A word from ............

2011-07-21T16:10:00.003+01:00

Yesterday i skivved as in sloped off and did better stuff ie collected nell from the royal welch not better but different. The shops getting me down Well not the shop just the people, why oh why is everybody so bloody negative? "it's to hot" its to cold" we need some rain" its to wet !!!!!!! for god sake i just want to put my fingers in my ears and LALALA at them. And the best if somethings sold why does every bugger want it?? beats me but i just may walk around and stick sold on everything....

And i'm even more fed up cos if the collection of nell hadnt been unplanned i could have met up for tea with my shropshire mates, we had it at the 3 horseshoes near welshpool Not recommended [cafe food at restaurant prices], i'm sure sbs and mountainear would have known somewhere :[ scooters in for its MOT so look out girls nells got a scooter now ..

The lovely picture is from last year in new quay i soooooooo need a break ...

2011-06-23T16:57:00.002+01:00

Geee Wizzzzzzzzz how long as it been ? Far to long and so much as been going on .

Reading my last blog i see i was closing down and having a break well that was a luxury i couldnt afford, so now i've got a junk shop or should i say I am the mad proprieter of Two vintage emporiums Ha !! mad woman spread between two junks shops suits me better..

The animals are all doing fine though seeing less of me the kids are yuk !! don't mean that do i? yes cols busy grandpas just died :[ .

Woodfest was great my throat still hurts to much singing and laughing, fun time though meeting up with old friends and getting bladdered don't blame me it was the coppers fault! long story and far funnier after Wine.

Off to see "A midsummer nights dream" at Gwydr castle tonight do hope the rain doesn't fall, sorrels treating me , she was 21 last month [far older than me now] can't believe it We had a wet party with a band playing in the marquee......Got to go shakespear awaits xx

ps also been painting everything Farrow and ball Arsnic, don't stand still col >

"ecstatic trance dance"

2010-06-29T11:13:00.003+01:00

It sounds a bit weird doesn't it .....Thats what i thought so i went!! And it was a fantastic experience let me tell you all about it...

The teacher T had newly qualified and i had be invited along as a guest to her house with a friend to celebrate their where only five of us including T.
She lives in an idylic spot in a beautiful house overlooking rolling hills, The studio was calm and had opening doors taking in the view.. It was all very laid back no alcohol just tea .
I felt a wee bit self concious as i'd spent the hour before chasing sheep from the garden and had just enough time for a quick wash and grab whatever was clean to wear {crops and a huge green t shirt} no make up. Everybody else had made an effort and looked lovely in floaty dresses and lots of jewellery [the way i used to dress].....

We stood in our own space feet apart calmly breathing in through our noses and out through our mouths Eyes shut.
Then the ryhthm started We had to move our toes to the music for what seemed like ages then our legs etc etc i was a bit wary of my neck and shoulders they'd been painful for days and a trip to the neck doctor was due....
The rhythm changed and our breathing two fast breaths in through the nose and one out from the mouth which we had to do every time i daily thought started to intrude...The music was tribal and we had to bend our knees keeping them soft and shake boobs bum legs everything it was really quiet weird to let go but i did and i stood on one spot {{{shake' shake' shakin'}}} and breathing fit to hyperventilate..
We where told we may see visions or recieve messages it effects people differently i'd listened tongue in cheek..
But it was true it worked i got quiet emotional and cried while i shook, i can't explain really what happened i felt connected to my ancestors i saw a great line stretching back through time a line of females all with so much in common still connected then before i could really rationalise it a normal thought intruded and no matter how fast i breathed or shook i couldnt recapture that moment.
The music slowed and i peeped i couldnt help it!! And I was at the other end of the room facing the wall with no awareness of how i got there.
Next was a complete "free for all" just dance inside or out with your eyes closed with the chanting "breathe of fire take me higher" Then we all slowed and lay on the ground while T played [is that the word] her huge crystal singing bowl the vibration seemed to resonate all the way down your spine to your toes..I very nearly slept.
We had danced for over 2 hours it felt like a quarter of that.

We all sat up bleary eyed and wrapped ourselves in blankets and held hands and said the first words to come into our heads i said "connected"...We sat outside until midnight and watched the moonrise..........
To finish the evening off i slept in the woods with tye, i dream't of owls and a black swan chasing a grey chiken..
I have been so calm my neck feels great, and i feel like i found a piece of myself which as been buried beneath the daily grind of day to day living for years..Very very hard to explain...
And next time i believe it will be even better.

I have also decided to give up the shop it's up for let, i want to be free , I need to be outside rain or shine...

I've got a tow bar!!!!!!!!

2010-06-16T13:59:00.004+01:00

Years ago 18 to be exact my friends husband and i went halfs on a trailor he had a tow bar i didnt ?? figure that.

Now i have one and theres no stopping me.

I bought a mangle for 1p on ebay and scales huge things for weighing spuds for £2.80 more scales these cost a tenner a belfast sink for £5 and any other huge things nobody else wants to move .

It's great fun especialy the reversing which i can't do, i have to leap out and do it by hand.

i've been to the tip twice and have more trips planned ie 2 old dishwashers and some bunkbeds and bundles of wire. all the things i'd stopped seeing laying around the place,isnt it amazing how unsightly things become invisible after awhile...

And I wonder is that what our grans thought of ,of their mangles..

young ethan.

2010-06-08T11:22:00.001+01:00

There was an awful acident this week early morning before i was to set off for the woodfest. Ethan the big greyhound in the middle had a collision with one of the others while running around and the impact broke his neck, there was nothing that could be done and he had to be put to sleep

One day i'll write a cheery blog but life just seems to be doleing out dross for me at the moment.

2010-05-20T11:25:00.003+01:00

Dear heavens above it's ages since i blogged!!

It's really hard isn't it when you've not done it for a while just how hard it is to get going.

We have been really busy i'm working most days [i still have to turn in even if there are no customers in town]..

Last week i went to collect some ebay buys From Blackpool..

A Mangle and a big agricultural scale etcetcetc. I'm new to towing so it was quite an adventure thank gawd i didn't need to reverse.

We did the tourist bit ate at a "greasy jo's" looked around the swag shops, and paid a visit to the "rock shop" . It very nearly made me blush, the shapes rock comes in these days!

It's the "Woodfest" in 2 weeks and i'm having an implement stall as well as clothes hopefully it will boost my takings . If not they will look good in the garden.

He had us fooled .

2010-04-02T12:45:00.003+01:00

April 1st Well he fooled us into thinking he was much better, then sneaked off to the place with no fences the minute we turned our backs. TTFN monty i'm sure you'll be waiting at the pearly gates, Which of course you will be sagging in the middle like all ours. xx

When he first arrived i thought "what the hell have i done". At 4 monthes he was all bottom lip and back legs and no evidence of a single brain cell!

As the years passed we learnt this wasn't the case at all, his dopey appearance hid the cunning of a fox and a brain like einstein and a sense of humour [yes thats right ] and i was the butt of most of his jokes..

There wasn't a field or stable which would hold him and electic fences pah bring 'em on .

I've got loads of bent posts and i've watched him albeit without him knowing place his hoof carefully at the bottom of the plastic pole and bend it to the ground so the wire is grounded then then he'd pick up his skirts [if he wore them] and daintly step over...

Also this january when all was frozen including the new pond, i went out to check him and his footprints led across the ice to a monty shaped hole in the middle !!!! I was alone and frantic thinking he was under the ice i couldn't see him so i ran all around the fields, crying and calling his name it's not easy finding a black and white horse when everything is monochrome he didnt reply because he was hiding behind a tree sniggering into his tash!!! Arrgghhhhhhhh he's been a pain and cost me a fortune but boy will we miss him .

WINNIE THE POO ??

2010-02-12T16:59:00.002Z

I wasn't going to blog then i looked at my side bar and noticed a winnie the poo?? i don't remember seeing him there under followers before ? I clicked and it was Woozle it made me smile and think how lucky we all are .. ps was she always winnie ?? i thought she was a church steeple or something is she playing tricks I wouldn't be surprised. xxx

2010-01-28T11:49:00.003Z

Yikes I was supposed to invent something in november!!! thanks Tatty..

Now what would it be ? A machine that put all the commas, dashes and full stops in the right places would be handy!

I Think i'd like to invent a magic pen and paper so what you drew came to be..

Imagine i could draw my house finished all built and lived in , and drawn Monty in his field and there he'd be as good as gold, i could sit on a mountain and draw my house TIDY imagine and the pots washed. I could draw sick people well and bad folk behind bars..

The list goes on and on and on and on..

It's full now !!

2009-11-24T14:55:00.000Z

But we'll be waiting for some fine weather before we landscape..

Taking stock !

2009-11-05T13:37:00.002Z

It's been absolutly ages since i've felt the urge to blog, and even now with lots to tell i can't quite find the words.

We have closed the Holyhead shop and re-opened in LLanrwst , it's really nice to be back there and S and i swap once a week {she does denbigh} and i work in this lovely little shop, it's more like a party actualy i ran it for 6years before i leased it out in 96 and made a heap of good friends who are taking it in turns to take me to lunch {so much for the stone i lost}...

Denbigh is doing well and it was the plum fest last week so trade was up. I also much to my surprise won the window competition !! some one had sneakily entered me into it.

Also if anyone fancies a daft night out that crap medium {about 3 blogs down} is coming back to the town hall on the 11th nov, i'm going Berludy £5 a ticket now though...

Did you hear about the machette attack we had on the caravan, well it's not resolved , the police finally went around to the guys house 11 days after the incident !!!!! What hope hey!!Meanwhile i'm not sleeping all the stories that have come back to me concerning the chap are gross for example "Lighting a live sheep" "shooting a dog and not quite finishing it off so dragging it around behind its{i'll leave the mistake} car until it died as you would !!!!!!!!!!!! .

Well thats the scum who is now in my radar !!

Meanwhile after 20yrs security as become important we have never had any, but now everythings locked and cameras are being fitted..I'll quietly Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrowl and bide my time.

Harrogate.

2009-10-14T14:05:00.001+01:00

Well i'm a convert I loved the place and i'm taking colin and the girls back for a visit [tied in hopefully with collecting a 1930s kitchen don't ask just another new fetish!!]. I'm looking for cheap bookings at the same hotel as it was so handy but much as i enjoyed it there will be no breakfasts at Bettys for us though, i think the bill for our table of 4 for rostis and tea was £67 !!
Very nice mind!
It was a delight to meet everyone again and 3 new faces to put to names and avatars.
First Patsy what a Luv a wee scottish lass I can't posssibly imagine her doing things to animals with thermometres though i'm sure they wouldn't mind one bit! she was a bit of a rascal though and tempted us all with chocolates and openly encouraged fred to let somethings "rhyming with vests to get untucked "!! [The mind boggles] and fred ever one to please and surrounded in a smokey haze proceeded to do so in the street!! Kings road to be exact with 3 lanes of traffic! I must hasn't to add she didn't remove her teeth Though her eye fell out later on.

And tiggywinkle what a glamourpuss just like Honor blackman?? and she could chat for ireland what an exciting world she lives in !! jetsetting all over the place! i do envy her,her coo meeting with Francis in New york i bet they had lots talk about.

And then there was faith just as i expected except for the voice, I'm sorry everyone but you all have an accent in my imagination and i've never been correct yet! when faith writes she as a twee little girly sweety pie type of accent ie 1930s upper class.
Imagine my surprise when she sounded like janet street porter [it was a nice surprise] .

We ate and drank at two lovely restaurants which i will visit again [thanks kitty].
Elisabethm collected me from denbigh and drove me to harrogate and i had a lift home with sbs and mountaineer so i feel like i had a real proper break thanks girls.
Fab to meet withy again with more time this time she is amazing and as fit as ever and fiesty.
Woozle and angel were missed by us welsh border lot but we had a drink for them in fact we had a drink for everyone, [remember the bottle of wine i carried around for 2 nights] shhhhhhh and talked into the early hours.. Now all i want to do is sleep xx y'all

2009-09-15T11:29:00.003+01:00

September is here one of my favourite month's .

And how does it happen who makes the light suddenly cider coloured and the air smell intoxicating? it's as if mother natures changed her light bulb And swapped her pot pourri to apple and spice.

Each morning this week i've leapt!! Yes leapt!! out of bed in anticipation of the Glorious dawns that have been awaiting me. I feel livelier than i have all year, And can't wait for the day to begin.

With these lovely morning's comes mist and a muffled silence and of course cobwebs. Venturing outside first takes some courage as i'm spider phobic and before i've walked two steps arms outstretched a strand will have broken across my face urgghh! but the mornings to good to waste. By the time i'm at the chickens the sun is just peeping over the back of the mountain and the mist starts to melt away and break up into scary looking wraiths.

I let the ducks and the goose out first What a lot of noise then the chickens a mad mayhem of cackling feathers, Albert jumps onto the highest perch and let's loose an earsplitting "Cock a doodle dooo" I love it..

I have to literally shake the young billys awake just like teenagers they'd lie in bed all day, and drag them bleating and trying their hardest to thwart any attempt i make at tethering them out.

Meanwhile tye the lurcher as dissapeared into the mist and i hear a squeal he won't want dinner, the others all run in his direction hoping for a share, they'll be lucky.

Seven words..

2009-08-06T11:22:00.002+01:00

Faithful.
Thats right once you've got me for a friend it's forever sorry but your stuck with me.

Sensitive.
Yes i am !! and can be easily hurt but don't show it.

Tenacious.
I'll never give in or give up. And i bear grudges .

Spontanious.
"Procrastination is the thief of time" and i hate wasting time...and really can't cope
with people who faff.
Impatient.
Terribly, it walks hand in hand with the above i suppose...
Daft.
I have a complete sense of the ridiculous and "i'm always up for a laugh".

Hold my own council ??
Can't think of the word to use but i'll sit and listen i'm good at that and give my opinion , but i won't argue or put my point forcibly forward. I'll sit back and wait for the sh.. to hit the fan, and think "Ha told you so". [should i use the word smug]?

A complete pushover...
for a sob story or a daft looking dog...
Ps never do as i'm told hence 9 answers

2009-08-04T15:01:00.006+01:00

It was that time of year again The village sports day.

It always gives me a warm snuggly feeling to see all my friends not just for 5 minutes here and there but for ALL DAY.

The bum above belongs to T we have been best friends since we were 12/13 yrs kindred spirits and we bring out the worst or it could be the best in each other and it takes a little while to remember ourselves then there i am in the twinkle of her eye "I DARE YOU" "not that you need a sumo suit fatty" ahhhh "Well you need one" i reply "anyway you'd be scared of damaging your hair!!! Lacqeur ?? Head". And the final jab "you may get dirty" The above pictures are the result ...LOL

I tell you the next day i couldn't move.

Bryn.

2009-08-04T13:57:00.006+01:00

Some pictures of bryn he's not the most photogenic and the photos do him no justice..He's the one lay down brindle and white..

I now have birds.

2009-07-09T14:29:00.003+01:00

Col came out with a corker "When are we getting pigs"? Why ? well you decide to get birds after all these years when theres bird flu!!! i just thought it might be a trend". grrrrrrrr

Well i'm now the proud grandma of 2 ducklings 2 goslings 2 guinea fowl , 4 peking bantams , 2 normal hens and 10 x-battery hens thats 22 birds how did that happen ??

Anyway who cares, the introducktion to the dogs as not taken place yet and i suspect i may lose a few,i won't even risk the babies yet. The ducklings have decided that the white gosling who's seriously loopy is their mother, they are lovely to watch. The cocks better now and his feathers are growing back a proper gent.

Sbs and her hubby delivered the battery hens to us on sunday, it was great to see them and natter and natter and natter.. The ladies have settled in fine and we haven't lost any they are still in the stable we'll try them outside on sunday.

Now i want a goat as a field mate for monty etc ..

Elisabethm came to see me at the shop this week she's looking really well , rosy cheeked and fit after her offas dyke walk, we are all hoping for another get together soon woollerton ? was mentioned..

This saturday it's the ale and cider festival in the Vale of clwyd, and buses are running all evening from Denbigh to the outlying pubs which are participating at £3 a ticket i think i'll be going..

Then on sunday it's the Gwaenynog show only a little show but i love the garden it's a bit unkempt like mine.

I'm just hoping the bus journey the evening before doesn't make me to ill to go . bah

Denbigh Ball Drop.....

2009-06-27T11:23:00.002+01:00

It's true, Every year in june the mayor drops a basket of balls down bull lane in denbigh, And the first one to the bottom wins a £100..I've no idea where the tradition stems from ..
You can see st lawrences tower in the back ground...so much for getting a minute to blog the shop is now full so i have to go .

Medium not even close !

2009-06-20T11:10:00.003+01:00

Last night i went to watch a medium in the local town hall. It all came about when i went for lunch at the local eattery "The Glass onion " and i spotted the poster with a picture of a beautiful, ethereal ,golden haired lady wearing a long flowing blue cape with mist and clouds around her. The sign read "Come for an evening of clarvoyance with Sapphire. A night you will remember forever . £2. per person..
Well how could i resist?? So i made plans to meet up with the cafe owner and go.
I was early . I'd had to hang around for an extra hour after work to save the drive home and back, and the shop when its closed is a bit spooky and my imagination was all over the place...

When i got upstairs to the hall there were some dodgy looking charactors [what a snob am i] but You know the type or maybe not... No teeth and tattoed heads.....Well they were taking pictures of everywhere and everyone the empty stage etc . And I realised they where trying to photograph orbs or spirit activity ! and there was a great deal of excitment and camera clicking when a moth fluttered around the stage ?? nothing unusual there believe me.

I sat right at the back so i could nip to the bar for more wine, S arrived and grabbed her becks and we waited to be enlightened. What i hadnt realised was the floor is sprung and as i raised my glass someone passed and my wine bounced out of my glass and landed down my neck well that was it hilarity set in for the night...
Then Sapphire arrived she was an awful shock!! At least 65, black,black hair with ginger/grey roots, a sleeveless nylon mini dress not good with very bad posture and very boney limbs, american tan tights and peep toe shoes finished off with a waspy belt [remember them] with a butterfly buckle which made her skirt lift up at the front over her pot belly we were nearly glimpsing knickers !! and all this on a tall stage under floodlights {{{{urgghhhh}}}} scary stuff!!

She rolled her eyes and cocked her ear as if listening and said in [a brummy accent] " can anyone take a Robert" huh all blank faces "or it could be a Rob" still blank. "or maybe a Bobby" she was getting desperate " wait it's faint but it could be a roberta".It was very hard not giggle.
Ok i'll leave robert she said. [can you do that?] again rolling her eyes and listening over her shoulder " I have a lady! here quite an old lady she's got grey hair [Noooo] and her name is Mrs Jones" Well i choked and my shoulders were heaving ! We're in Wales for gawd sake!! half the population are Jones's! Well needless to say some hands were raised surprise, surprise. And it was interesting to watch how desperate people were to believe.
At one point i nearly fell off my chair, when she suddenly pointed at a group of 3 ladies and said "are you going to the hairdressers this week"?"or sometime in the near future? They all had really bad hair" and they all nodded . I think a guffaw may have slipped out at this stage, because i got an elbow in the ribs.
Then she asked does anyone drive a Black BMW ? some one raised there hand, and they were told it would fly through it's MOT it was getting really bad! Groannnnn.
I'd like to think if a spirit was going to contact me it would not be to tell me i'm having my hair done or my cars in good nick . I'd want a meaningful message. Needless to say out of all the meagre 30 or so audience we were the only ones who weren't contacted . Whys that i wonder ??

The Woodfest 2009.

2009-06-10T13:06:00.007+01:00

What you going to bid on ? asked colin Me nothing ! and 30 seconds later i found myself bidding for a bench with a twirly bit that i'd watched evolve over the weekend from 3 chunks of wood. But damn i was outbid!! never mind now that i'd started i was hooked . I won nothing but had great pleasure in the adrenalin rush !! when i panic because i've bid £500 i don't have on something i don't really want and then i have that awful few seconds when i think i'm going to win it...

I bid on the eagle above it went for £1700 .

The dragon fly was huge about 30ft. [As was my bench with the twirly bit Major sulk.]

The lady with a dragonfly on her back was a bit scary i wouldn't fancy meeting her in the woods. She went for £2000.

The table at the top will be mine when i've negotiated a bit more.

The evenings are good to when all the public have left and all the woodcarvers and loggers and pole climbers from all over the world drink and chat and burn all the wood offcuts...

It's a tireing weekend but i can't wait until next year..

Woodfest Wales.

2009-05-30T13:28:00.004+01:00

Anybody in North Wales next week it's the WOODFEST and i'm soo looking forward to it. It's a working holiday Where i set up my marquee and sell clothes to wonderfully jolly folk all out for a good day .............. I'll be camping for the 3 nights even though its only 10 miles from home, and enjoying the live music and beer tent while col stays at home.. I'm taking extra children this time I must be mad, but it'll be fun.

Last year i bought myself a bench made out of planks of gnarly elm with the bark still on and this year i want a table to match. I also nearly bought a 9ft chair which was a green man [Amazing] which i'd watched grow out of a log, there are a group of chainsaw artists who over the weekend create some amazing sculptures,which are all auctioned of on the sunday Very tempting if i've had a busy weekend..

WELL WORTH A VISIT!

An hour on the beach .

2009-05-09T13:24:00.003+01:00

Llanfairfechan one of my favourite beaches just before the sea turns into the menai strait, a wonderful place to beachcomb, and your always guaranteed to come home with a pocket full of seaglass and shells... Does any one know what that rock is with a hook in it ?? an anchor maybe and i've no idea if these ancient trees are tide breaks or an eel trap?? very picturesque whatever they are.....

And when the walk is done a coffee laced with brandy in the unchanged Arts & Crafts cafe .

The walk home from pont y gwyddol.

2009-05-01T10:38:00.013+01:00

....Sometimes i just NEED to walk and just breathe in and absorb the Green ! do you understand? I hope so or else i must sound completely bonkers......so col dropped me off at the back of our hill after work with "Ben bodran" our ancient 16yr old JRT, and we walked and we sat and we just listened.. we watched a bird pretend to be injured holding it's wing down to distract us from its nest. I trespassed a bit, to visit old friends ie badger setts and tree stumps! but i'm sure my neighbours wouldn't mind, i did no damage and left no trace...

And now i'm working in the shop dressed head to foot in green playing Kate West on the cd and feeling like i've got back in touch with the goddess.......Mad i know.

spring in Eden.

2009-04-22T14:18:00.005+01:00

The shops looking lovely at the moment and the lovely fresh smell of the cotton and silk, the new collections been recieved really well ! thank heavens because i'd forgotten what i'd ordered you have to do it 6 months in advance and i can't remember what i did yesterday..

Tomorrow i'm off to manchester to trawl the warehouse for accessories, it's one job i love doing choosing loads of jewellery and handbags and scarves ,and then the pleasure of displaying them the day after i'll need lots of turqoise, natural wood and stones tee hee i can't wait..

Before i set off though i've got my first weigh in at slimmers world Gulp!

PENMON.

2009-03-18T12:07:00.007Z

Whats this?

Would you stick your camera in there?

The Dovecot

Penmon.

Last week we went on a ride to Penmon Priory [Llanfaes] on Anglesey, I've visited it once before last year pili pala took me there. How could i not have visited this place before it's mentioned in some of my favourite novels sharon penmans "Here be dragons" trilodgy and i'm sure in Barbara erskines "Child of the pheonix".....it's in a beautiful setting you can imagine Cadfael pottering around there...Sadly this was not to be we pulled up on the bikes and removed our helmets there was radio 1 blaring and a scouse bloke held out his meaty fist for a parking fee which also allowed us into the museum,it's worth it....inside are some celtic crosses rescued and kept safe on dating from the 10th century as had one of it's arms sawn off to be used as a window lintel. Theres a shiela-na-gig and other interesting bits...

My favourite is outside The carp pool and St siriols well of which i've no photos ??

But being nosey and wanting to test my camera i stuck it down a dark hole and look what it showed up.Top photos.

On the way out i said to the bloke you should be wearing a monks habit and playing some gregorian chants." Not a berludy chance" he said "they don't pay me enough " ..Salt of the Earth

Cheeky young soldier...

2009-02-27T13:34:00.003Z

Climbing up the stairs of the dusty antique centre a face caught my eye it was a photo of a soldier hung on the wall, i passed by dismissing it from my mind.

After pottering around upstairs for a while looking at antique tiles and choosing one to buy i headed back down with my purchase reaching the bottom of the stairs i turned around to meet the lovely smile of this boy i climed back up the few steps and scrutinized him, i usually find these sad photos depressing but i found i couldnt help smiling back...I noticed the price tag £9.50 Leaving the shop with my tile i looked back again...

That night i couldnt sleep why hadnt i bought it ???........ Because how could i that lovely young face so familiar so full of promise and eagerness ... did he live did he survive the war? .. The words of a song came to mind "a whole generation that was butchered and damned".. "enclosed in forever behind a glass frame" just two lines but so sad.......Had this photo been the only reminder of a son lost at war or had he arrived home safely back to his family..

Needless to say i went back for it and he now hangs on my kitchen wall making me smile with his lovely face, i like to think he came home and married his sweetheart and had a family .....

Strangest of all ! though not so strange, as it may explain my attraction, but theres more than a passing resemblance to jake my boy.....

Intrepid explorers.

2009-02-24T11:23:00.006Z

If you get a smaller bike you'll be able to keep up with me, i said looking at cols 650cc monster next to my 125 scooter "eh" he said raising a quizzical eyebrow trying to figure out my logic, As if.

Well its simple to me ! i'm always getting lost ! i pride myself on getting lost ! it's all part of the discovery process when out on my vespa, and if he has to do an 80 point turn on a muddy track that i managed in one , because i went the wrong way and he followed well i'm not waiting..

So he did he traded in his monster for a neat navy largish scooter fair does to him.....

So yesterday we did our second trip together we left at 8am and headed down to Ludlow.

l know a beautiful route that i had to show him avoiding all A or b roads if possible he's christened it the cattle grid route cos we went over at least 18..

Needless to say it was cold but not wet.

The view above is from the long myndd a fabulous road that takes you from the stipperstones to church stretton, not recommended for the faint hearted as theres an extremely narrow very steep decent.

If any of you have read mary webs " GONE TO EARTH" or watched the film the stipperstones are where the devils chair is [SBS will no doubt correct me] i wasnt sure which outcrop was which .

I'd past both SBS's house and Mountaineers so i'd left them carrier bags of inula to plant...I didnt knock this time but last week we'd stopped for a panned [cuppa] at mountaineers Thank You xx

I'm trying to work out how to put my photos in the right order on my blogs i hope it works this time.

Things that go bump in the night..and Ludlow.

2008-12-06T10:55:00.003Z

It was 4.44 am and i woke up with a start " whats that noise" shhhhhh listen . Slither push slither good god what is it ??

Living where i do i'm used to all sorts of nocturnal noises but this wasn't bats or mice in the loft this was on the roof [And it wasn't a berludy sheep] there were no footsteps pawsteps what ever ! just a dragging sort of noise ! Whats getting dragged over my roof ???? I don't know i hid under the blanket and it went away ............

Ludlow again was fantastic it's the start of christmas for me..

We rented the town house again in leominster [ Library mews] and i would recommend it to anyone who wants to be at the centre of things for a few days. All level walking to the shops and pubs absolute Bliss!!

There were 8 of us this year 7 adults and one Nell poor thing .

I'd also recommend the Jazz bar Sticky tables and sticky floors and string to flush the chain with "very bohemian" Live music and bar staff that looked like they'd been through the wringers one looked like she'd suddenly burst into song No NOOO regrets.

Isnt it the daft things that stick in your mind us all shouting to be heard over the music with a steady stream of punters all tugging their forlocks or saying something completely ilegible?? [not understandable] And Nell sprawled across the table fast asleep her ability to sleep through anything i have cultivated..

And we are going to be in the newspaper or summat. A gent dressed as a merry man took our photos ???? in the fair ..

Colon nearly stuffed up our meeting with Woozle who was coming to the house.. She saw him in the car park and asked him directions and he said he didn't know?? Crossed wires Or cloth ears on cols part Ha..

We did all meet up though and ended up back in ludlow for lunch, it was lovely to see everyone again especially pili who'd come all the way from france ...... until next time xx

PS still no idea what was on the roof ?? Santa and his sack maybe.

Time to spare. So what do i do with it.

2008-10-23T12:34:00.005+01:00

Don't these dogs realise how lucky they are ? I wouldnt let just anyone wear my wellies.

You can tell i was bored

Not impressed !!

Holyhead.

2008-10-08T16:55:00.003+01:00

It's a darn shame the weather wasn't like this on monday. see below.

Holyhead Via ?????

2008-10-07T10:42:00.003+01:00

Yes the urge was upon me again a bit of sunshine and the panic that it'ii be far to cold soon to "go out playing".
And the fact that there's far to much cleaning to possibly be done in one day! so hey why waste the day...........

I should have known ! i should have realised ! when my turquoise babe wouldn't start and i had to opt for the green ebay bargain, It is much faster than the other but it has no back box [essential ] and a very hard suspension but hey hooo needs must...
I was sweating in all my gear , Yessss biggest knickers and longest vest and padded waterproofs and knee pads and spare gloves and fleeces under the seat.'' An unreconisable mitchlin man is me.
I choose to head for the a5 via llanrwst rather than the boring a55..But what a weather change as i got closer to snowdonia and the beautiful conwy valley. The valley was like a lake and as i passed over the humped back bridge i saw the road closed signs but ignored them . Gwydir castle [read Castles in the Air by judith corbett] was surrounded by water and and looked for all the world like something from a fairy story with the mist riseing off the trees behind and the low autmun sun making everything golden and mysterious.. The road was flooded but not to much so i headed off up into the Gwydir forest the road was like a river and there where springs spouting out of walls and tree roots, up up i travelled jarring my spine everytime i forgot to stand up when ever i went over a bump .. Theres a stream up here thats so full of iron you can taste it and all the rocks it passes over are ochre coloured, well it was in full spate today and was rushing down the road past me taking its yellow stones along with it , out of the forest now and on to a more ancient landscape of bogs and mountains i passed a few cyclists feeling smug in the fact i had an engine . This road brings you out at the UGLY HOUSE which isnt its gorgeous. It dates from when if you could have four walls and a chimney built overnight and a fire lit in the grate it was yours and if you stood and threw your axe where it landed was your boundaries.

Then on to capel curig and the ogwen valley the scene of many films WILLOW , MERLIN, TOMB RAIDER. Etc Etc.....But bloody hell its windy and Hailstone made me get off and park up until it stopped ....

On the way home coming down this valley my visor blew off !! and it was horizontal drizzle the type that finds every button hole and gap.. I deliberatly took a different route back to check out the ghostly cycle [ghost forum] Well it wasnt an advertisment it was a memorial to a cyclist killed there, but it was white and hanging in a tree ! sooo the confusion was easy.

Then guess what ?? A Fawn greyhound [that contradicts itself] came out of the hedge and ran alongside me on the opposite side of the road hhhhmmm what to do??
So i kept calling it and it followed me then of course duurrr i was back at Gwydir castle it's one of theirs gone walkabout..... so i popped it in and continued on my way to collect nell from school. I'd gone beyond cold to a numb warm the type you knows going to hurt when you start defrosting.....
Poor Nell her face when shes sees me arrive on the bike but she doesnt refuse the lift.......
A lovely in all but i think the getting home to a warm house and a brandy make it more worthwhile............. PS why did i go to holyhead ?? Well colins there so worthwhile..

Just a wee catch up ....

2008-10-01T14:37:00.003+01:00

This week it's catch up time.I mean i didnt even blog about the Girls visit did i !! Lax or what !!

Well it was brilliant and really well coordinated by Elisabethm who did the ferrying about. Star.

I was a silly twitchy bag of nerves WHY??

No idea !! Cept they where coming to Bodran. Yes my house that last saw a duster 3 monthes before... And a garden that to my eye resembles an explosion of dog turds and builder bags..

Then they were here . It was lovely, kittyb and Lawyerlady 2 brand new people for me to meet and as equally brilliant as any i've met before....

They loved my shop. And Colon bless him with the help of Nell gave me the afternoon off to go play.. Colon Looking enviously at the glut of cakes that had arrived at the shop with them, leave the shop with us. Ha

Lunch out at a mad customers pub..

Then onwards to my place.

We arrived in convoy in time to see a disgruntled sheep legging it up the drive>>>

Standing in my yard and looking up the path towards the house i could see a silver and pink mess !! WHAT THE ?? Whats happened to my MOP BUCKET !?? by then we are all stood there looking , well they are looking at me i'm looking at the bucket . Then jakes head pops out of the house "oh it's you" Whats happened to the bucket ?? i ask " A sheep fell off the roof and landed in it" he'd been watching telly and heard the scrambling and sliding then a sheep dropped past the window and landed on the bucket..........................You couldn't make it up could you.........

This morning on my way to work i saw the hounds from the local kennels out being excercised about 40 of them trotting along the road as merry as ?? dogs getting exercised . And the huntsman and his helper riding along on bikes beside them, What control , it's amazing and it was lovely to see on a misty autumn morning it felt like i'd slipped back to a quieter time..

We've got an amazing array of mushrooms popping up this year far more than normal so i've been out with the camera taking photos so i can identify them.. Is there such a fungus as "dead mans fingers" if so i think we've got them ...

Monty as managed to remain in his field since his starvation stint.

And I have fitted a wood burning stove while cols been away it's brilliant and done in a day instead of the 4 years it took him to connect the last one.. One thing was missing though a chimney pot. The smoke was going up the one flue and down the next ! so brilliant idea i've just the thing !! My rhubarb strainer !! so it's up there a bit fatter than a normal pot but very pretty and doing the job perfectly ............

The photo is of our stall at the anglesey show in August.

Spiralling downwards.....

2008-09-24T11:46:00.002+01:00

When was it that i became invisible to my babies My adored Kp and Thundercat ?..... It wasn't so long that I was the most important person in their lives and i gave my life over to them.... We Where The 3 musketeers the best of friends campfires woodland adventure's, escapes in the van to remote beaches and always love and hugs and kisses...
KP and i have struggled to keep a relationship over the years being the oldest and male he thinks he knows it all! Well he knows a bit ! He's always been careless in his words and actions and hurts without knowing...
Thundercat had trouble with excepting a new baby into the fold but was very grown up and old for her years my best friend and partner in any mischief i got up to....

I've given them both their freedom and treated them like adults and equals.

A few rules .
Don't LIE ever.
And let me know if you won't be home.

Well thundercat as broken both now that i know , i can see when she lied but can't understand why??
As for the last That is unforgivable with mobiles and to switch it OFF . To me it say's any consideration and respect as gone for the mother waiting at home for the phone to ring at 4 am , or driving around the lanes checking out ditches at 3am on christmas eve.....

Well this morning it came to the crunch. I'd been woken at about 4am by a strange melancholy whistle i'd never heard the like before it was from the soul , as it registered i shot up in bed [colins away] and looked out of the windows the dogs weren't disturbed, and didnt awake. Then a shiver went up my back was it the whistler?? our usual chirpy ghost heard but never seen... Was it a portent like a banshee heralding doom and death ?? How your imagination goes wild at night. Then pop into my head the dark thoughts is colin ok on his own as he fell of that flimsy ladder in the dark ??? Sorrel is she home is she in a ditch or worse at this moment being killed arggghhh in those thought s lies madness stop it ! stop it! go to sleep . Reach for a book and blank it out and read until your eyes burn . I dozed and waited for the alarm.... Bleary eye'd i woke Nell. "wheres soz" my uniform and school bag are in her car ... No answer from her mobile it's turned off !! AGAIN !!! Nell runs to the caravan shes not there her cars not there. why doesnt she let me know ? i need to find her so off to the village and check jen's nope then immys then just a general trawl heart racing..then theres her car phewwwwf outside s's house her ex, like she thinks we didn't suspect . why why Why wasnt she just honest and considerate with me i love her........ Now i have growing pains as they grow away and i've grown into the big bad wolf ...

Rambling on..and on and on.....................

2008-08-15T12:05:00.004+01:00

I don't really know what to write my life seems so full of inconsequental things that i can't focus.

It's the ragwort time of year for me it really does spoil my summer as every spare hour is spent pulling the bloody stuff up !! and after 21yrs of back breaking labour I have decided to resort to poison next year !!
My dogs are neglected as is the garden the washing pile is higher than me and montys lame ! Why am i sitting in this shop?? why is col working miles away renovating jakes house ?? why do we let ourselves get sidetracked into others lives [namely our children]? will we ever learn /i don't think so...
Can you tell i'm feeling down. i just seem to have run out of steam...

I did the eglwysbach show on saturday it rained all day but people still spent. We then did the anglesey show mon- tue- wed it rained.....and trying to sleep in the van was pretty tough with the rain belting down..
I did meet a new supplier of hand woven raw cotton clothing which is lovely and individual, theres already lots of interest in it...

Last week we went to yorkshire for a night to view and order next years summer collection ..it was nice to get away and stay in a hotel and feel a little pampered..
I've just sold my first piece of the new cotton clothing not bad considering it's only been in the window for 15 minutes...
Last week the shop flooded just before we went away, no stock was damaged but my new carpet suffered . Apparently the drain blocked during a downpour and it came through my wall Lovely'..
Tyson was poorly last week , bless him he had a bladder infection and couldn't stop peeing, he's better now.. Then Monty got laminitus for the first time That'll teach him keep breaking out..And what a pathetic patient he was typical bloke looking really sorry for himself, well he's been starved for a week now and he looks fabulouse and is much happier..
i just had a customer in who wanted to exchange some trousers she'd bought in april at the woodfest because the zip had broken!!! What planet was she from?...
Gorra go xx .

Six random things.

2008-07-26T10:11:00.002+01:00

No1... I'm really quite shy..

No2... I wear sensible shoes..

No3...Really Long finger nails make me {{{cringe}}} especially on feet YUK!!!

No5.. Extremely stubborn and tenacious... Will not be told what to do!! and usually do the opposite just to be pig headed..

No6.. I wear socks in bed..

Now i'm supposed to link to mountaineer ??? i'll have a go.. and here's my six victims, i hope you havent already been chosen......Tatty weasel ,Pipany, woozle, Pili pala, francis, pondside..
then you have to pick 6 people xx good luck

2008-07-23T14:07:00.002+01:00

SEE THAT !! thats the whipping post just outside of my shop! behind it are a set of stocks eagerly awaiting the "bobbin rastards that nicked the tools from holyhead "...Yep cement mixer ,crow bars, grinders, hammers you name it they had it and i just want to punish them publicly!!!!! Why not? the scum get away with far to much and need stronger punishment not help or Asbo's [ though a nasty jrt down there kec's would show them] which are worn akin to medals as something to be proud of...And detention centres add to their Kudos or Street Cred..

We'll be very lucky if they are caught but i dearly hope so i want to know who they are who their mum's are i want to know then i can get my revenge and i will.....

The labyrinth.

2008-06-30T18:28:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was brilliant. Having been trapped for weeks i was determined to make the most of it.....

An early morning trip 10am to llandudno to buy a till yet more paint and other shop like stuff....

Then Lunch in a proper granny looking cafe that suprised nell and i with it's Quirky menu' she had Waffles with bacon and drizzled with maple syrup HHHMMM HHMMM my quich was very boring in comparison. But guess what ? my 17yr vegetarianism was broken as i filched some off her! shhhhhhhh

We shot down the a55 to Bodelwyddan castle to the lurcher and terrier show, it's the first one i've been to and thoughrly enjoyed.

We took tyson ..Well he didnt know what to make of the place ? the first dog he saw he did his usual "Bring it on mate"act and tied me in a knot, me feeling very foolish amid all these cool dog owners. Then he saw hundreds of dogs in every direction ! his eyes where on stalks and he stuck to my leg like glue, not once venturing away to christen anything..

We missed the rough coated dogs over 28inches not that he would have stood a chance. But we watched the rough bitches and agreed none where as nice as ours........there were some cracking JRT's and amongst all these dogs not one fight or aggressive move was made by any........

I bought some decoy ducks. why???? 2 for £5 thats why and a celtic collar for tye..I also got myself a mad shirt [my old favourite is dead] All sort of camouflaged it's horrible but it hides my bum and as a pocket for my camera and phone and a zip pocket for dinner money ...

Then while busily counting out my pennys i hear "Muuuuuuuuum" I've bought some ducks. and she had and i melted. 2 gorgeous ducklings. We have a pond we have an Ark so why not!!!

We shot home and put them in a bigger box with with food and water and had to shooot out again to go to llanrwst to visit the labyrinth A surreal experience in the Gwydir forest....

First of all we are taken by bus up in to the forest then made to walk holding a rope to a strange building "The prism" were a strange man wearing a sponge helmet told us to look around and "make ourselves comfy" as we'd be here a while! ! very odd ! we where then ushered out of another door and followed a path deep into the forest, passing amazing tree sculptures dressed in ferns ! when we were accosted by a mad woman in RED!!! Who made us wear Red I had a teacosy hat and daft socks mandy was in a big cape. we then had to stand against the green and see how bright we were ?????

We quickly escaped this mad woman leaving the red stuff behind....

Only 20mins later to arrive at a wooden house with another mad woman dressed in yellow[she was a corn on the cob'] who wecomed us to her garden got me to remove my shoes and stand in a flower bed while she WATERED ME!!!! HONEST

we also wove a corn dolly whilst visiting her and had to don yellow clothes , it was a lovely spot and the evening was gorgeous..

Our next encounter was even weirder!!! a darkly handsome rather disturbing man was stood in an arch in the trees, not saying a word and looking at the ground. Who took you individualy by the hand and led you down a path deeper into the undergrowth and made you lie in a freshly dug hollow in the ground and recited poetry about death and your last moments alive!! it was very moving with the smell of the earth and the trees moving above you .{{{ spooky though}}} and very thought provoking..

We followed the path down this bit was highlighted by the large man in Yellow thongs [over his jeans] walking in front......................We then met an amazing fairy who "whispered" and told us a story very quietly in her little bower and sprinkled us with fairy dust and then skipped away.;.;.;.;.;

I then got to paint on silk adding my own little petal to a bigger picture.

Further on out came clog dancers in traditional dress no one spoke they just danced the disapeared it to a roundhouse...

Please believe me when i say i had NOT been eating mushrooms.............................................

2008-06-06T11:39:00.003+01:00

Phewwwwwww........I like being busy...... My brain seems to function better everythings clear and simple, and no problem to BIG to overcome ...... I feel 10ft tall and get the urge to stand up on a large rock and shout " Come on" bring it on....... and if this feeling could last i'd rule the world!! a bit like the artichoke above thats taking over the polytunnel!!
Enough of my adrenalin rush.
I should really be working but the anticipation of the utter boredom of sitting in that glass box in Towyn again as made me wilt. it's purgatory when you've got a rack of stuff to do to sit there and watch the zombies feed their money into the machines...it's another world...And i'm in it all weekend argghhhhhhh.
Cols staying in holyhead to push on with the renovation of jakes property so sorrel can open her shop. but she needs a living accomadation as well as a shop and seeing as there are no floors in this place and a very leaky roof and pidgeons on nests!! theres quite a lot to do.

I get the keys on the 11th for my place and i think i'll be open the following week. fingers crossed.
one thing bothers me and i'm sure it would a few of you. it used to be a pet shop you know the type that sells "snakes and tarantulas" well what if any of the spider s live there !!!! or if there are eggs and nests "" yikes {{{shudder}}}} the hairs are creeping on my neck thinking about it. I think i may have it fumigated or something just in case..

I'm off out side now to do one of those jobs you don't dare do when the men are around because they'd want to tell you how....
Dentist 3.30 arcade 6pm -midnight ohhhhhhhh what utter bliss.

Lifes a bitch then your horse dies!!

2008-05-27T20:19:00.002+01:00

Can't believe it Merry the shetland decided to die . No by your leave or anything he just blumin turned his hooves up and snuffed it..... Montys really pissed and keeps yelling "Where are you hiding you little shitland" and goes off looking behind bushes and braken. bless him..
And now i'm sitting here waiting for the man with the JcB to arrive to dig a hole. an unenviable task.
Here he is now.......Ps if your new here my animals don't usually die.

Shake a leg mother nature! cheer us up.

2008-04-28T17:48:00.007+01:00

I'm out looking for signs ! something to enthuse
And convince me that spring is here!

And despite the grey sky and sodden ground,,
And the deep chill i think i found some.

Yes i did xx hip hip horray..

Goodbye Bud.

2008-04-27T12:07:00.002+01:00

This time 3 years ago i wouldnt have dreamed of adopting a dog Especially a german sheperd , what on earth came over me?? Well a few things added to the decision colin and i being away from home at the time renovating the ludlow property hence the kids [oldest being nearly 17 ]where spending at least one night a week with either or both of us away and as tough as Ben the JRT thinks he is! he isnt! And also after the attempted robbery in the shop i wanted something meaner than me behind the counter..
So i popped in for the first of many visits to the Leigh animal sanctuary. I never bother to look at barking dogs or manickly jumping dogs or even over friendly dogs , i seem to be drawn to the quiet lost looking ones who wonder what on earth as happened ? and feel sure there owners will be there in a minute to take them home.
Bud was huge and trying his hardest not to look at the poo he'd done and trying very hard in such cramped conditions to avoid standing in it.. His details pinned up above his cage read, Ben a 4yr old stray from salford, shows no aggresive tendancies...... I was shaking i wanted him but a GSD i must be mad what if he was viscious what if he ate children !
Our first meeting was only remarkable in the fact that I may aswell not of existed he just peered past me and everybody else looking for his owner it was heart breaking .. anyway i had him! parted with £120 and got a credit note to come and swap him if he didnt settle in...

Very warily i took him home dreading his reaction to raucous kids He took it all in his stride even giving ben [jrt] the respect he deserved....Nell had been warned not to mess with him hmmm! the second day she'd bathed him and dried him with a hair dryer while i was out gulp!! he was fine and smelt very nice and the ribbon on his collar made him look like the cowardly lion .. But from the start he gave his heart to jacob if jake went out Bud waited doing nothing else ignoring everyone else and just waited until jake was back then his world was complete!! He even the firstweekclimbed out of an upstairs window to follow the car he was in luckily jake noticed!
His first trip to the vets for his initial check up what a wusss we had to push him and pull him and hold him up he was all a jelly and very funny! The vets conclusion a big soft 8yr old ! We thought he was 4 yrs ............We also learned he was extremely well trained maybe an ex police dog, He would sit and wait for ages shake hands lie down and if you said dead he'd lie there close his eyes tightly and hold his breath !! it was amazing then you'd clap or shout up!! and he'd leap to his feet we didnt even have to say these commands he'd follow hand signals a bloody clever dog!

Jake came in last monday morning and broke down Bud had died in the night....

seven things

2008-04-09T17:53:00.002+01:00

Well here goes!

Colon calls me Arf.
We've got 7 properties.
I give my tenants hell [not really].
I've been self employed since i was 19yrs old as a market trader amongst other things.
I bought my first house when i was 18 a bungalow in criminal bay.
I,ve never been abroad or flown.
I've never climbed Snowdon!!!! shhhhhhh

2008-04-08T06:47:00.003+01:00

Yesterday we toiled over the hills to the not so local pub through the sunshine hail and sleet [Fickle weather] and now i'm aching! how unfit am i ? a 5mile walk uphill and down hill no levelbits! so when we actually arrived in time for lunch my feet wouldnt work we throughly enjoyed it though and i slept like a log..

We finally got the concrete base in the exstension at last so building can commence, until we are needed on out 2 new projects.

How does everyone else manage to get there photos amongst their writing??? instead of a row at the top all suggestions gratefully recieved.

2008-03-30T13:36:00.003+01:00

holyhead ferry terminal

It's ages since i've been here I seem to have been tied up doing other peoples business flitting from Holyhead to Denbigh as the sales for the shops slowly go through, making a note of tradesmen needed ie roofers!! and making myself known at the local councils for planning etc, meeting suppliers and organising a stand at the Anglesey show and trying to buy a marqee all really quite exciting and and me going widdershins back to my old trade as a shopkeeper Yes!!! i'll be manning my own shop in Denbigh and i've managed to snag "The earth collection" for north wales (good priced clothing in natural fibres and ethicaly made Etc etc) .All i need now is some money and Wah la!!! ..

The down side Stuck in doors all the time!! and dealing with the general public!! AGAIN you'd think i would have learned by now but needs must... and this time i'll have a computer to keep me saneish!!

Yesterday in all that typical Rain was our first course of the year "Drystone walling" wet stone more like, everyone was drenched but having a great time..Tomorrow i have a hedgerow course to do what we are going to cook i don't know?? maybe make Gorse mead, or nettle soup and i've spotted some water cress! i'll see what the day brings .

The workshops arnt nearly busy enough to live off and i need to be kept busy or else i get toooo lethargic especially this time of the year When we get 1 glorious day and 6 shitte one's, i can't seem to motivate myself to one job and try to do Ten and finish none so i give up and read..

The photo above is from the back window of the holyhead shop not much but when a ferrys docking it's really good.............

Another ordinary day...

2008-03-05T17:58:00.004Z

It's been a good week a busy week. we've been looking around for a property for our son to buy and renovate, and it looks like we've found it our offers been excepted so i'll be spending a lot of time in holyhead in Anglsey over the next few monthes, getting the shop up and running for sorrel [its a shop and flat] i'm quite looking forward to it .. and not only that its really close tothe ferry 200yds, so i'll be nipping over to ireland i imagine...

This Morning i dropped of nell in llanrwst, and then went to the police station for a visit [I'm well known there]..buying crumpets and butter on the way. As i strolled up a voice boomed out "WELL they're an offence for a start " pointing at my jazzy wellies!! Ha very funny!!! Then hugs and kisses all round xx and then coffee and crumpets with my dear friend M and the other duty police it was lovely to see them all again [ i ran a shop for 6yrs and they all used to come in for a warm] What a laugh we had reminding me of all my old Mad customers one in particular, it's a shame but she had a false arm, not a real one but an old mannequins one! completely out of proportion to the rest of her body, holding a sellotaped on ciggy!!!! ..Well when i first met her i didn't notice and she lost her balance!! and the blumin thing came from out of her sleeve as i tried to catch her!!!!OOOOPS i just stood there gobsmacked holding it!!! she took it back off me calmly shoved it up her sleeve!! LIT the Cigarette and walked off !!!!!!! with me standing watching with my gob wide open !!! it's funny now! well it was witnesed by a police lady who came up and said "Don't worry it always comes off when we arrest her you get used to it"...And the time some Nutters tried to steal my Till !! pffeeee no bloody chance...And the man masturbating while looking at the pine furniture ????? Yep i've got some fond memories!!! will i go back to the shop to work hmmmmmm maybe............................Not cos of the wanker though..

2008-02-12T18:52:00.000Z

Tagged!

2008-02-11T18:56:00.000Z

Well heres what you do pick up a book close by! Turn to page 123, find the 5th sentence and copy the next 5..
The book i've picked up is AYLWIN by Theodore watt's Dunton, first published in 1898.

object among the debris,standing aghast at the sight of her dead father with the evidence of his hideous crime on his own breast; there came the sound of a cry to "Henry" for help! I beat my head against the bedstead till i was nearly stunned. I yelled and bellowed like.........
I'll tag pilli and woozle and sbs xx

Mad dogs and wwoofers!

2008-01-30T16:09:00.000Z

2008-01-30T15:34:00.000Z

Well here i am 2 dogs better off the house smelling of detol and vosene, and i'm jiggered.. i'm so used to just opening the door and letting them go but having to watch the grey who is a marker every chair every corner as been sprinkled!! and duly disinfected, Both washed in Anti dandruff shampoo and groomed so lots of wet towels and jeans and me in need of a bath....The greyhound is being called Bryn he seems to respond to it so it must sound near enough like his own name! As for Wally ?? for now when we bathed him you can see he is supposed to be a huge dog big bones! but he is just a skeleton and he as very little appetite lively enough though and very gentle, when i had a minutes piece this morning i sat down with a sigh and he sat opposite at eye level quite unnerving looked directly in my eyes and lifted his paw My gawd a lurcher thats trained and he his he sits, lies down and crys to go out, i'm just scared he won't come back if i let him loose.. He's missing somebody bless....

This morning Monty changed his routine and went to visit my neighbours {no pun intended in Neighbours] up hill why does he always go up hill!! my poor legs..Meanwhile there had been a tesco delivery to my house and pearl who speaks no english had signed for it and put it all away!!
The only thing was it wasnt mine ooop's it was the neighbours!
I'll be glad to get the house back to myself i always feel constricted when people stay, and feel i should be out there with them, but theres not enough to do in jan unless the weathers good and we have been blessed with a few good days and made the most of them except sunday glorious day and she stayed in bed because it was sunday! argghh...

The second day she was here [giggleing to myself] At teatime we had done a roast dinner, and i saw here pick up the gravy boat and drink from it! ! what!! No no i said and showed her how to pour the gravy on her potatoes! Well bloody hell it wasnt gravy it was black tea! she'd used the jug as a cup she still ate all her spuds though, i think she thought i was mad....

Cleaning tip's that's a laugh!

2008-01-29T18:53:00.000Z

Well What can i say the only tip i have is the one i live in !
Naa it's not that bad honest.
Well if it can be hoovered i hoover it the inside of the Stanley especially and the ceiling [i've been known to mop the ceiling but we won't go there!
If my windows are dirty or misted double gazing, i stick up Net's until i'm in the mood to sort properly!
An old toothbrush to bleach around my window frames a bit anal i know but they get black mould and i'm allergic to it...
Best tip move house and start again!
Ahh news papers for making your windows shiny! not that i do it at home but the shop front always looked good......
And Now i'm going to tag Milla cos shes brill with a dyson. And elizabeth m and mountaineer, and country craft angel.. he he

Can't think of a title !!!

2008-01-15T15:18:00.000Z

Deeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Well done Ben!!

WEll you had my day in the life a perfectly ordinery day in Bodrainia!!

Where work, school, The unresolved bullying issue, and my daughters infatuation with the local Druggy, My dads on going comparisons of me and other people {i'm always found lacking}.... and my darling bruv who hasnt been in touch since before christmas when i dropped off their present's [does his girlfriend imagine a slight???] And a needy friend who needs constant reassurance, and sadly to say i'm trying my hardest to avoid her, but feeling guilty because of it!! Arghhhhh I'm as twisted as one of my forks trying to step lightly around other people........

But meanwhile Lifes good ,I Never Ever thought i'd say this but it's to wet up here i feel like the house is going to slide down the hill...Swoooosh............
We got the conservatory that we took down last week, here to wait years to be rebuilt........

I played up and down the lane today on the new scooter with the dogs chasing me Amazingly Me and Ben won!! Berludy cold though...And giving the neighbours more reason to look askance at me!!! Do i Bloody Care! !! do i Eck!!!

I've also discovered the addiction of E Bay Why did no one warn me! I'm a solar shower! a pewter bowl and a Steeleye span LP !!! Better off!!!!
I've Missed out on countless vintage caravans thank gawd, And a delicious Arts &Crafts opal ring , And a gypsy caravan holiday in suffolk...Oh and the second scooter i won that!

Belly dancing last night always a laugh ,Though the teacher takes herself a bit to seriously!! Just cos shes got a waist!! and knows the steps!!

I'm really looking forward to meeting up on friday at mountaineers i'll take the camera and do some photos if thats ok....
Thats enough for today, i'll post the trail of destruction Monty as left in his trail this week I warn you there'll be lots of %&*^$" in it..

Our resident christmas blue tit!!

2008-01-06T23:51:00.000Z

Merry christmas xx

2007-12-24T10:33:00.000Z

Merry christmas.

Two tree's this year.

My sensible one and Nell's mad explosion !!!! of pinkness, in which a bluetit! as decided to spend christmas!!and why not.

We've tried to photograph her [must be a her] she's just to quick for these digital cameras ! but a living ornament who could ask for more.

Have a lovely time my wonderful friends, you've given me a lot of fun and hospitality this year, Jane it's nearly a year since you came here about 4 monthes P C [ before purple coo] Time as flown...........

I've met some lovely people in the flesh so to speak, real charactors and strong personalities all with a ready smile and an amazing capacity just to live life to the full.

Your all pretty special you know ! ! ! and guess what i'm going to meet more of you this year!

"I Can't wait".......xxxxx

A fond farewell.........

2007-12-12T22:08:00.000Z

A tribute to Tye's Ball's..

I sit here feeling very sad and Tye is at my feet feeling far far sadder!! He's had a day at the vet's and as returned home minus his jew claws! and his Bollocks !!!!!!!!! And unless you've met him you won't realise how odd it seems for him not to have them...... They where always on display red and shiny and much commented on!!! usually from men "Gorrrr look at the size them" and "do you polish um missus" ... He suddenly looks girly even with his beard and were his gnarly claws were is far too smooth and delicate looking..Legs like a super model rather than a warrior.

I shouldn't have had it done and i feel bad! it was peer pressure from the first moment i saw him in the Dog pound.... The first thing that was said to me was "He'll need castrating and his jew claws removing" our vet said the same more than once and i berludy well listened!!!!! and parted with my cash.....And today feeling like i was commiting the ultimate betrayal to my faithful mate [i was] as he was dragged into the surgery Panting! eyes protruding! claws scrabbling at the floor!!! "Go they said he'll calm down when your out of sight" . hhmmm ...Well they succeded in operating but i got a phone call as soon as he awoke "can you come for him ASAP" "he won't stop howling" "and is so upset he may hurt himself" sure enough i could hear him in the background HOW HOW HOW HOWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL i couldnt help a giggle, but never have i seen a more relieved dog or nurse than when i arrived.........but now at home he won't look at me and when he does his eyes say "what have you done? WHY??

And i have no answer.....

Christmas fair..

2007-12-03T16:37:00.000Z

Taken today!

Well amidst the hussel and stress of the last month, i managed just in time to be prepared for the christmas fair in the village.. it's a lovely day and one of the only days in the year when i see my neighbours and friends and isnt it always a shock how much older everyone looks for the first few minutes of meeting , and i realise it must be the same to them as well.............I'd lots of stock left from my old shop and i'd been busy doing clove oranges, and pot porri [ spelling] from the seed heads and herbs from the garden.... Nell was a waitress ! in between doing a sideline selling set's of ten pieces of folded paper and an elastic band for 10p!! the skallywag ! she did very well and i didn't hear to many complaints from people being thwaked by anonymouse wads of paper...............My brother usually has a stall but he's in Turkey this year he was missed.

I also managed to get a copy of "World without end" by Ken follet it's the sequel to " The pillars of the earth" and i've been waiting nearly 20yrs for it, but i'll wait a bit longer when i'm not stretched between two houses then i can really get to grips with it...

The medieval fayre.

2007-11-28T16:36:00.000Z

The photo has nothing whatsoever to do with the blog it's me and pili on the village sports day the photo was taken by colon we hadn't noticed the sign....

It is now a Tradition with a capital T a family and friend one; The Ludlow medieval fayre! i wish i could be as eloquent as some of you at describing events but here goes.

We always wait until dark! its got to be dark ! the atmosphere in the castle ruins with its walls looming above you , the cobbles and mud either tripping you or making you slip, the woodsmoke smoke from the open fires and chestnut stalls making the air hazy and making the stallholders and organisers all in authentic costume made me feel like i'd slipped back in time and landed in the middle of an elizabeth chadwick novel ..The amazingingly blummin brilliant musicians whose old instrumants, [serpentine is the only name i remember] and gravvely voices, throb in my soul and before you know it i,m jigging about with the artists having a great time [ this is before the mulled wine] how is it possible to lose a group of 10 of us i don't know but i did...maybe they hid?

Theres a man there every year selling authentic copies of stone ware pots at very reasonable prices, so i treated myself to two mead pots and a hand washer [ a very clever device]And learned the history of all his other bits and pieces prompted by curious Nell.

Then into the tents for mulled wine Hmmmm lots of !! , cider and fruit possets .. the smell of the clove oranges was delicious immedietly the christmas feeling is upon me and and i shop until the the knight , whose hauberk i threatened undo escorted us out...and the evening continued in that theme i'm afraid !!! I think it was when the franciscan monk told me to go and dance!! he'd look after my bag!!! "Just cos your wearing a Habit" "doesnt mean i have to trust you" i said "i've watched Robin hood you know"........

What i did yesterday.

2007-11-21T13:14:00.000Z

In between hospital visits, i got on with some work doing mobiles this is the first 12 of the 44 ordered, so back i go to my Drill and vice........

The Dog's!

2007-11-04T12:46:00.004Z

MOORNS STYLE

I never write much about all the dogs, you all hear of tye's adventures and Ben the unrepentant drunk..............But the greyhounds [ Gayhounds as j calls them] very rarely get a mention or a photo shoot mainly because they are so good and far to fast to catch on digital unless they are asleep.... Well i finally got a picture of moo playing shes such a shy girl and stays close to my heel all the time then suddenly she'll have a burst of happiness and play for about 30 seconds, really lovely to see and this was a very lucky shot.....We've had her for about 14monthes shes 7 years old and an ex hurdler she'd done nearly 200 races in her time and won her owners a lot of money...Luckily for her, her owners cared enough to rehomed her..... She'd never had a litter... she's very plain and doesnt have many teeth, i would have overlooked her if there'd been a choice, but there wasn't and i'm so lucky!!! She's a love!

The other dog in the photo the brown one is SACHA, i got her at the same time as tye from a sanctuary just outside manchester............It's heartbreaking and i should know better than to visit...
It's professionaly run, and you pay 50p to go in, and all these poor dogs are on display with notes printed above of their history and their price, usually£75 upwards... there is no home visit you fill in a form pay and if it doesnt work out you can return the dog and get a credit note, it sounds bizarre but it works...............
I just shouldnt go i never learn! Sacha was in one of these cages With the note ! 6yrs old elderly owner passed away!! she was enormous 8st and only the size of a small lab, She'd become flat footed with being so fat, and her claws were really long because they didn't touch the floor, she'd caught a bug and was making enough snot [won't go into that] but it was truly gross..But boy did she have a wonderful expressive face and smiling eyes even in that state.......You must remember i'd gone looking for a greyhound type,,,,, i went further along and spotted an elegant brindle and white thing sat leaning with his back to the gate, head down he wouldnt look around just slumped body language said it all, his history read " Tyeson, 18mth old lurcher, owners have a new baby! !.....
"Oh no!! Nell what do we do" she shrugged get them both!! I need no pushing! "if they get on" i told the kennel girl ! "i'll have them both!! sh.t what'll colon say!! And guess what they " got on" ......£150 later and some help lifting Fatso into the car they where ours.....
And arriving home an hour and a half later in a Snot smeared car HEAVE!!!!!!!!!!
Col was in the yard when we pulled in and unfazed as usual! helped get them out make a fuss of them and introduce them to the others!!! And we havent regretted it for a minute they are both extremely faithful and the clowns of the bunch...........
You must understand i'm not "dog mad" They have there place, the house is out of bounds except for the 2 gayhounds and old man Ben .. Gosh! thats still 3 dogs sleeping inside! it doesnt seem many when you have 8...But they are out all day unless it's raining or windy or sunny Yikes maybe i am getting dog mad! or just plain soft !!

Grandpa, and drunken dog.

2007-11-04T12:46:00.003Z

I'm writing this blog with a sigh of relief, Grandad [pictured above during one of our courses]As been in for major surgery today, one of the awful operations in which survival is unlikely at the age of 40 never mind 81. He had an embalizm?? in the main artery in his groin. there was program on about it about a month ago urggh grusome, well the old bugger's survived the op and is comfortable ..And what a relief, He's brilliant and is very much loved by us all, think grandpa off the Waltons thats him..

And BEN the Jack russell is -issed When unloading the shopping col dropped a bottle of bailys in the yard! cleared the glass , and of course the dogs licked it up between 8 thats not much but unnoticed to us most had trickled under the car where only BEN can fit.!. Well i thought he was dying, he'd disgraced himself ! emptied the bin ! and couldn't care less!! Talk about a bad drunk!! he attempted to fight with tye and missed!! They are all just watching him fascinated and we are ! his tail is going up and down? and his heads on a spring its Very funny but at his age he should know better 91 in our years!! Tomorrow he'll pay.

Well no visiting until tomorrow for Fil as he's still sedated . Fingers crossed everyone That he pulls through xx

2007-11-04T12:46:00.002Z

A very boring photo! but the only one with my head on !! Taken in the Treehouse in Alnwick garden, lovely food!!!....... and rope bridges!!! not keen make me feel sick! ! and when you eventually get to the loo you need a sit down..............................The perfect setting for a coo party..xxx .....................Though the open fire in a treehouse did feel a bit dodgy....................

I did Blog earlier and lost it! about my meetings .......

Colin found withy brook first i'd been waiting in the wrong place!................... And "whatever she's on i want some" Knock 25yrs of her age the energy of a 20yr old! a delightful twinkle in her eyes! and a wicked sense of humour... Unfortunatly we didn't get much time together but next time .................xxx

@themill Looked so familiar,i still can't place who she reminds me of someone i like obviously, because i felt instantly at ease and chatted like we'd known each other for ages.. Colon who thinks we are barmy Really enjoyed the tour of the outbuildings and i did they are huge, she has great plans which i'm sure she'll succeed in..And a lovely huge home a strange idea of decorating though square patches of paint every where Lol...xxxx

Muddyboots again very familiar, was busy working when we arrived they have a lovely cafe and the ice cream is sooooo smooooth we had a guided tour met the dogs ..shes busy decorating to and her new kitchen is gorgeous i loved the handles! and fondled them and her bargain curtains and tassles!...Shes just awaiting Une peus tiles to complete ...We met hubby and he was really nice ...... Again just as we get comfy it's time to go!!.................................................................................... Girls we need a weekend break and that still wouldnt be enough xxx

Ciderrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2007-10-26T09:18:00.000+01:00

Pili Pala, Colon, Moi, K...useing Colons' heath robinson apple masher!!

It's that time of year again and i love it a cider making session with my friends . And extra lucky this year as pili pala and her other half are over from france.

Picture the scene! A dark night, a lovely warm workshop the woodburner was doing well that night,, a big pan of goulash, and a very large sausage! supplied by k,, pork pies and baked apples by me, Cream and Posh chocolate by pili . Throw in some crusty bread and a big pan of mulled cider last years harvest simmering on the fire. A record player and a pile of LP's ! perfect

I'd also discovered in the depths of one of the stables 12 bottles of coffee and raisen wine that we made 20yrs ago BC [before children] boy is it good!! it brought back a memory of when we where making it and after about 6 monthes fermenting we threw the raisons on the compost heap, and dear old kim our elderly GSD ate them all, She was soooo drunk we had to carry her back to the house and she just lay there completely floppy wearing a stupid grin all day, and was very ill the next Bless her she never learnt her lesson, a bit like me .

Our apple trees have done really well this year, we collected 6 sacks or so, and hopefully i'll get to collect some pears this week and try to do some perry.....

Next week weather permitting i'm off on my scooter with Nel to New Quay in wales. so if anyones in the area let me know we could meet up....

Autumn days..

2007-10-17T18:01:00.001+01:00

Well i've heard of tree frogs !!!

A lazy day today after yesterdays jaunt.
But the sun is shining again and everywhere look's pink and all the web's are glistening like gossamer.................but i do hate it when you walk through them .............

So today i thought ! [another grand plan] I'll go to the beach with the dogs, and stop in the vets on the way to get them weighed and buy a treatment for their fleas. as much as i like catching them and squashing them !!!!! i just can't keep up.........

Well what a palava ??
5 furry beasts in the back of the car being amazingly good. And "lord Ben" the jrt on the front seat to stop him causing trouble....
I stopped at the garage on the way, and looked in the back! ! it's to quiet ?....... and they where all looking back at me with BIG eyes! ears back! and tails down! and swallowing!, then it struck me the only times they have been in cars is to be taken away from what they know and left by their owners.................
Lordy they thought they where going away again....
I flew into the vets with them in one huge tangle of miserable dogs, parted with £67 for the stuff, i nearly fell through the floor blurdy ell ! ! and booked honey in to be spayed........ Tumbled back into the car and came home What absolute joy as soon as they recognised the drive the smiles came on their faces and their tails began to wag....................Now they're all sleeping after there adventure............Ben was the only one looking slightly peeved because i didnt leave them..........

The beach was a bad idea i should have leapt on to the scooter and gone????? HHhhhhmmmm where next...................................... toot toot...

The Drive to shropshire was stunning, i've never gone that far before about 160miles or more in a day. but its a nippy bike iwas a bit disapointed it only does 60mph !but i know thats quick enough.........
On one of the little lane's i saw a sign post for Rowley [surname] so i had to take a look imagine there could be "The old Rowley mansion" just awaiting our arrival ,Yeah right ! there was a crossroads and a chapel humph very dissapointed.......
Sbs was as welcoming as ever yelling" OY! ! missis where you goin !!" ...As i drove passed her house............ to hear that through a helmet takes some doing...lol
A fab lunch and a glorious walk, and time gone to Quick ................i really wanted to get a certain horrible bit of road behind me before it got dark, not knowing how bright my headlights are.
So there i am wrapping up in countless layers, and i moved the chair And the blumin back came off in my hand! ! mortified i could feel myself going red! and they were both in hysterics!!! evil !!! it was a trap i'm sure..........but thank gawd it does it all the time.....
Needless to say i didnt get to were i wanted before dark but i got home.........xxxxxxxxx

Putting the garden to bed..

2007-10-17T18:01:00.000+01:00

Theres home, looking quite tidy for a change..It's time now and i'm sure we've all started to put the garden away for the winter, i started last week by putting the parasols away and the plastic garden furniture that tends to blow away.Non hardy stuff is in the polytunnel and and the rose as been cut back so we can get through the gate again,anymore cutting back will get done this week..I've repainted the iron furniture and want to paint the woodwork on the house before i set to on the stone sheds at the front of the picture..

We went down to Knighton yesterday to see what it was like, i'd forgotten i'd been there before with S's, we started our walk along the offa's dyke there 10yrs ago and still haven't finished it!! It's also very close to the spooky campsite we stayed at no we didnt stay!! we paid but then got bad feelings and ran off !! so i wasnt impressed, first impressions and all that..

We where going to stay away over night but S's had split with her first love and was in pieces she needed her mum!! we've all been there!! and watching her and listening theres nothing you can say, nothing will help, just time but try explaining that............xxxx

The picture at the top is of the window in the porch which colon made ages ago ,.............................

A trip to Ledbury..

2007-09-24T18:47:00.003+01:00

Well autumn is here, The Apples are collected and my batch of cider should be on the go by the end of next week, along with the crab apple jelly, along with the 40 or so mobiles! yipee can't wait to do them! not...

I went down to Ledbury yesterday with nell for a drive, i love that part of the country at this time of the year you get a real "Harvest feel". And the cider orchards are laden to the ground with lovely red apples, we saw trailers of hop's I love the smell and trailers of corn on the cobs, I'm afraid all we get around here are trailers of silage so it was a real treat.
I met up with woozle at the hop pocket and we had coffee and chatted like old friends {we've met 3 times now}.
We met up again in town where Phil Rickman was doing a book signing. He'd finished but bless him he came back in and signed for us what a lovely man, if you havent read any of his books give them a go i'm sure you'll enjoy them especially you Shropshire lot!!!
Ahhh the Shropshire Four {or near enough} It was a real treat to meet up on thursday at Elizabeth's, isnt her house gorgeous!! I'm hoping we can meet up again at the Ludlow medieval fair on the 23rd-24th nov on the saturday evening so put the date in your diaries and anyone else who thinks they can make it .............
One thing we all agreed on was how strong this site as become, and what good friends we've made also the similarities and coincidences that connect us , aparently Elizabeth and mountainear lived around the corner from each other years ago and knew the same people but had never met. Small world isnt it..

Home..

2007-09-24T18:47:00.002+01:00

For the last few monthes i've been getting a bit down about our unfinished house, you'lll notice there arnt any photos of the hous thats because at the side there is a bloody great hole if i stepped out of my back door i'd fall 15ft , the"extension" as been on going for 12yrs, the heap of rubble in the background as been on the lawn for 7yrs, if an unwary blind walker stumbles they could drop down from the lane 30ft onto the foundations............I never stand back and look at the house because of the mess at the side...Also cols dad and aunt and unkle are getting feeble now and need more care, they could live with or at least have the option . So thoroughly hissed of last month i decided i wanted to sell ! Get a house thats finished on level land, downsize to maybe 4 acres, and no gorse or ragwort..........sounds like heaven.and i started looking, i even went to view a hall in Clun it sounded perfect on paper and the house was big, but we drove up and realised most of the outbuildings had been converted and sold off and i couldnt inflict my family on anyone, I've trawled the internet and nothing compares to here unless you go into the millions....so i stood back and took stock and fell in love all over again, now i'm lavishing attention on my home all the woodwork to be painted, new glass in all the steamed up d/glazing, a serious pruning and weeding that pile of boulders is getting moved slowly and cols decided to restart the building work....yipeeee i think i scared him..........I may even go against the grain and poison the blasted ragwort next year i've tried organicaly for to long and my back can't take it. anymore.

A day with Big brother..

2007-09-24T18:47:00.001+01:00

Is he serious?? said Monty.

Today my younger big brother [confusing] i have 2 of them Elvis { A strong resemlence to the costello one in the eighties} who's 49, and boozer who i dont see very often who is 53 .
It's strange isn't it how The big brother who teased me relentlessly and frightened me with scary stories ,until i was a wreck, wetting the bed and pulling my hair out, {To be fair my dad and other brother did their fair share}....Can end up your best friend..
One of my earliest school memories is of elvis getting bullied and called names ! and me brand new to school attacking them and screaming for them to leave my brother alone.!! I also remember eating all the Leatherette of his coat collar, while i waited for his class to finish he wasn't amused.......I hated him through all my early teenage years, But now I love him to bits he's my partner in crime always up for one of my daft adventures, and always there to help if he's needed He's been a Great unkle ! {I just heard an owl " Wolf Whistle" outside weird} And the children adore him.....I remember after we lost mum he had his head shaved. He'd had a long plait for years and it suited him, Sorrel was in tears when she cut it off in public And i was but he raised £500 for cancer research And we were so proud..

Well today he arrived and we played.. he collected his "favourite" mushrooms yuk!
Then we started on the apples, They are huge this year, And then i had him blackberry picking..
But best of all he's not scared of spiders so i made him venture ito the stables to find a collection of old enamel "wee willy winky"candle holders which i last saw 12yrs ago when we renovated! needless to say he didnt find them or the top to my dresser....
We ate veggie bacon butties and chocolate and put the world to rights.

He met me part way when sorrel and i did part of the offas dyke walk, he got of the train like he was going on a 3 month trip to the Antarctic ! ! He struggled along the first day until we arrived at our camping site.. Then i examined his pack>>>>> i don't know where to begin it was hysterical. The obvious was the 5ft by 3 ft Roll of Axminster Carpet strapped across the top of his rucksack!!! His rucksack was ex army and was made of canvas and steel!! His long waxed barbour, A metal water bottle that weighed more empty than mine did full ! A pan a real hard bottomed family sized pan!! the mind boggles!! it gets better A four man canvas ex army tent weighing a ton, and a proper kettle [ you must remember i had cooking equipment with me ] A household box of matches a big cream box [ he couldnt find his lighter so he brought them instead] And wait for it....................... "SEVENTEEN SPOONS" it sounds like an episode of last of the summer wine i know................................Apparently he'd forgotten his tent pegs!! so he called into a junk shop and bought the spoons thinking they'd do, and i could use them for mobiles after, What a laugh he is mad..................... i made bin his pan and carpet and kettle......When we eventually got home we put his pack on the scales it weighed 6 stone... he'll never live it down...

Just a quick one!

2007-09-24T18:47:00.000+01:00

MOO And HONEY.

I feel i should have so much to tell,....
On saturday i'd seen advertised a cottage that was open to the public for the weekend, and i recognised it as one of my Derri's That i hadnt visited for years.. it has been bought by the landmark trust, And has been renovated to perfection...
I hadnt heard of this company before and bought their book while i was there..I can go and stay in my derri !!!! and i just may have to, it's only 6 miles away though, but i never thought for one minute looking at the ruin it was that it'd be possible....
Have any of you stayed in any of their properties, i am seriously tempted with some of them, and you can take dogs thats a bonus...
I'm still not in full control of my new camera, i can take the photos load them onto the computer but then they hide, i'll have to wait for a teenager to visit and find them for me.......

Willow weaving...

2007-09-16T10:49:00.001+01:00

Not the photo i wanted to put up i'm still doing battle with my new camera, and lost the willow photos somewhere in the ether...........But even better you get the first photo of honey our new greyhound addition and she's a love, i've even relaxed my no sitting on furniture rule for her and let her sleep on this chair.....

Yesterday was the basket making course, What a panic the day before, it just suddenly seemed to be upon us , so mad cleaning in the workshop, Those swallows have alot to answer for!!
Anyway the day arrived chilly and wet typical! so i lit the woodburner and cooked a big veggie lasagne, so much for salad and quiche in the garden. I'd prepared a summer pudding the night before, they are so simple why havent i done them before?? and it went down a treat.........
I met some really nice people, one couple arrived in a big green transit van with a trailor, he lived in it and WOW!!!!!! he showed me inside, it was all boarded out with a curved ceiling and beautifully painted in forest green, and a wood burning stove to resemble a gypsy caravan, it was Extremely well done and immaculate........ He's was a bodger some one who makes bits from wood, he'd given up is Plastering business and home to travel and live like a tinker, she worked for the council, and stayed with relations during working days, They'll be coming back to learn barge painting, and maybe do some wwoofing...
The other's where all ladies from a floral art group, and what a laugh they were, jokes and quips where flying around all day...Everybody really enjoyed themselves and will hopefully be back, lot's of hugs and kisses and wa lah the day was over>>>>>>>>>> now to seriously start recruiting for the Dying and felting 2 day event in october.............And now i'll try and find those photos,i'll post this first though in case i lose it............

A multitude of things..

2007-09-12T09:26:00.000+01:00

Bodran from the opposite hill...we're in the middle,
not literaly SBS..

Well since last week i seem to have done loads of stuff, but let me tell you about "He who grunts" first..
He's working in Chester at the moment, and he's passed his test to drive a dumper while he's been there.. They are doing the ground work for a new hotel near the race course......... An old building as been demolished first and as they where digging out the old foundations, and going deeper for the new ones, he noticed bones being uncovered!! They had unearthed a load of bodies or so it seemed, nothing recent thank heavens but what is probably a Roman burial ground.. Work as stopped on that area while the archaeologists are there !! fascinating stuff..

I went belly dancing last week organised by the W .i it was a laugh!! and i was hopeless!! my left side just won't wiggle..The teacher was very good though and may start lessons in the village hall, That'll cause some interest for the male population...

We went to Ludlow on monday to view a house that needs some TLC, Very very tiny no garden no parking not alot going for it at all really, but we need a project and i want it so fingers crossed..

We've had an offer on the llanrwst house which we've excepted so fingers crossed for that too,
if it goes through it'll make the ludlow scheme much easier....
The basket making course is on saturday, so i've got to think about feeding people, and i need to clear the workshop... but today i've decided it's new camera time so i'm off out to buy one now...
I'm not even going to mention the barn dance[ rave more like ] except to say I WAS THE FIRST TO DANCE And i look such a fool it stops anyone else feeling self concious and so they can get on and party..........Wasnt drunk Honest xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Home work...

2007-09-04T20:30:00.001+01:00

Monty's moustache

DAWN

Thing's that would reach to my inner self....This is quite hard homework miss.......

There are song,s and pieces of music which i don't know the names to, which make my hands prickle, and the hairs rise on the back of my neck ,and i could cry, they come to me like a memory, but with no form just overwhelming feelings.....I feel sure they would reach me.

One song is" The spinning wheel by maureen o'hara" i think.. deep memories of mutton broth, and bakelite plates at my nanas while it played..

Kate Bushes "womens work" and "moments of pleasure" they are 2 of the songs i put on to a tape,to play while i was in labour....

Theres another tune,, which when me and the children are returning Home after our adventures away put on a mile away and it reaches it's crescendo as we reach our drive, it's now a tradition....it's harp music i'll have to discover its name.

My children can reach me , I hear them call me not with my ears but with my soul [don't tell them that they'd never believe me]..

"Smell" the wonderful herby smell of my garden this time of the year........

Lily of the valley, fresh grass, campfires with potatoes, Clean washing, cinnamon, ..The smell of my children, and colin each have their own scent only noticed by me, but i'd recognise them anywhere.........My mothers shawl, retains her scent and even 8yrs later it comforts me like a big hug.......

Touch, from the grip of a babys hand , to the feel of colins work roughened huge hand, I would be truly isolated and bereft, without touch.....The bark of a tree , grass tickling my feet, The wind touches me all the time i love to stand arms outstretched head back while the wind buffets me its exhilarating and fills me up to the brim like a skittish pony..?

Mud squelching between my toes..

Drinking the Dew of leaves...

Dogs ears and eyes..

My hair being plaited then released..!

The smell of meadowsweet!

Monty's moustach!

The Great Orme..not august the 18th!

2007-09-04T20:30:00.000+01:00

It's become a tradition, the last day before school starts we go to llandudno..
First a walk to the tram station at the base of the orme, taking in all the glorious victorian architecture and choosing which house we'd live in, i go for the turreted mansion with stone mullioned gothic windows!! and gargoyles!! and guess what even in our imaginings they all still want to share the same house as me.... it is pretty splendid though..... Then the tram station is in sight, colon hasn't been with us before so theres lots of jokes about the string snapping etc he took it as it was meant and laughed, we where early so shared a bag of chips, arn't they delicious when eaten outdoors, with not quite enough to go around....................
Then into the lovely victorian tram which is going to tow us up this step hill, and looking back at the tremendous view which takes in llandudno town and bay, and the mist covered mountains as a backdrop stunning.......
Up to the top very slowly, We didnt stop at the bronze age copper mines this year which is halfway but its well worth a visit if you havent been...........At the top theres an exhibition of the local flowers and architecture, a bar, a cafe the inevitable arcade and crazy golf, what we head for is the photo booth where you get to dress up in victorian clothes etc and have a sepia photo taken..This year we where cowboys, we look ridiculous but it was fun!!
Then ice cream and take in the view right across to anglesey and the menai straits, we'd picked the perfect day the light was perfect and everything stood out in relief... no blurdy camera though....
Then we headed down to the ski slope and taboggan run, so we strolled in the general direction, its out of sight and a couple ? of miles away , we unfortunatly encountered a herd of the wild goats, and having owned billies i know there dirty habits so we tried to avoid them but to no avail, one put on a very graffic display, and we just missed getting pee'd on from a great height !!!
Even so they are splendid beasts with great curling horns and long white hair....
Then close to a road nel spotted a dead kitten still in its birth sac, only recently born, there was no sign of mum or any other kittens what a shame.......
The walls on the top are all drystone and you can see the fossils in them, don't worry i didnt bring any home..
Then to the Toboggan run where the girls got tickets to go on, we wanted to but, the price put a stop to it......
What fun though just watching, it as a swiss feel with a chalet and restaurant, and it was packed, there was an hours wait for there goes but it was worth it, and to be fair my girls where the fastest no breaks, until the last minute!!! proud mum but heart in mouth as they hurtle past..!!
then down through the gardens with there alice in wonderland theme, with the carved teaparty and a carved giant cheshire cat, yet again in a beautiful setting, we even strolled to the end of the pier, and had a mulled wine, and finished of the day with tea in the fountains......all in all a lovely day.......! until of course i realised nel didnt go into school until today!!!

I want a turqoise retro fridge..............Why???

2007-08-18T12:48:00.008+01:00

I'm really starting to like the photos my broken cameras taking, and strangly they're purple......

I saw a retro fridge in turqoise, at a property we viewed and now i want one , this doesnt happen to me often, but when it does it's usually love for something completely frivolous, turqoise vespa for instance.......... but fate as chipped in and my fridge as died.........so i'm on the look out for a second hand one as they are far to dear new, so keep your eyes open and your ears peeled !!

Iwent to Rhyl today with every other mum in the area shoe shopping, it wasnt to painful, but i find when i go into town i get terrible back ache, all i can put it down to is the slow walking people and stopping and starting urgghh it drives me mad..

I came home to fox poo city!! you lot think its bad with 1 dog! try eight!! its a good job we've got a catering size tomato ketchup...

Are we an on line experiment??

2007-08-18T12:48:00.007+01:00

Are we an on line experiment??

2007-08-18T12:48:00.006+01:00

Sitting back this week and watching, the common room i realise how we've all moved on and learnt not to let "conflict" take root and make it move on as quickly as possible "wink",........... I've heard about and seen this type of thing on other sites, where a post is ........posted And left to see what transpires, the writer or writers no doubt sitting back and getting pleasure from the confusion and agro...I hope this wasn't the case.....I do feel sometimes that there are people out there who want to be puppeteers, and try to control situations experiment with us basicaly for fun......................Gawd isnt it boring ........... Well they'll get no joy from us will they....... {{_I_}} ........ [apparently thats a big fat wobbly Arse]..

Back to the real world and not the paranoid cyber space lot's inhabit....
After my insomnia for the last week I'd gone beyond wanting to sleep, so monday morning bright and early A beautiful sunny day i decided a drive was in order and i'd drive, so roof down beret on and off we trogged, my aim was a beautiful road from Bala to welshpool, which goes close by the village where the film " I went up a hill and came down a mountain was made"..
The last time i'd been this way i saw the most brilliant bit of graffiti written on the road, it said in 10ft high letters CONGRATULATIONS.......Then another 100yds.......IT's ALL........100yds to the brow of the hill .............DOWN HILL FROM HERE.............And it does really steeply.....

We stopped for lunch in a lovely georgian town called llanfyllin.......It's strange the welsh dialect there is so different from here , we could hardly understand them.................

We ended up in marton, and saw mountainear and sbs As i'm sure you gathered.....I saw sbs's neighbour peering through his window, and i met her free range ducks and mad dogs and hubby [ do i call him Malebeachsheperd ??] .......A lovely time and we arrived home at 11pm........the most important bit is I SLEPT LIKE A LOG...xxxxx

A PEA-ceful night...

2007-08-18T12:48:00.005+01:00

HMMMmmmm back inside now after a peaceful night in "le petite pois"..No snoring man . just an owl ,and something rubbing against the side in the early hours ,i didnt look! i just hid under the quilt, sasha who i'd took for company didn't twitch a whisker. It got windy early on and it took me some time, to realise what the tapping and knocking was??? and strange scrapings!!! and then i realised it was the rowan berries falling and rolling off the roof duuuuu so much for a peaceful night..I'd dug out one of my Elizabeth Gouge novels The White Witch....Shes a lovely writer.............................The moon i think contributed to my restlessness , it's light keeping me awake... And then once looking out i was captivated by the beauty of the strange landscape and how everything was changed just by being seen under a different light,,Our pond dull and green during the day, was a disc of silver!! and i itched to have a camera to capture it, The apples on the tree where turned into magical fruit and the trees into graceful beings ..Whats the song with the line" you fill up my senses like a night in a forest" Well i feel a bit like that.....I'll be there again tonight.xx

Rose petal wine..

2007-08-18T12:48:00.004+01:00

Lavender champagne..

2007-08-18T12:48:00.003+01:00

LAVENDER CHAMPAGNE...
Thats what i'm bottleing today doesn't it sound lovely, I thought i'd post the recipe for you all to try.....
You'll need.....
A bucket.......
1 and a half bags of granulated sugar........
About 40 heads of lavender.........
The zest of a lemon.......
tablespoon of white wine vinegar........

Add all the ingrediants to the bucket and stir until the sugar's dissolved.... then cover it and leave for about 3 days..... Then syphon it into fizzy pop bottles and leave for 3 weeks to develop a fizzzzz and use within 3 monthes.......
I'm also going to do the same with the wild honey suckle, don't allow any of the green bits to get into this one or it will taste bitter .........................

There a nice simple succesful recipe....Even if it does make you fart !!! be warned

The Rose petal wine was a success , remember that the lovely pink stuff , very refreshing and sparkley, and i'll be making another batch with the last flush of rose petals.........

Heather mead is on the agenda next.....

The wwoofers are still here, nice lad's....................I always feel i shouldnt be on the computer though....................
The photo if it comes up is of the rose petal wine, it is much paler now that it has fermented..

New woofers etc..

2007-08-18T12:48:00.002+01:00

This may sound really strange but i'm finding it really hard to blog without my camera!!! The main reason is i think!! is i forget what i did !! I've an absolutly cr.. memory for day to day activities and a picture helps me focus.....So out with the hairdryer and see if i can blast some life into the beast not my memory the camera........
We had two unexpected wwoofers arrive on wednesday, they are touring wales with a tent and are so far back they almost sound like LLoyd grossman, , it is nice having some extra help around the place but any plans we have, have to be put on hold, even lunch out is not done when wwoofers are here, when all's said and done they are strangers and i don't like to leave the house unnattended for to long...
I've decided i'm getting to fat, so tomorrow i will start following the slimmers world diet, please remind me, i'd take a photo if the camera worked...............
Yesterday i transplanted loads of wild flowers in to the tree field and took wood down there to build an instrument for what i don't know ?? but i will complete it today i promise.....
I also bought lots of this expanding willow trellis and i'm going to make a pavillion?? somewhere level but not where him on mower goes...Or monty is likely to visit come winter Maybe i won't bother.................!!

Chester..

2007-08-18T12:48:00.001+01:00

Today i went shopping [ how twee that sounds] And if it's not for me "I HATE IT", today we where getting school clothes Groooooannn, now all the black trousers look the same to me but no , the pockets where wrong, the material was wrong ,the legs were to wide ,they were to narrow...!! gawd elp me it was a nightmare, and we still didnt manage to get shoes, so that means another trip out.....................
The day started as fun , my friend K came with me and as i pulled up in the convertable outside her house she rushed out with headscarves for us to wear and a camera for nel to take photos while we did "Thelma and Louise" poses, more like "French and saunders" i said.....
The EARTH COLLECTION as a brilliant sale on so i bought bits for me to go with their other stuff i've bought.......then off to the cathedral for lunch..
I'm going to stop now because i couldnt post my last blog, i'll see what happens with this one..xxoo

where to start ???

2007-08-18T12:48:00.000+01:00

Well where do i start, there seems to have been so much going on, and it's the horticultural show today, i've not entered anything but i'll go and look, then we are invited to eat all the produce that a very industrious friend of mine makes afterwards hmmmm................

The 2 wwoofers left yesterday, they where a real pleasure to have stay, and very helpful ,so helpful that when the weather was bad they painted the kitchen and made new curtains for the cupboards and cooked , they can come again anytime... they loved "le petite pois" and have left it spotless.. The first night in the village they had a lock in and couldn,t get over how friendly everyone was! The fact that they where two attractive single females helped in this mainly male village , I'm sure a lot more interest will now be shown in my visitors now that they realise they are not all going to be male !!

PIli pala has at last managed to join our ranks, she came here for a purple coo lesson, and it was the seperate logging on for blogging that had confused her, so hopefully she'll be a regular visitor now .....................

I still don't have a working camera so i can't post any new photos....

Honey the new greyhound as settled in really well she's lost a bit of weight, she hasnt quite learned that you can't only eat half of your dinner and save the rest till later, it will get eaten, needless to say TYE is looking very fat.....

Nell having seen group of people who'd trained there rescued dogs to do tricks and follow an assault course, as decided to do the same tyres and poles are littered every where, i wish the camera was working, Tye is looking seriously disgruntled and ethans developed a migraine and wants his room,, bens loving it and so's bud,. the lady greys are standing by watching, very aloof ,and sasha keeps running off with bits of the course! and refusing to bring them back!The photos an old one of nell and tye ........

Part 2..

2007-08-06T08:15:00.000+01:00

Thats actually a picture of the forest in Doone valley! as taken by my poorly camera, very artistic don't you think?
One thing i'd noticed on my way to the campsite was the ignorance of the people i reversed for on pulled in to allow past! I don't mind doing it one bit and it's less painful than watching someone struggle not to go off road in thier 4X4's , but not one person acknowledged us and i was starting to boil, quite alot of them i realised where from the site , i needed a week there to get them trained in basic manners but instead we left really early, before they started to emerge and we had the road to ourselves..
Needless to say it was very foggy, and we got a wee bit lost on the moors it was good though we saw wild ponies, in the mist and one jumped into the road in front of us!! why do animals do this?? We missed it though because i was only doing about 10mph, and it carried on it's merry way..
By now we where really hungry and needed a cafe, so as i pulled over to let a farmer past i flagged him and shouted " wheres the nearest cafe"he looked a bit shocked a grockle who smiles? and talks to you..."Follow the road down through such and such and take care on the bends" What a Lovely man my faith was being restored..
We saw an area of stunted hawthorne or something and in the fog with the sun shining to it was magical, we couldnt stop though...
It was now 8am as we dropped down under a tunnel of trees and saw a "Pheasant warning sign" how weird and carried on into the town looking for early open signs on the cafes we spotted one parked up on the pay and displayIt was then i realised we where in "Dulverton" Poo timing or what!! me there Jane in Alnwick !! never mind we ate in the courtyard cafe, they did me a lovely veggie breakfast and nell bacon and scrambled eggs hmmm ! and a doggie bag for ben who was waiting in the car..
We read the local papers and the church news, trying to kill time before the shops opened, because we'd decided we needed to tye a "purple ribbon" to janes gate which i knew i'd recognise [because i have Gothic arch envy].
Well could we buy purple ribbon anywhere could we heck!!
It's a really pretty village with some lovely shops and buildings and a good few charity shops reasonably priced as well and they had cutlery, as well as lots of totaly unsuitable purple things!! Which i would never be forgiven for leaving on anyones gate. We had a laugh though looking and we where watched like hawks {I think people thought we where romanian refugees]...We bought a jelly mould thet looks like a brain truly gross !! and the shop assistant tried very hard to sell us a purple pair of pyjama bottoms equally Gross! imagine them on your gate! Yuk, better than the purple bikini bottoms though,,,,,,,With what i'd been reading about the local councillor i didnt want to give anyone the wrong idea about the new people in town !!!!! The tye with the pink panthers on nearly won but was not purple enough we eventually settled on an awful scarf with embroidery on it sort of purpleish!!
We spotted the gate really easy just up the road from the cafe. And on the way up we spotted another charity shop !! the owner was mightly offended when he told me it was not "IT'S A GALLERY" and i said "well sorry but you should tidy your entrance and make it look like one".. lol that was so funny..
Arriving at the gate we heard noises from inside well i had to look in case you where home early!
Dissapointment it was the builder! though very nice i must say! Asbo nearly had my nose of as i peered over at him "mad jumping dog on a spring"!! and his friend who didnt get a look in..
I asked him the builder not jack to tye the scarf somewhere very prominent ! ! and after all the hard work i hope he remembered..........

WE then headed to charnmouth and spent 2 lovely day's fossil hunting on the beach, you can hire a hammer and goggles and hack away at the rock's well nell was in her element!! she found some small ammonites ! A tooth ! something else which is alledgedly dinosaur puke!! And a Flippin great lump of rock with a few little things in which we struggled to get back to the car with ! You are allowed to remove these things from the beach..I was busy collecting stones with holes in ! Why ? i don't know...
It was a bit of a bind having ben with us as so many places are out of bounds to dogs, but they where allowed on the beach between 6pm and 9am, here. we'd parked up on a car park to sleep with public loos, luxury! but they closed them at 9pm till 10am bladder control was necessary no esssencial ..
People really use the beaches down there, from 6am people where swimming ,jogging ,fishing it was lovely to see and campfires and partys at night a real social place, it doesnt happen up here..
It all went to quick and we headed to dartmouth which was fairly close to the kennels.
Dartmouth is lovely and was choc a block! like Wales in the 70's so we shopped a bit and Nell crabbed that was fun....
We headed off to slapton to find a sleeping place and go to a pub/restaurant a local had recomended.. i hadnt really wanted to go to slapton it just sounds awful! but what a pleasant surprise it's lovely a 3 mile beach with no dog restrictions lot's of loo's!! only about A dozen houses and a few shops and the most delicious Fish and chips i've ever had at the pub Which was heaving with satisfied customers....

Time out!

2007-08-05T10:06:00.000+01:00

Not a seaside photo i'm afraid! the cameras broke! and so am i! but who needs photos and dosh when, just fuel in the car and food will do..
We set off like grand explorers the van stuffed to the rafters with essentcials and ben the JRT with pride of place on Nells knee at the front, i'd checked and checked again that i had my AA card and a bottle opener just in case..first stop was lunch in church stretton with sbs at 1.30pm and at 1pm there we are stuck in traffic me finger tapping the engine threatening to overheat and panicing because i hate to be late! we laughed at one point as a bloomin big helicopter flew just over the top of us from behind scaring the livin daylights out of us!! and nells said "There she is looking for you" ..I'd been half noticing the lady in the car behind us laughing and the passenger with her not joining in, then i recognised her and the barmy woman jumped out of her car and came for a chat!! Now what are the chances of that?? We had lovely lunch and chatted for ages, her son who is lovely didnt seem mind one bit being stuck with 3 females and ben....
We then headed down to chepstow and stopped at the services!!! And they looked really surprised when i told them to put the food back!! when i saw what they expected me to pay £12 for..What a rip off.
We got lost a bit around Bristol, but ended up in kilve?? where we found a decent carpark to sleep in..
In the morning we headed to Porlock? and had breakfast in a hotel at 8.30 what a lovely chap he even let ben in and gave us a doggy bag..........
From there we headed towards ilfracoombe but got sidetracked by a sign saying DOONE Valley so off we went and ended up on a campsite at cloud farm, well worth a stay it is proper old fashioned none of this health and safety cr.. ! to spoil things , a little shop and cafe open all day from 7am-8pm , dogs where allowed, and campfires, and swimming. and there was a pony trekking farm there so off she went while i sat and read, i just wish it was "lorna doone" which i havent read since i was a child, then i would have recognised all the sights from the book. there where some truly beautiful woodlands and me with no camera!!
This site was so busy and i think i was the only british person there ......................And the sun was shining!!!! i'll continue tomorrow on how we arrived in Dulverton..

Open day

2007-07-30T08:03:00.000+01:00

Well i'm back, almost feeling normalish, Why oh why???? was the open day moved to the day after sports day! it's just to much excitement ! And all falling amidst the ragwort weeks oh and the 4o chimes order..
WEll it's all done now phew !!! just a tour of devonish & dorsetty areas with nelly this week sleeping in the van and pretending to be surfers, i love my travelling adventures with the children very spontaneous! never enough money! but always memorable..

Back to the garden i lost count at 65 strangers wandering around ! there was lots of positive feedback and lots of cuttings taken, someone even ate my peas.!!! how dare they.

when we first volunteered 7yrs ago only 2 other villagers took part and the Redcross where desperate for gardens and ours was work in progress and still is but the same people have come back year after year to see whats happened , it's nice not at all posh like the NGS can be which is a good thing really, though you do get some folk trying a tad to hard.....Next year I won't try at all it seemed people got out of their cars said Wow!!! that view!! AND WHAT A GORGEOUS DOG!!! Ethan was loving it and definatly stole the show preening and posing like a super model.. We kept tye inthe house just in case he brought anything truly gross back to show people or even worse a still kicking rabbit !! i really don't think the town folk could have coped with that.
Even more embaressing nell and her 2 friends had set up anobstickle [just got to leave that mistake] in the yard for ben the JR to do and they'd placed a bowl with coppers in hoping for donations young entrepaneurs or what!!!! needless to say i made them share it with me...
But not reallyxx
Pili pala is over from France and when we get a sober moment we will get her blogging....
As for sports day as per usual the weather is always good, Well for once i entered no races, missed the tug of war !! watched the tractor pull !! I did MOSH?? with the vicars wife, very narrowly missed getting squashed by to ladys falling over oucchhh!! and met up with friends i only see this one day a year , we got in much earlier than usual {1.30am} with more children than i left with!!! explain that one!. There was a Bucking bronco thing in the square to No i didnt go it but colon did when i wasnt looking and stuck on for 27 seconds i was impressed his friend ie 2 seconds! said it was because he was bigger than the cow!!! LOL ..The party continued until breakfast apparently and jacob came home then....A good time was had by all ......What pleased my darlings the most was the fact that i'd lost my voice!! i've no idea how??? have you...xx

Sunshine but for how long??

2007-07-22T10:20:00.000+01:00

OK i know i look stupid but who cares! Moo is obviously worried and the other dogs have legged it..
Seeing as the weather as been so bad i've delegated today to painting the kitchen and no sooner have i emptied the bookshelves! and started to paint and the flippin sun comes out! sod's law, never mind i quickly donned my new wellies and pranced about, but thought i'd best stop or sbs will drown me if it starts to rain again..
J was 19 yrs old yesterday the same age i was when i met colon, it seems only the blink of an eye where as the time gone ? And i hope the next 19 don't go as fast..
The harness racing was cancelled in the village yesterday because of the weather and the llaneffydd show, I think we are all truly fed up now arnt we and the summer is flying by.
Well i'm going outside to make the most of it and do a bit more tidying for next sundays open day...then back inside to finish what i've started..xx

Just a quick one!

2007-07-20T18:50:00.000+01:00

Good evening everyone, thought i'd blog before i chill...
The young wwoofer left today she was a lovely girl and a big help .. so today after dropping her off at the coach, we had a girly day out along with colon bless him, you could see his eyes glazing over as we entered yet another clothes shop asked his opinion ! then ignored it! well he should know better than to go shopping with 3 girls..I had a stroke of luck i went to town last week with sorrel [she passed her theory test] and i saw a blue quilt in a charity shop, it was really nice but £7 seemed a bit steep so i left it, later in the day i said to s let's collect it on the way home i really want it... but we forgot! so today i went back and it was still there i went all hot! it'd been reduced to £4 see destiny i was meant to have it, i took it to the till and she said you can have that for£2 bllooooomin ek! it felt like christmas,it's in the washer now and it's the most perfect blue....
I've had a day of from ragwort but my hands and arms are so sore and i'll have to continue tomorrow, but i will win..
Pili palas in the village for a month so i'll give her a hand setting up her page and blogging ...then she can join in the fun,,,xxx
If any of you are interested in my mobiles i still do make some to sell privatly but mainly i supply shops...They are £15 and £2 p/p which is half the retail price to my purple coo mates..xx

To much to do and not enough time.....yet again

2007-07-17T19:31:00.000+01:00

I just needed to put this picture up to remind myself that i do manage to have quality time here, and i'm not always upto my eyes in gardens ,fences,Bracken ,thistles, docks, and the bain of my life Ragwort.. why on earth do we give ourselves this extra work..Somedays i really want a town house with just enough garden to keep me occupied and enough rooms so we arn't cramped, and far enough away that i can't hear jakes exhaust roaring......

Bookings are coming thick and fast for a change for the" basket making "in september and the "colour s of the tree's"natural dyeing and felting course in october so thats a relief......
I also have an order for 40 mobiles to be done by next week I'm quite enjoying doing these cos i've got new ball's [i'll await sbs's comment about them]..
Meanwhile this glass of chilled wine feels lovely against the blisters on my Hand's , but i need to go back out to do a slug hunt and some deadheading, what i need is all you gardeners here helping me to get ready for the open day in 12 days yikes and double bloomin yikes...xxxo

Mystery rose etc!

2007-07-12T16:38:00.000+01:00

Well here's the rose that didnt want to appear in the common room again i think she got shy..

We've got a german wwoofer with us for 2 weeks i am so glad , a ragwort pulling assistant, poor girl she seems very nice and she's staying in" Le petite pois"and thinks it's wonderful pheww..Shes been helping me polish mobiles today which is a big help as i've an order for 30.

And yikes we just had a phone call the "Open garden's" of which we are one has been brought forward to the 29th july! instead of the 30th of august! the place is a jungle, which i suppose will make a change it's usually parched and yellow.
But not only that i know for a fact i'll be drunk on the 28th, it's the village sports day which starts at 1pm and finishes on the 29th sometime ho heck ! But its a tradition which cannot be changed.
And i hope pili pala flutters over to play..
AS for camping out in this weather i think we'll put it off a while !
Nearly forgot the elderflower champagne turned out a treat so cheers.xxoo

2007-07-07T17:16:00.000+01:00

Work work work!

2007-07-07T17:02:00.000+01:00

"I've been so busy doing nothing working the whole day through". doing orrible jobs, no fun this week every where to wet and grey and my plants are rotting, doesnt somebody know a sundance we can do?????
I've made wine which you've all seen , i'm going to try Heather mead next and see how that works....
Today all day we've fitted a monty proof gate and repaired some fencing and it feels good to see a job completed. Tomorrow we dismantle J's old caravan which is not fit to reuse.
Now i'm going out to try and bring some semblence of order to the front garden while the suns out...i've got one bit off good news theres a wwoofer coming next week ,perfect timing for ragwort removal "there is a god after all"....
and while it's been raining i've been chcking out other sites i've not visited for ages,Not the Boring one!! t
The Greyhound one, and guess what i've got another arriving in two weeks!!! mad !mad! mad! i know but i'm soft.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Miseries Moi!!

2007-07-05T17:19:00.001+01:00

This would have been far easier if was for what makes you miserable, i've got a huge list of those and most of them have happened this week......Needless to say i've dragged my self up by the scruff and here goes !!!!

Most definately MUSIC the louder!!! and more air guitarish!! the better.

Go out anywhere! ! do anything!! distraction is good!!

I find when i'm down my body language is! shoulders slumped dragging feet head down ! it certainly was this morning as i rounded up the neighbours sheep again!, and i thought if i wasnt doing this for someone else! and knew i had a load of damage to repair waiting for me! i'd be striding out and enjoying it!! So i walked faster shoulders back even ran for a while, i felt 100% better when i got home.

Another is driving with the music really loud and singing at the top of my voice the music as to be loud because i sing or shout terribly!! But i forget i've only got a cloth roof !! you should see peoples faces when they hear me ! ! it has me in fits...

Number 5 adopt another greyhound! ! she's arriving in 2 weeks..

Here's a number 6 for good measure! Start a tea-towel fight as above and then leg it...................xxxx

Have you seen all the orb's on there actually i think mine are dust...

Mayhem.

2007-06-29T13:10:00.001+01:00

Smile

Mayhem.

2007-06-29T13:10:00.000+01:00

This is so naughty, sneaking onto the computer when i've only come into make a quick brew but wa lahhh..
Yesterday was utterly brilliant, it is so strange this meeting up the trepidition?? of what people will be like because i'm sure will all build images of each other in our minds well i do, within minutes my images are all wrong but who cares the reality is better Even though i don't have long dark hair snailbeach [maybe next time]..We giggled and and gossiped like we'd known each other for years, and it was only snail beach that dobbies couldn't cope with, she was giving of far to much Heat!!! but we where all very raucous, then we invaded the little chef and made 1 drink each last 2hrs. again we were far to noisy, but the others! kept swearing! and spitting !so i got embaressed and left, when i got outside they'd followed me and proceeded to take the mick out of my Girly car...I wasnt fazed i just put it down to to much caffeine.
It's a damn shame we had to go home next time it's an all nighter, OK...

while i've been doing this QUIM, remember him my catalonian wooffer, as been sending me messages, he's just passed his veterinary exams, i'm so pleased for him..
Best take col is cuppa out now...xxx

jungle

2007-06-21T15:28:00.000+01:00

It seem's weeks since i blogged it feels like i've been to busy to write anything interesting or not interesting for that matter... and there's been a kerfufle while i was absent all finished now though which shows how strong we are some of us more sensitive but all sharing a link to pull us together and it's cool..

It's raining here again and i aint going to complain!!! i just wish i hadnt danced so vigorously!!!

The garden as gone beyond the romantic secret garden abundance to the bramble filled forest surrounding sleeping beautys castle!! we turn our backs for two weeks and its a jungle.

The dogs are flea ridden again..Monty is still exilled to "Dai's field" a steep gorse filled bank with a public footpath across it, thinking about it we've not had many walkers coming that way! monty has been known to hold people trapped until they relinquish their picnics,, he loves "tuna sandwiches" very weird and disconcerting for the captured party a meat eating horse.

A month from today There's to be Televised harness racing in the valley below [no i'm not entering M]on s4c unfortunatly and we have aeriel views of the field. Now I'm always opening myself up for hard work and dissapointment so i'll run this past you.. Allow people to bring there picnics and gazebo's to watch from up here for a small donation towards the school or sports commitee 50p each or something...i'll tell the local papers and who are sure to put it in because its televised and maybe get a bit of advertising in there for me as well.. We have loads of parking ..????

It's also j's 19th and a 50th anniversary that day to and the night i usually camp..fun fun fun.

Mother Cleans while childs excluded from school!!!

2007-06-13T18:48:00.000+01:00

Well where do i start?? i know llanrwst we finaly managed to get some tenants out of the house there they owe £3ooo rent and the newly refurbished carpeted house they moved into 4yrs ago is disgusting...You all know how much i loathe cleaning my own house but i do, but cleaning up after lazy %%$%^&* like them is soul destroying.. any way thats where i've been all week! today i stayed home and did my own stuff, i was ill all night some germ off the carpets no doubt....
Now for the fun bit!! A message on the answer phone..Your daughter elorah has been excluded from school for fighting??! i thought it was a wind up until i saw her face as she got of the bus and her hand clutching a letter..We Are Mean and pretended not to know until she'd told us!
And it was true she had been fighting or rather she'd been hit while sticking up for some one else who was getting bullied! ! The bully had turned on her and slapped her across the face! and i'm glad to say nell responded promptly with one of her own !!! it then turned into a hair pulling brawl [i can just imagine it cringge] Then bully ran away!!! And nell as punishment?????? doesnt have to go to school tomorrow??? [If thats punishment she'll fight everyday i certainly would have.]
She said mum looking very worried and tearful am i going to get shouted at by you??? No i said and hugged her, she replied "i'm glad and i'm sorry but it was the right thing to do"!! talk about a "little house on the priarie" moment!!

Swing the cat!

2007-06-09T10:48:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, having done all the boring day to day chores!! We went to an open garden in abergele expecting to be a bit bored!! the predictability of modern estate gardens with the inevitable garden makeover themes, decking ,water feature, bedding plant's..Well we where very pleasantly surprised it was stunning a true country garden adjoining another contemporary garden, in all about half an acre with fully matured oaks, tree houses,and ponds and everything looking lovely and lush .....
Then when we'd finished there we headed up to Cefn for a celeagh [?? spelling] and curry. It's a lovely setting truly ancient, Cefn caves now sadly closed down are the site of a prehistoric dwelling.. The village today is spread out and there is no centre the only pub closed last year and the post office about 10yrs ago..
The rock formations and and the large slabs of i think limestone are so weird that they look manmade , they decorate the stone walls and gardens and i want some..

The band playing where "swing the cat"and they are brilliant i love fiddle music..I walked in and saw these 3 big blokes an 2 women and thought how the" berludy hell "did they all fit in my crog llofft, on colins 50th birthday 7yrs ago today and it brought back memories..........I wasnt well at the time depression? stress? whatever its called it's not fun and everyday was a battle just to get out of bed and remember one simple thing was nigh on impossible!!! 3 young children, and my dad clinging to me with his own sadness, we'd lost my mum very suddenly to cancer it was very traumatic and the burden of everyones grief was heaped on my already loaded shoulders and of course hiding my own feelings and grief i allowed them to. But i was crumbling inside......
Well ever the glutton for punishment i decided to throw a surprise party!!! for cols 50th a real humdinger!!.... And my dad announced out of the blue the week before that he was bringing his girlfriend... ?? what a weird feeling happy for him but feeling a betrayel as well i can't explain all sorts of warring emotions!! and dad why now??..... I finally broke down on the way to piano lessons he'd called me to tell me on his mobile and i pulled into a layby and set of shaking and crying with my bewildered children crying around me not understanding what was happening.............150 people came the band was up on the gallery the bouncy castle a big fair ground size one we where repairing for someone was out on the lawn 2 big barrel barbecues where on the go as well as all the food i'd done myself plenty for everyone and of course all my friends donations!!!! Inside i was like a coiled spring i couldn't breath! ! i could see my heart beating through my clothes, i told no one....Outside the heavens opened and all these people squooze into my tiny house, everyone was having a brilliant time col was on form!!and my smile was plastered on and my laugh a bit to brittle even to my own ears, Dancing was out of the question unless you felt inclined to pogo damn British weather!! then they arrived its like i was stood in state at the aga and my dad walked in with a big grin on his face leading a small dark lady i did a double take!!! IT was D my friend from Ireland and it was all planned as a surprise to me!!! what came out of my mouth i don't regret one bit" YOU F...ING BA.....S" Then a photo was taken of me by some one, and i clearly remember thinking i'll remember this moment forever when 2 people who supposedly love you have finally pushed you over the edge,and the smile crumbled from then on......
I'd been there for D through her depression, and my dad but they where to self centered to recognise mine,,,and they still don't know and they never will unless they read this..
Wow did i digress sorry!!!
Anyway last night i danced and danced until i was dizzy! drank real ale and spent it all in pleasant company.....And slept like a log..xxoo

2007-06-05T19:08:00.000+01:00

This is just a little blog i'm still trying to catch up with you all but time just seems to melt away, all the dogs are sat outside peering in at me begging with their eyes for a walk and i'll have to oblige..I finaly put the monkey puzzle branches to good use and built a thing in the tree field, and i've treated myself to a sunlounger that i've left down there just for me to sleep on under the stars on these hot nights......
jake my eldest not mentioned much cos 80% of the time he's an arse and 20% perfect well he's in the first mode at the moment and he's draining me and taking my thoughts he's not really bad[drugs crime etc] just selfish...
The photo is of a painted caravan in llangollen i walked past it twice before i spotted it..xx

Steam Trains.

2007-06-04T10:47:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, i woke up in a panic! it was colins dads 80th on the 24th, and he is mad about trains, his living room as a traintrack running all around it with junction boxes stations etc...So i booked him a driver experience day at llangollen, the panic was because he's notoriously fickle and could quite easily have refused point blank to partake!!! and also what if it was to much for him and he hurt himself or became ill???? worry worry worry!!!!!
Anyway it went really well he was a bit taken aback at first as we had to hoist him and shove him into the thing, but he soon joined in the swing of things and donned a boiler suit and hat,,,, we where all sent into the following carriage to be driven by him..
It was a good day and one which will long live in our memories and give him something to tell his cronies about...We had a lovely meal in a new place over looking the river The old mill or somesuch, i'd recommend it..then on to betws to the train museum then home for tea and to discover all my ciders gone flat??

Woodfest wales..

2007-06-01T18:02:00.000+01:00

I seem to have spent this last week doing things for everyone else so today i thought Let's play the trouble is everyone else was working!!!! so nell and i went to the woodfest wales it's the first time i've been typically its only 5 miles away but i'm usually working ..........You all know how much i love wood and trees well this place was inspiring the bodgers and wood turners have me glued, i bought myself a lathe 6yrs ago and have never quite plucked up the courage to try it but maybe now i will. There where mad men climbing these ginormous poles it made me feel quite dizzy watching them......Then these other men and one woman dressed in purple !!was she one of us???...Using chainsaws to carve out bears ,dragons, wizards, allsorts! out of huge logs of wood they where magnificent and are all being auctioned on sunday, i'm sorely tempted but i doubt i could afford one...
There was a fair ground and i very stupidly went on one ride!!! and thourghly enjoyed it until i got off!! what is it with getting older that makes fair ground rides make you sick and stay dizzy all day????? We did felting and wood engraving.....
A good day out and well worth a visit.
Yesterday we went to llangollen to book a special trip for colins 80yr old train mad dad, he's actually going to get to drive a steam train!! but thats a different story that i'll tell you on sunday......

Time!!

2007-05-28T16:20:00.000+01:00

Time where does it go????? I've had a lovely day today memorable in it's simplicity, just me nell and tye !! She chatters continualy mum do you remember this??? mum do you remember that??? I shake my head,, I know it was years ago when i was young [shes only 12 now]...It's wonderful the family stories and memories change from year to year , but i do love to listen to her more colourful version of the most mundane things ...Today we cloud watched sprawled out on a rocky outcrop! and it brought tears to my eyes because it only felt like i did it yesterday with my mum on sunbeds!! in the back garden in rhyl,... we hid from ramblers and spied on them , odd i know but fun and a lesson. we identified footprints, Otter,fox badger, sheep, deer,and tye..we taught him to climb trees "watchout squirrels"...And nell found a sheeps skull that she s brought home yuk... all in all a blumin lovely day....xxx

2007-05-28T16:11:00.000+01:00