Going Gently

When I started writing Going Gently , way back in December 2005, all I wanted to achieve was a sort of diary that would chronicle a lifestyle change between city and countryside. Over the years, almost everything has been immortalised in this strange non place which is the Internet, the interesting,the sad, the happy and for the most part, the mundane.

Having a " tablet" means that little moments can be captured when they occur, so to speak, and so the above photo was " captured" just before bed last night.

It's been a tiring holiday weekend, the fox attack on Friday has ment that in between sorting out practical anti fox measures ( a local gamekeeper!) I have spent much of my time acting like a worried sheep dog.

Last night, I was wet and cold and knackered after a third day " keeping an eye on things"

Perhaps animals sense that sort of thing, for Albert sat on the back of my chair all night long, with a supportive paw balanced sweetly on my shoulder

Sunday?

I have only just noticed that today's post has been posted under yesterday's date........ I think that this is very  bizarre as I wrote it this morning, when I was on " Fox watch" on the field.......

I was sick of sitting in the rain.. And so I drove the berlingo onto the grass, and sat there, watching the hens like an over the hill detective on surveillance in one of those 1970 cop shows......

( note the touch  of authenticity......coffee cups on the dash board) 

The Boston Strangle Hold

mick Mc Manus, who died last week at the age of 91

The appeal of this blog entry, will, I am sure be limited to those Uk bloggers of a certain age. As a child growing up in the drab brown- ness off the 1970s,  I think I will always remember 4pm on a Saturday afternoon.....for that was the time that itv's World Of Sport televised three bouts of " professional" wrestling.

Never staged but always rigged, the wrestling delighted a whole generation of working class grannies across the nation. Politeness flew out of the window, as knitting was put down, denture fixative was strengthened and the air turned blue as favourite blue eyed, slightly overweight boys were bounced, kicked and flattened into apparent unconsciousness by ugly middle aged men who looked like your dad.

Mick Mc Manus, Jackie Pallo, Kendo Nagasaki and Pat Roach, these were names that tripped off the tongue back then.....men that were as good at acting as they were at wrestling...... It was staple of British life forty years ago... Before the nanny tv bosses decided that the whole thing was too common for the ever growing sophistication of the general public....

Things were somehow simpler back then. 

Yesterday was another country.....was it not?

High Profile

I am acting just like one of those community police chappies today, in so much as I have "upped" my public visibility by some 90% and now can be seen lurking on all four corners of the field like some pervert around a 1970s BBC TV studio.

If the fox returns it may well be today or tomorrow, so with the dogs stationed on one side of the field and me and  my trusty radio on the other...We have the place covered.

Mandy's mother from next door has stationed herself on their verandah as lookout, but at nearly 89 I think her heart cannot quite take the strain as several times I am sure she has mistaken William's red- brown coat for the pelt of a fox.

Thank goodness she doesn't have a gun.

However, in true Mexican dirt poor villager style, I have looked into the possibility of hiring some guns so to speak......lets hope Steve Mc Queen turns up in his denims.....

It's hot today, and I am wearing my unflattering sun hat as I catch up with " paperwork" on the grass, in between painting and repairing coops

I have a newsletter to write on behalf of the community council and after church this afternoon I want to photograph the vicar with Bingley.... I will post it later if I get the chance.....

Anyhow back to fox watch....apologies if I have not caught up with blog reading and replies.... My priorities are somewhat poultry based at the mo

A Nothing Much Happened Day

It's a nothing much happened day

So far it is.

The field has been strimmed of all of its ground cover

And a portable radio has been positioned next to the old pig house

Welsh talk radio is the channel of choice

Foxes don't like human voices.

Auntie Gladys is her summer dress has tied a bag of scones to the front door

And my neighbours bought me a flowering houseplant from the garden centre as a gift

They said I looked a bit glum.

Meirion Ellis buzzed the lane in his new electric buggy

"It can do 8 miles an hour!" He announced proudly then added

" I've already gone to Llanasa and back on it" 

I tell him that's faster than the old berlingo

It's warm and sunny and the dogs, on sentry duty,

get head rubbed by Albert as they try and fall asleep.

We have lunch outside with a tablecloth!

After which gentleman farmer Ralph stops by with some useful advice

I do some shopping for Trevor who is still a bit shaky after is recent knee replacement

He has a thing for custard tarts

 I have got sunburned

yes it's a nothing much happened day today

Shit

I had just left the field with the dogs after working a morning shift on iTu.........literally just 2 minutes later my neighbour's mum saw a vixen leap the barb wire fence right in front of traffic on the lane.

At 89, she galloped to the gate to try to help

But the silkie hen, Duster, Bogbrush's brother, one of the crackhead whores, buster the cockerel , a warren and little Eric were killed within seconds.

The little cockerels had obviously tried to protect the main flock of 50 hens

This is the first total field attack I have had in daytime in 6 years and I am mega upset and pissed off

No lectures or platitudes

...............Please!

I couldn't stomach either

The Vicar and the Turkey

Auntie Glad is at the centre table with the other village notable grey hairs

Yesterday there was a "Spring Lunch" on at the Memorial Hall in aid of the church. I went and had a very passable ham salad, a heavenly apple pie with cream and some chit chat with Some of the village elders.

The vicar was there, so I was a bit naughty and asked him publicly if he would pose for a publicity shot for my Open Day later in the year. He knows me, so was slightly dubious, but finally he did agree to have a " head and shoulders shot" alongside Bingley, the turkey.

The vicar will be judging the " name the turkey" competition on September the 1st.....ie he will pick the best name out of all of the entries and the winner will get themselves a jolly nice food hamper....

Now I do admit there there are a few holes in this plan

Number one flaw is the fact that the turkey in question already HAS a name

And number two, is the fact that the vicar absolutely detests birds in general....

However, for charity I am happy to rename Bingley ( as long as we get enough punters) and in the spirit of open day support,the vicar is happy at having a " love in- vicar cuddling the turkey" photo taken for the local paper.......

Well, it's better than kissing babies...........

Video Ducklings

You will need to read the previous post before watching the video

Suffice to say

" I rest my case"
Ps forgive the groans at the beginning... I had to squeeze my fat  arse into the crate