No water, Dirty Dog phone calls and Christmas treats

We are only a stones throw from living back in the middle ages.
All it would take is the removal of a few essential utilities
and wallop!
Back we go!
This morning our cold water pipes had frozen completely
and there was nothing more pathetic than the spectacle of two middle aged gay men in slightly muted hysteria worrying about having a hot bath before work ( Chris) or having their first cup of coffee of the day (me)
How the hell would we cope in a real disaster?
God knows?
Personally I always thought that if I was ever caught in a capsized passenger liner or a burning skyscraper on its inaugural opening..I would have the gumption and forethought to climb that 18 foot Christmas tree or to abseil down a shattered staircase with a child on my back!
hummm
The reality , me thinks would be a little different!

It all reminds me of a poem I read in school!

When in fear
and when in doubt.....
Run in circles............
Scream and shout!

hey ho

Anyhow, we jury rigged a hairdryer on an extension lead in the outhouse to thaw out the offending pipes and I dropped Chris off for his train just on time. He is working away overnight ( In Sheffield)...and is hoping to get back home tomorrow before the national transport infrastructure grinds to a total standstill because of the ice and snow.
The village has been without any post since Thursday due to the weather....Missing our village post office I rang another local post office to find out just why this is occurring....Apparently MR HEALTH AND SAFETY has reared its ugly head again and senior managers stated that it was too unsafe for posties to negotiate icy paths!...the clerk stated that I could drive the 10 mile round trip to collect my post in person and offered to give me the depot's telephone number to check on this.....
as I was searching for a pen, I put the phone down next to a snoring Constance and when I picked the receiver up again I hear the lady laughing
"what the hell was that?" she asked
"That is my bulldog....she has a breathing disorder" I explained!
"That's a shame " the lady quipped " I thought I was having my first dirty phone call!"
 The post got through today by the way, the postmen themselves forced the issue and brought our cards on their own initiatives!

Ivy, Hughie and Alf feeling the cold on top of Jesus' run
(for those that don't know, Jesus was the cockerel that was abandoned on the field last Christmas)

This afternoon, I cooked cheap spaghetti and hand fed the birds this warming treat....the ducks and geese needed this boost much more than the more robust hens, but all the birds including the guinea fowl benefited from the carbohydrate

One of the ghost hens facing the day. All three have not left their hen house since last week!

Minus 10

a laura Ashley stiffy

Apparently it was minus 10 last night!
This morning it took me at least five minutes of heavy chopping to break the icy on the water butts and Pat and Joanne, out for their morning dog walk, said it hadn't felt this cold since the last terrible winter of 1982!
The birds are doing ok. The extra feed I had "hidden " away in their hen houses last night has given most of them a head start with the cold and only the more delicate Ghost hens are feeling the pressure this morning. Joanne kindly left a small pressie of bread and scraps out for me, and I fed the ghosts with the treats inside their coop to get them going.
We left a throw out  on the patio last night and it was hard as concrete this morning.....I stood the whole thing up against the wall as if it was a sheet of glass.

 Yesterday afternoon Chris and Janet went to see the Live broadcast of the Bolshoi's Nutcracker down at The Scala. I managed to make it down to see the second act but I wasn't really impressed with what I thought was a rather "safe" production....sure the corps de ballet was stunningly precise..but the male lead had a bouffant 1980's mullet and the principle ballerina had buck teeth....so some of the magic of fantasy of Christmas was lost on me!



Now dont fret readers.....even with the social washout that was the weekend...I have pulled myself up by my thermal underpants and got into the Christmas spirit. I delivered Auntie Glads pressie ( to those that dont know "Auntie Glad is a bit of a village celebrity who has been on the flower show and Village welfare committees or over 58 years- a diminutive and white haired 90 year old she remains a powerhouse in village affairs and is loved and respected by all) Anyhow, she had baked me  a huge box of home made mince pies and scones for us, which I will add to the food parcles we are taking up to my brother's house on Christmas day.



I have dropped some more Christmas cards off , then called in with some spare scones and home made picked onions to Mrs Hopkins ( remember the lady who had knitted me my mittens?) she had been out feeding the birds in her garden and had fallen, breaking her ankle badly....

another casualty of this freezing weather!

Mind you, not everything has come to a standstill (unlike the post, which has not turned up for two days)...Gentleman farmer and Islwyn from the village, has taken a leaf from David Cameron's teachings on the "big society" and got off their arses to clear the lane of ice.........we will never see a council gritter on these minor roads

Right, I have now drank two hot cups of coffee and feel a little more human. I will curb the urge to stay in the warmth to watch the John Wayne epic The Magnificent Showman, which has a morning showing on BBC2....the dogs need a walk and the birds need more feed collecting!

I will leave you a cartoon for Tracey.....it's the kind of thing she likes!



The Enjoyment of Blogging

I noticed this morning that nearly 140 people had "popped" in to scan, read, peruse, check up on, or pass through my blog over the past 24 hours......this fascinates me!
I know I have visitors from other "animal" blogs.....from family, some friends and of course I know there is a scattering of village readers that drop in to check on my news and that of everyday life in the sleepy quiet of Trelawnyd....but who are the others and why do they take the time to put fingers to key board and type in "Going Gently"?
I would like to think that my inherited sense of humour (my mother could be wickedly curt and sharp at times) that draws in the punters... but I guess this year's animal storylines which included Maddie's death, the arrival of the emotionally needy goslings, Red the quail's traumatic entrance into this world and Constance's flatulence, which really captures the imagination

I love reading other peoples' blogs. Diary sites, like mine, do have the narrative draw which sucks you in and keeps you wanting more, especially if they are animal led...Polly's goat traumas ( Polly's Path), the retirement home for aging golden retrievers ( Life at Golden Pines), the shifting menagerie worries of AJ (A little Farm with a big heart and Ruth's isolated mountain existence over at  Life Through The Cracks ( as well as a score of others) give just a tiny flavour of the diversity of small holding life......which can be terribly addictive.



Tom Stephenson's drawings



There is another type of blog which I find fascinating, and that is the "eclectic talk show type of blog"....funnily enough most of these type of blogs are penned by blokes, are often bitingly funny (or/and informative) and can be incredibly interesting.....    Tom Stephenson's musings from Sunny Bath, the Sheffield based  Yorkshire Pudding with his wry view of the world, Pittsburgh chatter from Another Mile Marker and Australian mega Brain John over at Tok,Tok place all provide me with an alternative view of life....with its many twists and turns!

"Life style Blogs" with some emotional romping are vital reading for me too! 
Maria's wonderful essays into self awareness  make for a cracking read (Just Eat Your Cupcake)...as does the life of an ex cop now running an American Diner (in  Eric's Don't shoot Your Meatloaf).The Diary of expat Tom in Angola ( A Hippo On The Lawn) is sporadic yet amazingly well written  and I must not forget the best of the home making/ allotment and foodie blogs such as Razzberry Corner, A Texan's Blog,  The Cottage Gardener, The Dykes Edge Allotment and Maura's gentle Lilac Lane Cottage

Then we come to the mixed bag type of blogs.........film and Theatre reviewer Alex Ramon Boycotting Trends sits nicely alongside Dia's essays on death and the experience of dying  in acuriouscure......and I absolutely love flitting through  Dan's  slightly geeky All That Comes With It or Murphyfish's welsh country Blog if I have a spare moment!



Alex's blog



The list of my favourite blogs does not stop here....and I must apologies if you have not yet been mentioned!

To Sharon, old favourite Cassie, Craig, Greg,Amy,Chickadee,Mark's "Tales of the sissy",The Halperns,Angus,Ted and Bunny,The Idiot Gardener,Piggies heaven,Lori Skoog,Tennesse Brit, Randy ( Sheffield Diane!!!) Gill, Isobelle,the benign Canadian Jim,Joanna,Christine, Louise and Melody, the potty minded Tracey,big hearted homeschooler Mal.Terri, Ina,Gardener Rob,Sue, little mouse,Knat,Bad Penny, Party goer Brighton David, cat......I never miss having a look at what's going on in your lives!
Oh and to  newbees Judith, Razzmataz,Beverly,Jacqueline,Kate,Rich,Andrea,Jennifer,Iris, Nancy, Ferris Jay,Linda, Inger, Tiger,Gail, Hopeful,Shetlands,Sheila,Jo,.......it's lovely to have you on board!!!!!

Christmas Socializing

We used to have a rather robust Christmas social life a few years back!

It was drinks here and nibbles there.......All Bar One with too many bottles one night and a mediocre festive Ward Night out with a horde of drunken nurses the next!

Perhaps we would go to the carol service in Sheffield Cathedral then it would be a meal at Mike and Bevs to swap gifts!

That was a while ago!

This weekend we had tons planned  .

Friday was a meal out with Nuala

Tonight we had booked to have friends Hazel and Alan round for supper

and tomorrow Chris has got us tickets for the cinematic live performance of the Bolshoi Ballet's Nutcracker!

Hey Ho

Nu couldn't make it up to Wales because of the awful weather

Hazel has the flu

and the ballet starts at the bloody early time of 16.00....a half hour before the chickens need locking up!

So its a night in front of the fire again

"I'm not socializing either!"

Scarecrow?

Snow's back
So are the starlings
I am beginning to get obsessed with them and am contemplating making a scarecrow this morning...I have one problem with this....
I have no crappy clothes to dress it in...
I am wearing them all!!!!


Its going to be a stay-at-home day -sorry about the crappy video, dunno what is up with my 2 year old 20 quid digital Argos camera

Saturday blues 12.01 am

It is now Saturday...the snow is falling ( though not thickly) and I am slightly pissed off that the media scrum /panic about the snow has put off best friend Nu from visiting yesterday!!! I miss her dreadfully!
No x factor to drool over today either
so will content myself with a google pic of my Matt!

with all this publicity, I think I will offer him a Welsh bolthole in which to hide from the press!
Boris is more than a match for any sleazy hack!

Howling at the Moon and pecking order changes within the dog pack

The Belles of St Trinians all seem to be doing fine. They were let out yesterday morning and immediately formed themselves into a tight knit little group on the field borders.
I brought them their own feeder (with wormer and vitamins) and left them fresh water ( with the magic  ingredient of apple cider vinegar) and hoped that they would  settled in without a problem.
Rescue hens like these scrappy birds can be bullied terribly by an existing flock, so the quicker they find their feet, the better, and apart from a few minor skirmishes with the bad tempered Angostura....the ten new girls coped well with their first day

Mind you, I wounder what they made of my , somewhat over-the-top reaction when I was pushed to the absolute limit by the marauding starling horde later in the afternoon.
Hundreds of the little buggers had been sitting patiently in the Churchyard elms for most of the day as I pottered back and forth getting the field ready for the new onslaught of bad weather which is due on Saturday and when I turned my back  the feeders went literally black with starling bodies stuffing their fat little faces with expensive layers pellets!
Seven times I scared the starlings away and seven times they retreated to the elms briefly before swooping down again when I had turned my back. 
I moved the feeder.....still they returned
I Placed the solar radio on top of the feeder......still they returned
I stationed George to watch over the feed.......STILL they returned!!!  
By the umpteenth "raid" I completely lost my cool and as the Wiley bastards sat in the trees laughing at me, I started to hurl the whole collection of tin feeding bowls up into the Elms whilst yelling "FUCK OFF ( first bowl) YOU NASTY ( next bowl!)  SHITTY ( next bowl) LITTLE (enamel bowl!) GOB SHITE(?)-final bowl)..........  BIRDS!!!!!" (Ran out of bowls so I lobbed a plastic rake!!!)
If you are reading this ( and I am talking about the two middle aged ladies tending a grave in the new Graveyard)
I apologise for my foul mouthed tirade and behaviour!!!

Today the weather has closed in and the freezing rain and bluster winds have returned....I am trying to get the cottage in order as Nuala ( my best friend from London) is due for a visit tomorrow- and I have to try to get rid of the cottage's doggy smells before she arrives.
Each dog needs a bath and I am just pondering just how I will carry a 24 kilo bulldog upstairs!

Meg before the scrap

  
To add to the day's events, Meg and Constance have just decided to thrash out their female pecking order positions within the household.
The result was inevitable.....slight neurotic Welsh terrier versus  quietly assertive mountain of female bulldog.....
All I heard was a mass of squealing and a few frantic barks, a couple of growls and then complete silence.
I walked into the kitchen to see  a bored looking Constance standing over Meg who had been rolled onto her back.
The bulldog had used her considerable weight to pin Meg to the floor and was not going ANYWHERE!
I left them to it. and made a cup of coffee.
Neither bitch moved.
I stepped over them and sat at the kitchen table to watch what was going on.
Neither bitch moved.
George ambled over to have a sniff at both of them, and still neither bitch moved.
Then Meg tried to kick Constance off and without any fuss Constance flattened her to the floor even more.
I left them to it.......
Ten minutes later, they still remained locked together. So I grabbed the leads and called all the  dogs for their walk.
Out trotted William and George followed by a rather relieved Meg and a quietly victorious Constance......
The bulldog is now alpha female and second in command to the benign William! 

Christmas disaster

Today, I will defy any of the right wing,asylum hating newspapers not to hang their heads in some sort of shame, when they reported the awful events on Christmas Island today.
The boat load of Middle Eastern men, women and children, that were flung to their deaths in the stormy waters of the Indian Ocean, were chancing their lives in an epic journey to seek a better existence half way around the globe from their poor homelands.
Desperate and  daringly hopeful, they took their chances in a world full of apathy and tried to steer their own destiny to something more than what they were born to.
....and the Daily Mail likes to call these people  spongers, wasters and scum......