What next...Lorraine Kelly?
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First Cup of coffee Blog
Well I have posted this photo of Boris in reply to a request from Joanna. Boris is now 18 months old and is just starting to show the signs of real manhood as he is posturing with attitude at any given perceived threat to himself, Gloria and strangely any one of the six remaining runner ducks.He is also not limiting his intimidation to strangers and Chris (of course) but is on occasion now giving me a quick peck or one of his well aimed karate kicks.
I have found that you have to jump on any male aggression very quickly with hormone filled roosters, so I have followed suit with Boris, whenever he has "performed" immediately I have picked him up and walked around with him under my arm. Now cockerels will eventually succumb to this show of dominance and will go limp on you after a minute or so, but this morning I have found it is a little more difficult with Boris.......only for the fact that he weighs a bloody ton!
I staggered around with him in my arms for a good 5 minutes before dropping him on the grass and limping back in to the house for the first cup of coffee of the day! These animals will be the death of me.
When I got back to the kitchen I could have wept, the floor resembled a Jackson Pollock painting! as Albert had somehow stepped into the remains of the chicken korma I had thoughtfully left out on the side in the slow cooker, and had daintily tiptoed orange sauce over every surface. Not to be outdone William had added to the carnage by dragging a plastic bag of rubbish from the kitchen table and had shredded the contents in search of cat food.
Suffice to say I am now sat in the lounge with a coffee......I need a caffeine kick before I face the kitchen and indeed the rest of the day
Albert update & Frozen River
Finally Hazel and I caught up with a cracking little film at Theatre Clwyd this evening. Frozen River (2008) is a taut and finely observed story of Ray Eddy ( Melissa Leo) a trailer trash mom, who has fallen on hard times when her Indian husband runs off with the family' life savings. By several twists of fate she falls in with a disgraced Indian girl called Lila ( Misty Upham) and becomes involved in illegally trafficking immigrants over the US border before both women redeem themselves by finally "doing the right thing"
Leo is quite, quite stunning as the worn out but still battling mother and attacks her role with a braveness which is at times quite heartbreaking. Tattoo covered ,saggy chested and with nicotine stained skin, Melissa Leo's unlikely hero is every bit as tough as cinematic fighting mothers such as Gena Rowlands' famous tough cookie in Gloria (1980) or Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in Aliens (1986),
she brings a dignity and a spirit to the role which gives this gritty and at times depressing film, real heart. She is bound to be oscar nominated, I am sure of it.
8.5 out of 10!
When I got home, Poor Albert was waiting to go out of the now barricaded kitchen cat flap. With his back leg stiffly held out, I doubt anyway he could actually fit through it, but I am not about to give the little chap freedom of the lane at night. Being jet black, running on three legs, and unable to jump, means that he could lose all 7 of his remaining lives in one night, so he has been grounded.........and he is not happy!!!Churchill in the Churchyard
Sometimes I come into contact with visitors to the New Graveyard.
More often than not, the contact is confined to a brief wave or hello, but occasionally a conversation develops, more often than not as a result of some animal performing something interesting.
Today an elderly chap limped over to where I was dismantling some more of the Church wall. He was fascinated in the relationship between Rogo and the nervous Hughie (pic) and wanted to know all about the pair.
More often than not, the contact is confined to a brief wave or hello, but occasionally a conversation develops, more often than not as a result of some animal performing something interesting.
Today an elderly chap limped over to where I was dismantling some more of the Church wall. He was fascinated in the relationship between Rogo and the nervous Hughie (pic) and wanted to know all about the pair.
I haven't seen him before, and asked him if he was from the village. He said he used to be , but had moved in with his daughter in nearby Rhuddlan when his wife died a few years ago. We chatted about this and that, and I couldn't help noticing that he was awfully sad even melancholic and almost in answer to my thoughts he said that he missed living in Trelawnyd as he found life in the bigger village isolating and lonely.
"Being alone is hell...." he stated sadly....."But do you know what Churchill said about being in hell don't you?"
I shook my head...
"He said if you are going through hell all you can do is keep on going!!!.....and that's what I do...I just keep on going", and with that he gave me a little wave and ambled off...
A hunt above the village,
For over a week now, the quietness of the days have been interrupted time and time again with the sounds of shotguns blasting pheasants out of the sky and at every turn on our walks, small flocks of nervous birds seem to be hiding away at field borders and on the bridleways.After taking Albert to the vets for his xray and removal of the K wires in his femur, I loaded the car with the dogs and the five juvenile cockerels (the "sons" of Kate Winslett) and set off for the animal sanctuary in Greenfield. I had found the "boys" a good home in a large and leafy run, which seems the best bet for their future rather than for me to cram their skinny little bodies in the last remaining shelf in the freezer.
Rather surprisingly as we drove over the hill to Llanasa, we slipped into step with a whole array of horseboxes, hounds and hunt riders.
Watching a hunt in full "sail",is amazingly exciting and impressive and I look forward to the day when the conservatives finally reinstate the populist fox hunting laws.
Hunts in my experience are populated not by the stereotypical "toff" (whoever that is) but by no nonsense country people who run country businesses. The effort that has to applied by rider and animals in your average hunt is, I am sure, huge, and even though the outcome (ie the death of the fox) doesn't always sit right with me, the chance of escape is at least more balanced than say the odds taken by the fluttering pheasants before a large shoot.
Anyhow, in between transporting animals all day!
I have got nothing else done. But I did manage to pick Albert up before dusk. He had been sedated for his xray, which showed gross arthritic changes in his old fractured knee. The old wires had been removed but seemingly the prognosis for a proper recovery is questionable-(what ever that means!)
The orthopaedic vet wasn't available to to discuss her findings, so I had to be content with a less than detailed reading of the operation notes by the receptionist....I have arranged for the vet to call me at home to discuss her thoughts on the matter, but I suspect that in the future he may lose his leg
The plucky little chap, with his painful leg re shaved and stitched, woofed down several small portions of cat food when he got home and then fell asleep on the bed with his paws clasped tightly around my arm.
vets again
I could have done without the dead badger.
At 9am I loaded the car with dogs and Albert in his pet carrier and drove to Caerwys and the vets.
I was greeted with the usual and ever-so-slightly resigned "Good Morning Mr Gray" from the nurses and receptionists who have seen more of me than my own family has over the past few months. The vet was running a little late, so leaving Albert safely in the car, I grabbed the opportunity to take the dogs for a quick walk.
As it turned out, the walk was a fairly bad idea for down a country lane the Scotties came across the delightful, putrefying body of a large badger.
With great deliberation Maddie and George nose dived into the carcass, rubbing themselves excitedly with the rough hair and tissue which had the consistency of watery fat. The smell was truly indescribable! and by the time I had shoehorned them into the boot and returned Albert to the surgery, I was almost puking out of the car window.
Anyhow, before I could get the Scotties home for a bath (above pic is George) , Albert had to come first. The vet could not rule out a re fracture of his old broken femur, but thought the old wiring was the cause of the problem. She gave Albert an anti inflammatory injection and booked him in for an xray and possible surgery tomorrow morning and pointed out a grossly swollen and painful looking knee joint. During all of this poking and prodding Albert lay in a good natured repose on the examination table, and even had the good grace to clasp the veterinary nurse's fingers gently in his paws when she came over after recognising him. He is such a sweet little chap.
It was cold on the way home what with every window open, and it took a whole container of dog shampoo (and a whole load of dettol) to get the stink of dead badger out of the dogs' coats.
The turkey poults are growing quickly now, and still look depressed
The hysterical guinea fowl chicks, contemplating more screaming and pointless running in circles
At 9am I loaded the car with dogs and Albert in his pet carrier and drove to Caerwys and the vets.
I was greeted with the usual and ever-so-slightly resigned "Good Morning Mr Gray" from the nurses and receptionists who have seen more of me than my own family has over the past few months. The vet was running a little late, so leaving Albert safely in the car, I grabbed the opportunity to take the dogs for a quick walk.
As it turned out, the walk was a fairly bad idea for down a country lane the Scotties came across the delightful, putrefying body of a large badger.
With great deliberation Maddie and George nose dived into the carcass, rubbing themselves excitedly with the rough hair and tissue which had the consistency of watery fat. The smell was truly indescribable! and by the time I had shoehorned them into the boot and returned Albert to the surgery, I was almost puking out of the car window.
Anyhow, before I could get the Scotties home for a bath (above pic is George) , Albert had to come first. The vet could not rule out a re fracture of his old broken femur, but thought the old wiring was the cause of the problem. She gave Albert an anti inflammatory injection and booked him in for an xray and possible surgery tomorrow morning and pointed out a grossly swollen and painful looking knee joint. During all of this poking and prodding Albert lay in a good natured repose on the examination table, and even had the good grace to clasp the veterinary nurse's fingers gently in his paws when she came over after recognising him. He is such a sweet little chap.
It was cold on the way home what with every window open, and it took a whole container of dog shampoo (and a whole load of dettol) to get the stink of dead badger out of the dogs' coats.
The turkey poults are growing quickly now, and still look depressed The hysterical guinea fowl chicks, contemplating more screaming and pointless running in circlesThe X Factor 2009 - Danyl Johnson -
Chris has been following x factor more than I have, but I must admit this performance by Danyl Johnson was a corker !
Neuro vascular observations
Neuro-vascular observations continue two hourly in the intensive care unit of the spare room.Albert's leg remains warm (thank God) but he is still not weight bearing,so obviously he has damaged himself fairly badly. He is, however eating and drinking fine, so hopefully I won't have to rush him into the vets today, but I just won't count on that just yet.
He will be xrayed tomorrow afternoon, then a decision will be made .....I can't believe it is only 9 months since he broke his leg originally.
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