La Tourneuse de pages, lunch out, fatfinders and missing Fin

Tourneuse de pages, La (2006) at Theatre Clwyd this evening was a slow little French burner ; a sinister little tale of revenge,obsession, lesbianism and abuse. Subtle and atmospheric I enjoyed it greatly, and especially liked Catherine Frot as the object of cold revenge of course a classy, neurotic, concert pianist (like you do).

Met up with Janet and Debbie, her old friend from our teenage days for lunch (a sex and the city salad!) and felt fired up to eat properly as weightwatchers weigh in has been great this week! (TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS NOW 18LBS!) It was nice to meet up with Debs and her daughter Jess who joined us as it has been years since we have sat down and chatted. Jess was quite taken by the hens who obligingly laid an egg for her to take home. The dogs were all down at Carole's house (having a run with Celt and Samson) and we went down for her to see them. I really missed Finlay, as the dogs all bounced up to say hi. and I couldn't help noticing that they were more "stand-off-ish" than Fin would have been. It was a trait I always loved about him.

Outside day

Just got in after a day in the allotment and garden! It has been a lovely sunny day and I can't believe that I prefer to be outside when it is fine, as I never used to be like this even though I always loved gardening in my little garden in Sheffield.

This morning after a long walk on the beach, I have replanted violas in the heavy metal planter by the front door and have dug in a load of cottage plants in the back garden, despite Joan flattening most of them. (pic). I always loved the planter as we bought it from Ecclesall antique centre in Sheffield, and its heavy industrial "look" reminds me of the city.

All the strawberry plants have been potted up,the front garden weeded and lawn cut. I have even cleared another 36 square feet of the allotment, moved and cleaned the chicken house and weighted it down as the badger nearly dug his way inside it last night.

Perhaps it is my weight loss but I even had enough energy to walk the dogs up the Gop again, and the views of the village were lovely. With the dogs groomed it is now almost impossible to identify Maddie from George,( see pic...which one I have no idea) and I have found myself sounding like my grandmother as I have been mixing up their names constantly.

I wonder too if I am getting more antisocial the older I get, as I have really enjoyed not chatting to anyone except the odd neighbour. Gardening and walking allows you to think properly about a whole range of things, and I only used to do that in Sheffield when I was commuting on the 97 bus to work. Today I was thinking about cinema quotes -A Sky Movies poll of 1,000 UK film fans and critics picked their fav quotes and I did find it slightly bizarre that Kenneth Williams' "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!" - won! from Carry On Cleo (1964). "Remember you're fighting for this woman's honour, which is probably more than she ever did." - Groucho Marx (Rufus T Firefly) Duck Soup (1933) came third!

My favourites would be

"This is the people's war! It is our war! We are the fighters! Fight it, then! Fight it with all that is in us, and may God defend the right" spoken by the vicar at the end of Mrs. Miniver (1942)

"What a dump.!!!" spat out by Bette Davis in Beyond the Forest (1949)

"You're maudlin and full of self-pity. You're magnificent!!!" spoken by Addison De Witt in All About Eve (1950)

ps. Shocking turn of events in The Archers tonight, Siobhan has liver cancer and wants Brian and Jennifer to take Ruairi ! after her death (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/archers/catch/synopsis.shtml) excellent twist!!

Pic of the trio watching me garden

Knackered

Spaced today as the dogs had to be taken to Buckley straight after night shift for their coat grooming! Meg had an attack of the assertions when she got home and poor George had to hide behind me for a break from her pseudo-shagging actions which actually lasted several hours, I have subsequently learnt that this is purely a dominance type action performed by dogs and bitches!
http://dogs.about.com/cs/generalcare/f/mounting.htm


Got home at around 1pm and couldn't sleep, so pottered around with walking the dogs and cleaning up. Organised a couple of trips to Sheffield and I will be Glad to catch up with Kathryn this time as well as Jane, Mike and Nige. Next week my Brother is playing drums in a band performance , which we are all going to watch, and the whole family are turning up at OSBORN HOUSE for Chris' Birthday in a few weeks time. So what with a few theatre trips and Hazel and I 's
weekly cinema trips ( Thursday is Tourneuse de pages, La (2006)-The page Turner), things are pretty busy!

No Badger tonight! Next doors fat Ginger tom was sitting guard in the centre of the garden, ready and waiting

Badger watch

Worked all day today, and it was nice that many of the staff on days commented that I had lost a noticeable amount of weight! Bit jaded after last nights wine and rich food but it was worth it as we both had a nice night, our first since loosing Fin. It was around eleven when I finished jobs, washing up etc and making Chris' lunch, and I remembered the badger. Last night I had left some of Joan's cat food for him, so tonight I wanted to so the same. He was rooting around the back garden when I walked out and I was able to watch him for a long time before I dumped the cat food. I suspect he will be back tomorrow, pity I am on night shift.

Visitors

I have noticed that something has been trying to dug under the chicken coop over the past 2 weeks or so. Nothing too drastic, so that rules out a fox, but I assumed that it was in fact rabbits trying to get the fallen corn and pellets; as I have seen them hiding under the old shed in the back garden. Last night I went out at ten thirty to lock the girls in their roost, when I saw the intruder. It is a large badger! I stood there for about ten minutes watching him shuffling about and was amazed of how handsome he was. Haven't said anything to the neighbours as Graham on the corner has a reputation of killing anything with four legs


Osborn house

Had a lovely meal at Osborn House, chicken and bacon salad followed by salmon! ok we had to share the train with a load of trailer trash on the way home, but it was worth it!

Being angry

Manure from Chris' farm is not the nicest thing to be spreading around but at least most of the allotment has been dug over and "seasoned"and I have dug some of the anger out of my system. I should have it all ready for planting out next week. So far I have planned for Second early potatoes,Main crop potatoes, carrots,beetroot,sweet corn,peas,French beans,broad beans,shallots and onions,garlic and raspberries and strawberries. I also intend to interplant the rows of vegetables with natural pesticides such as nasturstum and marigolds as well as growing a mass of sweet peas for cut flowers during the summer. I think this is a good comprehensive start and the list is by no means exhaustive as I have a set of closhes for things like lettuce and other salad crops.

Took the Finlay Memorial Cup into Rhyl to be engraved, walked up the Gop with Chris and went to see him ride Pippa ( and to nick some manure) Like me and Chris, she looks a bit slimmer than of late.

action shot (left), very atmospheric.

Had an altercation with two rough looking teens in Prestatyn high street this afternoon too that surprised sister Janet and Tim. They were pushing bikes along the pavement with no thought of pedestrians who wanted to get by. I challenged them to move and in true trailer trash style they started to swear and argue! Well they got more aggression back than they expected and looked shocked when I gave it right back to them and more. To be honest I rather shocked myself, and thought my outburst rather inappropriate. Funny how things catch you, and when I drove home I reflected on where the anger actually came from. Of course it is Finlay related, I had just been to the vets to pay our outstanding bill (85 £) and that bloody CHASING CARS song just had to be playing AGAIN, on the vet's office radio. A well meaning nurse and tried to say the right thing when I waited for my change and told me that everything had turned out for the best (meaning the final diagnosis), I am still not ready for others to tell me this, even though I know it is to be the truth, and the teens were on the recieving end of my grieving anger, as was the nurse who was flashed a "shut up-type" stare.
Going to "book" a Sheffield trip to see Nigel and Mike and Jane soon and tomorrow Chris and I are off to Osborn house in Llandudno for a non weightwatchers meal; both breaks will do me good.

A Busy day,Monty Don's bottom, weight loss and a nice email

The weather has been so so, but in between cold cloudy moments, the sun has been glorious and I have finished another 20 square feet of the allotment. I am planning a wild flower strip to fence the allotment off from the road and to make a prettier view from the cottage, and planted thousands of Californian poppy seeds (pic) in the poor rough ground this morning. I also set my potatoes out in the spare bedroom for "chitting" Monty Don in one of the Sunday supplements state that farmers used to plonk their bare arses into the soil to see if it was "warm" enough to allow potato planting to take place! well it did amuse me!

The allotment has helped with weightwatchers considerably over the past couple of weeks and weightloss this week is 4.5 ibs!! So the total amount gone is 1 st 1 lb!!!!!!!!!in 4 weeks.

Susan the breeder that we have got all the dogs from e mailed me this morning: she is a direct, doggy person, with a pragmatic often brusque manner! that I am sure can be a little off putting to those that don't know her. I have always warmed to her,and her email I recieved this morning touched me greatly. It was exactly what I needed to read today

"I suppose people cannot understand that our dogs mean so much to us they are our life our pleasure is taking them out and seeing them run like you thats where the enjoyment comes in. I always feel we do the very best we can for our dogs and no-one can do anymore but give them the best doggy life they can have. You are the same ,---your gang are very lucky to have you.

If you ever need us you know where we are."

I was very touched.

"300" & a battle for control

300 (2006) is a film either watched by geeks who like "adult" comic books or men who like buffed up half naked Greeks, showing off their unreasonably toned bodies. I guess there are a few homoerotic- liking comic book fans that actually get both boxes ticked when watching this visually beautiful film, but perhaps they are in the minority? humm well maybe/maybe not?

The film was fairly good fun; Gerard Butler, David Wenham, Vincent Regan and Dominic West all have bigger bosoms than the only female in the cast Lena Headey! and the homoerotic relationships that the Spartans are historically famous for have been glossed over with comic book violence ,gore and a masculinity overflow! It was all a bit much, but I must admit I did like Butler as King Leonidas with his booming Scottish accent. The real history of the battle of Thermopylae makes more interesting reading:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae.

When I was making tea tonight, Maddie and Meg came to blows over a pigs ear and their first fight since arriving here was a humdinger! It had to come I suppose, as Leader Fin has gone, and neither bitch was in the mood to back down, which was especially strange for Maddie . Usually I would have left them to it, but the fight was particularly bad tempered , I felt obliged to haul meg up by the scruff of her neck out of the way.

First day that I haven't cried.