Spread too thin

I felt slightly sorry for the Police officer that has recently taken over responsibility for the policing of the village ward. He has 29 villages to cover, is supported by a small team of PCSOs ( plastic policepersons) and obviously has inherited numerous housekeeping problems from each of his small communities.
At the community forum meeting this evening, I tried to be upbeat and supportive, as I recognised his slight desperation at being constrained by policy and protocol, but I did feel that he had a certain lack of background information to hand ;certainly when he was discussing speeding problems through the village.
To many of the older residents of the village, the answer to all problems would be more bobbies on more beats.....and although the Pc said all the right things, I think he never quite reinforced how thin his resources actually are. Working in the nhs for so long, I recognised his library of "proactive" phrases and platitudes, which his referred to constantly, without actually calling a spade....well a spade.
Anyhow after a hour or so, an "action plan " was agreed upon between him and us ( for what it's worth), but I guess his stress levels were somewhat reduced by ticking that audit box after attending yet another community meeting in the first place.....

Duffy does Lulu with a touch of Dusty

There is no denying that Bangor born singer Duffy has a phenomenal voice. Tonight at Manchester's Apollo, she thundered her way through a succession of Northern soul inspired set pieces with a maturity that belies her 24 years, yet apart from a couple of cracking songs, the whole concert seemed rather ....well.............just a little dull.
Duffy sings with some gusto, but she is not really a stage performer who is able to engage and communicate with her audience. I must admit her two limp backing singers ( who looked liked two poorly made over drag queens) didn't really help her and the concert's overall look either.
Better choreography and a more spunky repartee would have made a good night into a great one.
Hazel and I didn't compalin too much as we both got the tickets for nothing....

Louis Xavier Walkden-Williams

It has been a long time since we all went to a family Christening. My mother, rather famously got smashed before the Church service at my great neice's do and berated the vicar for having a"tin" font!...but that is another story for another day to be sure.
Today my Nephew Peter's son, Louis was Christened at the pretty Church in Dyserth, and it was nice to be able to celebrate the in a rather festive style...as both Church and restaurant reflected a Yuletide theme.
Peter is one of the most sociable people you will ever meet, and it was lovely to be included in their day......makes you feel a little old though!

Nephew Chris and partner Rebecca

Ned, Chris and Janet.....

Real Winter ,Boris gets plucked and Chistmas Shopping

It was bloody cold this morning. The frost was thick on the ground and this year's hens seemed confused with the painful temperature of the grass beneath their feet and several of them retired to the warmth of the trees in the churchyard to remain more comfortable.

Gloria has given Boris a bit of a seeing to overnight and during his daily "stag display" it was clearly evident that she had ripped out the very centre feather in his fan tail. Bless he now resembles a toothy grin of an eight year old.....

William had his check up from the vets today and received the all clear. Mind you, it was sobering to hear that the vet didn't think he was going to pull through after his operation.

Chris and I went to a chilly Llandudno this afternoon to break the back of the Christmas shopping. We bought a few bits, had a lovely lunch at Osborne's and then shopped some more. I was driving, so drank coffee, Chris had two large wines and got very chatty on the way home!

With the shopping, cold weather and a slightly bald turkey....it does feel like Christmas

Christmas countdown

The Village Hall was packed this evening, when the old ladies of Trelawnyd held their usual Christmas Fayre. For a pound you got a cuppa and piece of cake (my chocolate sponge disappeared quick sticks) and then had a chance to spend a ton of loose change on various brick-a-brack stalls a beetle drive and raffle.

All the usual suspects were there....Old Mrs Jones from the Pen-y-cefn Isa, Auntie Glad,Pippa,Sylvia, Derek and Heulwyn from the Flower Show committee,Neighbour Trevor,Geoff and Chris (below) and Carole from down the lane with Gwyneth in tow who was sporting a very glam white fur hat.

The whole thing is all rather old fashionably sweet. ....The village school Children massacred a set of Christmas songs, the vicar made a short slightly embarrassed speech of thanks and I bought a jar of pickled onions for 50p.

Geoff and Chris

The excitement is palpable

Is it me or does the guy on the right look like Paul O'Grady?

Gwyneth sporting her new hat (Bought from the Hospice where she says real bargains can be had!)

No False Nostalgia

Being watched closely by the overactive Albert, I have transformed the cottage kitchen into an untidy sort of bakery. I have made an average Victoria sponge and a rather splendid chocolate cake for the village Christmas Fayre tomorrow night and at the moment my first attempt at a Christmas cake is half way through the marathon of a four and a half hour bake! The Yuletide smell of warmed candid peel,lemons and treacle has yet to permeate around the cottage.
The rest of the day has been pretty nondescript. Clover has been flinging me dirty looks all day, but has kept his distance, and poor Bunny (the little black hen with the congenitally damaged hip) has constantly been the object of Rogo's affections...which is worrying as physically her legs are just not up to the onslaught. I think I will separate her from the others and put her in to her own little run along side her sisters tomorrow.
The weather has been awful by the way.
The news has been full of the sudden demise of Woolworths and I must say I couldn't give a fig that it may well disappear from our high streets.

I have no nostalgic memories of Woolies at all. Even as a kid, I never ever really liked the store ( I was a bit snobby even then!), and to this day I have always found it to be---well.... a bit of a mess. I think that most big chains have a certain identity with the public which they have cleverly cultivated over the years. Marks and Spencer's are reassuringly Middle class;Waitrose and John Lewis have buttonholed the luxury market and Tesco does "cheap and value for money ". For years and years now, Woolies seems to have lost its way. Having too many fingers in too many pies,the store has become synonymous with cheapness and throwaway service and its lack of sophistication has become unfashionable with a more fussy shopping public.Personally I am tired of the big eazyjet type colours , logo and plastic 1990's feel.....I kind of prefer our village shop which perhaps sells all the same things crammed high in untidy cardboard boxes on dusty shelves...........

Buff rage

Clover took advantage of my overtired state this morning and launched his first major successful attack!.As I was opening up his hen house, he shot through the poop hole like a fat golden space hopper and pecked me several times sharply on my right hand. I was so surprised by all this, that I toppled backwards into the mud, and galvanised by my embarrassment and moment of weakness he let fly with a few karate style drop kicks, in an effort to finish me off.
By this time the rest of the buffs had tumbled out of the hen house to watch, and I found myself strangely worried that they might judge by lacklustre fighting performance!
Testosterone filled cockerels must be dominated as soon as they show bullying behaviour, so I immediately counter attacked with a sweeping kick to his backside. Amid a shower of yellow feathers, Clover was launched airborne with a loud "cluck!", and he landed with a bang on top of the little Buffs outdoor run.
I then pressed my advantage ( and started to feel slightly guilty as I remembered that hens have the brain power no larger than the average peanut) and gave him a hard slap on the rump for good measure.
Defeated and shamed he stalked off muttering to himself as Lily climbed up onto my knee with open and undisguised admiration
.

Thoughts of past housewives

Today I have made two dozen mince pies for Christmas and have hidden them away at a neighbours' so that Chris won't get his sticky fingers on them, I have also shopped for the ingredients for this years Christmas cake which I hope to get sorted tomorrow, as I am working tonight.
During all this home baking and home making, I got to thinking of perhaps how hard it must have been for women of my grandmother's generation to sort out everything at home. I sort out the home and the animals with all the benefits of washing machines,house hold gadgets, constant hot water, a car, supermarkets and a more importantly a wish to do it all, but even though, I can appreciate that there just is not enough hours in the day to do what needs doing

So today is case in point.

I have fed and watered 78 animals, cleaned out four hen houses and tidied our own cottage, walked William twice separate from the others so that his sutures were not pulled, walked the other three dogs twice also (once on the beach) shopped, baked the mince pies, cleaned the bog, ran down the lane with the neighbours to round up escapee hens ( including Nonnie, one of the beautiful Broody Nolan chicks below pic). I have also made Chris' diner, wrapped a load of Christmas gifts, collected and delivered some eggs,polished the silver and cut some disgusting "cling-ons" from Meg's bum.......

Thank god we don't have Children......how did women cope? Bugger only knows