Long Day

I got home after my twelve hour shift to find a slightly frazzled Chris reclining on the couch after a a busy day animal caring.I have just had time to eat a nice tea (made for me) and water the flocks before walking the dogs and having an hour watching a documentary on war films on the excellent Film 4..and then bed.

Apart from Mrs Miniver my all time favourite war time propaganda film is the classic Went the Day Well? (1942).I know just why I like it, as it has in effect, the essentials to fashion the classic disaster movie.

A group of English villagers, amongst them ( ham armed postmistress heroine Mrs Frazer (Marie Lohr),Ivy Dawking the land girl (Thora Hird) and Bill Purvis the poacher (Edward Rigby) slowly realise that dreadful German soldiers have taken over their tiny hamlet, and fight back to reclaim their village. Typical of the later disaster films, the socially opposite warmer characters die bravely ( the old post mistress and the game old Lady of the manor house) but daringly the film also has British children shot in the streets ( a rare sight in any war film) and some fairly graphic scenes of violence and sadism.

Anyhow God knows why I am rabbiting on about Went the day well, my day today didn't go that well at all. Looked after an old lady who had collapsed on the last day of her holiday.The very fact that she was enjoying her first holiday in ages in a local guest house, I found incredibly moving and sad, especially as things look rather bleak for her. I am working another twelve hour shift tomorrow, so I hope I can look after her and her family then.

The apprentice(s)

Today looks to be the last "nice day" we are going to have in a while, so I invited new friend Geoff to come down to the allotment to start to learn hen care, before he takes the poultry plunge as it were. Wife Chris doesn't "do" birds, but gamely walked around the hen enclosure, while daughter Helen got stuck in ( and put Geoff to shame) by tick spraying a couple of birds, carrying Blanche and Trinny about and finally rounding up 22 ducks and putting them into their duckhouse almost single handed.
I am going to the pub next week with Geoff...lets hope he's not as slow going to the bar.

Gays love a crisis and poultry news

Hazel has been having a few problems recently so I picked her up at midday and took her to lunch at Osborne House It was nice to change my T shirt ( I have had this on since Monday!!!!!!!!!) and scrub my face.It was all very Sex and the city, her all stressed and having a crap time and me, all sympathy and funny quips. Obviously it was a nice treat for me too, as I had to cancel my trip to Sheffield due to lack of funds!!
Hopefully I will be going over on the 23rd or 24th on pay day, to meet up with Mike, Jane and Jonney H.

Sorry for the bad photo, but Clover looks as though he is definitely a HE. Can't be sure as I am not too hot at sexing fluffy bits by examining toilet parts!, but his comb and attitude seem bigger and more masculine in nature than the four other "girls"..You can't tell from the pic but the little chap seems much more robust and is almost covered by feathers.

Colleen Nolan has only 4 days to go before her chicks are due in the old rabbit hutch, and unlike Blanche who spent her confinement in a catatonic state, she has been steadfastly sat on her eggs but has also remained alert and eager to stuff her face twice a day. I have constructed a chicken run around her hutch and hopefully I will leave her and her chicks ( if she has any) to their own natural devices once they hatch.

Chris is back from Preston today, he will be knackered having another early start tomorrow, think we may go and see the merrily titled Love in the Time of Cholera (2007) at Theatre Clwyd

Movie monsters, aliens and other foul creatures. By Clara.

Ok feeling rather geeky tonight.......so this will be my last post...loved this video

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers-Barn Dance

You can tell Chris is away...tonight has been a bit of a YOUTUBE feast. I loved this movie!!!!!!!!!!!, not only for bear Howard Keel's "bless ma beautiful hide" but for the dancing, which is surprisingly masculine for the time. (I kind of always fancied Brother no 2,in the red shirt)

Mamma Mia! The Movie Trailer (2008) -

Now I have posted a trailer like this before, but was thinking of the film again today after an Email from friend John H(who used to be a film reviewer in a past life)He said it was the best BAD film he has seen in a long time,and although he loved it, he suspects that I will hate it. I disagree, perhaps a large white wine before I sit down in the cinema will help me enjoy this frothy rubbish: after all It certainly helped when we saw the stage version on Broadway

Shall we dansu?

I kind of liked Shall We Dance (2004), a sweet light-weight tale of a bored middle aged businessman (Richard Gere) and how he secretly learns to ballroom dance with a group of no hopers. The whole film was lifted lock stock and barrel from the 1997 Japanese film Shall we dansu? and I have been wanting to watch the original movie for quite some time now. Today I had the opportunity as I found the film in the bargain bucket st Sainsburys, and as Chris is away again and a huge thunderstorm made me flee from the allotment early I settled down with the dogs to watch it.
What the earlier film lacks in stars (Gere,Lopez,Tucci) it gains in charm, as the normally reserved Japanese obtain freedom and escapism through the culturally frowned upon physical intimacy of ballroom dance.(I did not realise that physically holding your dance partner in Japan is generally not done)
The film also has leading man Kôji Yakusho,in the Gere staring role, and it his venerability in the portraying a man who has lost his way somewhat in the banalities of life, that actually carry the film's emotion and warmth.
The whole thing was well worth £3.00.

Thoughts on having children

Linda, a bouncy Irish Staff nurse from work called up to the allotment this morning with her son James in tow. I know she wanted to buy a sack of potatoes and some eggs, but I suspect the real reason for her visit was to let James have a play with the hens and for him to have a chance to collect warm eggs from under a clucking pile of feathers.
Now as readers to this blog may remember, I don't really do kids. I love well adjusted, polite children, like Mike and Bev's Maisie, but I'll admit that after an hour or so, it is time for them to be given back quick sticks.
But I must say, James was quite delightful to show around. Bouncy, fascinated in each bird he came across, he soaked up the experience in a way that was quite touching to watch, and long after they had gone I found myself thinking what it would be like to actually HAVE a child.

Fantasy or not:-I know I could not cope with the constant "pull" a child would exert on our life, 63 feathered and furry surrogate kids fit my needs just fine and can exist quite healthily without your unwavering attention 24/7.
I guess the Buff chicks, a bald headed duck and a set of sweet. natured dogs amongst other "babies" tick my paternal box quite nicely in my needy middle age and I know that I am a little too selfish for the work a child would and does entail.

I called into the post office to post our complaint to the council at the proposed bungalow build this morning to be faced with a rather glum postmistress. The day before Jenny had planted out the set of rather battered window boxes of the shop, with flowers and plants from her garden. In a matter of hours some scummy kid had vandalised her work by ripping out daisies and geraniums, and I thought that this mindless but all-too-common destruction was such a sad sign of the times. I popped up to Jacksons and bought a couple of cheap boxes of bedding plants to supplement the damage, hoping that a bit of neighbourly support was the order of the day.


Nell and Maude have been moved to join the almost full grown ducklings ( the hysteria soared to an all time high for a hour or so) Their old triangular ark has been set up with the old duckling run all ready for the 5 buff chicks to be transferred into next week. The Prestatyn Horticultural society Will be visiting the allotment in the week of the 3rd of August, so at least I have some time to make the place presentable. Friends will be conscripted in preparing cakes for the big evening.

Chris has been working in London all day today and will be working away tomorrow I am working all day Saturday and all day Sunday, so this week has been a bit of a bust.....hey ho at least I have strimmed the whole field again today and planted more beetroot,salad crops, lavender and cut flowers