Going Gently

No.....I Expect You To Die Mr Bond

No NOT the cast.... we were in the audience!

Tonight Chris and I will be attending the premier of the latest James Bond film SKYFALL at Prestatyn Scala Cinema. Apparently it is a black tie jobby, with all the money collected from ticket sales going to St Kentigern's hospice.( the hospice that my brother had some respite care in).

My sister and hubby will be going, so it sounded like it would be a bit of fun

Now Chris will go directly from work with his DJ but I am in a bit of a quandary, for I have no posh formal evening ware to ,well, to wear so to speak..( "quelle surprise?" I hear you all whisper under your breaths)

Now before some of you suggest that I don a figure hugging all-in-one cat suit and go as Pussy Galore--DON'T!, I shall,I am sure come up with something as I know that alongside some of the glittering "beautiful" people that are going from Prestatyn, there will be a few Bond villains lurking around, most of whom will, I am sure, be stroking white fluffy childrens' toys in typical Mike Myers form

It wont be the first time I have attended a Prestatyn "first night" so to speak.

Many years ago now the family were renound for raiding their dress-up boxes and making tits out of themselves at the old Scala.... well tele was rather shite in the 1980s!

Above is a photo from the early 80s when the family all agreed to dress up as cowboys and Indians before we went to watch a local production of Oklahoma which starred, amongst others my Uncle Bert and Aunt Judy.

If you look closely, I am the fresh faced young thing in the centre of the photo with my arm around the redneck hillbilly!

The best outfit must certainly gone to the strange figure on the far right ( the masked and bearded lone ranger) that was my sister's maverick mother-in-law who was in her late seventies then ...I remember her with some affection swigging from a bottle of bourbon with some gusto as we all queued up to go in!

Now that's class!

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ps I have just asked a passing neighbour what bond villain I could possibly dress up as t5his evening and without hesitation he said Hugo Drax from Moonraker

what do you think?

Emergency Turkey Services

Now this blog entry will make little sense unless you you have read the previous one....so off you go, if you haven't already.

Theresa's injuries seemed a little more serious than I first thought, and with turkeys being the powerful birds that they are, I conscripted my usual village animal nurse Pat ( left) to help me disinfect the old gal's wounds. I wrapped Theresa in a blanket and hung on to her for grim death as pat cleaned her head wounds as best as she could. It was a bit of a tussle as the right hand photo would testify to, but the nurse within me is now satisfied that at least the injuries are as clean as we could make them.

I should "employ" Pat on almost a full time basis, as she now has a specific wardrobe of clothes set aside for her volunteer "animal husbandry" work.

Incidentally after her ordeal, Theresa, who fortunately is as thick as a mince dinner, rallied around somewhat to eat some offered dog food and half a bagel

One Big Happy Family

Even yesterday, the toll of travelling to and fro from Australia had made it's mark. So I suggested Chris went to bed early to "catch up" whilst I went to Theatre Clwyd to see the awful French film

Le Petit Nicolas

I managed around an hour of the film ( which was more saccharine than a bowl full of sweetex) before I walked out and as the volunteer usherette let me out she whispered

"Is everything alright?"

"The film's shite!" I replied sweetly

I wish everything was as "sweet" on the field.

For some reason relationships between some of the residents have gone all pear shaped .

Yesterday the old turkey Theresa was attacked by her mate Bingley who left her looking as though she should be immediately whisked away to the nearest battered turkey refuge.

Before I could come to her rescue, the only protection the old gal could find was to stick her head into the nearest bush, which probably saved her life, but even so, she looked a very sorry state. this morning when I cleaned her face up with some soothing witch hazel.

There must be some Darwinian reason for animal bullying, Rivalry between males and indeed females I can understand, but an attack between mates is somewhat baffling.

Theresa doing her Phantom Of The Opera impersonation

Below is the pathetic looking body of one of the field bantams Somehow she had been shut into the duck house at dusk last night and must have been given a good seeing to overnight by the ducks, for, she was collapsed and near death this morning.

I covered her with warm sawdust and placed her gently into a dog carrier.

I doubt she will bounce back, shocked hens seldom do.

But I shall give her the chance

So with more violence around than is usually seen on an average night out in Rhyl on a Friday night, I couldn't quite believe my eyes when the ewes started a bout of "bitch slapping" between themselves this morning.

I watched as they locked horns and head butted each other like miniature rams, and as the "clatter" of horn upon horn echoed around the field, I said to no one in particular

" oh sod the lot of you!"

and I have left them all to it

We're Bloody Gorgeous..we are

As a child I always envied the fat plain kid who blindly believed their parents' affirmations that he/she was a beautiful child..

I think that these sort of little people often grow up to be confident, well rounded but still plain individuals, who know what it is to love and to be loved.

I was reminded of those school kids the moment I noticed that our new village signs have been erected. and although they are not perhaps the ones that I would have picked, I must admit that I love the very "chutzpah" of what they have to say

Trelawnyd is situated within some lovely countryside, but the village itself, could never really be described as a "chocolate box " style village. True we have a picturesque Church and some lovely flower beds but the village remains what it has always been, and that is a small predominantly working class village which is not populated by what I would term as the plastic "Homes and Gardens- designer country dweller brigade"

Our new signs, celebrate the affection which is felt for the village.

For Trelawnyd is that plain fat kid with chubby cheeks and a bad haircut from my childhood

....warts and all

and do you know what?

it IS beautiful

Ram It Home

There was a meeting of the Gwaenysgor and Trelawnyd Community Council last night.

During a hiatus in the proceedings I caught the eye of The Red Faced Welsh Farmer (RFWF) who was chuckling to himself over something or other.

Starting off in a stage whisper he quipped "I saw your sheep the other day!...... lovely ..!"

then added in a deep booming voice reminiscent of Sid James at his very best

"DO YOU WANT A RAM?"

When they were perusing through some building applications the other members of the council only caught his last sentence, which caused a few quizzical expressions I can tell you,

Such is the excitement of a rural community council meeting.

For those who have never met the RFWF, I perhaps need to clarify that he is partially deaf so has a tendency to BOOM within normal conversations.

It is a habit that can make even the stout hearted jump somewhat when he catches you unawares....

but I do find this habit somewhat endearing , especially when you can watch the often started reaction he has on the more nervous members of the community.

As my mother used to say

"he has a voice that could cut bread!"

Anyhow I am sure that a ram will indeed be forthcoming

When the RFWF had a mind to do something

It will be done

The RFWF centre ( of course)

Squeaks from Plastic

Yesterday's post was somewhat depressing was it not?

I am sort of sorry for posting it now. Sad stories are not always the best medicine here in blogland.

Unfortunately bad news has a strange way of piling up in front of you, a bit like when someone blocks one of those moving walk ways at the airport and a bottle neck of slightly stressed holiday makers crowd uncomfortably together without looking at each other...

One bleak snippet after another seem to have an irritating habit of adding to an oppressive heavy feeling of gloom which is not helped by our season of wet, dark weather which has now set in for the duration.

For the likes of Tom today's trials will be another bit of shit to be coped with. and let's hope fate's ability to lob shit "overarm" rather than underarm will give things a rest for all of us soon..

Alas life isn't Little House On The Prairie......not everything is resolved by Laura Ingalls after 50 minutes of skipping

I am lucky, very lucky....... for my "black dog" of last year's winter has lifted now and I am firm in the idea that possessing a sense of humour is one of the most vital things available to a person when your mental health status quo needs nurturing.

I will leave you with one of those "little moments" that gives a person a lift when you are not quite expecting it.

Saturday we were mooching along the supermarket shelves doing the week shop ( how Chris managed if after a 24 hour flight bugger only knows).

Anyhow on impulse I had an urge to get one of the squeaky toys for William from the pet section , and started to look through the rather eclectic selection of plastic bones, balls and rubber chickens!

As I did so a middle aged woman joined me and without saying anything both of us started to "check the squeaks" to find out which one was most appropriate for our needs.

It was a brief, slightly surreal interaction which finished only after I overly squashed a rubber chicken which "farted" rather wetly between us and she quipped "ohhh matron!" in way of a response .

A silly little moment to be sure.... but if I was depressed and sad ( which incidentally I was not) it would have been a little tonic that I needed....

So to Tom, to a couple of people I know here in Trelawnyd and to a dear friend

I am squeaking that Rubber Chicken at you!
ps YP before you say anything I was squeaking the chicken NOT choking it!)

Something In The Air

Maes-y-groes Prestatyn

I knew something was wrong in Prestatyn yesterday, even before I saw the official yellow police tape that cordoned off the main bypass road....you could just feel it.

It was an odd sensation and one that I have not really experienced before, but immediately after I parked on the High Street, I realised something was afoot, something was very different.

Instead of the usual fluid movement of elderly shoppers and the limping institutional disabled that fill the pavements of the town, people were talking together in quiet huddles.

The town felt quiet and still.

Like I said , it was the oddest of sensations.

I was reminded of times I have waited around for the start of a funeral.

There was that certain charge in the.air.

For anyone who has read the national newspapers or listened to the radio, they will know that the news was bleak.

A young woman and two children* had perished in a fire just yards from where I was parked. A fire that was thought to be deliberate.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-20018867

Bad news changes a community. It unites it with striking speed. People who wouldn't give each other the normal time of day in front of the butchers, now stop to discuss the "awful news" or to shake their heads in disbelief as other snippets of the saga are shared and postulated about.

Even the moderately sized town of Prestatyn turns itself back into a village, when disaster strikes.

It's a interesting phenomenon.

In these days of nuclear families, of selfish living, isolation and where neighbours don't even know each other , even to nod to; I think that deep down there still is the need within people to connect, to feel comfort in sharing. To be a part of a community.

With all the negative things that we are constantly being told about in the modern selfish world....

perhaps that is the one "good" thing to come out of something terrible like this...? even though it lasts for a mere day or so!
Hey ho
* another child has subsequently died today