Crops for tea

The music at the concert this afternoon was great, unfortunately the links between pieces by affable newscaster Jamie Owen and camp welsh weatherman Derek Brockway were all a bit pantomime! We couldn't get over the selfishness of one couple who brought two tiny children (one a baby of a year or so) into the theatre. The brat cried constantly throughout the first half and the parent didn't leave (or were even asked to leave) until the second half! I cannot believe that some people can be that stupid!

Janet and Ned came for tea and I was so happy to provide the potatoes and herbs from the allotment to accompany the lamb. I dug up a load of huge radish also and I must admit I was so impressed with my first real harvest! (see photo)

an awful shift and salsa comes to Wales

Yesterday's shift was truly awful. The family of a desperately sick woman I was looking after disintegrated into long term feuds and fallings out and we almost had a punch up at the bedside, which was incredibly sad. I find this sort of thing unpleasant but by no means impossible to deal with, and in the end had to be sharp and very directive with all individuals involved, very much like authoritative daddy. The Filipino nurses all disappeared as culturally they do not deal with confrontation well, preferring the more technical part of ITU work. I know I am a fairly average technician but am good with the more touchy feely part of the job. Mind you coping with anger,recriminations and tears as well as a desperately sick patient after 12 hours was all a bit much last night so I did let my hair down rather quickly at Denbigh town hall's SALSA night! The salsa band was excellent,the venue rather deco, the wine cheap and nasty and company (Hazel and her brother and sister in law) friendly and fun. I didn't dance but did enjoy watching Chris shaking his stuff, and got ladled into the car at 11pm for home!

Today went for a lovely blow on the beach and after The Archers Omnibus (now) we are off to an afternoon concert in Llandudno!

Duncan and Izzy sent us the photo of us all on Llandudno's Great Orme

Mathilde Runs

On www.sheffieldforum.co.uk, "Amilee" has been been voted one of the most favourite of foreign films. One of my favourites is of course "A very Long Engagement". This video clip is so clever as it captures the way Mathilde tries to persuade herself that things will be ok with a childish bargine albeit just one taken with herself.These bargins with fate are wonderfully "real and are incredibly moving

Just worked 12 hours and steeling myself for a repeat performance tomorrow!! bugger!

One man and his favourite hen & a moment in Church

Looking rather dirty but happy at working outside all day (finally no rain all for 24 hours!!!) I have strimmed the orchard behind the cottage, cleared all the grass from beneath the electric fencing and strimmed most of the field grass. It is a bloody awful job but very satisfying. At three I sat in the coop with a cup of tea and was joined by my favourite hen, Mildred Pierce. She now makes a point of coming over to sat hello, and today climbed onto my knee for a stroke, which I was terrible moved by. I have decided that if I don't get outside to work at least every other day I have a tendency to get rather low! and if not low rather crabby .

This afternoon I managed to get into the Church for the very first time in 18 months. Carole was arranging the flowers for the altar, so I sneaked in to "get a feel" for the place, and the tiny church is very sweet and not at all austere, as many country churches can be.

Am working all day tomorrow and Saturday which is a bummer, Saturday night Chris and I have been invited to a salsa bar in of all places Denbigh ( for those English readers, Denbigh is a tiny one horse town in the middle of the Welsh coun tryside). Well it will be interesting.

Playing with Chris' phone

took this with Chris' phone this evening! Maddie is farting peacefully on my lap! still chuckling about the previous pic!

Very Funny

I found this on Chris' phone and I am not sure when it was taken, I suspect it was in a horse-drawn cab in New York( I refused to get in as I thought it was too cheesy! but I must admit I laughed like a drain when I found it! Scary! Like mother like son! that's all I can say

Cheshire Show

As it turned out, the Cheshire Show was a bit of a dog fest. The world and his wife seemed to own or have owned a Welsh terrier and we met a series of colourful characters ,( why do all dog breeders look as though they have been digging sewers?)

William was beautifully behaved (above) Meg less so, but they seemed to actually enjoy watching new things, which terriers seem to do with gusto.

We saw the pygmy goats which were lovely and I am determined to get a couple for the field, but was slightly disappointed that all the poultry had been judged yesterday, and all that was in the hen tent was guinea pigs!

As usual, the draught horses stole the show, and it was great to see some of the rarer breeds showing. (I thought it interesting that breeds such as the Suffolk punch, is rarer than the Siberian tiger!)

Big upset of the day: 5£ for a sausage sarni!!!

A Near miss

Today has been an uneventful kind of day, so a thunderstorm at 9.30 pm was rather exciting! To be honest it was the stuff of disaster films, aka The Day After Tomorrow (2004) with theatrical bursts of lightning overhead!. Worrying about the state of the chickens, I donned Chris' cowboy hat and tramped into the field. Most of the girls had legged it inside but a few hardy birds (Trinny, Suzannah and and Whoopie Goldberg) were larking about in the downpour. As I was holding the electric fence tester I realised how foolish I was standing in wet flip flops in the middle of a soaked field during an electric storm! and couldn't quite believe it when there was a huge flash in a field of a neighbouring farm. I have never been quite so close to a lightning strike before and galloped quick sticks back to the cottage. Almost being struck by a thunderbolt and being savaged by a Russian canine all in one week!= what will happen next? who can tell? that's the price you pay for having an exciting life!