George - the boy next door

George, the Scottish terrier is often seen as the " poor relation"  amongst the dog pack
It has to be said that he is the lowest in the pecking order
He IS the least demanding of all of the house pets
And he is the one that has never caused us any concern in the seven years he has been with us
He is the dog version of the boy next door.
Yesterday, I took the dogs for a walk on the railway line in Dyserth
And as usual I let George wander off on his own as I took the other dogs on their leads along the walkway.
After a short time we came across a group of a dozen or so elderly men with learning difficulties , who were out walking hand in hand with their carers, and after we passed them I looked back to check what George was up to
Amid a chorus of friendly chatter ( but no attempts at physical contact) the Scottish terrier was obviously enjoying himself, and from 25 yards in front , I watched as the group ambled forward with George trotting energetically in the middle of them, head up, tail wagging, and mouth smiling.
The men around him chatted away to him about nothing as they walked, and with typical good nature he bounced along , savouring the banter
It was a moment that would give you a small lump in the throat if you saw it.

It was almost as though George knew that he was amongst friends

Delores was right....

Well, I hate to say it, but Delores was right......

The owner of " The Bastards" returned today

He was clutching two bottles of wine

and a had on a slightly sheepish and hopeful expression

Apparently the pair had already attacked his diminutive wife and had knocked her to the floor

( never told me that when he dropped them off) and the couple didn't want them back

I was honest with the guy
I told him I would keep them short term but will be selling both birds on to a good home as soon as possible.
For cash!
Hey ho!
Go on people
Say it
We told you so!

A Little Bit of Miriam

I, like a few people that I know, will often throw a " grenade" of a comment into a conversation in order to witness the fallout it creates. A few bloggers that I " know" will employ the same tactic, in order to provoke a response.....sometimes the effect can be useful......as grenades can stimulate thought and debate.........other times the effect can rebound, especially when the comment is construed as being upsetting or offensive.
Actress Miriam Margolyes, is a master at grenade lobbing
She adores shocking her audience into mirth and has perfected the wide eyed, innocent but not so innocent,  wham bam one liner......
She is a treasure
I have posted several of her interviews on Going Gently, they lift the mood on a grey winter's day
Enjoy this one........

STM

Today's Surreal Trelawnyd Moment ( STM)

" Gay " Gordon on a mobility Scooter

" shoots" past me on high Street

A large Vacuum Cleaner perched on the front

" Hello Gang!"

He bellowed

" can't stop..I'm spring cleaning"

Hinterland no 2

Me?

On the back of the wonderful Sherlock ....the welsh detective series Hinterland went from strength to strength tonight..I suspect the reason I like the lead Tom Mathias so much is the fact that with his Woolly hat on actor Richard Harrington looks like a fitter, younger and better looking version of me
And we all like to look at ourselves

Nia ( my old friend from Oz) have a look...you'll enjoy x

Winifred: a Gop Virgin

This morning there was a brief sunny window in the dismal winter weather and I wanted to take full

advantage of it, so I decided to take Winifred and the other dogs for a walk up the Gop.

Before she came to us, Winifred had never really been taken out for long walks

So I have been building her up for " the big one" so to speak

We started from the Memorial Hall, where the Welsh Flag was flying

 

The dogs waited until I took some village photos for the Community Council webside 

we then slogged through the mud to the summit

The view was worth the slog

Sherlock- the finale

Sherlock's new long armed, fireplace pissing nemesis 

The finale? The f@*#ing finale?
It's  only the THIRD FUCKING EPISODE!
How can it be the finale already?
Anyhow...it was..... And unfortunately Sherlock has become all a bit too clever for itself
I still loved it
But............
And there just HAD to be a but..........
Hey ho

The Object Of My Affection

Me, using  meg as a book rest 

Now I don't "do"new year resolutions but if I did, I would make a resolution to read more books.
I used to be an avid reader, especially when I was a boy and a teenager.
I read every animal based " autobiography" type piece going . (Gerald Durrell, James Herriot, Willard Price.) I loved Steinbeck, Gallico,  light Capote, Harper Lee's Mockingbird and the Epic Watership Down and devoured " real life"  accounts of disaster and Mayhem with some gusto before I was obsessed with the zombie apocalypse and Daryl Dixon's biceps.
As an older man, I enjoyed true crime non fiction, Patricia Cornwell before she went all weird  and the odd autobiography  when I can get hold of it ( I am reading the hilarious life story of comedienne Jennifer Saunders at the moment) .but I am generally ashamed to say that my reading habits have waned to a sudden spurt of almost 24 hour a day marathon of solid reading when I am sat on a beach in the sun on holiday.
Of course the internet has something to blame with all this.
Facts, Wikipedia , film reviews, disaster tales.....everything is available at the click of a button....everything that is but the discipline and anticipation of sitting down with some words and a story that moves you.

In the late 1980s I read a book called The Object of My Affection by Stephen McCauley . The story of the trails and tribulations of two friends George & Nina ( one gay one not) had a resonance with me and to this day I remember a quote from the story which is as clear to me now as Shakespeare is to Judi Dench

"Often, what's most attractive about a person is that part they're trying hardest to conceal, that part they think is least likable. You find out about it and it becomes a secret bond between you, something you never talk about but hold close to your heart and are continually touched by"

Yes I should read more books.