The Veggie plot is ready!!!!

Finally finished my first plot this morning! and celebrated this afternoon by ordering my new 12 hen poultry house complete with electric fencing and solar panel! It has been back breaking work, but at least after my next two night shifts (tonight and Monday), I can get stuck in planting out!

saturday night out in Prestatyn

It does not look much , but the food is lovely, went there tonight at 6pm for a nice meal then on to Janet and Ned's for a glass of wine before going home. We did walk the two miles from Trelawnyd to Prestatyn before we started but that suited me on fatfighters!

Lovely salmon for main course ( Chris was a little snobby about the cheese! for dessert), but it was a nice change!

Good Friday

The black dot in the background is Maddie, so you can actually see how big my first bed of three in the allotment is going to be! The graveyard (just to the right of this photo) has been a hive of activity today, what with a score of villagers descending on it to lay flowers and clean graves (a big Easter habit I am told). I have worked hard clearing the last of the plot in between conversations with various characters. First Ned and his mother (visiting her family graves) had a chat (she also wanted to visit Fin's grave which touched me greatly). Then an old school friend Susan stopped and had a chin wag, then Hazel's mum , came over to see how I had changed the Church's field: I was surprised I managed to get any work done at all!

Heard on the news that a woman had jumped to her death from of the cable cars on Llandudno's Orme. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6533311.stm

Being so desperate to plan and execute such an act is so sad. It got me thinking of Eric Steel's film The Bridge.

(see the web site http://www.thebridge-themovie.com/new/index.html) I wanted to see this documentary in the Sheffield documentary film festival recently but missed it. Steel and his crew filmed San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge during daylight hours from two separate locations for all of 2004, recording most of the two dozen deaths in that year (and preventing several others). They also taped more than 100 hours of interviews with friends, families and witnesses, who recount in sorrowful detail stories of struggles with depression, substance abuse and mental illness. Humm perhaps one could question the ethics of the film maker, but I suspect this film throws up many questions about the psychiatric care, community support, and the dreadful effect suicide has on those left behind.

Years ago I had the good fortune to fly in a small plane over this iconic structure, the day was bright and warm, and I must admit I was totally moved by its size and beauty in one of the prettiest cities I have even visited. Funny what you remember and think about isn't it?

This evening I have spring cleaned the kitchen (I know I know I live an exciting life)

used far too much bleach to clean the tiles and now think I have bleached the tips of my fingers off!!! they all feel a little numb!

hey ho

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!