Going Gently

Quietly Nuts

Albert dragged in another flapping hysterical young sparrow this morning, which escaped from his clutches in the kitchen as I was feeding the stock outside. When I eventually returned soaked to the skin, a scene of carnage lay before me. The bird had managed to wedge itself in a bloody heap behind the toaster, and in his effort to retrieve it, Albert had kicked an enamel pan, a whole array of utensils and my favourite American coffee cup onto the floor!
I could have cried.....not because of the mess......gawd having 83 animals,means that mess is a way of life, no, it was the potential loss of a simple ceramic mug that upset me the most.

My reaction beggared the question of Why on earth do people have such close relationships with inanimate objects?
There is no real reason for it, is there? but I can honestly say that I love my battered old coffee cup, with its typically American rounded, slightly art deco edges and chunky comfortable handle.
I "hate" drinking coffee from any other mug ( it doesn't taste the same either) and I have lovingly looked after my mug since "our eyes met" on the shelf in the tourist shop on the top of the Rockefeller Centre.
I know there is more important things going on in the world. But in my own little goldfish bowl here in Wales, my mug , does have a special place in my affection......
Anyhow the story does have a happy ending.....with its robust chunky make up, my mug survived its fall and now is steaming away on the kitchen table with its usual cargo of coffee.

Message to self.
Am I odd...or do I really need to get out more......

Allotment Open video 1

The husband of one of Chris' work mates took this video.....you will be glad to hear that because of this I am now back on a diet!!!

Open Allotment day video 2

Some nice shots of the magpie ducks....I had four offers from punters to take them!...You won't be surprised to hear I refused

Being careful

Boris HAS turned another corner.
I got up this morning to a small pile of over ripe fruit piled up on the kitchen garden wall. an incredibly sweet gesture from a faceless local who must have read yestrday's blog!
I made a sort of "platter" out of the fruit, leftover rice and sweetcorn, added some white bread and finally garnished the plate with a small dead baby mouse (courtesy of Albert).
I let Boris out and set him up with the food and he ate and drank reasonably well. I am just starting to allow myself a little glimmer of hope.

A nice ripe pear (pair) and the Ghost hens are released

I have returned all of the borrowed chairs and tables to Prestatyn vicarage this morning and have delivered all of the raffle prizes to their respective ticket owners.
When I was in Prestatyn, I had a brainwave and called into the grocers to see if they had any ripe pears. I remembered that Boris was a sucker for soft fruit and although I had released him from his house early this morning I noticed that he still had not eaten anything.
I explained to the young girl on the till that I needed a very ripe pear for a sick turkey and she yelled my request to an unseen guy in the back of the shop!
After a minute or so the guy called back
"I can't find any pears but I've got a manky orange?"
"No" I replied..." He only likes a ripe pear"
"Don't we all" responded the shop owner with a chuckle.
After a few more minutes, they kindly found some fruit and above is a photo of Boris eating his first bit of food in over four days. The big guy looks dreadfully weak and wobbly at the moment, I only hope he may have turned some sort of corner

This morning I have also released the ghost hens from their prefab run. One fat hen ,caught up in the excitement of it all ran the length of the field on stiff fat legs only to return breathless ad fraught when she realised that she was alone.
They have not ventured far from their coop but it's early days yet......they are beginning to resemble healthy young hens

A Childhood Regret

AJ's on her blog " A Little Farm With A Big Heart" http://wwwaj-oaks.blogspot.com/ wrote a rather moving piece on a major regret she still has regarding a rather cruel but fairly minor childhood spat she experienced when at junior school.

It was fascinating that decades after the fact the perceived slight she caused still haunted her, and it got me to thinking if I still harboured some sort of childhood regret.
Do you know, I have!
When I was eight, school holidays in summer were always slightly boring affairs. My mother was never one for trips or "activities" so we were expected to play outside out of the way. Now this, we usually did ( my twin sister and me) except on those days that my grandmother called up. She did this at least three times a week and always in the mornings, where she would prepare vegetables for dinner,help with house work and iron the mounds of washing whist telling us stories about her wartime exploits in Liverpool.
Her presence was still a normal factor of extended family life that had almost disappeared in today's world, and as children we loved her warm and funny despot humour.

At lunch one day and Idea spring into my mind and thinking I was being clever I piped up
"You know Gran when you come up here, it must be good as you get a free lunch three times a week!"
I think I must have laboured the point a little too much as little boys have a want to do, and I only shut up (eventually) after my mother said quietly and rather uncharacteristically for her " That will do!"
My grandmother ate her lunch without speaking and I remember realising that I had said something wrong but not quite understanding exactly what it was I had done. She was clearly very hurt by my words and I still remember to this day, that "pang" of shame when I watched her cut her food up without being able to lift her eyes from her plate.
It was one of those moments that make you grow up just a little
Funny what seeps into your consciousness when it is pricked by someone else's stories and experiences !

Anyhow today it's back to normal.
It is just after 6.30am here and the first coffee of the day is just about to kick in. The dogs have all nosedived back to bed after their mornings ablutions and Albert is busy dispatching yet another vole on the kitchen floor...I need to clear the back shed of gosling droppings all of the gazebos and seating needs to be returned to Prestatyn Vicarage....and I am pondering what to do with old Boris if his antibiotics have not done the trick

Open Allotment 2010

I'm Knackered.
After four hours of open day, over three hundred visitors have ambled around the allotment and field, scoffed a trailer full of homemade cakes and downed a fair few gallons of tea out of china cups!
We are officially a success!
The weather kept fine enough for the numbers to exceed last year's event and this year I noticed a greater number of children attending (they got in for free too!!! which is not bad seeing that everyone entering got a cup of tea and a cake!!!)
I think we have raised nearly 520£!

Hazel with new boyfriend and kids in tow

Chris was on tea tent duties with my hard working sister Janet and Aunt Judy and her sister Bridget (top photo) whilst my elder sister ran the gate, raffle and all the produce sales.

The chap that brought his own allotment produce to sell, did a cracking trade and gave me a nice donation for letting him come, which was very kind

I made lots of contacts with other hen owners, a duck enthusiast, a pig breeder and even a couple of bee keepers from Dyserth, approached me in respect of setting up a hive here, so all the hard work has paid off two fold

Anyhow I have found the whole "open allotment" experience a very positive one. I have found the many small kindnesses very touching as many villagers have gone out of their way to contribute to the day. Apart from the ton of cakes baked by the ladies of the village ( and Geoff of course!)Jars of jam and bunches of beautiful lavender tied up with ribbons found their way onto the gate table with a score of freshly cut vegetables, potted up seedlings and cakes and scones all wrapped in clingfilm and priced individually ready to be bought. My sister in law dropped of a ton of goodies even though she has a lot on her plate at the moment and we even had a donation of some ancient allotment implements ( above) to add some interest to the filed borders

Thank you everyone for your hard work and big thank you for everyone who took the trouble to attend

I even got 2£ for my prize winning beetroots....result!!!