The Flower Show Committee Pie Fight

I have too much to do today. The backlog of jobs to be done before the open day seems to be growing, not shortening and I have been seriously been considering organising an "Open Day Committee" for next year's event....

Mind you Committee work is not an easy ride either!

We had our final Trelawnyd Flower Show Committee Meeting last night before the show itself which is on the 13th of August......

They are always lively, slightly confusing and animated affairs, where official committee protocols often go out of the window.

Everyone talks at once. Sticking to the agenda is sometimes an impossible task and after an hour or two I sometimes feel as though I have just worked a12 hour shift on intensive care. ( Goodness how the slightly deaf Auntie Gladys copes with the job of sifting information?)

Having said this....everything gets done, decisions are made and for such a small village, the large and motivated committee is a, I think, a credit to the community.

Anyhow I am grabbing a quick cuppa before:-

I collect animal feed from the wholesalers,

Buy bedding plants for the cottage hanging baskets

Collect the donated craftwork from the post office to sell on our bric-a-brac stall ( Thank you Wanda Glaze for making and sending it)

Pick up tea tables and chairs from Prestatyn

Collect 4 boxes of bric-a-brac,
locate the tea urn from the Village Friendship group

Collect 4 gazebos,

Clean out two hen houses (one has redmite starting)

Strim the lower part of the field,

Then I can walk the dogs, make dinner and deliver eggs

Yeap I think I  need a committee

Ps. forgive my lack of posting on the usual suspect blogs...when I get a minute I will catch up with you all


Just a quick postscript and message of thanks.
Today I received two large parcels from two fellow bloggers who have kindly donated items for our open day.
I couldn't quite believe the home made items that were sent by Wanda Glaze from up there in Orkney......beautifully hand crafted bags, tea cosies and stockings, all beautifully presented and wrapped for me literally overwhelmed me.Thank you so much for the time effort and kindness it took to send them to me.


The other parcel was from Craig over at http://cognacguy.blogspot.com/.
and it was filled to the brim of home made cakes .as well as a donation for the day. Again the time, effort and the thoughtful nature of the gift is very humbling. I am very grateful for his contribution

here comes the sun?

NO 21 in indignant mood

I was locking up the hens this evening, when a villager out with his dog called me over
"just saw the weather forecast for Sunday"
he boomed
" sunny intervals!"
my heart soared
here's hoping

Who IS Dave?

;;
This is Dave
Have a look on your followers bar and I am sure you will recognise his swarthy good looks.
Over the past few weeks I have noticed him turning up an nearly EVERY blog I have read.
No comments, no pithy quips......no witty banter...... just a silent face staring back at you amid photos of your friends and loved ones that follow on your every word
Have a look.... see if he's there
Just watching...........
.....and waiting

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