A Depressed red headed Mermaid with no tits

I'm finding retail therapy incredibly therapeutic at the moment
It's called " nesting"
Tomorrow I've arranged for my 40£ trendy kitchen chair to be delivered and today I bought a rug for the front room ( dead cheap in TK MAX) ...it covers a particularly stubborn vomit stain ( Albert's andnot mine ) and makes the living room look cosy and clean
When I bought the rug I noticed this delightfully flat chested and miserable mermaid Christmas tree decoration hanging near the tills and bought it on impulse .
The teenage till Girl eyed me suspiciously
" She's rather attractive !" I told her playfully
" If you say so!" was the curt reply
I did have my own sheep's wool beanie on so I did look a bit like a pervert , so I forgave her

Before you make a value judgement the mermaid is for one of Jason the affable despot's girls ..I always buy them each a Christmas decoration every year....another of my Yuletide traditions!
I'm catching up with him tonight..we are off to Chester to see a live comedy performance at the Storyhouse ...he's been a good friend recently.
I've just learned that I'm not working on the 18th which is the night of our choir's concert...I'll try to get a few people there to record the event for blog land.....

Ps the Village Christmas Market takes place tomorrow

......always last......always there

Always last, always there 

It seems from the comments on yesterday's blog that George has his own unique fan club.
I concede that his story here is somewhat of a quiet one
For, compared with the other dogs, George is a quiet, plodding best suppporting actor to Winnie's Meryl Streep and Mary's Kiera Knightly.
George is nearly thirteen and whereas William who is just a few months older seems to be fading fast, George plods on with the typical aloof strength so typical of his breed.
Ok, he spends most of his day asleep on his own sheepskin blanket under the kitchen table but when it's dinner time or when I' m marshalling the troops for a trip in Bluebell , he stands aroooooooing his deafening Scottie call like the miniature Tarzan that he is.
Scottish terriers make interesting companions, but I warn you, if you want a cuddle dog that will blindly attach itself to your knee for hours at a go, don't go for one.
They are self contained little buggers
They are also loyal and bright and tenacious and stubborn but they mistrust strangers, and they nip other dogs after barking at them with their sharp loud keep away from me voices .
They are an acquired taste
Yesterday, I watched him totter along behind us on the old railway line walk without a seeming care in the world. There is grey in his beard now and a slowness to his step, but his eyes remain a button bright black and where as William had to be taken back to the car after a twenty minute walk George would  happily carry on his exploring alone and without supervision for most of the morning.

He's a valiant little dog who demands so little from life
And I love him quietly

Fantastic Beasts- The Crimes of Grindlewald

Who's who

A film should always stand on it's own merits.
The narrative should be driven by a plot and performances and the whole thing must work without knowledge obtained outside that two and a half hour window.
The sequel to the entertaining Fantastic Beasts and where to find them tries hard but fails to stand on its own two feet which is a shame.
You just have to have a working knowledge of Rowling's book to understand the intricate plot of Grindlewald,and for me who who hasn't a flipping flying fucking idea what a muggle is or whose brother to who and who is what and why? I got lost several times during the story which is disappointing as it's quite, quite beautiful to look at .
6/10

Lady baring gift

Ho fucking ho

A woman who we bump into regularly presented Winnie with a pair of novelty antlers this morning and made a big deal putting them on her.
Strangely, given her usual centre-of-attention nature Winnie walked off with loud dismissive sniff, leaving the woman somewhat embarrassed.
George acted as second hand Rose and reluctantly sported them for a mile or so, as the woman walked alongside us with her heavily coated greyhound in tow.
He's a polite old soul
It was raining heavily so he looked rather depressed in his headgear by the time we got back to Bluebell.
The cottage smelled of wet dog when we got home , so I've lit the fire early, ran around with the fabreeze and made soup as another Atlantic storm pushed in from the west
Now I'm writing Christmas Cards and packing Christmas decorations to be sent to friends in Derbyshire and Australia. It's a tradition which needs to be completed

Te Aroha

My dyspraxia is fucking up choir practice
Jamie, the 28 inch waisted choirmaster, taught us the Maori song Te Aroha ( the song can be basically translated as LOVE, FAITH,PEACE to all beings) and wanted us to slap our chest and things and move our feet appropriate to the tune...
Could I sing and slap and shuffle like the rest of my fellow choristers ?
Could I bloody coco!
I'm just not programmed to co ordinate mouth, hands and feet.
I can't even rub my stomach and pat myself on the head like any seven year old
It's a disability !
Hattie and Heulwen from the village who had been moved into the opposite  Alto section for the evening- we sing in a circle btw )  literally pissed themselves silly at my every attempt to click my fingers at the given moment

After an hour, an ever so slightly exasperated Jamie told us all not bother with the moves

Not our choir but this is the song

Perhaps blog follower Hāmitānā-Hēni 
Can give me a few pointers

Ps from the recording of I'm sorry I haven't a clue 
What is a Royal based famous film?

CAMILLA's  IN TNE MIST , 

The Walking Dead

I'm not bothered Jesus got killed....he has been rather boring since he arrived which is a fault of the writers rather than the actor !
The Walking Dead comes back in spring 2019 and I'm sad it's gone, season 9 has been a blast......even if Carol looks like Legolas

Kiss

I really wanted to kiss my optician this morning.
It was at that really close moment when he's shining the light in the back of your eye and you can smell his soap or aftershave or toothpaste in that dark little room away from all the frames.
It's an odd feeling, which as am sure is more common than we all dare to admit to.
I wonder if anyone has actually done it....
Have you ever wanted to  kiss your optician ?
Answers on a postcard .....

Off to see the BBC recording of I'm Sorry I haven't A Clue tonight....

2018

A Happy 2018?  me and my neice Rebecca at my sister Ann's Birthday..happy time

We are heading towards the end of the year.
A year of note, as they say.
One of my best friends survived cancer this year and things are on hold
He's been a star
Another friend has also battled a sickness, unseen and unheard.....they have been a star too.
William is Gently deteriorating and I am being nudged by the vet into making the right decision
He's been a star of a dog.
December may be his swan song
This year I have known who my many friends are.
This year some people have disappointed
Yin and yang I guess.....
And as usual the good almost outweigh the bad....
Even if I hate this year with a vengeance at least the choir has salved my soul somewhat as have my family, friends ,animals and my blog friends

I saw Auntie Glad  , it wasn't for long , I had misjudged the  lunch time routine
Her eyes were a milky blue and she didn't know me at first but she did remember the Flower Show when I mentioned it..... mentioned it for a second time
" We worked hard " she said " Mr Roberts and Irene and Mrs Lewis and I  "
All Flower Show people a decade or two before I arrived
I wanted her to remember me and finally after I talked on and on about the cottage and the dogs and allotment and Chris,  she did.....albeit tentatively
" we always put on a good show " she said holding my hand tightly  " didn't we?"
" oh we did " I replied   " oh we so did!"