My hero, and so true
Velvet Voiced Linda
The Trelawnyd Street Wardens have been given notice of the impending lockdown by the ever gracious Velvet Voiced Linda . You can just make her out far left on the front row, her fashionable pant leg sidewards at a jaunty angle.
Even though, the initiative wasn’t only her idea, VVL made the whole thing work and she did it with diplomacy and a voice like chocolate.
These things seldom work without good leadership and at the original meeting there was many ideas thrown about, several of them not always constructive. But Linda ran with the good ones, commanded warmth and respect and got things done.
Not an easy job I can tell you.
In any forum
Not everyone in the village gets on.
Of course that’s a given, what with petty jealousies, power struggles and a previous middle aged patriarchy , and to be honest there is at least one person who I know hates my guts with blind testosterone and Mucho gusto!
I don’t care, as I know I am a person who speaks his mind,
It sometimes goes with the territory of being gobby and gay
But.....if I am being honest the feeling is bloody mutual...and is one stoked by petty behaviours witnessed when I was more at the front line of village activities....
Not quite the chocolate box village I often portray eh
But a very normal one, truth be told.
The decision making for Trelawnyd by Trelawnyd people is now much more diverse and eclectic
And that can only be a good thing. The community Council and the village association now run side by side which is healthy and with these and Linda’s wardens flexing their muscles, ready for a second wave we have good people prepared to fight the good fight
Click and See
Please click on the link below to see something magical xxx
A clue
https://m.facebook.com/#!/watch/?v=354642762533881
Handy hints
Wales enters another full lockdown on Friday
It might as well be from today, as far as I am concerned as there is bugger all socially to do
The girls have had a five mile walk this morning and I’ve already made sour dough bread and chorizo and red pepper soup.
I’ve also properly cleaned the oven hob using a handy hint gleaned from an old village wag
White vinegar and wood ash from the wood burner
Brings up hobs and all glass in a flash
Yes it’s an Bloody exciting blog entry today
I’ll leave you with this delightful photo from the Nina Treadwell Collection
It brightens the day
John’s World
Let’s put the jogger incident to one side
I’ve lit the fire.
There is a frosty chill in the air.
The dogs and Albert have been fed and walked and all are slowly settling down for the evening.
I made a low fat turkey lasagne for supper, which Winnie finished off as a treat
She now has tomato sauce on her forehead after cramming her head in the casserole dish
The framed print of Wyeth’s Christina’s World arrived from America today and I’ve hung it up the stairs where I can always see it from my armchair which sits just left of the inglenook.
John’s World
Covid: The Rise Of The Karen
I had another Covid based run in yesterday morning.
This time with a group of seven female joggers
It was unpleasant and upsetting
And this time I was on the receiving end of their righteous indignation
I was walking on the track or a former railway line with Mary and Dorothy when I heard them far in the distance . A set of joggers in close formation all shouting and laughing.
Their ages ranged from 30 s to 60 s
As they neared me I put Dorothy back on the lead and moved to one side to let them pass which they did .
But then they stopped filling the track as they gasped and talked and laughed all within inches of each other .
I called out a sharp “ Excuse me !”
and they moved to one side to let me pass but not before one of the women, buoyed up by numbers called out in a stage whisper
“Some People Are miserable,”
“ I’m not miserable but angry” I told them, whirling around
“You block the trail, are not social distancing , are spluttering and shouting all over the place and putting yourselves and me at risk of Covid” I said and added
I’ve just finished a twelve hour shift as a nurse with Covid patients so I know what I am talking about!”
(Well it was just one Covid patient but I thought it unwise to be pedantic)
The women threw back several comments but I only heard one naming one of their party a “ worker in healthcare”
“ Well she should know better” I told them suddenly realising I was on a hiding to nowhere
I started to move on
As I did so one of the women shouted “ We look after ourselves , we arnt obese Like you! ,”
I stopped and turned around
Shocked and upset at the personalisation and stupidity of the insult
For once I was lost for words and stood there open mouthed
“Really ? ......
Really ?” I asked shaking my head
Then I walked on
But the insult stung as it was meant to
and it was made worse because these women were middle class types , the ones that did care for their own bodies and ate healthily after a few kilometres run.
And I was a lone, invisible man who had dared to challenge them
Peter! Peter! Peter!
This amused me , because I can see myself walking around like this tonight, letting off excess energy
My colleagues and I all feel like this tonight, so we treated ourselves to a Chinese takeaway to have on our breaks.
It’s funny that something so ordinary re lockdown has become a real luxury and something to be enjoyed and savoured post lockdown.
I finish my run of four nights on Sunday morning
The quiet part of the night I have a book to read, a recent gift from Waterstones
surviving Tenko The True Story Of Margot Turner by Penny Starns.
It’s the story of a nurse Arrested by the dreaded Kempeitai during the fall of Singapore during world war 2
Good news to end today too, my friend has been found safe....
Tiny Terrors
Dressing animals in human clothes is not really the done thing, and is nothing I don’t really advocate
But bulldogs seem to understand that there is some levity afoot when their owners mess around at Halloween and seem to take to dress ups with alacrity
The French bulldog in this short video had me in stitches
It’s brightened up my second of four night shifts
The Octopus
The octopus arrived in the post.
A lovely gift which doubles as a dog lead holder.
I liked the shape and form so I’ve placed him on the front of the cottage,
Warming on the stone like some strange autumn insect
“ Oh what’s that?” asked Mrs Trellis as she passed with blue
I was standing back admiring my Crustacean, so she was instantly intrigued
“ It’s an octopus”I told her and she nodded seriously, as if it was perfectly normal to nail an octopus to the side of your cottage.
“ I like your rainbow too “ she commented , pointing to the knitted one up in my bedroom window
“ Is that a thank you to the NHS ?” She asked
“ No it’s a nod to a LGBTQ household” I told her playfully
“ And which letter are you? “ she shot back with a smile
Please Call
Their family have involved the police and social media is clamouring for news.
Things are worrying
As a Samaritan I have listened to many people who have ‘vanished’ from home for a variety of reasons
A non judgemental, ear and a voice in the dark is what the volunteers can provide.
If you read this, Samaritans can be reached on freephone 116 123
Bluebell,Ghosts and the Mysterious disappearance of a nurse’s watch
I was up early this morning.
Bluebell has her MOT today
I’ve had her two years now
And she’s been a good friend to me all told .
Strange as it may seem I used to be a rather bad driver, but now with my lengthy daily commutes I have become a more confident and practiced one.
Another positive to come out of divorce.
I tell you this in way of a bit of local colour, for the main gist of the story centres upon me leaving the house early, early enough to bump into the new village leaders Ian & Helen who live down the lane
They were out walking their jaunty beagle.
Ian asked me if I had found my nurses Watch which he had in turn found in the lane and had placed it through Bluebell’s open window onto my passenger seat
I told him that I didn’t have such a watch and went off to search for it.
Dorothy had been there first.
The only thing left of the watch was it’s plastic case.
Like Captain Hook’s Crocodile she had swallowed the watch whole!
I’ve left a message to the watch’s owner on the village what’s app group saying that if anyone has lost it to please have a look on my garden lawn Later today
Dorothy is regular as clockwork and may deposit it after lunch!
The affable despot known as Jason has just phoned with a somewhat worrying tale of ghosts and ghouls
Now he is not know for tales of fancy but last night as he was putting out the bins on the side of his house on chapel Street he saw a stranger walking along the road.
The man was elderly and walked with the gait of a very old man. He was short , perhaps five foot five with a shock of bright white hair and although not frightened in any way , Jason stopped to watch the man as he had never seen him before.
As Jason stopped the man vanished
Now this is spooky
The area between Jason’s house and the chapel next door ( one of the oldest buildings in the village) seems to be a hotspot for the strange sightings of what is thought to be John Wynne the founder of Trelawnyd and village shepherd Graham as well as Auntie Gladys and several village schoolgirls have reported strange sightings of a man in a long coat standing near to the village hall which sits on Chapel Street .
See this piece from the Trelawnyd History Blog
I’m convinced I’ve seen a ghost the despot said on the phone to me this morning
And he wasn’t laughing
Soup & Scotch Egg Self Help
10th October Saturday 20.00pm
I’m having a break from blogging for a bit but not from writing everyday.
That I would find an impossibility. I’m on my last night this week ( 48 hours total) after the same amount Of hours last week. Next week it’s the same
I’ve felt somewhat overwhelmed and not in the right frame of mind to publish
Yet I write?
Go figure.
I bought sweets for the day staff and an orchid for my trained colleague before I came to work as she has had a shit time recently.
Much shittier than mine .......
Lisa Tarbuck was laughing on the radio as I drove to work and this piece of nostalgia pleased me when she played it
I’m not sure, if I will post these mini snippets of daily life
But I will continue to write them until I feel ok to blog again.
I feel I have nothing worth reading or to share at the moment
11th October Sunday..2.20 am
He was waiting for his wife to pass away and she was comfortable under sedation. We talked about many things in the side room that night. But I particularly remember talking about Andrew Wyeth my favourite painter in those wee small hours before dawn.
We shared anacdotes, they were less painful than reality.
He appreciated my love for Christina’s world but didn’t share my affection for it
But, as it turned out we both loved Wyeth’s portrait of his wife Betsy in his piece Maga’s Daughter
Which remains in a museum in Seattle .
That was many weeks ago now and I’ve just been passed a note from the visitor, who was now a widower
He had found me a print of “Maga’s Daughter” in the US and was sending it me
I forgot my great niece’s birthday which is not like me
I’m not cooking on gas
Maga’s Daughter
Me looking at my much loved Christina’s World in MOMA New York 2014
I slept heavy. I always do after nights.
Yesterday my family met for soup and Cornish pasties in the garden
It was lovely but I felt lacklustre and boring
We are talking about Christmas ....turkey sandwiches and soup outside
It’s a new Way of looking at things
12th October Monday 6pm
I actually didn’t get up until 1pm.
It’s pouring down and miserable
I made cannon ball sized low calorie scotch eggs and spicy butternut squash soup
And I watched Sorry Wrong Number on the iPad as I did so
I feel brighter today
Bloody lovely
I feel better today
Rested and more in balance
The scotch eggs did it
Not the eating of said eggs ( I managed one at a push as it needed two hands to lift it)
But the planning and making of them and some spicy soup.
Me time...gentle space time
If I feel like this again (and more long stretches of nights amid lockdown are on the horizon)
I won’t feel ‘ obliged’ to blog
To chatter away in that empty room
,
Suo Gân
Thanks to Cro for this video.
He posted it this morning.
I have shamelessly stolen it this afternoon
Suo Gân is perhaps the most lovely of Welsh lullabies
It’s final verse talks about not being fearful
Do not fear it’s only a leaf beating at the door
Do not fear it’s only a small wave that murmurs on the seashore
I have my own personal connection with this piece of music as I now always associate it with my hospice Work
I’ve posted this before but I think it’s worth repeating but last winter as I was writing up notes after a particularly busy shift one of my fellow nurses, a welsh speaker started to sing the lullaby gently to herself as she completed her paperwork . From across the ward another Welsh speaking nurse suddenly joined in and as soprano and Alto they sang Suo Gân together quite beautifully
The lullaby wafting through the quiet rooms and corridors like a warm hand
Grayson Perry’s Perspective
I’ve had a hard week...harder than I would like
It’s ok to acknowledge it, as most of us are experiencing a shitty time at the moment...
But it has been especially hard for me....there I’ve said it.
It’s been hard as I’m on night shifts that have exaggerated my separation from the real world...a life which has already been separated by Covid rules and lockdown.
My tentative move into sociability, cinema, friendships and contact external to my own bubble has been curtailed and so
I’m sad and I’m suddenly lonely
And I’m allowed to be sad......
Even though I hate it......... anyway conference calls to old friends Nigel and Cheryl have helped so much too,
Perspective gained....virtual hugs given
I’ve just watched Grayson Perry on his American road trip too
And I’ve realised, quite quickly, that I’m doing
A bit crap....but in essence I’m doing .....just fine ...
Day Off
Kristi’s work- next to Colin
Today is my first proper day off
I am back on nights tomorrow
Apart from the necessary jobs , I’m intending to watch Bombshell the Charlize Therzon, Margo Robbie film on dvd
I’ve made macaroni cheese for supper
It’s my sister in law’s birthday today so I’ve dropped off flowers and cake and a gift
She told me I looked rough
I do! She was right.
Gifts, whether birthday or otherwise do lighten the heart, I always think and today Kristi sent me one of her paintings which I complemented her on , on her blog. It’s a very welcome addition to my art wall and I’m sending you a big thank you for your kindness.....
( I must add here that I’m wearing another blog reader gift today, a lovely bulldog T shirt from Jackie D it made a welcome change from my now rather robust collection of Walking Dead t shirts)
Trump’s idiocy post Covid has left me speechless
As did his maskless wave to the nation to the avengers theme
Arsehole
I’m not watching the tv news now
The dahlia and rubekkia are blooming their last in the garden and look cheerful
Cheerful is good today
Ps
Bombshell proved to be an inspired choice of dvd purchase
It’s a wonderfully insightful and intelligent study of the sexual harassment of female anchor women from Fox News by the CEO Roger Ailes.
Worth seeing especially for Therzon’s powerhouse performance as anchorwoman Megan Kelly
First Son Of Trelawnyd
The books I’m about to read are being stacked against the foot of my new Sofa in readiness of my days off.
I am yet to claim the sofa as my own as yet
Quelle surprise!
I note from the village what’s app site that Trelawnyd’s son poet and author Emyr Humphreys has died at the age of 101 in his Anglesey home.
Humphreys was brought up in Trelawnyd and many characters and situations described in his books were taken directly from his upbringing in the streets I know well
On the recommendation of Pippa in the rectory I have just bought his most famous novel A Toy Epic written in 1958
No doubt that will be placed on the pile for when the sofa finally becomes free!
I’m washed out today
3\4 Rainbow
Three quarter the way through night shifts
And Dorothy has now mastered sleeping with me and Mary during the day in bed without losing control of her bladder.
As you can imagine, it makes for a more peaceful day all round.
She still has to get as close as is bulldog-ly possible in order to watch me sleep and more importantly breath, but after the first half hour of anxiety filled dread, she finally relaxes enough to sleep herself, that is, after she hears me snore like a pig a sound that presumably reassures her that I haven’t slipped away in my sleep.
The village wardens have all reported in to our leader the Velvet Voiced Linda yesterday evening before I set off for Llandudno which was nice
There was much light hearted discussion about reinstating village stocks after one rather grumpy member of the warden group complained about lights being left on in the village hall but no one had any real news, given the lockdown.
We were all hoping for some sort of social gathering before Christmas....hummm that looks unlikely unless the 30 people outdoor rule changes
My sister Janet visited yesterday afternoon too, but didn’t disturb me as she left a gift in the box by the front door.
A gay rainbow for my window, which was nice.
I’ve been reading about the history of the rainbow flag.
It’s not only the adopted flag of the LGBTQ community ( circa 1970) but also the International peace flag
It’s brightened the cottage on a very blustery and wet weekend.
dysgu Cymraeg
The Welsh language is a sing song language
It’s musical and very complicated to learn.
I’m beginning to understand more than I ever thought possible
This is a product of working with more Welsh speakers both as colleagues and as patients
The secret with Welsh is that the Spoken sentences are often constructed back to front
Let me give you an example
When you want to say something like
“Good morning , sorry I am late”
The Welsh will say
“Bore da, mae’n ddrwg gen i fy mōd Yn hwyr”
Which Literally translates as
“Morning Good , it’s bad for me, the time late“
Yes complicated but it kinda makes sense after a while
I will leave you with one of the most lyrical and beautiful of Welsh Hymns
Calon Lân which means a Pure Heart
Night good!
Films & Books
I think I’m going to lay low this month
It’s not out of choice, believe me.
The lockdown over the North Wales coast coupled with a month filled with night shifts have effectively pushed me into a cul-de-sac of antisocial activity.
The night money will come in handy.
The invoice from Mary’s vet came today 😳
At least her infected ear seems better
It fucking well should be for £180 !!
I have decided that I will have to fill the void with some old fashioned winter pursuits, namely reading and video watching. The reading of good books has been put on the back burner since Chris left so over the last two days I’ve done some research and have ordered a load of second hand books on Amazon
Giovanni Room by James Baldovir, Tales of the City by Amistead Maupin, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour
All gay themed and interesting sounding.
I’ve also bought a whole plethora of esoteric dvds Such as some Korean Horror movies like The Wailing and Flu as well as a selection of classics that I feel I know but have never watched
George Cukor’s The Women, John Ford’s Stagecoach, Fellini’s La Dolce Vita are just a few films on order
I’m almost impressing myself
Let’s hope the reality is as impressive
The Walking Dead season 10 finale ( spoilers)
Old friends Carol and Daryl
I found the finale on YouTube last night
This happens sometimes if you are lucky
So I watched it before it could be deleted.
It airs in the US on Sunday
Only read on if you want to know what happened
I guess with Covid rules applying to filmmakers, it is understandable that the finale lacked some of the epic feel of those past. Beta for example gets killed in a somewhat underwhelming way that if you sort of blink and you’ll miss it. The same can be said for Maggie’s return, which seemed totally filled with serene smiles and as for the collective populations of Oceanside, Kingdom, Hilltop and Alexandria all climbing Unseen down a lift shaft to safety, well you have to use your imagination for that.
No the finale was somewhat of an anticlimax but it had its strengths
The scenes between Daryl and Carol were movingly observed as were those between Carol and Lydia perhaps finally Carol can mother the daughter she needs so much.....we have only one more series to go to see.
It’s time for The Walking Dead to finish now
Of the entire franchise it’s had the best characters and the best plot lines but it has also suffered from some Mistakes in storytelling which disappoint and spoil the whole.
But I was still moved with what I saw last night
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