A good read, & friends...

Yesterday caught the train to Sheffield to swap Christmas gifts with Mike and Bev and Maisie, and to catch up with Micky, (I cannot believe I last saw her a year or so ago!). I have started to enjoy train journeys now, and not only for the fact that I am still able to use my student rail card. This journey I finished Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris.

http://www.hannibalrising.co.uk/?gclid=CNvKsafnlIkCFQGBGgodNy2E5g



Though not as good as Silence of the lambs , the prequel which Chronicles Hannibal Lecter's childhood, is beautifully written, and the interplay between Lady Murasaki (Hannibal's Japanese stepmother) and the teenage serial killer-to-be , is electric and reminds me of the clever banter between Lecter and Clarice Starling. I was not surprised to see that the film of the novel comes out next year. Gong Li (pic) plays the graceful Lady Murasaki.

Sheffield looked lovely and I did like the new neon blue Christmas lights everywhere. The fountains surrounding Midland Station were quite stunning.

I was grateful to see Mike as he has had a few problems recently then raced across town (no taxis down Ecclesall road AT all!!!) to meet Micky. Micky is one of those people that never change in all aspects of the word. I have a photo of her aged 6 and believe it or not she looks exactly the same now!! Anyhow, I had a lovely night, and enjoyed seeing her pictures of her civil ceremony with partner Pam. sadness of the night was the fact that her brother refused to attend their marriage as he has recently become religious and has denounced their relationship after years of apparantly supporting it. Their close relationship has been affected badly by it all and I was upset for both Micky and Pam, who have been a couple for many years now.

Sorting out Christmas this afternoon. Christmas day Janet and Ned are comming to dinner, before that I think we all are trouping to Nephew Pete's house for drinks and games. Going to Andrew and Jayne's (Brother and sister-in-law) on Boxing day after the watching the Flint and Denbigh Hunt. Chris and I have to fit in Nu and Jim if we can too!!! ding dong!!!

Winter

This is the view from the kitchen door, I wanted to capture how strong the wind is, but the photo fails to show it! There is a big funeral at the Church today as one of the Brothers from Gop farm is being buried. The Welsh seem to love a good funeral, and you can bet the singing will be serious yetwonderful ! Friend Nia and Rol's father's funeral was amazing a few years ago for the quality of the singing, made the hair stand up on the nape of your neck!

80 Year old Ted from the village (ex farmer and gossip) has just been round asking about the history of the cottage and to give me an impromptu lesson on growing vegetables. we photographed the lintel, as he told me that the weather may start to disintegrate it!

The inscription states:

In Vino Veritas

1674

Rebuilt by Thomas Parry

1864

We have heard that the cottage was one of three, and was an informal tavern (hence vino). It was also a small (very small) smallholding, complete with byre and pig sty. The other name of the cottage was Tan-y-fynwent (beneath the graveyard---gross!) Phantom pregnancy has made Meg rather antsy....she is spending most of her day time, watching the world through cat flap! By the way Chris is buying me George for Christmas!!!

Bee Club,Rain and a scouse Hitchhiker

Bee Club (ie The Conwy beekeepers' Association course for beginners) is a fascinating insight into a world very few are privy to. Course leader Geoff Critchley (the master beekeeper and bee inspector for North Wales) is a charismatic character with a mischievous twinkle in his 60 year old eye; he makes the life of the honeybee rather quaint and exciting, and even sets "homework" at the end of each session. His students are a mixed bag;middle aged friends of the soil like me, a few obvious eccentrics, and a surprising number of young University types in expensive outdoor gear and woolly hats.

The trek to the Henfaes research centre in Abergwyngreyn ( try saying that after a sherry) took a while, but the place seemed well organised and welcoming and we had mince pies at break ! (One large female student was seen placing at least two in her handbag!). Can't wait for the practical sessions in the new year.... wearing those big White suits! very The Andromeda Strain (1971)

Braved the rain with the dogs and as we set off to the beach we passed a forlorn chap hitchhiking in the village of Gwaenysgor. Now I never pick up hitchhikers, which I guess is a sign of the times, so I surprised myself this time. The poor chap seemed grateful enough ,even when Finlay did his usual bouncy bouncy welcome. Before I dropped the lad off in Prestatyn ( some 3 miles down a 1 in 4 hill), he told me he was from Ellesmere Port and he had just walked from Prestatyn to Trelawnyd in the pouring rain for a job interview at the market garden there. He told me he had got a labouring job there and was thrilled at the prospect at starting even though he would have to walk the 6 miles up and down the hill (pic) everyday. I asked him why he had come to Prestatyn, and he said simply that he had come with his mother to make a better life for himself. It was nice to have met this obvious hard working serious teenager, as we see so many of his contemporaries in this area who live life amid the crime, and drug underclass. It made a welcome change seeing someone positive and optimistic.

The rain has just stopped! some 100mm in a weekend! The River Elwy has burst its banks in St Asaph, and the whole countryide looks rather bedraggled! Thinking of putting some tarpaulin over the coop as the girls look fed up! Judy is comming for an early Christmas dinner tomorrow night, as she is then going to her sister's house for the holidays, then I am off to Sheffield on thursday. Catching up with Mike to drop their pressies off then catching up with Mickey as I havent seen her for a over a year! Flying visit as per usual but can't be helped. Nigel is comming over next week, so we can do other pre christmas nice things!

Housewife 49

Victoria wood as the downtroden Neta Last is wonderfull, she is a lumpy mouse of a woman, who lives a miserable wartime life, with pain-in-the-arse overbearing hubby (David Threlfall). Her acting doesn't touch you, however, nor does the writing...which was okish. She just LOOKS the part. Stout,pained and awkward, she seems to lumber from scene to scene with a pathos and sadness that breaks your heart. Lovely to see scene stealer Stephanie Cole as a WRVS leader, with a "spirit that won the war" type of mentality. Older and heavier, she is still Dr Beatrice Mason from "Tenko" , who I know and love!
Housewife 49, reminded me of my grandad in some ways, as his time in the fire brigade in the war , gave him a great deal of pride, self worth and meaning. I always thought that the war years were the happiest time of his life

Oh Christmas tree....oh little Christmas tree..........

Ok not the best photo of the Christmas tree, but an atmospheric one.

Working tomorrow so it was nice to get it all sorted today.

On dog sofa at the moment and must go Strictkly come dancing is starting!

George

Dog number four arrives on the 29th. George is going to be our last Scottie and definately our last mutt, as the household ( and my couch) cannot hold anymore.

In four years I have turned into saddo dogman, and have enjoyed ever minute of it. I guess when I am 60, I will one of those obsessive pensioners with a "I love my scottie" sticker on my nissan micra!

ps. Meg has just been scanned and although she is producing milk, she is not pregnant. The rather snappy young vet said it was a phantom pregnancy: with George coming, most of me is relieved

Vaginas,vaginas,vaginas......"enough already!"

I first saw the The Vagina Monologues, years ago, in Sheffield with a wonderful cast, which included Jenny Eclair and the truly talented Miriam Margolyes (left) . I always remember Chris almost getting horsewhipped by a rather butch looking Amazonian for laughing (it was nerves!); at a rather sad Vagina Monologue! intitled The Little Coochie Snorcher! . The Eve Ensler production always has the potential of looking a bit dated, but it was saved in the Llandudno theatre touring production by the energetic Abi Roberts (pic right), who swore and laughed, and forced herself into the audience hearts with a right old fashioned Northern performance. She reminded me of my friend Ruth Graham in full 1990's flow. The largely female audience was suitably hysterical! especially after a few mediocre white wines at the interval.

Incidentally I hear that Fiddler on the roof is in Sheffield at the moment and I would love to see it as it is my all time favourite musical, the reviews are wonderful.

By the way,I am Sitting typing this with a roaring fire and the newly set up fairy lights in the window.... all very nice and very Christmasy.

Mud,Dickens and pets

I am waiting for the window replacement man to come and sell us something, so am writing about this morning's cock up. The mistake of the day was to go out in deck shoes.! Usually we (dogs and I ) have a run on the beach around 11.00 am-(well they do the running). There are several reasons why I choose the beach rather than up Gop Hill or down Gypsy Lane:-

• Cleaner on the paws



• allows the dogs to run free, safe from sheep



• cleaner on the paws

However as in most best laid plans I forgot that the tides change with the clock and as last week there were big expanses of sand on which to gallop, today the surf was right in! So slightly disappointed we all trouped to Bishop's Wood for a country walk. Now you have to remember It has been raining for three weeks, and we have to cross a large 1 in 4 slope field! (in Deck shoes!) Yes disaster was in the making! Maddie as usual galloped free of the leads, mud splattered and drooling, she shot past the others in a "chase me chase me" type way, and true to form Fin and Meg did just that! Holding on the leads like an out-of-condition Charlton Heston in Ben Hur, my legs went from under me and I was dragged down the muddy hill on my back. To say that I was mud splattered was an understatement ! I had mud in my woolly hat, mud up the inside of my coat!, mud down my jeans! As I lay there praying for death, Fin and Meg, thinking this was all part of the game hurled themselves on top of me! so then I had mud all down my front and face.

I have been falling over rather a lot recently........which is worrying.

Postscript!

Been to fat club today (less embarrassing than my mud fall ( just about) then, later we went to an excellent one man show of A Christmas Carol at Clwyd Theatr Cymru. The actor ,Robert Perkins (pic) who also adapted the material, was very personable .

Theatre clwyd also had an amusing exhibition of photographs by Sue Packer, intitled pets.

http://www.theherbert.org/whatsOn/exhibitionDetail.asp?eventID=312

This is one of my favourites, ( I wonder why?) One photo of an ancient woman with her "laughing" elderly dog, broke my heart!

Ps. also heard some good news from Sheffield that two of my former staff nurses Mick and Emma (Both I like to think I groomed just a little) have just got sister's posts...lovely ( Can't believe I actually just said my !!)

Oh and spoke to Nu tonight about weddings!..........can't wait/x