A Letter From The Director

to all of the sponsors in John's Zip Wire Adventure

"Hi John,

I would be grateful if you could thank your blog readers for their support in sponsoring you and raising such an amazing amount for our branch.  This will be an enormous help, especially for our small branch.  The funds we raise are used for our own local activities and operational costs. None of our volunteers receive payment for their input into the branch.

Donations we receive not only enable us to respond to calls for help each year as a branch via phone, text and email, but also make a difference in our local community.  For example, our volunteers deliver a range of community outreach activities, including schools, hospitals, prison and shortly custody suite.  

Last year the money we raised also enabled us to keep our branch doors open to talk face to face with local people who turn to us when they are struggling to cope.  Crucially, we recruit and train new local people each year to become listening volunteers, giving them skills and experiences that support the growth and wellbeing of our community.

Thank you each and every one for your generous donations which total such an amazing amount. And of course, our thanks to you for taking on this daredevil challenge and for all you do in supporting the branch.

Warm regards. 

Judy Peachey

Director
Rhyl & N E Wales Samaritans"

Friday Thoughts At 6 am

Last night the Trelawnyd Community Association took me out for a meal.
I was touched as it looked as though all of the committee members were there and we more or less filled the small restaurant at The Crown. 
I had the pork belly......it was bloody lovely too.
Linda from well Street made a slightly boozy and rather emotional speech about me staying in Trelawnyd, which was nice and I managed a quick reply saluting the work of the new committee

The Community Association has galvanised several new initiatives with different members running different areas. The first Women's Institute meeting had 30 women turn up on Tuesday night A new youth club seems clearly organised for late summer and the first open house coffee morning and book swap has been planned for this Saturday morning.

The Meg

I've kept busy this week. Choir Tuesday, Cinema Wednesday with my sister ( dreadful movie The Meg..not good enough for a review here!) and dinner out last night!
I've got sole responsibility for the ponies too over the next four days which will be a challenge as I've yet got the hang of slipping the mare her medication which has to be hidden inside an apple.
Be assured that I no longer wear flip flops on the field.

You blog readers have been real stars where my zip line sponsorship has been concerned. It looks as though we may even reach the £3000 mark with the gift aid added which is a phenomenal amount in anyone's eyes.
I am humbled by your generosity and by your support and I shall post a formal letter of thanks to you all from our branch director soon.
You are all stars!
Shiny loving stars!

Donate link 

Is

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/johngray1

It's 6 am or just after as I type this, and Strange as it was seem I've been awake since 5.20am
Only William and Albert are with me in bed, Albert, alert and calm is watching the field for rabbits. William, much more frail since his accident is asleep with his paws stretched out the only way pedigree dogs can only do.
I can hear Winnie snoring from downstairs, she and Mary are sharing my armchair.
The sparrows in the honeysuckle are still quiet

I've just noticed that I now sleep on the right of the double bed
For two decades I've always ever slept on the left.

I know the answer to this.......
Self preservation ...................

Overwhelmed & Grateful

I wanted to tell you a little more about the centre where your donations will be going to.
Samaritans Rhyl is one of the smallest Sam centres in the UK.
It is run solely by volunteers, and last year  in this time of volunteer apathy, we had only some 16 souls that acted as listening volunteers on the phone lines .
Phone lines that had literally doubled in activity due to the introduction of the Sams freephone number 116123
In nearly every assessment we were told that we were consistently punching above our weight, and through hard work our recruitment, training and mentoring teams have literally doubled our listening volunteer numbers in just one year !!!!!
This ongoing development of our service needs support at this crucial time and be assured that
Your donated monies will go directly to Rhyl branch.and really will  make a difference to the service we give our callers.
A reminder ...my donate page can be reached at  ( click on)

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/johngray1

In just 18 hours you have donated over £ 1500.00 to our little centre, a phenomenal amount !
Thank you so, so very much on behalf of our team, we now hope to raise a fantastic £2000, which will be vital in keeping us going this year....

This morning my fellow conspirator Ann stopped by for  a selfie, she is completing her zip wire in support of Alzheimer's, a charity which is, I know dear to many of you
Her donate page can be seen at

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ann-malthoff

Hands In Pockets Time

Hello All, 

As you may remember , I am terrified of heights

And so, I am going to squeeze my fat arse into a sleeping bag and I am going to launch myself 

Over the Bethesda Quarry on the Velocity 2 zip line

On September 26th

I am doing this for Charity namely

The Rhyl Samaritans, 

Of which I am deputy director for Caller Care

Please sponsor me 

Give what you can! The money will go directly to our centre and will be used to support the 

Service we give our callers

Donation page 

https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/johngray1

I am zipping with fellow villager Ann Maltoff who will be doing her jump 

In support of Alzheimer's Charity

I will publish her charity link tomorrow  

Pulchritudinous

I couldn't pronounce it let alone understand what it actually meant.
But there it was in black and white
On the blog written by a gay man, I was actually described as Pulchritudinous.
At first I presumed it was a side swipe at my chunky bear outline or even a reference to my overly scabby knees or ruddy outdoor complexion but no, it was , in fact,  a positive remark
I was actually described in a positive if not exaggerated light
But, I was pleased.
And rather flattered.

The Choir

Our choir master is called Jaimie.
He has a 28 inch waist, looks about 14 and has all the energy of a small nuclear power station.
He was also delightfully friendly.
I was sat with the three other bass singers in the male section as various ladies in the sopranos gave me thumbs up and encouraging smiles.
There were around thirty of us. The youngest a nurse in her twenties who lives in one of the tiny cottages in  Trelawnyd , stood next to me. She remembered that I had been kind to her the day she moved to the village. " Hello John the dogs " she whispered as the song sheets were handed out
She seems one of those incredibly warm characters with a big heart.

I quickly had to learn the bass lines to Labi Siffre's Something Inside So Strong which the ever bouncy Jamie demonstrated to each of the vocal groups .
It was all rather challenging but a wonderfully enjoyable experience.

We went on with a terribly hard Czech folk tune Okolo Hradisca with several of the choir waving at me to say they were sorry for the "baptism  of fire" ( they had all sang it before) but it certainly didn't put me off as the harmonies suddenly came together in front of a somewhat manic Jamie.

As I packed up to leave, he came over briefly to ask if I was coming back
" You have a good singing voice!" He told me,
And I suddenly felt a tiny bit tearful
But I had already made my decision within two minutes of entering the choir room
" See you next Tuesday!" I told him with a big smile

Back In The Saddle

Only a brief morning post today as I am saving my creative juices for tell you all about the choir later.
I've been chasing paperwork and officialdom from 9 am as I have hopefully got myself a part time , 2 nights a week job. A job that will pay some of the bills, support the animals and stop me thinking of what was and what could have been.
I won't tell you all more than that given that all of the i s have to dotted , suffice to say that after my non too reticent criticism of senior management decisions and abilities at my previous employ , I won't be going back to ITU.
Thank God!

More about the choir later......

Animal Problems

Mary behaved impeccably at the vets this afternoon.
We had an appointment with the senior vet ( not George Clooney) who reviewed her history of recurrent ear infections and drew diagrams for me to understand the physiology of the problem .
It looks as though she will need surgery
I sighed....another day..another animal problem.

Earlier today I found myself trying to round up the field horses.
It had come to my attention that they had loosened the wooden fencing between them and the new graveyard by rubbing their itchy arses on the upright stakes so it was imperative that I move them to the lower part of the field where they could do no more damage.
Having little experience in tacking up ponies I resorted to waving a piece of cheap white bread in front of them hoping to do a bit of a "pied piper"  thing , but things went tits up when The ponies got all frisky with the whole situation and charged somewhat energetically after me.
From out of nowhere Irene noisily joined in with the stampede, and I found myself galloping clumsily ahead in my flip flops like a fat, bread waving lunatic .
It was a genuinely frightening experience.

The young Bantam cockerels have caused their own minor problems and have deserted their hen house in the Ukrainian village to move into the garden of our new neighbours. I have no idea where they are roosting but I do know that two sets of neighbours are feeding them so well that the roosters have now learnt to tap on their conservatory windows in a ploy to beg for food.

William is recovering from his car accident well and George despite his age continues to look robust even though I'm convinced he has the start of diabetes insipidus with his water drinking antics.

Only the oldest and potentially most unfit of all of the animals at Bwthyn y llan is doing all rather well. Winnie, who has past her sell by date a good while ago now , remains steadfast and magnificent
She's like a Old Spanish galleon in full sail

The best two bitches in my life