George and a blog request

Worked last night and couldn't crawl into a warm bed cos George needed to be taken to the vets for his op! Grabbed an hour after I had dropped him off before completing chores and walking the others on the beach. At three I collected him from the recovery "ward" and looking at him in his cage almost broke my heart. The nurse said he had been rather traumatised by another dog's hysterical post operation barking and George literally crawled up my jumper to get away shaking like a leaf.

As you can see he wasn't his usual self on the way home at at the moment is lying in William's crate in a state of nervous exhaustion.


Had a lovely e mail from a old friend from Spinal Injuries this morning (Hello Andrea!) and was asked to put a few pictures of the village on the blog so that she could get a sense of what Trelawnyd actually looks like.

So for those avid non local blog fans here they are! (above) Is a view of Well street taken from the village pond. This is the nearest we have to a village green. (lower right) is the tiny Ebeneezer chapel which is directly across from the memorial village hall.
(left and lower left) Is the church seen from Cwm road, my field is located behind and to the right.

The Village pub The Crown is the only pub, although there used to be an odd sounding Black Boy tavern just on the main street opposite the chapel.

There is around 100 houses in the village, I forgot to photograph the village school which is a thriving primary and the post office which are just right from the pub on the main road........blink and you will miss most of it

Sheffield, Maisie and the wall gets it yet again

Caught up with John and Bev in Sheffield last night which was great. All Bar One ( as usual) for a few wines and long chats and was back on the beach with the dogs at 10 am this morning, so it was a case of best of both worlds.

Caught up with Mike and Bev and a bonny Maisie beforehand. She is very well behaved and looks adorably like she will burst into the chorus of "The sun will come out tomorrow!"


Got back to the cottage just in time to see a low loader rip the top off the cottage wall YET again!! and the driver almost ran for it as I very nearly dragged him from his cabin in anger. I didn't half give his a roasting, as did his boss who has just arrived from Denbigh after I had insisted he come to review the damage. Hey ho!

Working tonight, which is a bummer, mind you George Has his nuts off tomorrow! which could be seen a bigger bummer!!!

The place where you want to be!....

Just finished two long, long days on ITU, and after 24 hours in the sterile aseptic environment of the hospital, I have just craved to be outside in the field and allotment. After a night of heavy rain, this morning is glorious and it was lovely to find out that village elder Steve has organised for the huge hedges of the field to be cut by a local farmer. I cleaned out the hens and hands on knees scraped out the duck house ( they are really dirty compared with the sweet smelling chickens)
and head stuck in the coops, covered in shit, I realised that I would not choose to be doing anything else!

This where I want to be theme seems to be prevalent at the moment. After a great deal of soul searching friend Nigel has up sticks and moved to Manchester which is a great new start for him and last night Aunt Judy rang to say that she was planning to move back to her family's home area of Lincoln after 40 years or so in North Wales.
Changing your life is often thought to be a terribly hard thing to do, and for some the hardships come in MAKING the decision rather than completing the actual deed. After the decision is made, I believe that everything else is pretty easy. Nige and Judy have made the brave choices. We will miss Judy; but will hopefully see more of Nige- swings and roundabout-swings and roundabouts! thats what life is all about! ITU- allotment...Itu-allotment...it's the same thing!

Off to Sheffield this afternoon for a catch up with John and will pop in to see Mike, Bev and Maisie! oh and their new patio! great stuff
Pic photo is of old Robina and the others !

work

Long, crap day with people without humour or much warmth

nuff said..................

More rain

The rain has been torrential and there has been flooding all over the North Wales area yet again

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/7006517.stm

The hen enclosure has become waterlogged, which is great fun for the ducks but miserable for the chickens. Most have hopped onto the roof of the a frame to get out of the water and when I checked on them at midday all 22 were crammed onto it! (photo shows just one of the black hookers balancing on the duck house during a break in the rain)

The Power of positive thinking

"Optimism with some experience behind it is much more energizing than plain old experience with a certain degree of cynicism. "

Twyla Tharp

I like the above quote and have remembered it today when I heard some

good news from a friend. She has been single for a long time, and finally has found a new bloke who he is dating seriously. Her optimism and obvious joy was lovely to be a tiny part of and I got to thinking just how few people are truly optimistic? so many of us spend too much time thinking the worst of people and situations and too few celebrate our triumphs and good times. I would always like to think that I am an optimist...........perhaps, because I have actually said this, by definition I am......?

55 days in Peking

I have always loved the film 55 days in Peking. Ava Gardener (filmed through gauze) has never looked lovelier and the action sequences were very boys own! Robert Helpmann(the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) as I recall played the chief baddie with poor Flora Robson as an unconvincing Empress! I am reading an account of the siege at the moment and the story is re told from the legation women's point of view, using their previously neglected writings and accounts The book is called Women at the siege- Peking 1900 by Susanna Hoe and is a cracking read.

Chris is working in Sheffield today and is staying over to go out with his old work mates, I don't feel too jealous as I am off there on Monday for a night out with Jonney H. I took Chris to the station early then took the dogs to the beach in an effort to run off William's excess energy.

Had my "interview" with Pat from weightwatchers, which was great fun. Pat spoke the corporate speak throughout and took the whole thing dreadfully seriously. I filled in a bizarre questionaire for HRs review and drank lots of cups of filter cofee when she gave me the spiel!! A couple of sessions will certainly pay for the car tax and services so I am happy to have a more formal interview with the regional manager (OOOOHHHH ER!) next week!

Work rang wanting me to do overtime, but seeing that I am working two long shifts at the weekend I blew them out, Friday we are off out to the While lion for a meal with Hazel and her husband which should be fun and off to Rogers Jones auction house with Janet to see the fine welsh painting previews! on Friday morning. Tomorrow I hope to clear the rest of the garden....

Foxes, & The Painted Veil

Last night my fears for the ducks and hens seem to be well founded as when I was watching a late showing of The Devils Backbone (Espinazo del diablo, El (2001) on channel 4, two foxes appeared on the top of the Church wall,just twenty feet from where I was sitting. They looked a bit moth eaten and obviously are youngsters who have left their home sets this summer, but a fox is a fox is a fox, and juvenile or not, they are still a threat to my girls. The head count this morning was ok, and each coop looked fairly secure, but tonight I will open the bedroom window a crack, so that I can keep one ear open for trouble.

This evening Hazel and I went to Theatre Clwyd to see the New York/Chinese lesbian comedy Red Doors (2005)! funnily enough the print was not delivered to the cinema and The Painted Veil (2006) was shown instead ( well it was set in China!) . The film was ok, not great but quite old fashioned in a nothing-really-happens way. Now I like Naomi Watts who played the spoilt heroine who redeems herself during a cholera epidemic, but what the role needed was a Bette Davis or Barbara Stanwick, who could chew the scenery with gusto. I did enjoy Edward Norton's performance as her wronged husband. Not a great film but a passable one.