At Last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The weather has changed. This morning driving rain and gale force winds have shocked the animals as they emerged from the small village of houses on the field. And after eating they have bolted for cover and dry shelter, all with the exception of Jessop(above), who stood on the stone Church wall clucking loudly into the wind.
I have tons of maintenance jobs to do, but just can't get on to do them until the ground thaws a little more, and so, I am still feeling a little stir crazy!
It is so easy to get into the habit of doing nothing, when you are grounded, so today I have kicked myself up the arse and have finally changed my pajama bottoms- which have been "hidden" under my work pants for the last 2 days! (an extra layer is vital in this weather! -but having tartan pj's poking out of a pant leg is not a cool look in the post office!!!)
This morning I have made lasagna, filled all of the water butts, and have caught up with some financial matters, This afternoon I have to wait in for the Berlingo's windscreen to be repaired, so I have earmarked the shed for a clear out, the paths need clearing and William is in dire need for a bath.

I am also having withdrawal symptoms from an enforced lack of cinema trips, so I think I will drag chris out on Sunday to see Up in the Air with the urbane Mr Clooney. Tomorrow night we are off to see Carmen (a live production at the Scala) and tonight I will pop down to see Hazel and have a quick chat over a bottle of wine... so socially things are looking up.

I want to stick a middle finger up at the snow.....now that it has almost gone...my life can get back to some normality

Twingo Advert - Drag Queen

30 seconds....and it says so much

Tuna N Sweet Corn

see below

dinnerladies

I absolutely loved "dinnerladies", the Victoria Wood ensemble piece about blue collar workers in a North England factory.
Wood created something quite special here, she revisited that quaint and thoroughly North Western humour, typical of 1920/30 musical hall and early cinema and gave it a specific Lanchashire/Manchester twist..
The double entendre's (mostly delivered in a deadpan intensity by a largely female cast) are bitingly funny,and the observation of a community that actually exists, (albeit in a tiny physical location) is painfully accurate, even if it is, of course exaggerated for comic effect
Nige I am sure you will have something more interesting to add to this one

Lift

Albert has just brought in an injured but very angry magpie. The dogs went hysterical, (as did the magpie) and it has crapped all over our bedroom walls as I tried to catch it.
In an effort to cheer myself up from the snow humdrum, here are a few funny photos...enjoy

It's official I am boring myself!

I am so annoyed I could spit. It is snowing heavily again this morning and I resent not only the weather but also how it is taking over my blog subjects......!(my blogs are never that interesting but recently they seem to be taking a rather monotonous -snow tone!)
Apparently roads are already being closed (Dyserth hill and Gwaenysgor Hill- the only roads down to the coast) and the main route out of North Wales ( the A55) is at a standstill.
Geoff, with his 4x4, came to the rescue this morning and dropped some extra corn for me which was incredibly kind of him,and Ralph the gentleman farmer brought me a bale of straw for the pigs,another lifesaver! However itt still took me over an hour and a half to feed and water every animal!
The cold has taken its toll, old Susan died in the night (right) as did Whoopie Goldberg (another of my eldest hybrids), which was very sad. The elderly "retired" hens, are all hybrids and subsequently tend to be smaller and skinnier specimens compared to the more robust pure breeds, and just have not got the reserves to keep on going despite extra feed and lots of TLC

On a brighter note, I have provisionally booked the Hall in February for my second "Chicken course for beginners". I have 6 students this time (left my first course students from the Autumn!!) and they all seem to be keen as mustard and a pretty nice bunch of despots.

Facebook Pete

Now I have a facebook "account" but seldom venture on the website as I find it overly complicated and difficult to navigate. This evening my nephew pete sent me a message and I absolutely loved his accompanying photo (above)

He is the most sociable, constantly in motion, big hearted and friendly individual I have ever met

and his photo sums that up perfectly!

Miep Gies

I read with interest that Miep Gies died today aged 100. She was the last surviving Dutchwoman that helped protect the family of Anne Frank when they were in hiding in their tiny apartment bolthole during the war, and was responsible for the safe keeping of Anne's famous diary.
Fourteen years ago, I remember going to the Anne Frank Museum. At the time I was on holiday with a previous partner, which was a bit of a disaster,( I won't go into details), suffice to say this one day I was left to my own devices to do what I wanted.

The museum is tiny and has a tendency of being quite overcrowded with visitors, but I was lucky as I went in the early morning and during a snow storm, so the place was virtually deserted.I clambered up the steep wooden staircases and up into those bleak little back rooms almost alone, and for the briefest of moments,I could feel a huge sense of sadness at what had transpired within the Frank and Van Daan families. It was a sobering and unforgettable experience.
A year or so later I visited the concentration camp Theresienstadt in the Czech Republic and on a quiet sunny afternoon, I remember experiencing a similar feeling of awe and overwhelming sadness. I was following a Jewish family around the "show village" that made up the original camp, when quite suddenly the oldest member of the family, a small elderly man, burst into loud sobbing and wailing. He was slapping the door of a shop and shouting something in Yiddish, and the more distressed he became the more helpless and upset his family looked. It was an awful private moment to have witnessed, and one that brought out the reality of the holocaust to me, much more than any exhibition could ever have done.
I remember catching the eye of what I presumed to be this man's daughter and tried to flash her one of those sympathetic half smiles that is supposed to convey support and sympathy, she returned a thin lipped smile and nod and I hurried on eager to leave them in privacy
Reading about Miep Gies today, brought these memories flooding back