Saved

Today, the closure list of Welsh post offices was published.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7529179.stm
Our tiny shop and post office was not on the list and it was lovely to hear that at least for now, it has survived.

L'Heure d'ete and good manners

Heure d'été, L' (2008) (English title Summer hours) isn't an easy film to concentrate upon. A talky subtitled film often means that the audience is concentrating upon the written word and the characters rather then the narrative or cinematography, and Summer Hours has the added complication of possessing a cracking, almost manic pace in the first two reels or so....
The story is pure Chekov and couldn't be simpler. An old woman dies. Her three children argue, very gently, about whether to sell the family home and her much beloved art collection.
Like Chekov, it is all very talky, but director Olivier Assayas and the actors inject a deep sense of attachment and affection between the fragmented siblings that is central to the story. Juliette Binoche had the most difficult role as the slightly colder sister Adrienne and does not quite elicit the sympathy of the audience as the more likable brothers do (Charles Berling and the dishy Jérémie Renier) but as a study of the relationships between siblings as they say goodbye to their childhood memories, the film is sweet enough.
My favourite scene in this dialogue heavy movie is strangely a silent one. The empty house of the family matriarch is locked and cold, and outside the loyal elderly house keeper Eloise (a warm and benign Isabelle Sadoyan) quietly gazes through each window with a sad dignity.
It is a beautiful, moving and powerful scene.
Anyhow I went over to Manchester to see the film at the Cornerhouse Cinema and stayed with Nigel, which is always nice.
Nigel is reassuringly old fashioned as he always looks after his visitors so very well. Food is prepared, guest towels are laid out and beds are neatly clean and tidy. It seems a small thing, but is indeed a much welcomed and appreciated treat. I was tired but had a great evening.

Not complaining

It was incredibly hot and humid this morning, even though a sudden downpour threatened to make things a little more bearable. I didn't get a chance to go to bed, so got stuck with cleaning out the turkeys,chicks, buffs and ducks.Walked the dogs, collected the poultry veg, mowed the lawn (long over due) and made Chris tea ( he was very sweet over the weekend and did all the housework yesterday- when I was suffering from the hangover from hell)

William managed to squeeze into the coal house yet again and looked like a scruffy black Labrador,, so had to be bathed in between it all.
I am off to Manchester later to catch up with Nige. He has booked some tickets for a film at the Cornerhouse, then will be back home early tomorrow morning.

The house seems incredibly quiet without old Joan.

Trophy Hangover

It was a glorious day for the Flower Show yesterday, and in between the Show, I sorted tons of work out in the field in preparation for the open evening. The lavender looks lovely and will be in full show for the day.

I didn't realise that I actually won a shield for my collection of amateur veg, so the huge trophy has taken pride and place on the window ledge.In way of celebration Chris organised cooked salmon on an outside grill and we had a couple of bottles of wine. (Carol from across the road joined us with another bottle of wine and a bottle of pimms)- so we all sat in the field until late (like some sad collection of Hoodies)--hence the hangover from hell

The Prestatyn Mayoress looked as though she is about to burst into song with Ann and Janet Jones as Flower show backing singers.

Working tonight, so am going to walk the dogs now, collect some turkey pellets then retire to bed again like some Bette Davies type figure.

hey ho

....And the winner is?

Well I finally won a trophy at the Flower Show ! My amateur " vegetables in a box" display bagged first, and my glorious cabbage and vegetable trug won third prizes each, so I was pretty happy. Janet won second for cut flowers and best kept garden, and Hazel ( well her mum actually) grabbed second in the jams.
We had blow outs with the granny's basket, and my cakes of course (Auntie Gladys and Geoff fared no better by the way which is a shame), but at least most of us all got something.

I love the build up to the flower show, probably more than the event itself. The joy,anticipation and satisfaction of completing each entry is only slightly surpassed by people watching on the day itself, as so many locals take the competition so very seriously, (But they would never admit it to ANYONE that this was in fact the case)

Anyhow after the show, Chris and I went to the little Italian at the top of town and had a lovely meal. The waitress that works there, is a delightfully over-the top but dreadfully polite student nurse (mental health) who states that everything is "fabulous, fabulous and FABULOUS" Her gauche sweet nature is incredibly cute and actually made our evening. It was a nice celebration to an enjoyable day.

Boris, Grace , a death wish dog and The Prestatyn Flower Show Preparation

I had not realised just how pretty and cute baby turkeys are until today.. At 8 am. I picked up my free Norfolk Bronze chicks from a very grateful patients relative,(who apologetically pointed out that the box they were housed in was a microwave oven box) and soon got them settled in the shed. Although only 5 weeks old, they stalk around with that undertaker type amble so characteristic of the adults, and look dreadfully serious even though they "peep peep" quite sweetly. Next to the buff chicks they are quite wonderful. I have christened them Boris and Grace.
Geoff and Christine have been very sweet, and have given me their newly constructed hen house to house the newcomers. It was a very welcomed gesture, and I know Geoff can knock up another bespoke coop in record time before his hens arrive.

I have struggled to get all my entries ready for the Flower Show tomorrow, but finally (it is now 10.45 pm) all have been either, dug up, cut down,cooked,baked and arranged within an inch of their lives. Janet and Ned were going to Tatton Park for the day, so dropped off the hyperactive Jess for me to babysit. Now after walking all the dogs up the Gop my dogs were all ready for a sit down and a snooze as usual, but Jess, excited at the prospect of having four mates on tap to play with, was having non of it. As I spent the morning cleaning and trimming my show vegetables, all five dogs raced around the cottage like lunatics, and only seconds after I heard the galloping "thump-thump" of them racing up into the bedroom, I was a little worried when there was nothing but silence.

When I reached the bedroom, I caught William, Meg ,Maddie and George all milling around vaguely, with Jess no where to be seen. The cottage bedroom window was wide open and there standing on the garden wall ( and gazing excitedly at the field's hens) was Jess, with her tongue as usual lolling happily out of the side of her mouth. The bloody fool in her excitement had actually fallen from the first story window ( and by the look of my flowers, had landed on my lily -of -the- valley) and rather surprisingly was totally unhurt.

Oh the stress of babysitting

thoughts

The humid and summer-like weather has lasted all day. Tonight William has exhausted himself in the heat and actually fell asleep sat up. For a variety of reasons I took a rain check on my Sheffield trip today. The main reason was a very poor pay slip, and luckily Mike really understands being skint, so we will re schedule for next month.
Tomorrow will be set aside for the Flower Show preparations (my show nemesis Hazel has shipped her kids off on Grandma so she has a similar free run at her entries and hopes to whip my ass come the judging), so today I have cut the grass in most of the field and delivered all of the other local allotment open invitations
. I have two turkey chicks coming tomorrow (free from a grateful relative of a patient), but still have no housing for them. For the short term both can go into the shed, so I am excited that apprentice Geoff has finished his own hen coop and has promised to knock up a small turkey house . His coop is an impressive structure (see below) and a bargain at under 45quid. I am secretly envious at his newly acquired skill

Some good news

Today I have started to plan for the Prestatyn Flower show on Friday, and it is nice to be pottering around. This morning I have planted and staked some dewberry bushes in the allotment and have written the allotment open invitations for selected villagers.Chris also needed running to the station as he is off to Glasgow on a conference

This afternoon I have bought various ingredients ready for cake baking and flan cooking on Thursday evening.and have made list after list to get things organised and sorted. Tomorrow I am off to Sheffield to see Mike, so I will only have Thursday night to sort out around 15 entries.

I cleaned the kitchen table of clutter and gave the tablecloth a good airing. Had a very sad moment when the whole kitchen was filled with Joan's shedded hair from off her blanket which always perched on the corner of the table.The place seems rather quiet without her noisy yowling, but I know the old girl had a charmed healthy life right until her final day, indeed she had only visited the vets twice in her life. Once for neutering and once for a removal of a broken tooth. Not bad for 20 years.

I have decided that I would like another cat at some stage, a house does not feel quite right to me without the quiet presence of a cat sunning itself on a chair or window ledge but I will get a grown cat next time from the rescue unit, and one that has "experience" of dogs. All four terriers were good with Joan but needed a strong willed cat to put them in their place before any trouble started.

Anyhow the buff girls that looked so poorly a day or so ago, seemed to have perked up in the shed overnight. (I had put the heat lamp on them and fed them with tit bits as well as the antibiotic powder the vet had given me)

I have replaced them back into their run with the others this afternoon.