The Attraction Of The Working Man

I had visitors yesterday.
One sharply dressed saleswoman in fantastic shoes and one man in a boiler suit.
Both arrived together in the middle of a torrential rainstorm.
When such visitors arrive, the bouncy terriers are placed safely away in the car. Only Winnie is allowed to stay.
Her blind affection for dirty handed blue collar chaps is legendary.
The boiler suited workman was installing superfast broadband in the living room and as usual I asked his permission if Winnie could accompany him. Once this was agreed upon she thundered in like a baby hippo and gave him a careful once over.
Now Winnie's "once overs" follow a strict procedure. First she will give the visitor an in depth face stare. this usually lasts around ten seconds or so and is invariably followed by a physical head rub on an outstretched hand. Once the ice is broken  overalls, combat pockets and any tools have to be sniffed at and explored before  demands for more head rubs and hopefully full on kisses follow
she prefers being kissed on the lips when kissing is the order of the day
Julia Roberts out of Pretty Woman she is not!.
Once all of these stages have been reached, the workman will then be followed blindly. Every movement and activity being closely scrutinised, ideally with little piggy eyes only inches away from the job in hand.
this can be disconcerting for those of a weaker constitution
The broadband man had to return to his van a couple of times for materials and every time Winnie would accompany him in her usual laissez-faire amble.
She never gets bored with proceedings.
A half hour into the visit, she even shared some of his Cornish pasty when he disappeared for a crafty coffee break.
"She's a grand old dog!" the  broadband workman said as he left " I've never been supervised so much since I was an apprentice"
Winnie then jumped up against the workman and demanded a kiss with a loud grunt
Your breath stinks" he told her
and she smiled at him with unchecked adoration






Moved or Manipulated

What is the last thing that moved you to tears?
Many things can set me off
I've inherited this sentimental streak from my father
This set me off today

Birthday Gal


It's my mother in law's birthday today.
She's having a day surrounded by friends and family.
She is well liked and well loved
It's a product of being a nice person.

"Do Not Send us Astray"- The Walking Dead ep13

Slumber party gone wrong

The worst part of episode was when my favourite redshirt Tobin ( Jason Douglas)killed the sassy foul mouthed doctor from Kingdom, she..( Peggy Sheffield) would have made an interesting  new character.. It was a great moment of complete mayhem when the injured Hilltoppers succumbed  to their infected injuries and ran amok amongst the sleeping survivors..it was just like old days!
Ok ok it was a rehash of the prison flu episode, but I didn't much care.
It was back to the Walking Dead of old.
The Hilltop fended off the saviours but at a price. Henry and Morgan played silly beggars. Pretty
New Yorker saviour Alden switched sides to the good guys ( a new eventual Maggie love interest 
perhaps?) and Tara realised that Dwight May have saved her life.
This episode was set at a cracking pace.......8/10
Loved it
Tobin, not at his best

Operation Dog Snot Removal


Spring Cleaning!
Epic music blasting out
Too much strong coffee causing slight jitters
Dogs safely in the garden ( with Albert)
Living room furniture on the window ledges and outside the back door 
Coal dust, soot, dust and dog hair sucked from every nook cranny and orifice 
Throws, blankets and patchworks all hand washed and are hanging from the field gate in the lane.
It looks like we have had a flood.
A neighbour passed and waved
" I see your mother in law is about to visit !" They noted.
Bookends and Staffordshire bits drying on the draining board

Almost Easter

"Beejesus we're blessed are we not?"
So called out the hefty Irish horsewoman on even a heftier horse this morning as the sun shined and the skies around Trelawnyd remained a bright comforting blue.
I passed the woman on the road climbing the Gop we nodded in a friendly manner as we have passed each other several times before. She has a brusque warmth that I like

Everything seems a bit brighter this morning.
The Church was gridlocked with cars and I could just  hear the singing of a hymn as Trendy Carol's dogs bark at a passing mongrel.
It's a big gig today for the vicar
We are having lentil and pepper soup for lunch.


Violence On Stage


I've not had time to blog today
I've not had time to bathe Mary smelly fanny ( mother in law coming to stay in days and " Operation Dog Snot Removal" has not been initiated as yet!)
I've not had time to fix Mrs H's tablet as promised.
I've just not had time.

I treated the Prof to tickets to see the old chestnut that is Noel Coward's Private Lives at Theatre Clwyd tonight. It was fine, sparkling Coward in fact , but the climactic slap fest between Amanda ( a great Helen Keeley by the way) and husband Elyot seemed just a tiny bit uncomfortable for a modern audience to laugh at without reservation.

I think we are still programmed to react to physical violence when we see it in the flesh so to speak. Satatized violence ( on screen and tv) can feel cartoonish and unreal to most of us ( except the gentle natured blogger Raymondo perhaps) but a stage sock in the mouth can feel very real , even though it's played for laughs on a theatre stage.

It's just a thought at the end of a busy day.
Thank goodness we didn't go to see who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?


Shuttlecocks


I played badminton with the Prof tonight.
And despite wearing my Rosie O' Donnall sweatpants ( a necessity to hide my spotty knees). A bout of tennis elbow, residual bladder instability and flatulence
I won!
Figure that one out Sherlock.
There's life in the old dog yet!