A good 24 hours

Got to Sheffield yesterday afternoon and had a couple of hours free before meeting Nigel, so spent a wonderful time at the new Weston Park Museum which has recently undergone a 19 million pounds refit. The museum had been pulled into the 21st Century by its brastaps and looked stunning! I was most impressed.

Met Nige in All bar one for a coffee and glass of wine and we couldn't be bothered going to the Showroom cinema as we had too much to chat about. Had a excellent Turkish meal down London road then back to Nige's for more chat- a good night!

This morning drove to Dronfield to finally catch up with Kathryn in her new and slightly Kitsch flat. I liked it immensely as it is totally a reflection of her personality and is very cosy. The kitchen is my favourite room, bright sunny and ever-so-slightly 1950's and it was good to catch up over cups of tea at the kitchen table. I miss Kathryn and her dry-as-a-nun's-chuff sense of humour and felt a little guilty I hadn't made the effort sooner.

Sweaty palms in the auction room, Sarah bites the dust and Theatre Clwyd

I didn't get any sleep after a particularly busy shift, (one death, an admission of a very sick toddler and a multi trauma RTA victim) but was boosted up sufficiency to attend Roger's Jones antique auction with Ann. Surrounded by rather dubious looking "dealers", we were very much first time virgins and sat there trying to look like we attend these auctions every week of our lives ! instead of two shy looking first timers! Mrs Roberts' clock was number lot 88 and soon enough I was was waving my registration number with the best of them. Seconds later (It felt like hours) the clock was ours and all the effort and stress was worth it! In fact I almost could have stayed on for the rest of the 900 lots but was well behaved!

Got home and sadly found that Sarah (one of the chickens) looked rather under the weather and halfway through the afternoon she was dead and stiff as a board! which is sad as poor Robina looks rather lost in the huge "chicken run" compound. Hopefully the rest of the new "girls" will be coming very soon to keep her company as chicken house number two is delivered tomorrow!

Requiem (2006) at Theatre Clwyd, Is a German feature filmed in an almost documentary style and is apparently based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, a 23-year-old student, who died of starvation after an exorcism in Miltenberg, Germany in 1976. The film is a subtle and a cleaver portrayal of a girl that could have suffered from psychosis,epilepsy or indeed demonic possession and who gets caught between her own wishes to be saved and to develop into an individual as well as being buffeted by friends, family and the clergy who all have their own agendas. I thought it was an excellent and moving film, Hazel was less impressed, though we both agreed that Sandra Hüller as the doomed Michaela Klingler was stunning.

Mrs Roberts's clock and runner ducks

Blustery cold day and night shift tonight, so managed to get to Llandudno to get Chris' birthday gift and then on to the antique auction house to have a second look at Mrs Roberts' long case clock which is being auctioned tomorrow. Chris rang me and said he thinks we should try and buy it as it has sentimental value to me and is a lovely rustic country piece. I must admit I fell in love with it years ago so I am excited at going tomorrow to try to buy it. Ann is coming with me as I suspect that my driving may be slightly erratic after a night without sleep. Here's hoping we get it!

The girls are loving their new Chicken run and I am tempted to extend the allotment further by getting a few Indian Runner ducks (pics) which look rather bizarre but kind of cute

Country Man

I am fortunate that brother-in-law Ned was a gamekeeper in a former life so he was on hand to supervise the erecting of the new electric Hen run. The fencing looks fairly harmless but I know different after being playfully conned by Ned and grasping the netting to "test" whether it was live or not!

I am grateful for his help as not only has he shown me how to construct a safe run, but he has taught me to clip the girls' wings so they don't fly over the perimeter fence.

He also did a neat trick on Robina to show me how to subdue a hen. He deftly tucked her head under her wing, grabbed her firmly on either side and rotated her quickly four or five times. He then placed her on the ground where she lay completely motionless for minutes! It was the most bizarre thing to watch. Ned also showed me the tracks where Badgers cross the field and told me some particularly disgusting ways of getting rid of foxes ( you have to collect human wee and dribble it around the fencing!)

We were very impressed with the new solar panel (right), and in some small self congratulatory way feel a little more eco friendly.

I have arranged to pick up my new 12 hens next week which are going to be a mixture of different breeds and colours

A pug ugly Romeo

We went to see Northern Ballet's production of Romeo and Juliet tonight at Llandudno, and although it was not one of the company's best, it was a lovely performance. Unfortunately Romeo looked like a young version of Max Wall and had a face only his mother could have loved, so the romance of the piece was missing slightly.
Wierd not seeing Northern Ballet without Jonney Highfield as it was a favourite of our Sheffield theatre days, but nice to go with Chris as he loves "proper" ballet!
Llandudno looked lovely in the sun of the evening and we had a nice Chardonney at Osborne House before walking down the prom to the theatre. We decieded Llandudno is just like Brighton but without the coffee bars and poofs of course!

Never being bored and I am presented with a prize!

well today I have reached my weight watchers 10% weight loss and now have got rid of 23 lbs! so our leader the vivacious Ann presented me with my own special key ring! She was ever so solemn about the whole affair I almost had an attack of the giggles, apparently when I get to my chosen weight loss I receive a GOLD one....whoopie do! Having taken the piss a little, I am so grateful for going as I feel fitter and healthier than I have done so in years. Today I have walked the dogs twice up the Gop and done a 3.5 mile powerwalk to Axton with Carole and still had energy to work on the allotment. My ideal weight of 12 stone 6lbs doesn't seem so far away now!



I was asked recently if I ever get bored when I am not at work, and I can honestly say no I never have been. With holiday time I will be off work for nearly two weeks come Sunday and every day there seems not enough hours to finish what I need and plan to do. Today has been no different as I have just finished watering the vegetable patch and potting up sweetcorn and leeks (it is nearly 7pm!). My new chicken run electric netting has just arrived and I can't wait to get the whole lot set up on Saturday with Ned

Pic is of Trelawnyd from the south!

view from the "powerwalk"

This is the view of the Elizabethan house Golden Grove as seen from above Trelawnyd. The house is quite beautifull (apologies my zoom was not working) The Grand Hall was built by Sir Edward Morgan in 1580 and is in part a bed and breakfast!. Usefull when family visit? eh?

Finlay's shadow, allotment structures and what's French for "not a bag of laughs"?

The runner bean and sweat pea canes are now erected and the vegetable plot now resembles a real bone fido allotment! (you have to look carefully). Spent another long ,sunny day outside potting up beans, pumpkin seeds and tomato plants and tomorrow I intend to clear the rest of plot two ready for the herbs and soft fruit trees.

A funny thing happened to me today when I took the dogs up the Gop. I noticed Meg's shadow on the road. Now there is nothing too amazing about that except that Meg's normal slight stature was exaggerated slightly by the position of the sun and her shadow seemed more robust and certainly larger. In fact it looked remarkably like Fin and it's strange but I was comforted by the sight of it.

Went to Theatre Clwyd tonight to see the film Perfume. but got the film times wrong so ended up watching the French historical drama Gabrielle (2005) . I suppose the film was not bad but it was dour! as it chronicled the break up of an Edwardian society marriage. By the end of it, I had more than enough of it all and felt like shrieking at a morose Isabelle Huppert on the screen " Just Leave him for fu*ks sake!".