Pig prison break II, Pumpkins and BNP thoughts

Morning brought me the now "usual" scene of the escapee pigs tucking into the bird food yet again! They have eaten over eight kilos in just over two days, and now look slightly constipated with the drastic change of diet!
Having said that, all it took was a fairly sharply shouted swear word from me, and both pigs turned on their trotters and ambled back to their enclosure with a smug, slightly swaggering air.
All morning I have reinforced their fencing yet again.......if they get out once more I swear I will land mine the surrounding grassed area.
Above is Gladys just after she discarded her favourite "toy", a disgusting and dirty tarpaulin! she has been dragging it around after herself for days now and even slept with it last night.

The rest of the day I have been completing necessary jobs in between chatting to neighbours. The red faced Welsh farmer called around for a chin wag and I spent a useful few moments helping Trevor with his Internet worries (I always like helping the 80 year old silver surfer as he always rewards me with a welcomed snickers bar!!)
This evening I have made the obligatory pumpkin lantern from my spares on the field, the fire is lit and the cottage is warm and welcoming......and speaking of pumpkins my thoughts have drifted to the BNP leader's fiasco of last night's Question Time.

Question Time made for electrifying television last night. I found it fascinating that Nick Griffin thought that the other panel members would have given him an uninterrupted free range to peddle his watered down fascist immigration ideas without touching upon his awful documented statements on gay relationships, the validity of the Holocaust and his support for the Klu Klux Klan.
As it turned out the more articulate and obviously well prepared panel and audience turned on him and foolishly, time and time again he let the veneer of professionalism slip to show his real bigoted colours (I had to laugh when he said the sight of two men kissing was slightly creepy!"---the sight of Mr Griffin kissing anyone, to me would be ever creapier) Anyhow, I am glad that despite his best efforts to reinforce his party's stance on immigration, it was left to a conservative Muslim woman (Baroness Warsi) to propose the only detailed policy on the subject.
I suspect that most of the followers of the BNP will see in the debate what they wanted to, and to be honest, as a moderate lefty, so did I....but I do so hope that those people that used their vote for the BNP as a tactical move to comment on justified worries of overpopulation and unchecked immigration, will now see the party for what it truly is.
I listened to LBC with interest this morning, and several BNP Supporters that called James O'Brien did admit to being shocked at the "previous" behaviour and statements by Nick Griffin....which were highlighted by audience, panel and indeed a smoking David Dimbleby!
Having said that, there were many others that rang in support of his ideas on immigration.....perhaps they did not hear the too few too late policy discussed by Baroness Warsi....
Anyhow, Griffin just didn't cut the mustard in the debates. and looked suitably uncomfortable when challenged by the likes of the gracious Bonnie Greer....his dreams of being taken seriously within a grown up political forum were for me, quite clearly dashed.......I hope so hope they were.........and for good..............

Smart pigs, pies and Nick Griffin

I have been re repairing the pig enclosure all morning, with a whole set of new stakes and sledgehammer it has been rather lumberjack-ish on the field!
Last night with smartness governed by the love of food, both girls broke through their fencing yet again, and set off on a raiding party to fill their faces with the chickens' layers pellets from the plastic feed hopper.
Unfortunately for the girls, I witnessed their break for freedom and cut them off at the pass, as it were, with a hastily grabbed yellow yard brush.
As Gladys (above) trotted up past the allotments, grunting excitedly to herself I jumped into view with the hated brush in hand.
Immediately she stopped dead, gave me the once over and realised that the game was up (If she could of muttered "oh shit" under her breath, I think she would have done!).
She also realised that she was in for the usual wrestling match and brush pushing in order for me to return her to the pig enclosure, so with tail stiffly erect, she let out a piercing scream and legged it!
Nora, who is larger and fatter than Gladys,was just squeezing herself through the hole in the fence and forewarned by Gladys' hysteria, immediately backed up and returned to her hut like a naughty little girl.
For me this was lucky as for the next 20 minutes I had to concentrate on cornering Gladys and with the yellow brush held in front of me like Alec Guinness with his light sabre from Star wars and rather expertly (I thought) ambushed her by the Jerusalem artichokes.Victoriously I then gave her a sharp smack on the rump which sent her screaming back to the pig pen in defeat!
Pigs just like dogs, know exactly when they have done something wrong
This afternoon, I made the most of local produce and picked a load of blackberries from the hedgerows. Now, I am not the best of cooks but even though I do say so myself I am a passable pastry cook, so I knocked up a blackberry and apple pie for tea with the ease of Mrs Bridges from Upstairs downstairs!
Is there no end to my talents?

This evening I will watch Question Time on tv with some interest. Nick Griffiin the odious BNP leader will I am sure manipulate his way to some sort of credibility during the televised discussion programme, and will I am certain hide that dark side of the party in favour of pandering to middle Britain's fear and irritation of immigration.
I hope that the other panel members highlight the BNP leader's "dark" disgust in gay rights issues and his denial that the holocaust never actually took place...perhaps then people will actually see him for what he actually represents!
Racist and homophobic scum!

Katyn (2007)

Katyn (2007) was a disappointment. Despite considerable critical acclaim, both Hazel and I found the narrative a little confusing and strangely devoid of an emotional punch, which is strange as the story of the massacre of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet forces in 1940 and the subsequent "fight" of blame between the Russian and German Armies couldn't be made up.

There were flashes of interest along the way ( some beautiful shots of the prisoners shut away in a local church) but not enough to stop us walking out three quarters of the way through the movie...which is a shame

Ghost?

I don't scare easily in my own environment.....The field is attached to the ancient graveyard and I can quite happily walk from one to the other in the dark without getting that teenage "horror film" prickly panic in the back of my neck that used to initiate that flight/fight reaction of running back up the stairs to bed!

Having said that certain horror films can freak me out, especially ones that incorporate suspense rather than pure horror.....The Blair Witch Project (1999),El orfanato The Orphanage (2007) and El espinazo del diablo The Devil's Backbone(2001) are prime examples of movies that have had me screaming like a girl!

Last night I experienced a repeat of a sort of a ghostly phenomenon. When I take the dogs out for their last "wee" break, we all have a wander up the lane parallel to the six foot Church wall, a couple of times now the dogs have stopped "dead" as we pass the garden of a bungalow which is situated right next to the Church gate. All four have not been frightened , they do not bark or growl ( with the exception of Maddie who always growls very quietly), but on three occasions they have paused to stare at a point in the garden which is away from any bush or tree but is around my eye level.

The moment lasts only a few long seconds, but it is unnerving in the respect that all four dogs react in the same way, and at the same spot! and William has been intrigued enough to sit and stare...which is very normal for Welsh terriers when they see something they don't understand.

Have I an answer to it? No I haven't. Always there is nothing to for me to see or hear to concern myself

Am I that bothered about it?

Not really, but I have found the repeat of this experience (albeit only three times in four years) somewhat strange........

Did I hurry back to the cottage afterwards....without a backward glance?....no I didn't....you try running down the lane with two scotties......they wont be rushed even with the devil behind them!

Still snotty today, but certainly better. I will be delivering a spare cockerel to a customer later . One of my old black "hookers" is looking a little droopy this morning and I suspect she is fading somewhat..I have treated her with some antibiotics and poultry tonic....but I guess old age is just catching up with her...

Off to the cinema at Theatre clwyd later to see the Polish film Katyn ....review later

Note

Billy Wilder once said
“You have to have a dream so you can get up in the morning.”
nuff said

Strong Women

In nursing you constantly see people in crisis and I have invariably found that it is the women of the family that take the lead where the delivery of strength and support is concerned.
Northern Britain has a historical and traditional stereotype of the powerhouse matriarch being vital for the family's survival and already this week I have seen examples of this time and time again.
Two neighbours have been dealing with chronic and debilitating family illnesses with some ingenuity and without complaint, and one in particular constantly manages to support not only a sick partner but every community event and village event without fail. The strength of these people under duress can be surprising to say the least.
I met my sister in law this afternoon for coffee, and again the traditional "Northern strength" of wife and mother was more than evident during our conversation.
People , I have found often underestimate their own ability to cope and their talents to forge ahead with problems..........my neighbours and especially my sister in law take note,,, you are doing a cracking job x,

My Father's son

My father loved local council matters. Give him a committee meeting, a gavel and a group of like minded locals and he would as blissfully happy as a pig eating cheap white bread.
I never thought it possible, but I am beginning to share his "interest" in things called "council" Mind you my interest does lie more within the sphere of community council matters rather than at the Governmental levels, Chris and I attended another of the community council's "open " meetings this evening and we were interested to see how some local issues and concerns had been handled !!!! . I think in future I will exercise my right as a member of the public to sit in to future meetings....I have a terrier's nose and want to learn as much as possible what is said and to whom!.
Mind you I coughed and spluttered my way through this evening's meeting.....hopefully this bloody cold will be my first and last "bug" of the winter

Animal Update

Dogs can be mischievous. of this I am certain! Years ago I was always delighted in the way that Finlay, our first Welsh terrier would playfully kick at old Joan the cat as he passed her and today I witnessed William amusing himself in a similar way with a chap delivering flyers.
The dogs sit on the window seat of the upstairs bedroom in between walks, and from their advantage point can see all the activity on the lane.
As the delivery chap ambled into view, I watched William bounce off his seat and trot quickly down the stairs. He jumped onto the couch, peeped through the window, then silently went to the door with his nose pressed against the letterbox, tail wagging frantically.
Seconds later the stiff letter box opened and the flyer and a set of fingers poked through. Without a bark, William sat up and playfully grasped a digit, and through the small glass window in the door, the effect on the man was immediate and hysterical, as he literally bounced back into the air snatching his hand away from the letterbox with a muffled shriek!
Obviously happy at this violent reaction William then galloped around in a tight circle, beaming in pleasure! It was a lovely moment to watch
Anyhow, my cold is coming to a head today, and I have been literally streaming! I would have loved to have stayed in bed with a good book, but the sun has been shining so I have cleaned out 4 hen houses, delivered eggs and sweetcorn around the village, disinfected the chick cages out in the shed and weeded the entire front garden before washing windows, doing housework and clearing the paths and weeds from the lane. As snotty as I am it has been lovely to be outside

Albert watching the gardening

The turkey chicks are now over a month old, and like William are becoming playful and full of themselves. They are simply quite delightful! For the longest time I opened their cage and waited for them to amble slowly over in their slightly depressive way to sit on my lap, and the five of them played quite happily pecking at my fingers and jumper! Seeing me fawning over these quirky little birds, made the passing postman shake his head in pity!

The guinea fowl chicks couldn't be more different from the turkey poults. Nervous and hyperactive, as soon as they sense danger they burst out of their standing positions like popcorn out of a pan! and within a fraction of a second the air is filled with tiny, fluffy bodies bouncing off the walls with scary abandon! Gawd help me when they get bigger
,