Cross Over Friendships

I have always found interaction between animal species fascinating
As a rule it just does not occur as animals have a great ability to be able to ignore each other in everyday life, but just occasionally cross overs do occur and genuine "friendships" and bonding can flourish.


A few years ago Hughie was the only guinea fowl on the field. He was isolated and lonely and over a matter of days alone teamed up with a young cockerel called Rogo, who accepted the "relationship" with what seemed like a mutual affection and need.
Last year Camilla the orphaned Canada Goose teamed up with Badger the baby cockerel, and many moons ago our old cat Joan had a friendly, if not playful relationship with our first Welsh terrier, Finlay.
The exception always proves the rule, 
as with humans, the over riding thing of importance with animals is to have some closeness with another living thing

The Inseparable Hughie and Rogo

Early this morning, after I cooked some chicken in an attempt to tempt the more quiet -than-normal Albert into eating. I cut the meat into small chunks and took them up to the bedroom where Albert was sleeping on the bed, and as I walked into room I noticed William curled up with him, licking the cat's face and eye very, very gently.
It was a sweet little moment of pack solidarity, which kind of underlined to me that Albert is indeed not as well as he could be.
More shit shovelling today...but not as much as yesterday...I'm working tonight!

éclair

This is one of the best comedy lines I have heard
Spoken by Victoria Wood way back in the 1980s
She plays a nervous woman collecting information in a street survey

"Here's my ID. Yes, I do look rather startled.
It was taken in a photo booth and someone had just poked an éclair through the curtain"

Grab Bag

Just a few idle ideas grouped together over very early morning coffee.

It's going to be a lovely day, and I aim to spend the day spreading old pig manure over the allotment vegetable beds!

PRIDE
Now I must admit that I usually find Opera "nice girl" and ex of Gethin "oh be still my beating heart" Jones Katherine Jenkins to be all a bit suger sweet for my liking. but I must admit that I was kind of rooting for her , when I heard that she had schlepped over the pond to appear in the US version of Strictly Come Dancing.
Here is the Welsh crooner looking very Hollywood and acquitting herself very nicely indeed 

SHOCK
Now I know that I occasionally do bang on about the AMC tv horror/zombie blood feast The Walking Dead, but even I, as a dyed fast fan, do find the fact that Toys r' Us are bringing out Walking Dead minimate childs' toys,in the guise of the apocalypse survivors complete with zombie followers.
Now apparently here they are........






Rick Grimes and Dale with Zombie followers
Am I actually going mad?

INTEREST
The most interesting thing I watched on tv this week was the first episode of Talk At The BBC. This is a compilation piece where the most interesting parts of "interview style" talk shows from the 1950s,60s and 70s, many of which have only been aired the once, are repeated.
So on Tuesday we were offered fascinating clips of a fabulous looking Edith Sitwell, a combative Robert Mitchum,a reflective Sammy Davies Jnr, Bette Davis in full "All About Eve" mode and most movingly the infamous Face to Face interview of the tv journalist and broadcaster Gilbert Harding by John Freeman; where Freeman was trying to "out" the prickly celebrity by talking about being lonely and about death. The subsequent emotional outburst from Harding even by today's "heart on you sleeve" standards is upsetting to watch. In 1960 it must have been seen as terribly shocking.
If you can access iplayer, take a look at it, it is well worth a second look


The outwardly gruff Gilbert Harding

WORRY
Albert has recovered from his eye infection but is not back to his old self as yet. He remains somewhat listless and quiet and is not eating as well and as normally as usual. He looks bright eyed enough, so I hope it is only a case of post viral fatigue, but it bothers me that he may be seriously unwell



BABIES
The incubator in the kitchen is up and running once again, this time with amazingly large and beautiful goose eggs inside. A buxom light Sussex is the first hen to hit "broody" on the field and she is happily sat on an eclectic clutch of eggs in the first of four broody boxes. In three weeks, with a bit of luck the first chicks of the year will be here



Right, the coffee has been downed and some hard core shit shovelling is the order of the day....
oh btw
I am looking at the dogs on the kitchen sofa....Meg is happily curled up next to a snoring Mabel..."bitch wars" looks like a thing of the past!
here's hoping!

Could we?

The Hooded Tomb in Trelawnyd Graveyard

A year or two ago, as I was entering the village shop a guy passed me and rather unsteadily got into a works van and drove off. He smelled strongly of drink and had a newly purchased bottle of wine in his hand. It was 9.30 in the morning.

I went home and rang the police, and had no qualms in doing so.To me it was a no brainer,

Yesterday I was speaking to someone who voiced similar fears about a neighbour of theirs who was driving to a local shop several times a day for alcohol. They were unsure of just how to deal with what they were witnessing on a daily basis and were seriously thinking of reporting the matter to the police.but had some reservations, many of which I could understand. 

Having said this, I would report a drunk on the roads no matter what the ramifications may be., especially if the person involved is drinking to excess and driving several times a day. Escalating behaviour like this means an accident is almost inevitable at some time, especially on fast, narrow country roads.

Gawd, how things have changed since I was a kid. Then it was perfectly acceptable for my mother with ten year old twins to climb into my father's massive Granada when he picked us up after babysitting my nephews on a Saturday night. He had spent a merry time drinking at the Conservative club and although not falling down pissed, he would, quite acceptably be a few "sheets to the wind!" so to speak

The hair raising seven minute journey from my sister's house back home would be completed at rally car speeds where my sister and I would be practically weightless in the back of the car as my father negotiated the Prestatyn's hump back railway bridge doing 65.

But things have changed, and they have changed for the better, Despite increases in the drink driving rates over recent times, we could never return to the glory days of the 1970s when driving home after a few jars in a country pub was acceptable.

Could we?

Possum and dog

Mrs Fickle sent me this photo of a possum which had been caught in a bakery 10 hours after it had broken in and filled itself stupid on jammy tarts

I loved it

This was from my sister
I love happy dogs
Animals are so bloody honest

Strangers In The Village

For some reason I think Trelawnyd experiences a larger than usual number of visiting Jehovah's witnesses than regular places, I could be wrong, after all  I am around the village on a daily basis and strangers have a tendency to stand out somewhat from the normal routine -  but in general there does seem an awful lot of them around .
I understand that according to Jehovah's belief "Jesus told his followers to “make disciples of people of all the nations,”, and going out into the community to "spread the word" is an integral part of the faith but I must admit that even though I am irritated by my perceived "intrusiveness" of their preaching, I hold a begrudging respect for their optimism and positivity in a world that hates door to door evangelism, cold calling of any kind and religion in general.
It must be a thankless job to do, after all the general public can be incredibly rude when it wants to be (Believe me I am a nurse I KNOW!) but at least if the weather in nice, a walk around an unreceptive Welsh village is at least a scenic amble!
Yesterday two middle aged ladies called at the cottage. Although friendly, the sight of a bulldog flanked by a trio of terriers kept both women at the gate which I was thankful for, and I already had rehearsed a polite "no thank you" comment as one lady offered me a leaflet to read.
"No thank you" is a bloody hard phrase to say when someone is being dreadfully polite. It has to thrust into the conversation with equal politeness, and that takes skill, timing and opportunity.
Yesterday, as the woman really got going, I wondered just how many people listen properly to this cold calling kind of preaching, surely even the Jehovah Witnesses big wigs could re interpret Jesus' preaching instructions for the 21st Century and would be content to with something on facebook or even twitter?
It would cut down on a great deal of shoe leather, slammed doors and constant rejection.
In the end , I smiled a huge smile and said "Best stop there, I am afraid, I really am not interested. Thank you anyway" and the woman immediately knew that the "interview" was over.
In that typical English way, I did feel a little guilty and in way of lightening the encounter
I pointed to Mabel who had her paws up on the wall, blowing kisses at the strangers and said
"she wants to kiss you"
The woman lent down kissed Mabel on the nose and said brightly
"Jesus loves you too"
It made Mabel's morning
and it made me smile
"Have a good day" I called after the ladies
And I meant it

Health & Safety Comes to Trelawnyd

The sign says BEWARE, HORMONAL TURKEY!

Spring is here!

You can always tell!

Testosterone is on the increase in torrents and the few males on the field have suddenly been transformed from benign poultry and water fowl "sweet things" into posturing, hormone filled sex addicts, who are ready, literally , for anything!

The turkey stags are now spending all day puffing themselves up in a schoolboy effort to prove who exactly is tougher than the other and when they are not jousting, they have positioned themselves next to the field gate, ready to attack anyone who ventures close enough to be given a good bashing!

Several of the villagers will come into the field to feed the animals without checking with me first, so just in case Boris and Bingley actually "kick the crap" out of some poor old soul, I have had to post a warning sign that will effectively keep people out until turkey lead has been well and truly emptied.

Halleh as a ducking with him mum Blanche

Halleh, the lone drake has started his usual springtime attempt to rape several of the brown hens ( funny how he finds this colour of hen irresistible!) His confusion of duck versus hen can be located in the fact that he was raised by a broody hen rather than one of the hysterical Indian runners.

In the mating season, drakes can be terribly aggressive and brutal, so I have learnt long ago to keep their numbers to an absolute minimum. Halleh has seven ducks all of his own.....and still he has a roving eye for a buxom brown hen............beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder!

Russell the gander has been mating noisily with Winnie his chosen goose only this morning, and even the blind Rooster  Cogburn has been belting out a lusty baritone cock-a doodle  in the vague hope of shagging something warm blooded as it passes his safe haven prison..

Love...is certainly "in the air!"

btw...weight loss this week NIL! which I was thankful for seeing that I filled my face on my London trip remains 14 stone 7lb

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Sometimes we all need a bit of predictable whimsy
A fairy tale that entertains, gently amuses and ticks all the boxes on a relaxing Sunday afternoon is a movie that must not be sniffed at , so despite some ropey reviews we went to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel this afternoon.

Maggie Smith,Ronald Pickup,Bill Nighy,Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, Judy Dench and Tom Wilkinson

It's not a great film, after all, when all said and done it is just a glorified sit com, but it has a great deal of charm, quite a few laugh-out-loud moments and a quality cast to die for.
The story is a familiar one where we follow an eclectic group of  "OAPs" as they meet up in the said Indian hotel in search of some retirement peace and contentment in the twilight of their lives.
So we are quickly introduced to the Unhappily married Douglas and Jean ( Bill Nighy and Penelope Wilton) who cannot afford to retire in the UK due to family debts, cossetted widow Evelyn (Judy Dench) a woman who has never had to look after herself., Norman (Ronald Pickup)  a knackered old Lothario who is constantly on the pull, Celie Imrie  a wisecracking fun time girl, melancholy Graham, (Tom Wilkinson) a retired Judge with an ancient gay past and Muriel (Maggie Smith) a working class racist who has been tagged along with the others to have a hip operation on the cheap.
Yes a typical cinematic group of people that are hungry for being transformed by the charms, sights and experiences of a run down hotel and the people of India.....
Despite some cracking one liners,
(I especially enjoyed when Imrie's character is asked by the po faced Penelope Wilton how she should celebrate her and her husband's forth coming 40th wedding anniversary.,  Imrie offers a dry as toast
"By holding a minute's silence")
the film is really only elevated by the classy cast, who wring every ounce of depth from their potentially cardboard characters.

Tom Wilkinson is remarkably sweet as a man on a pilgrimage to happier times, Dench and Nighy show  moving on screen chemistry as their characters embark on a tentative relationship and Penelope Wilton is absolutely marvellous in the most unsympathetic role as the bitter and unhappy Jean, a woman unable to appreciate the positives aspects of old age


Forget the heavy handed Indian Characters ( Dev Patel doing his Norman Wisdom impersonation as the junior Hotel manager is almost a bit too much).....and ignore some of the cultural stereotyping and story lines... just sit back and enjoy the prospect of quality actors giving quality performances in a sweet natured, amusingly told comedy drama


8/10