The Ebenezer Chapel

Originally built by John Wynne, who was the founding father of Trelawnyd ( formally known as Newmarket)' the chapel has stood in the village since 1700. Before that the building was originally a market hall.
illuminated by six oval windows, the chapel itself is bright and welcoming

Bryn Davies is one of the last senior chapel men who is responsible for taking readings when the minister is not present. his grandfather was decon of the chapel as he is today.
The chapel records (below) had to be written in English and not Welsh and date from the 1700s.

The chapel records, which are still added to today by the visiting minister. Below the boxed in pews.
The tiny chapel holds around 100 people, the same as the village church.

Below the ceiling with the ornate ventilation grills. Retain the grandeur of the original 1600s market hall 

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The ceilings and plasterwork

Morning Jobs

The badgers have run their fat bastard riots last night, and yet again have raided a corn bin which had been weighted down by concrete slabs!....I cannot afford to lose feed on this scale to a family of badgers which has trebled in numbers over two years.

We had snow last night, and the ground is hard and unforgiving. I started clearing "Bosoms" yesterday afternoon and wanted to get stuck in again today, but I am afraid I would be pissing in the wind if I started to throw the spade around.
To support the hoards of cold and hungry hens I have the field population the carcass of a roast chicken, which they dispatched within one minute flat...Birds are in need of some extra protein this awful winter

I have been busy with jobs all morning. Some essential, some not. I delivered some pork to old poultry farmer Bob and his wife, in lieu of some more lessons in poultry dressing , and have arranged with Bryn Davies to photo the inside of the Ebenezer Chapel this afternoon.
The building was converted from a corn store and market hall into a chapel around 1700 and is one of  the most important and historic buildings in the village.
I will post the photos on the blog laters is afternoon.
Jackie, the ever cheerful dog groomer is presently converting scruffy bastard George from THIS

into THIS,!

She is still tempting me with a friend who wants a home later this year for her four year old bulldog bitch.

The bitch is called BLANCHE

Hummmm?

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