Losing Control & losing George

As Chris would swiftly testify, I am a bit of a control freak. I also can be incredibly bossy, but I always think that is a product of an organised mind and a clear vision of what needs to be done! Anyhow I do find it hard letting others assume responsibility for my needs, so today has been a bit of a red letter day for me!.
Steve (the village spokesman) has heard of my need for fencing, so has arranged for some "slightly shopworn" fence and posts to be delivered on Monday. This morning he turned up with an organised vision and good intentions of the pre-pig arrival jobs to be done. With cheerful friend Gary in tow (with his trusty chain saw), the two of them have cleared the bottom hedge borders and debated where was the best place for the pig shed to be placed.
The fat faced elderly farmer has been roped in to help with fence building next week....and it wasn't long before I felt like a character from the barn raising scene from Witness.
Steve, who enjoys a bit of a project, has various ideas regarding gates and pig shade requirements, Gary had his own suggestions, and I suspect the fat faced farmer will throw in his two pence worth on monday...so instead of getting mad with my lack of control....I smiled to myself , made them all tea and gave each a dozen eggs.............

As the workers got on with hedge cutting and planing, I got on with coop clearing. Now Maddie and George spend most of the day with me in the field. They potter and sniff quite happily and even the bad tempered Clover leaves both of them alone.

By 2pm I had finished cleaning the duck house and looked up to check on the dogs. Maddie was sat nearby next to Boris who had been watching me all morning. George was nowhere to be seen. I checked each enclosure, the Graveyard and the road, without success and by the time I re checked each one in turn I was starting to get slightly frantic.
I galloped down the lane to check the cottage, ran around to Mandy's house then Carol's to see if he had ambled off there, then went back to re check the field with a cold dread feeling.
I don't know why I checked inside the main hen coop, but when I did,there was George, sat quite happily amid the wreckage of half a dozen eggs. The little bugger had somehow squeezed himself into the hen house, then from two nesting boxes he had stolen eggs to munch on!
Hybrids Blanche and Raquel Welch were sat rather anxiously in their own boxes ( with eyes like saucers) , so I suspect George was waiting quite patiently for them to move so he could fill his face even more.

Never a dull moment!

Déjà Vu, Pig plans and more snow

You wouldn't think that Spinal Injury and Hospice nursing have a great deal in common, but after I had my interview for bank work at the local hospice, I had the strangest feeling that I was standing in the Princess Royal Spinal Injury Unit back in Sheffield.

The new build, the sense of "quietness" and stillness, and the specialized nature of the place reminded me so much of my old unit it felt a tad uncanny.

I have not heard from the senior nurse as yet, but I do look forward in doing the odd shift over there.

Chris is excited at the prospect of pigs! To be honest I was originally a little sceptical but Chris' enthusiasm finally won me over and made me say "yes" to the delivery of the two sows.

Village Elder Steve, is a wonderfully useful person to know as his contacts has more or less got me my pig fencing,fence posts and other necessary equipment.

Next week I will conscript brother in law Ned and friend Geoff to help move the duck house to the bottom of the field.....pigs and graveyards....do not mix..............

The snow has fallen all afternoon, and the turkeys and ducks all were happy to go back into their warmer houses slightly early this afternoon. Geoff kindly picked Chris up from the station in his 4 wheel drive.

Above pic is William and George in the woods this morning

Cottage History and Albert update

It's early morning and I am writing this with trusty coffee in hand after taking Chris to the station. It's too early and dark to sort the field out and true to form the snow is back with a vengeance.

Arfon stopped me the other day to talk about our cottage's history. He remembers the place very well when he was a child as his aunt Nora lived here. The kitchen window (above) used to be the cottage door, which as you can see opened directly onto the lane. Apparently in ancient days when the cottage was an unofficial "pub", beer was sold to passers by through a small window in the door!

The original cottage was built in 1674 then remodelled in 1864. The inscription of IN VINO VERITAS above the front door refers to cottage's alcoholic history!

Arfon said he will dig some old family photographs of the place. Interestingly, where our small cottage back garden now stands was a cow byre and a pig sty.....as small as the cottage was (is) the place was in fact a small holding complete with cattle, pigs and poultry.

The animals are still coping well with the cold. Above Boris and Gloria are looking rather depressed with the whole snow thing! I will be taking the dogs out early today as I am off to the local hospice for an interview to join their nurse bank, extra shifts will be good as I need to think of organising pig fencing before Birdy and Margo's arrival!

Albert is bouncing back a litttle. Three weeks after his surgery, his leg is incredibly stiff and thin but he is putting a little more weight though it now and is more playfull and assertive with the dogs. As I am writing this he is being dragged around the living room on his back after firmly clasping Meg's beard in his claws.

Parlez-moi de la pluie

I have never been adverse to walking out of a film if it doesn't engage me . Some cinematic experiences have been so dire (I remember one painful viewing of the terrible Dogville (2003) in Sheffield's Showroom) I could have quite easily walked out, then, asked for a my money back AND then demanded compensation for sitting through three hours of pure bullshit.
Tonight's middle class French film (English title : Let's talk about the rain) was such a film. I won't bother giving it a review here, as the whole thing lacked any narrative drive, so after an hour of pure tedium I walked out.......

Pigs!!

Well, two unwanted female pot bellied pigs will be heading our way in a week or so!
The woman owner cannot look after them anymore, so with a bit of creative re arranging of ducks and hens, I am sure I can make room for them.
Friendly, intelligent and benign, Birdy and Margot look as though they will fit in........
I must be mad.....

Snow Pics

Glen Close and icicles

Rhubarb protection on the allotment

The Church Yard from the East

Sunset

one Blog out of thousands....

Ok, there is going to be an overload of blogs documenting the snowy conditions...so I might as well join in!
I was up before dawn walking a confused bunch of dogs in the drifts up the lane, then had to organise shelter for each of the enclosure hen flocks before letting the birds out.
The buffs took a brief look at the snow like old ladies watching a road traffic accident, and remained in their houses sulking and quiet!, true to form the runners galloped around in untidy circles screaming their stupid heads off in the cold.
It took me 2 hours to sort everyone out; the final job was to clean out the duck house and install Boris and Gloria for the day (the duck house is bigger than the tiny turkey house) and now I am drinking a huge cafetiere of hot coffee to warm up
Karen from the feed centre has just rung asking if I would be interested in taking two pot bellied pigs (for nothing).......I 'm thinking about it.
Cancelled Aunt Judy's visit this evening because of the snow.....we have rescheduled dinner for Sunday
(above) The main hen flock looking a little confused at 7.30am this morning

It's only bloody snow!

As usual Britain has come to a complete halt because of a bit of snow! I find it hard to understand that scores of schools have closed early (why?--- they never did when I was a kid), people have left for home at lunchtime (why again? can't people cope with a slightly extended journey?), London buses are no longer running (they did in the war!) and the media is screaming "Disaster!" as if it was a little girl trapped in a lift!...the whole thing smacks of a touch of hysteria!
I got home after work without a problem, had a brief sleep then took Chris to the station to catch a train to Derby before taking the dogs for a very chilly walk on the beach (bottom pic).

I lit the fire early, (Albert was happy) and gave the birds extra warmed mash and some cheap Aldi pasta to keep their spirits up. The field population copes well with cold, but I did take care to fill Bunny's rabbit hutch with extra wood shavings to keep her warm. (She sleeps alone in the hutch as she cannot climb up into the A frame coop with her deformed leg)

I called into the Scala today and asked a rather old but chatty security guard for a programme. He gave me 50 (I have taken them to Jenny in the post office here in Trelawnyd) and I was a tiny bit disappointed to see that the films on show a are all mainstream flicks....having said that most ( with the exception of a few kiddie features) seem to be from the more "intelligent" end of the market......Milk,The Young Victoria, Slumdog Millionaire, etc

hey ho

postscript: 19.58pm.....the snow is very heavy...the lane is now blocked to traffic......we are cut off.........

ohhhhh errrrrrr................................................