An hour to kill

Waiting for the weather to clear so that I can go out, so thought I would do my own list of things I love, almost in reply to my friend Nigel's eloquent blog detailing his favourite things. Mine I would think , will be more on a par with the level of Julie Andrews' "....Brown paper packages, tied up with string...", but who cares?

I agree with Nige though I will concentrate on things rather than people ( and animals of course!).

Hummmmmm, things I love?
Chatsworth House, especially the sculpture gallery

Cleaning the house from top to bottom, and having a cup of tea while I survey my hard work



Sitting in a near empty cinema



A dogs nose on my knee


Sitting on the top dam at Redmires looking down at Sheffield on a nice sunny day

Yellow Iris

Watching lightening at night, whilst in bed

Watching black and white films on an afternoon, being inside when it's raining. Letters from a friend


Getting an unexpected text from a friend




Gardening in silence, watering my handing baskets, cutting the lawn edges,


Snow (the crisp very cold and non slushy stuff), having a roaring fire in the cottage

Anything art deco

The angel sculpture in central park, which is simply quite beautifull

Christmas in general, but especially the build up, and preparation

ALL BAR ONE.. well more importantly time with friends gossiping,laughing and emotional romping

Bangers and Mash

Observing little acts of kindness

Old Nuns on planes

after a half hour brainstorm waiting for the vet to be bothered to turn up after her lunch, my other favourite things are

Edith Marimbirie's ( an African nurse I used to work with) chuckle

That clean smell at the Dentist,

very windy days on the beach

free range eggs

Laura Ashley cushions

1930's green paint

old needlepoints

a house full of antiques,

The crisp heat you get in the morning when on holiday in Sitges,

family & friends photographs nicely framed.

The Archers theme tune, (dum-dee-dum-dee-dum-dee-dum!!!)

The smell of Jasmine

coriander

The Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station

Prestatyn wind farm

Well the list is endless, and as I haven't got all day and the dogs need their walk, I will leave it there, no doubt I can think of hundreds more!!!

Not a bag of laughs

disappointed slightly today as all the top soil for the back garden won't be delivered until Saturday. So wondered what to do this afternoon after all the chores were finished. Took myself to Theatre Clwyd in Mold, had lunch and a proper coffee, and went to the cinema to see Shooting Dogs. As usual there was only 3 people in the audience, but that's the way I like it!

The film, detailing an actual event, centred around the 1994 Rwandan

genocide, and in particular the fate of some 2500 Tutis who took refuge at an

United Nation's compound at the ETO High School.

The film, worthy and harrowing, mirrored the likes of Hotel Rwanda and Schindler's List, and told the ultimate massacre story without hysteria or sentimentality. It covered the terrible narrative through the eyes of two fictitional characters, a Belgian priest ( John Hurt, on excellent form) and a young English teacher (Hugh Dancy), and did so with some intelligence. One other character, (a world weary BBC reporter, the excellent Nicola Walker) says at one point.

" When I was in Bosnia, I saw a dead white woman in the street and I thought of my mother.......in Africa you see a dead woman and its just another dead African"

It is a terrible thing to say, but perhaps in some ways a true one. Is it ingrained racism that she was alluding to? or over exposure by the media of African disasters, drought and revolt? ..perhaps it was a bit of both. Either way, the truth hidden in that statement made me feel rather ashamed.

Left the cinema feeling rather thoughtfull and deflated, so marched the dogs up Gop Hill to blow the cobwebs away

As you can see it was a lovely walk, and came home to have a bacon butty and felt alot better. Chris is back tonight, so the cottage will feel more normal ( and less tidy) which is nice. Got another film for us to watch, a more different film to Shooting Dogs you couldn't possibly imagine. Went the day well? Is a wartime propaganda film about evil Germans taking over a quaint English Village (like you do!!) and how the villagers , pull together and fight back, ie (Lady blah blah getting blown up saving the village children as cockney land girl (Thora Hird) blasts the hun with a shotgun!!!)......I love this film as it portrays wartime/village life that never really existed, (but Chris thinks it really did exist!!!

Oh by the way Happy Birthday Mike!!!!!!xx did you enjoy the DVDs..........????? all the best mate!

Rocks, feeling old and The Champions

I spent the day today removing rocks from the back garden before the local farmer delivers a few tons of top soil, and boy am I feeling sore right now! Physically I feel shattered ! and coupled with those early morning dog walks, my fatigue is at an all time high!
My middle aged body craves a hot bath, a gin and tonic and an early night.

Ned's arch looks grand! The neighbours have all commented on how low it is ! (including an elderly welsh farmer who asked me if the Hobbit arch was my idea), but it is exactly what I wanted . My idea was to downsize everything slightly to give the feel of a bigger space! The idea has worked inside the cottage well as many pieces of furniture are just on the small size in scale and seem to fit the space better! well that's the idea


Another thing that made me feel old today was seeing The Champions on tv gold. I had forgotton how trendy this programme was in 1968 or so. Typical formula I guess for a hybrid detective/superhero show, ie Sexy American 007 type (Stuart Damon), slightly geeky but smoldering English man (William Gaunt) and no nonsense new-age girl heroine (Alexandra Bastedo) combat terrorism, world domination and supernatural foes. I always liked Bastedo as a child , as I thought she was tough and extremely exotic!

On a geeky level, got my carpet vax cleaner delivered today! can't belive I actually got excited about it!

The sad Lady in Bishop's Wood

Have had a pottering morning today. Chris is still over in Broadstairs with the family, so I have had to get up at six to sort the animals out.Since then I Posted Mike Kilner's 40th Birthday DVDs ( the postmistress in the village was greatly intrigued!!), bought Tim's birthday pressie ( I am going to the family meal tonight), got a mass of Violas to plant out and took the dogs to the beach. Prestatyn beach was busy with Mancunians on holiday, (most of them had bull terriers) so we retired to Bishops wood for our usual round robin walk.

When we got to Meliden quarry we started to cross the fields down to the railway line when I saw a woman of around 70. She was leaning on the field gate and made a fuss of the dogs as they passed. Finlay loves all attention and went into his usual bouncy greetings, as Meg and Maddie shyly stood behind. The woman looked miserable and said "I just don't know what to do with myself, I almost threw myself under a bus a while ago".
What do you say to that?! .... I just managed to say rather lamely "Oh Dear", and allowed her to carry on. In way of explanation she said that her dog, an Airedale had recently been put down, after battling Oesophageal cancer. I felt awful as Welsh terriers actually look like small airedales, but she seemed to enjoy making a fuss of Finlay, saying that her dog had had a similar bouncy gentle nature.

We chatted a while, and she became quite animated when she explained that she was a dog fanatic, and hadn't had a holiday in 30 years as she could not bear to be parted from her animals for even a weekend. But looked sad when I gathered up the dogs to go. "You know what I miss the most?" she said, "Just walking with him in the afternoons........", She added "I wish I didn't feel anything, you know?".

I understood what she meant , but I felt there was nothing I could say to help. Sadly we said our goodbyes.

The Sackler Crossing, dinosaurs,The Electric and Nu!

Met Nu in London Thursday night, and had a few wines at a wine bar on the canal near the Hospital she works at St Mary's. Lovely to catch up, and as Chris would say , had a good gossip and "emotional Jacuzzi". She's had a hard time over the last year or so, what with family ill health and the like, but she attacks life with a gusto that if bottled could run Battersea power station!



Friday Night after a wander in Notting Hill, Nu took me to to the "Electric Cinema". We have been meaning to go for ages but just didn't get round to it!! The cinema is a cross between arthouse and mainstream and all the seats are leather armchairs, complete with footstools,and tables ( with winebuckets!!) Nu is having a quick bounce on one of the two beds in the cinema!!
Lovely time, pity we had to sit through Miami Vice...2/10

Saw the Dinosaur Exhibition at the Natural History Museum which was lovely! However I did forget that it was the childrens holidays! and my idea of fun was not standing nose to nipple with the familys of London with a toddler next to me shouting "dinosaur!!!dinosaur!!!! dinosaur!!!!dinosaur!!!dinosaur!!!!! dinosaur!!!! etc etc etc



Saturday morning we went to Kew Gardens, a favourite place to visit when I am over. It was a glorious day and I was thrilled to see the lake refilled since my last visit and the New Sackler Crossing built. Its a lovely bridge made up of hundreds of uprights of copper, and although "new" in appearance , fits in perfectly.
We spent a few hours having a good wander and loved reading the memorials on the hundreds of benches dotted around. Nu, wants at least three benches when she dies, one at Kew, one at the Beach at Crosby and one at St Mary's. Mine will be in Central Park!

The nicest memorial we agreed is the following

"If Tears could be a highway,
Or memories a lane
I'd walk right up to heaven
and bring you home again"

.........beat that!

Hummmmmm....!

am on night shift at the present moment and things for a change are quiet on Intensive care. Spoke to Kathryn today who mentioned that my blog spelling was awful! I am truly ashamed! Spelling is not my strong point, as I type as I speak. When I read wonderfully composed blogs such as those penned by the likes of Nigel, I realize that my effort looks rather teenage. But hey ho! I guess I prefer the more "relaxed" type of blog! or am I just lazy?

Looking forward in seeing Nuala on Thursday in London. Just a quick visit but we hope to have a few wines, big girly chats AND a trip to the dinosaur exhibition at the Natural History museum!!
let it never be said that I don't live life in the fast lane....... Next week I am planning to sort out the back garden, be all macho and design and sort out a path and a few tons of top soil. Robina and Sarah can then be moved from the front lawn, which is now deceidedly moth eaten, and at least allow me a proper front garden again!

The ARCHERS

Well I have been an Archers fan for several years and listen every evening if I can......certainly I try to listen uninterupted on a Sunday morning.

I love the history and normality of it all ( and tend not to participate in storylines like the Ed, Will, and Emma triangle)........some of the fun is recognizing storylines months before they actually arrive ( ie. Usha & The Rev) and (Ruth and Sam's unrequited love!!!)

My favourite characters are Jill ( a voice like chocolate),Clarrie ( you can't put a good farmer's wife down),Phil (In our day we did..................), Brian ( sooo bad tempered)and Nigel (twit) , but my all time favourite is that fag hag, with a laugh that can cut bread, Lilian!!!

It took a while to work out Caroline, from Janet ( the previous vicar),and from Shula, but got there in the end................

Characters which I dont like are Kirsty ( b o r i n g), Tom Archer ( whining git--sorry Nigel), Kate Aldridge (brat) and Elizabeth ( I could smack the pompous cow).

The writing can be transparant at times but little gems of brilliant and often moving scenes shine through ( when Phil Archer breaks down with a sick Elizabeth). It is the only soap I enjoy

AN UNHEALTHY OBSESSION?

Hummm , I guess you are wondering what this pile of old tripe is all about? Well I have realised that I am getting a tad obsessional about keeping the cottage tidy. It is a bone of contension between Chris and I as he subscribes to a somewhat more relaxed attitude about how the house is run and kept. That is all well and good, but it is me that does all the housekeeping!......... ok ok, I WANT to do it, ( probably a control freak thing), and to be honest I am at home more than he is , so I see the clutter and dirt more than he does, as well as the fact he commutes for at least a few hours a day, so I have the opportunity to actually do it.....even then I would appreciate that he actually tidies up after himself a little more, well at least puts things away!. I have got to the stage where I am wanting to do all the cooking as in good bloke style, he will use every plate, pan and utensil in the kitchen and leave it unwashed in a pile to be attacked my me later on in the evening!

Ok , I am obsesional, ( we have all seen the three jugs under the dresser in the top picture!!) and I am the only one stressed with all this. But living in a small cottage with three dogs (even gay owned dogs are mucky!) an elderly cat and a somewhat relaxed partner, means that someone has to keep on top of the battle with the dirt ( my god I do sound like Joan Crawford!!)
and I guess I have to realise I have to put up and shut up.........hummm I little help here though would be apprecited.