Sad day

The day is wet and cold and the village looks and feels rather sad. There is a funeral at the church, so the Church bell ringing on and on adds to the gloom of the day.

I went to the post office to post Maisie's birthday pressie and chatted to a group of old ladies about the funeral and about the work on the memorial hall (pic). It looks like the building won't be ready for the flower show and the gossip is that the cost of holding the show at the school may be just too much to be viable.We need another meeting to thrash out these financial problems and I suspect my lone voice in support of the show whatever the cost will be overuled.
Another sad thing happened today, and that is Janet has decieded to return lercher Ruby to the dog kennels. It has been a difficult decision but a correct one as she is just too big and difficult with other dogs and Janet's cat.
In some ways Ruby has been trained extremely well ! she walks to heel, she sits and stays on command, but her innate hunter instinct just cannot be tamed and I think a smaller terrier type dog would suit her lifestyle so much better. I took Janet and Ruby back to the kennels then did the weeks shop and other jobs before getting ready for night shift.Going to have a look at the chicken coop in the garden of a house up the gop tomorrow! The owner rang me yesterday saying she wants rid...I was a bit miffed as I have just bought a new house for Stanley which should be delivered this week....another "spare" house may be useful through.
Turned on the incubator this afternoon...

Yawn

There is nothing sadder than A bad play full of has-beens and with best intentions Chris dragged me to what only could be described as a car crash of a bad play at the highly unsuitable Venue Cymru at Llandudno! A Touch of Danger (a so called thriller by Francis Dunbridge) is in a word.......crap. Boring,lifeless and dull we left at half time after a rather lumbering Simon Ward embarrassed himself one too many times infront of a matronly Sandra Dickinson!

Next time he has promised to discuss any booking with me first before getting swayed by headlines such as "Excellent Thriller!" and "All Star Cast".

In future we will stick to the slightly more up market Theatre Clwyd in Mold.

A male world and the eternal flame of love

I don't do well in all male environments; they make me feel uncomfortable and ill at ease.Male psychiatric wards (staffed by an all male staff) and bastions of testosterone -the quick-fit garage, are just two examples, so this morning's job of changing the tyres on the car was a bit of a chore. Mind you driving over the hill to get the work done was a laugh this morning as I was reminded of a couple of former friends after listening to the radio.
The Bangles and Eternal Flame was playing on Coast Radio and suddenly I remembered being at this rather "intense" couple's house on the outskirts of Sheffield in the early 1990s. It was an early evening "do", and I was chattiing with a few friends in the kitchen (probably huddled over the nibbles and white wine) The hosts-This unnamed couple were always very demonstrative with each other, and their intensity sometimes became a little nauseating at times. In the corner of the room was a candle in a fancy bowl and we are all informed that this was an eternal flame that signified their love for one another!. I thought the group was supportive and polite when we all admired the "altar", but inside I had to stifle a hearty laugh.
A bit later in the evening I did laugh....long and loud when another friend ( a down-to-earth Yorkshire girl) took me to one side and whispered guiltily
"I am going straight to hell.......I have just lit me fag on the flame of love and I have just put it out!!!"

Things.......

It is 5pm and I am having my first sit down with a coffee.It has been another lovely day, but I haven't seen a great deal of it outside as it has been a errend sort of Tuesday.

Dogs have all had their boosters (100£ in total!!!) and we have a new Polish vet who is all fingers and thumbs. Bless! very nervous and very BAD English ( which willl go down here like a pork chop at Barmitzvah) I kind of liked her as she wanted to know all about the psychology of each dog, but I guess she didn't quite understand my explainations as she looked blank as a piece of paper for most of the time I was talking.

Took Meg for her haircut at the dog groomers(pic),popped into work for a case conference on "my" spinal patient, then off to Sainsbury's and the farm shop for food and chicken food shopping. Just had time to clear out the car of rubbish,set up the new feed bin (pic) in the field and round up Duncan and a couple of girls who had escaped before taking the dogs for their walk and then go to the cinema.

Tommorrow I am getting the new tyres on the belingo sorted and will buy another 12 volt battery for the new hen fencing.

Its all go

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.....