Nuala and Me

Nuala and I up in the Hilton cocktail lounge...forgive my hair AND my big red forehead!

Touching base with Nuala is as necessary to me as breathing.There is always a certain something missing in my life when I have not seen her for a long time. We met up yesterday at the National Portrait Gallery at 11am and talked non stop (with a break for Sister Act of course) until 11pm.
During the day, we also had lunch at Covent Garden,a cocktail at the top of the Hilton Hotel in Paddington (with fantastic views over London), and a wonderful Indonesian meal on the way back to West Ealing.
Nuala always has the unfailing ability to make every visit special and enjoyable. I had a lovely, lovely time!

My favourite painting at the BP portrait exhibition "Georgie" by Mary Jane AnsellThis morning I mooched around the South Bank, National film Theatre and the obligatory John Lewis.........I managed to change my train home, good job too, there were delays on several routes north

Sister Act

You couldn't help liking Sister Act.............wisecracking Nuns, a sardonic Mother Superior and a plot line that wouldn't tax a five year old; this " new" musical fashioned from the 1990s film is the froth on top of a milkshake.....it is pure rubbish of course and slightly disappointingly different from the movie, which seemed to concentrate more on the "journey" made by the dreadfully dull Los Angeles inner city choir than the huge, glittery habit shimmering group numbers we now have on stage.
I must admit I did prefer the more uptempo hymns of the film rather than the Disney-esque libretto of the musical but there was plenty else to enjoy on the way.
Patina Miller stands her own against Whoopie Goldberg's original Deloris Van Cartier- the lounge singer who is hidden by the police in an inner city convent and is a true star in the making, but it is the mischievous performance by an aging Julia Sutton (who plays the Mary Wicks role from the film) that almost steals the show.
At the end the audience was standing and cheering for the wonderfully exciting and innovative staging spectacle and when when the Pope rises slowly from the orchestra pit to salute the singing nuns the place went wild...........it is at that stage there is only one thing to do, and that is to sit back laugh and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Up Early

I feel like I did when I was a kid going on a school trip!
Wonder if I will eat by packed lunch minutes after I leave Prestatyn station??
Off to London now back tomorrow night.
Thanks to all the field helpers

Clover returns & a logistical nightmare

Bill who took Clover last week called around today, worried and apologetic. The cockerel had not been able to settle with his hens, had not eaten for days and unfortunately looked limp and very ill. He asked if I could take the poor chap back, and of course I said I would.
Bill, like myself, lives for his hens and treats them professionally and with much care.
Poor Clover, he looked dreadfully ill when he arrived, and although I suspected it was the shock of being separated from Poppy and his usual surroundings that precipitated this depressive look, I also thought that the shock had made the poor cockerel susceptible to some sort of infection or illness. (above pic Clover is on the left)
I treated him for worms, gave him some antibiotics and set him up with Poppy, who danced around a bit but did not spar or attack his brother,( which is rare as poultry often are very "cruel" with flock mates who are ill.) I also gave him some cat food and pasta which he ate, politely.
I am loath to go away tomorrow in some ways, as the poor chap, I feel should be watched and treated closely.

Anyhow tomorrow I am off to London to catch up with Nuala. I can't wait! I will meet her at the National Portrait Gallery ( there is an exhibition of photos entitled "Gay Icons" which should be interesting) then we are off to see Sister Act-the musical (camp or what?)..then off for a bite to eat and gossip till late! Thursday I will have mooch around the Tate and South Bank, then meet her afterwork before coming home on the late train (which is also the cheapest!!) all in all I will be away for 2 whole days!!!!!!!!!
I couldn't go to London without the goodwill of friends and a organisational effort of gigantic proportions! Carole and Ewan will babysit the dogs each day, whilst Mandy from next door will make sure the ducks and hens will have a top up of water in the hot weather. Geoff kindly is feeding the pigs and putting the poultry to bed on Thursday night and Chris will complete all the other jobs.
I have slaved back and forth this evening putting out extra feed bowls and water containers in each enclosure and have filled all the feeders almost to over flowing! Apart from leaving the hens a little personal note, there is very little else I can do
The weather is going to be hot and dry over the next few days, so I have had to soak as much of the allotment that is possible. With all of the buffs now broody and with Clover sick, I know I am taking a chance going to London but I want and need to go! I don't get too many chances to meet up with Nu.

Catch up

There is one thing worse than being worried about and that is not being worried about! This evening two old friends Nige and Jonney H, called to check up on me. They had read last weeks blog and thought I was not my usual bouncy "Rebecca of Sunny Brook Farm self!!"....
I am glad they called......we had such a good chin wag, I was late for locking up the hens!

Ok..Ok it's a pig update

One of my blog readers have complained I have not blogged much about Gladys and Nora. so I thought I would give you a brief update on them both.
As you can see the extra tit bits from locals ( bread in particular) has had the desired effect on their waistlines and both girls have put on an acceptable amount of weight.....to be honest I now have to be careful about what else they eat as pot bellied pigs can become obese very easily.
Compared with my other animals the pigs lead rather a bland and unassuming life. They eat, drink, bicker occasionally and sleep...and boy do they sleep!......at least 95% of their day is earmarked for their straw filled bedroom in the old duck house.
In the few months they have been with me, they have become tamer and more accepting of my presence and touch..but still they sleep all day every day.
They remind me of Joan and Betty our old cats........always present in the background but more often than not overshadowed by the more excitable and showy animals......
(pic) Nora trying to pull the Sainsbury's bag out of my pocket!

The Circle of life (perhaps Disney would make an allotment film?????)

Finally the rain has come, and although fine weather has been forecast for today, a light drizzle has quenched the thirst of all 5 of my vegetable beds, which had been dry, dusty and lacking that deep, deep green of early summer.

I let all of the hens out into the wet this morning and counted all of them out into the field. As I was dragging the broody buffs off their eggs in an effort to make them drink and eat, I caught sight of Albert standing over a small body in the grass.

He looked at me as if to say "I didn't do anything", and I walked over to fine one of my original hens, (one of the last Andrew's sisters) collapsed on the ground.

It is a sad but inevitable fact that the hybrids are well past their sell by dates now and all of them will be shuffling off this mortal coil very soon. but at least I have provided them a huge,green and generally peaceful environment in which to live out their days....

The mist and rain feeding the allotment this morning

Feeling safe

I like routine I always have,I guess this fits in with my tendency to OCD and my need to cross off the lines of mental and written lists I make for myself daily.
The animals all have their own (natural and imposed) routines and I kind of enjoy how they tend to dovetail into my life.
Every morning Albert appears from his sleeping hideaway to catch me (and this is not too savoury a fact!!) on the loo! Without fail he will saunter up and wrap his paws around my hand and standing on his back legs he will rub his face against mine. I would enter a photo of the event here but taste and decency prevents me.
It shouldn't surprise anyone that the two groups of runners, being totally neurotic and constantly hysterical, have a fundamental need to adhere to routines. When they are faced with anything (and I mean anything) different from the norm they fly into tantrums of Bonnie Langford-esque proportions. Last night was a case in point. As usual they were lining up to return to their duck house, but because I was working until 8pm and didn't get on the field until 8.45 ( three quarters of an hour late!) a low grade anxiety and hysteria had started to build.
All their heads were up and the nervous quacking has commenced and the" let's run around in tight circles and panic" mode kicked in full force, as they spied that I had left a small trowel (yes TROWEL!!!!!) on top of the duck house. Only when I removed the offending article did they enter their house, muttering loudly to themselves as they did so! I could quite happily slap each and every one of them!

(above is the nearly full grown ducklings-still neurotic and screaming!)

This evening we are off to the Crown (Which has re opened recently) for an early dinner. I have promised to dress smartly.....Chris' stress levels couldn't take me looking my normal scruffy self

The 12 chicks in their run

Blanche and the rapidly growing Haleh in their run