Blue Confetti
We've been in Liverpool all day.
When we got back home the dark clouds had replaced the blue skies and the sharp wind had stripped the caeonosus of it's blue flower blossoms and they now line the lane sides like blue confetti
Rude
I thought it was just rude. The Prof saw it as an Alpha Male showing his penis!
I think we are both right
Queen Marie Veggtoinette & Rachel's Tits
I rather liked last night's blog entry The Queen Of Sheba..it sort of came out of left field .....but I guess it will now be eclipsed by a certain Queen Marie Veggtoinette and Rachel's tits in a bra!
Such are the vagaries of blog entries I guess.
Yesterday I received an email from someone who had thought " some of the fun had gone out of the competition " especially as the choice of last year's winner was somewhat unfair. Someone else suggested that many of the entries were not kosher, in so much they were " too good to be true" All I can say is that The International novelty veg photo class IS a bit of fun! -all of the photos sent to me, as far as I am aware, are the total work of readers of Going Gently,
ok, I can be somewhat zealous in my requests for entries and ok I can post the odd google image of a grape turtle to galvanise imaginations and encourage photo emails but I have to say that the final result are generally imaginative, sometimes incredibly funny and always well received by visitors to the Memorial Hall on the day of the show.
I will leave you with Rachel's now infamous entry " Tits in a bra" from a few years ago...it underlines just how simple and yet effective the competition entries can be
And so come on readers!
Get your entries attached to your emails
Send them to me at
jgsheffield@hotmail.com
The Queen Of Sheba
It was the Queen's Jubilee five years ago, and the village organised a carnival .
The committee, of which I was not a part of, wanted a carnival queen crowned for the day and wisely plumped for a queen of advanced years rather than your typical fresh faced little ingenue.
Auntie Glad was their first choice, but typically her modesty would not allow her to be the centre of all the attention,so the net was cast in the search of a stand in.
Beryl was a stalwart of the village. Cultured, with a noticeable delusion of grandeur, she was a church
going, community council attending volunteer Diva who had no small talent of rubbing certain people up the wrong way with her "grand ways" . Indeed one village bigwig wryly referred to her as " The Queen of Sheba" but she was a proud woman who worked hard for her community and her friends.
Now, Beryl was then starting with the early signs of dementia. She was also somewhat lonely having two sons who led busy lives down south and whom never really visited but she certainly enjoyed being the centre of attention, when attention reared it's head so she was tickled pink when the committee asked her to be the carnival queen.
Out of the blue...I found myself remembering her today with some affection, sitting on top of a pony pulled buggy with her crown and best coat on. The buggy trotted through Trelawnyd on a sunny Sunday afternoon and the whole village came out to wave and cheer at her and she lapped up every minute of it like the Queen she was!
It was like something out of a movie
Pride
My sister was invited to a service at St Paul's yesterday.
It was in recognition of her being awarded the British Empire Medal for services to her community and she was able to wear her medal with a well justified pride alongside many other normal people , all of whom have gone that extra mile to make things better for someone else.
Royal acknowledgement means something very special and although it's undoubtedly privileged, the whole Royal factory system is geared solely for service and duty to it's people
So it clearly knows service and duty in others!
Chins Up
We are all in need of a bit of lightness me thinks.
The sun is still shining and life has a habit of propelling us forward towards new adventures and new projects, so things are not as bleak as the newspapers keep telling us that they are!
Best foot forward, chins up and all that!
Today I've caught up with an old friend on the phone.
Winnie has an ear infection which I've treated quickly and is now sunbathing happily
The California lilac is a vibrant blue in front of the cottage and the alliums are showing their proud heads in the flower borders.
The batchelors have enjoyed a long cool drink of water ( a gift from a passer by)
And the laburnam tree in the churchyard is days away from looking truly stunning.
Life is good
Light A Candle
She was fraught and upset
" I wish we could hold a vigil for the victims of the bombing" she said wringing her hands seriously
" you just have by mentioning it" I said and after she gave me a sad smile we hugged briefly
People are generally very good...don't you think?
Manchester
Young girls, teens, many holding pink balloons and wearing silly fluffy ears, parents waiting for their children...soft targets.
He could have chosen to abort his " mission" then and there but he didn't .....and now, no doubt, he's resting in his eternal paradise?
Fat Club
The young woman in a sports track suit in front of me at fat club put 3 lbs on in a week!
She was incredulous and upset at the weigh in and we all in the queue all pretended that we couldn't hear her as she protested her result.
I lost 2.5 lbs this week ! And spied her outside smoking a fag on a wall when I victoriously left the community centre a few minutes later
" Bad luck " I said as I passed and she smiled weakly and shrugged
" It's my fault" she confided when I stopped " I got pissed at the weekend and ate the contents of the fridge when I got home"
What did you trough?" I asked, being all understanding and supportive
" all the kid's' chocolates, a block of cheese and a tub of mayonnaise" she sniffed
" Thats not too bad!" I told her
" washed down with a bottle of Chardonnay " She added...
She had the good grace to laugh after she told me that
.....We both did.
Two old Queens
We were just on the way out on Saturday night when there was a knock at the door.
On speck, fellow blogger Meanqueen had decieded to visit and was standing outside the cottage.
In the eleven years or so, I have been blogging I have perhaps only met a handful of bloggers. All have been a delight on a 1:1 but I have always been mindful that that may not always be tbe case.
Some bloggers are no doubt entertaining in print , but are characters I wouldn' t automatically choose to share a pint with.
Such are the vagaries of the wonderweb!
As it turned out Meanqueen ( a former truck driver, combat trouser wearing gung ho type character) seemed a jolly " hockey sticks" sort that I would have quite happily shared an ale with.
She reminded me a little of a modern day Joyce Grenfell without the lolloping gait.
Unfortunately we were late for our night out, so after a brief chat and doggy welcome I had to say my goodbyes and let her on her way!
"Who was that?" The Prof asked as we drove away
" A passing blogger" I replied
He snorted down his nose " Another lunatic!" He said shaking his head
On speck, fellow blogger Meanqueen had decieded to visit and was standing outside the cottage.
In the eleven years or so, I have been blogging I have perhaps only met a handful of bloggers. All have been a delight on a 1:1 but I have always been mindful that that may not always be tbe case.
Some bloggers are no doubt entertaining in print , but are characters I wouldn' t automatically choose to share a pint with.
Such are the vagaries of the wonderweb!
As it turned out Meanqueen ( a former truck driver, combat trouser wearing gung ho type character) seemed a jolly " hockey sticks" sort that I would have quite happily shared an ale with.
She reminded me a little of a modern day Joyce Grenfell without the lolloping gait.
Unfortunately we were late for our night out, so after a brief chat and doggy welcome I had to say my goodbyes and let her on her way!
"Who was that?" The Prof asked as we drove away
" A passing blogger" I replied
He snorted down his nose " Another lunatic!" He said shaking his head
Two old " queens" together
Lick My Feet!
I've been on my feet most of the day at work, and now getting the dogs to lick them better before bed!
I will leave you with my next Novelty veg photo entry!
How good is this?
Please keep em comming!
Small World
Just about to go to the dog friendly pub in Conwy and will be working all day tomorrow so I shall share a quick story of " small worlds" with you.
As I was walking through the village a few minutes ago, I spied a middle aged woman walking with a younger girl. Both looked as though they were looking for something.
I asked if I could help.
It transpired that the woman' s grandmother had recently died and her dying wish was for her ashes to be scattered in the village where she had met her husband many many years ago.
" we talked about places where she wanted her ashes to go" The woman explained. " on top of Gop hill was one place but she really wanted them to be scattered near to her old family home, a cottage called Tan-y-Fynwent"
" That's the old name of our cottage! " I told her in surprise " It means Beneath the Graveyard"
The woman was somewhat astonished to find someone who now lives in her ancestral home and was even more surprised when I told her she was welcome to scatter her grandmother's ashes on the field
" You will be watched by two old ewes and a few funny little cockerels but you are more than welcome" I said
She was pleased as punch.
As I was walking through the village a few minutes ago, I spied a middle aged woman walking with a younger girl. Both looked as though they were looking for something.
I asked if I could help.
It transpired that the woman' s grandmother had recently died and her dying wish was for her ashes to be scattered in the village where she had met her husband many many years ago.
" we talked about places where she wanted her ashes to go" The woman explained. " on top of Gop hill was one place but she really wanted them to be scattered near to her old family home, a cottage called Tan-y-Fynwent"
" That's the old name of our cottage! " I told her in surprise " It means Beneath the Graveyard"
The woman was somewhat astonished to find someone who now lives in her ancestral home and was even more surprised when I told her she was welcome to scatter her grandmother's ashes on the field
" You will be watched by two old ewes and a few funny little cockerels but you are more than welcome" I said
She was pleased as punch.
The International Novelty Fruit/Vegetable Competition
Yesterday the schedules for the Flower Show arrived from the printers, I cannot believe another year has gone by so quickly.
This year we have elected for a gentle duck egg blue.
Now Going Gently readers have always been welcome in joining in with the Trelawnyd Flower Show and they can and indeed have entered many of the classes outlined in the schedule
But from last year they, AND THEY ALONE have their very own class and competition in which to enter and that is the Novelty vegetable ( and fruit) photo class!
Now, for those that don't know ...all you have to do is to design you very own novelty vegetable or fruit creation. It could be an animal, or a monster, an inanimate design or anything from your imagination !
They can be as simple or as complicated as you like ! You photograph it and then send me the photo via email to me ( email jgsheffield@hotmail.com)
The winner and runner up will be sent their own special certificates and rosettes!
We received over 80 photographs last year, so it would be lovely if we could have 100 this year!
A Big Heart
Dogwalking allows you to meet people.
Names and detailed information are generally never swapped but often you get to know details of pet names, dog ailments and the like.
Yesterday was a case in point.
The woman with her fashionably cropped hair is garrulous and friendly, she has a distinct Lancashire accent.
I've met her once before and I remembered that she had an elderly bull mastiff with a serious bulldog like expression.
I liked the way she described him as " dim but sweet"
This time she was alone.
Her boy had died a few weeks ago.
The woman knelt down to pet Winnie and as if by magic Winnie hauled herself up , with her massive paws on the woman's knees and placed her big head over the woman's shoulder in what can only be termed as a bearhug.
It was almost as though she knew the woman was grieving.
" oh I so need that" the woman said through tears
And she buried her head into Winnie's neck
I walked on a little letting the old bulldog do her work.
and felt incredibly proud of her big heart
Names and detailed information are generally never swapped but often you get to know details of pet names, dog ailments and the like.
Yesterday was a case in point.
The woman with her fashionably cropped hair is garrulous and friendly, she has a distinct Lancashire accent.
I've met her once before and I remembered that she had an elderly bull mastiff with a serious bulldog like expression.
I liked the way she described him as " dim but sweet"
This time she was alone.
Her boy had died a few weeks ago.
The woman knelt down to pet Winnie and as if by magic Winnie hauled herself up , with her massive paws on the woman's knees and placed her big head over the woman's shoulder in what can only be termed as a bearhug.
It was almost as though she knew the woman was grieving.
" oh I so need that" the woman said through tears
And she buried her head into Winnie's neck
I walked on a little letting the old bulldog do her work.
and felt incredibly proud of her big heart
The Salesman ( and Auntie Glad)
I can't remember ever watching an Iranian movie, so I was awfully glad to catch a showing of The Salesman at Theatre Clwyd yesterday.
It proved to be an excellent watch.
Rana (Shahab Hosseini) and Emad (Taraneh Alidoosti) are an intellectual and arty married couple living in Tehran. He is a teacher of literature and both are actors in a fringe theatre company which is staging rehursals of Death of a Salesman.
Having to leave their apartment ( under threat of collapse during a frightening opening sequence) the couple take over the rent of an apartment formally frequented by a prostitute and their life together come to a dramatic and unexpected turn after Rana is assaulted by an unknown former associate of the former tenant.
Almost seamlessly, the drama slides from the interesting story of the domestic life of the Iranian middleclasses to a much darker story of revenge and lost trust as Emad searches for the assailant amid unspoken worries that Rana perhaps knew more than she is admitting to.
During his investigations, things get seriously embroiled and confused with parallels made between Emad's stage persona of Willy Lomax and his thwarted, impotent feelings as Rana's husband and all this done with the subtle yet interesting insights into the Government censorship of literature and theatre and the general attitude towards women in this world where an Iranian actress playing a goodtime girl in an Arthur Miller play has to wear a red hijab and floor length coat to signify her character!
Alidoosti is impressive as the husband who cannot quite deal with the emasculating nature of his wife's attack and Hosseini matches his performance as the wife who is initially shamed by events but who is ultimately disgusted by her husband's need for vengeance
8/10
***********************************
Now I can share some news of Auntie Glad, who has been moved much nearer to home after " going walkabout" from her previous care home. The village jungle telegraph ( which according to Gladys' daughter is more effective than anything the CIA could ever find out) told me yesterday that the move was imminent and now Gladys is living in a home in Prestatyn, a town only a few minutes away!
Visiting her will be rather melancholy for me as the care home is the one my mother died at fifteen years ago.
When Did You Last Cry?
Yesterday I went to Theatre Clwyd to see the Iranian drama The Salesman which was a cracking movie and one I shall review later. Beforehand, however, I sat through the preview of the Lasse Hallstrom film A Dog's Purpose and found myself tearing up.....At THE PREVIEW!!!!
The film doesnt look very sparkling, but I know that the sentimental romp where a sucession of dogs die and get reincarnated would literally have me in the funny farm.
I won't be going to see the movie!
I cry easily. The older I get, the less control I seem to have over my tear ducts. Surprise reunions on tv shows, animal hospital stories and even sad music can now set me off, so I cannot be that surprised to start blubing at a 3 minute preview! My father cried easily and often, perhaps it's in the genes!
When did you cry last?
I'd be interested to know
Altruism
The Prof is working away and left home at an ungodly hour this morning, I couldn't face driving so told him I would catch the boneshaker minibus to town midmorning in order to pick the car up from the station.
The £2.90 bus fare is worth the lie in.
As I was waiting for the bus, I spied a guy collecting litter from the village pavements, I presumed he was a council worker.
The man said hello as he passed and then I realised he wasn't a council worker but just a regular bloke collecting rubbish from a country village!
I snapped a photo of him, as he continued his presumed voluntary work on the grass verges.
I am a firm believer of true altruistic behaviour. I think it is something that should be encouraged by parents of children and by teachers with their students at school. It should be the expected norm and not the pleasantly surprising exception to it.
We all need to give something back to our communities. And that gift should hold no strings.
Many people think that they are altruistic, but often their kindnesses such as a charity donation, a text to comic relief or a couple of pounds given to Big Issue salesman are only a second lasting quick fix.
Altruism takes effort, time and energy.
Collecting rubbish from the side of the road for no thanks is true altruism.
The £2.90 bus fare is worth the lie in.
As I was waiting for the bus, I spied a guy collecting litter from the village pavements, I presumed he was a council worker.
The man said hello as he passed and then I realised he wasn't a council worker but just a regular bloke collecting rubbish from a country village!
I snapped a photo of him, as he continued his presumed voluntary work on the grass verges.
I am a firm believer of true altruistic behaviour. I think it is something that should be encouraged by parents of children and by teachers with their students at school. It should be the expected norm and not the pleasantly surprising exception to it.
We all need to give something back to our communities. And that gift should hold no strings.
Many people think that they are altruistic, but often their kindnesses such as a charity donation, a text to comic relief or a couple of pounds given to Big Issue salesman are only a second lasting quick fix.
Altruism takes effort, time and energy.
Collecting rubbish from the side of the road for no thanks is true altruism.
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