Computer returns!

My computer has been fixed! Hallelujah !!!
Nuff said!

Village Hall quietness

The Chicken course is going very well, and despite the weather , all of my "students" turned up this evening at the memorial hall.
We has a lively and rather animated evening of "chicken talk" which woke me up after last night's hospital shift
We finished the session at around 8.15, so while I waited for Pat the ever cheerful caretaker to come to lock the hall up, I had a peaceful amble around the deserted and silent village hall.

Although we have only lived in Trelawnyd for 5 years I have a great deal of affection for the village hall. (seen right at last year's Flower Show- I am standing by the table!).

Tonight I could imagine nearly a hundred years of history crammed into the very walls of the building, and although the Ghosts of the past could be imagined and recalled, I didn't feel at all ill at ease standing there alone in the dark.

Some buildings have a nice feel about them, I always think. Our cottage does to be sure, as does the Village Church, but the Memorial Hall has a certain lightness about it, which is hard to describe. I always feel comfortable and at home when I am there.
Off to bed...it's been a long day

Thank you

The UK "readership" of Going Gently has just about reached the 10.000 hit mark ( for the past 12 months or so!) which I find an absolutely amazing fact given the rubbish I sometimes churn out here...
I am grateful for the visits and would love to know who in fact reads the blog
drop us an email at jgsheffield@hotmail.com if you have time, so I can see.
Thanks again
x

My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

The best thing on tv this week was the channel 4 documentary My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding on Wednesday evening.
This was a rare look into the amalgamation of ancient wedding culture and "high fashion" of the "traveller" population of Britain, and was a brief but fascinating glimpse into a community that is mistrusted, hated and feared by the general population.
At first I thought that the programme was just a vehicle for some snobby voyeurism ( and there was an element of enjoyment in laughing at the monstrous fashion designs that are expected to be on show at these affairs),
However what I found more interesting, was the rigidity and adherence to tradition that was evident within the gypsy community and I would have liked if the documentary would have explored the dichotomy between religion (the families that were shown were terribly staunch catholics) and the well known view of gypsies being unlawful
If you didn't see it, I would recommend you give it a view

Supper Night

The bloody snow is back with a vengeance this morning, which is another bummer. Before I opened up the 13 hen houses I sneaked an extra feed to the guineas to bolster them up after an icy night in the Churchyard elm. From left to right we have Hughie, Alf and little IvyLast night my family braved the elements and almost killed themselves getting to our village for supper. My brother in law ( who is a bit of a daredevil and an ex rally driver) decided to drive up Gwaenysgor Hill ( which is 1 in 4) in a BMW along with my two sisters and another brother in law ( with all the starter in a huge picnic basket). The road was closed due to ice, but he in typical Indiana Jones style "gave it a go"
Suffice to say that after much shouting and fallings out (and a multiple yard slide down a steep snow covered grass bank) they left the car teetering on the edge and walked down the hill to catch a taxi up to us.(the long and safe way around)
Now I don't think it was the shock of nearly rolling down the hill that made them feel the cold ( a few gin and tonics and large glasses of wine soon helped them recover from their ordeal)

But all of them thought that our cottage was freezing even though the coal burner was on full draw. That's modern day central heating for you! Bloody softies! Halfway through courses they dug out all of our welsh blankets and sat there in the living room like a group of elderly old farts. I have a feeling that we won't be holding another supper night until spring time!

Smells

Four dogs, one cat, one fairly unhygienic slob (me) and Chris, all crammed into a tiny cottage in winter means just one thing! Smells! The whole family is coming round this evening for supper, so today I will stretching my stress neurones to the limit by fighting the tide of country living ( in true King Canute style) in trying to rid the place of muddy paws, animal hair and doggy farts. It never quite works! and the cottage although homely never looks like those wonderfull staged country homes I love to look at from Home and Antiques and Country Home Magazine! The carelessly picked ( yeah right!) bunch of flowers from the garden ( not in season) will be positioned casually on the kitchen table with a loaf of home made scones and a tiny pot of jam! An open bottle of Pinot can be seen on the rustic sideboard with two sparkling glasses and the fruit in the bowl looks as though it has been painted by some great master. And the home owner!!! ( who always looks like a psychotherapist) has the open mouth smile of a woman who has just paid the cleaning lady to scrub the floor and wash the dogs bottoms before the camera clicks!. Me! I aint no Jane Asher! Ok I have polished the silver, and I have "arranged a couple of blooms" in an art deco vase and there IS fruit in the bowl, but what we don't see is the merry half hours I have already spent chipping a stubborn Scottish terrier skid mark (poo not paw) from the floor lino and the sweaty few minutes retrieving putrid cat litter grains from under the cooker! I have not even steeled myself for the scrubbing of the loo basin yet.(I may need a large cup of coffee and a scented candle before I face that little job)
It's good that family visit, I thought as I wiped cat snot from the living room windows.....at least the cottage gets a clean

The Windy Side of care

I am not a lover of Shakepeare, but I do remember being totally blown away by Emma Thompson's Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing. It is the only filmed piece of Shakespeare that I actually understood and enjoyed!
When she uttered the words "Yea, my lord; I thank it (my heart), poor fool, it keeps on the windy side of care" I totally believed her
In my view she has never looked or acted better in her career!

Snow, sleep and Rhode Island girls

The snow is back!
Blizzards hit around midday and soon after our freezing walk William sneaked up to the bedroom for a sleep UNDER the duvet in an effort to keep warm!
I took my computer into Prestatyn for fixing.
then drove up to Denbigh to pick up my kind gift of 3 beautiful Rhode Island Red pullets.

All three are just at point of lay and chirped playfully away to Classic Fm as we drove home. I have set them up in an isolation run for a while, just in case they have picked up some bug or other, which I doubt. The trio are buxom healthy hens.
To continue my usual cinematic "chicken names theme they have been christened Laura (as in Linney), Audrey (as in Tatou) and Thelma (as in Ritter)


Two of the Rhodes minutes after we got home.