City thoughts

I caught up with my friend Hazel this evening.

She drank sparking Chardonnay

I drank some coffee and we had a good catch up sat at the kitchen table

She is toying with the fantasy of moving back to a trendy suburb of Manchester ( she lived there in the early years of her marriage) and is quite giddy at the thought of city life again......

I said all the right things during our conversation but inside I was totally upset at the thought of her moving away. (though I do realise that we are still at a fantasy level at the moment)

Hazel is my only "culture vulture" friend here in Wales. She does art house cinema better than anyone, has a critical "theatrical" mind and can "out snob" me any day.....and she is my only local link I have with my former city thinking life.....and quite selfishly I feel rather cold at the thought of her leaving.... The more animated she became at the thought of cafe society, museum visits and brick-a-brack mooching the more quieter I Know I became.....

Even though I love my life here.....I do need some pretentious time with my friends...and there are not many of them around here.

hey ho

Meetings

Yesterday seemed to be day of meetings.
The Flower Show Committee met up to discuss the August Show. Many of the established members are away on holiday the day of the show, so I have been ferreting away behind the scenes,conscripting new members and new blood for our big day.
The new members were a bit of a coup. My friend Geoff is the baby of the committee, and at 40 will have the ladies eating out of his hand soon enough ! and affable neighbours Terry and Ann will be a valuable and good natured addition to any committee as they bring with them a positivity and sense of fun.
We ironed out who was doing what for the day then finished up as there was another meeting scheduled in the village hall, concerning a proposed housing development on the outskirts of the village.
The need for affordable housing in rural areas is a contentious one, and emotions relating to the development of ten houses outside of the village envelope are running high. I personally feel that there is a lack of clarity and information about the whole initiative and have formally asked the community council for open village meetings to thrash out the worries and misconceptions of many people that live here. (we will see if this actually happens!)

Anyhow, as it turned out, the meeting was useful, but not entirely in the way that everyone expected. The woman who had undertaken a survey of the need of affordable housing by the areas population didn't turn up, so the new Chair of the community council held an open meeting to gauge the "feeling" and worries of the audience. The chair was measured and patient and his quiet authority, I think gave the villagers a forum in which to air their concerns and clarify questions in general.
I made the point that when people are not privy to transparency and information then misconceptions and worries flourish.........let us hope that everything can be a little more "open" in future.

hey ho

goslings

My friend Geoff caught me lumbering around the garden chased by the goslings.............off to the Flower Show Meeting now and then the Community Council open meeting!!!! should be fun!!!

Rick James - Super Freak

Two mugs of strong coffee and I am cleaning the kitchen like Kim Woodburn on speed......I am prancing around to this blast from MY past.......is it me but does Rick James look like a faded Donna Summer?

anyhow it certainly woke me up!

I need a snooze

I just cannot get going today. Last night I was caring for a a poorly but "awake" patient who constantly (for 12 and a half hours that is) tried to pull all her IV tubes, naso gastric tube, catheter, central line and invasive arterial lines out.
In one shift she managed to remove all but two of them!
Supervising a confused patient who is seriously ill, is a challenge to say the least and driving home, I was more weary as weary could be!
I fed the dogs, sorted out the animals and took the goslings into the front garden for their feed and promptly fell asleep on the grass ( still in my uniform)
I woke up after about half an hour after one of the farm hay wagons gave me a "beeb" as he turned the lane corner....both goslings were neatly tucked up under my chin as I lay on my side,all safe and warm.
I took the dogs for their walk, bought dog food and again fell asleep on the couch after checking my emails.....
The then had a choice...........clean the duck house out or mooch on the couch!! and for once in an absolute age I mooched on the couch and watched an old Audie Murphy movie The Guns of Fort Petticoat.
It was a cracking movie! -
"Murphy deserts the Union Army to warn former Texas neighbors of impending Indian attacks triggered by Army massacre. He overcomes initial distrust and convinces the homesteaders (all women whose men are away fighting in the Confederate Army) to take refuge in an abandoned mission. He trains them to fight and shoot in anticipation of the attack. Surrounded and outnumbered, the defenders prepare for the final assault.."
Mind you the movie' poster's tagline sums up the action much better...as it screams:
GOOD WOMEN...BAD WOMEN...BRAWLING WOMEN...BRAVE WOMEN! They were all soldiers in skirts!
Yeap I think you get the picture
off for a very strong coffee............Chris is working away again
I need a sleep

Spartacus and cauliflower overload

I am a sucker for an underdog. The stocky, deformed and most silent of the battery hens has just about won me over. I was resolved not to name any of these hens as they are earmarked for eating but this little chap, who has the look of John Mills in Ryan's Daughter , has been dealt so many bum deals at such an early age, I feel that it is only right that I give him a little bit of freedom!.......so it felt only right that he/she is called SPARTACUS

Anyhow enough of me being an overly soft puddin. I am working tonight, a shitty night to work but a computerised rota system has suddenly been introduced at work which starts the week on a Sunday not a Monday.........the long and short of all this..means that staff are working more weekends.........Chris will lock up the animals tonight but wont watch over the field I would do, With the last sighting of the fox over two weeks ago now, I hope things will be ok tonight.

My first major crop of cauliflower is ready. We have blanched and frozen a load, and tomorrow I will make soup to freeze. The slog of harvesting has started

The American President "End Titles"

I watched this movie last night and although I am not a fan of Michael Douglas..I found this bit of fluff and sweetness rather moving, thanks mainly to Annette Benning who was wonderfully sympathetic.

Loved the music too.

The Ghost hens improve

The power of home grown raspberries!
I dropped a couple outside the battery hens' house and after a few unsure steps, five of the youngsters tottered out on shaky big feet.
A small but intensely satisfying little victory