Dog Attack

There must be perhaps fifty dogs in the village.
All sizes and all temprements.
Just three are overly agressive. A fat black labrador from the other side of Trelawnyd, Dr Barnsley's mongrel Meg ( who for some unknown reason hates the terriers) and a white husky type dog from Erw Wen.
The last two are big dogs and it troubles me somewhat that their owners have real trouble controlling them in the street.
Uncontrollable dogs are dangerous dogs plain and simple.
Last night when I took William and Mary out for their last walk we ran into the white husky.
He was on one side of the main road and we were  perhaps sixty feet away on the other. It was very dark so old William with his cataracts was unaware of his presence . Mary however saw him and stopped dead in her tracks.
The husky's owner stiffened and started to wrap it's lead around his hand but the husky on seeing the Welsh terriers lurched forward barking furiously.
I don't know if the lead snapped or it's collar slipped but suddenly the dog burst free and attacked.
In the couple of seconds it took to dart across the road ( stopping the traffic)  I managed to position myself between it and the terriers behind me and as it lunged towards them I kicked it  hard in the head.
The husky hesitated so I bellowed at it to keep away and stamped at it again and moments later  frightened by me, the stopped car's headlights and it's panicked owner  the husky galloped off in the direction of home.

We were lucky last night for William and Mary are no match for such an aggressive dog.
Winnie, with her bulk, and intelligence could fend off such an assault but a blind elderly terrier such as William and a delicate juvenile like Mary could well have been seriously injured or even killed.
Large aggressive  breeds are often kept as status symbols with little thought given to their potential

I know that this husky has not been socialised with other dogs. It is only walked in the " safety " of deserted night streets by an owner who has not been trained to deal with it.
I aim to tell the owner this when I see him.
I didn't have the chance last night
Hopefully it will be at a time when emotions run just a little calmer.

" How's William?" And Cramming My Fat Arse into Budgie Smugglers!

Today's blog will be much of a missmash.

Most of the day I've been catching up with jobs .
The Prof now has a functioning curtain pole in his office and curtains that close!
And Winnie almost whipped herself into hysterics as a water main in the village burst, flooding our lane with water and over half a dozen workmen in overalls turned up to repair the damage!
I mooched around trying to find fucking curtain hooks for an age too, but I won't tell you about that saga, it's just too exciting a read.
At B&Q a woman I didn't know stopped me at the power tool aisle and asked how William was.
Apparently she reads Going Gently regularly ! I love all this minor celebrity shit so went all magnanimous in the meeting and promised to take off my " no anonymous commentating"  sanction so she can leave me a comment.
" let's hope Petra doesn't reappear" she said
People have long memories I thought.
I didn't falter in Sainsbury's so not a scotch Egg was bought, but I did but 40 mini cocktail sausages ass a treat for the dogs ( Winnie can get at least ten into her mouth at once!) I'm back weightwatching as we have two trips abroad to look forward to this year and I need to squeeze my fat arse into my best tropical pants!

( we have booked to meet family at my sister's birthday holiday in Sitges. Spain and I shall be carrying the Prof's paperwork on his trip to Melbourne later in the year) how exciting!

Where are you going on holiday this year? I'd be interested to know!

Sitges is very gay friendly! 

We don't go on the gay beaches though

We can't find budgie smugglers to fit

Hey ho! 

Church Asides

I walked the older dogs around the Churchyard this afternoon.
Mary had already had her robust walk along the beach promenade so stayed at home with the Prof.
He was making pea and ham soup from scratch.
We've had peas soaking in the kitchen for days!
As we wandered up the Church path, St Michael's door burst open revealing the vicar in his full regalia, the morning service had just finished. George galloped up to him barking loudly.
" He's never seen a man in a frock before" I informed the vicar who laughed swishing his vestments.
I noted he was wearing new spectacles too!
Very trendy.

The soup was very nice by the way

Immortal

Trelawnyd at the turn of the Century

Yesterday I received an email from The National Library of Wales,

"Dear Mr Gray,

The National Library of Wales would like to invite you to participate in the UK Web Archive by archiving your web site (http://trelawnydhistory.blogspot.co.uk/).  The UK Web Archive is a partnership between the National Library of Wales, the British Library, and the National Library of Scotland, to preserve website for future users. We have identified this web site as an important part of Wales’ documentary heritage and would like it to remain available to researchers in the future.  The archived copy of your web site will form part of our permanent collections" 

I was tickled pink!  For now Going Gently's more serious and more worthy sister blog will be archived for future generations! Auntie Glad words will live on as will the stories of villagers past ( who could forget the animated video between Olwenna Hughes and Gwyneth Jones as they discussed  a visiting belly dancer in the village Hall!

If you want to read more about the history of the village it's characters the link is way down my right sidebar...just click on the photo of auntie Glad- Trelawnyd Voices From The Past! 

Something We Should All Do

Don't anyone dare to say what a nice guy I am......Please don't that is not why I post the following

I was a few minutes early for work  so called into sainsbury's for some dog food on the way.
Of course I treated myself to a sneaky chocolate eclair ( I know, I know) but night shift brings the devil out in a person.
The self service tills were busy and as I and a few others waited in line we watched as a tall, slightly unkempt guy tried to use his debt card to pay for a two litre bottle of coke.
The supervisor was polite and went over to speed the proceedings up, but was forced to explain that his card was some sort of social services payment card which was not valid in the store machines.
The customer began to get slightly irate and it was evident that he perhaps suffered from some mental health issues.
" I need  my coke" he stated somewhat forcefully and as the supervisor gently suggested he use some cash I could see that the store security guard was moving in to help.
I went to the next free self service till and by the time I was finished the supervisor was trying to exlain to the customer that he couldn't use a euro to pay for his drink.
The manager was called and more explainations ensued and I left slightly ashamed that I had witnessed a guy on his uppers.
The queue, like most British queues had remained unseeing.
As I drove out of the car park, I noticed the man sitting with his face in his hands in the store foyer. He had no coat and it had started to hail stone,so on impluse I stoped the car in a disabled bay, hurried into the store and took the bottle of coke which had been taken from the guy and left on the supervisor's table. I paid for it at the self sevice till and smiled at the supervisor with a it's not your fault look before giving it to the man on the bench.
" Enjoy it mate" I told the customer who took the bottle gratefully.

And on the way to work, that eclair never tasted so sweet! 

Better Late Than Never!

The postman woke me up around 1pm
No, he didn't creep up the stairs to whisper sweet nothings into my slumbering ear!
He just knocked on the door, setting off a chain reaction of hysteria amongst the animals.
" A gift from one of your blog readers!" He told me authoritatively
He seems to know me so well.

He was right! It was  a late Christmas gift from Jan in Australia.
I've only had a few hours sleep.
I am back at work later.
Snow is on the way
But it made me smile!
Thank you

Bed Soon!

Short staffed again at work so, last  night I did an extra shift and will do the same tonight.
Even after a walk all the dogs have decided to play fight, so as I am typing this ( in the bath) I wish I could give the lot of them a dose of ketamine so I can sleep.
Oh for a silent home.....with just the sound of the gale force wind whistling around my gable end
I'm too old for this lark!