Allotment planning ,To kill a Mocking bird and fatfighters

Picked the new hen house for the field, a split-level construction which looks bigger than my first house on Providence Road in Sheffield! It houses around 12 birds and my original house can fit in 5, so I hope to have almost 20 hens! in a fenced enclosure, and no they all will not have names!

My sister Ann has a large co-operative allotment working well in Prestatyn and will give me her crop rotation plans! so I will be learning from all their mistakes!



Called into HMV when I went to Llandudno today and picked up a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird on DVD for five quid. I always remember the quote!

(Atticus Finch): If you just learn a single trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.

Looking forward to watch it later! Gregory Peck at his best!

Me and Carole are off to weightwatchers tomorrow night and I am glad for the company as it is easy not to go when the wind is blowing and the rain is lashing! (oh and if there is a watchable prog on tv!!)

Pan's Labyrinth

Pan's Labyrinth at the newly vamped "arthouse" cinema in Theatre Clwyd is not for the faint hearted! Dreadfully brutal and frighteningly dark it takes an hour or so to "grow "on you, but hook you it does and the nightmare visuals linger in the mind long after you leave the cinema.

The story is not THAT original for those who have sat through Jacob's Ladder (1990/I), and you can either choose the nice fantasy ending or the sad realism of wartime Spain as experienced by an abused ten year old girl, Ofelia ( Ivana Baquero), strangely for me I chose the latter ! Watch out for Sergi López as Ofelia's psychopathic step father! the nastiest film villain I have seen in a long time!

The new cinema looks great and very comfortable. I was very impressed! Looking at the programme or forthcoming films, someone in management seems to have got their finger out and have picked a nice selection this spring and summer ! (oh there IS a god!!!!)

Granny's bonnet and a granny's oscar!

Couldn't blog yesterday as I was so tired after an incredibly busy twelve hour shift where I ended up having three high dependency patients throughout the day! Today caught up with Janet and after the usual beach walk we went to Colwyn Bay to review the items for Roger's Jones antique auction, which takes place tomorrow. Saw a nice old oak table which I did but a commission bit on, but I am not too hopefull as I suspect the price of it will exceed the my maximum price!

We sneaked down to Meliden to the open ground near the old cottage at Cefn-y-grwych and complete with black bin bags and garden trowels we dug up a load of snowdrops to relocate into our respective gardens. Bit naughty really, as it is illegal to dig up wild flowers, but I figured that it would be ok to relocate these as they are going to thrive in a country garden!

Planted a load of aquilegia (Granny's Bonnet) in the back garden this afternoon, which will look lovely in the spring! and speaking of grannies, great to see a mature AND beautifull Helen Mirren winning best actress for The Queen (2006) . Loved her speech too! - a big salute to the royal old girl!

The Oscar Academy have now favoured Martin Scorsese for the wonderfull The Departed (2006) , and it was nice to see him being honoured at last. I was disappointed that Mark Wahlberg didn't get the best supporting actor though!!

As you (didn't) like it, Mike,Nige Jane and the journey from hell

I guess I am a bit of a populist theatre goer, as I am not a fan of Shakespeare. I remember enjoying The Taming Of The Shrew with a stunning Vanessa Redgrave in Theatre Clwyd in the 1980s, but apart from that and Emma Thompson's ("My heart lies on the windy side of care") lovely Much ado about nothing, I have had little experience or indeed interest in the Bard. To be honest, I didn't really enjoy As You Like It, at the Sheffield Crucible, but I did get pleasure from parts of the ambitious production. Eve Best (pic) made a winning Rosalind; she comes into her own towards the end of the second act when the ambiguous sexuality of the narrative really gets going, but I thought Sam Troughton looked rather lumpy as suitor Orlando. Nigel enjoyed it greatly, and as usual it was good to see him and put the world to rights over a pizza and a bottle of wine ( even though the bastard has put my toothbrush that I left at his house on e bay!) -http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140089726993

Caught up with Mike before the theatre, for our traditional pint in All Bar One. He still feels a bit down at times and it is so hard to see him feeling blue and not like his usual sparky self. I wish sometimes that I would listen more to friends and comment less, but I guess I am too long in the tooth not to give my opinions, but It was good to see him and by the end of two hours we were laughing at the absurdities of life! helped along by some posh continental beer!

Before catching the coach back to Manchester ( more about that later!) I met Jane in the Millenium Gallery cafe for coffee and a chat ( she does look more and more like Laura Linney) . She kindly walked me to the bus station as British Rail (as was) cannot connect Sheffield with Manchester over the average weekend!

I knew the journey was going to be a bummer when the pathologically cheerful and over familiar Sheffield coach driver looked at my ticket. "Where is this you're going to!?" he boomed! "Wales!" I said thinly and he laughed loudly like Brian Blessed shouting helpfully "You are going to have a bastard journey then!" .................many a true word!

The coach was full of the usual students,shoppers and a smattering of American tourists on the way to Manchester Airport and the English passengers all went noticeably silent when the loud fat common driver started his "spirit-that won-the-war", banter! Undeterred by the lack of replies we had to endure a whole series of jokes, dirty silly noises,apologies for the British Rail service, and numerous telephone calls from his friends and colleagues who could hardly string a sentence together! (they were indeed on speaker phone!). Cramped in my seat I thought to myself that the situation could not get any worse, but boy was I wrong! as we drove past Chatsworth House ( why did he drive that way?) he actually started to SING!!!! Yep SING...... "Is this the way to Amerillo?"...........at that point I turned up the air conditioning to drown out the noise

When we finally got to Manchester the passengers collectively were all praying for death to take him, and scuttled off the bus like rats down a drain pipe, I just felt sorry for the Americans who sat dejected, waiting to go on to the airport! Hey....Welcome to Britain!

Nice to be back home with Chris ,five and a half hours after I left. In one way and another, he knows it's been a hard week ! I do love him

x

The Veiled lady

At last I have found a photo of my favourite statue- the veiled vestal at Chatsworth House
The 6th Duke of Devonshire ordered the Veiled Vestal statue when he visited Raffaele Monti's Milan studio in October 1846. The statue, which is carved from three pieces of statuary marble, was delivered to England in the following year, most probably to the Duke's house at Chiswick, London. It came here as recently as 1999 from another property owned by the Duke at Eastbourne, in Sussex, England.
The realistic veil is the result of straightforward carving of the marble, making use of its translucency to achieve its effect.

Quite breathtaking!

Hell is..................................................,

Hell is being trapped in the Belingo with an incontinent dog! and ear ache, believe me ! This morning I put the dogs in the back of the car as usual. Thought I would get to the beach early as Janet needed some help with Hattie's (cat) medication. Anyhow going over Gwaenysgor hill George, beside himself with pre walk excitement, let loose with the largest, wettest and smelliest dumps I have ever had the misfortune to experience. At the same moment we passed two horses being ridden through the village, and all four dogs started to bark and leap around the boot of the car! In seconds dirty great shit stains started to appear on every window and the stench became indescribable! I hate to dwell on this truly disgusting situation, but it did get worse when I parked alongside all the other dog owners at the beach and finally opened the hatchback! Oh the shame! as two perky middle aged women walked passed with a pristine trio of west highland terriers, my four, shit covered monsters tumbled out smelling to high heaven.

Anyhow Janet and I walked them on the beach and washed them all in a rock pool. The back of the car took a good hour to spring clean !( two kitchen rolls and a whole container of jayes fluid)

I feel crap today and have a temperature and ear ache, so I could have done without it all! On a brighter and all together more fragrant note, Nia called from Australia! It was a lovely surprise, as I am truly a child of the sixties, and find that speaking to someone on the other side of the world is a wonderfully novel experience! Great to chat for 25 minutes!!!!!!

Anyhow I have taken some paracetamol, Maddie,George and Meg have gone round to Carole's to play with Celt and Samson and I am now lying with my ear on Chris' hotwaterbottle! half-watching Rikki Lake

a different night out

well I cannot believe that Llandudno was sold out! when Hazel and I went to see Pan's Labyrinth! Very disappointed !
so upset and deflated we went to Prestatayn's one and only wine bar for a chat . Had a nice time and I think we realised that we are ( as sudden friends often are) very similar! in most aspects of our lives
I am looking forward at seeing Nige on Friday for a night at the theatre, and hopefully meeting mike beforehand; for big boys chats and catch ups.

The Scala Phoenix and other things

As I was in Prestatyn today dropping Richard off at the station, I was pleased to see that work had started on the new Prestatyn art centre and cinema! (see artists impression) . After years of in fighting, public argy-bargy and debate, the funding has been sought and I am set to be able to travel a mile and a half to see a good flick ( I am quivering uncontrollably at the thought!)

Richard met Steve (Village spokesman) this morning, and was greatly amused by his story of his own grave in Trelawnyd Churchyard. Steve has prepared his own family grave to his own specifications! and even had his father's body transferred from one Church 30 miles away to his own plot ! Richard laughed like a drain as Steve recalled eating a bacon butty in the grave as he prepared it! "I am the only person to dig my own grave and eat in it!" he said proudly !

I packed Richard onto the train with a goody bag of nibbles, mini bottle of red wine and a copy of "anglers weekly", so I felt that I been the ideal son-in-law. To be honest he has been an easy house guest but I do feel that he would be comfortable enough to help himself to things like cups of tea and breakfast.Perhaps that is just a generational thing. Sorell is visiting in April and soon after Chris' Uncle, Aunt and cousin come up, so we have nearly had the entire Burton family in one season!

Planted the rest of the spring and summer bulbs this afternoon, then a load of spring stocks and the Camellia that Chris had given me.

Joan still hasn't learnt to use the new cat-flap, which has caused several bladder clenching moments. Meg and George haven't helped as they have been play fighting for what seems like several hours now (right in front of the cat flap!) Perhaps her tiny brain can figure the complicated contraption tomorow.