Sad Memories and Saturday pottering

I was reading a friend's blog today with a tinge of sadness, as they associate their former home city (Sheffield) with a host of rather sad and negative memories of relationships gone sour.
I am incredibly lucky as I associate only good memories with the former steel city, I lived there between 1989 and 2005, and during that time experienced some bad times (relationship break ups/a lost friendship/lack of money/some minor health problems) but the overwhelming relationship I had with Sheffield has been positive.
I had 16 years in a job I enjoyed and was good at with people that I genenerally respected and that respected me, I bought two houses and profited from them. I "came out" in Sheffield , felt supported in that decision and had my first serious relationships. I met many friends in and around the city and still enjoy those friendships to this day. I was treated to theatre and cinema in excess to anything I could have afforded myself (thanks to Jonney and the Sheffield Star) and through the arthouse cinema's (The anvil and Showrooms) developed my love and passion for films.
I reconciled my shakey relationship with my father at my tiny house in Walkley and developed my own urban family bonds with Christmas meals in Woodseats.I have danced with Mike and Bev on the roof of Weston Park hospital,had my first date with Chris in All Bar One and met friends too numerous to mention outside Cole Brothers. Joan,Betty, Finlay and Maddie came to us in Sheffield, Nuala and I were surrogate partners around Broomhill and Jane and I were partners in and around Crooks!
Yes I am lucky,Sheffield holds only good memories for me.!

Today we have pottered. The farmer has cleared most of the rubbish from my field and in the process has made me another vegetable patch I was not expecting. Chris has enjoyed planting miniture violas, and watching the chickens and tonight is fish pie with a dvd.
working nights tomorrow

Why I will Never be Jane Asher

I woke up smiling slightly to myself this morning, in a post works night out muzzy-ness. Not a group of nurses eating a cheap curry this time but an up market early evening meal at Osborns with Chris' collegues from the big red brick University.
They were polite, slightly reserved,articulate and very sober. I was tired after nights ( no sleep in 24 hours!), jolly,chatty, slightly nervous and warmed ( but by no means drunk) by several large wines.
I am not used to "cocktail party "chat. I find it all a bit difficult. To me a night out is a chance for a good chat, a laugh (hopefully) and to relax. I have no idea how to do polite and meaningless as it seems a pointless to me. If you want to continue working relationships then do it at work is what I say, but I guess the higher Chris climbs on that academic ladder the more "intelligent" tea parties I will have to experience and get use to.
The meal was great as usual but next time I won't bang on too much about my chicken's sexual exploits! and will have two less wines during dinner! hey ho!

Gentleman's Agreement and antisocial behaviour

What is happening to 15 year olds nowadays? I know it is a "norming/storming" age of rebellion and experimentation, when we used to drink a small party four in the gardens at the top of town before getting home before curfew at 10pm. But that blurred nostalgic view of growing up in the 1970's seems an age and light years away from the experiences of the "children" of today. There seems something almost feral about some young people we are seeing on our streets, there is a hardness of attitude and a coldness of feeling in many and I think that the destruction of old fashioned family units (god I sound old and naive) have a lot to do with it.
Last night I was watching Gentleman's Agreement (1947) when a group of children ( around 14 and 15) walked past the cottage. It was 11pm and they had been wandering back and forth from a house on the corner to a field where thay had set up a camp.Now they were quietish in their behaviour but did smash a bottle or two on the road before running off and I guess by running off at least they exhibited some fear of being told off for doing something wrong. I didn't go out and challenge them last night (how many horror stories have we heard about have-a-go men that have done that) but I did do so this morning in the very cold grey light of dawn, when some of the group were staggering home with sleeping bags and blankets.
God I sounded like an old fart, but I did tell them at it was out of order,illegal and I would call the police and have a word with their mother if it happened again............("I know where you live!"..)....
Perhaps it would do some good as two of the girls had the grace to agree and look sheepish, who knows?
All I do know is that through media reporting and hearsay, young people are being feared. Knowing that you create fear is powerful and that in itself is worrying.Yes fearing these kids is more worrying than being angered by their behaviour!

Anyhow back to the film.....artificial and full of speeches it was an interesting piece that over explored a reporter( Gregory Peck) and his pretense to be Jewish in order to cover a story on anti-Semitism.Peck 's character personally discovers the true depths of bigotry and hatred in upper class American society and challenges the "quiet" acceptance by the middlecasses of racism .
Loved Celeste Holm's performance as a wisecracking reporter (she won the Oscar for best supporting actress -pic)
Working nights tonight.....

A fag end and tissue!

Short blog today as I have made the most of the spring weather and have nearly completed the vegetable patch. I won't bother posting a photo of said plot, as pictures of dirt and very little else isn't that interesting to the average blog reader, and I must keep my public wanting more! (as my friend Jonney H would say)

Cleaned out the hen houses as the hot weather is making them all smell rather too "high" and I have read that Chickens can become ill if subjected to strong smells.

I was amused to find a rolled up paper tissue and a fag end in the larger ooop which is a little surprising. God knows why a hen would hide away such titbits.

As well as dropping off birthday pressies for Ned and Hazel, I bought a gift for Sheffield Maisie ( what do you buy a 2 year old? I will be buggered if I know?), I walked the dogs on the beach, picked up the Hens' veg from the veg shop girls and made a tasty flan from duck eggs for Chris' tea then am soon to go out to see Cloverfield with Janet. Mike rang last night and we had a good post mortem of the film which I do miss at times! Catching up with him and Jonney H in Sheffield on the 29th, so I suspect more film banter will be on the agenda.Bliss!......

William Training, Cleo Lane, and Marion Collard

William has now officially "grown up". Banishment to the puppy area of the kitchen dog baskets has been lifted and for the last couple of nights he has joined the scotties in the living room whist I was watching tv. He spent a few minutes each night dancing around, courting attention from everyone, but when he realised he was being overlooked, he settled down (with George) to sleep.Meg needs a haircut, she looks a little like Cleo Laine at the moment. Anyhow, Just caught up with the BAFTA award tonight on line and I was thrilled to see that Marion Cotillard won for her performance of the young AND dying elder Piaf in the wonderfull La Vie En Rose. As Cotillard walked into the awards the crowds mistook her for Kiera Knightly and she brushed off a potentially embarrassing situation by smiling broadly and shouting simply and without an edge.. "I'm French!!!" Her speech of thanks was funny and genuine and it must of been wonderful for her to win the best actress award- a first for a French performer! Great stuff

Ennio Morricone -

This is the love theme from Cinema Paradiso, a film I have never seen. Now I usually do not like Morricone's scores, as they are sometimes very similar, but this is quite a beautiful theme

Beautiful Day

Joan looks a bit like Elsa from Born Free in this shot. The weather again has been sunny and warm and she and what seems like the population of Trelawnyd has been out and about today, enjoying the spring like day and keeping me company.
I have dug another 50 square feet of potato patch today, whilst keeping an eye on Stanley and Duncan as well as feeding the female ducks with titbits.So on paper not a lot has happened but it feels good to be out.
Steve (village elder) is getting me an application for the Parish Council when he gets his own, me thinks it would be prudent to be close to any village decision making meetings especially as the duck empire is about to be increased.
Chris is away in London today and visited Broadstairs and Sorrel last night.
He made the difficult decision to part with the ever friendly Pippa over the weekend, which was hard but necessary as work pressures and the like are preventing his full attention to care for her
Personally, I am glad she has gone, I wont now be a horse widower every weekend
Egg orders are comming in thick and fast this morning, (14 over the past 24 hours) so will be delivering a load tomorrow. Stanley looks back to his normal self today too, bloody and battered but looking mightly fine.

In the wars

Last night Judy came round for dinner (roast duck too!!) and a nice evening was spoilt by me feeling ill around 6pm! No it wasn't a hangover at all,as I had a temperature of 38.5 and suddenly got all shivery and a bit dopey!
At 8 ish I had a bath and went to bed and slept right through until this morning still with a temperature but feeling a tad better.Don't know what it could be,but certainly I have felt fairly rubbish.
Poort Stanley has been having a rough time also! as Duncan was shut in his coop over night by accident. Close proximity of two males and a load of females precipitated a huge fight which Stanley of course lost. He was covered in blood when he emerged and looked very sorry for himself indeed. It took me an age to catch him and it was apparant he had suffered several nasty pecks to his head and neck.Poor boy! I cleaned him up best I could and fed him.and resolved myself to check more carefully where he and Duncan are each night.

The rest of the day I have been doing home stuff and sleeping. Typically it has been a glorious sunny day, but apart from walking the dogs I have rested indoors most of the time.