
Thank fuck for that ….covid neg today.
I was out minutes after the swab and with my friend Colin in Liverpool within an hour where I soaked up my weight watchers extra points on a fab Lebanese lunch ( no pud)
It’s so nice to sit in a window of a nice cafe and talk and eat and talk more.
We gossiped like old ladies do in Central Park on a Sunday.
Towards the end of lunch Colin turned to me and said
“ Do you know what, I really fancy going to Venice for a few days do you want to come?”
I said yes before he could take another slurp of his foul mudammas
How good is that ?
Spring Flowers
On the back of the feelings of springtime this morning
I had a mooch in the garden at dusk to look at the spring flowers
Which are just showing their faces to the sun.
Pink ribus, miniature daffodils and grape hyacinth are valiantly colouring patches of my borders
And I filled an old cut glass ink bottle with a bunch and listened to The Archers as the dogs turned slow circles in front of the fire and Albert sighed in the middle of them stretching his bad leg slowly towards the heat
The flowers are next to my bed
On the blue pained Lloyd loom table
And they look cheerful
As I wanted them to
Lily
I lowered Bluebells’ windows wide and drove down the A55 at a pace.
What covid I breathed out soon was blasted out of the car in an instant and soon I was feeling cold but exhilarated by the wind.
that’s cleared the old tubes I thought
I drove to Colwyn Bay and sat on the beach with my flask of coffee
This was 9 am this morning and I had already walked the dogs.
Women were wild swimming in the sea and I could here them laughing from where I sat.
It’s always nice to hear laughter no matter where it’s from
It’s been a long and fairly miserable winter all told
I’ve never experienced one so long, except in lockdown
And with spring here things seem to be on the up.
They feel better?
Don’t you think?
Two women passed me , they were talking about Paul O’Grady whose death was announced this morning
“ I loved him as Lily Savage” one said to another and I wondered if O’Grady knew just how affectionately he was thought of I thought.
I loved the story about him when he was comparing a drag show in the 1980s in London and the bar was raided by Policemen all wearing rubber gloves ( HIV protection) because it braking section 28 rules, Lily Savage called out to the punters that they were there to help with the washing up.
Thanks to O ‘Grady we now have drag Queens in our libraries reading stories to children.
With his Liverpudlian wit, amazing legs and fuck you attitude that never lost a little warmth, he endeared himself to the majority that met him.
He did a great deal for the LGBTQ+ Community
And he loved his dogs.
You were a class act Lily …..a real class act
Zoom
It was skills practice in college tonight , so I played the counsellor (on line )which was interesting.We are a group of three and this evening had an opportunity to honestly share why we picked each other to “ do” therapy .
I like my fellow students and I guess that is why we were all there …for we like each other.
Donna is a fast talking , nervous Social worker who loves her cats, is theatrically and constantly irritated by her husband and who laughs without a filter.
Caroline is deep, a saleswoman who is good at what she does but who needs to change her career
And there’s me
Three different people who bonded over Carl Rogers, CBT and Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs
Tonight we did skills practice and I talked about my weight and it was important and supportive and caring
We also talked about other things not for Going Gently to share, but I must say that we left tonight’s session each feeling we’ve made two new friends.
Otters
My WW app gave me a round of applause this morning.
It sent me several ❤️❤️ a bit of 👏🏻 But it wasn’t the same as 14 overweight ladies giving you a standing
ovation next to leader Irene in her pencil skirt
I’ve lost 4 .8 lbs
An ok start.🥰
I’m reading Tarka The Otter by Henry Williamson today .
The 1927 novel I picked for Gay Book Club
£2.99 from eBay
I feel a bit washed out
Goddamm.
I met a similar looking guy on Saturday night who I had a lovely long chat with
Unfortunately just found out that he is straight
Bloody hell lol,
What a bugger……some straight guys flirt with everyone
Trash
For some this will be a boring ‘ bad” blog
No long conversations. No long replies. No in depth recognition of the merits of off the wall films.
No discussions on everything important.
So be it.
I have covid again and I’m grounded from a much anticipated cinema trip.
Apart from feeling I’m swallowing ground glass when I sip my coffee I’m fine.
My back garden looks like the stink bombs front garden. I realised that yesterday. Now the “ stink bombs” were a family who lived in a rough looking council house near my primary school. The hedges were unkempt, and opened up wide enough in one side to allow the Ford cortina to park up to the living room windows. Scattered around would be a skip load of mostly broken plastic toys , a deflated paddling pool and beer cans.
Even as 8 year old children , we were snobby and judgemental.
Not nice eh? I only turned into Anne Shirley Cuthburt when I was a teen.
My garden has a look of the stink bombs and it’s all Roger’s doing
Empty milk cartons and plastic bottles, lie around next to bits of solar lanterns and pieces of paper lie sodden after being gleefully held aloft like a fluttering flag and thrown in the air like a shuttlecock.
An old lasagne container, parts of an old lead, a used coffee bag, the contents of a small houseplant pot.
He’s been skipping around with an empty coke bottle stolen from the recycling bag for the past half hour.
Bless him
Testing testing 1. 2, 1. 2
By eleven I thought my hangover was too bad to be true
I had a sore throat which rang alarm bells
So I tested myself and yeap covid positive
Bollocks
Pissed
The ukulele band gave a “spirited” performance and won over the local crowd quite magnificently
I was on the door , selling raffle tickets and window panes and did well at both. Suffice to say I was busy And had to keep sending friends to the bar for a beer….
Over 150 people turned up including lots of old faces
And would you believe it
The lovely Chic Eleanor ( centre)
Turned up
Affable despots Jason and wife claire with Claire’s dad
Gwawr and the lovely Tracy Manchester
Locals from the village Turpins et al
An action shot of Velvet Voiced Linda , Village leader Ian and bouncy Bridget
Neighbour Sailor John and Med…
Hattie and Adam
The object of the night was to publicise the TCA and not to make a profit
But with food sales ( all my chilli sold) raffle tickets and pledges for the window panes as well as the band donating their gig to us for free we made a rather impressive profit
I got home to walked the dogs around 11.30:…..I was pissed and walked into the garden arch without a clue….big laceration on forehead lol
A great night ….of a place …we all felt a part of /
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