Credit

I worked a shift at Samaritans tonight.
We answer emails as well as phone calls...
I was lucky enough to read a measured, supportive and ever so clever email reply from a SAMS branch from Southern England to an actively suicidal correspondent. The distressed writer returned an email, and it was obvious that the whole  view of his life had been turned around by a few well chosen, heartfelt and powerfully appropriate words from a nameless, talented and unpaid volunteer.
How effin amazing is that? 

6 Year Old Sass

Eve and Liv

Yesterday afternoon the girls and I collected apples from the surviving orchard trees from behind the cottage. The intact apples we washed and bagged up for home, the bruised windfalls we carried to the field and in a fit of glee smashed on the floor so that the geese could feed on them.
The Prof spied us from our bedroom and opened the window. He called out in mock annoyance
" Have you girls got my dinner ready?"
I repeated his request to Eve and Liv who were busy wiping apple mush from their school shoes and six year old Liv rolled her eyes rather theatrically
" Husbands ! " she sighed with all of the seriousness of Judi Dench " always moaning about something!" 

Hoochi Bar

In the centre of the village there is a council property which has always looked, well, rather shabby. Recently it's owner moved out and amid a flurry of council workmen , the inside has been upgraded and improved upon. Unfortunately the garden, which resembled Coventry AFTER the bombing! Had not been improved upon.
I got a glimpse of the potential new tenants a couple of weeks ago when out delivering apples.
They were being shown around by a council rep.....and looked .....well.........a bit........rough.
Today I walked past with the dogs. The property had black plastic bags sellotaped up over every window. I presumed the new people where wanting privacy when they were decorating.
Mrs Trellis walked up.
" what do you think of the bin bags" she whispered nodding at the covered windows " it all looks a bit sinister if you ask me"
" It's a drug den" I told her seriously and as she pursed her lips with worry I added playfully " it's probably a brothel too"
" I don't care if it's a top class hoochi bar" Mrs Trellis snorted loudly " as long as they tidy up the garden...it's a disgrace !"
Village life

We bought a car today too...a sweet smelling red hatchback....... Then it was back home for the school pick up

Today's after school activity

Disemboweling  the pumpkin 

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Late One

Late post today......been out and about trying to find a new car....which is tough given the fact there is only one bus out of the village .
Thanks to village elder, Islwyn  who dropped off some coal for us.......its amazing just how you rely on a car when you live in the country.
I think I've found one though...and it's ever so clean!
Not one dog snot stain to be seen ANYWHERE!!!!!!!!

We take so much for granted in this modern world.........don't we ?
Water out of the taps
Electricity to run the cooker
A supermarket 3 miles away
We are only one short step away from social disintegration
Come the zombie apocalypse.

The Walking Dead Season 6

Ok ....series 6 has started.........with biblical scale zombie hordes, a complicatedly large cast, a bite of humour and Daryl playing mr sensible Pied Piper , The Walking Dead got off to a cracking start.
Ok the plot has a few holes the size of Swiss Cheese .....ok......Rick's single mindedness is getting on my tits somewhat.....and ok Carol is still wearing her flowery blouse ( with Morgan being the only one to suss her out ) but its great to see the whole zombie brains, kill feast back on the small screen....
Of course I think episode one is a set up.....With most of the Alpha characters out in the field Alexandria is now populated with the women, the weak and the children..... With only Carol , Maggie, and Rosita and a few others around to save the day from the Wolves who are all waiting in the wings.
Watch out for Episode 2.

R.I.P old Lady

She died around 6.45 this morning.
It was on the road to Dyserth.
The Prof was with her.
She only suffered briefly.

The Berlingo, literally blew her old big end in a flurry of dog hair, scotch egg wrappers and old flower show schedules and came to a hasty stop outside the fish and chip shop.
She has been a faithful, if rather dirty and unkempt servant for the past 8 years.
But I guess, the Prof now deserves a car that actually looks like a car.
The berlingo looked like an inside out skip.
I shall miss the old girl.......for over the years the likes of pigs, a goat, ducks and geese, hens and dogs and even a well behaved turkey have been driven around these Welsh hills with all of the seriousness of a farm trailer.
And...you can smell the fact........
The break down chap took one look inside of the driver's window this morning and smiled
" It's certainly lived in " he said diplomatically ...
So as the Berlingo faces that big scrap heap in the sky....I remember her best days with some affection.

A scotch Egg/Berlingo moment

Bingley ...well behaved on the back seat

,

A mobile chicken coop

Dogs on the dashboard

Meg , my co pilot

 

No 21 my first piglet in the boot on the way to see the George Clooney vet

William and bulldog no 1 Constance on the back seat 

A hen on the glove compartment 

Using the berlingo during fox watch 

Sicario, Eirias and a Christmas Wish

I went to see SICARIO yesterday.

It's a gritty story of American underground "dealings" with the Mexican drug cartels and has Emily Blunt as the obligatory FBI idealist who directs her moral compass gaze on a violent and brutal drug war where no one seems to be the nice guy.
Blunt is very good in the lead role as is Benicio Del Toro who turns up as a shadowy South American who has his own, very personal reasons for killing the cartel leaders but after this dreadfully depressing view of cross border shenanigans I did feel a little sorry for the Mexican tourist board ....as Sicario made the whole country look like one huge deprived, drug addled nation of no hopers.
8/10

This morning over a very passable breakfast of wild mushrooms on toast at Porth Eirias, the Prof steered the conversation over to Christmas.
He's been giving the subject some thought.
" I have an idea ef what to get you for Christmas " he suggested over a sip of coffee
" But it may have to be your birthday pressie too"
Intrigued I asked him what he had in mind
" A Welsh terrier puppy" he said with a smile " a new bitch"
He let the idea sink in somewhat before asking " What will you call her?"

" Mary" I said without the slightest hesitation