Lady Gaga’s Golden dove of peace said it all
I shed a tear at Biden’s speech.......sanity.......sometimes there are days when you need to lend a hand and days when you have take a hand
Amanda Gorman ...amazing
Let’s move on
Whatever your politics, the President of the United States must be articulate and calm and possess a sense of humour. Biden and Kamala Harris seem to have have those traits.
Good luck America
Cheers
I may know a single man in the village who would benefit from meeting Chic Eleanor .
We talked about him today and laughed about it.
She’s a delight for she’s not adverse at meeting someone new.
We talked about it today in McDonald’s car park
She asked me who I would like to meet, the kind of guy she could look for
I laughed
“ A man with an easy smile , who wears a jumper with a hole in it” I told her seriously
She understood where I was coming from
And we raised our coffee cups in our respective cars......
Cheers
We toasted
And she smiled her warm Lee Remick smile
Training Dorothy and Coffee with Eleanor
For over a year I have been walking Dorothy along the site of the Prestatyn / Dyserth railway
Yesterday we passed a couple who I have nicknamed The Uber Couple, they are a couple I bump into regularly .
Now The Uber Couple are always together and always dressed in some sort of Lycra. In their late fifties they have hips and cheek bones to die for and always walk with a sheepdog collie who is trained to behave within an inch of his life.
Their buttocks glint with the flash of polished steel.
The sheepdog is never leashed, but to be fair he doesn’t have to be because with one click of their fit fingers his owners have him under more control than Trump had over Melania.
The Uber Couple know about dogs and about dog training and their superiority is palpable
I always feel like the poor relation when we pass....
Poor relation because when William and George were alive they used to behave ,as terriers so often do when confronted with farm dogs, they behaved badly .
I did explain to The Uber Couple that the boys had been once attacked by a collie dog at the farm above the village , so they smiled their thin smiles of understanding as their dog trotted by with his nose in the air and William and George yapped with the zeal of two chihuahuas fighting over a gravy stain.
Winnie of course added to their slightly patronising eyebrow raising as she would deliberately walk in between all of them with a sanguine dry smile and a look which never wavered from the road ahead.
Her amble gave all three of them a massive “ fuck you” message
Anyway Mary has long since followed the William And George school of terrier behaviour and she growls rather magnificently when we pass but Dorothy with all of her neuroses has tottered forward on her lead with her frightened expression turned away from any strangers.
Now over the past six months I have been letting Dorothy off her lead for short periods whilst down the walkway and when another walker with a dog would come into view I would call her gently to return to be leashed, an order she would always comply to. This habit, we have adhered to until recently, when I felt that Dorothy’s confidence was at its highest.
Yesterday Uber Couple approached us with all muscles flexed ( they even had on matching bobble hats! ) and as Mary stiffened for some bad behaviour I clicked my fingers and asked Dorothy who was trotting ten feet ahead to return to my side where she walked with what I hoped would be the precision of a police dog.
And she did so, without a murmur and after we passed the Ubers the lady Uber turned around and commented
“ You’ve done a great job training that dog .... well done ”
I preened at the praise , so much more than I should of done.
I almost shed a tear too as Dorothy tottered forward and
With Mary still growling at the end of her lead.
This morning I drove up to McDonald’s to meet Chic Eleanor in the carpark for coffee.
The weather was atrocious but she looked fresh faced and as smiley as ever
“ Darling John..it’s almost like a tryst “ she admitted almost guiltily, pulling a green cashmere scarf tighter around her neck. “ Chin chin “
We raised our coffee cups from our respective driver’s seats, our breaths steaming in the cold air
She reminds me of the actress Lee Remick.
12.31
I try to write something everyday.
I seldom plan what goes down in print for ideas and words just seem to there, ready to be written, but I must admit with lockdown and covid and the isolation that accompanies the pandemic still in its final clutches, having something of any note to say is proving more and more difficult.
This morning is a case in point.
I’ve shampooed the spare bedroom carpet in the east wing and have cleaned the washer afterwards.
I’ve walked the dogs and was proud when Dorothy received praise from a regular dog walker for behaving well off her lead .
The dog walker was one of those country type ladies who ooze brusque efficiency
I’m working later on a late shift which is pointless and most hated one as you come into work cold and have to hit the work running.
But that’s later.
Now I’m drinking from my bucket of coffee sat at the kitchen table.
It’s cold, the kitchen that is not the coffee.
I’m irritated by the loud workmen who are constructing a small house behind the cottage.
They have harsh local accents and play their music overly loud but luckily I cannot seem most of the new build because my buddliea bush screens things nicely.
The new owners live on the far side of the village and own a large pack of yappy dogs.I am concerned that our peaceful days down on this part of Trelawnyd may be numbered , but I will keep an open mind for now.
I’ve been making a list of things that need doing in between writing sentences and gulps of coffee
Albert is sat by my right shoulder , untidily eating his cat food which is placed on the window sill. The window is flecked with dried on meat and splashes of gravy
I add clean windows to my list, just below the cancel Winnie’s insurance reminder and chase up rubber chicken picture.
I gave away some furniture yesterday.
I could have sold it , but gifting it doomed the right thing to do.
Antiques you never own, you just look after them for a while is a favourite saying of mine.
Hattie had my old grandmother clock from out of the study and another friend had an old school clock and some occasional tables and a sewing box on legs.
More de cluttering my office
And decluttering my head.
Oh lord it’s 12.31pm
I need to leave for work by 1.15pm
And as Terry Wogan used to say on the radio when I was a boy
“ and there’s not a child in the house washed “
An All About Eve Night
I’ve always been a “ looker afterer”
That’s the nearest I can find for an accurate description of myself
I’ve never been happier than when I cook, feed and nurture someone.
By doing so
I nurture myself .
Yesterday I caught up with my covid bubble friend Ruth
She has had a bloody awful time recently and so I thought quick sticks that a night in together was the order of the day.
It was a simple evening to organise for her.....
A massive cottage pie with thick gravy flavoured with garlic and cranberry jelly
2 glasses of red
Mary cuddles all night
And a darkened living room watching All About Eve...a classic she had never seen before.
It was a lovely night.
I say this from my own perspective .
For I knew Ruth felt recharged and enjoyed herself as she said as much taking her leave at 11 pm to sleep in the cottage’s west wing with Mary tucked firmly under her arm.
Her climbing of the stairs reminded me of when the Prof went to bed with George galloping behind him
That used to please me more than anything .
Cooking for someone who is hurting is a joy.
Cooking for someone is a joy....I have so missed it.
Tucking someone up on my new couch as if they lived here made me feel good, and their laughs at Eve’s many one liners reenforced my enjoyment of Bette on her best form.
We are never truly altruistic
We do things that make ourselves feel good
All about Eve is not just a witty and incisive look at theatre life
It has a lot to say about long term friendships, friendships I was reminded of as we watched.
Yesterday I video chatted with my friend John from Sheffield
It was a warm and sweet and loving interaction
Chic Eleanor texted to sort out a coffee at McDonald’s car park next week
She sat in her car ......, me sat in mine.a conversation between two open windows
Darling john it’s been too long she typed
I so agreed.
If you haven’t watched All About Eve , please do so
Love the one liners, the acting, the clever manipulation of plot and gayness
But don’t forget the thrust of the story
It’s a really a message of friendships , of recognising and nurturing those friendships and the power of being kind
The Gay Men’s Pub Quiz
I think that I am a Welsh 58 year old gay Bridget Jones..
I don’t quite know what I was expecting but The Gay Men’s Pub Quiz last night proved to be a rather good natured and strangely hilarious affair.
Some 80 Middle aged gay men from all over the UK were marshalled onto zoom by a professionally adept quiz master called Kenneth , who presumably was well versed in herding cats and sounded as though he had performed centre stage at the Old Vic.
Like with the RAF yesterday , there was no messing with Kenneth!
With a headteacher’s authority , Kenneth split us into groups quite quickly , so I just had time to check myself in the mirrored oven cover before the get go.
Face washed ( tick)
Hair brushed ( tick)
Clean shirt checked for food stains ( check) - there was only one small splash of pot noodle..no one would notice ...tee hee
Background looking interesting behind me ( double check )
I was ready.
I squirted myself with a blast of Clinique Happy as a gay moral booster, as if it mattered
My group was a nice bunch. Gerry and David, a couple from the Sheffield/ Derbyshire border in their late sixties were a riot. They bantered and bickered gently and told bad jokes throughout the evening so much so that at one stage I had a complete attack of the giggles and corpsed dreadfully throughout one session of questions . Alistair was a gently spoken and smiley fellow nurse from Chester and Richard was a well spoken but very deaf elderly man from The Isle Of Man. I spied a Zimmer frame in the background of his spare room! which intrigued me.
Fifty questions were set between a 7.30 start and a 10.30pm finish , but booked into the quiz was the nice opportunity to chat with a luckily nice group of men .
We came around 6th out of 15 groups which wasn’t bad at all
I’m not really a gay guy who has to seek the ghetto of a group of gay men , but I really did enjoy the good natured banter of some nice guys with a ribald ( and stereotypically gay) senses of humour
Mooching
It’s colder today
I had some lilies delivered.
They were left on the kitchen wall wrapped in brown paper.
No note.
I’ve put them in the shrimp vase in the kitchen window.
They smell lovely
I feel flu-like today and my arm aches , both normal reactions to the covid jab. So I’ve done little but read and eat pot noodles in bed with my fleece pyjamas on . Subsequently the cottage became very cold by mid afternoon.
I lit the fire late
And went out to see old Trevor as he passed on his daily constitutional . I promised to take him for his covid jab when he finally gets an appointment .
He’s 95
Tonight I’m taking part in a Gay Mans online Pub Quiz on zoom for the first time which will prove interesting.
The dogs are dozing together on the couch
The Rainbow Hospital
The hospice rang me at home this afternoon with the offer of a first Covid Vaccine.
I jumped at the chance and managed to get the 590 th slot at the newly converted Rainbow ( Enfys in Welsh) Hospital in Llandudno .
From the get-go I was impressed.
I was ushered to a parking space at Venue Cymru and a huge man in RAF uniform made it clear in no uncertain terms when the queuing “patients” could go in.
The Airforce had taken control of the whole kaboodle and boy did it show.
Within seconds I was ushered through the theatre foyer and was given an information sheet to fill in, seconds later uniformed airmen moved us through to the former conference centre which is the hospital proper where we waited, supported by volunteers, until the vaccinators were ready.
I have not seen inside a Rainbow Hospital before but I was totally blown away by it.
I could have walked into any district hospital of note rather than what was essentially a field hospital , knocked up by the army in just a few months.
Behind me was a Nigerian Doctor and in front was a community care worker, both caught my eye with the same impressed expression.
And as we waited the doctor admitted graciously that he felt rather “ humbled and emotional “ by the whole experience and I agreed.
We were seeing the Best of British organisation , military style.
I was shown into a bed space were a clerk completed my paperwork and a nurse gave me the jab and moments later I was led for a sit down before being let out for home
The whole thing from start to finish lasted 30 minutes.
An attractive and cheerful airman bid me goodbye and as I walked to my car, I suddenly felt rather emotional just as the Nigerian doctor admitted to feeling when he and I realised the enormity of the project in front of us
Mobile
Ever since my phone fell in the loo ( after I had just enjoyed a robust number two) it has not worked, very well.
I bit the bullet and rang Tesco Mobile on Monday and the delightful Leanne organised me a new phone with various bells and whistles on it and a monthly tariff much lower than the one I had been enjoying.
She giggled when I told her to treat me as an idiot during her sales pitch
And did exactly what I asked her.
I have been navigating my new phone today and I must say that
I’d rather be setting the parameters on an ITU ventilator for after four hours, my brain is totally fried and
I’ve had to recover my having a bubble hot bath with my face covered by a wet flannel.
I spoke to Nu today, she’s working on the covid wards now in London
How do you do long days ? She asked
With difficulty I told her
We swapped laughs and reviews on tv programmes
She looked tired.
I do miss her.
I saw Pippa from the Rectory earlier today, she was being dragged down the lane by her long legged Mongrel, Meg.She only just managed a controlled stop in order to chat.
Her husband is probably enjoying the most cerebral covid pastimes she told me after the village gossip was over
“ he’s reading the Bible in Greek “ she said proudly
I opened my mouth but said nothing
How can you follow that !
Song along
If you are feeling a bit low watch this
It’s a song by Eurovision stalwarts and it exudes Bonne Amie
It’s what Europe is all about
CROQUE MONSIEUR
The time difference between Australia and Wales makes for relaxed chatting a little difficult .
When it’s 8 pm gin time in Trelawnyd it’s 7am coffee time in Sydney but undaunted by this my old friend Nia arranged a meet for both of us but under the strict rules of cooking together .
I’ve never done it before and I must admit it’s great fun
We chose to make a proper Croque Monsieur from scratch
She in her high tech, sun kissed antipodean kitchen , me in my slightly chilly but perfectly IKEAn version.
It was lovely, as neither of us had much news of any note to talk about, so we would share snippets of what was happening in between yells of “How’s your bechimel sauce coming along ? “
“ ohhh I can hear sizzling !”
An hour and a half later, the croques were crumbs and we were reminiscing about the fatly comical kookaburras I remembered watching in her garden only five years ago .
It was lovely
Our next meet will be in a few weeks time.
We are going to paint together in acrylics
An abstract painting
Sounds like fun
Nia ( front) with my arm around her circa 1980
The rest are my family and friends
We were in the audience of a production of Oklahoma my Aunt was starring in
My Study
Albert and the old bedroom
I have a spare bedroom in the East Wing of the cottage.
It’s small and full of clutter at the moment.
A Victorian copper bedstead and mattress , a book case, an Art Deco grandmother clock, old books, a carpet cleaner.
This week I’ve decided to make a proper study.
A simple one, with less fussy walls and decor.
A desk, a chair and the bed complete with an antique french bedspread , I bought last year but never used
It’s a small room and it needs to be simple
I need a place with limited distractions, if I am to write
So today, I’ve been shopping
I’ve not only ordered a new phone , but a desk and an office chair
The paint I already have, the gentle buttercup yellow of the living room.
SKYFIRE
Just sat through two gloriously awful hours of Chinese disaster movie SKYFIRE
A total homage to those 1970 disaster movies I loved so much as a teen
Dreadful but intensely entertaining
Rubber Chicken
Sailor John from next door brought a package around for me today
He had opened it, thinking the package was for him.
I wondered why he raised a Roger Moore eyebrow when he delivered it.
For in the parcel was very small, bright yellow rubber chicken
It was a gift from blog reader Donell.
The chicken has a odd skill as when it is pressed a small red egg protrudes from some sort of prolapse out of its arse...
It made me laugh, as it was intended to do.
Thank you Donell.
For years I have been in receipt of many many similar gifts from scores of lovely people who follow Going Gently . The gifts are as varied as the givers .
25 kilos of hen feed and two bales of hay, arrived one day a long time ago and since I have received scotch eggs, a patchwork quilt, books and photos and paintings and art work. Hand knitted and crocheted items, walking dead T shirts and games and memorabilia . Dvds, doggy treats, plants and flowers, sweets and goodies and even a Steiff scotty dog and money have been sent and all gratefully received .
Today, I’ve walked on the beach.
Prepared pulled pork and sauteed potatoes for lunch
Tomorrow I’m meeting a friend from Australia on zoom.
We have the same recipe planned and will talk and cook together which is another lockdown phenomenon , born out of lonely days .....
I’m looking forward to it.
Two dogs on the trendy couch look incongruous as do the Christmas card garlands around the room
I need a third
And I need to fold away the cards
Hey ho
Cold
It hasn’t gotten much over freezing all day.
The neolithic burial mound on top of Gop Hill is dusted with snow and stands out in relief against the blue sky.
On and around it are the black spots that are the village children and their squeals of delight as they snowball and sledge can be heard down at the cottage, where I have lit the stove early.
Trendy Carol tottered past on the ice wearing a smart faux fur number
I dozed in the armchair after an icy walk.
But I didn’t dream of Mr Hemingway again,
Which was a shame .
Snow and Hemingway
The snow has fallen fast over the Eastern Welsh hills, so much so that I just had time to buy some logs before Bluebell slid precariously over the road East of the village
I was glad to have finished work for a week. I am tired
Last night I slept on my break , my head resting in my hand
I had a dream that I was dating the writer Ernest Hemingway, I’ve always had a bit of thing for him
He had a thick moustache and heavy stubble and wore a blue woolen jumper with a hole at the neck and he had a touch of dandruff
He also looked 60 which surprised me as I only consider myself as a “young” middle age thing
But he had the voice like chocolate and kissed like Doris Day every time I passed him in the kitchen doorway
So I didn’t mind much
He also stood smiling at me as I hurried around the cottage looking for Mary to walk before I went to work.
And I tried to cling onto that image when my phone called me back from break with a vibrating tinkle
I was very pissed off that it was a dream
very
Mary, Dorothy bounce with a friend when out with the dog Walker
God Loves A Trier
I’ve had my hair pulled, face slapped and my face mask pulled off several times tonight
Violence seldom happens in the hospice and it’s usually only a product of terminal agitation.
Everything is quieter now but I’m watching the sleeping patient closely.
Intensive care prepared me well for such occurrences.
It’s only 1.13 am
I’m not complaining , I’ve just read that my former colleagues on the local intensive care unit are having a real crap time of things see link
I send them all my love and respect
So many people have forgotten those Thursday nights
When we clapped for those on intensive care who tried so hard to help the victims of the first wave.
I will leave you with some frivolous and some hastily snapped shots of Albert who has decided that in Winnie’s absence he will settle for a “mini me” in the shape of a somewhat perplexed Dorothy.
God loves a trier
Never Far From Me
My patient was listening to a message from a best friend living under lockdown in another country
I was changing the medication in their syringe driver and was doing so very quietly.
The message was in the form of a song that I recognised and it’s effects were understandably profound and incredibly moving to watch
I’m on nights, covering sickness then I have a week’s leave.
I try to book a weeks holiday every eight weeks or so.
The stressors of hospice work are very different to those exhausting times, I remember on ITU and Spinal Injuries. They are subtle and insidious and lockdown makes recharging a little more challenging
Any time I feel low
I just don't know how you know
You are never far from me
You are never far from me
Once again, there goes the phone
How could you possibly know
You are never far from me
You are never far from me
Before the time that you go
There is something you should know
You will always be in me
You are never far from me
The song is a beautiful one.
The scenario I observed was a beautiful one too...but terribly sad......
And after two night shifts, I’ve sorted out to cover sickness I am off for a whole week
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