Going Gently

Gypsies,Tramps and Thieves?

Two " rough looking" types were sat in a open top van at the end of the lane this morning.
I noticed them when I saw to the bachelor cockerels, so put Winnie on a lead and looking like a local just out for a dog walk. I wandered over to check them out.
As I thought the men were Irish travellers and the van was full of scrap metal.
" can I help you? " I asked
Both men chatted in that machine gun speed brogue which is almost impossible to understand but I more or less worked out that they were asking who owned a nearby field which was dotted with old farm equipment.
I remained vague, unhelpful and mistrusting,
And so the younger man started dolling out some charm by then asking me about my "beautiful British Bulldog"
" What's his name" the man asked, not noticing a row of saggy tits inches from the ground
Winnie raised her head and blew him a few bulldog kisses.
"Roxy" I told him, still keeping up the hard pretence
" Is he friendly?" the man asked again
" No, he can be a bit aggressive"
The men stayed in their van
Winnie yawned and let out a mini fart.

Eventually the men drive off, and I let them see that I was watching them go. I shall let the owner of the field know that his field was being "sussed".
An old farmer, I once knew very well, told me several stories of the damage the rougher Travellers did to his farmland when they decided to relocate to one of his best pasture fields just a few years back.
Before they were finally evicted ( by semi force and the use of local farmer friends driving mechanical diggers) water ditches were damaged and filled with waste, hedges destroyed, and animals owned by another neighbour killed and stolen.

It is these guys that give honest travellers a bad name.

Mini Drama

An Arctic blast hit us yesterday afternoon despite the sun and blue sky.
When I left fat club, the wind almost cut me into two...but to be fair I was wearing my thinnest ( and lightest) t shirt...btw I lost 6.5 lbs last week!
I knew the change in the weather only too well for I sat out in it for nearly an hour, perched on the wire garden chair which is situated under the growing honeysuckle by our front door.
There is a blackbird nest hidden away in the ugly evergreen shrub by the stone wall and a furious blackbird father and I was standing guard as two magpies circled and watched, stalked and plotted
their way towards the eggs.
I could have been watching a Hollywood monster movie after Mary alerted me to the initial attack with a worried bark from the back of the armchair and both of us watched as the drama unfolded like some mini dinosaur encounter.
One magpie kept the male blackbird busy as the other tried to drive the sitting female away with aggressive clicks and chatter.
The blackbirds were valiant, vociferous and surprisingly effective in the defence of their nest but the magpies were cunning and more intelligent, so bided their time, that was until, I could take the tense stand off no longer and went to sit in the garden .
Fifty minutes later, the magpies eventually gave up their vigil and looped their way angrily across the churchyard and the exhausted blackbirds finally relaxed their shouts and dropped their tails.
I took myself off for a hot bath!

This morning, the blackbird nest is empty and the only birds in the garden are the sparrow gang perched spunkily on the cottage wall.
I noted a broken blackbird egg lying in the lane by the gate.

Ps in an effort to lighten the mood watch this video of an Australian magpie attack
Very, very funny.

New People

I stopped to speak to someone I shall call Miss Haversham this morning.
I nicknamed her this because she was wearing a rather unruly hairstyle with dressing gown and slippers.
It was late morning.
I haven's seen her in a while so we got to chatting about new characters that have moved into the newly bought and rented houses nearby.
I told her that I would send all newcomers a letter from the Flower Show, welcoming them to the village.
She pointed to a house across the road and asked if I was going include them in the correspondence.
" I have my own ideas about them" she said somewhat conspiratorially
" oh yes?" I said
" Yes" she whispered " They leave their washing on the line overnight!!!!!!"
"Ohhhhhhh" I replied, totally unable to grasp the significance of the statement
And in way of explanation, Mrs Haversham said " It's a bit like people who always leave their pegs on the line"
I walked away non the wiser.

Unwell today

What Fresh Hell Is This?

I was on chauffeur duty tonight as the Prof and my sister went out for night at the musical theatre.
When they were enjoying some minor dancers from Strictly Come Dancing, I settled down to phoning friends from a dog covered arm chair but the conversations were not quite what I wanted them to be...the reason?.....I wasn't feeling very well.
At ten thirty when we finally got home, I knew I had a temperature, so shivering , I plucked the digital thermometer from it's resting place in a spare mug on the kitchen side and stuck it in my mouth .37.4 degrees!

Only then did I realize when I last used the thermometer......it was in a moment of panic a couple of months ago!
When Winnie was critically ill with her septic uterus!
Oh.........my.............God

Faghags and fagmates

I was going to do a post on homophobia this morning, given that the unfortunate Petra has been posting again, but there was a baby rabbit under the bookcase,so I didn't quite have time.
William being rather dim thought it was still somewhere in the kitchen and led the charge with the other terriers in a bid to kill it. Winnie however , knew better and led me right to the baby in the living room with her worried brown eyes and serious expression.
Mothering instinct , even in a dog so old, is a strong urge to quell, me thinks.
Albert just yawned, and even when the baby started to scream ( just as I wrapped a hand around it) he ignored the subsequent canine hysteria with measured alacrity.
He's seen it all before.

I'v never quite understood homophobia. Oh I get the somewhat hackneyed religious arguments and the 1970ish "nancy boy" disappointment of parents who wanted grandchildren and family stability but given the 'fluid" nature of how things are nowadays it just seems to be rather unfashionable to be still prejudiced about such matters.
Petra's vitriol seems to be centred about my gay friendly following. The 'Faghags' as she likes to call them. I find this interesting as, in my view, calling someone a faghag is a compliment not a curse.
Women that tend to enjoy the company of gay men, to me are enlightened. They are accepting, bright, inclusive and generally are incredibly humorous.
Who wouldn't like to be surrounded by such creatures?
( I read recently that the new " term " for faghag is Gabe" ( gay+ babe)
Now Going Gently has a few straight guy followers toon, I wonder if Petra realises that? What do We call them? Fagmates?
It's just a thought.
A few years ago, in Sheffield, I met a woman at a work's night out who gushed on incessantly about
just how fun us gays were! She banged on so much that she missed my smiling comment of oh we make lovely pets!" for what it was . It's hard to walk the right line here before stereotyping gets in the way....lol just like I did with the faghag comment a little earlier.

The upshot of this navel gazing?
Who fucking knows?
We like who we like.
I like people that make me laugh,that stimulate and challenge me and who are warm and generous. If they like dogs and zombie tv shows that's a bonus in my book.