Underplaying

Chris underplayed his night out in Liverpool when I asked him and concentrated on my sisters' level of enjoyment rather than his own.....
Ann sent me this photograph today.....hummm......quite the wallflower!

Tee hee

Mistaken Identity

Comments from Sharon and Louise on my last blog entry reminded me of a funny story I remember being told by my mother!

My mother was a big movie fan, yet she didn't go to the cinema a great deal when she was in her forties ( remember she had twins later in life!)

In 1969 she saw that there was a murder mystery on at the local scala and feeling as though she needed a rare night out she called my Auntie Greta and the two ladies paid their for their cinema seats and the obligatory box of chocs and sat down in a very quiet cinema to enjoy the cinematic whodunnit!

How shocked these two middle aged conservative ladies were....

They had gone to see THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE!!!

They nearly killed themselves galloping out of the cinema before anyone recognised them!

The 5am flat footed ex dancer

Chris had to get up at some sort of ungodly hour to catch the early train to London, so I am awake and wide eyed now at 5.15am! No matter how quiet he thinks he is when preparing for work, he still possess the heavy flat feet of the dancer that he used to be.
Flat feet on bare floorboards ......means no sleep at 5am!
I am not complaining though, usually I can fall back asleep at the drop of a hat, today for some reason I am now wide awake
So I have walked the dogs who were not really happy to be dragged down the lane in the dark, had a coffee and now am doing what any self possessed blogger would do at this time

Yesterday I caught up with more spring planting. More cauliflower, cabbage, and neat rows of leeks joined the mange tout, early salad fare, spinach and strawberry beds....I am worried I may have peaked too early as I hear severe frosts are on the way. I have some frost protection covers, which I shall unearth today in readiness, but the job of protecting the seedlings is an arduous one to say the least

Rogo looked a little droopy yesterday too. He sat quietly away from his flock looking rather sorry for himself, so I caught him (he must be ill if he allowed me to catch him!) and gave him the once over. Apart from feeling light (a worrying fact in itself) he looked ok...no parasites, no injuries, no sour crop!.
I gave him some wormer, and a broad acting antibiotic and offered him some extra titbits by hand which he took gently from me (not like him!) so I will have to see how he goes. He is three years old and he and Bunny (the hybrid runt with the deformed hip are the only survivors now of the little group of baby hens that were attacked by the riding stable Alsatian a few years ago now. Only 4 out of 8 escaped... I hope he pulls through

Cinema in the blood

Micmacs (à tire-larigot) is Jean -Pierre Jeunet's latest movie and finally it is showing this week at the Scala down in Prestatyn. I missed the evening showing yesterday, so I may have to go to see it at the Pensioner's special on Tuesday morning.

I was thinking about my love of cinema this afternoon and where it all came from.

Visiting the cinema in the 1970s could have been viewed by some as a rather dismal activity. The decade was not known as an uplifting period in movie history as some of the bleakest films found their way to the screen (Straw Dogs, Clockwork Orange,Dog Day Afternoon, Taxi Driver and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's nest) yet as a baby faced adolescent I was spared the trauma of trying to get into see an "X" certificate movie.....favouring the more teen friendly "A" and "AA" movies..............so of course we had the plethora of disaster films of the mid 70's to enjoy, as well as the likes of Jaws, Bugsy Malone,The Omen,The Spy That Loved Me, Close Encounters and Alien)

The cinemas were large cold, uncomfortable orange and beige places that smelled of cigarettes and damp, but I loved making the effort to go to Rhyl on the bus to sit though a matinee by myself, the trouble to go the four miles, really made the ritual worthwhile.

There were always two features on offer,and always an ice cream lady with proper ice cream and wafers all set out in a box strung around her neck. (I never had the money to get an ice cream!)

Matinees were almost deserted every time I went, so even to this day, there is something quite reassuring and familiar when I am surrounded by empty seats and all alone in the dark, the lighter side of seventies movie life (remember the 1970's was a bleak economic, news worthy and political time), could wash over me.

This love of film fantasy has continued to be an important part of my life today. Love of the technicolour epic continues ( and always will do), but thankfully my cinematic interests and experiences are now wide and varied!

The ritual of choosing the film, the paying for the ticket and the sitting down in a chosen ( and quiet) seat remains a joy and on Tuesday if I do go to the pensioner's showing of Micmacs, my experience of the Jeunet movie will be as fresh and as enjoyable as my 1974 trip to see The Poseidon Adventure!

detox

After lots of fruit juice, a good sleep and gallons of water, I feel detoxed and back to normal. I have taken the advice of my city friends who all commented "Haven't you a red face?" when I saw them on Friday, and have put some sun screen on today!
It is another lovely day, so I was up early to walk the dogs (Chris had a late night so slept in) before I moved the new chicks out of their "nursery" cage into the shed proper
A mixture of bantams and cross hybrids, an increase in the number of white chicks leads me to believe that new boy Jesus has got the hang of mating with anything and everything. The bunch seems happy and healthy so far....10 hatched and 10 healthy...so I am happy.

Right must dash, am now off to water the new growing vegetables, walk the dogs, then I will plant some sprouts, cabbage, and more cauliflower

I am too old for all this

I got to Sheffield by mid afternoon after catching up with old friend Joy (below) who was a little under the weather and couldn't make our evening meet.

After a mooch around the city centre (above Sheffield's version of the London Eye) I over indulged myself in the usual wine fest/gossip fest/laughter fest that is a Sheffield reunion
night out.

I won't do into too many details, but suffice to say that I am far too old to be trying to get into the wrong hotel bedroom whilst being much worse for wear!

Nuala and I woke up this morning with very fuzzy heads, but enjoyed the usual night out "post mortem" amid fits of giggles whist hiding under the duvet....

You wouldn't think we are in our forties would you.

Typical bad photos after too much vino! The hangover left me at 4pm

Liverpool Ball

As I have been fading somewhat Chris donned his glad rags (as had my sisters and Brother in law) and has gone to St George's Hall in Liverpool for a night of ballroom dancing and merriment

I intend to slob with a diet coke

Home Number Two

Isn't there a song entitled "wherever I lay my hat that's my home?".....well it sounds bloody daft to me! Having said this when we left Sheffield in 2005 (two dogs, two cats, two of us and tons of luggage all crammed inside a Volkswagen Polo)..my life effectively was transported back to Wales and home was relocated in just that 2 hour drive.
I loved my old house in Sheffield, it was a large Victorian terrace with a sweet partly walled garden.We shared a ginnel (alley) with next door (Bel-Ami) and the sun always seemed to shine through the windows of the dining room which always looked as though it has been designed in the 1930s.
However when we left the house, "home" went with us in that Polo, and that was effectively and very simply....well....that!
Having said this I always consider myself as having two homes in some ways.....Our Welsh home at Bwthyn-y-llan and my affectionate "home" and that is the city of Sheffield.
Today, after a year (yes that long) I will drive over the Pennines and catch up with the city (John Lewis department store- oh be still my beating heart!;.....the art deco City Hall, the Peace Gardens (pic)etc.....but more importantly I will be catching up with the people that we left behind and I guess it is people and relationships that really make a home feel like home.
So...I will catch up with Joy (a friend and colleague from my Spinal Injury days) then have a long overdue catch up with Jane ( an ex girlfriend!) before meeting up with best mate Mike (yes he who is crap at keeping in touch) his wife Bev, Kathryn, Vince, Julie and of course Jonney H (who will be swishing into All Bar One, fashionably late, no doubt wearing something figure hugging and expensive from Zara!
Nuala will be meeting us there after catching the fast train up from London to complete the group (she left Sheffield in the early 1990's) and for one night only, I can look smart, not smell of chicken shit and catch up with old friends