No Country For Old Men

No Country For Old Men is a typical Cohen Brothers' colaboration which draws heavily on author Cormac McCarthy's themes of chance and fate. It tells the story of a drug deal gone badly wrong with three men involved (cowboy,psychopath and policeman) crisscrossing each others paths time and time again, until tragedy occurs.
This whole dark piece is peppered with dark humour and painfully tense chase sequences which see saw back and forth amid the painful adjustments of aging cop (Tommy Lee Jones) to the modern world. Josh Brolin,is just great as the quiet cowboy who has a heart hidden within (Do you remember him as the big brother in the The Goonies (1985)??) but the whole film is actually stolen by spanish actor Javier Bardem.who plays a ghost of a psychopath upon which the themes of kismet are centred
Beautifully shot in the Texan wilderness and dirt poor Mexico ,It is a long time since I have seen such a hypnotic thriller.

A lot done

Swapped my two shifts together, for another night shift on Thursday, so feel I have made the most of the lovey but cold day.

I ordered Stanley's new enclosure and hen house today and he with some fancy new Sussex whites madams will be set up with the ducks in their own field.away from Duncan's aggressive attacks.

Booked Meg for a haircut,and sorted new tyres for the Belingo for tomorrow. I have ordered the infra red lights for the chicks and ducklings and booked the dogs in for their innoculations tomorrow am!

My spuds are now ready for chitting and if the weather improves the shallots will be in on wednesday!

A different way of seeing

Intensive care appeals to a certain "type" of nurse I always think. It is a "quick fix" type of thing in the most positive sense of the word as problem solving often has immediate results and adrenalin is often pumping. I have said before It has its attractions, yes it does, but it is definately NOT my cup of tea.
Every time I go on duty at the moment I ask and always get to look after the spinal injury patient on the ward. I know he and his family want and need my specialised input, that is a fact, plain and simple! I can answer the questions they have, I can support their particular needs and I have a rehab "mentality" that the acute nurses sometimes do not have, or indeed really want to have.
Last night my patient couldn't sleep; that in itself is common before mobilization can take place and instead of sedation I tried a face and head massage. I turned his bed to face the window ( and a very black sky) and helped him "turn his back" on the manic "back and forth " of the unit. The massage was effective in the main and got the night staff talking and thinking about a different appraoch to getting a job done, as well as exploring how it is easy for ITU nurses especially and nurses in general to hide from those "deeper" and sometimes more meaningful (and painful) conversations that need to be explored with patients.
Looking back on how we as senior staff supported the psychological support skills of nursing staff on the spinal wards, I felt just a bit smug that we did a fairly good job. It helped that the consultant has his most individual way of looking at things on a psychological level, but he led the view that serious exploration of the relevant issues were vital and listened to psychology and social work support and points of view.as I hoped we as senior staff did with the nuring teams.
Last night, it was nice to think that I was being listened to, and night shift gave us all to have time to reflect and to discuss just a little

Rhos-on-sea and Colwyn Bay

We are off to the promenade in Colwyn Bay today. Like two old farts we will be walking along the front with the dogs and a flask of tea. Then it will be back to Dyserth to clear out Pippa's stall!
I am getting her industrial size storage container for my allotment so the trip there is not at all doom and gloom.
It is ice cold this morning, so I don't begrudge the time away from the hard dirt of the field.


Chris is preparing himself to go out (full bath-bubbles, hairwash,facewash etc etc) whist I am sneaking in another cup of proper coffee with hair stuck right up and breakfast bits on my face. I will brush my teeth and off we shall go.
Working tonight and Monday night, so 48 hours away from planting my shallots and early garlic.
Didn't even get shortlisted for the job I put in for 2 weeks ago which was a bit of a blow. I certainly fitted the criteria of a Complaints advocate (22 hours a week!!!) but didn't speak welsh which I suspect was the factor that kicked me off the short list. It is the first job I have applied for that I didn't get through the first hurdle, which upset me (well for 1 hour it did) hey ho.....

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!......