Frodo's tale

Frodo

Now as regular readers will know, I am a bit of a sucker for a sob story. 

At least 30 animals on the field arrived as a result of being neglected or unwanted, and most have blossomed into healthy, happy and in the case of the "Crackhead whores" productive birds, who have all started to lay after a few barren and somewhat bald months.

Yesterday I received an email from  a woman in Shropshire, who had rescued a predominantly blind bantam cockerel from a farm after he was bullied by the resident cockerels and the farm children who delighted in throwing stones at him..

She had heard , through a mutual friend that I keep poultry (and probably that I am a soft touch) and wondered if I could help her

Frodo, apparently is a bit of a character. Before being re homed at the farm, he was one of the star attractions in the petting zoo at Alton Towers, subsequently he is tame, loves human contact and a cuddle, and now is almost fit enough to be re homed

I have a spare run, and the Rhode Island Red who had a stroke would make him an ideal companion so of course I have emailed Frodo's rescuer and have said yes. 

She was lucky, I think, as her timing had been pitched just right. With the start of the New Year, and the faraway prospect of better weather, I am beginning to feel more like my normal, more positive self.

The dreadful 2011 is now behind us

The Wind Doth Blow!

70 mile an hour winds, horizontal rain and hail ....I could hardly see the field this morning

I managed to snap a quick photo of the hysterical runners all leaning desperately into the wind

Strangers On A Train

I have spent a rather pointless afternoon battling the vagaries of a banking call centre, which proved to be as lengthy as it was irritating..In between huffing and puffing at faceless jobsworths, I almost forgot that Albert needed his inoculation boosters, so after bundling him into the berlingo, I popped up to the vets.

As it turned out the vet was running late ( it is a rural surgery) so I had to wait, and as I sat there I struck up conversation with a woman who had been booked into the slot after  me. The woman had brought an over weight and rather cheerful Labrador to be seen, whose name, she informed me, was Winston.
Winston, she added had a bit of a nervous "tummy"
My companion, was a garrulous old soul. Within a few minutes, she had told me that she was a retired legal secretary, that she had recently been hospitalised for suspected gallstones and that her niece had recently obtained a doctorate in some high flying subject over in the States.
She didn't think much about the Christmas Television schedules, though quite enjoyed "Downton Abbey" and was fed up with the increasing number of fireworks that were set off by people on the "Estate" when the New Year was welcomed in.
Winston had been with her for three years  and she also had at cat at home called Frank or Franks....... and after those facts were shared I think I started to glaze over just a little.......
But she just kept on spouting.
The Stephen Lawrence case was discussed, her niece's slightly disastrous love life was touched upon and even the merits of cranberry juice for "bladder probs" was thrown into the mix.... and even though I sort of enjoyed our conversation, the sight of the vet hurrying into the surgery was a very welcomed sight

With Albert tucked under my arm, I said my goodbyes, and the woman beamed at me, holding up Winston's paw up in a jaunty wave!!

"oh I have enjoyed our chat" she said and with just a hint of sadness in her voice, she added candidly
"Do you know you are the first person I have spoken to properly since December the 18th"

I gave her a brave sort of smile ,and  suddenly felt like crying.... and I wondered who she chatted to over two weeks ago

Injured fingers,Storms and Sherlock

The second in command Cockerel, Badger and the marsh which is now the field

Now bare with me if my spelling and grammar is ,moderately worse than usual....

I can only type with my left hand and with the third finger on my right hand......a result of a particularly nasty fridge defrosting injury.....I won't bore you with the details...suffice to say that I am  having a little  trouble typing, picking my nose and wiping my bum!

Yes....enough said....

The storm which has buffeted the Uk today, hit home in Wales in the middle of the night. and  at 4am, me and my sore fingers were battling the elements on the field as part of the Churchyard fencing crashed down onto the goosehouse ripping part of the roof away.

In the dark and with Mabel watching every move, I fixed the roof and checked on each coop in turn.....we have been lucky .........despite up to 90 mile a hour gusts, nothing else has  been damaged severely (so far)...

Hens a lucky little souls, when it's dark. At night they literally go totally blind and will sit comfortably side my side, blissfully unaware that anything untoward is happening in the big bad world..

I didn't even get a murmur out of them when after opening one coop door, Mabel stuck her big fat head through to give a group a buffs a somewhat energetic once over!.

The torrential rain has saturated the field, to it's limit, too and most of the animals are living in rather damp unhealthy lives during the day.....its been a lousy winter so far,

Last night, with the wind screaming around the cottage we had an early night and watched the first episode of the  second BBC series SHERLOCK on iplayer.

Now for those that have not yet seen Benedict Cumberbatch's modern day portrayal of the famous detective, you are in for a real treat, as his Sherlock is a masterclass in charisma.

His  "more damaged" Sherlock is a borderline asberger sufferer....as being the genius we all know and love,he is sexually immature geek,  who is at times socially inept and rather isolated, a facet which makes his character even more compelling to watch.

He is clearly  my favourite incarnation of Holmes.....

...and I am not alone...... fellow blogger Kyna over at crystalcoastgardener 

seems to be a bit of a fan..it always amuses me when she refers to herself as a .........

If you are having a bad time at home, hiding away from this bloody awful weather........ go to iplayer and give the New Sherlock a go...... it's great fun

To everyone in the UK.... be careful and safe today.... that weather is a bitch! and not a cumberbitch!

A Better 2012

The Family Photograph Jan 1st 2012

Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish

It wouldn't surprise any one that 2011 has not been the best of years for us all..........in actual fact, tonight at the stroke of midnight I will endeavour to raise a large glass of a crisp white to the arse end of 2011 .......at the same time as I stick two fingers up at it.

My brother's illness and eventual death has had a profound effect on the family .......for most of the year in our own different ways we have tried to support him , his wife and each other as the inevitable deterioration of his body and mood took place as surely as spring turned into summer,and summer into Autumn.

It might sound strange but I kind of miss my weekly visits up in Denbigh. Without Andrew there to "look after" I now feel strangely redundant and "all at sea" when Thurdays come around....."Out of sorts" is another phrase that comes to mind as the nagging thought of "there's a job that needs to be done"  continually creeps into my consciousness.......of course it's nothing to what my sister in law will be experiencing.... but the feeling is there.... and it is an odd, unsettling emotion to deal with.

2011 has been dominated by the shadow of MND.

It is an unforgiving, destructive and terrible disease...............and I hate it with a passion.....As a result  , I am filled with a contempt that makes me want to turn my back on anything to do with the disease in the future..and I mean that.....
......I have had my total fill of it.
.....a fact that shows.............

Of course, I lost Constance this year too. And this little sharp pain of grief was unexpected as it was cruel.

Constance was a sick old dog. But she possessed a big heart and a rather moving and profound attachment to me, which not only pampered to my need "to be needed" but which also moved me greatly.

Watching her blossom from a shy sickly bag of nerves into a confident, kiss loving mass of flatulence, underlined just why keeping dogs can be such a pleasure....... a pleasure that sometimes is so brief and bittersweet on occasion, but one that is to me, as important as breathing.......I still miss her dreadfully

I also miss two friends that went their own ways in 2011 ...another two losses......it feels like a year of losses!

Of course there was good things to remember in 2011.

-Watching  the bloody awful "deal or no deal" with Andrew in the afternoons when he was more active, and watching him laugh at my feigned annoyance at not understanding the quiz rules

-Seeing my sister Janet take on the role of fund raiser extraordinaire, despite being convinced that she would be no good at it

-Being a part of the successes of the Village Flower Show and the annual Allotment open day

- saving no 21s leg with the help of Pat B, my amateur animal helper

It has not been enough though.....

Yes fuck off 2011..!........2012... you, are going to be a better year....I just know you are
and if you are not...... welll... then  you can fuck right off too!

Lou Charloff,

One of my favourite late night tv programmes is OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES
I love it!
makes me feel ok with getting older!!!!!!!

Pretty Bollocks

 

When I was growing up in the seventies, it was the Roger Moore Bond movies that thrilled and entertained us. Fast paced,and  with a plot line that would not tax the average twelve year old....they were full of exciting set pieces, exotic locations, busty sex objects and gadgets galore.....so it was much amusement and nostalgia that I enjoyed the 2011 reincarnation of say Live and Let Die in the modern day guise of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

OK everything in MI4 is bigger, better and more polished than any Bond that I remember but the essential premise is exactly the same....

It's all flash, bang, wallop!

The Lovely Mr Renner

......The set pieces ( a tense standoff in the tallest skyscraper in the world -the Burj Khalifa in Dubai during a sandstorm and the bombing of the Kremlin) being just two of several standout sequences, where the bland Eithan Hunt (Tom Cruise) struts his box office pleasing invincible stuff.

This time Hunt's team is pared down to just three. A busty platonic Amazon (Paula Patton), a friendly geek (Simon Pegg) and all American Jock-with-a-past (Jeremy Renner)  (right) and

Of course they have only a few hours to save the world, which they do ingeniously and with some style and excitement.......

It's all bollocks...certainly it is... but it is entertaining, enjoyable and satisfying bollocks.......

8/10

Pretty but Dull- Lady Mary and the floppy haired Mathew Crawley

.......and talking of enjoyable bollocks.....This morning I actually made the effort  and watched the

Downton Abbey  Christmas "Special" Now....despite my scathing  criticism of the lacklustre second series... this two hour Edwardian romp finally showed it's dramatic backbone  which echoed writer Julian Fellow's cinematic period piece....the glorious Gosford Park, and provided an enjoyable Yultide story!

At last we saw dull Lady Mary ( who should have "had a canary Up the leg of her draws!") getting all romantic with the beautiful Mathew while Maggie Smith chewed the scenery like a good'un

Like Mission Impossible 4, Downton is generally good looking frothy bollocks........it's pretty to look at and it's easy on the brain......

just what you need on a wintry, cold and blustery day!