Going Gently

A masterclass of calling a spade a bleedin' spade

I always enjoy desert island discs...hosted by the velvet toned Kirsty Young
(For those that have never heard this famous BBC radio programme it is a talk show where celebrities choose eight of their favourite music pieces and discuss them - AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THEIR OWN LIVES- with the journalist Mz Young)

On Sunday I listened with interest to the actress and director Kathy Burke (right) and I found the whole production riveting and completely refreshing due to the complete absence of normal showbiz and intellectual bullshit and jargon.

Kathy Burke spoke honestly and from the hip about her relationships with family and friends. She harboured no angst about the relationship with her alcoholic father but saw it simply for what it was...As a child she hated him...as an adult she forged an unsteady understanding of him...and time and time again, when a more verbose and "arty" actress would of capitalised on the "drama" of the conversation and questioning, Burke told it all as she saw it and when she didn't "get it" she simply said "well I dunno about that!"
I enjoyed this exchange at the end of the programme:-

Kathy Burke: "For years I was in upset and unhappiness with myself because I thought I was a freak because I didnt do relationships!"
Kirsty Young: "How can you write yourself off like that? how can you say it's not meant to be?"
Kathy Burke ( a little indignantly): "How would I be writing myself off?"
Kirsty Young (back peddling quite seemlessly): "Because I think you sound like somebody who could greatly enrich the life of somebody else"
Kathy Burke: passionately! "Yeah but I want to enrich my own life, I not here to enrich someone else's bleedin' life!!"
I liked that........

Hometime

Leo and Richard left at 9.30 am...The dogs collapsed in tired heaps by 9.35

ps

tee hee
I had to smile to myself
Leo is in bed, I have just come in following sorting out the animals, making everyone dinner and washing up the dishes........... and have just grabbed a minute to write up the previous blog about the day before I gather the dogs up for their evening walk!
Chris and his father, like bookends are fast asleep!
They've had a hard day!

Touristed out

Leo's last day here in Wales has been warm and sunny and bright.
He was up at 6am and out in the field with me soon after 7am letting the birds out, feeding and watering!
Chris took him to Church with him at 11 am ( complete with game boy -set on silent- and a stuffed elephant of all things) and the old lady congregation was stirred up into some excitement at Leo's presence!
This afternoon we took him for a ride on Llandudno's 100 year old cable cars, which was a first to me. We had an enjoyable time with the tourist crowds ( you couldn't tell by the above photo, could you?)...and ate ice cream overlooking a rather hazy Irish Sea

Richard and Leo go back home to Broadstairs tomorrow. I hope we have made his "holiday" here fun and trust we have not spoilt him too much ( always a worry with infrequent young visitors)

The cottage will seem very quiet and empty without them

Notre dame de Paris Gypsy

she doesn't quite live the role but after 60 seconds it lifts a pace

Jango Fett

This afternoon I learnt all about the virtues of Mace Windu versus Jango Fett and what Jabba the Hutt thought of Darth Maul........what our 7 year old guest doesn't know about Star Wars doesn't need knowing believe me!

After Chris and Richard took him to Chester Zoo, I drove Leo to the video store in Prestatyn to pick a Harry Potter DVD. After 25 minutes of deep concentration ( when all available copies of the famous series had been taken off the shelves and put in a neat row on the floor) he spied a dvd of Star War -The Clone Wars and so excited he was about it, he told me in detail every character and every episode of the six film series!

His excitement and enthusiasm was quite infectious

Poor lad...after a long day's activity he just about managed to finish a cheese covered lasagne , watch a few minutes of clone Wars then after kissing each dog in turn he has fallen into a deep and timely sleep

Chris, Leo and an elephant

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..........