"Eliza where the Devil are My Slippers?"

At the end of Gone With The Wind, Miss Scarlett chirped "After all tomorrow is another day" and she was right
This morning the field population looks pretty much unchanged

Carol and Polenta, the  beautiful full grown Aylesbury ducks have now teamed up with the hysterical runners and have left their temporary hen house for more exciting ( and no doubt noisier) times in the large duck house. I suspect that they are somewhat bemused by the runners' "let's scream and run for the hills" kind of mentality... but they'll get over it
The old, bald and knackered  female turkey Theresa now only has the American stag Bingley to bother about now, and he, with the demise of Boris has already calmed down amazingly. It is strange just how much testosterone can be tempered when a rival is out of the way.
Five new healthy wellsummers lead the positive march towards a better egg production this year ( the weather has buggered up egg numbers quite considerably) and Felicity Shagwell and the mini mees have moved hen houses yet again and have started to lay themselves....so at least we have bantam eggs to eat at home.
The Geese group , sombre and thoughtful, remain the backbone of the field community and as I type this, can be heard honking at passing dog walkers from the gate, as can the blind cockerel Cogburn who is bellowing lustily from his safe haven run.
This year has not only been a year of losses Mabel,Boris,Alf the guinea fowl, two runners, Gloria the old female turkey and a whole aged population of OAP hens have left us, while another nine animals have arrived.
Swings and roundabouts.... swings and roundabouts!

The inflatable "sculptures" against the back drop of Tatton's Japanese gardens

After an enjoyable visit to Tatton Park in Knutsford yesterday, I have come to the conclusion that that Britain does "do" the whole Stately home thing very well indeed! 
Green lawns, formal hedged gardens and some Downton Abbey interiors are often  the favourite areas of choice of the great British public desperate for an Upstairs/Downstairs experience.
But for me, it is the Kitchen Gardens and the Edwardian hothouses that really give me a bit of a thrill.
The ones at Tatton Hall are truly magnificent

The Kitchen Garden

Flower boarders in the walled kitchen garden

The stunning fern hothouse

 Nigel said something interesting to me when I was over in Manchester. He said I often write as though I was much older than my 50 years.....
He didn't just mean this in "you're turning into an old fart" sort of way but I must admit that
after re reading this blog  perhaps I have to agree with him!...mind you.....
at least I didn't add that Tatton Park's toilets were very impressively accessible and that all I wanted to do after a long day's Stately Home visiting was to put my feet into Mrs Hopkins infamous slippers  

which I did btw!



oh and finallyWhat's all this kerfuffle about Ginger Harry ,a bit of white flesh and a set of pubes like a nest of blind mice?
He's been a bit of silly sausage 
That's all....
The Great British public love him as much as they do Stately Homes
So he'll be fine! Just Fine

Finagle's Law

I had a lovely time with my friend Nigel in Manchester.

Tatton Hall

Last night we went to see the Norwegian caper movie "Jackpot", did a lot of talking over pizza and coffee and today went to Tatton Park in Knutsford for a mooch around the 2000 acre deer park, gardens and house.
I will blog about all this tomorrow.
I will concentrate today's blog on my own personal experience of Finagle's Law... which can be translated thus:-
"If you own and care for animals.....something ALWAYS goes awry when you have a day away!"

Last night Chris texted me that Boris could not be located at shutting up time. He searched the field, no feathers, no typical chirping, there was no sign of the old turkey. In Manchester there was absolutely nothing I could do, so I let fate take it's toll until I got home this afternoon and I could check for myself.

Grace and Boris ( Brother and sister) when they arrived years ago

At around 5pm I found the old fella. He was hidden away in the long grass, dehydrated and collapsed. His left leg trailed uselessly by his side as if he had had a stroke and although he chirped quietly when he saw me, it was clear that he was not long for this world.
I rang the RFWF and asked if he could come to help. Dispatching chickens is one job I can do myself, although it is one final kindness that I hate carrying out.... dispatching Boris who has been with me since he was a poult, was absolutely another kettle of fish. Culling him would have to be done my someone who no only knew just how to humanely kill a big powerful bird but by someone who had no emotional investment in a bird who had shared bagels with me on cold winter days .

The RFWF was very kind. 
He showed me just how to "do the deed" from start to finish and minutes after he arrived, Boris was lying still in the long grass with the light Sussex bantams gazing carefully at the blood which splashed his neck and the long grass.
Finagle's Law for animal keepers eh?.......it never fails
I know I have 72 healthy animals but this feels bloody shite!

No Sex and The City

Wht's up with blogger today? I have had to post this entry three times now! anyhow I am off to Manchester today
(yes Manchester, where the locals pronounce the City's name as Man-chest- O (O as the O in Orange)
Anyway, I am having an overnight visit with friend Nigel, which doesn't mean that the pair of us will be donning our sequinned hot pants to swish our way down canal street like a pair of over-the-hill queens......oh no........ we are off to do "coffee", an arthouse movie at the Cornerhouse Cinema and a visit to Tatton Hall tomorrow!
And I shall back to Wales tomorrow afternoon...just in time to assess just how any more apericubes William has passed in a 24 hour period......

All that glitters!

Despite being busy with -field jobs, grass cutting,broad bean picking ready for freezing,
returning noticeboards from the show to Mold ( which is a town by the way) and with egg deliveries, today has been somewhat of an anticlimax.
Now, I know I hardly live a life that's roaring away in the fast lane so to speak, but with all of the build up of the Flower Show, the day itself and a visit from old friends on Saturday has meant that things recently have been all a bit frenetic and incredibly "sociable"
Today, things are back to normal.
Well, when I say normal.....I actually mean kind of normal .........(for me)
Yesterday William somehow got hold of a whole load of  French apericube cheese squares complete with their foil wrappers ( Chris had organised a Gallic themed meal for our guests)

Today he ( William not Chris btw) has passed what seems like a hundred weight of what can only be described as "glittering stools!" many of which still seem to have a tiny cows head staring out from them...
I had to smile at this slightly surreal turn of events when I brandished my pooper scooper plastic bag in the centre of the village!
Saturday.....I experienced the dizzy excitement of the Flower Show.... today I face the adrenaline rush of gold colour dog sh*t!
Go Figure
x

The Trelawnyd Flower Show 2012

I thought I would post a selection of photos from yesterdays Flower Show

In the end our exhibit entries were the highest ever ( thanks to some supportive bloggers and local friends)

and the Memorial Hall was transformed yet again into a vintage show that was worthy of  something out of Mrs Miniver

ValHassall's winning Floral art

The miniature floral displays, cups and Show Secretary(Slyvia) and Treasurer (Irene)

Mr Vincent's infamous Prize winning "Effing" Fuchsia can be seen clearly in the background

The Veg entries , despite the bad summer were impressive ( and I am quoting the veg judge)

Roses and Flowers

Novelty Veg was well supported ( after my low level bullying)

My winning Olympic Courgette

Olwyen Dillworth's last minute "bananas in pyjamas"

Floral Art

flower classes

Onion Classes

Domestic Classes ( Well done to ITU nurses Ann Beech and Greta for their first prizes)

 art classes

Veg

The Official "Judge" photo with their traditional "Auntie Glad" scone tea!

Terry and Anne Malthoff show stewards

Gladys

Blogger Anne Gordon's first prize( one of two)

Blogger Kath's first Prize in the Card section was ably supported by Weaver Of Grass's second place!(below)

Anne Gordon's Cup!(for highest points in the craft section)

Adam and Kath ( two of my friends from sheffield, who had come over to see us yesterday

Villagers Robert and Sandra Cameron who did so well in the veg classes

Poultry farmer Eilys (left) looking somewhat bemused at her second place prize in the floral art

As usual it was all rather hard work,but it was an enjoyable day

Thanks to committee members

Sylvia, Irene,Terry, Ann,Carol,Gladys,John F,Pat, for all their hard work setting up, running and taking down of the Show

A big thank you too to the Helpers on the day, and to all of the competitors who have given a great deal of time and effort to keep the tradition of the Flower Show afternoon going

I AM OFF TO LIE DOWN IN A DARKENED ROOM

Can I enter another Marrow?

I am fading fast
My quiche has just exploded in the oven and the parsley keeps falling off the head of my butternut quash lion ?cow.
But as many of you would suspect I still could not resist a quick blog before bed.
The flower Show is more or less set up.
We have had a record number of entrants (around 350 at the last count and still more bizarre looking vegetables with legs were being entered!)
I have to thank all of the people that have braved the elements to put in their veg,flowers and artwork....
and just wait when you see the home made "bananas in pyjamas" display!
I think I have gone quite mad
xxx

Where's my pastry cutter?

It's almost 11pm  and I still need to bake my quiche and sugar the top of a fruit pie....
The kitchen looks as though a gaggle of fat ladies have just exploded inside it
and to complete a slightly surreal scene, a set of vegetables that have been fashioned into a whole collection of strange animals and people adorn the window sills.

I do this to myself every year ( all this pre event anxiety) and I must admit that I kind of love the slightly anarchic build up to The Trelawnyd Flower Show when cooked entries need cooking and flower arrangements need arranging.....
It's the same every year! 
This blog entry will have to suffice, 
Tomorrow I will be far top busy to scratch me arse, let alone put my oh so interesting feelings down on paper
I run around like a headless fart while Sylvia and Irene who are more or less a decade older than I ,do the leg work in the memorial hall! without even breaking a sweat........they are professionals at all this... old village ladies have flower Show organisation in their genes..... it's a natural gift!
Today the Hall has been transformed from 1950 community centre.... into a 1950's community centre with show tables in it..... through low level bullying I have conscripted 113 entries already ( a record for me) and many of those are from readers of Going Gently!
(tomorrow is the official day when locals can enter the show)

It has tickled the Show Committee that today one entry actually arrived from New Zealand! and only a week ago another popped up from Warriwood in Australia..
Trelawnyd Show has gone all global!

I won't blog now until Saturday night!
so come back then to see a blow by blow account of the event...the novelty vegetables are worth the price of admission alone!

9

NAD

I rang the doctors surgery to chase up those blood results that were taken for my M.O.T a few weeks ago.
The receptionist read all of the test results without knowing that I was an intensive care nurse, a fact I found rather odd to say the least.
"CRP NAD"
"Creatinine NAD"
"Fasting Blood Glucose NAD"
"Urea NAD"
"LFT NAD"
etc.etc etc
She read all down the long line without a pause and I thanked her once she had finished
NAD for all that don't know nursing terms, is the thankful acronym of "No Abnormality Detected"




I was thinking about this all before and after a chance meeting with someone I am friendly with. I bumped into them by chance when I was in the supermarket buying cake stuff for the flower show, and it was the sort of meeting where they needed to share some sad personal health news, (which were found through a simple diagnostic test similar to my own)........ while all I could do was to sympathetically listen.

I have blogged about life's "curved balls" before have I not?
One minute you can be tootling along, quite nicely thank you very much indeed.... and the next moment whammo! life's a f*cking bitch and you are treading water in shit.

One phone call conversation and a mild anxiety caused by my middle aged body..and I am feeling mighty fine.
One different kind of phone call, and my friends now face the challenge of their lives.
Fate?,kismet?destiny? accident?........whatever you call it.....life's a fickle son of a bitch sometimes...
Is it not?