The field is ready...(almost)

Another duck egg today, so hoping another will be banged out tomorrow I have amended the sale sign in the cottage window-I know it is a case of counting my duck eggs before they are laid but the girls seem to be on a roll.
Below is a photo of William in his favourite position in the passenger seat of the Belingo. I may sound like a modern parent/pet owner, but I try to give each of the dogs some individual time and attention. For George and Maddie, it is sitting in the lounge in an evening.For Meg it is coming to bed with me after her early morning walk and for William it is sitting in the passenger seat with me, when I go shopping or when I get petrol.
Watching william excitedly getting into "his position" next to me in the car today, I found incredibly moving. Dogs love adhering to their routines, and they adore simple "treats" like a trip to the shops. It is a simple thing to make happen
and one that gives such reciprocal pleasure.to me.

I know the news that I have finally dug over all my old and new vegetable patches today, may not excite anyone but me, but I don't care as it gives me a huge sense of achievement
I plan to have a large potato veg patch on the sight of the bonfire (below left). The main vegetable plot ( below right) is flanked by the first of my smaller flower growing areas. And the final soft fruit plot (not shown) is completed and ready further down the field.The weather closed in at 1pm (AGAIN!!!) but most of the work had been done and dusted by then.




















David Cameron has withdrawn the Tory whip from Derek Conway after the MP was reprimanded over the amount he paid his son for working as his researcher I heard today! Big deal! The MP should be sacked for manipulating the system and paying his son 13 thousand pounds to do nothing ( and also "employing" his elder son in another researcher post. Fellow MP ( and former blue collar Northern Union rep) John Mann, who brought the complaint to light, was eloquent in his arguments why all M.P business should indeed be transparent, but he did concede (rather worryingly) that many many MPs should and would be looking over their shoulders at the moment as a "signified number" of them "employ" relatives in junior support positions.
So much for the whiter then white public servants

Whats this all about????

No Country for old men

Out of all of the Cohen Brothers' films I only really had time for Fargo(1996). This is because the majority of their tales seem dreadfully bleak and depressingly heavy. Fargo on the other hand has a beacon of goodness and hope in its story, in the character of rural police chief Marge Gunderson ( the terrific Frances McDormand). Gunderson's open eyed gentleness and maternal softness offset the rest of Fargo's mean,sick and evil characters which gives the whole piece a sense of hope.

In the end we actually went to see Hallam Foe (2007) instead of the Cohen's latest, and despite being a confusing mixture of indie flick Catcher in the Rye and a study of teenage grief (the indie flick worked better), we kind of enjoyed it.

Jamie Bell was quite good as the "complicated" teen as was Sophia Myles ( as a H.R. tart -with-a-heart) trouble is that director David Mackenzie didn't know just where to lead the story, so in the end, the whole thing seemed to parody itself and get lost somehow.

Duck eggs

Another first today!

Maude or Nell have dropped their first egg! and a beautiful blue it is too.Checked on the ducks this morning and gave them a mite dusting and wing clip. Picture is of Walter looking rather glum

The egg was waiting for me when I let them out

this morning, so hopefully when they have started we will have a whole set of ducklings by the spring

Slept for a hour only this morning after work, off to the pics tonight with Hazel to see No Country For Old Men.

Katy Jurado

Found this picture of Katy Jurado from High Noon! (I mentioned her when reviewing 3.10 to Yuma)

I always remember that she had a big deep voice

Didn't realise that she was married to Ernest Borgnine!

Eggy Bread

Now I am not trying to be all "fluffy bunny", but sometimes it is good just to enjoy( and realise that you do) little simple things in life. It is 10.30 am and we are having a lie in! Ok Chris was up at 6.30am walking the dogs and I was up at 7.45 doing the hens and ducks but after feeding and watering 36 animals, I brewed coffee, made tea and cooked "eggy Bread",(pic) and rather guiltily we had breakfast in bed!

Yesterday teatime we went to Llandudno and had a great meal and wine at Osborne's and this afternoon we are going to Roger'Jones aution house this afternoon to look for kitchen tables (http://www.rogersjones.co.uk/ ) so it has been a lovely weekend even though I will be on nights this evening!

Spring Dawn

It was quite beautiful this morning when I let the girls out, so I spent the beginning of the day digging out the new potato patch. Makes a lovely change not to be cold and wet!

3.10 to Yuma

Now I always enjoyed the original film 3:10 to Yuma . Filmed in 1957 with Van Heflin' as dirt rancher Dan Evans bringing in no-so-bad killer Ben Wade Glenn Ford, the black and white western was dreadfully tense and remarkably psychological in its study of redemption and pride. Mind you I always get Yuma mixed up with the similar High Noon , as I always loved Katy Jurado's dignified performance as a real classy tart with a heart!

Anyhow the remake "Yuma" filmed last year with a gaunt Christian Bale as Evans and Russell Crowe as the intelligent and manipulative Wade, is an excellent "modern" telling of the tale, with both leads breathing extra depth to what seems like on the surface to be a simple morality story. Evans is a man who has lost faith in himself and is pitied by his 14 year old son ( the wonderfully swearing Logan Lerman) where as Wade is an contradiction of brutality and brains; as the two men come into conflict both realise inner qualities that they thought long forgotten. Bale and Crowe match each other scene for scene as the relationship between the two men develops, with Crowe just coming out best with the acting honours. I thought it was an excellent piece of work!