Going Gently

The Big Society and Raspberries

David Cameron's concept of the "Big Society" is said to be the one aspect of his manifesto that is the hardest for Joe public to get to grips with.
For many it is just a cheap way to get things done in a society that is strapped for cash .For others it is a welcomed step away from the nanny state ideas, when communities can get on with things literally for themselves, but like most political ideas.......the idea is not really a new one.

Looking at a snapshot of the village and it's infrastructure, it is easy to see where individual and "non official " self directed work has benefited the community......it's been happening for years and years....and all without the sanction and patronising umbrella of government!

The Village Conservation Group is responsible for the little knots of floral colour all over Trelawnyd.
Pretty flower beds have all been planted out infront of the pensioners' sheltered bungalows, and the Next to the Church a herbaceous border is now in full bloom.
All of this has been organised by volunteers in their own time

Last year the Flower Show Committee which was an off shot from the village welfare committee, provided the village school garden with equipment they needed and this year we have had an idea to purchase some extra trees to be planted in the old Churchyard.

The present day Graveyard has been totally renovated by the hard work of a single villager, Islwyn Evans, who organised new paths to be laid, new fences to be erected and old stonework and walls to be repaired and upgraded.
His was a labour of love which lasted a few years, and the result for all of his unpaid work has been phenomenal!
Mr Cameron take note......just leave people to it eh?

Anyway, our day has been a sort of restful one. Chris helped me dig over the lower veg patch.
and he did also helped me pick some raspberries before he darted back to the cottage for a snooze in front of Miss Marple.

Despite being a lofty academic his is not adverse to aspot of "Carry On " humour

scarlet takes a tumble

Now If laughing at something like this makes me a bad person
I am Rudolf Hess

Knocking On Doors

C.J and Badger

I had a great deal planned today. I erected a fence around the last of my veg patches and was in the middle of sowing late dwarf French beans when the Red Faced Welsh farmer called around for a chat.....This chat ( as usual) lasted an hour or so, and after it, just as I returned to bean planting, a neighbour called around for me to help him cut some wood ( which very kindly we shall use of our stove!)
It was, I thought, going to be one of those frustrating days...I didn't even have time to exercise CJ and Badger in the front garden......Both babies are almost ready to be put out into a secure outdoor run!

By 2pm I gave up the thought of gardening altogether and thought I would be better utilized conscripting villagers to help out with the Open Allotment day...so with William in tow to provide the cute factor , we went knocking on doors.....
By 3.30pm I thought I had done rather well.
20 people had promised to make me over 26 cakes for the day , whilst a further 7 had put their names down to supply an item for the raffle, .....Only one villager refused any help at all....and she is a crabby old bag with ugly curtains and a bad chest...so I wasn't disheartened at all
I have found that most people are incredibly helpful and kind...especially when you put them on the spot with a smile, a good cause and a sweet natured Welsh Terrier!

An odd little moment

The Gop old road

Today I saw something just a little strange

It was nothing frightening

It was nothing overly weird

It was just , well "odd"

There is an old road which snakes around the base of the Gop ( for those that don't know yet,, The Gop is the Hill which overlooks the Village) This road is overshadowed by trees which form a dappled tunnell in the summer which always remains dark, cool and silent.

I walk here every day as Constance hates full sun and as usual we walked the length of the road to where a badger set overlooks Gwaenysgor and all sat down for a rest.

The dogs all crowd around me when I sit on the ground and as we rested I turned my head and looked back up the old road to where there is a slight bend partly obscured by bushes.

Almost immediately I saw a dog which looked like a collie sniffing at the ground, I couldn't see it clearly as it was around 100 metres away but I saw that it was light in colour and immediately I clipped William ( who always runs after strange dogs) and George back onto their leads. As I looked back down the lane, I expected to see the dog and its owner walking towards us, but all I did see was a man who looked as though he was carrying a large branch of a tree. The man moved the branch from the centre of the lane and laid it down at the side of the road, so expecting him to walk towards me , I called Meg and clipped her back onto her lead as well, but as I looked again at the turn in the path both man and his dog was no longer there.

He must have seen us all and retraced his steps I thought ( four dogs are often off putting for a lone dog walker), and as I stood up to start the walk back, Constance ran forward for perhaps a dozen yards with her head held high, looking intently at the spot I had seen the man and dog.

The other dogs were all heaped around me like a load of scatter cushions and noticed nothing, only Constance knew another dog was around!

I thought nothing of all this until we came to the slight turn in the road on our way back to the car.

For, as I checked the road sides.. I noted that there was no branch to be seen!, not anywhere...

Now isnt that just a little odd?

Sibling Relationships

No, I am not referring to the Sally Field tv star vehicle here but to those relationships that usually last much longer than any other we experience in our lives

I have been thinking about sibling relationships as a result of the little indie film I went to see at Theatre Clwyd last night, which was entitled confusingly Cold Weather
This strange ambling little movie tells the story of Doug (Cris Lankenau) a shambolic but likable young man who gives up his University forensic studies to move in with his sister in Portland. His slightly aimless existence which centres around reading Sherlock Holmes novels, is changed somewhat when his ex girlfriend goes missing and helped by his friend Carlos (Raúl Castillo) and his lonely sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn ) he sets out to work out what happened to her.

Cris Lankenhau and Trieste Kelly Dunn

Like I said this is a strange little film, which uses naturalistic dialogue and improvisation to tell a story which is ultimately less concerned with an underworld mystery than the rather sweet, dependable relationship between a brother and sister.
Several scenes had a resonance with me and when I was driving home I came to the rather shocking conclusion that for us that have siblings, we will experience a relationship that may well last for the majority of our life on this planet!
I have been with chris over eleven years now.....my best friend Nuala and I have known each other for over 22 years...and yet my relationship with my brother and sisters has now lasted for 49......
49 years that seems more like 10 in the great scheme of things
How time gallops by.......
Cold Weather captures those quieter moments between siblings that don't need words to explain what is going on. For some that wanted to enjoy a pacy mystery flick, I am sure would have been disappointed... but for me, I loved and recognised the gentle silent interplay between people with a shared past and an ongoing present.
The relationship between siblings is the one that is taken for granted even more that the one that we have with our parents, it is overlooked more often than not because it can be overshadowed by the shit we all have with our own mum and dad.....but you know what it shouldn't be....by nature of time lines....they are going to be the constant in your life long, long after you all are left as orphans!

ps Gummy Meg is doing alright after her facial injuries inflicted by the somewhat unforgiving bulldog.
Tuesday night she spent all night curled up pathetically in the crook of my arm periodically showing her painful gums to me as she moaned all night and today she somewhat theatrically managed to eat several pork loin steaks only after I chewed them first ( the things I do)......

Marine Boy

Tv was THE unofficial babysitter in 1970 Pretstayn during the summer
but WHERE was the good old UK Children's programmes?
Marine Boy (Japan) Robinson Crusoe (France) White Horses (Hungary)Banana Splits, Casey Jones and High Chaperral (US) and lastly FollyFoot (waving the lone flag for the UK)