The Holy Frijoles

On nights tonight, and as three staff are covering all of the others on the ward Christmas do we are having a shared Christmas meal Takaway in our break.

My Holy Frijoles nativity arrived yesterday which is useless but great fun.

There are nine figures, the same as my own family of stone people I made in pottery

I will leave you with this festive piece of Wicked

 

Gifts

 I’ve taken the day off from acting as counsellor today to regroup, recharge and re boot my Christmas December Jobs. 

The kitchen tops are filled with village gifts, wrapping paper and the like. Novelty tinned biscuits for Sailor John and Many ,a put together hamper for Trendy Carol and her hubby, a small something for Animal helper Pat, Christmas Decorations for the Randa girls ( Randa almost women!) bulb flowers for the velvet voiced Linda .

It’s nice to have ticked the box

Ive posted my Christmas cards too ! ( Bloody thirty pounds of postage! ….I swore in the post office) 

The kittens are in the living room watching reruns of The Walking Dead

The zombies seem to fascinate them

Soon I will be hanging the cards that came today. 

Counselling Day

 My personal counsellor is an eighty year old Irish Woman. She dresses in mountains of shawls, all pinned together at her shoulder by a large Scottish broach. She has dyed black hair which suits her and she uses her direct, compassionate stare to lethal effect when she needs to.

We meet regularly in a little market town in rural North Wales

For weeks she has walked beside me as I’ve analysed patterns of behaviour and emotion and has sat there all accepting  and empathetic when I’ve shared things no one else will ever know, or ever know on this earth.

To me she is a kind of Yoda crossed by Guinan and Ordinary People’s Dr Berger 

A quiet soul who has seen it all.

This was our last consultation until January and darkness had already fallen as we sat there .

After we ended today she held out a thin arm and we shook hands, her grip surprisingly strong

“ Happy Christmas” she said with feeling 

Her spectacles shining in the lights of her period Christmas tree, 

Which Sat cheerfully in the corner of her consulting room .

Angélique kidjo Jerusalema Notre Dame de Paris

This broke my heart just a little 

Ponies

 The ponies from the riding stables had broken out into Rhodfa Arthur just after dark tonight and an array of residents and riders blocked their escape onto the main road  by marshalling drivers to park their cars over the T junction .

The three ponies were spooked and unpredictable but eventually were herded rather spookily down the lane , past my cottage to their field past Trendy Carol’s house.

Good humour and relief was much evident in the air.

I love moments like these where people join together without thinking 

We need more of them 

Pineapple Chunks

 Ive finished the last of my Christmas cards this afternoon, and my mind wandered over a coffee at the kitchen table. 

I noted that I’d not sent my ex mother in law a Christmas card since my separation. I had not wanted to. Within a day she had cut me from her life without even a text and that had stung, and wounded me greatly.

But that was five years ago now and I was led by Going Gently to happier times

My memories wandered to a conversation on Broadstairs beach  

Sometime almost two decades ago

    “ The Prof's family have a beach hut on Broadstairs beach. They have had one for a couple of generations. Apparently you " stake" your beach area with judicial usage of chairs, wind breaks and an assortment of plastic furniture so that no member of the general public ventures within a gnat's crotchet of your encampment.....Think the settlement of Alexandria in The Walking Dead and you will get my gist......
The Prof made himself comfortable as Sorrel and I had a chat about nothing....these "nothing"conversations drive him to distraction.......which makes them even more entertaining.
Sorrel " I love slices mango and melon"
John: " Do you?........I am a bit partial to pineapple chunks myself"
Sorrel: " Really?"
The Prof " harrumphs" at this point.
John " yes......especially tinned pineapples"
Sorrel" thats strange, I would have thought you'd go for fresh

Brief silence

Sorrel: " Do you like raspberries John?"
John " I've gone off them a bit "
Sorrel " hum"
John:" they are a bit bland, the ones from the supermarket"

Sorrel " What about strawberries?"
The Prof then sighs very loudly and shifts in his deck chair
John" Oh I love stawberries ! ........"
Sorrel " I love them too"
Prof ( under his breath ) " oh For fuck's sake"

Long silence

Sorrel " John......what Are your thoughts on passion fruit?"
The Prof screaming into the wind " OH MY GOD........I WAS ADOPTED!!!!!!"

I smiled at the memory 

And on impulse wrote her a Christmas Card 

Pride

 I am always proud of Roger,  several times now he has been used to socialise overactive puppies. 

Through good humour and mirroring ( and a gentle telling off) he has calmed many young dog down 

This is him with Rory my sister’s new pup. Good natured and friendly

It’s Sunday and we all need some lisping choir to blow Darragh away;their children’s version of Carmina Burana is quite delightful.

Darragh

 Darragh woke me around 3am. 

I’ve lost one slate from the roof so far.

South of the village , at Mia Hall several large trees had been felled, almost closing the main road.

I cooked sausages for lunch, giving Mary and Roger one each as a treat 

And before going to bed ( I’m on split nights this week which is a bugger) I lifted my Christmas Wreath from the wall and brought it in. 

My sister made it and if you look closely you can see two black kittens plating in the foliage 

Storm Darragh

 Leaving work, there was an ominous red sky in the morning view across the bay towards Trelawnyd ( far in the distance ) 

I replaced Bluebell’s windscreen wipers ( served by a snide workman from Halfords ) then drove to meet and old friend for brunch at Chester’s Grosvenor Garden centre which was a bit of a nightmare at times as it felt packed with focused grey hairs fighting for table space. We held our ground at a small table and had a lovely talk and an average fish and chip brunch.

Tonight I’m writing Christmas Cards 

Storm Darragh approaches

Going Gently Christmas Card

The first one is an AI wish

The second is an I remember 

 Going Gently

Namely John, Mary, Roger, Weaver and bouncy Bun 

Sends blogland 

Our Christmas Greetings 

For 2024

Thank you for cards received 

I’m hanging them in an effort to surround the living room as per!

Conclave

 If you want to see an intelligent, tense and enjoyable thriller go and see Edward Berger’s Vatican based drama Conclave.

It’s a great ride.

Conclave is the claustrophobic Sistine Chapel based event where some 160 cardinals vote in the next Pope, often over a much protracted period of time .Ralph Fiennes plays Cardinal Lawrence a loyal and principled manager of the Conclave. Although eligible to be Pope himself , he oversees the run for promotion with diligence and fairness only questioning all of the top delegates when troubling information alights some of it from the dead Pope himself. 

This “ whodunnit” features some cracking scene stealing characters. The African Cardinal Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati) confident in his continent’s support, the fiercely ambitious liberal Cardinal Bellini (Stanley Tucci), the flamboyantly traditional Italian Cardinal Tedesco ( Sergio Castellitto ) who steals one scene by puffing on a vape! and the obsequious American Cardinal Trembray ( John Lithgow) all want the Papal position but each are thwarted by the twists and turns of a plot which is satisfyingly advocated and superbly played by Fiennes’ Cardinal Lawrence. 

It’s a wonderful performance , one of Fiennes’ very best in fact and the whole film is beautifully choreographed and shot by Stéphane Fontaine , who makes the most of the Papal uniforms and wonderful Vatican City backdrop.

I loved it. 

Bunlove

 

Last night Bun did the cottage proud 

As I was watching I’m a celebrity .Mary slowly walked in front of fire to warm her old bones 

And Bun walked with her, her paw swatting Mary’s tail as it dragged on the floor.

Mary drew her teeth, for a moment then Bun let go conceding defeat 

And the sisters sat together for a while, side by side

Quietly and gently 

Assisted Dying

 I’ve been asked several times now about my thoughts of the assisted dying bill which was debated so eloquently in the commons recently 

I am clear in my response to it

I am against it

And I will tell you for why

Dying is a normal progress, but it can illicit difficult symptoms which can be a challenge to live with. 

Good and proper palliative care can rectify most if not all of these symptoms, but this care is at best patchy and at worst non existent so it a lottery for many that they receive prudent end of life care.

The government needs to fund hospice care properly for this to start to happen.

Everyone should have access to the hospices’ ability to control pain, and breathlessness, delirium and agitation and fear and anxiety 

And that has to be done before we enter into the minefield of giving end of life patients medication they have to take themselves

The paralysed, the Motor neurone, the CVA patients , who it could be argued all need this bill passing more than anyone else , will at the moment never “ benefit” from it so let’s bench mark care to a good standard universally before we set a standard for those who’ve had enough

Chasing The Day

 

Jane and I went to see The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Lyceum which proved to be a night of pure energy. Jason Donovan played Dr Frank ‘n Furter ( with a surprisingly good voice) and The Head Of Steam pub was nose to nipple with Yorkshire brutes dressed as transvestites before kick off time. 

The energy was electric , great fun ,and a panacea for Jane as things for her has been somewhat rough recently.

The Lyceum , wisely , let the audience rule the evening, and although I would have been happy with just one half of the musical, it was worth the visit for the real fans’ reactions.

Today I met my old neighbour and friend John for breakfast and a gossip in the Hillsborough Coach house cafe ( v v impressed) then had a full roast dinner in Banner Cross’s Turnip and Thyme with Mike, Bev and daughter Maisie, which was Warm and normal and funny and comfortable 

There’s nothing like meeting old friends, and I even coped with zigzagging across Sheffield in Bluebell , braving the congested roads and remembering with some nostalgia , a city I knew well.

These guys have kept me afloat , for years

We finished our long lunch around 3 pm and after big hugs, I was on my way home through Broomhill , chasing the day westward as the light faded into evening

It’s all very Bridget Jones

 

I’m meeting Jane in All Bar One around 6 pm, it’s five now and the place is heaving

I had forgotten just how Saturday afternoons used to go here in Sheffield 

Too many drinks in the afternoon, 

Cheesy chips on the way home 

Sleeping it off on the huge couch at Wynyard Road in front of Pop Idol

I’d planned to meet Mike for early door drinks but he’s quite rightly carry out Christmas Tree duties with the family, all of whom I’m meeting tomorrow for lunch. So before the theatre with Jane later, I’m soaking up the All Bar One Christmas early night drinking vibe.

The music is louder than I remember it

The lighting more subdued 

Office workers cram the tables, shouting over the din of the Christmas party goers

Everywhere there are fairly lights and it’s dark outside

All very 1990s Bridget Jones

Decs

 The night shift was so so.

I was tired coming home but still noticed the bag , sat near to the back door.

A bag full of goodies.

Someone, I have no idea who,has just left me a bagful of Christmas decorations

How bloody lovely is that? 

Thanksgiving

It’s still just Thanksgiving

I’m on the cusp.

I like the sentiment of the American Holiday

Lets be grateful 

Let’s celebrate thanks .

So what Am I grateful for? 

My sense of humour and my emotional intelligence which have dragged me sometimes through work, life and balancing Uni with some sort of alacrity.

My home, St Trinian kittens , thick Roger and old Mary. I feel I have a home to come home to every day, even though invariably it looks like a bombs hit it.

My family and friends and my villagers, the people that keep me going

Work that tires me but which still stimulates me , and gives me the money to have a life beyond the cottage

My colleagues,

Those small oasis of quality cinema seats 

Bluebell

For my sister’s gardening skills

Talia Groupo ( the marvellous lisping Choir of Madrid) 

The blog and your support, I may look like I take you all for granted but I’m grateful for your care and thankful for you following me 

Ps scotch eggs, Russell Crowe’s manly persona, the Sagrada Familia 

Not Enough Time

 Flying visit to Sheffield on Saturday . 

A trip to the theatre is my Christmas gift to Jane

And Sunday lunch with Mike and Bev is a long overdue gift with my old urban family.

I’m working tonight and need to sort another poster presentation by Monday

I have clients most of this afternoon

Hey ho lots to do

Last month I treated myself to a Lego Statue of Liberty

It’s still sat on the kitchen top in its box

My radio in the car has been turned to radio four for days now , it’s the constant blaring of xmas songs already being played that’s doing my head in.

Of course I make an exception for the lisping choir who lisp their best through the English parts of this song….its wonderful 

Breakfast

Wednesday

My supervision day followed by my personal counselling

I met Chic Eleanor  for breakfast

I haven’t seen her since she moved from the village

“My Darling John” echoed around the cafe

And people turned to see her hug me, the pashmina swishing like a cape

And they smiled

The Tree

 I worked last night and went straight into university this morning. Surprisingly my presentation went well, well enough for me to feel somewhat christmasy at teatime.

So much so that I bought a miniature Christmas Tree from Sainsbury’s on my way home.

Bun was intrigued from the get go and watched the lights through narrow eyes before turning her back on it.

Weaver just ignored it and sat under the sofa with a Christmas reindeer in her gob. One of the gifts I need to send to my friend Nia in Australia tomorrow.

I’m off the 20th of December to the 28th and I’ve filled most days with something nice, whether it be meeting my friend Nigel in Chester, and then my friend Colin for a concert at the Liverpool Philharmonic, or having friends Nick and the velvet voiced Linda over  for dinner alongside Chic Eleanor. 

I am also catching up with the family on Christmas Day after seeing a film at the Picturehouse on Christmas Eve Day  ( instead of doing nothing) The film Christmas Eve at Miller’s Point looks just up my street. Oh I want to see the traditional barrel rolling in Denbigh on Boxing Day and on the 27th it’s Wicked  and lunch with my friend Ruth