Hypochondria? and some good news

I have felt a bit rough for a day or so (suffice to say jippy bowels and that's all you need to know).

Tonight I went into work after uncharacteristically sleeping very deeply for two hours before shift and by midnight I was suffering a banging headache,nausea and was sh*tting for Wales.

Oh the shame of being given a stool specimen container by the senior nurse on duty ( and a plastic bag and latex gloves for the journey home), She is convinced that I have picked up salmonella from the influx of ducklings (hence the gloves) and by the time I got home I was totally convinced of that too. Tomorrow I will be wearing said gloves every time water and bedding has to be changed.

It is now past 1am and I am wide awake and still rather bilious (don't you love that word?) I have been checking out e mails to pass the time and was delighted in receiving an e mailed photo from Meggie an old colleague of mine from Sheffield. I always have had a soft spot for Meggie as she had one of those warm bouncy personalities that made you feel well supported and happy to be at work and I was lucky to be able to"poach" her from a neighbouring ward where she worked as a Staff nurse. As I was leaving Sheffield it was great to hear that Meggie and another of my favourite Staff nurses Mick had started a relationship and only recently Chris and I have been invited to their wedding in August.

I love a good wedding.

Anyhow when I did finally get home this morning I was surprised to see yet another two caramel ducklings flopping around in the incubator. Another two eggs are piping away, so by tomorrow we will definitely have 16 ducklings maybe more. Thank god I have several people wanting to buy.

Off now to sit on the loo with Homes and Antiques.

The "D" word

Lovely day again today, fresh and bright after the overnight rain. Was given Breakfast in bed (nice) before chores and I think we are off to see an "open garden" near Wrexham later today. The Church bell is ringing as I give the top potato bed the once over (above),Chris has gone power walking with Janet instead of attending Sunday service, so I can have a mooch around with some proper coffee and enjoy a good day dream.

Most people day dream about fantasy figures don't they? a film star,? a luxury home? a fantastic car? lots of money?

what do I day dream about?....a polytunnell...............what does that make me?....yes answers on a postcard please.

Anyhow no mention of the little D's today (or a photo)........it is hard but I will resist.

Working later on nights.....

Gardening news

It has been raining today, but for once I have not minded as the allotment needed a watering kick, to help get the new veg going. My garden looks lovely as all the aquilegia have recently flowered

I have spent a few hours today weeding row after row of sprouting vegetables. It is a monotonous job, but wonderfully satisfying when it is all completed.

Duck update: Little Fin & the "alien" brood

The final egg from the Ebay runner duck eggs hatched this morning, so we are now up to eight in the brood and 14 ducklings in total. The last little chap is rather small and a bit weak, and although I have decided not to individually name the new comers, I have decided to name this runt duckling "Little Fin" Janet Jones (one of my sister's affable despot allotment chums) will adopt a couple of ducklings and will name them for swaps of vegetables and seedlings, which is a bit of nonsense but fun.
His siblings seem to be happy in their crate, even though I did have a small panic early this morning when the house fuses went and I realised I didn't have a spare bulb to heat the nursery.

Ripley and the others from the first brood are quite perky and double the size they were when born. They and Blanche have been a bit stir crazy today, as they have only been outside in their run for an hour or so. It has been colder and rainy today, and strange as it may seem, ducklings must not get too wet until their feathers have developed on their backs.If they do, they can chill very quickly and die.

More ebay ducklings

We now have seven ebay ducklings, though the advertisement stated at all ducklings would be pure white, which obviously is not the case. I have transferred them all to William's crate/nursery under the heat lamp, their home for a few weeks.One lone egg is left in the incubator, the little chap inside has pipped but not broken through the shell as yet.
Planted leeks into my final gap in the fifth vegetable plot this afternoon.

The Ebay ducklings

At 6 am this morning the first of the ebay ducklings have already arrived, tired and wet but clear of their shells.So far there are four healthy little blighters out of 9 eggs and already another two others have started to chip out of their shells. It remains a magical experience, watching these tiny scraps of fluff start their journey into life, but I know that with two lots of babies to care for, life is going to be busier than ever.

Circle of life

This morning the "Ebay eggs" in the incubator started piping away to themselves quite merrily and tonight there are tiny holes already appearing in three eggs as the second batch of ducklings start their struggle for life in the kitchen rather than under a friendly hen in the hen house.

I have left Chris on duckling watch for most of the day, as I have nipped over to Sheffield to attend Mike's mum's funeral at Grenoside Crematorium. (Right)

I didn't really know Mrs Kilner that well, but I felt it important that I showed my support to Mike and Bev. I know only too well how welcome a friendly face can be at a family funeral.Someone that you know is standing in your corner when things are ropey and a bit bleak. At my mother's funeral I will always remember a beaming Nuala, sending me telepathic messages of affection,support and nervous hysteria from her seat next to Chris. It helped me greatly even though I almost had an attack of the giggles every time I Iooked at her.

The minister that took the service had the thickest Sheffield accent I have ever heard. And the funeral tea (held at the crem itself) felt traditionally Yorkshire in nature, albeit a Yorkshire from the 1960s.I had a chance for a brief chat and a hug with Mike before driving home in the sunshine.

Walked the dogs,watered the crops and am just about to set up William's crate as a makeshift nursery for my hopeful ebay ducklings....

Birth and death eh???

4 Months 3 weeks and 2 days.

Some of the best films I have seen have the ability to communicate multiple ideas and narratives within the telling of one tale or story. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is a case in point. Set in 1987 Romania the film follows the bleak experiences of student Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) as she helps her best friend Găbiţa (Laura Vasiliu) procure and suffer an illegal abortion,but the strength of this film lies not in the termination itself (though this is a terribily cold and effective sequence), but in how it captures the decay and oppression in President Ceauşescu's dying regime.
I loved the way that this film had incredibly long takes in pivotal scenes throughout the story. Subsequently the tension wrought by these made the whole thing very difficult but incredibly riveting to watch.
The best thing I have seen at Theatre Clwyd for quite some time.
(The title refers to the length of Gabita's pregnancy)