Buggery Bollocks

 I’m writing this at work.

No I wasn’t expecting to work last tonight either! 

I arranged to meet up with a friend and make supper, so as the fish pie was browning nicely in the oven and a nice white was chilling in the fridge I was surprised by a phone call from work .

I failed to notice it was at 7.30 pm, the start time for night duty .

A month ago I have volunteered to cover a night duty without a second R./N on duty

I’d totally forgotten about it

Supper wasn’t scheduled until 8 pm so I did the dash of shame , dropped off the wine and dinner at my guest’s house with profuse apologies before driving to work a good hour and a half late.

Bollocks, bugger bollocks 

Any dinner party disasters out there? 

Sausages of all kinds

 As she grew older, my mother developed a rather unhealthy obsession with her dog, Hamish’ s bowel habits. When, after I had travelled 2 hours from Sheffield to see her in North Wales, one of the first subjects she always crossed was the consistency of his stools. 

This was often discussed before I had managed to take my coat off.

Now most dogs ( and I’m especially referring to welsh terriers here) have the grace to look embarrassed when going to the loo in public. Mary will back into some bush off the beaten track and will complete her toilet needs with the decorum of a debutante. 

Unfortunately, bulldogs show no such reserve and will take a dump, generally rather gleefully, in full view of the  Dagenham Girl Pipers if they got the chance. 

It’s almost a badge of pride if one can pass something the size of a large haggis in front of as many passers by as possible.

Like my mother I have noticed this glitch in their usually bouncy and diva- ish personalities, but only now am sharing it with you all.

This morning on the Dyserth walkway, Dorothy knocked one, the size of an average anaconda, out in front of a large group of middle aged lady walkers, much to the disgust of one who loudly complained it all as being “ Revolting “ 

True the walkers had to form themselves into a fork of two branches in order to negotiate the massive turd as I was looking for a suitable receptacle in which to envelope it in and I thought, at the time that Dorothy did try to make the best of things by grinning widely at the walkers as they tiptoed past.

I must be feeling benign this morning as I didn’t rise to the revolting remark .

That’s not like me.

Anyhow it’s been a nice morning all told. 

Walk, shop and brunch.

I bought sunflowers, bespoke spiced sausages, a reduced priced haggis and some mozzarella cheese 

And cooked sausage with egg for brunch made special with dusting of mozzarella and Korean hot sauce

I finished that with my daily bucket of coffee.

Bliss…..

I took my time over brunch and read as I was eating, only being disturbed by commotion in the lane when forty or so vintage tractors, out for a jaunt passed cottage with a roar. 

We went out to wave as they got a little gridlocked by the church 

The chilli sauce soon had its effects and I retired to my bathroom for a sit down and a read.

As usual Dorothy followed me and sat watching carefully from the doorway .

A “ Thats my boy “ look on her fat face.

Missing The Raindrops

 The field isn’t mine anymore, but I’m still glad to see that the  ponies returned yesterday .

There was a look of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse about them as they are all wearing their fly masks, not that they seem unduly bothered by them .

I drove to Llandudno and bought a gift for my sister’s birthday at Mostyn Gallery 

I’m going around to see her for supper later.

I enjoyed the folk concert last night and my companion. jason is an interesting character and always good company to be around. 

He has an interesting philosophy in life which predominantly centres around the abject refusal to get stressed by anything 

“ What’s the point ? “ he says simply 

And strange as it may seem he seems to live successfully by this maxim.

It’s an enviable quality 

Folk At The Hall

Chic Eleanor was double booked tonight and her daughter’s birthday celebration of course  took priority over the return of Folk At The Hall so affable despot Jason gamely jumped into her Gucci pumps at the last minute. 

We had a lovely time, a right beer filled, folk clapping lovely time.
 

Caught up with Hattie , on her first night out since Freyr was born 

Lively , boisterous and great fun .

Lovely to see boffin Cameron too, he’s dancing on the right 

Dominion

 

I’m nothing but loyal to a franchise 

But I wish I hadn’t really bothered with Jurassic World Dominion 

Too many dinosaurs, too much plot, too many characters 

That sums it up.

I liked Sam Neill and Laura Dern revisiting their old roles though.

Out to the village concert tonight

Food

 

Around 5 am I tend to eat my “ supper” 

Tonight is chicken and olive salad 

I’m still trying to keep into healthy holiday mode.

Above is the obligatory photograph

One of my favourite Facebook pages is the daily publication from an old acquaintance in Pittsburgh who posts exactly what he has for breakfast almost every day for years now.

I find it a fascinating read especially as he is of Polish decent. So every day, there’s photographs of potato bread with plum butter, kanapka open sandwiches with cheese  and kielbasa with scrambled eggs.

Memories of breakfasts on his small blue collar apartment balcony in the rough part of town circa 1993

I love Rachel’s blog when she almost absent mindedly recalls that she had a sardine and bread and butter for her tea. It conjures up supper time in the 1950s with lashings of hot tea from a green teapot and tea leaves in the bottom of the cup.

I’m making Turkey meatballs in the airfryer tonight

With a light sauce and sticky sushi rice

Crackerjack

 It’s Wednesday already…..bloody hell.

It’s dawn and the seagulls are already screaming over west shore,

We’ve seen a couple of foxes playing in the car park on CCTV.

It started off busy but now remains peaceful.

I’ve read and made notes from my counselling reading list since 4 am

I am wearing a extra small pair of reading glasses which were bought by mistake.

According to my colleague I look like Peter Glaze  from the 1960s children’s programme Crackerjack

Him or a school yard pervert she noted wryly .

I’ve joined a gay reading group based in Chester and have just heard details of my first group meeting.

Apparently a selection biscuits will be provided.

No book title as yet

Simplicity

 

Professionally I seem to be liaising more and more with companies that provide cheap, simple cremations. 

Slick, and for the most part professional, they certainly seem to have taken advantage of a gap in the market where minor celebrities like Debbie McGee reinforce that you can have a funeral for the cost e of a cup of coffee a week whilst earning a voucher for Marks and Spencer’s all at the same time.

In this time of austerity, spending thousands on a funeral is no longer a luxury many can now afford but I have concerns that these “ faceless” companies could be having a detrimental effect of how we grieve rather who we grieve for.

Getting a funeral right, is a difficult objective for any family as grief can often be fickle, laced with anger and intensely personal in nature. 

The more modern trend for a well chosen eulogies, music , green burials, are complications from the formal “norms ” but at least personal touches often give loved ones the time and space to grieve. 

Funerals are only really important to the living.

Cheap cremations will work for some and not others.

I’m just concerned that financial prudence is taking over from the healthy need to be able to say a proper goodbye to a loved one