Pastures New

Hazel, my arthouse cinema buddy will leave Wales for pastures new today.
Another friend Geoff left a few months ago.........and although I am used in having and keeping friends from all over the country, the demise of local "on tap" mates is a little bit of a blow.


Now I am only feeling a little sorry for myself as I am aching like an old man! Last night I helped Hazel and partner  Alan fill their removals van, which we had to do within an hour window.in the pouring rain. It was all a bit of a rush, which was probably a good thing ......it made our goodbyes brisk and workmanlike........we will certainly keep in touch, that much is given...but our weekly cinema visits and film post mortems are now at an end.


Friendships, always ebb and flow..that is the way of the world..... I thought of this ,last night as I wearily sat down after locking up the animals and walking the dogs in a driving rain storm and as I started to feel just a little melancholic I opened up my email ....
An old friend had sent me a short note sharing the fact that he had just had a kindle book published , it made me smile as it was as incongruous as it was normal........(he's straight and the book is pure gay erotica!)
But the brief contact was just what I needed.


As I left the house this morning....I made up my mind to try and go to see the French Movie Little White Lies this week.........Hazel or no Hazel.....
and the new spring in my step was slowed just a little after a neighbour called cheerfully
"Looks like rain for the weekend!"
BUGGER!

A CRB check before dating?

A campaign for what has been dubbed Clare's Law will be launched today with the support of police chiefs and the Government's Victims Commissioner, Louise Casey.The proposal comes amid concerns that women are increasingly meeting men via the internet and have little or no knowledge of their pasts.and .is backed by the father of Clare Wood, who was murdered in 2009 by a man she met through Facebook and the former Home Office Minister Hazel Blears.It is proposed that women could be allowed to find out that if their internet "partners" have a history of violence by accessing police checks.

I have found myself sighing at all this. On the surface, the protection of the innocent, sounds like a laudable objective..but, to what cost? Nanny state behaviour coupled with a public that is so used to hold their hands out to say "I'm helpless" literally does my head in.

Are we not responsible for our own actions, our own destinies and our own mistakes without having access to a system that will do the legwork for us? whatever happened to trusting to our own judgements and of those of our nearest and dearest?

What is the world coming to when a woman can do an official "background check" on a prospective partner.?

I repeat ..what is the world coming to?

Australia

Its been a terribly wet day, and a miserable one.

It is the sort of day when the driving rain even infiltrates your underpants,

so that every time your return to the house after yet another soaking,

you begin to steam.

So this evening I was so glad to see that one of my very favourite movies is on the television.

Big..... brash....... artificial.....and slated by the critics on its release, "Australia", in my opinion is an old fashioned romp that has it ALL

It has a sexy hero (Hugh Jackman at his most gung ho) a feisty herione with a questionable English Accent (Nicole Kidman) and a cute child star with bambi eyes (Brandon Walters) add to the mix some wonderfully bravura set pieces (the bombing of Darwin and a particularly over-the top cattle on a cliff scene), a screen baddie that borders on the Pantomime (David Wenham) and a score that features "Over the Rainbow" and "Schafe können sicher weiden ( Bach's "Sheep may safely graze") and for me it is almost the perfect film....
SIT BACK...open the chocs....and enjoy

Côr Meibion Trelawnyd (That's Trelawnyd Male Voice Choir to you)

The Gala performance by the Trelawnyd Male Voiced Choir, sometimes is a bit of a strange affair.
I say this only as the day-to-day ordinariness of the Hall and the Village seems to contrast so sharply with the quality and varied nature of the singing and musical pieces.
The thing is, and I have to remind myself of this, that the Choir is no longer just a village affair. It has a musical director now.....and a vice President in the shape of renowned Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce.....so has gone on to bigger and better things...but it's heart and identity still lies at the Memorial Hall where a good cross section of villagers made up the packed audience.
As usual the audience had come to listen to the Choir, who were on belting form, but sticking to tradition the concert featured some local performers which included a very young and talented soprano from Llanberis ( who caused some whispers around the Hall when she turned up in a backless gown which showed off two enormous tattoos!) and a trio of teenagers from Lloc who stunned the audience with the pieces from Haydn and ( of all people) Scott Joplin.

As much of the choir now hail from all over the region, a lot of the audience were non villagers, but looking around I did spy, Peter and Val from Anchor house, Beryl who used to be the Church organist, neighbour Trevor, and many others........
We had to sneak out before the end as the chickens needed locking up, so missed the final set from the Choir, which is always something of a rousing affair......as we left several villagers where stood outside the open windows of the hall....waiting to hear the spine tingling finale.......
I am still battling with my confidence regarding an audition with the choir.......one day...I keep saying....one day..............
Oh by the way, the ONLINE winner of "Name the Pig" competition will receive a  selection from the Choir latest CD as well as a Welsh Love spoon as their prize........


Anyhow I got up this morning praying for bad weather
and your know what?
the Met Office seems to have got it right
It's pissing down!

Dia's words

There are many reasons why I enjoy blogging.Sometimes it's the humour...

sometimes it's the humanity...and sometimes it's the language...

Dia wrote a lovely comment on my post relating to Mary,the small dying hen who seemed to
rally somewhat a day  ago
I thought her description of the process of dying..quite beautiful


 acuriouscure said...

"Aaah...little Mary was nodding back in for a bit eh? Whenever patients would do that it always
reminded me of the way a piece of seaweed can get caught up in the wave wash at the beach,

washing in and out a few times before finally breaking free and heading out for deeper water."




off to the Memorial Hall later...there is a gala concert on by the Trelawnyd Male voice Choir

Snippets

In the village there is a somewhat "entertaining" elderly lady who owns a rather large and at times bad tempered dog.

This animal goes on walkabout on a regular basis and eventually returns home after its owner blows lustily on what can only be described as a large police whistle

Late  one recent evening some friends in the centre of the village were settling down in their living room when the said whistle went off suddenly. The wife, who is recovering from illness turned quietly to her hubby and quipped with a broad Lancashire wit
" ey up...theres been another murder in Whitechapel 


Well it made me smile

"Come on if you think you're hard enough!"

21 escaped her pen this morning, she is still a bit of a runt compared to 12 and is still  agile enough to squeeze under a depression in the pig fencing ( after a little bit of digging). Neighbour Mandy caught me first thing when I was out with the dogs to let me know. She was all a bit fraught given 21's hen eating abilities, but as all but one of the birds were still inside their houses, there wasn't much damage that could be done.


I found her looking at the one hen on view. It was Eric the feisty bantam cockerel , who was stood facing her off  on top of his little hen house. He was safe as his home is now Inside a badger proof cage, but typical of little men from all over the world, it was clear that he wasn't doing to back down! Screaming at the top of his lungs for the pig to "bring it on!" he launched himself time and time again at the slightly astonished pig, who just stood there watching him carefully with her hard little Shelley Winters eyes.
This pantomime continued until I called 21 and she trotted after me like Mary's soddin little lamb.
Peace was restored when 21 was safely installed back into her run, the fence was repaired and Eric given an extra portion of corn.
Sometimes you've just gotta smile at "little man syndrome"

This morning, after the pig/rooster stand off, I took CJ and Badger out of their shed and placed them into the garden for a sunbathe. I removed the tape that Pat and I had so carefully applied to his deformed "angel wings" a week ago now and stood back to survey if our nursing care had worked.
As you can see, we now have a little Canadian Goose with NORMAL wings!
A little victory I am hoping.


...and as for Mary still sat quietly in the shed?.....
She's still with us! I have fed her carefully with a syringe every few hours,...it's a case of "little and often".....if it works great......if not......at least the little sweetie is hydrated.......watch this space....
Its bloody like a scene from ER here this morning


ps....My sister has been busy being our official PR lady!
see the following story!


The Rhyl Journal Editorial

Now Voyager

Watched this last night on TCM.......here's to the Charlotte's of the world!