Ebb And Flow

The break up of a long term relationship is always a sad experience. Of course it is a terrible time for the two central protagonists   and for each of their immediate families but it is also unfortunate for others to watch such disintegration and sadness.

Someone I know split up with their partner last year. It was their decision, and a difficult one no doubt, and like a good friend I tried to be objective and supportive with what was happening.

But something happened to my friend as the dust began to settle.

They changed

Every time we met, the conversation always came around to how awful the "ex" was and this bitterness and bad mouthing has increased every time we met up for  a chat.

Yesterday I decided to to let them know how much I think they have changed and effectively, I guess, I ended our friendship because of how negative things have become.

Perhaps pure objectivity is just too much to ask of someone eh?

Perhaps sides just have to be taken....

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On a brighter note I think I have rehomed Thomas, Elizabeth and goose. A local woman rang last night looking for some more geese. She needed some company for her 24 year old ( yes 24!) bird....and will come to visit this afternoon to give them all the once over..... here's hoping that she'll take them.... ebb and flow.... it's all ebb and flow here...

This morning, an old aracuna lay dead underneath her perch, at the same time as spunky old blind Rooster Cogburn started to crow lustily in his newly found baritone voice.

The fully re feathered Crackhead whores are now fully integrated into field life and are looking healthy an happy and this morning I will start to clear out the deserted pig pen ready for new occupants...... ebb and flow.......ebb and flow............ Hopefully the geese will go, freeing up the old turkey house for something else  and more fertilised eggs will be hatching beneath a couple of broodies when they start to sit in a month or so's time.

The Indian runners have started to lay their blue eggs again too...... as Elton John and Tim Rice would say

"it's the circle of life"

The Cottage By Candlelight

It is a cold and rather damp evening.Chris is working away and the dogs and Albert are all asleep in various warm places around the living room. 

I have lit the candles and am just going to settle down to watch Olivia De Havilland in The Dark Mirror.

At night the cottage living room always looks at it's best.

I was talking to Olwenna the other day, she was one of the ladies that volunteered to be interviewed for my sister blog Trelawnyd -Voices from the past.

She reminded me that when she was a small girl in the late 1930s she used to come to our cottage to learn songs from a lady called Brenda Smith, the coal merchant's daughter.

(The Smith family, incidentally were the first non Welsh speaking people in the village I have been told)

Apparently the cottage living room looks very much as it did way back then..minus the piano of course

"Duck!"

I wonder if there is any Italian in me?

( don't you dare Tom!!)

I only say this because during a row, I do have a tendency to throw things.

The last inanimate object that was flung in anger as I recall, was an unfortunate packet of basmati rice, but I have been known to hurl more adventurous fare, the most messy being a whole plate of spaghetti bolognase, which decorated the living room quite nicely.

( The dogs were made up because they all were left to lick it up!)

Having said this, I can " come down" as quickly as I go "up", and generally It will be me to be the first to make up and offer an olive branch so to speak.

Now to all of you out there that need a little more help when making up,  the following link may be of help... click on it, write your name in the box and wait 20-30 seconds for the movie to load..... it's worth the wait!!!!!!!!! Enjoy and Happy Rowing!

http://www.obtampons.ca/apology

I don't like tea, I like .........

David Cameron has just banged on about the cost to the nhs of alcohol abuse.....

"Lesbians in Dyserth"

I was up early this morning taking Chris for the 7am train to Bangor. As I drove back home,somewhat blurry eyed, I recognised a man I know exiting the paper shop and he waved as I went past

I won't say more about just how I know this guy as it would, I am sure give his identity away to village readers, suffice to say he is a man in his seventies.

Anyhow I remember this morning a conversation I had with him a few years ago now which was excruciatingly embarrassing for him and exquisitely funny for me... it went roughly as follows

"Does your wife work at the hospital too?"

"I live with Chris , he works at Bangor University"

"oh"

"He's a research fellow"

"oh,....... that's good, "

Slight awkward silence

"We used to have a gay lesbian couple living next to us, they were nice big Jolly girls"

"Really?"

"Yes both worked for Flintshire County Council as I recall

"..........had a lot of rabbits...."

you couldn't make it up

No News Day

Last year I split some snowdrops from the garden and planted them in the old Churchyard

It was lovely to see them making the effort to appear

No amusing story today, I am afraid, as it has been a day for outside jobs. Paths have been cleaned, the accumulated detritus against the cottage wall has been removed and the front garden stripped of dead wood and the debris of winter.

I have even made that extra effort and have made a start of the largest of the allotment beds.

The only thing of note to report is that George has now taught Mabel how to steal and eat chicken coop eggs......Between them they have polished off five from the Tribe of the North's house

They'll both have the shits later!

Valentines

Forgive me if I have blogged about this before.. but seeing that tomorrow is Valentine's Day.. I thought it was perhaps appropriate to repeat it!

My very first date with Chris was in the Sheffield City Centre wine bar ALL BAR ONE.

I was trying to impress ( so actually looked clean and tidy for a change) and because he didn't at that time live in the city.. the night was my treat!

We drank a bottle of wine

We chatted and laughed

We ate and drank some more

and we flirted outrageously

OKOK we got all a bit silly and just a little drunk... but it was fun!

When It was time to go, the waiter ( who I knew) glided up to our table so I could pay the fairly substantial bill and trying to look cool, urbane, in charge and witty I took my debit card out of my pocket and slid it coolly across the table at him

He took it, smiled gently then   slid it back to me

I missed the real point  of his actions and slid it right back at him

He repeated his actions and slid the card back at me

I turned my head with a quizzical expression

as he said quietly right into my ear

"We don't take Sainsbury's saver cards in here sir"

I could have died

Chris had to pay for everything!

A couple of months later he moved in!

hey ho
* for those that don't know Sainsburys is a supermarket

Single and The City

Now I have not always been the welly wearing, animal smelling, country oik house-husband you know and (love). Years ago when I was single, I was a bona fida, card carrying member of the "keep yourself busy"  clean cut Man-about-the-city club, when I would spend my few days off from work exploring the museums and urban places of interest in the city with a spring in my step and a song in my heart!

The magnificent art deco Sheffield library and arts gallery, The Millennium Galleries (above), Weston Park Museum, The Showrooms cinema and media centre and the Winter Gardens all proved to be  valuable panaceas against a certain amount of loneliness that is inevitable when you are in your 30s and you are single in a couple dominated world.

I was always off doing something.......

Think of a fat, bearded Carrie Bradshaw without the bling!

The Winter Gardens ( pic by Diane)

So it was with great sadness that I read my Sheffield friend

Diane's account of the dire problems faced by the millennium Galleries in this awful climate of public sector austerity cuts.

Apparently the museum has lost all of it's funding from the Regional Arts Council this year and is facing dire financial problems as it struggles to maintain a World Class, modern Day service to the South Yorkshire Population...... 

This sickens me.

Museums like the "Galleries", I always think, bring a certain sparkle to the ordinariness of life.  Not only do they teach, inform, stimulate, celebrate and flagwave; they offer a free centre for escapism, for socialising and for comfort.........and when I look back on those few days off I had when I was a single career nurse, I always remember these places of sanctuary with a great deal of nostalgia and affection.

On Saturday when Chris and I ambled around the art gallery at that single beacon of "culture" which is North Wales' Theatre Clwyd, I did spare a few regrets at not having all of those Sheffield cultural places of interest "on tap" as there were when we lived in Hillsborough.

And I say to Sheffield residents.... you need to realise that these museums must not be just taken for granted.... in these days of cut... cut.... cut.... they need to be fought for and they need to be cherished.

Well done to Diane... and to all of those people that made the effort to support the Galleries by taking part in the big sit down picnic at the venue yesterday. Their  visual demonstration of dissatisfaction and support was fantastic and...... believe me...... I would have happily taken my flask and my butties down to Arundle Gate, and I would have joined in without a single hesitation

Sit down for what you believe in

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Weight Watchers Weigh-in today 14 stone 11 lbs

Weight Lost since 2nd Jan 1 stone 3lbs

Weight Loss last week 2lbs