Voices from the Past

The old plaque on the Edenezer Chapel on Chapel Street that was built in the early 1700s

I am up at my brother's house for the day. My usual "Thursday" has been moved to today as tomorrow I am off to London for a catch up with best friend Nuala. 
It will be lovely to be frivolous in body and soul for 48 hours....we will take in a show, do some cinema, eat, drink a little and talk a lot.....I have missed her
So today whilst Andrew is napping, I will get started on my next project, and that is the "design" and planning of a "sister" blog to Going Gently  and The Trelawnyd Flower Show
I am hoping that the new blog will be a sort of Village based project, as I would like to chronicle the much and varied history of Trelawnyd, as remembered by the older people of the community. Since my post of a day or so ago, I have already received a whole folder full of old slides, photographs and articles which depict Trelawnyd's past as well as being promised  books,letters and personal information on some of the more interesting aspects of the villagers' lives . 
Shifting through all this and collating it will be a challenge, especially as there has already been a popular local book written on the subject a few years ago, but I would like to capture the experiences and memories of the rapidly disappearing aged population and document their words and their snapshots of the village in a more definitive collection.
Local Dog Walker and mine of village information Pippa B, has already offered me some sterling advice of who to see and who to ask, so next week I will start knocking on doors to galvanise some local support on the project...in the meantime if any local blog readers have and relevant information, photographs ( which will be returned after they are scanned) and bits of interest....you know where to find me!


The New Blog can be found at http://trelawnydhistory.blogspot.com/

Shame and a possible case of dog napping?

Sorrel has returned to Kent this morning.
She takes with her a chest infection,a reinforced hatred of rodents and  a healthy disregard for Bulldog bitches....but at least she seemed to have enjoyed her visit.

This afternoon I have togged myself up like Bill Murray in Ghostbusters and have jet sprayed the inside of the coops with neat dettol......It is the start of red mite season and as every poultry keeper will testify to..having red mite in your hen house is as shameful and as disgusting as having a particularly itchy dose of pubic lice!
Dettol is a miracle bug killer, so after a hour and a half spraying, I returned to the cottage smelling like the inside of a public urinal (or perhaps like the inside of one of those plastic buckets the ones that your mum used to place next to the bed when you were sick as a kid) .I left the dogs enjoying the sun on the patio outside the back door and went inside to change and as I was in the bathroom I heard George and Constance barking.

Now this is nothing new as the dogs bark at numerous people walking past the cottage. Indeed they had only just given octogenarian Trevor a loud "doggy greeting" when he popped down to give me a load of historical photos of Trelawnyd for my rapidly growing collection, but there was something a little "sharp" in the Scottie's bark that made me think that he didn't know who was around, so I stood on tip toe, looked out of the window and caught a glimpse of a rough looking middle aged stranger  leaning right over the garden wall.
The man had hold of William around his front legs and looked as though he was lifting him up over the wall....
"Put him down right now!" I bellowed out of the window and the surprised man jumped a mile and stopped what he was doing "I'm only stroking him" he said smiling yet unsure of where I actually was, but I must admit that the whole thing felt suddenly wrong and I was having none of it.
I galloped down stairs to find the apologetic man still standing there rubbing the ever friendly William behind the ears and although the guy's behaviour could have just been that of a friendly dog lover,I felt uneasy and suddenly ready for a bit of a confrontation.

"He's lovely" the man said
"Yes he is" I replied shortly and picked the big hearted William by the scruff of his neck and holding him like a handbag I walked into the house followed by the rest of the dogs.
"There's no need to be like that" the man said, but still the whole thing seemed rather contrived to me
"fuck off!" I called over my shoulder
Hell has no fury as a dog owner potentially scorned

William sleeping on the couch after his afternoon walk

Perhaps it was a total over reaction on my part......but do I feel guilty? do I heck as like!
Anyhow tonight I aim to relax a little,   .......it will be nice to catch up with my favourite blogs in front of the fire

London Road, Trelawnyd

I forgot to add this century old photo of London Road in the centre of the village with all of the others in my previous post....the scene today ( apart from the traffic) has not changed too much at all!

It's 10pm and Sorrel and Chris have gone to bed....I have had 1 hour's sleep in 24 and am wide awake....go figure......

Historic Trelawnyd

The Churchyard used to be surrounded by trees and strangely a low stone wall ( much lower than it is today)
This photograph was probably taken from where the houses now are on London Road

A similar shot from Cwm Road....sans trees

The Mostyn Arms pub ,cottages and a shop have  been demolished to make way for the pensioner bungalows
The Memorial Hall is on the right

The pensioner bungalows and the "green"

On old shot of the memorial Hall ( with its original dome!) The rather neat looking house on the right has now gone to wrack and ruin

The memorial Hall today,still going Strong

High street with the imposing Plas Yn Dre house built by John Wynne in the 1600's
Bonc terrace is on the left of the house which used to be a private school
Bonc terrace is now a car park although the cottage gardens ( now allotments) still remain

Plas Yn Dre yesterday

One of the old cottages on London Road

Today four cottages knocked into one house

I thought I would blog these photos that were given to me by neighbour Pat. I have been after some historic photos of the village in bygone days and will publish some more when I get a chance to scan them.
Working last night and the monitor alarms have given me a banging headache.... as I type this William is sitting behind me on the sofa..licking my forehead with a cold tongue
who needs paracetamol

Tearful Sunday

To some Les Miserables is just a populist musical and one that holds little credibility with "serious" theatre goers.... I disagree totally....ok it is sentimental and at times emotionally manipulative, but there are some lovely moments within the libretto. This is the 25th anniversary performance of Bring Him Home, sung by four of the most memorable Jean Valjeans.... Sorrel's pin up has to be the diminutive Alfie Boe ( The last to sing)..and I remember well, the old Irish trouper Colm Wilkinson ( the first to sing) from when I first saw Les Mis in the mid 1980s...... However my favourite must be the sexy Welshman John Owen Jones ( no 2)....who must be the best looking of the French heroes. (swoon!) Right, off for a walk with Sorrel now, we are going to photograph the parts of the village which have been previously photographed in some ancient vintage photos I received from neighbour Pat Bagguely. I will organise a "before" and "after" on the blog soon.... Anyhow enjoy the video

Hey Ho

Just before our guest's morning ablutions Albert thoughtfully deposited a large dead mouse in the bath

The screaming has just about abated...........

Sorrel doesn't "do" country.........................

goslings

I took this video last year...I so want a few more goslings this year!

Sorrel and Constance

Mum in law Sorrel has rather refined sensibilities. She copes generally very well with the over activity of a house load of terriers but I suspected quite rightly that the rather robust farting, belching, snoring and throat clearing of an asthmatic sounding bulldog , would be just a little too much for her to cope with.
Their first meeting didn't go too well!



a face a mother-in-law couldn't love

 Sorrel sat on the couch demurely as Constance bulldozed her way through the throng to give the newcomer the once over with eager little piggy eyes and a somewhat sputum filled smile. She sniffed loudly and with the loudest of grunts  belched then cleared a mouthful of goo from a mouth the size of a gin trap.

Sorrel  looked faintly nauseous by this performance and her face was a picture....as she looked exactly like Maggie Smith's Dowager Countess from Downton Abby. (you know her famous "There's a bad smell under my nose" kind of expression used in most of her latter day movies)

The meeting therefore was a bit of a standoff.

Sorrel continued with her tea and with a bored fart of defiance Constance stalked off to the kitchen alone

Something makes me think that they are not going to be the best of friends

Mother and Son

This morning Chris and Sorrel are off shopping in the historic city of Chester which is only a short train ride over the English border. Clothes shopping leaves me rather cold, so I have passed on the traditional troll through Brown's of Chester and will spend the morning  digging and weeding