Scary Mary

Nuala is busy cooking for a dinner party tonight, so that leaves me a few minutes to catch up with a quickie blog.
We have spent a delightful day at Kew Gardens, where I scared myself silly negotiating the terrifying treetop walkway (have you ever seen a middle aged man, white with fear dragging himself hand over hand around a flimsy metal catwalk?.......not a pretty sight)
It is lovely to be here

Country Mouse

The partridge buff Lillian and the lace buff Peggy this morning(partridge buff Jennifer is looking on)

Well, I got up early this morning and have completed the chores promptly. With the animals all watered and fed and the dogs walked, I have dug out some clean pants (without the usual bleach, sawdust and animal waste stains on the kneecaps), ironed a couple of shirts and am just about to walk down to Prestatyn to catch the train to London to see Nuala.Back blogging on Sunday
Very excited at the prospect at seeing Nu....tee hee

Reaping what you sow

Now I know I can be a fairly "assertive" individual at times, ( actually the word bolshy comes to mind), but I know I do make an effort to be sociable with people from the village and that sociability can have its rewards! and today was a case in point.
When selling eggs to neighbour Mike, I mentioned that I wanted a new "free range eggs for sale" sign, and he stated that he and his wife Viv enjoyed painting and perhaps could knock up something for me.Well today he showed me the first draft of the sign completed by Viv ( before it was to be varnished), and it was absolutely wonderful! People generally can be so kind I think.

Time after time I have received small but welcomed kindnesses from people here.......some free bedding from the red faced Welsh farmer, bags of home made scones tied to the front door from Auntie Glad, help with wall building from Steve, pasta parcels for Susan the sick hen from Joanne and left over designer bread all neatly packaged up from Pippa, left as a special treat for the pigs.
Carole and Ewan have babysat the dogs on numerous occasions, the birds have been locked up by Geoff in his designer wellies and vegetable cuttings and seeds have been left for me by the Camerons, who have planted out the new allotments at Bonk terrace........
I don't want to sound too sugary about all this, but I am very grateful for these small but consistently kind deeds!
I feel like a group hug!

Susan Boyle - Wild Horses -

Now I heard this on the radio and loved it, without knowing it was in fact Susan Boyle.....good luck to her, the girl has obviously done very well for herself....

GP visit

The weather has changed again! and although the wind and rain continues with a vengeance, it has become icy, icy cold! Old Mrs Jones has subsequently donned her hated slacks when she walked down today for eggs (she prefers wearing her usual woollen skirt), and I have finally found my warm winter hat lurking inside the sock drawer, and gratefully used it during the afternoon jobs.
This morning I went to the doctors with my week long assessment of blood pressure readings. As I walked into the consulting room, I noticed a grinning teenager sitting stiffly in the corner. The doctor didn't explain why his associate was there nor did he introduce him, so after I sat down I got the proceedings off to a bad start by saying to the teen "I presume you are a shadowing medical student, my name is John Gray...nice to meet you!"
Both medics looked suitably embarrassed and did apologise.....which was something.

Anyhow, all of my blood results (thyroid, renal status,liver function,glucose and electrolytes), turned out to be normal, which was a relief.....and in actual fact readings such as my cholesterol was down to 4....according to the doc, I was uber healthy, albeit on paper!
After reviewing my blood pressure reading the doctor stated there was no case to answer for and told me not to drink my usual extra strong filter coffee when working nights! it is all a bit of a relief really but it has been a wake up call for me and Chris to start to watch the weight again and cut down on the usual excesses of life.....

The rest of the day has been filled with jobs, the Christmas gifts I wrapped up last night have been sent (accompanied with the usual cheerful conversation with Jenny the postmistress) and I repaired the broken roof of the duckhouse. (Above photo my two buff girls Shula and Ruth, the chicks from my first set of eggs in the spring, taking some respite from the cold wind)

Chris is still away today, so it's another night in with the fire and the new Star Trek dvd

All Cosy

The wind had been gusting all day, but at least the rain has kept away. Chris has just woken me up with a "nite, nite" phone call, and all the animals have joined me on the couch as the gales whistle around the gable end.
This is my favourite part of winter, being warm and quiet in the dark living room illuminated by the fire.....
I have finally wrapped Christmas decorations I have bought as gifts for my mum in law and friends in Australia, Derbyshire and Sheffield, and will post them tomorrow
I am tired but the draw of the fire is just too attractive to leave just yet (above Meg in the gloom)

Why be a nurse?

made me smile

"You're my touchstone Emma!"

Now every middle aged Gay man worth his salt will recognise the above quote!....

Uttered by a slightly fey Patsy (Lisa Hart Carroll) to her dying best friend Emma (Debra Winger) in the sob fest Terms of Endearment...........the term "touchstone" has become synonymous with slightly angst conversations between gay men and their ( largely female) best friends.....

I always wondered where the term "touchstone" actually comes from in this, "you were always there for me" kind of meaning, and I was interested to find that it may actually derive from a character called Touchstone from Shakespeare's As You Like It. Apparently this character acted as a guide and a point of comic reference throughout the play, very much like the character of Emma did with Patsy throughout the aforementioned film.......which I thought very interesting...

My main touchstone ( and I have several of both sexes) is Nuala, and I can't wait to catch up with her in London on Friday! It has been too long since we last caught up.....she is definately my Debra Winger.........

Off to bed early tonight...Chris is away in London and I am shattered after a day without sleep after night shift.....