Educating Rita

Last night my twin sister and I went to the theatre
It had been  a hard day for me and she knew it
So we didn't speak much. We didn't need to.
We  sat in the interval eating salted caramel ice cream without chattering too much

and was there to see Educating Rita at Threatr Clwyd loving the towering performance by Stephen Tompkinson as Dr Frank a turn which eclipsed the Rita role quite spectacularly
My sisters have always been my touchstones

Janet and I 

More Rain

More rain

In just one week the honeysuckle I planted twelve years ago has started to flower against the front door and the foxglove spikes now are suddenly standing proud and pink in the borders.
The air is filled the smell of grass.
The Churchyard has just experienced its infrequent mow
Through the bedroom window I noticed a woman pointing to the cottage wall. She and a companion shielded from the rain by yellow macs.
They weren't villagers.
I know most of the locals , even when camouflaged by over sized kagools.

I went out to check what they were pointing at
It was a delicate poppy hanging on against the limestone.
The waft of the farm tractors had not managed to dislodge it as yet even though the rain had flattened its petals somewhat.

I photographed it with my phone, just as the two women returned into view.
One of them asked me if I could send her the poppy photo and I did there and then.
"A memory of A Wet North Wales" she said happily

I love You

No choir tonight

Watch the video, don't pretend to

Revolting

Some of the villagers are revolting
and to be honest they have just cause
The cockerels are in full voice from at least 3.30 - 4.30 am and their doodle-doos fill the still airways just before dawn.
Animal Helper Pat amongst others is not best pleased and I have had to distance myself from taking responsibility for them, explaining that they left my one day blanket of care over a year ago now.
They are waking me just as many times as they are waking the villagers
indeed only this morning I yelled a lusty "Shut the fuck up!" out of the bathroom window as I was tinkling in the pan!
it only shut them up for a minute or so.
I am expecting a Day Of The Jackal -esque assassination to be orchestrated any day now

I feel a bit more human today.
Trendy Carol ( who seems to be wearing a  New York sporting motif set of outfits recently) called around on Sunday with a full cooked chicken dinner for me which was kindness personified. She even added a small plastic container to the feast which was filled with gravy made all the sweeter from the carrot water! class!
I have also slept deeply (despite the cock noise), which is nature's healer I guess.
Having said this I am back on nights Thurs and Friday so I may need to go out myself to shut the little fuckers up

I am reminded of when one of my cockerels was involved in a hit and run in the lane
one villager ( was it the despot?) in true CSI style chalked the outline of the body for everyone to see

Sweet

.

Off to bed....

Just witnessed the tenderest of moments between an

Aging male Cat with a gammy leg and a juvenile Welsh terrier bitch

They never fail to surprise

Bank Holiday

It was Gridlock on the way home from work
Well it is a bank holiday!

Over midday, I dreamt that Hugh Jackman was making me tea and toast in the kitchen and was sorely dissapointed when I woke up to find some dry, Low Calorie bread in the bread bin and a lone banana in the fridge.
I' m presently watching Battle of Britain in my underpants 

Laburnam

I fell asleep in a tangle of dogs on the couch last night and only went to bed around 4 am when the fire died completely and the room became still and chilled.
I woke around 9am after a total of ten hours sleep.
I felt sort of refreshed but behind my eyes remained a vague post infection ache that reminds you its there when you turn your head quickly.
I went out in my pyjama clothes to the graveyard to see the laburnum which is almost in full flower, but what I really wanted was to feel the rain without a coat on
Cool rain chases away the aches.
and reminds you
that you are alive.

Sister Kelly's Fishtank

I have felt dreadful over the past two days.......absolutely dreadful!
Last night I was convinced I was dying of sepsis
And this morning I was sick of the sight of feeling dreadful.
Even though, I did, indeed feel dreadful.
What do you do eh?
You get up ,
You wash your swollen face and you go out.
I met a friend in a diner of a local airfield which could only be accessed through a manned gate and high security fencing.
It was atrocious place filled with screaming toddlers, whose parents were probably attracted to the place by the fact that the place was surrounded by fencing which was practically impregnable.
As we sat down, my friend caught me looking round at the main room which looked like a basic office works canteen and then at the outside area with its expanse of tarmacand we both laughed
The laugh is just what I needed



My friend reminded me of a story I told her recently that made her laugh on a bleak day.
A tale tucked away, a misery antibiotic.

It was the story of Sister Kelly's New Fishtank!

Now Sister Kelly ran a very tight ship.
Her long stay ward was always neat and tidy and very clean and her 32 patients were the pick of the most  genteel elderly ladies that had been hospitalised in the psychiatric hospital, many since before the Second World War .
The utilitarian tables in Sister Kelly's dining room each had a doily on the top with a vase and flower and hand knitted blankets and throws were laid neatly on the arm chairs.
She took a great pride in how her ward looked and it was run as it looked.

I worked on the male long stay ward next door.

Now one day Sister Kelly was given a magnificent four foot aquarium by some kind soul, and after much filling in forms the aquarium was carried up into her ward and installed in the most prestigious place on her ward , a small alcove right next to her office.
The aquarium was to be her flag ship decoration to a ward that was famous in the entire hospital . And as she arranged a raffle to raise funds for the buying of expensive tropical fish, heaters, filters and other specialist equipment, the hospital newspaper and noticeboards were filled with posters requesting donations to her underwater dream

Hubris, the whole thing smacked of hubris!

Now  I knew that Sister Kelley's ward round always took place on a Wednesday afternoon and this was where the consultant and senior therapy staff would partake in tea and cake after the patient discussions.

I rang Sister Kelly's ward right in the middle of that bunfight  and left a message for her with an enrolled nurse . The message would, I know be given to the sister by note
The note read

" The Staff and Patients of Irby ward are sending you a donation for your magnificent new fish tank this afternoon, we hope it can be useful"

Twenty minutes later we sent two of our most complient  patients up to Sister Kelly's ward with the donations
As she opened the ward room door, as the consultant sipped his tea , my patients proudly gave her two buckets of water!