Plas yn Dre

" Plas-yn-dre Isa" is up for sale.
In Welsh the name of this old grand house which is now one half of an old grammar school dating from the 1600s literally means lower mansion of the town. The house next door is called Plas-yn-dre Uchaf (The higher mansion of the town)
Are you still with me?
Plas-yn-dre still dominates the village. The upper house has almost been renovated in a Georgian Style and now looks mighty fine with it's new sash windows and grand front door, The lower house looks slightly less impressive in comparison, what with it's new pvc window surrounds and door, but this house is held in much affection by many of the older Trelawnyd-ites for it is the home of Auntie Glad.
Plas-yn-Dre, like I said is up for sale. It stands just how Gladys left it last year.....spotless and gleaming. I spoke to a Mr Roberts from Caerwys yesterday, who was collating information about the Flower Show for an article he was writing  for the Flintshire Chronicle. He knows Gladys from old " You could eat your dinner from off her floor"  he mused " she always kept a tidy home" 
I hope the new owners do the old house justice.

Plas yn dre isa

Onwards upwards

Is the next chapter...........

Nice People

 I worked with a doctor that I didn't know last night.
English wasn't their first language and my ever present irony was somewhat lost on them, which I found amusing.
Doctor " I hear that this weekend is your last here"
Me " " yes I finish my very last shift on Monday morning"
Doctor " why you are too young to be leaving work , what will you do with yourself?"
Me " I shall sit around the house eating crisps and drinking beer"
Doctor looking concerned " Do you think that is wise?"

I was rather touched by the succession of gifts and cards that found my way to my bedspace last night.
A gift from the Filipino nurses, a backbone group on itu made me smile, a series of fat club busting cakes were hidden behind the nursing station and a beautifully wrapped carrier bag of goodies which included new wellington boots, garden compost and dog treats were dropped off by another rather tearful colleague

my patient was critically ill....so I didn't have the time to get maudlin, I 've been very lucky to have worked with so many nice people.
.....and I have one more shift to go.....

Dragonfly

I am working tonight and Sunday ! My last two official shifts as a nurse! Hey ho
I will leave you with a photo of Albert who I snapped as he watched a dragonfly dart through the cottage

Out Of The Blue

I wasn't going to blog today, I was going to let Anne Marie bask in her justified glory! Ive made minted pea soup and a batch of butternut squash curried soup. I've painted the neighbour's wooden fencing and I've scrubbed the overlooked dirty scum marks off the bath.

Not much has happened today

Then as Mary and I stood at the junction of Marian and London Road, on our powerwalk, a small black hatchback sped past and something fairly hard and white flew out of the passenger window and hit me square in the chest!
The projectile didn't hurt me, but I was somewhat shocked!

It was a shop bought cheeseburger with just one bite taken out of it.!
I took it back for the bachelors to eat! 

Thank You Anne Marie

Anne Marie has supported The Trelawnyd Flower Show for many years now!
I love this!
A woman from New York State having a huge influence on a tiny Welsh event populated by just a few hundred people!
How wonderful is that?
This year , as always she has sent a box load of home knitted items to sell on Auntie Glad's stall....
Oh behalf of the show committee.....Sailor John, Trendy Carol, Animal Helper Pat, matriarch Irene, Terry and Ann, Heulwen and Derek, Val , Meirion and Daphne and myself
We Thank You x 

Duelling Banjos

Not everyone in the village is a smiling, happy character right out of The Darling Buds of May. In fact some are just downright mean.
Last night was a case in point.
I was selling raffle tickets door to door when found myself at the door of a somewhat prickly woman I had tried to conscript into entering the flower section of last year's show soon after she had arrived in Trelawnyd from a village further along the coast..
I should have known better, for as soon as she had bought her raffle ticket, she launched into what only could be called a bad mouthing tirade against her neighbours.
I tried to change the subject by complimenting her hanging baskets and planters but this seemed to infuriate her even more and she spat out that she would never enter anything into the show as one neighbour "always won everything" 
I should have walked away, but as she went on an on about how awful people that I actually know, where, I became so irritated that I dropped a grenade into the mix by smiling sweetly and adding " Have you ever thought It could be you?" 
She hit the roof
" Derek! Billy!" She called behind her " This man has just insulted me!" 
It felt as though we were in some strange movie as slowly two large stern rough looking men lumbered to the door behind her and I suddenly realised that the woman wasn't playing cards with a full deck.
Suddenly I had visions of being thumped out of my second best Walking Dead T shirt, so rabbited on a bit about how friendly I HAD found the villagers until the elder man slowly got bored and ambled back inside.
It was the oddest of confrontations .

Gop Hill and The Village

A recent video of the neolithic burial mount on Gop Hill below which the village nestles.
There is a lovely shot of the village at the end!
Relax and enjoy
Ps..tomorrow's post tells the tale of how I was nearly beaten up selling raffle tickets today!