Lunch Out

We went to another Prof's house for lunch yesterday.

Classy nibbles, champagne in crystal glasses

You know the score.

We took Winnie along with us.

At the height of academic chit chat.

She left a buffalo sized turd in the centre of the living room!

Secret " Likes"

Today we drove to Snowdonia to have lunch and " games" with a friend.
The lunch was lovely and the games ( a board game called " Articulate" ) great fun.
It go me to thinking how many " unfashionable " likes I have...those likes you enjoy but the ones that perhaps you don't own up to but will perhaps enjoy once in a blue moon
Here are a few of mine.....

1. Making stuff out of lego
2. A jigsaw puzzle 
3. Pretending to play the piano
4. Playing card patience
5. Turning a boiled egg over in the egg cup after you have eaten the insides
6. Popping bubble wrap
7. Licking the bowl after making cake batter
8. Reading trashy women's magazines 
9. Colouring in pictures with felt pens
10. Folding napkins
11. Sticking words and pictures from mags onto cat food tins and making them into a desk tidy.
12. Rolling string into balls
13. Firing elastic bands at random objects
14. Doodling in wet sand
15. Biting my nails
16. Reading on the toilet

Round Robin 2015

I detest Round Robin letters......for all of the reasons we all do, but for once I shall use the format for a backdrop of a personal review of 2015....it's been a red letter year.

We got married in March!
Yes married...........how wonderful was that? In barely a generation, attitudes to gay marriage somersaulted from the prejudice and ignorance of the 1970s and 80's to, if not a total normality,an adjustment and " oh , was that it?" acceptance of the "teens"
The Prof and I were overwhelmed by the messages and cards and gifts we received. We had not expected the reaction, in that strange unconscious way that we didn't kind of deserve it. Weddings were for straight couples and not middle aged poofs like us, and peoples' thoughtfulness and kindness touched us deeply.
Our families and close friends joined together for the first time and we had the best day ever.
I have the ring to prove it too!

The " Doctor" worked hard as he always does and in 2015 he became a Professor. With a promotion came huge responsibilities within the University and I am aware that this change will ultimately take us away to pastures new in the future.
Successful academics always move on to new challenges and greener fields after a while and as Hilda Ogden always said on Coronation Street " The World's your lobster"...
I shall embrace the change when it comes

We experienced the best holiday ever in Australia, ( I still marvel at the memory of the giant fruit bats circling the Opera House at night) and met up with dear old friends who had fat comical kookaburras waddling about on their garden fence.

The  Trelawnyd Flower Show remains the last village event of any note and the 2015 show was the " best ever" ( well according to 96 year old Auntie Glad) ......The Show had bunting for the first time too as well as the new tradition of the " International Novelty Vegetable " class...which has caught the public's imagination somewhat....

My dear old co pilot Meg died in 2015, and her absence broke my heart more than I could ever express, but I am thankful that my other "children" filled the void of her constant neediness and
demanding ways. An old bulldog bitch with dubious sexual habits, a new puppy, old retainers George and William and wide eyed Albert, with their constant motion and drama the cottage is never a sombre silent place.....and that's how I like it.

The holes that were left were filled with zombies, scotch eggs, livestock and village life, sporadic babysitting, Samaritan work and the occassional nursing shift. Oh and with blogging, which has been a daily constant of a pretty " uneventful " existence ........all in all it's been a blast

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE WHO VISITS GOING GENTLY

Hey ho

Storm Frank Boredom

A Million Years Ago

I love Adele.

This 60s sounding track from her album 25 is terribly sad

It sounds like it comes from a musical, with the second female lead

singing it before her tragic death in act three.

£53.60 and " It'll make a good tv series"

It's been a day for getting the cottage into shape....and I have just put in an eight hour day doing it.
All the Christmas shite has been cleared away, the kitchen and living room cleaned, shopping done, dogs walked ( twice), windows cleaned, rubbish bagged, fridge cleared of debris, floors bleached, lunch prepared and even Fanny has been hoovered out and polished after which I knocked together an impressive sherry trifle !
If I was on mimimum wage I would have earned £53.60.
Anyhow enough about me.
The village seemed extra busy this morning as the weather has been bright and sunny. Storm Frank is on the way and I think everyone has been making the most of everything being dry for a change. When I was far up high street I spied a villager I shall call Emlyn. Now Emlyn  is very Welsh , has a chirpy mongrel dog and likes gardening. That is all I know about him. We chat about this and that when we bump into each other, and converse for just enough time for Winnie to get a good arse sniff in.
It's been like this for a few years
Today Emlyn mentioned last night's blog, which surprised me as I never knew that he actually read it.
Interestingly, he asked if I wrote about everyone in the village.
I told him the truth, that I was careful to pick and choose what and who I wrote about and that most people were given nicknames to ensure their  anonymity even though, many locals would work who I was talking about in an instant.
" Your language can be a bit fruity at times" Emlyn noted " but the blog would make a good tv series"
" who would play me" I asked, ever the " me me " show girl! and Emlyn thought for a moment before saying
" That fella from " Downton Abbey the servant chappie"
" what the footmanThomas ?" I said hopefully
" Nooooo" Emlyn said without a hint of irony " Carson the butler"
But he had sense enough to add " don't use my real name if you quote me on that comment"

Everyone's a critic........
Perhaps I need botox

Bloody Carson indeed! 

" Pigs In Blankets"

A new child in the house always provokes a change amongst the other children.
This usually can be managed with some judicial acts of " being spoilt" .......for every baby needs to feel that they are your world's centre.
Boxing Day evening was a case in point. The Prof was asleep in his arm chair and the terriers were all heaped on the sofa snoring quietly. Only Winnie and I were awake.
I was curled up in the only dog free sofa area and Winnie was sitting quietly in front of the log burner, watching the fire with sombre eyes.
Mary has been running Winnie ragged over Christmas and from time to time the old girl has been looking somewhat fraught what with sharp puppy teeth pulling fat folds of face at every turn and even though she has been gentle with the puppy like a hippo who has taken ballet lessons , I thought it was time for a treat.
I waved silently at Winnie and pointed to the kitchen, after making a sort of pantomime for her to be quiet ( a gesture that I was sure she understood).We tip toed  out of the living room together  and she watched me carefully as I rooted in the fridge for the remains of the turkey and pulled out the remaining pigs in blankets which surrounded it.

Now, I am not sure if " pigs in blankets" are purely a British phenomenon , but if they are ( and for the benefit of overseas visitors) all I shall say that they are delicious miniature chipolata sausages which have been wrapped in bacon-(  bloody lovely they are too)
Anyhow I grabbed five " pigs" and tipped the lot into Winnie's gin trap mouth and moments later we were sat back in the quiet living room. She in front of the fire licking the turkey fat from her lips and me cramped on the couch.
No one in the cottage were any the wiser.
After a few minutes of lip smacking , Winnie heaved herself up again and walked up to me slowly.
She placed two saucer sized paws on the couch cushion , stood up and planted a long wet sausage smelling kiss onto my face.
She knew she was back on top in the favourite baby tables.

What Ya doing?

I just cant be arsed today.
I'm sitting on the couch with my chicken beanie on and have to say that I look remarkably like Jenny Murray from radio 4 .
I wonder if she slobs around with a knitted chicken on her head?
I bet she does.
How's your 27th going?
What are you doing right now?