Jeep fantasy

We have sorted out some equity from the cottage and now are in a position to renew the rotten window frames in the back of the house and to purchase a new car as the polo is on its last legs! Been toying with the idea of a small 4 x 4 or jeep; the fantasy of the barber clad country gent with dogs bouncing around behind the dog gate and gardening tools and wellies in the boot, seems very attractive! but reality bites and a more realistic and cheaper-to-run version may be on the cards! As long as all the dogs can be placed in the car safely, ( and cleanly) thats all that matters.

When collecting fire wood from the local farm, met the farmer's wife for the first time. Pragmatic and funny, we chatted at length about hens and after a bit of sweet talk hopefully she will be able to furnish me with some more chicks for my new run. Mind you as we were chatting one of her best layers jumped from a wall, dive bombed into another wall and died ! Not the brightest star in the sky!

Double Headed primulas

I have never seen these before and thet are rathe pretty! Put them on the table by the back door as George has been pulling the heads off all the flowers he sees!

Jet lag

Perhaps I am getting old but I am definately not "bounching back" after a night shift as quickly as I used to. Had three hours sleep this morning and was woken by Joan who was puking all over the patchwork quilt! As I came down stairs Meg was destroying the cat flap as two horses were being ridden down the lane! I felt awfull ! jet lag after nights sometimes hits you like a brick wall, and try as I might I found it hard to get going today! At 5pm finally got my arse into gear and took the dogs for a long walk. The weather has been crisp and bright ,so took my camera around the village.








St Michael's church at Trelawnyd is first recorded in 1291 and there is evidence to suggest that in origin it goes back into the early medieval period. The present church was built in 1724 and heavily restored in the 19thC. It contains a late medieval roof and part of a sepulchral slab but little else of early date. It occupies a sub-rectangular churchyard, which is notable for a 14thC churchyard cross (right) and a rare 18thC hooded tomb. The cross was used as a meeting place for local farm labourers and workers who used to meet to be "picked" by farm managers for a days work.

The art of being polite!

Well surprise surprise Shilpa Shetty won big brother. I think at the end of this sorry tale, Shetty really won the moral argument, not because of her race, but because of her breeding. She might of been a diva; certainly I think she was pompous at times and obviously liked to control her environment and the other ,shall we say, denser members of the house, but she carried herself at all times rather stylishly and was always polite and courteous. I know we can all compare her with Jade Goody (hard but ugly personality) and Danielle (dirty mouth), and it will always smack of Beauty and the Beast yet Shetty clearly has manners and how refreshing is that?

Politeness to strangers seems to be a thing of the past, today I was in the supermarket I don't usually go to. The woman on the till got rather exasperated with me when I paused to put my purchases into the carrier bag. "You are supposed to put your stuff in a trolley and wheel it away to pack your bags!" she snapped. No smile, no gentle request, no kiss me on the arse or nothing! She was taken aback somewhat when I stopped short and gave her one of my best "You are nothing!" looks and asked sweetly "why are you so rude?" The sad fact is , when she replied "I wasn't being rude", she actually did believe it! Thank god for the pair old ladies behind me who stage whispered "She was rather sharp ! wasn't she?"

Give me Shettys anytime over the Jade Goodys of this world.

Getting excited, as nu's wedding creeps closer! sorted out her wedding pressie, which I hope he and Jim will like. There has been a few last minute cock ups but on the whole things are going well! Still pleased as punch at giving her away.

Normal sunday

Caught up with The Archers this morning ! I love the sunday omnibus, as it is the ideal backdrop when sitting at the kitchen table doing paperwork! Took the dogs on the beach with Janet at eleven, and Meg found a dead rabbit of all things washed up on the beach, which she preceded to drag around the shoreline with George hot on her heels.After the walk we drove to Queensferry to a mediocre antiques fair then went to Colwyn Bay to Rogers Jones auction house. Not much to bid on, but I did see a sweet Victorian table and a pair of 1912 silver candlesticks which I liked and did put a commission bid in! Mind you the auction house is no on line and all the items have been photographed on it. You can even bid on line now! ( well I never!)

Aunt Judy is comming for dinner tonight (Roast chicken and apple crumble)!!!!!!!! bliss

Little things

Night shifts mean no life, and tonight is no difference! Got to bed at 9am and have just got up at 5pm, leaving home at 7pm and back home again before 9 am tomorrow; so it is all a bit of a merry-go-round! Luckily Chris has been working at home, so all the dog stuff has been dealt with , which is nice.

When I was in the bath I had to smile to myself as Chris was singing the theme to SUPERMAN , whilst obviously carrying one of the dogs around the kitchen. I love little moments of humanity/intimacy like this; they always occur spontaneously and are profound and simple in their effects!

Another treat was a plate of fish and chips in bed when listening to PM.....another small pleasure!

Midland Station

I love this photo taken from http://pinguicula.typepad.com/shefflickr/ it is the wall of water from Sheffield's Midland Station. The web site has some wonderfull photographs on it.

The last king,but not the last of the rain

The Last King of Scotland (2006) is an interesting film which I tried very much to enjoy; unfortunately I liked bits of it but not all. Forest Whitaker's supposed tour de force performance of the despot Idi Amin left me rather cold but I did did enjoy James McAvoy as fay,hedonistic and flawed Dr Nickolas Garrigan, Amin's personal medic and right hand man. The film, shot in a faded grainy all so familiar documentary type way has a strange hew to the cinematography as if the colours in it are all bleeding; This works very well with the 1976 African setting. The story Chronicles McAvoy's friendship with the dictator, and his all- so- slow realisation that things are not right with the world in Uganda, and although some off it was based an "real events", the twists and turns of it all doesn't quite hold up and when you stop believing in a film, you stop enjoying it.

Whitiaker looks on course for the Academy award for best actor but I would like Peter O'Toole to grab it for old times sake for Venus (2006).

Speaking of the Oscars, I was excited to see the nominations today! especially nominations for best actress

Penélope Cruz in “Volver” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)
Helen Mirren in “The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)
Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” (20th Century Fox)
Kate Winslet in “Little Children” (New Line)

Hummm. historically when the brits are all up against an American the yank gets it! and for once I would like Streep to win ! ( mind you I have a feeling Cruz will nab it)

Rain is bloody back tonight, which is a real pisser, at least I managed to get most of the gardening done! did squeeze in a long chat with Mike too this afternoon, which was nice