Readers of this blog will realise that I am a sucker for a "little moment" and this morning in the bakery,I experienced an ideal example of simple and candid humanity .
Earlier I went to Prestatyn to post a friend's Birthday gift and to pick up some laundry. It was lunchtime so counting my pennies I went to the town bakery to buy my lunchtime special treat- a sausage bap (a bap is a bread roll!) with lots of tomato sauce!
The unsmiling teenage shop assistant took my order, and with a bored but well practiced ease started to slice the bap and then the sausages on the work surface in the shop window.
At that moment an old lady that was passing stopped close to the window to watch the girl prepare the sandwich. She smiled broadly at the girl when the sausages were sliced quickly and with some skill then pursed her lips in a little "O" when the girl slapped them down firmly on the bread!
Obviously enjoying the performance, the old lady then almost chuckled to herself when the still unsmiling girl squirted out a generous big circle portion of sauce and then pulled an exaggerated surprised kind of face when the bun was finally wrapped up in a flourish.
The shop assistant ignored this little pantomime, which was unfortunate and mealy mouthed of her, but before the lady moved on, I gave her a conspiratorial wink which she returned wryly.......
Watching this little moment of humour made my day
And finally.......some good news
I suspect that the majority of blogs that will be written today will discuss in some way the magnificent rescue of the Chilean miners. I have found the whole "event" an interesting one in so much as I think it has been a sobering lesson of how one area of the world actually looks at another!.
The story of the miners has obviously been a slow burn as followed by the countries in the Northern Hemisphere. Vague perceptions of a dim and distant rescue attempt by a slightly uncoordinated and excitable Latin rescue force could not have been further from the truth, and over time the plight of the trapped men and the utter professionalism, and dedication of the rescue attempts (as well as the stunningly ingenious thunderbird technology), I think has taught the watching world a lesson in how they perceive a faraway Latin people and society.
It feels as though the world has given a somewhat belated but heartfelt "way to go!!!"
I am just so happy that, we have seen some good news for a bloody change!!!!
Red Update & The Village Rectory
No I am not bored!
Baby Quail, unlike most baby birds I have looked after seem calmer and more placid when handled and moved. Red and his compatriots seem to be doing just fine in their converted parrot cage in the shed and now resemble slightly long legged sparrows.They are cute as buttons.
This tickled me pink,( another local reader!!!) yet I explained that the reason for me omitting her house was the fact that it is so tucked away and not easily seen from the public main road. Pippa gave me permission to take a few snaps for the blog and take them I did this afternoon.
If you look closely both windows on the right of the front door are and have always been painted in, presumably to maintain the symmetry of the house!.
6.50
I am typing this in the dark so please forgive the typos.
It is just before dawn ( the time when Everything but the Girl says "you are most forlorn"), and I am wide awake after Chris' size 12s have "tap danced" their away over the cottage's ancient floorboards.( he was due a lie in this morning but woke up early and decided to go to work!)
He has now just taken the car leaving the dogs all snoring beside me and the guinea fowl shrieking at something unseen in the long grass.
From where I am now lying, I can just make out the black silhouette of the hills behind Rhuallt and the lights from Gentleman farmer Ralph's farm are the only ones I can see. beyond the hawthorn hedges and rolling fields behind the village boundary.
Our view right across the valley probably put an extra 20 thou on the price of the cottage but I dont care. It is a view I never tire of, even in the semi darkness and gloom of pre dawn. Very slowly the sky lightens up the field borders and the badger or the fox that is upsetting the guineas will disappear allowing the birds to quieten, and giving the cockerels time to crow in their own hen houses.
There is a stillness in the air that is quite lovely, a stillness that is only broken by Albert, who is, as I type this, clambering onto the bed to greet each sleeping dog in turn with a gentle face rub.
If I could bottle this brief moment in time and sell it to city slickers, I would be a millionaire
Postscript: Anyhow the romance of the above scene soon dissapeared somewhat after I donned wellingtons and coat and braved the first frost of the autumn.......my fingers are now stiff and cold after cleaning 4 chicken coops out before breakfast!........
It is just before dawn ( the time when Everything but the Girl says "you are most forlorn"), and I am wide awake after Chris' size 12s have "tap danced" their away over the cottage's ancient floorboards.( he was due a lie in this morning but woke up early and decided to go to work!)
He has now just taken the car leaving the dogs all snoring beside me and the guinea fowl shrieking at something unseen in the long grass.
From where I am now lying, I can just make out the black silhouette of the hills behind Rhuallt and the lights from Gentleman farmer Ralph's farm are the only ones I can see. beyond the hawthorn hedges and rolling fields behind the village boundary.
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| The view across the valley from the Gop |
Our view right across the valley probably put an extra 20 thou on the price of the cottage but I dont care. It is a view I never tire of, even in the semi darkness and gloom of pre dawn. Very slowly the sky lightens up the field borders and the badger or the fox that is upsetting the guineas will disappear allowing the birds to quieten, and giving the cockerels time to crow in their own hen houses.
There is a stillness in the air that is quite lovely, a stillness that is only broken by Albert, who is, as I type this, clambering onto the bed to greet each sleeping dog in turn with a gentle face rub.
If I could bottle this brief moment in time and sell it to city slickers, I would be a millionaire
Postscript: Anyhow the romance of the above scene soon dissapeared somewhat after I donned wellingtons and coat and braved the first frost of the autumn.......my fingers are now stiff and cold after cleaning 4 chicken coops out before breakfast!........
Heartbreaker ( L'arnacoeur) and Guinea Fowl Bullies
It has been a long, long time since I have laughed long and hard at scenes in a movie. Tonight I joined in with a healthy-ish audience at Theatre Clwyd and chuckled my head off at the rather sweet French Comedy L'arnacoeur.(Heartbreaker)
The plot in this Pascal Chaumeil movie is the stuff of Richard Curtis' imagination: Alex (Romain Duris ) and his sister ( Julie Ferrier ) run a business designed to break up only poor relationships. They are hired by a rich man to break up the wedding of his daughter (Vanessa Paradis ). The only problem is that they only have one week to do so and Alex's usual professionalism is called into question when he falls for the bride to be!
The obvious plot is sweetened by a brilliant central performance by Duris, who is a skinny,untidy chancer with an over abundance of French charm,. He carries the movie with a flourish and is ably supported by the wisecracking Ferrier and an oafish brother in law François Damiens, but it is the clever scenes between him and Paradis ( namely when the pair sing George Michael Songs in a car and reenact the famous dance scene from Dirty Dancing) that linger in the mind........as I type this am still giggling at the thought of them.
This is a lovely move! 9/10
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| Alf (the blue) and Hughie |
I got home fairly early after the cinema. My sister has visited when I was out ( she was downloading some videos for her charity blog with Chris (http://supportingandrew.blogspot.com/2010/10/inferno-dance-video.html) and had left the gate open. When I went to close it when I took the dogs for their final walk, I could hear the guinea fowl scream their very angry alarm calls from the Churchyard Elms.
The guinea fowl cocks ( Hughie and Alf) have been a pain all week now. I dont know just why, but both have suddenly turned all bullish and have taken themselves off to attack any hen, duck or turkey that crosses their path. Already today, cascades of feathers from a score of chickens bums, have fluttered down onto the field like confetti at a wedding, after the guineas have run amok......sigh........does nothing run smoothly when you look after 91 animals?
Any advice people?.........or is this just a brief surge of guinea fowl testosterone?
The Dog Whisperer
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| Meg looking worried |
I walked the dogs around Axton yesterday. Located just a mile South of the Village., Axton is a small collection of houses and farms.. As we ambled past my friend Eirlys' farm we passed an old chap who was walking the other way. I had not seen him before , and presumed he was a farmer ( by the way he was dressed) and he stopped to chat in that sing/song way fluent Welsh speakers always do. We talked about geese (he told me he sells goose eggs in season) and he shared a few "tricks of the trade" when it came to fox protection and hen care, which I found fascinating.
He also made a huge fuss of the dogs informing me that he was able to ascertain a dog's personality by just looking at it....and by the side of the road I asked him to give all three dogs the "once over"
Briefly the man looked at William and said quickly "he's a nice dog with a good heart" Meg he described as "highly strung,occassional aggressive and clingy" and George was summed up as " Bright , Happy and a real joker".
"How was that?" the old guy asked, and he was highly amused when I told him he had summed up all three dogs perfectly.
We chatted on for a while longer and then he tipped his hat and wished me "all the best " before ambling away
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