End Of An Era

Our Post office closes in two weeks. It is not one of the many thousand rural post offices that have faced the chop from last year's cuts, no, it is just a victim of a change of expensive computer system and a need of the owners Jenny and Mike to conserve their health and happiness a thing which is totally understandable.
I shall miss the post office greatly. It is not as though I am a huge and generous customer (I buy a diet coke, regular stamps and perhaps a bag of crisps daily) but I do feel that the daytime "heart" of the village will be effectively extinguished with its closure.
Post offices and shops are, I think the public daytime face of a village. They provide a public place, where people meet and interact and I am rather saddened that that ours is closing the way of many, many rural businesses have already done

After a rainy start the day has started to brighten up. So much so, that the "Gop" over looking the village looks as though it will be an inviting and pleasant walk.
Leo was awake around 5.30am and pottered around until he had his chosen breakfast of eggy bread and potato cakes.
I turned into an Italian Mamma and shooed everyone out of the kitchen as I prepared a cooked breakfast and sorted out a packed lunch for them all to take to Chester Zoo.
"Howa canna I worka with all of youa arounda!!!!!"
I cooked a cheese sauce to have with pasta later then dutifully waved them all goodbye before collecting a somewhat exhausted group of dogs for their walk.
Leo has finally won Meg over ( with the help of some dog treats) and all three climbed into bed with him this morning after their early morning walk. Last night William sneaked upstairs after we had put Leo to bed and I found him curled up on the end of Leo's duvet, much to the sleepy delight of the little boy.
I suspect Chris' Brother and his wife is going to pestered constantly in buying Leo a puppy!

Badgers are proving themselves to be somewhat of a nuisance overnight, for the second evening running they have knocked over all of the bird feeders and have eaten at least ten pounds worth of layers pellets..........

A photographic record of the afternoon

Leo and I Coop Cleaning

Leo, feeding Bunny the runt

Leo and his new friend

The Cochins looking on

Leo wrestling with George

William, Leo and George

Kid care...pah it's child's play

This child care lark is exhausting!

I have prepared a fireman's breakfast ( boiled eggs and soldiers), put together a lego policeman supervised a country walk, organised a wild flower collection and some chicken coop cleaning, taught a seven year old the life cycle of turkeys, calmed down an over enthusiastic wrestling match between boy and an over excited welsh terrier, given a guided tour of an animal feed wholesalers AND the sea aquarium in Rhyl..........and I even prepared lunch then delivered some eggs......

and Its only soddin four o'clock in the afternoon!!!!!

I must admit I have really enjoyed the day...Leo keeps his "whys? and whats?" to a minimum. which mean that you are not worn to a frazzle with little boy questioning and even though it is tiring reminding myself NOT to swear in everyday conversation...I have managed to keep him entertained when Chris was at work.

It also helps , when you realise just how polite and courteous Leo is compared to other people's children. There is always a please and a thank you whenever things are requested and he actually ASKS to be excused from the table after eating! He puts both Chris and I to shame!

Mind you his love affair with George (known to Leo as the "Black dog" as he cannot remember his name) and a hyperactive William , is firmly set, as every few minutes dogs and boy swap licky kisses and cuddles......I am beginning to run out of antibacterial gel with all this animal handling...thank god Leo isn't so attached to the poultry!

Anyhow tonight we are having fish and chips on the seafront and I have just captured a quiet 15 minutes to myself after sending Chris out with him to walk down gypsy lane with the dogs...Yesterday I spent an hour in the morning planting coins on the tree trunks, to form an interesting "treasure hunt" for him to enjoy........lets hope he finds some.....

Chris and his dad are taking him to the Zoo tomorrow.....

I am staying home with the dogs!

Small boys and dogs

Small boys and dogs go together like Hinge and Bracket.
Leo let a huge amount of steam wrestling with William in the living room
and screaming around the field with a hysterical George in tow

I don't know who will be exhausted first dog or boy!!!
As I write this Leo is shouting from his bedroom
"William is sitting on my head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"


hey ho

I am Still Mommy

I have loads to do today, as Richard and Leo arrive this afternoon.
I am trying to ignore the feather strewn bodies of two sparrows on the floor of the living room, well that is until I have my first cup of coffee of the day, and then I can get things organised, clean and tidy.( I have also got the challenge to set up a two man tent which Chris bought for Leo as his own ready made "den")

Yesteday, I noticed that the goslings have formed themselves into a neat little flock with the magpie ducks. The five waterfowl totter around the field together quite happily,all seem shy of visitors and with me they all remain wary, a fact I do find rather odd seeing that the goslings were hand reared.
Yesterday Jo (the gosling with the damaged wing) wrapped himself up in some discarded garden twine and ended up effectively immobile behind the feedbins.
It took me an age to unravel his feet from the string, but as I did so he sat quietly on my lap and nuzzled my neck with his beak, it was obvious that he remembered his old mum!

The magpie ducks, Winnie and Jo ambling off to the stream this morning.

Being belated

My best mate Mike had his birthday on the 9th
I sent a card but forgot to ring him which was an awful mistake....
I can only blame night shift for my oversight!
Apologies mike! I am looking to book a Sheffield trip the first week of September if you are free?
Time for him, Jane, Jonney h and me to meet up for a night of too much wine, gossip, bitching and laughter!

Nancy!!! read em and weep

Now I feel I must defend myself here a little, when I wrote the following statement in my blog Bliss dated 8th of August!

"Our bed is quiet! and empty.....without the usual cacophony of grunts,farts and dog dreaming woofs it is now a haven of peace and tranquility where I can spread out in peace and decadence....
bliss"

I was in fact referring to the dogs farting and grunting...not Chris as Nancy K seems to think I was:-
Nancy K. said...
"John! If Chris is really that obnoxious of a bed partner, why not ask him to sleep in a different room?
Much better than slamming him publicly like this.."

Now I have spent many blissful years sharing a bed c/o Dr Chris and in doing so would NEVER complain about any possible farts or grunts believe me!!! ( the odd bout of teeth grinding perhaps! and I absolutely cannot stand the way he gets up in the morning happy and singing like a bearded Julie Andrews!)

But all in all I wouldn't change the old git for anyone one else.(I suspect he would love someone cleaner with an Oxford accent and floppy hair!!!)

We bicker and spat like two old ladies out shopping but we are soul mates in the truest sense of the word

hey ho
;-)

Catch Me if You Can

I love rooting through youtube for movie memories... here are a few of my favourite movie title sequences