Now I know most of my neighbours think I am a tad weird (it's something to do with the multi coloured beanie) but this morning I think a couple of them had the fact confirmed big style.Overnight we had a fair smattering of snow,so before I let the animals free of their houses, I decided to check for fox footprints!I started at the hole in the hedge near to where the pigs are housed, it is an area that the fat faced Welsh farmer indicated that foxes were entering and leaving, and there clearly marked in the snow were a set of footprints.....I followed the footprints with the tenacity of Danial Day Lewis from The Last of the Mohichan's, up they went to the first coop. then they circled it, then off to another and so on, until every coop had been visited. I was so engrossed in my outdoor pursuits that I hadn't seen my neighbours from down the lane who were standing by the gate. The husband called over, "have you lost something?" he said........"No" I replied importantly "I am just tracking game!!"
He shrugged his shoulders and laughed "fair enough!"I didn't look much like a big game hunter...not with a cup of coffee in one hand and a camera in the other..gif)
After review of the prints (back in the lab) I think the "spoor" is in fact that of a badger rather than the dreaded fox and the whole affair reminded me of the time that I went badger watching with my brother years ago.My brother in law Ned, used to be a game keeper, so knew his onions when it came to wildlife. He took me ( and I was a real city boy back then) to some local woods to see badgers entering and leaving their setts, and was quick to instruct me into the "ways" of animal tracking."Walk where I walk" he ordered quietly as we entered the near pitch black wood and stifling a fit of the giggles, I tried to follow (on tip toes like a big fairy!)Anyhow after a few minutes blundering around in the dark, we laid down in some grass to get a "lie of the land", and in the silence I could hear all manner of rustlings and slithering in the undergrowth. Ned seemed not to notice all this activity, but to me the noises were terrifying! (I had forgotten that we were in fact in rural Wales and not in the African bush)After a few minutes my imagination was running riot and I remember creeping up to Ned to ask him what animal was stalking us...."It's a rabbit!" he said with mild disgust.
At least for now I couldn't see any fox prints.....Before I went in for breakfast, I snapped this photo of Jesus (the cockerel that was abandoned with me at Christmas)He has been courting the three new Rhode Island Red pullets in their run.
Last night, with the snow still falling, I settled down to watch a real "blast from the past" movie from 25 years ago. Working Girl (1988), is a sweet natured , typically American, Cinderella Rom Com that clearly underlines the boom and boom era of the mid eighties. In it we meet Tess McGill a poor but bright secretary (Melanie Griffith) who turns the tables on her wicked boss (Sigourney Weaver) and makes a success out of herself in business and in her romantic life.Ok the plot isn't perhaps that original and nor is the dialogue (the famous line "I have a head for Business and a bod for sin" sounds incredibly cheesy when heard in the "more sophisticated" noughties.) but the film works incredibly well as a rags to riches parable thanks primarily to some very winning performances .Melanie Griffith is charming and likable as the whispering heroine ( though she does not look that great in a set of black bra and panties). Harrison Ford does his usual charm offensive as the wall street boyfriend but it is Sigourney Weaver's performance as bitch boss Katherine Parker that almost steals the film.She obviously had the time of her life taking her first evil steps away from the virtuous alien ass kicker Ellen Ripley.Joan Cusack ( with some massive hair) turns in a few nice moments as Tess' rough as a bear's bum best mate and I had great fun picking out the before- they-were-famous likes of Kevin Spacey,Alec Baldwin, Rikki Lake, Olympia Dukakis and Oliver Platt in all the minor roles.In the cynical 80's Working Girl , recalled a little of that wisecracking banter of the romantic comedies of the 1940s and by doing so , it made a star out of Melanie Griffith
My computer has been fixed! Hallelujah !!!Nuff said!
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 shiftWe 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
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 againx
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
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
Now I know most of my neighbours think I am a tad weird (it's something to do with the multi coloured beanie) but this morning I think a couple of them had the fact confirmed big style..gif)
After review of the prints (back in the lab) I think the "spoor" is in fact that of a badger rather than the dreaded fox and the whole affair reminded me of the time that I went badger watching with my brother years ago.
At least for now I couldn't see any fox prints.....
