Barter and cocktail chatter.....

Being on holiday this week means that I have a few extra eggs knocking about ( I sold 5 boxes to a set of amblers yesterday which did reduce my ITU excess). So today was an exercise in trade.

I met a nice woman walking up the Gop the other day who offered me use of her manure heap ( it's funny what you can end up talking about with strangers), so today I found myself knee deep in smelly sh*t, throwing bag after bag into the back of the Belingo. Two boxes of eggs cemented a good deal, as did another box or so for old friend Sue, who also offered me use of "her" poo heap in another nearby field. Sylvia, from the Flower show committee has offered me all of her spare foxgloves from her garden, so another box will be winging its way to her tomorrow and the final two boxes went to a class of Prestatyn school children who are doing some project or other. (Ann will be organising a visit for them to "experience" the hens and ducks as they have recently enjoyed a "lesson" of vegetable husbandry at her allotment.

Chris is back tonight after his jaunt to South Wales. We have been invited to his professor's house for drinks and nibbles on Sunday, which will be interesting. (!?) as I am not good at Cocktail party chatter, I just don't understand the "rules" that seem to go along with "work socializing".when it is performed by academics. It all seems rather dry and a little too polite to me. I know, I have experience of far too many nurse nights out, many of which are so far from polite it can be frightening, so, I guess, my heart lies in a more "relaxed" chatty-ish night out.

I thought I was reining myself in, on Chris' last work do, but I suspect Chris would beg to differ...........hey ho......they all seemed to enjoy my company, even though I held court with a particularly disgusting tale of dipping a broody hen's bum in a bucket of water......sometimes I like feeling like Judy Walters in Educating Rita........... ( or so I would like to think)

My own company

I have had a nice day today. Took a day off from the allotment, and drove to Llandudno to collect my wallet (which I had left in Osborn's last night) Seaside towns always look their best when the sun shines, and Llandudno looked quite lovely today. I spent a leisurely lunch time mooching around book shops and stores, searching for a Birthday pressie for Chris then had a proper coffee and a long read of a newspaper, before getting back to the animals.
I have always been comfortable with my own company, I guess that is a product of being single for a decade in my twenties,Living in Wales and working part time, has meant that I spend longer periods in my own company and I can honestly say that I never get bored. Today was a case in point.
Anyhow feel a bit better about the martyr that is Blanche after seeking some advice from the aptly named Practical Poultry forum (http://kelseyinfo.co.uk/yabb/YaBB.pl) Some kind soul told me to go out and buy some sunflower heads to tempt the self harming hen, and bingo it worked. This afternoon she had a quick stuff of seeds 8 long drinks of water , then staggered off back to her eggs.....job done.....
Chris is working away in South Wales tonight, so I am settling down with an Asda Cheap (8£) DVD of I Am Legend,

Sorrel retires and making ends meet........

Sorrel is seemingly enjoying her retirement after leaving her high powered job at Pfizer recently. Found this picture of her (centre with the sling and balloon on her head) at one of her leaving dos in "my pictures" this morning,
I suspect that she will take to retirement very well as ,like me she does enjoys a good "potter"
Mind you the hysteria of the " credit crunch" and sudden cost of living rise, makes life for the newly retired ( and for me who has to budget) that much more difficult.
I have noticed the instability within the big supermarket industry the most, and with the risk of sounding like a real no hoper, I am appalled at the blatant way they manipulate food costs in what seems like a totally arbitrary way.
Last week for example, sainsbury's own firelighters were 10p more than they were the week before! (duh....why?), various other items had similar "vast" increases,which (according to the BBC ) has raised the average family's food bill 800£ a year., We as consumers take this drip-drip erosion of our weekly budgets without complaining, but I must admit it is worrying. I am not surprised that for the first year, vegetable seed sales have out striped flower sales, as more people are having to "grow your own" in an effort to makes ends meet........

Sunburn

Another 8 hours on the allotment and can you believe it, I have sunburn.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Salad potatoes, radish,beetroot, more salad leaves and broad beans have been planted in the bottomn plot, and I have left enough room for a huge bed of sweetcorn (already sprouting on the windowsill of the bedroom),Pumpkin,marrow,and runner beans.
The more delicate French beans,sweet peas and peppers won't be planted out until June, already I am realising I have not got enough room for everything. Tomorrow I think I will start digging out my fifth vegetable bed.
George and Maddie have spent the day on the allotment with me. Maddie has spent most of her time in the shade of the water butts whereas George has spent a hot few hours stalking Duncan. (see above) The rooster has realized that 1) George cannot get through the wire to worry the flock and 2) he is smaller and slightly less brave than Duncan indeed is. So both have spent the day posturing at each other without actually doing anything.violent
I am worried too about Blanche who remains fixed on her nest in the big coop. Titbits have been ignored, corn is left untouched and I haven't seen her drink for a while dispute the water and food being inches from her head. I try to take her off the nest physically to encourage her to eat, but so far she walks as though she is in a stupor. Apparently this is common for some birds to do this, and some get so fixed on their eggs that they can literally die of self neglect....sounds bizarre I know
Chris got stuck in Bangor this evening due to a rail breakdown so I had to drive over to Llandudno to pick him up. We stopped at Osborns for an impromptu dinner, which was a nice treat

Boris..........bless.........

He does make me laugh

On saturday Ken Livingstone, Boris Johnson and Brian Paddick were all vying for the pink vote at Stonewall's Mayoral Hustings.

Johnson was reported as saying "If gay marriage was OK - and I was uncertain on the issue - then I saw no reason in principle why a union should not be consecrated between three men, as well as two men; or indeed three men and a dog."

Pure Boris...........

Sunshine and Humphrey Littleton

At last, a nice day. I have spent 8 solid hours outside today, finishing the work required in the front garden, clearing the weeds from the vegetable beds and tidying the hedges on the bottom boundary of the field.
The Scotties have kept me company in the field all day and have behaved themselves nicely despite being let off their leads for most of the time. George has sneaked a few sorties at the hen enclosures but has been kept at bay by a somewhat angry Duncan, who has shadowed his every move.
The small polytunnels are filling nicely with the salad crops, which even the toughest of rabbits cannot infiltrate, tomorrow I may dare to plant my salad potatoes and more beetroot.
Sad to hear that The spring series of BBC Radio 4's comedy show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue has been cancelled after long-serving presenter Humphrey Lyttelton was admitted to hospital.
Lyttelton, who has presented the "self-styled antidote to panel games" since 1972, is to undergo surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm and although always sharp as a dye, he WAS sounding just a tad frail during the last series.
I do hope he is well enough to make a comeback in Clue.! His acid sharp and "dry as a Nun's skirt" delivery makes the programme, I will miss it this spring.

I hate myself

Against my better judgment I watched the awful I'd do anything, this evening, I wasn't surprised to see the most talented actress and singer (the slightly lumpy but personality filled Francesca) get booted off the show amid a tearful gaggle of teenage Nancy girls..........Andrew Lloyd Webber is such an arse.....

Gardens Open & Dinner out

The dragon sculpture outside the Welsh college of Horticulture

*

Having an amble around someone else's garden is the perfect solution to a slight hangover on a Sunday morning. We have visiting various private gardens taking part in the National Gardens scheme(http://www.ngs.org.uk/gen/default.aspx?) for a couple of years now and some of them have been truly lovely. Today we visited The Welsh College of Horticulture in nearby Northop. The grounds were pretty enough but I do prefer visiting the private homes in the scheme as you get a chance to glimpse how the other half live (these houses are often large,stylish and very expensive).

Last night we had a lovely huge nosh out at Anna and Tim's. Too much good food, too many gin and tonics and relaxed conversation that ranged from immigration,the setting up of a village community group ( Chris is thinking of setting up a reading group),Scottish ancestry (Ned is a "Welsh" Macdonald), family gossip and the banalities of everyday life.We had an enjoyable night.

Weather remains cold but a tiny bit more spring-like. Wild flowers are starting to bloom along the field borders.