Officialdom

I'm a naturally shy individual....I know that a few of you may find that surprising.
So, having been told that I am sure you now understand just how difficult dealing with the officialdom that so often  keeps divorce company has been for me.
Taking an advocate with me has proved useful for they have been in the situation where objective notes and questioning can supplement my more emotional responses.
I've always told patients to have an advocate with them when being interviewed by a consultant or a nurse.
Two heads are always better than one .
Twice as much information can be taken in.
Twice as many questions can be asked and therefore potentially,  answered.
Having said all this I'm getting better dealing with things alone

Shyness is a curse.
It really is.
Over the years it has stopped me doing so many things I may have enjoyed if I had only had the chutzpah to do so.....thank god it is an affliction that can be overcome by practice
But For a truly shy Child or adult, it can be a terrible thing, almost akin to a disability

I am not a lover of The Smiths 
But I am reminded of their song Ask 

"Shyness is nice, and
Shyness can stop you
From doing all the things in life
You'd like to

So, if there's something you'd like to try
If there's something you'd like to try
Ask me, I won't say no, how could I?"

I am now sat in the cafe near the Mostyn Art Gallery. I'm in between interviews with my financial advisor and Solicitor and I need caffeine.
I've just had a conversation with an arty type, a new age man with a bun with whom I shared a table.
He asked me if I was Welsh as he wanted to know what the word " Cariad " meant
The barista had called him that when she took his order
" It means " Loved one"" I told him and he looked suitably impressed
The Barista was a pretty little thing

Rude

I've just been told off  by a Polish Amazon delivery driver
I saw him as he banged on the front door at lunchtime and thinking he was just selling something I let the dogs barked their heads off as I listened to Meera Syal in the BBC radio. 4 podcast of A Small Town Murder in the kitchen.
The driver banged a few times at the front door then came to the lane kitchen window where after seeing me casually sipping my tea he gestured angrily that I come to the kitchen wall.
" You are very rude ignoring me !" he remonstrated " I have a package for you!" 
And I apologised somewhat red faced
Good for him, I thought....I was being a bit of a knob hiding away

The package was a gift from Nu. It was a book she had been reading that she thought as would like , the story of the columnist Melanie Reid who had suffered a devastating spinal cord injury after falling from a horse in 2010. I shall start it this afternoon.

It's blustery today and cold . Already I've defrosted the freezer and spring cleaned the kitchen. ( guilt spurring me on after yesterday's pointless hangover)  and walked the dogs twice. Mary and I met up with policewoman Jo and her three greyhound bitches. ( Three dogs but only eleven legs ) Mrs Trellis caught up with us with Blue in tow . I noted she had her more tight fitting bobble hat on against the gales. It made her eyes squint like Micky Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's 
Trendy Carol ( in a very nice NorthFace jacket and ski pants ) waved as she went last but the rest of the village seemed deserted due to the bad weather.
Only dog walkers like us are silly enough to be out.

Mary watching the blustery weather

Awakenings

Ive got a hangover.
I've got a hangover only because we celebrated Nu's fantastic new kitchen with gin after getting home after having  a wonderful evening at the Royal Opera House's newly opened and rather beautiful Linbury theatre.
We went to see the National Welsh dance company in their new production Awakingings , which was an amazing piece of theatre

Stunning
I've had a lovely time

3 am this morning

Fish

Found this on the kitchen wall this morning

I'm off to London to see Nu

The Boffin has a spare key

Something Quite Beautiful

I love the fact that most of us are drawn towards things of beauty.
It's what makes us human
When I lived in South Yorkshire I would often go to Chatsworth house in Derbyshire on a weekend.
My favourite object of beauty in that great house was the veiled lady, a sculpture hidden away in a hall filled with objectes collected on the Duke's grand tour
I could stand and look at her all day

In the gallery at Theatre Clwyd I saw an oil painting which I thought was quite, quite  beautiful
It was a study of a tree in a Forrest and it reminded me of a watercolour I once had . A watercolour of a blue bell wood.

I have limited funds. I have too many bills to pay but on a whim I bought it, even though it was quite expensive
It's beauty is pleasing
And am so looking  forward in bringing it home after the exhibition is over ....

Busy

More postcards today!  Thank you....theatre tonight with my twin sister...a professional and solid bit of English Rep , the stage version of the Sidney Lumet's Paul Newman movie The Verdict
Last night was choir and the pub quiz

Thievery

Shame

After her emergency hysterectomy Winnie's sex drive, has thankfully more or less disappeared. Gone have the fragrant abuse of the "slippers of sex", the masturbatory marathons against my best Laura Ashley cushions and the eager looks of ecstasy when hairy toilet parts were lowered seductively onto a pair of passing brogues.
No she's a new old lady with just one passion in her head
She has an increased passion for food.
Now for the past few months Winnie has been on a much needed diet. I am sure, given the sweet ketone nature of her breath, she is a border line diabetic and like many ladies in their seventies she has become quite pear shaped. Her new diet has shed several kilos but it has made the old girl rather obsessed with food.
Yesterday was a case in point.
In the café on  the Promenade in Colwyn Bay she spied a woman who had parked a large stroller at a nearby table and in her usual lugubrious way took herself off to investigate. I called over to the woman my usual "The old bulldog likes babies is it ok?" and the woman smiled that it was fine
Winnie looked at the baby.
The baby looked at Winnie
Then with remarkable speed Winnie walked to the back of the stroller and thrust her head in the shopping tray underneath the baby's seat.
"Ere what are you doing?" the mother called out as Winnie grabbed something fist sized and brown coloured from a bag and trotted off quick sticks like a baby hippo to the other side of the outdoor café.
Several "oooohhhhhhs" came from a couple of patrons, sipping their coffees at other tables

After a bit of wrestling and after several apologies, I later found out that she had in fact stolen a caramel covered Iced donut from Lidl.
She had not only stolen and eaten one but had obviously damaged two others in her haste and the whole incident cost me the only money I had on me . One five pound note!!!!! which the woman was not embarrassed to take

But It's NOT Art!

It's a textured painting too! 

My elder Sister and I went to a sort of workshop on painting with acrylics this afternoon
I just sat there like a Chimpanzee with a brush and trowel and bashed away in silence
I quite enjoyed playing.
My sister brought me a scotch egg to have at tea break