Red mites and Tenko

How much difference a day makes! Yesterday I was ambling down the South Bank, today I was covered in chicken shit and red mites again as the little buggers have come back with a vengeance.(see pic) I have been that overcome with mites that I have had to have a very hot bath laced with bleach! Two trips to the vets (one with George who has a slightly oozing scrotum) and the sweet faced 12 year old vet has given me a bottle of something to inoculate each bird with. So this evening each of the girls in the big coop have been hauled from their perches and"cleansed" Let's hope it will work

Tonight I am looking forward to a re-run of the first series of Tenko on sky. I watched one episode last night and although the quality of the filming itself is poor the ensemble piece still holds up well. Stephanie Cole as closset lesbian Dr Mason and Patricia Lawrence as pious Sister Ulrica were standouts.

Nuala

Visiting Nu always means doing what seems like an awful lot in a short space of time. I met her yesterday in All Bar One at Oxford Circus then we went to the Ice Bar Below Zero. A total gimmick, the bar is entirely made from ice (including the glasses) and the place is bloody cold after half an hour or so. Each person is given a fetching cape (right) and a pair of mittens on elastic and the whole thing was all too much (especially as it cost Nu 24 quid), but it was a lot of fun.

We had big chats and a lovely Turkish meal and managed to get back to Hanwell for eleven. Today we spent mooching around St Pauls which was lovely, then went to the Globe Theatre to watch a performance of We The People, which was so-so. The theatre itself is lovely and staffed by the nicest group of volunteers I have ever met.

Nu left to go to a swish Ball late in the afternoon and I had a lovely walk along the South Bank. At Tate Modern, I loved The spider sculpture Maman by Louise Bourgeois which has been reassembled outside the gallery. (see below)

After that I ambled over to Covent Garden,the Portrait Gallery then to Euston via the BBC (I love the oh-so art deco building)and the new Food hall at John Lewis' (where I bought garlic and sesame seeds!?) It was warm and sunny, so I didn't mind walking.

A great 24 hours

Dermanyssus gallinae,Ardal or Dara?,British Bulldogs and Pippa Jumping

It has been a disgusting morning as I have been cleaning out every hen house with jeyes fluid and a large scrubbing brush. I have noticed that against all their natural routines, several hens from the large hen house have been roosting in the smaller houses, that can only mean that the dreaded chicken mite (dermanyssus gallinae) has reared its red little parasitic head. The little buggers hide in the corners of the coops and only come out at night to suck the blood of the sleeping girls and a good Aggie and Kim clean should get rid of them. Half way through the marathon the heavens opened and undeterred (and stinking of wet chicken shit) I managed to finish soaked and smelling literally very foul!.

Last night Hazel and I went over to the Lowery Theatre to see Ardal O'Hanlon in stand up! It was a little bit of a disappointment for Hazel as she was convinced she was actually going to see Dara O'Briain (pic). In many ways I would have liked to see Dara more as he has a strong charismatic sexy charm but O'Hanlon was pretty personable.

This morning I was caught by several people in the churchyard playing British Bulldogs with the chickens. Sounds bizarre I know but there IS a method in my madness. Smaller but certainly more aggressive, the chickens have a tendency to bully the shy, benign runner ducks when feeding time comes around. I have been wracking my brains to find a solution to this problem without actually separating the two species. This morning I called the hens to the top of their enclosure and threw their fruit, pasta scraps and grain in the upper most corner. When they were busy filling their crops I legged it down to the gate and bunged a load of tasty morsels in the duck bath. The ducks cottoned on pretty sharpish and started to tuck in whilst I stood guard in the centre of the run. Now whoever said chickens were dim, would certainly have eaten their words as if by magic, and realising that the ducks were getting their bills into something they did not have, they craned their heads in the direction of the food filled duck bath with their beaks open in shock.
I grabbed two bright orange buckets ( why??) and there by started the weirdest game of British Bulldog anyone could have played. Whirling the buckets on outstretched arms I bounced right then left and left and right in an effort to stop the hens getting past me and to the duck food! The hens took the challenge very seriously and lined up to get past me like something out of a St Trinian's film. Mildred,and the more aggressive black hookers made a dummy run to the right as the Nolans and Whoopie Goldberg went for a more robust frontal attack. Baby Jane,Glen Close and the others tried to creep by shadowing the fencing and to be honest I should have given up there and then, but I was convinced I could outwit them! suffice to say all were tucking into the duck food seconds later, while I was throwing my buckets around in frustration!


William and George have settled down somewhat, as hormones have diminished. We took them all for a walk on the beach yesterday and William got trapped for a short time on a sand bar (much to my panic and worry). Later I popped down to the farm to photograph Chris jumping on Pippa. There are still not enough time in the average day to finish what we need to do!

Off to London tomorrow to visit Nu ! can't wait

Shopping and dancing Saturday

Chris is looking a little exasperated because modern parents are sat at the next table letting their little Josh and little Holly shout at the top of their little voices. The cafe is the new one at Venue Cymru in Llandudno and looks lovely even if the food is not up to much.


Did some shopping at Marks and Spencers and had a wander around the Promenade, the weather is still holding up so it was nice to amble around with the last of the day trippers.


Settled down at 6 pm to watch the first episode of Strictly Come Dancing, only to find out that tonight was the preview only! shame!! Anyhow I put the time to good use and completed the schedule on the Trelawnyd Flower Show blog site! see below!

http://trelawnydflowershow.blogspot.com/

No sleep

I am getting used to having no sleep after nights. After watering the hens and ducks, cleaning out their "swimming pool", feeding them and feeding the dogs it was nearly 9.30am when I crawled into bed. Typically the phone went just after 10 am, and it was an excited Pat from fat club offering me a job as trainer! I tried to sound positive about it all but all I wanted to do was drag myself back into my pit like a slug. at 10.15 two men were banging on the door wanted to repair the damaged wall .(My rant with the managing director the other day over his driver's stupidity seemed to have worked) and the two blokes made a passable job of the repairs. Minutes before they left another local turned up with a ton of logs for us. I had said in passing to his friend over an idle chat in the allotment that I wanted logs for winter and bingo! village gossip and chatter "made it so". I gave up the ghost at ever having a proper sleep by 11am, so took the dogs to the beach,then made a few pies and did the weeks shop at Salisbury's. How I did everything in Sheffield AND work full time bugger only knows!
I am slumped on the couch at the moment listening to the radio. The fire is lit, the dogs are quiet and I am not answering the phone or the door to anyone!

Happy Birthday George Bevan

lovely pic

Prestatyn allotment visit & fat club interview

Ann and her allotment colleagues all trouped to the allotment for a visit this morning which was great. We swapped eggs for firewood, had coffee and cake and chatted about the hens and the ducks. I would like to have some sort of smaller co-operative similar to their set up as the camaraderie they have set up is quite infectious. I have chased up the estate agents again today, so that I can officially sign for the field. I have been squatting since March and am getting a little sick of not being "the official tenant"; hopefully that piece of paper will be reaching me very soon.

This afternoon before night shift ( YES I am doing three 12 hour shifts this week!) went to Ewloe for the fat fighters interview. As they go it was the easiest and most relaxed interview I have ever been on. And the three ladies on the panel were all very corporate and sweet! who knows where it will lead but the relaxed nature of it all would suit me down to the ground.

The Flower show post mortem

I went to the Flower show post mortem at Auntie Gladys' tonight and the figures speak for themselves as we realised that we had over 200 visitors in the two hour show and the profits were over 900 £. The show is a real community based affair as proceeds fro this year's show will be put back into village conservation projects and the village hall upkeep and improvements and all parties agreed that this years show was the best ever!
I have been voted in as vice Chair (mum's tablecloths must have swung it) and as we munched into Gladys' scones and tea ( she left me a special package of scones in the Hall as an extra gift for a few fresh eggs) we organised the schedule for next year's show. great fun.

Got back to a house of invalids as George was laying weakly by the fire and Chris was laying weakly in bed after an early morning tumble off his moped!.Shutting up the Chickens tonight in the cold autumn dark, I watched two barn owls swooping over the field time and time again. suddenly it feels like winter