Going Gently

Pissed off with being pissed on! and Chicken course II is on

The new cockerel Bill (the lucky chap that I didn't cull with his excess brothers earlier this year)

We had 20 minutes of sunshine today! The warmth and sudden brightness galvanised the animals out of their usual hunched depression amid the rain, and the hens crowded around the garden furniture, sunbathing for the briefest of moments.

The rest of the day has been a bloody washout. Village elder Steve, passed by when I was dragging my sodden carcass into the marshy field and informed me cheerfully that it was the wettest November since the 1930s!

I dropped Chris off at the station this morning . He is off to London for a few days where he will be presenting some of his work to the House of Commons select committee (no less!!!), yes it's all go in his giddy world of academia.....my life of miniature small holdings...remains...well.....just very VERY....wet!

Nora and Gladys are still suffering in their mud filled enclosure, so I have spent ages raking straw over the entrance and around the perimeter of their hut, in order to give them a raised dry "island" on which they can be fed and watered. I filled their hut with warm new straw and cooked some extra pasta as a treat for them, given their sodden state, and spent a glorious few minutes hand feeding them the long ropes of spaghetti which they swallowed gleefully, with tiny piggy eyes closed in pure rapture.
Tonight I received another two "applications" for my next "chicken course", which is nice! I now have enough "students" to make the course viable, so I will book the village hall again early in the new year! Subscriptions will pay for the old Berlingo's road tax!

Tonight I have another heady whirl of excitement to look forward to! it is a night in front of the fire writing the rest of the Christmas cards.....at least with Chris away I can watch what I want on dvd...tonight it's a bit of daring do and Zulu ! (I dare anyone not to be stirred by Ivor Emmanuel as Private Owen bellowing out "Men of Harlech!"

The X Factor 2009 - Danyl Johnson: Relight My Fire -

The best guy is out of the X FACTOR....a million miles away from Alan Bennett (and sex starved ducks for that matter)....but he is still still kinda cute.

A lady Of Letters

I know this video is 10 minutes long, but it is well worth re visiting, as it is one of the best observed, uplifting and ultimately best performed of Alan Bennett's monologues.
Bennett shines when he turns his attentions inwards to the well travelled subjects of loneliness, mental illness and Northern pragmatism.
I absolutely loved this re run of Patricia Routledge's Lady of Letters

Growing older gracefully & drake sexual tension

I believe that we as a nation possess a rather patronising and nanny-ish attitude to older people. They are sometimes seen as surplus to requirements, a burden on resources, slow, cumbersome and more often than not, less than vital in deed and thought
Yesterday Chris, Nigel and I witnessed something that reminded us all that old people aren't the weak willed, physically frail characters we think they are.
We were getting ready to leave the cottage for the railway station in Prestatyn, so that Nigel could catch his train home to Manchester. Outside it was almost dark and raining (when isn't it?), and through the gloom farmer Ralph drove noisily past on his massive tractor!
As we watched all of us could make out a small figure perched precariously on the backplate of the vehicle and I burst out laughing when I realised it was Mrs Jones from Pen-y-cefn- Isa (above right) Down the lane, and without the usual health and safety worries, Ralph was giving her a quick lift up to her old farm!
I giggled at the fearless fun shown by Mrs Jones and smiled at the lack of patronising worry shown by Ralph.........and I think the three of us watching learnt a small lession in how not to pigeon hole people and their behaviour!

On the home front Halleh ( the broody Blanche's adopted duckling son) is suffering from a sudden rush of sexual tension. Still unaware that he is , in fact a drake, he has shown some half arsed amorous interest in some of the more delicate hens. Every morning, "stiffened" by his sudden urges he has pounced upon a passing hen and rather messily grabs her by a beakful of feathers. He neither tries to mount his victim or flattens them by holding down their head down in typical drake/duck style, but holds onto their feathers briefly before the hen gives him a bit of their mind and chases him away.

Mindful that things could well get out of hand in the future, I will keep an eye on him, and if he becomes too sex fuelled, then I am afraid he will be placed into a run on his own.......here's hoping he realises that the six remaining runner ducks are a better prospect for some duck on duck sex!

Nige

Nige is easily pleased.....we drove to Rhos-on-sea this afternoon and walked along the promenade, ate ice cream, talked,laughed and had a thoroughly "English" good time.
It was only a flying sort of visit as Chris and I are off to his "Christmas ", work do in Conway tonight.
The turkey poults are still doing fine by the way

Living a small life

Compared to most, I know I lead a fairly small and uneventful life. This fact doesn't bother me at all, especially when I remember the headaches and mental exhaustion I experienced ( and to be fair also enjoyed) when I was a career nurse in Sheffield.
Village life suits me, It really does but I am also very aware that it makes me look "inward" a lot of the time, and I do fear that at times I may be, (shock horror) a bit of a boring old geek!
I guess sometimes, the minutiae of what duck did to what pig isn't that important when I could be discussing the recent banking bail out or the latest debate over the Kercher murder trial, but hey, that's what I signed up for.
Perhaps an example of the small nature of my news ( and the way village communication works) was how the news about the demolishing of the bridge down our lane spread like wild fire. When I took the dogs out this morning, I was informed of the prang no less than four times in a 2000 yard amble....and I even took a skip down the lane (pretending to pick dandelion leaves for the guinea fowl chicks) so I could have a peek at the damage!!!

Anyhow the rest of the day has concentrated on my friend Nigel's visit. Rooms have been prepared and supper made, but I did have a worrying few minutes fussing over the baby turkeys in their new run. I woke up several times during the night, fretful that the cold may be too much for them in the big bad field, but this morning they gave me a chorus of trilling calls when I opened up their run, before bolting down an extra feed of pasta and corn.
I have just realised that I worried about my staff in Sheffield a great deal less than I do over a quartet of skinny turkeys...what does that make me?.
anyhow....coffee break over, it is time to scrub a wayward terrier pee stain from the spare room bed cover.....
hey ho

No news day

Not much has happened today- The Scotties have had their winter haircuts , and both are exhausted from the nervous energy spent with being forced into having a day with strangers.

Finally I have moved the remaining four turkey poults from the claustrophobic shed, into their own coop and run on the field. Two weeks shy of three months old, it is way overdue for them to be "outside", but I wanted to be careful as the little buggers are delicate and susceptible to illness and cold. I am still not sure what sexes I have yet, so I have not named them...with the disaster tha befell poor Wellington, I am loath to take the chance until they are a little more robust

Sandra, from the Flower Show committee has branched out from her single allotment in the centre of the village by buying some hens and two weaner piglets. Both pigs are quite delightful and have been placed on another allotment in order to clear the weeds. I couldn't get a good photo of them this afternoon as the light was fading, but you can make out William's head after he clambered up on the stone wall in order to watch them rooting through the brush