All women do the same

 I love good theatre but I’m not a huge Opera Buff.

I have my favourites for sure but at 61 Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte ( translated as All Women Do The Same)seems to have slipped me by, so as it was my friend Ruth’s birthday, I thought , I would take her. ( she inherited a love for the medium from a mum steeped in London Culture who ended her days in Llanfairfechan.)

We saw a quality production for sure, but it’s themes of grooming, entrapment, fickle female sexual behaviour and infidelity seemed rather unhealthy which had Ruth observing if this wasn’t Mozart no one would be here!!!

The singing quality was amazing, truly sublime at times, as you would expect of The Welsh National Opera but I have to be honest I’d had enough after two hours of three of sexual subterfuge. 

Before the Opera we went for a lovely supper at Dylan’s where I had something called Mochyn Budr which means Dirty Pig in Welsh . It was fantastic 

I got home late and happy at having the first really nice time in two weeks  and the reality  hit me as sharply as slap in the face would have done. The Welsh , raised their heads sleepily from the reading chair in the kitchen and smiled a hello , but there was not the hysterical, tail wagging welcome from Dorothy as I’ve been used to for over the past five years. 

I sat at the kitchen table and for the first time since she was diagnosed by the kind Spanish vet , I had a good loud cry.

Only then did the Welsh get up and put concerned paws on my knees, their noses cold sniffing my face.

 

Hostiles

I watched the western drama Hostiles last night, which has the pitch perfect final scenes of any movie I care to mention.

It’s a brutal and hard film to watch, but it has a hopeful final theme of redemption.

Today I’ve bought paint and dust sheets to repaint the kitchen and have started to wash everything down

Nick and Velvet Voiced Linda , Lywenna and Eirlys have called around with gifts of eggs, and jam and a gin and tonic. 

Mrs Trellis dropped in a sort of essay which I have yet to read .

People are so very kind 

I am off out shortly it’s my friend Ruth’s birthday and I’m taking her to supper then the Opera

The Welsh

The Welsh terriers are quiet. 

Not that they are pining, which they are not.

It is because things are different.

Mary is now back in charge

She sat in Dorothy’s old spot all evening last night

Hogging my attention, licking my hands and feet and followed me around as Dorothy would have.

She and Roger came to bed, gleefully rubbing snouts on the duvet as they made circles to settle.

Typically Roger is going with the flow. 

He really hasn’t got a clue, his job of home protector continues with excited, woofing gallops into the garden whenever anything bigger than a blackbird can be seen. 

He employs a Zebedee type bounce when any human goes past in the vague hope he can obtain a hug and still can’t quite maintain his balance when putting paws onto Bluebells dashboard.

He is, and will always be, a tonic

Normal

 Trendy Carol ( probably sporting something springlike in green) sent some flowers around with her hubby yesterday. I told him, and I meant it that I should be the one buying flowers for if it wasn’t for them , I would not have been able to keep my dogs let alone acquire one like Dorothy .

I bought them a bunch of flowers too, and signed them with thanks , Dorothy x

I went to college today then bought some towels on the way home. I’m on annual leave this week

The cottage is quiet, I’m managed to read all your comments tonight , and am thankful I’ve only had to delete a couple , you’re a nice bunch and I feel supported 

Postscript

To add to today’s post 

Some perspective . Last night before we went to bed I put Dorothy in a pair of adult incontinence knickers.

(She took a small.)I’m sentimental, but I’m no fool even with the palliative care of my own bulldog.

She had the energy to look down slowly at the nappy , then looked me directly in the eye with a “ What the fuck have you just done to me !!!! ” look on her face.

It made me laugh out loud

Monday

Emotionally speaking it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster  ride over the past two weeks..ever since a blogger insulted me on line, only removing the insult when challenged by a third party. The internet allows for such behaviour .

Such words would never be verbalised if I was stood there in person and the whole thing strangely upset me.  Work has been challenging at times . I’ve had to pass an interview and essays too

It’s all been a bit h e a v y .

The antibiotics I’ve been prescribed have made me intermittently nauseous but have reduced most of the soft tissue infection in my face. However my glands remain swollen and painful, and I’m self conscious and down about how I look. 

I still have my effing cold too.

Dorothy last night with me on the sofa she’d just shared a frankfurter sausage !

And of course Dorothy died early this morning 

I’m relieved she won’t have to linger any more and was grateful for having time to spend with her on the couch over the weekend with the fire lit warmly.it was her time and I’m glad.

At the end she looked a little worried but hid her head under my chin as I told her to be a brave girl. She snapped at the others so as usual it was only me and her against the world.

The last smell she smelled was me, 

the last voice she heard was mine

In the five years since she came to me, she’s always been such a scared girl at times

But not scared anymore.

I’m going to the cinema later.

The place that makes me better.

A Chippy Tea

 

When the world and their mothers were busy with Mothering Sunday, I took the dogs to the beach and out for a chippy tea.

Now I’m sure many of you may not know what A Chippy Tea is, so I shall explain . A Chippy Tea ( or Dinner) is when historically the lady of the house , through busyness, illness, holiday time or whatever had decided not to cook that mealtime and a rare “ take out” was in order.

For my family A Chippy Tea was a rarity and a treat.

It remains so

It must be well over 2 years since I last had one.

Now, for those that still remain in the dark , the meal consists of a large battered fish fillet ( usually cod or haddock ) lying on a bed of chips. These chips are thick cut fresh fries that are slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, but generally in the steam of the take out, they can be just soft! 

Everything is covered with a generous amount of malt vinegar and salt. Then wrapped in a box and paper.

It’s a delight on a miserable day.

We ate it in the beach car park. Dorothy had a small battered fish of her own ( with half the batter removed) where the Welsh shared my box 

Sweet

 Dorothy has had a comfortable day 

Trendy Carol’s Husband came around to visit with a pork steak in hand.

He’s looked after Dorothy everyday I’ve been at work, holiday and college for the past 5 years. 

And I couldn’t stand to watch as he stroked her head gently  and called her his Dotty, and so busied myself with something in the kitchen as he said his tearful goodbyes.