There is no place like home Dorothy!........but........

Tomorrow, I am off to London for a flying visit to see Nuala.
It will be lovely to catch up with her, we are going to see a show for her birthday and she has something else nice for us to do even though I am only visiting for a day and a half ( she has already given me the strict instructions to "look nice" which is exciting in itself). so after a somewhat quiet week here in the village, the country mouse will be entering the big city--I am so looking forward to it!

The six new hens have settled down in their somewhat grand newly repaired hen house. I have nicknamed the coop "The Memorial Hall" as it resembles the village hall in size and stature.

All hens need is a 24 hour period locked inside their new home and they will always return to that house forever! It is a fascinating part of their peanut brain Psyche that they have this ability....and it never fails them. Last night like the big wuss I am, I still camped out on the field to ensure that the six newcomers made it back to the memorial Hall, but I need not have worried. As soon as the light changed from day to dusk, back they trotted and despite being a newly formed flock already the alpha female (one of the Barnevelders) took her place in the choice spot before her juniors followed her to bed.

I must also note that in comparison the turkeys remain thick as mince........every night I have to herd them all into their sleeping quarters and STILL they have no idea what I am doing and why.

sexing geese

Is it Winnie and Joe....or Winston and Jo?
Apparently it is nearly impossible to sex geese especially when they are young. The white goose (Winnie) has the deepest blue eyes of any animal I have ever seen (honestly he looks just like Paul Newman!!); whereas Jo has deep moody brown eyes...could that be a factor in sexing them? the internet information is not clear. Jo's "undercarriage" seems more pronounced than winnie's, so I suspect I may have a gander and a goose...but who cares.....
Whatever the sex of the geese, they and the three magpie ducks have formed themselves in to a tight knit little flock that go everywhere together.
I find this "crossing over " of species boundaries fascinating and rather moving. Only last year Hughie the lone guinea fowl spent all his waking hours shadowing the cockerel Rogo... and before this Boris would gallop to the "rescue" of the 22 Indian runner ducks when they continued their noisy hysteria when rounded up for the night.
The flock instinct and the innate goal to "belong" is a strong one.....and that is why I enjoy having the animals so much.......their demands and needs are so honest

The weather is glorious , but I just cannot get myself going at all. Night shift was quiet, (which probably made me more jaded today), and the dirty shed in the back garden desperately needs cleaning out after Hazel 's town hens have had their holiday in it over the past week....
But I just cannot be arsed!
So.....I will have another diet coke........then I will have an amble with the dogs around the sleepy village roads..................I almost forgot it is Bank Holiday Monday today....that means.......a few crap but ultimately satisfying TCM movies............thank goodness Chris is back tomorrow..I have had my fill of the single life

A depressing weekend

It has been stormy over the last 24 hours or so. The village of hen houses have taken the brunt of the weather as the wind gusts up the valley, and this morning the birds have congregated in the centre of the coops where they've escaped the worst of the gales.
It is interesting to note that only the heavy and plodding ghost hens seem unaffected by the inclement weather....obviously their bulk seems to shield them from the gusts of wind and rain.
Mind you the five of them,literally move as one so face the elements like a group of Roman soldiers
Last night the cottage seemed rather isolated. The wind was a blowing and it was dark as pitch outside! It didn't help me watching two mean and moody films, both with protagonists battling their own demons during bleak stormy weather! when you are home alone, the old imagination can run riot when all you can hear is the shriek of the wind in the trees.

Marin Scorsese's melodrama Shutter Island is somewhat of a heavy handed movie.Visually, its film noir -ish mise- en- scene coupled with the dark hurricane lashed psychiatric hospital mystery, makes for interesting viewing, but the very artificiality of the plot and style of the piece flagged up the main twist in the story for me only 30 minutes into the movie.
Leonardo de Caprio , is not a favourite actor of mine, but he does carry the movie with an assured and compelling performance. 7/10

Valhalla Rising is a glum, brutal and wholly depressing odyssey from Danish director Nicolas Winding. It follows the unending journey of a one eyed prisoner (Mads Mikkelsen) as he escapes some pagan oppressors to fall in with some viking warriors.....yeap not a bag of laughs.. but I must admit the movie was quite beautiful to look at in a chilling and depressive kind of way

6/10

I gave up after a hour...... and put on Mildred Pierce
......Working night shift tonight........this weekend has not been one of my best

Nun's story

Watch the scene from 5 minutes in...........it will chill you to the bone!

Airport 75 Tribute

The animals have taken to their houses as the weather has drawn in......so while spring cleaning the living room cupboards I have watched THE NUN'S STORY (9/10), AIRPORT 75 (7/10) and am half watching (yes believe me)...half watching.. MUPPETS FROM SPACE......

Loved this totally amateur false trailer from Airport 75!

Chuggers and being naughty

I am quite firm when it comes to road side charity giving.....when approached by one of those smiling, usually attractive undergraduate types holding onto their ID and clipboard, I smile broadly and call out assertively "No thank you!" before marching on with my head held high.
It has always been a personal rule.
Now the reasons for my refusal are as follows:-
1) If I want to give to charity I will do so off my own bat and not as a result of soft bullying tactics
2) I have also always questioned exactly how much of my monthly direct debit would benefit the charity of their choice?

I am glad I have never succumbed to the flash of white teeth and the friendly arm tugs as
Yesterday I read with interest in the Telegraph that when these "chuggers" ( I have never heard this term before) obtain a signature for a regular direct debit payment to say Help the aged then the first £165 is swallowed up with the administration costs of the company employing and paying the chuggers themselves!
Given the fact that many charity givers stop a regular payment to their charity after a year or two it is easy to see just where the money doesn't go isn't it? .
Am I right?....................... or am I an old grump?
Go directly to the charity of your choice that what I say or failing this find the nearest poor old lady and bung her a fiver!


I am tying this blog entry in bed. I got up early, walked the dogs, sorted out the field then with coffee , dogs and a peanut butter bagel I have sneaked back to bed listening to BBC I player- ! with Chris still away, I can get away with it!
Yesterday was sort of a quite non-day. I had to give up strimming the field when my loaned strimmer lost an attachment from it's spinning blade head. I rang the company which helpfully said they would send me a replacement "bit" in the post. After this I was in a bit of a loss of what to do, so I went for a drive to see my friend Hefin, who has a small chicken selling business in the hills....it was a fatal mistake......two cups of tea later, six hens ( 2 light sussex (above),a cochin, two pretty barnevelders and a little grey whatever it is) were sat in the back of the berlingo waiting to be rehoused in my new hen house.....hummm more beaks to feed,but at least these 6 will be good layers)

Chris rang yesterday evening...he has been to France with his mum for the day (remember he is in Kent which is a stone's throw from the French ports) and has stocked up with smoked garlic, tinned duck, and other nice nibbles....he knows me well when he said pointedly
"I bet you have been wearing that shirt all week and haven't had a bath for 3 days"
.........and you know what? he's be right................

Pob Hwyl

The Village post office will close today, and a steady stream of Trelawnyd folk have called in to wish Jenny the postmistress "Pob Hwyl" or as the Welsh would put it " all the best"

I cut her some flowers from the garden and called in to give her my best wishes when I was off walking the dogs

.the above photograph is of Jenny and one of her oldest customers Mrs Hughes

sigh

More Big Boy's films this evening.... Clash of the Titans.....

total bollocks but Sam Worthington is a real sweetie.....I could spit on a hankie and wipe his face anyday!!!