Cucurrucucu Paloma

Now I know absolutely nothing about Spanish music. I have a smattering of knowledge about Spanish Cinema but that is about it when it comes to the arts of a country I have perhaps visited two dozen times.

Last night whilst Chris was indulging himself with the period drama Downton Abbey ( I am sure he was hoping to see the sexy footman snog the even sexier Duke again!), I contented myself with a gallop through youtube!

This is a wonderfully delicate song by Caetano Veloso from the movie Talk To Her....I had forgotten just how intricate and beautiful it is..............

I love YOUTUBE. I really cannot be bothered with the happyslappy or overtly silly! but I do absolutely love those rare little clips from the more obscure movies that nearly everyone else (with the exception of those like minded geeks) have forgotten

Cottage History

 Arfon and Della from Pen-y-Cefn Isa farm let borrow an old photo of Arfon as a child. Now I am not in the habit of collecting vintage photos of the neighbours but I was grateful to scan this one as it showed just a glimpse of our cottage's old back door circa 1959.
Arfon's Uncle and Aunt lived in our cottage for many, many years, and originally the main back door of the cottage opened directly onto the street. Our Kitchen window is where the old door was situated (you can see the outline clearly) and behind the cottage (where our kitchen extension now lies) used to be a small byre for a few cattle!
I told you I wanted to find out a little more about our home..... Arfon and his baggy shorts is certainly a start



Hysteria



Winnie, Jo and Harry Secombe  worry the new Indian Runner ducklings

 Finally amid much screaming, adolescent quacking and flinging of watery poo from hysterical webbed feet, the runner ducklings have been wrestled to the ground from the safety of their shed and  in frantic groups of twos and three, they have been transferred to their outdoor run. The move has completely unhinged the field's magpie ducks and geese, who have spent the entire morning gazing intently at the babies through the chicken wire. Tentatively  Winnie and the drake (Who I have now nicknamed Harry Secombe) seem just a little obsessed with the new arrivals and I have been amused to watch them push their beaks into the covered run, in order to contact the runners, who true to form have spent most of their time running in circles screaming their vacuous heads off!!!!!

I wonder what Dan has let himself in for

Simple things

Now, blog readers will have realised that I am generally easily pleased.
Yesterday when we were at Sainsburys ( entertaining Nigel)
I saw this illuminated Halloween ghost.... and I thought it was so cute, Chris bought it for me......

Matt Cardle sings When Love Takes Over

I cannot quite believe it, but I am getting a little bored with Strictly Come Dancing......
so after the foxtrots and salsas, we watched the first live performance of X factor......which is a masterclass of public manipulation and flim flam.....mind you I do have a bit of a "celebrity" crush on the painter and decorator singer Matt Cardle!
Enjoy

Nige and the Supermarket

Nigel is an easy guest. He is  one person that does not require "traditional" entertainment organised for him; he hates swanky restaurants, ( a greasy spoon  or a diner is more his taste) and I couldn't quite see him propping up the bar at a city centre wine bar, but we did find plenty to do when he paid Chris and I a flying visit yesterday.

Mind you, the things Nigel "enjoys" could be seen as somewhat "different!" than the norm...whatever the Norm actually is that is?  

We walked a lot, we talked a lot and we had a mooch around a dying town's decaying indoor market ( Rhyl looking remarkably  like a scene from the Bronx's backstreets).The scenes of urban deterioration that we witnessed is like candy to a baby to Nige, who loves people watching on, shall we say, alternative situations!

We also took Nige  to Sainsburys to complete the weekly shop which I KNOW sounds somewhat bizarre but it is something that he enjoyed........which was a result!!!! necessary shopping AND entertainment all in one outing!

I did take a photo of us all in the car park larking around but  deleted it by accident!

Anyway Nige left for Manchester later this afternoon and I got back to the tried and tested . I moved the six quail babies into their large parrot cage in the shed. Red remains well and robust and can be seen here drinking water from a spare plastic pastry case above (before you ask I know it is him as he has a longer yellow mark on his cheeks compared to the others!)

Right...off now to watch Strictly Come Dancing.......and as I do...I must thank everyone who asked kept up with Red's progress....isn't it amazing that the fate of a one inch chick could and would generate so much discussion

Pig Visit

 This afternoon my friend Nige is calling over later for a flying visit, so the morning routine is a flurry of jobs and catch ups. Yesterday I drove up to an isolated farm up in the hills to take a look at some Gloucestershire Old Spot Pigs. They were delightful.........benign ( you can see owner Jayne sat on the boar in the above photo who happily fell asleep as she did so) and inquisitive, these traditional "old English" pigs are renowned good eaters, but they are absolutely HUGE animals, much, much bigger than I expected them to be. I was amazed that the sow was quite happy for me to sit with her and her 11 piglets inside her sty, and didn't batter an eyelid as the babies bounced on top of me with their sharp little trotters.

Hummmm food for thought. The piglets will be rather expensive compared with a couple of regular weaners,  and the actual size of the adults did worry me slightly ( my existing pighouse is perhaps too small for these massive animals)...so I may wait and get a couple of regular size weaners!

Oh by the way, Red the baby quail is still doing very well in the shed

Mixed Bag, Red the quail, Flower Show Meeting and Supporting Andrew

Chris was up early again today. He is working away tonight and has all of the high pressure lifestyle so typical of a PhD at the top of his game. He loves his work, so the pressures of deadlines and workload will always be there.....but I do worry that his downtime is non existent at the moment
It was still dark when he left this morning so I walked the dogs early ( they were not amused) and fed and watered the runner ducklings in the shed. The quail have been set up in their own brooder box on a trestle table and all six babies (including "Red" the miracle baby) are doing just fine. They remain absolutely tiny, but I guess like all game birds,  they are robust, tough little fellas that are designed to withstand the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune!

Last night we held the first Trelawnyd Flower Show committee meeting since the show was held in August As usual it was a lively bunfight of a meeting with plenty of ideas being bandied about Auntie Glads kitchen. Auntie Gladys is quite deaf, especially in company when there is constant chatter, so contents herself with preparing copious amounts of tea and buttered scones when the meeting is in progress, but having said this,  the meeting went so for so long last night ( we had to thrash out the new 2011 schedule) that she did flag just a little when sat next to her kitchen aga, and started to doze in her arm chair before we called it a night!

It is my sister-in-law's birthday today and my sister and I will be calling up later with gifts and cards.Janet (twin sister) has really got the bit between her teeth with developing her blog site, facebook page and fund raising efforts in order to support our brother Andrew and his progressing illness. Generally, Janet has always been the more reticent of the four siblings ( I am sure she wont mind me saying that) but with  determination and drive  she has single handedly turned into a bit of a warrior queen, in organising event after event AFTER event in support of this new cause.
Thank you to all of Going Gently's readers who have supported her (and me) by taking the time to comment on her blog http://supportingandrew.blogspot.com/ and by buying the MND (Motor Neurone Disease) charity bands
You all have been very kind and I am very grateful for your efforts believe me!
(Above is a photo Janet took of a local dance group all wearing their MND wrist bands)