Going Gently

Lights in the Sky

Last night we joined a few hardy souls on top of The Gop for the lighting of Trelawnyd's Jubilee Beacon.

The Beacon was in fact a Jubilee "Skip" filled with dried wood, and within seconds Trelawnyd echoed the the flaming beacons on Dyserth Hill a few miles to the West and the one on the 1,800 foot Moel Fammau, some 17 miles to the South East.

(Moel Fammau literally means Mothers Mountain in Welsh)

The Red light on the right of the photo is the Bodfari Mast

A few Hardy Trelawnyd-ites salute the night ( I am the dick head in the hat)

Chris "enjoys" the night

The Jubilee has now been well and truly done and dusted...time to get on with normality. Operation "dog snot removal" starts today as Chris's Brother is visiting from tomorrow...and it's set to be a damp and very wet week!

Welcome to Flaming June!

Trelawnyd Carnival 2012

Yesterday was such a wash out for the carnival that my heart went out to the organisers, volunteers and participants that had worked so hard getting the whole event off the ground.
The village population must have thought the same, for at 1pm it seemed as though the whole of Trelawnyd. pulled themselves up by their bra straps and lined the streets to support the hastily rescheduled "Queen's Parade"
Now Going Gently was originally always meant to be an on line diary of our life here in Trelawnyd. so in the spirit of that wish, I won't apologies for the numerous photos of today's events
I really wanted to remember the day!

Meg and her flag cape

And so we tied small Union Jacks around the dog's necks, packed some beef sandwiches into greaseproof paper and went up to London Road to watch the events unfold
Initially we thought that we were going to be the only ones to show up, but within a few minutes, everyone seemed to turn up from our part of the village, Pig Wrestler Pat, Joanne, gentleman farmer Ralph and Louenna,The Barnsley's with a mass of flags, Della and her family from the farm down the lane..I have never seen so many people on the street in the seven years we have lived here........ and they kept on coming

The RFWF's Son Ed, one of the organisers of the day leads the procession on his bay hunter

Show Chair Alun Hughes ( yellow jacket) with one of the local Olympic Torch Carriers who ran his part of the relay in nearby Abergele

The "QUEEN" Beryl Evans on her trap pulled by two Shetland ponies!

Affable despot Jason with the village Children dressed as sheep!

Health and safety reps would wet themselves at this float!

Audrey Jones, veteran of the village

A tight Corner in High Street

Beryl, Complete with Crown and red , white and blue scarf!

Waiting for the Queen to arrive!

The Red Faced Welsh Farmer (centre)

Queen Beryl, the Carnival Princess and Prince all on the throne!!!
errrhhh hum

Auntie Glad chuckling at the whole afternoon!

Some of the Villagers

Local "squire" and Counsellor Nigel Steele Mortimer (left) presenting the awards

The Randa's

Tonight, around 10pm a Jubilee Beacon will be lit onto of the Gop above the village... one of 10,000 in the Uk. We will call up to watch.
Funny to think that all over the country, events just like this one, are bringing communities together, in a bit of flag waving, and good humour

Queenie Days

Queen Beryl
In Drier Times

It's Trelawnyd Carnival today

What a shame the weather has closed in somewhat!

The carnival Queen will be driven through the village in a vintage car at 11.30 am

So Mike and I will be donning our waterproofs, and will be waving our soggy Union Jacks with gay abandon as Beryl Evans ( a lady in her 80s) passes by!

I thought It a nice touch that a more mature lady was picked as the figurehead

Meg with her 5th place Rosette in the Scruffy Dog Competition

Chris and Mike in the "ale" tent

PS. Unfortunately the weather closed in even more by 11.15, so as Mike and I stood alone on London Road, waving our flags as Chris sat in a warm dry church, a farm land rover roared past with the RFWF's son announcing through a megaphone that the parade had been cancelled to tomorrow!

Mike and a VERY wet Boris
I am off to work later

Show Time

I cannot download photos from Christopher's iphone today
So I will try to do so tomorrow!
Suffice to say Mike Arrived from Sheffield
and embarked on a short crash course of village celebrity meetings

Mrs Trellice
The RFWF
Affable despot Jason
Auntie Glad's scones.

we then downed some "Trelawnyd ale" in the beer tent
and marvelled at George and William winning 3rd and 6th respectively in the "best looking dog in show" category!

Congrats to the Trelawnyd show committee... the day has been an impressive one
I especially loved the good natured pack of Welsh Foxhounds that galloped through the Show field overseen by an all seeing and all controlling pack master
A wonderful sight

A 1962 Baby

Me and another birthday gal

Happy Birthday to Me

la-la-laaaaaaaaaaaaaa-la dear John-ny

etc etc etc

My blogging may be a bit sparse over the next day or so as it's going to be a rather busy weekend
Today I will be alternating between joyfully opening gifts and being dreadfully Urbane and popular.
(yeah right!) it seems that everyone but me thinks that being 50 is some major fuck off milestone....
I don't........ probably because I think I still think I am 28......
Also, I need to set up The Trelawnyd Flower Show stall and my History Blog display at the village Carnival field before Saturday morning, go and see Prometheus at the Scala and my best male mate Mike will be making a most welcomed trip from Sheffield on Saturday afternoon to join us in a few small sherries and help me watch my Walking Dead birthday dvds!
It will be lovely to see him....it's been over two years since he, his wife and daughter visited us!
Poor Chris..... Mike is as geeky as I am when it comes to films, so for him it will be sadly like watching a re run of Men Behaving Badly
Sunday, there is more Carnival to be a part of, The National Big Lunch to attend and I am bloody working Sunday night which is a bugger!.....and in between all this, the animals still need to be fed, watered and their bottoms still need to be wiped..........
True to form, next week.... fuck all will be happening
and next week I shall be hurling towards being 51!
51!!!

Oh it's not just MY birthday today....so I must also say a very happy birthday to my twin Sister Janet, my dear friend "Dr Nige of Stockport", oh and to our neurotic Welsh Terrier Meg who is an impressive 7 years old today!
I'm in good company

hey ho, dear friends... hey ho x

My favourite photo of my sister , Janet and I way back in the late 1980s

John Garrison - Never Far From Me

If today's previous post ticked the "Boob" vote

This one will surely tick the Kleenex brigade

Listen to this after a double gin and

I dare you not to snivel

Enjoy

Haddocks

It is a late posting
I was up thinking about the French film I have just seen at Theatre Clwyd entitled The Boy with a bike and couldn't quite agree with myself on the review, so I will share with you today's story about the naming of my allotment!

Cro over at magnonsmeanderings.blogspot.co.uk/ is a gentle and cultured old soul who lives in a picturesque part of France. He has three ugly hens, two delightful dogs and a garden folly to die for!
Cro also has an endearing habit of giving "odd" names for family members, friends and inanimate objects ....I think it's a product of good breeding
Anyhow, I have always liked the name he has given to his own allotment.....he calls it "Haddocks!"

Today I bumped into fellow villager Sid as he passed the field with his good natured dogs in tow. We chatted about this and that, and I told him about Cro's amusingly catchy name for his vegetable plot and said I would like to name mine in a similar vein
"what is the criteria for picking the new name?" Sid asked with interest
After thinking about it for a while, I suggested that the name should be slightly ironic, amusing and rather catchy!---" your favourite word!" I then added
I gave him a minute or so to mull it over, then asked him
"Well have you thought of something I could name my allotment?"
"That I have", Sid said after a moment
"Well what is it?" I asked impatiently
"BOSOMS" Sid said with a smile
and so...... BOSOMS it is!