A Welsh Gal Done Good

This was a new one on me

I was fascinated by the story of Princess Lillian of Sweden who died today at the age of 97

Born in the South Wales Valleys in 1915 plain Lillian Davies moved to London to work as a model before getting married to an actor Ivan Craig. After divorcing her husband she embarked on a decades long love affair with Prince Bertil of Sweden before she eventually married him in 1973

According to the press, Princess Lillian was a firm favourite with the Swedish People, popular for her  sense of humour and prank playing.

( though you can't quite capture that in the above photo?)

I liked this story.

I liked it because it underlines how fickle life can become when you follow your heart and "go with the flow"

Who knows where we all will end up?

HAVE THERE BEEN FICKLE MOMENTS OF FATE IN YOUR LIFE.?

Mother's Day

Today is Mothers' day here in the Uk
On the way home from work, I noticed that people were walking about clutching the odd bunch of flowers or a potted plant, presents obviously destined for moms at home and as I was feeding the chickens this lunchtime I couldn't help noticing that there was a steady stream of visitors to the graveyard. Visitors who again were wandering around with bunches of daffs wrapped up in silver foil.
I was orphaned at the age of 40, and so Mothering Sunday has generally passed me by in more recent years. I am not one for grave visiting either, I have no need to do so, for me personally there is no comfort in that sort of pilgrimage.
On that level, I am very lucky.

Anyhow
To all you mothers out there!
Enjoy your bunches of spring flowers and boxes of chocolates...
I am sure you all deserve a great deal more.

My mother was a bit of a character!

What I get Excited About! And The Naming Of The New Slikies

Chris and I were up early this morning and had breakfast in our new local and all shiny MARKS AND SPENCER'S . We bought nice food, marvelled at the new fangled escalators ( look mummy we have moving stairs in North Wales!) and smiled at all of the corporate sales staff who still looked perky enough 48 hours after the official opening.
I always think that Chris is constantly surprised by the way I get excited over small things such as a quality store that sells PROPER GREETINGS CARDS only two miles north of Trelawnyd
I put it down as being an optimist, that is easily pleased
For instance:
1 . I became quite giddy today over the spacious width of the aisles in the new Tesco supermarket.
2 . I can get quite misty eyed over a chocolate biscuit
3 . Bubble baths are things of  luxury and beauty.
4 . A hand written letter can really make my day ( thanks Kathryn)
5 . A blissful first bite of a quality scotch egg!
6 . An uninterrupted episode of The Walking Dead.

Working tonight

I will leave you with news that the new silkies have been renamed

Bogbrush,

Duster and

Puffball

Rather apt I thought

coincidence

Coincidence is a very odd phenomenon
The odd nature of it, whether you call it  kismet or fate, can often boggle the senses, as it did to me this morning when I was out on a chance early morning errand .
I had just going to drop some eggs off for Sylvia from the flower show who has not been too well of late and was walking up London Road when a large car , which was pulling a caravan,stopped by the side of the road.
The driver wanted directions to Caerwys, which is a village perhaps six or seven miles inland, and after I had given instructions on where to go, his passenger , a lady in her sixties leant over and said in a surprised voice
" My goodness ....it's John isn't it?"
I didn't recognise her at all ( and I usually have a cracking memory for a face) so I smiled vaguely and answered " yes"
" I read your blog" The woman said in way of explanation " I read it most days"
It turned out that the couple, who live outside Boston in Lincolnshire , had come across to Wales on a weekend break, and had taken the wrong turning off the A55 on their way to the caravan park.
It was pure chance they had stopped me, the only person out walking in the village on a cold damp Friday morning.
"I never realised we were in Trelawnyd" the woman laughed " what's the chances of that? If I have known I would have asked for some of Auntie Gladys' scones"
" Have some eggs instead" I said passing a half dozen through the window.
Coincidence or subconscious design?
Who knows
it's just all rather weird
WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR MOST BIZARRE CONINCIDENCES?

Ps see the 20th comment below !

Costa Allotta

It's a cold dank day today, as my brief "bosoms II" video will testify to
A day which you sometimes just want to sit with a grand cup of coffee and watch the weather.
Now North Wales is a pretty place but it does have it's drawbacks, and one of those. drawbacks is that you cannot buy a good cup of coffee unless you drive at least ten miles or so from Trelawnyd
I am not really a fan of coffee chains, but only a mile and a half away a new costa coffee shop has opened in the new Prestatyn Shopping Centre....!
A shopping centre which may well save the fortunes of a dying seaside town.
When I was a boy, Prestatyn was a thriving retail centre, with every shop in the high street occupied and busy.Over the past few years well over a third of the shops have now closed and the once proud High Street has taken over the mantle of a charity shop Mecca.
Today, Marks and Spencer, Tesco and other " chain" shops are opening in an area of regeneration right in the centre of the town, and even though its not a collection of independent shops, it will, I am sure bring people back into a town which is desperate for an injection of hope and financial support.

I will be doing my bit today
I am going to order my own costa allotta!
Which reminds me

could I tempt You?

You can tell spring is but a knat's crotchet away from Us.

The weather remains cold but there is hope in the air

The new warrens, and the Crackhead whores are banging out the eggs like there is no tomorrow, so much so, that a small mountain of eggs have grown in the kitchen like Richard Dreyfus's Devil's Tower in Close Encounters

I have had an idea though. From this week I will start to seek out village volunteer bakers for my OPEN ALLOTMENT DAY on the 1st of September and will offer them some free eggs in turn for providing me with some cakes and produce for the cake stall.

Ok it's all just bit of eggy blackmail

So locals beware of a scruffy bastard bearing gifts

Waiting For His Day

George (left) wanting to play

sometimes George has the capacity to break your heart.

He's a sweet little soul, that much is undeniable, but when the two Welsh terriers roughhouse together, he is always over looked by them, like the fat kid always was before the fit kids chose their own teams for games

For years Meg and William have chased and played and fought together like puppies and for years George has stood all eager and hopeful on the sidelines desperate to be able to join in and never quite obtaining the permission to do so.
Such are the odd rules of the home pack.
From the second George arrived he has never ever been promoted from the lowest rung of the pecking order ladder ...which must be a huge bummer as even the hens have a higher status and more confidence than he has.
He cannot be fed before the others, he seldom is allowed to sit on your knee without being turfed off by the alphas and even when he lines up to have his lead attached, he has to wait until the others go first.

If Bwthyn-y- llan. was Downton Abbey....unfortunately George would be lumpy old Daisy, the scullery maid.

Going With The Flow

Apologies but I have just deleted the text from this post by accident. Suffice to say that Islwyn, the chap that has taken over as foreman to the construction of the new allotment beds has flexed his organisational skill muscles this morning and with a small gaggle of volunteer helpers has constructed a rudimentary new vegetable bed, a temporary fence to keep the livestock away from the growing plants and a new gate..! I was not expecting anything so drastic to happen in the couple of hours I was out delivering eggs and walking the dogs
Who says the British workman is shy of a bit of hard graft?
The son of the RFWF, showing his father's characteristic good nature, called down to help, and even when the whole affair looked a little too much, it is still easy to realise just what a positive bonus a hen free allotment will be.
I must say a big thank you not only to Islwyn and his helpers today , but also to the farmer at Ty Newydd farm who kindly sorted out many of the materials used by the workers.
I still feel somewhat weak and washed out ,so I have tried to keep out of everyone's way which is hard for a control freak,I can tell you.
I have just tried to go with the flow.

Islwyn, Chris and Islwyn's brother ( the son of the RFWF is in his digger in e background)