Choir

 The Community Choir’s Christmas night at the Eagle And Child pub was a rather emotional affair all told. We haven’t had the traditional night out since well before the first lockdown and singing together in public remains a novelty since zoom choir .

We had a rather nice meal and a catch up. Heulwen, Margaret and Dave, from Trelawnyd were there, Hattie turned up from the local nurse picket line and sang and the lovely Lindy swished up like a younger / trendy Margaret Rutherford without her Charlie .( Charlie was her dog who used to join in when we all met up on zoom over lockdown )Gentleman farmer Peter who I sing next to  was there too in a fetching Christmas shirt

I promised myself to video the whole  performance but I so wanted to sing with them……I didn’t .

I’m so hoping to get back to choir in March .

Conductor Jamie ( Sans his RAF. Moustache ) led the charge in the encore and his new project of Only You  really impressed me as it was so difficult . 

Here are a few snippets of the evening .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfOUGUDgudI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-97lBPE3Wo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCKfcBizwt8

Off for a meal with Chic Eleanor this evening

It’s Almost Christmas

 I will report on the Choir Christmas Night out tomorrow 

But today I’ll report that I’m feeling a little more Christmassy 

Just Outside the village to the East is Jackson’s Garden Centre https://www.jacksonsgardencentre.com/

Every year the garden centre gives every house in the village a gift, a small pot of spring bulbs 

It’s a lovely thoughtful gesture  and one that surprised me again this afternoon.

Animal Helper Pat , called around with a gift of bara brith wrapped in silver foil and a huge sprig of holly and Sailor John left me a bottle of bubbly and a card .

Tomorrow I’m meeting Chic Eleanor for an early supper in the pub ….lovely

Babies In The Dark

 

Bootham Park Psychiatric Hospital York

Christmas  Night 1986

It was very cold and snowy and I remember.

I wasn’t very happy.

I had just started work in the November.

A new staff nurse role, in a new city of York

I’d barely been there a month and still lived at the nurses’ home at Clifton Hospital a couple of miles out of the city.

I knew no one properly and I was homesick

And already I had been put onto night duty.

The ward was quiet. 

A psychiatric admission ward with ten general admission patients and an attached mother and baby unit with a half complement of two mums and two newborns.

We had three staff of duty. Staff nurses clive and I covered the main ward and Sue who was a motherly enrolled nurse took charge of the nursery.

Around midnight Sue and I were in the darkened office, each of us feeding a baby.

I couldn’t see her face properly just a glint of her glasses from the lights from the snowy garden.

She was asking me about me, and I had been yacking on in the dark for an age.

I had no idea what I was doing but my baby was large and content and sleepy so from the get go..so I was lucky.

“ Are you gay John? “  she seemed to ask me out of nowhere and she nodded when I defensively replied no, just a little too quickly .

“it’s ok if you were you know? ” She said slowly in her broad flat Yorkshire accent  “I’ve always loved gay men”

And in the comfortable silence that followed, something quietly and inexplicably shifted in me 

As we fed babies in the dark on Christmas Day

Sex at Bwthyn Y Llan

 Bwthyn y Llan has never been a hot bed of sin to be sure.

Ok, I’ve had my moments, this is true, but Don Juan is not a nickname the neighbours have or will ever give me.

I’ve booked Roger in for his castration in January and after a couple of years of barren wilderness 

Dorothy is now suddenly  in full season. 

Subsequently Roger has become a panting, blob of hairy jelly and Dorothy has suddenly morphed into Rita Hayworth in Gilda.

The air is electric , and filled with eager panting and lots of come hither looks. 

It’s like a soft pot video with 12 nipples and fur.

I met my sister in law for lunch today at Bryn Williams and took Roger with me . He sulked like a teen and only perked up when walking back to the cottage to see Dorothy flashing her toilet parts at him through the cat flap with a lascivious look on her face

Chatter

 

This morning I took Roger to Porth Eirias  where I met my friend Polly for lunch at Bryn Williams

By 3 pm I felt all talked out after at least seven hours solid chatter since Colin arrived yesterday. 

I needed the company of friends this weekend 

After lunch Roger and I braved the Promenade wind and now, as it’s approaching four , the dogs , Albert and I are heaped untidy bundles on the coach as the fire roars.

We underestimate the therapy which is chatter.

And when I say chatter, I’m talking about that proper two way interaction with friends .

The mixing of ideas, serious one and the frivolous , the sharing of confidences ,silliness and laughter.

It makes you feel more human 

Doesn’t it?

Bog Disaster

 The thaw has started and my outside toilet exploded.

I’d missed the fact that the toilet had frozen over totally.

Well as usual I’m gilding the lily a little but the connection into the cistern had completely blown off and the water was spraying up over the ceiling and had flooded the floor and the patio by the time I’d found it.

The stop cock , is located behind the toilet and I’d stored some electric heaters and other crap in the loo so I was soaked to the skin before the deluge was stopped

My screams sent the dogs scurrying upstairs .

How I didn’t electrocute myself God knows

I missed this mornings Christmas Fayre as a result 

Sods law. 

I’m not too pissed off..

The Fayre was a great success btw, I loved the fact that as part of their remit , the community Association and villager Jo sorted out free food for all from the Olio food waste app.

Apologies for my absence everyone.

Free food for Trelawnyd villagers

I’ve just been stuffing a chicken with sweet onions and garlic 

I’m making a comfort meal for my friend Colin tonight, 

I’ve made creamed cabbage, pork stuffing with apples  and garlic mash potato

I’ve not enough oven space so I’ve bought Yorkshire puds ( I know!!!!)

But I’ll make gravy with sloe jelly to fill them 

I love cooking for someone 

Meatloaf and Bobble Hats

It is Gorgeous Dave’s  birthday today .

He didn’t tell me until we had met in Chester

We went to Chester Cathedral to see no less than three Meatloaf tribute singers from the west end singing a selection of his hits by candlelight,

The gothic cathedral was packed, mostly by people my age with bobble hats on, which was all a bit surreal 

It was lovely to be out and doing something. I owe him

I loved it and sang along with all of the sad ballads For Crying Out Loud , Heaven Can Wait, Two out of Three ain’t bad, Lost Boys and Golden Girls songs I grew up loving much more than I ever did with the more popular Bat out of Hell

“Not the best sing to be belting out in a cathedral “ noted Gorgeous  Dave

Tomorrow is the village Christmas Fayre and my dear friend Colin is coming over from Liverpool for dinner…

Clip

 I’ve posted this short video, purely because it intrigued and pleased me

The chanting could almost be African rather than Scottish 

Amazing

Enjoy