Having another field day

Well after the glitz and glamour of the Oscars, it is back to wellie wearing normality today! This morning I have re painted the pig shed ( do you like the matching draft curtain?) and it has been a somewhat difficult job because of a slightly over active pig.
Norma is the largest and most confident pig. She also seems to have a fetish for sucking and biting wellington boots, a habit which is slightly irritating when you are painting a shed in her enclosure. Gladys on the other hand is the sweetie of the two. Shy and more oriental looking, she ambled up to me from time to time to squint directly up into my face, as if to work out exactly who I was. Satisfied I was a safe bet, she then ambled off grunting loudly to herself.
I think both girls are slightly underweight for their size (reading about these pigs reinforces how difficult it actually is to maintain their ideal weight), but by the number of small parcels of fruit, and bread left on the cottage wall by interested neighbours, I have a feeling that they will be built up nicely in no time)
This afternoon I have started the huge job of repairing the rabbit damage to the poultry fencing. The bantams have totally outgrow their run now, so I have taken a chance and have let them out with Rogo and the other young hens. The tiny speckled bantams are lovely characters and quite happily let me catch them to worm. They are the size of a large blackbird, so are ripe for chicken bullying (more common than you may think)....I will try and keep a motherly eye on them
When I was repairing the duck fencing, I felt as though I was playing what's the time Mr Wolf! with Boris, as every time I sat up after working he was literally millimetres away, breathing heavily like a dirty old man and rubbed his chest against the back of my coat in a rather suggestive way!.
In actual fact, he was acting like a dirty old man, cos minutes later he cornered the now responsive Gloria, and shagged her like a good 'un!
Spring is definitely in the air!

I made a ton of savory and sweet pancakes for tea.....is there no end to my talents?

IN MEMORIAM 2009

Last night I kept up with the news of the academy awards by constanting ordering all the nurses' bloods on the computer on Intensive Care!!! As I was doing so, I could sneak a quick look at the BBC Oscar update!
By 4 am one doctor was getting impatient for a particular form..and I had to yell at him that I was waiting for the Winslet result and he would have to wait!!
Chris is ballroom dancing again tonight with Janet, so I have had an emotional romp watching memoriams from the academy awards!!! they always make me cry!!!!

Why I like Kate Winslet

I do like Kate Winslet. I have always liked her since I saw her portrayal of the pouting Marianne Dashwood in Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility over fourteen years ago now!
There is something quite robust and likable about Winslet. She has all the essentially nice qualities possessed by a middle class public school girl. She is a self depreciating,fiercely intelligent,fun loving, ever-so-jolly, spirit that won the war character, who looks absolutely fab in a designer gown. She likes a drink, does her own shopping and I always think that she would be able to roll her sleeves up in a crisis.
Kate Winslet is also a fine actor, she deserved Yesterday's Oscar for The Reader, indeed she should have won the statuette for the incredibly moving Finding Neverland in (2004) and the bleak version of Little Children in (2006).
Yesterday it was her turn to receive the plaudits, and in characteristic style she bounced a few "Thank yous!"around before asking her dad to whistle at her so she could find him the crowded auditorium. It was a nice, relaxed and obviously well thought out touch of normality.......

Gomorrah

I was excited at the prospect in watching the Italian film Gomorra (2008), as every single review seemed to rave about this violent, mafia story set amongst the underclass of Naples, but I was terribly disappointed by the whole thing.

Ok, the story of the "lower levels" in Mafia life (grubby drug addict thugs) does seem a long way from the stereotypes seen in the Godfather which is refreshing, and the energy of the film does mirror the innovative Cidade de Deus (City of God) but generally I found the documentary style of Gomorra and the lack of empathy or even interest in the characters and their lives somewhat distancing.

If an audience is unable to engage with the people they see on the screen, well then you might as well walk out and buy yourself a coffee!

6/10

Working tonight

Gladys

To answer Steven...Auntie Glad is not a blood relative, but she is somewhat of a local celebrity in the village. A diminutive powerhouse of energy she is the widow of "Bob the railway" who lives in the old private school house in Trelawnyd. She caters for the entire Male voice choir (scones, tea in mugs for the men), helps run our Flower show ( selling thousands of raffle tickets by marching around every village in the district, knocking on doors!) and supports every single social/community event without hesitation.
When I opened up the allotment last year, and despite the torrential rain, she marshalled the old ladies of the village and made her way down to the field to support the event....

The old ones ARE the best

Isn't youtube entertaining?

The Badger pit and Auntie Glad meets her namesake

Sometimes you come across the dark side of human nature in the most unexpected of places. This afternoon I took the dogs up the Gop and around one of their favourite sniffing points (a huge badger set on the north side of the burial mound) George pointed out a large deep hole alongside the entrances. The hole was square around four feet deep and four feet wide. At the bottom was an opened up badger run and it was obvious that badger baiters had been at work.
The run had been opened up by spades, a badger had been pulled out, probably by a dog and the pit had been used as a fighting pen. It was a sorry pathetic sight. A body of a badger was lying nearby mangled and ripped, God only knows what agonies the poor thing had been subjected to. A fellow dog walker saw me walking down from the scene and he told me that the police had been informed of the situation. I just hope they can catch these bastards that think this type of this is fun and acceptable!

On a brighter note, Auntie Glad called down to the cottage this afternoon to drop off some scones. I took her into the field to meet her namesake and she was tickled pink at the sight of the fat, black sow!! Both pigs have been spoilt this afternoon (above is a photo of Nora sucking up Chris' homemade Stilton and broccoli soup!)

Pig update

The pigs have settled in nicely. Throughout the day I have tried them with various bits and pieces from the kitchen! They love apples and went slightly hysterical over an over ripe banana! but didn't like slices white bread (preferring it in bits! rather than in a full slice)
I doubt they have seen a chicken before either! as when Mildred Pierce made the sin of walking across their enclosure both galloped over to give her a slightly frightened once over sniff!
I photographed the snow drops in the Churchyard before getting a picture of some baby rabbits onto of the Church wall (look closely at the pic)...... at least some rabbits survived the myxomatosis outbreak