The Walking Dead Episode 6

Carol , Henry and Jerry

A good episode
Carol has the hots for the King and had just adopted another kid ( Melissa McBride's scenes were rather moving tonight I thought)
Maggie may have made a big mistake although one of the saviours may be a date for Jesus !
An interesting new character in Siddig has arrived
Oh And Daryl and Tara have gone rogue

Siddig

Flounce

Problems with the kitchen tiles necessitated the ones I had already purchased to be returned to the DIY store
A rant was the order of the day ( which was successfully sidestepped by the deadpan " returns clerk" ) and so even without the satisfaction of verbally bitchslapping some unfortunate bod, I left the store still ready for a fight.
At least the tiler has rescheduled his work for next Monday and has helped me buy some lovely ( but more expensive) replacement tiles for the job to be completed .
Hey fucking  ho
I sold the old fridge today and prepared the kitchen walls for painting so the day hasn't been too much of a bust and the news that Harry and Meghan is getting married was mildly good news on such a rainy afternoon.
Some people get their knickers in a twist when Royals get married .
What's the bloody point getting all arsey I say?, we should be just happy for people that have shared their good news with us all.

When the Prof and I got married one person that knew my betrothed fairly well on a social level refused to congratulate him on his forthcoming nuptials . It was a mealy mouthed so called Christian comment on gay marriage I am sure but when the snub came publically I and not the Prof was the one that wouldn't forgive.
I've not acknowledged the person ever since.
Gays never forget

Susan And Harry

The Prof is a noise maker. He walks heavily, talks loudly and verbalises his thoughts constantly.
I, on the other hand am used to quiet.
I even hate radio music, especially in the morning.
This morning, after playing in the kitchen, I sat down in the armchair with an old silver plated water jug which I had " found" in the back of one of the old kitchen cabinets.

I must had had it over thirty years and had long forgotten where it had come from, but I thought I would give it a buff up as I sat in the quiet.
" What are you doing?" The Prof bellowed from his office, obviously worried that the silence from downstairs meant that I was up to no good
" I am polishing a silver jug" I called back
" More TAT !" The Prof replied
After half a hour the jug didn't look too bad and seemingly making a silk purse out of a sow's ear impressed the Prof quite a lot as he conceded a brief " oh that's nice "as he sashayed past.

Polishing the jug reminded me of Susan And Harry. In the early 1980s they were inpatients at the old West Cheshire Hospital in Chester and had been incarcerated there for most of their lives. Both were in their mid sixties. Both were what we used to term as burnt out schizophrenics and both were as devoted to each other as a platonic, mentally fragile Darby & Joan. 

The West Cheshire Psychiatric Hospital

As student nurses, we used to see the couple hand in hand, ambling around the hospital grounds in their hospital issue drab clothes that seemed decades too old for them, and both would offer us well thumbed bags of sweets that smelled of loose tobacco, bought from the hospital shop in the main building.
They were a welcome sight in an otherwise austere world.
Now one day we were told that Susan and Harry were to be married and as our group had placements on long stay a few of us were asked to attend the service in the hospital chapel
The nursing staff from Susan's and Harry's respective wards had done this drab little couple proud and both had been given a make over for their big day. A second hand wedding dress had been altered professionally for susan and her usual tight hospital perm was softened by the usually sullen hairdresser who had been given strict instructions by the ward sister not to give her a half arsed job.
Domestic staff had clubbed together to buy the bouquets and corsages and the Occupational therapy department had decorated the usually glum little chapel with flowers and garlands as well as sprucing up the ward dining room which had been converted into a function room complete with a running buffet provided by the hospital cooks.
Of course try as they might, the nursing staff couldn't quite remove the yellow nicotine stains on Harry's fingers or desguise the fact that susan had no teeth on her upper palate but the event proved to
 be a rather magical moment in my nursing career and one that made me grow a little older after I had witnessed it.

The Welsh terriers sleeping as I type this post 

Ohhh Errrrr

" oh I do look rather surprised don't I ?" said the woman with the clipboard pointing at her identify badly photo " I was in the photo booth having it taken and someone poked a chocolate eclair through the curtains" 

So shared Victoria Wood in one of her most funny human moment routines.
I was reminded of this comic aside after I had presented the kitchen fitters with a large box of eclairs yesterday. After I had handed them over to effusive thanks and only after the apprentice thought I was out of earshot, there was much ribald laughter from the fitters as they shared a dirty joke which probably featured penis length!

It's In!

You can't get the full effect , but picture duck green tiles as the splash back with white grout.
Wood effect vinyl ( so no slips by fat bulldogs) and cream walls
I've filled every soddin cupboard!

Knobs

Apart from the tiling and the laying of the new floor, both getting sorted next week, the kitchen should be finished this afternoon!
I shall post  nauseating smug photos of everything later today so be prepared for a showing off fest !
The fitters presented me with this yesterday
It's some sort of handset for automatically turning on the lights under the countertops!
I got all excited about it and giggled like a schoolgirl
I'm easily pleased.
All the Prof said about everything was  a " It's big!" comment whilst raising one Roger Moore eyebrow

Cute as a button

....and I'm not talking about the baby dinosaur
I'l leave you with my guilty crush Greg Davies
V v funny

Taking Shape

I was on a bit of a learning curve yesterday. Thanks to all of your Thanksgiving comments....apparently Thanksgiving dinner in the US is more of an event than Christmas dinner ! Who knew! Hey ho!
Anyhow...
I'm beginning to feel that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Yesterday three fitters squeezed into the cottage as the dogs and I squeezed out. I bought them all takeaway coffees and cakes and went out for the day.
When I got home in the afternoon, things had moved forward rather nicely.

Today I am going to drink coffee in Marks and Spencer's cafe. They have wifi and I can complete lots of web " paperwork" out of the way of the mess, banging and stress of hearing hairy arsed strangers sitting in the loo whistling.

Calling All Americans

Now my last post raised an interesting question ( well for me it did) do American's prefer Thanksgiving dinner more than Christmas Dinner?
To the Brits here, a turkey dinner is a Christmas only thing....
I like the thought of Thanksgiving ... but I'd have it in June.

( the painting is a Norman Rockwell ...one of my favourite artists from the US ...my only complaint is that the turkey doesn't appear to be very heavy ( and if you've read my previous post you would understand that I know how much a turkey weighs)

Anyhow! American readers what do you prefer?

thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought I'd pay tribute to an old friend long since gone now.

Boris was a pure delight.

A Norfolk Bronze turkey stag of some age and standing Boris was the king of the Ukrainian Village . He and his sister Grace were gifts from a grateful patient of mine and were hand delivered to the cottage as babies by the patient's daughter.

I knew nothing about turkeys then and I had to learn quicksticks as turkey poults are notoriously delicate creatures who can die easily of disease and the cold.

As Boris grew, he became as tame as a canary and would follow me around in his usual slow shuffle amble. He would spend long periods of time standing by the gate watching cars and people going by and would gobble merrily at anyone who took his fancy. 

Strangely the only person who didn't take his fancy was The Prof and the two shared a rather sharp hate/hate relationship where Prof and Turkey would take potshots at each other when backs were turned.

In the new year I may think of getting another turkey stag. 

They make clean, loyal and rather delightful pets.

And rather good dinners too

( I didn't eat him)

Mr Gay

I've had to chase up quite a few things with the kitchen fitters today ( apologies for the yawn)
One email from a manager called Gail, amused me amid the phonecalls, internet exchanges, complaints and answerphone messages

"Good Morning Mr Gay.
Hope you are well. I have tried to call this morning as it has been passed across that you have tried to contact us. I have left a voicemail asking if you could call back, in the voicemail I have mentioned that the installations team haven't been able to answer due to a meeting, apologies this is not correct......"

I answered

" Dear Gail,

 My name is GRAY and not GAY
But strange as it maybe I am actually gay so no harm done.
I will contact you after discussion with the new fitter regarding the cost of his works....."

Overcrowded

The ever chirpy kitchen fitters brought with them an even chirpier electrician at the crack of dawn this morning so after I'd made them all coffee and shared out a packet of chocolate fingers, it was time to leave them to it.

I am going to walk around and drink coffee, Im going to Browse the bookshop, art gallery and give the kitchen shop a good once over!
What are you all doing today?

The Walking Dead episode 5

Rick and Daryl fighting! Doesn't feel good!

Has Gabriel been bit?

And what's with the helicopter ?

And I've just washed the dinner dishes in the bath! 

Hesperus

The kitchen fitters are a cheerful duo.
After ripping out the old units they presented me with eight washing powder balls, two dog toys, various bits of cutlery and a mummified scotch egg! All items which had rolled away from daylight view!
" You'd be surprised what we find hidden away inside old kitchens " Shawn, the lead fitter told me
 "bottles of booze are the most common " 
Roll on Friday! 

Jobs Done

Islwyn ( pronouncing Trelawnyd) for a previous post

There was a small line of cars filling the lane as the Ikea lorry unloaded my kitchen.
I popped from one to another apologising for the wait, and everyone was good natured as they generally are on a weekend.
One chap who lives directly across the valley whistled through his teeth
"Dew......that was a big fire you had the other night" he said" I thought the entire village was alight!" 
I replied that I hadn't had a bonfire and enquired what night he had seen the blaze.
" bonfire night" the chap explained
One of the nights we were in New York.
I walked on the field to investigate and surprise surprise my bonfire that I had been building for a year now had vanished. The old sofa, four old hen houses, trees, garden waste and an arm chair had disappeared  Only a big black ring in the ground remained.
Village Elder Islwyn had been at work
Now every village needs an Islwyn.
He is someone that sees a job that needs doing and who does it, bugger red tape or procrastination.
After the recent storms, many of the churchyard trees were damaged or were felled and although the responsibility for the upkeep of the plot is the job of the community council, Islwyn and his brother cleared the trees themselves, sawed them into manageable chunks and added them to my bonfire before incinerating them on November the fifth!
Job done.
I saw Islwyn's brother tidying up the new graveyard last night. It was almost dark and I joked with him just how impressive the bonfire was to the residents across the valley who thought Trelawnyd was burning .
I also noted how neat the graveyard looked even in the murk of dusk.
" we wanted it tidy" he explained " we bury our mother next week"           

Kitchen Porn

Ikea sent the kitchen on time and in 1000 boxes.

The cottage is crammed nose to nipple with flatbacks

We went out to Liverpool in order to get away from the clutter.

Walking into John Lewis' Kitchen Department, was like tiptoeing into a piece of heaven for me, and I walked round running my fingers over gleaming measuring jugs, shiny pans and oh-be-still-my-beating-heart a garlic press in the shape of a lobster to die for! 

My new kitchen reality is palpable!

The Prof bought me a new rolling pin just to get me to shut the fuck up ( he guessed quite rightly that it will match the new counter tops) 

Things Lost

I noted a photo of the Prof and I the other day.
It was taken perhaps a decade ago in Central Park in the snow and we had on winter hats
I tell you this because I miss that hat ! ( mine not the Prof's)
I lost it on the plane home I think

Im always losing, breaking  and  mislaying things
I'm terrible for it
There are so many well loved things I have let go over the years! And it bugs me
This evening , on the last dog walk I've thought about them

For example,
My signed  autograph photo  of Olivia deHavilland
A watercolour of a smiling tiger ( the first piece of art I ever bought)
A Charlotte Rhead vase! -Worth a small fortune,
My reply letters from the entire cast of Tenko ( I wrote to each one of the actresses in 1980 as I was such a fan)
A framed victorian photograph of a courtng couple from my grandmother's old house.
A multicoloured hand knitted jumper, ;a gift from my-mother) from 1978....I looked like a male prostitute in it( accorrding to my father!)
A scarf worm by my first male chrush ( A pupil from Ruthin School!)
A hand crafted crucifix made by a psychiatric patient of mine in York
An all encompassing wicker chair bought from an art shop in York
A photo of my sister Janet with her horse's foal Kelly from the 1970s
My first dog -Finlay's collar
A "book"I wrote when I was 18...a review on disaster movies
All of the cards my grandparents sent to me
Maureen mcgovern's " best of her hits " Album"
And finally a Christmas Card from the relative of a patient that died on my ward on spinal injuries!
It said " you made me laugh, when I thought I never would again  "
That moved me more than any of the others

A Thing Of The Past

I can't remember when I last received a real letter.
Hand written or typed, inside a stamped envelope and posted through the letter box to be snatched by William who adores baiting the postman.
Yesterday I received a short letter of thanks from The Trelawnyd School's " Eco Committee" for the Flower Show donation to their garden project area.
It rather amused me as it is clear that the Eco Committee consists of a group of small children.
Did we have " committees" in primary school?........shit it was fingers on lips and drink your milk at Penmorfa Primary!

Twenty minutes ago another thank you letter arrived! This time from the Village Friendship Group

Postscript

Twelve years is too long not to have seen old friends, and this afternoon it was lovely to catch up with two of the best.

It's all a bit shaky as we were balancing on the back of Dale's wheelchair/bike

Moving On

"Dear Mr John Gray

Your registration expires on 30/11/2017

We recently emailed you to advise you that your annual registration fee is due. According to our records you have not yet paid this fee. It is essential that you pay this fee now so that your registration can be updated on time. If you have not paid the fee before your registration expiry date, your registration will lapse."

Nurses have to pay £120 a year in order to work in clinical practice and regular as clockwork from 1986 I have begrudgingly paid my dues on time.
This time, and after much thought, I am going to let my registration lapse.
It is not a decision I have made lightly, as nursing has been an integral part of my identity since I was twenty years old, but now I am ready to let go of my last tie to a vocation that has served me well for so many years.

Ironically  an old nursing pal of mine contacted me out of the blue recently and this afternoon I am meeting up with her and her husband in Chester for lunch. Her husband was an old patient of mine from my Spinal Injury days so the meeting ( our first since I left Sheffield) will be timely and oh so nostalgic.