Richard's egg bound

Feigning interest in my newly painted replacement sign ( a lorry lobbed off the last one!) Richard is probably trying to keep his digestive system under control! I also suspect that his cholesterol is probably way off the chart! seeing that he has been fed a massive 6 scrambled eggs for breakfast and has another 4 in door step egg butties for the journey home. I have also lumbered him with the rest of Auntie Glad's scones so at least he will be well fed before getting home to Sandwich.

Bleak day today and rain has lashed down ( good!!! me thinks as the trailer trash people that own a field adjacent to the chickens hope to have a huge bonfire and fireworks tonight)

Off to work tonight then 11 days off- 4 of them in the big apple!


Jenny Eclair


Jenny Eclair at the Royal Court Liverpool tonight was a lovely change. I knew I was going to enjoy her highly polished, observational look on life,middle age problems, motherhood and angst, and she had me in stitches! for over an hour and a half.
I am envious of such a talent! ok she has had 20 years performing to polish her skills, but the raw natural intelligent humour obviously has always present, and Jenny makes the whole conversational "off the cuff" thing seem so damn easy.

I could have listened to her all night

8am

There ARE things I miss from Sheffield. Friends,my old 1930's dining room, theatre, the Sheffield accent! but there is one thing that I don't miss and that is the view of a brick wall from our old bedroom window.
I love having a short lie in on a Sunday morning in our stereotype/country cottage bedroom! no noise! a few chirping birds, dogs snoring, view of the chickens bouncing around the field........cup of tea, vintage eiderdown and idle thoughts are the order of the day. Chris has dragged his dad to see the dreaded Pippa first thing, so I am on breakfast duties later this morning. Richard sounds rather more breathless and creaking than of late ( They had a long walk to see the brass band concert yesterday) so I think he should rest today.He won't complain too much as he is always eager to please.
Anyhow only 4 days to New York!

Auntie Glad


It has paid off dropping a few eggs a week to Auntie Glad, as she has left a pile of scones the size of baseballs on the front step this afternoon. At 87, she can knock out a ton of baking quite effortlessly, visit a huge group of pensioners from the village without tiring, and still have enough energy to clean her house from top to bottom. I love that about her!
Gladys always reminds me of a grey haired version of Wendolene Ramsbottom from Wallace and Gromit in A Close Shave - must be the drop earrings.


Chris made dinner this evening ( duck! very nice it was too) whilst I watched Strictly Come Dancing! Blue Peter's Gethin looked rather dashing and old fashioned I thought!
Favourite dancers are pretty boys Gethin and Matt and pig in a dress Letitia! I can't stand the bald oik builder ,look-a-like Dominic or that three legged GMTV presenter Kate.

Richard,Blanche, and Elizabeth the First!

Well it is a little scary but I have an inkling of what Chris will look like in 20 years time!(bottom pic) They have been son/father bonding today down at the stable and are off to a brass band concert tomorrow afternoon ( I would rather push needles slowly into my eyes). Richard is putting some fox proof latches onto the hen houses tomorrow too, which is kind of him. New Girl Blanche (pic) is just getting her confidence and is indeed a beautiful hen

I was really looking forward to Elizabeth: The Golden Age tonight, and I am sorry to say that generally I was disappointed with what was on offer. Beautiful to look at, it reminded me of one of Michael Bay's films, pretty but all rather empty. I just didn't connect with it at all and to be honest I
found it all a bit melodramatic! Cate Blanchett was fine as always as Elizabeth ,Clive Owen intensely buckling his squash with the best of them was great fun as Raleigh; but for me it was Samantha Morton in an all-too-brief role as Mary Stuart, that was a standout. I could have watched her all evening. She truly looks a bit on the rough side of mad!

Halloween


Only In America....

Happy Birthday Linzi

Chris' neice was 16 last Sunday! apologies for the belated wishes but Chris only told me today!
Hope you had a good one!


Poor Training & Autumn up the Gop

Busy (nice busy) day! It's 5pm and just sat down for the first time since I got up, with coffee and blog! Got the weekly shop done at 8am as Salisbury's at Rhyl is quieter and more user friendly (don't get me started on the width of the aisles!) Well blow me, but just as I finished filling my trolley the bloody fire alarm goes off! Out of no where several puffing red faced middle aged check out staff/middle managers galloped up and down first calling the few shoppers to evacuate, then to remain where they were then to evacuate again! Despite the potential seriousness of the situation, I had to stifle a giggle as one particularly agitated clerk manhandled a frail elderly couple this way and that! Dragging them away from their trolley, one way and then another! I carried on shopping! until then now hyperventilating staff member dragged the couple back into the store

Meg looks suitably windswept up the Gop when I
got home and it was lovely to see the rich yellows of the trees (much deeper and more pronounced due to the wet warm summer). We walk past Sue's ( an old school friend) four horses every day and the dogs love going nose to nose with them. William particularly seems to love this contact and practically shoves his nose up the eldest horse's nostrils whist breathing deeply. it is the oddest thing to watch, as both William and the pony seem rather quiet and interested in each other!






Bought a ton of sawdust to cover the hen house floor this afternoon in Abergele and stocked up with feed for while we are away in New York. Got weighed at weightwaters ( no weight gain!!!) then home again to bake a desperate Dan meat pie and an apple pie for Richard who is arriving later.



As I was cooking a neighbour and his wife introduced themselves from down the lane, they bought some eggs and the husband seemed surprised and interested that I was actually baking! They were very friendly though!

The sawdust has caused much consternation in the large coop this dusk! as all 12 roosting birds refused to enter with this new white stuff all over the floor! I was getting a little exasperated with them all as they resembled the Sainsbury staff this morning ! ( running ineffectively around in circles). Finally I picked Mildred Pierce up and threw her in, and the others (all heaving big sighs of relief) galloped after her!