Tempest

 This is something I hope to see on my next London trip

Friday Observations

 It’s Friday and it’s trying to be sunny. The Welsh are quiet today after their walk and Roger is sat in my bedroom window watching the grave digger and village Elder Islwyn dig a grave for a lady on Erw Wen I've never met.

I had a tutorial with my senior tutor , she says I’m doing fine, even my academic work ( which I find a challenge) she says is fine . “I like how you write “ she said , which meant a great deal 

Anyhow, the village coffee morning needs helpers tomorrow but as usual I’m working. 

I’m not complaining, weekend work means more money and bills seemed to have shot up this month. 

At least Flintshire County Council is not bankrupt but their monthly bill rise is a real shocker.

I’ve had to pay for Dorothy’s cremation too. The ground had been overly saturated to bury her.

I didn’t have the energy to do it myself.

I have some wriggle room but I will need to book a few extra shifts in April and May as my nephew Leo is coming up for a visit ( his first alone) and I’ve got London trips to see Nu (theatre and the Hampton Court Flower Show) and with Janet to see A Chorus Line at Saddler’s Wells and Buckingham Palace.

Sheffield too is calling me back home as it has a want to do , so I’ll message Mike for a date to meet up

I see that old showboat drag queen Myra DuBois is playing the Ledmill 

I’d love to get to visit the place one last time…….

Roger is barking his what the hell is going on bark 

The mini gravedigger has obviously overfaced him and I’m finishing my coffee before I wash my face and brush my hair in order to meet my family for lunch at the Dinorban 

I will leave you with the lovely lisping Spanish Choir 

Enjoy

How To Handle A Lemon sucker

 

Lemon suckers leave a sour taste in your mouth unless you add something sweet to the mix in order to lessen the acidity. 

I’m getting better at this, thanks to personal development, but I’m still inclined to bite rather than to diffuse In the company of these people, your words become your weapons, not to destroy, but to defend, to protect and to deconstruct their thinking. When they turn things downward, negative and sour, you can turn it right back around again. Lift things upwards, be positive and empowering. 

Question their thinking, ask them why they would choose to take the negative perspective they have? Ask them if their perspective is helpful? You see the more you question them, the less they share their acid tones with you as they don't like being questioned or challenged and will feel less and less inspired to share as they are not getting the response they desire.

As a good friend says ‘act as a sweetener’ around these people. According to Huxton (2017) “ Inside every ‘lemon sucker’ is a great person waiting to escape the misery they are causing themselves and others. They just need to be shown, guided, questioned, nurtured and encouraged to look inside themselves, to explore how they are affecting their own status quo and well-being and that of those around them.”

I don’t want more practice. But I need more if you know what I mean .
I’m being mindful today. It’s colder and we’ve had the odd shower, during which I’ve collected the houseplants and put them outside for a natural bath and drink

I’m going to the theatre later
 

Being Silly

The Randa Girls are no longer girls but young beautiful women, I noticed a new photo of them on their mums Facebook page. I was on my way back from Liverpool , seeing some old friends

Eight years ago they were little girls 

And I occasionally still miss babysitting them after school, it was the last real time I enjoyed being truly silly

Children notice everything.
We had just bathed and towel dried Mary and placed her back into her crate when Eve noticed a big blob of curry sauce on the oven glove which was looped over the oven door handle .
" Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhh! " she called out rather theatrically " Wot's that?"
I made a show of sniffing the brown lump and told both girls that I thought it " smelt of poo"
Suddenly I had both girl's rapt attention
I poked the lump with my finger and lifted it to my nose
" yes it's poo!" I announced and as the girls looked on with surprised frowns
I popped my finger into my mouth
Screaming filled the kitchen.

Late in life , I have learnt the lesson that children love and need silliness.
And the " smuttier" and " dirtier" the silly activity...the happier they become.
Unfortunately I don' t recall my parents ever being silly.
When I picked the girls up from school yesterday afternoon, Eve asked if we could " smash the apples again" ....as " it was fun" We had picked apples from the orchard and had jumped on the soft apples with our shoes so that the geese could feed on the bits the last time they came around after school.

Last night , when affable despot Jason arrived to pick his girls up , he was faced with suddenly dipped curried digits and shouts of "Dad! I have poo on my finger" , and like all experienced parents he smiled a patient smile .
I covered the fingerholes before I replaced the curry in the oven.

Blowing eggs in the garden

Chips

 I’ve always said Carl Rogers never struck me as a party girl

Earnest and not a bag of laughs

I could be wrong 

It’s been all a bit heavy in University today

Hence the chips for lunch 

André Rieu - La Paloma (Live in Mexico)

Like I said earlier today has been busy but it has also been productive and funny and with Roger showing latent hormonal infatuations on a scale that Winnie had for workmen in overalls 

The day made me smile .

As did André Rieu and his orchestra of many colours in their Mexican concert from a few years ago 

It was bonkers

Totally bonkers 

I watched it on sky , and was drawn in by the good nature of it all 

The humour, the obvious enjoyment and the energy of the locals  was a delight to watch 

And with everything news being shite at the moment 

A few daft frocks, some toe tapping songs and ten thousand Mexicans going bananas 

Wasn’t a bad way of passing an evening 

I see he’s in concert in Sheffield later this week ! 

No time

 

I’ve been busy.

I completed an essay this morning, which only needs the referencing doing.

Did the weekly shop and took Trendy Carol to pick up her car from the garage.

She was wearing something bright that shrieked springtime in a light cotton 

Roger is in love with Trendy Carol 

Unlike his alpha male , Roger is clearly a ladies man 

He spent the journey to the garage lying in Carol’s arms, just looking up into her face

It’s exhausting to watch

You can almost smell his hormones.

In between jobs I listened to a biography of Antoni Gaudi on Radio 4 and the story of Christine Granville who was the first female spy of WW2 and so engrossed , missed. The pharmacy trip on the way home.

The cottage resembles something post drugs bust

Hey ho

Small World

Carlos

 On my coffee break, yesterday I messaged Nia Hâf 

Are you ok? I asked

She lives with her family in Sydney 

And seconds later came the wonderful xxx reply 

The world is a very small place sometimes.🥰

Ben

At teatime, I was sat with my coffee and sausage bap ( with glorious fried onions thanks Hospice Chef) in the staff room and I was messaging my rather tipsy friend Ben in South Korea on my iPad.

It was 2 am over there and we had a big fat manly virtual hug before he fell asleep on the couch! 

Nia and family

At home I caught up with friend Argentinian  Carlos on his holiday cruise  to the Falklands, epic and moving, he loved it

And all this from North Wales! 

 all this has happened today x