A DAY IN THE GARDEN AT LAST

I went to bed knowing that if the weather was fine my son and I would be spending the day in the garden and my mind was so full of plans that I hardly slept a wink.

With my strong son to help with the heavy work such as moving large containers,bags of compost and bark chip I knew that by the end of the day things would be well on the way.

We began after breakfast ,assembling all the containers needed in the walled garden and removing any unnecessary items. I had built a small fire and we burned all the dead ivy before planting the new. This small walled garden was until recently a lovely spot,but damaged drains followed by a plague of rats ruined everything.

Finally we managed to persuade the Estate to ,not only mend the drains but to remove all the sewerage fouled gravel. Soon all the repairs will be finished including new and we hope rat proof doors for the outbuildings , so while the weather is fine I shall be sowing and planting this area,this will be Pa's own little garden.

I scrubbed out the pond and relocated it so that it can be seen from Pa's place at table and moved all his pet Semper Vivens plants to easily accessible places so that he can tend them himself. Surrounding the pond are containers filled with pretty shrubs and plants giving both cover for the birds and providing an attractive backdrop for the little pool.

There will be climbing roses and lots of fragrant herbs as well as some salad plants close to the back door for easy picking in wet weather,and of course a seat for Pa.

It is still very much work in progress but at least a start has been made and just to be out working in the garden again makes me very happy.

Tomorrow I hope to sow some flower and vegetable seeds if the weather remains fine but what ever tomorrow brings I am very thankful for this lovely day in the garden.

GUESTS AT THE CAFE AVIE

Our day began with a full English breakfast shared with a guest. Our Maintenance Manager is as you know a nasty bit of work and it has become a sort of tradition that when ever he goes on holiday we entertain his staff for a slap up breakfast to start the good times rolling.

A good time and a large breakfast was had by all after which I sent Pa back to bed as he had not slept well,tucked up under a soft fleece he soon fell asleep and a couple of hours later he woke feeling much better and went outside to feed the birds.

We are at last getting a new extractor hood for the cooker installed and I shall be very grateful when it is done,the old one has no lights as the bulbs shatter as soon as they are installed ,and the fan sounds rather like an ailing hair-dryer,coughing and spluttering and the occasional deep grinding noise it makes can be very disconcerting.

The fitting of the new extractor occasioned a visit from another member of the staff which just happened to coincide with afternoon tea time ,and so of course he was invited to stay.

There were sausage rolls,quiche and several sorts of cakes left over from yesterdays party and we all enjoyed finishing them off.

We have done rather a lot of entertaining recently and I am pleased to say that I have coped well with the extra work,today I strimmed the orchard pathways and tidied up my shed ,much to the boys amazement. After the exertions of the weekend they expected me to be exhausted today, the fact that I was not has made me very happy indeed as it must mean that I am getting stronger

I do hope so.

Tomorrow I hope to sow my new seeds and my son is to help me with moving the containers, A kind friend picked up six bags of compost for me today and I now have all I need to begin the new seasons growing,hoping for good weather,fingers crossed.

Our pair of Collared Doves are nesting nearby and are at the bird feeders daily,they are such dear,pretty little birds and we are lucky to have them in the garden.

Now I'm off for a hot shower before bed,I intend to watch a Will Hay film ,a nice change from the gloom and doom of the news,for a change.                            

PARTY AT AVIES

Pa and I have just withdrawn from the feasting to allow the younger guest the liberty to talk as they please. I spent a lovely day making and baking all manner of pastries until there was so much food that we could not get all of it on the table. It has been my experience that young men are always hungry so I followed my instincts and made loads of everything.

The Dungeoneers are a fine body of men,they are good humoured, intelligent, kind and thoughtful, amongst other attributes and I an glad that my son has such good friends. They also have healthy appetites which endears them to me,as I love to cook.

The men did their best endeavours and managed to demolish a good amount of the party food,it is always a pleasure to give these chaps a party,Pa and I are very fond of them all and consider them family,what could be better than a house full of hungry boys.

I intend ,if all goes well,to cook a medieval banquet for the Dungeoneers this Christmas, roast chicken,game and trenches, game pie, and sweetmeats,and of course lots of mulled wine.

I hope that cooking this banquet will help me not to miss making a party for my sons friends at work, it will seem strange not to be baking all the seasonal goodies,so a banquet might fill the gap.

Pa has nodded off and I think now that I shall take a bath as I am very tired.

I have loved every minute of today and with so many birthdays to celebrate all at once it is no wonder things were merry.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, goodnight.

PARTY CHICKEN

Tomorrow we will be celebrating a total of five birthdays here at home and I am catering the party.

With one guest who detests fish and another who is allergic to cheese I was obliged to drop from the menu a number of our usual favourites and rummaged about among the recipe books for alternatives.

My son suggested chicken,this came as no surprise as left to himself he would eat it every day. Cold roast chicken,it seemed like a good idea and I have recently taken delivery of three large free range birds.

In the herb garden everything is frowning fast and I had the choice of Marjoram,Salad Burnet

Rosemary,Thyme,Chive and Parsley. Leaving the parsley for a salad ingredient and the chives for the potato salad I picked a few sprigs of the others,washed them and chopped them finely.

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper were added and about two tablespoons of olive oil , I rubbed the inside of the chicken with half a lemon then massaged the herb flavoured oil in to the in to the skin of the chicken before wrapping in foil and roasting for just over two hours.

Chicken treated this way not only smells terrific while it is cooking but if allowed to stand for 24 hours and eaten cold it is moist and delicious having absorbed the fragrance of the herbs overnight.

The chicken will be served with a crown of granary rolls and a white bloomer and will be accompanied by a salad of sorrel and parsley from the garden, cherry tomatoes and beetroot salad.

I also baked a total of four cakes today,two were my usual lemon drizzle(these were baked on request) A tray bake almond slice and a large chocolate cake which will be filled with Chantilly cream and topped with chocolate fudge icing.

My son arrived home from his game and bemoaned the fact that he would have to wait until tomorrow for the chicken...he had to make do with a home made pizza...poor boy!

One of tomorrows guest gave me a box of the finest chocolate cookies as a thank you, he really is a dear boy.

Tomorrow the boys will be gaming in the living room which will give me a clear field in the kitchen to put the finishing touches to the cake,make some crisps and bake the savoury pastries, I also hope to make some chocolate éclairs if there is time.

I did not mind at all being in my warm kitchen all day as the weather has taken a turn for the worst and the cold east wind has returned with a vengeance.

We are all looking forward to tomorrows party,and hopefully a good nights sleep beforehand, with luck.

ALL IN A DAYS WORK

We breakfasted alone today,a first this week I think,but before I had a chance to feel spurned the builders arrived again for tea and toast.

My son having promised me a day of his time to move some larger items around the garden I was anxious to finish my indoor duties. The builders went out to work,I washed up and made a huge batch of bread,some for the freezer for Sunday's party,some for friends and some for us. I roasted a chicken breast needed for tonight's meal and was just about the head for the garden when,da,da DA!!!! The builders returned,this time for coffee.

I must say that they are doing a wonderful job but but does seem to be taking an inordinate amount of time.

Pa wanted to fed the birds and as the men had left the yard in disarray I went out to move the feeders and stands to a position Pa could reach... this took some time. I needed a length of chain to hand a heavy feeder and so I set of to the hardware shop where they wanted to charge me £9.95 for a yard of pretty nondescript chain,I declined and left empty handed.

I arrived home and had just changed in to my gardening togs when a maintenance man from the estate arrived with good news. What could it be I wondered? Perhaps my house was to be declared out of bounds? Perhaps we were being sent to Coventry? Nope. I'm afraid not!

I received the information that a new extractor fan for the cooker was ordered and would arrive on Monday with pleasure. I received the news that the manager would be away for most of next week with a lesser degree of enthusiasm. Granted,he is a nasty ,mean spirited ,malevolent individual of who I should be glad to see the back of...permanently. On the other hand this meant,I was gleefully informed that while the cat was away the mice would be free to avail themselves of my hospitality with impunity........until next Thursday!

I was resigned,I put the kettle on again,shut all thoughts of my poor garden out of my mind and sat down for a gossip.

Then one of my guests remarked that they had noticed a few little jobs needed doing about the garden...I felt a wave of hysteria wash over me.

The the dear man said that as the boss would be away next week they would bring their own tools and do some of the jobs for me,things like fixing trellis to the walls and sighting some new feeders and nest boxes............I felt the tears running down my cheeks, I could do nothing to stop them,I cried with gratitude and relief.

“Breakfast at 10.30 on Monday”I called as they walked up the path. “Lovely, see you then” came the cheery reply.

Isn't it wonderful how things turn out?

HOW MUCH TEA CAN A BUILDER DRINK?

I wonder if anyone has ever quantified the seemingly endless amount of tea drunk by builders,plumbers,gas fitters etc? During the last three days we have consumed a weeks supply of Yorkshire Tea,two packs of English Breakfast Tea...both leaf tea of course, and half a very large jar of coffee, twenty ISO drinks and half a bottle of gin(the latter consumed by me.)

At the moment we had three different professions digging up our yard, blasting hell out of out two hundred year old drains and attempting to effect a cure for our gas boilers chronic old age.

The gas fitter,a lovely young chap feels that it is gasping its last and a new one should be fitted,the Estate has decided to fit a carbon monoxide alarm.......yes well we are,as you may imaging full of confidence in this hopeful measure!

Fortunately there are so many draughts in our cottage that I doubt if there could b a sufficient build up of gas to cause any trouble. My neighbour once left his gas top on unlit all night with no ill effect what-so-ever!

This afternoon they broke the news that they would be back next week to do some more work,I feel that emigration may be the best answer to my troubles.

A conservation group of which my son is chairman met tonight at our Local Pub, this meant that dinner had to be at five thirty. We had just said goodbye to the workmen .hoovered and steamed all the floors,and |I was about to begin dinner when ,behold, another bunch of workmen, who will be working here tomorrow turned up to have a look at the job.

They trudged through the filthy yard straight through the house,I gave them tea and then departed to my room where I wept silently with frustration until they left. The alternative would have resulted in my receiving a long prison sentence for G.B.H. or even murder.

I know that I have done quite a lot of moaning during the last two days but even my renown hospitality has its limits I find. For instance,if you arrived at someone’s house and they were steaming the floor would you. A. Take off you shoes and come in. B. Go away and come back at a more convenient time. Or C. Trudge in with mud all over your boots,plonk down in a chair and ask for a cup of tea. Consider these questions rhetorical.

I have a party here on Sunday, celebrating five birthdays , I am catering the party and I mean to enjoy doing it. There will be three cakes...possibly more. Sausage roll s ,mini quiches,salad cheeses new baked bread and a large cold roast chicken with accompanying bacon rolls and blackberry jelly.

Home made vegetable crisps, cheese straws and anything else I can think of in the meantime.

For this I shall need my kitchen to be empty of all but myself and the cat. Quite how this miracle will be achieved I cannot tell....perhaps a plague cross on the front door,perhaps a banishing spell, maybe I could borrow my neighbours Great Dane, a complete softy who is afraid of cats but sounds like “The Hound of the Baskervilles”........we shall see.

ARRRGH!

Today my house was full again,my loo was blocked,I cooked breakfast three times,Pa's hospital transport arrived at eleven fifty, his appointment was at twelve noon and on the other side of London.

Both scooters broke down, my cat got stuck up a tree, one of the workmen tramped all through the house in his boots after unblocking a drain.

I found a hedgehog in the graveyard with its guts strimmed out!

The plumber arrived late and without the necessary part, the Estate Manager showed up just as I was about to begin dinner,I sat on a needle and.....the Gods have mercy the whole bloody circus begins again tomorrow.

Am I bothered....yes I bloody well am!

ALARMS AND EXCURSIONS

The day dawned fresh and fair.....it was unfortunately all down hill from there! Pa had a hospital appointment and there was much ado getting him ready to go. Breakfast was late in consequence and in two sittings,always a nuisance.

We were expecting the gas fitter to come and service the boiler at some stage and I hoped that during the day there would be time for me to do a little gardening....some hope!!!!!

My son and I had barely finished breakfast when the sound of strimmers was heard coming from the churchyard behind our house. Quick as a flash I was on my scooter and what I found made my incandescent with rage. The meadow was being strimmed out just as the cow parsley was coming into flower.

Two men with strimmers were perpetrating this crime,for crime it was, and on the back of a truck six loutish young men sat smoking and laughing. I asked the men to stop,they refused and the young men became threatening,I deployed my walking stick and drove them down in order to reach the strimmers,finally they stopped work.

I explained patiently at first that the area was now a nature preserve and should not be touched, the man became truculent and the leering youths came back for a second go.

It was at this point that the Vicar arrived,it must be said that our Vicar has no knowledge of wild life what so ever and is far more concerned with keeping in with the Parochial Church Council than she is in dealing with these matters, and I pointed this out to her in in uncertain terms.

To cut a long story short they stopped,packed up and left having at least realised that they were not only in the wrong but that they cold be facing a heavy fine.

On my return home |I fired off a vitriolic email to the department concerned and then went in to the garden. It was then that a party of workers arrived to deal with the drainage problems and the rat hole at the back of the house. I had just finished dealing with this when the boiler man arrived,I had spent a grand total of twenty minutes in the garden.

By the time the workers departed it was four forty-five,every cup and mug in the place had been used and the cake tin was empty.

I really do not mind the tea and cake bit ,but oh how I would have loved to spend a little of this lovely day dealing with my long neglected garden.

As for tomorrow,Pa is off to Guy,s Hospital at nine in the morning,the men working on the drains will be back in force and the boiler repair man will need to return as he needs to fit a new part to out antique water heater.

I feel sometimes like putting up a sign such as Lucy did in the “Charlie Brown” carton saying”the Doctor s Out.”

GARDEN CENTRE RIP OFFS

Late though it be I decided to invest in a little new seed and some compost for sowing and for the containers,Oh boy, was I in for a shock.

Last year I could purchase most seed varieties for less than £2.00, this year not only had the price for many seeds risen to £3.50 plus,the number of seeds in each packet had been drastically reduced!

A 20 litre bag of expand and grow compost was £10.50, OK, I know it expands to three times the amount when water is added but that is still an extortionate price to pay for the 60 litres ,(the size of one average sized bag of ordinary compost )it would become after soaking. I should also add that my garden centre charges me £25.00 for delivery in spite of the fast that my house is at the end of their drive!

Disheartened I returned home feeling that my gardening days would end ,not because of my health but because I could no longer stand the cost.

I decided to look online and began with Amazon, my troubles were over,seeds from 50p a pack,quality seeds too,I ordered all I needed and felt happy again. I believe they do compost also for as little a £5.00 for 60 litres,I expect the carriage charge will be high I shall check it out in the morning.

Thanks to online shopping there will....weather permitting be runner beans this autumn,French beans during the summer,courgettes,salads,cabbages and kale all in their season. Crisp radishes,sweet beetroot,spinach and chard, and I shall have the great pleasure of growing these wonderful treats,weather permitting of course.

AN ORDINARY SUNDAY

After a more than usually hectic week and a good deal more entertaining than usual it was lovely to wake this morning in the knowledge that this was just an ordinary Sunday.

Although this may sound dull to some,to me it is a rare and special event,as for many years for us Sunday was a day like any other, no |Sunday roast,no picnics in the park...nothing.

For the past eight years my son had worked alternative Sundays and on his off Sunday has entertained his gaming group at home..in the kitchen...no chance to cook .

Prior to this Pa, who worked in the “entertainment business” worked almost every weekend,for as long as I can remember. Sundays for us have been ,up early,chores, work, fast meals and sleep,I have watched wistfully families out for the day enjoying the freedom of |Sunday off.

Don't get me wrong I would fill my time gardening or cooking or something,still I often wished that we could have just one day different from all the others,a rest day,a day for play.

Today,I drank coffee in bed while watching the London Marathon,then a ;lovely leisurely breakfast and an afternoon doing just as pleased.

For dinner I cooked braised partridges with root vegetable purree,roast potatoes, sugar snap peas and a sauce made with blackberry jelly, game stock and damson gin. Scones with clotted cream and jam finished the meal. A real Sunday meal,not a hastily cooked pasta or stew, I swear that I shall never take for granted the lovely holiday feeling of an ordinary family Sunday,even if I live to be a hundred.

Our little cat Moth has taken up residence in my sons bedroom and he is delighted, it is easy to see that those two are made for each other ,Twiggy is much calmer these days and is learning from Moth not to be afraid of visitors to the house. Last night she allowed our guest to stroke her pretty fur, I almost passed out with the shock.

For some time Twiggy has been known as Minximus Maximus, so moth has become Minximus Minimus, these names are for when they are being troublesome.... this is a common occurrence!

Now the dishes are washed and the kitchen is tidy and ready for another day. This has been such a happy day for all of us,my son most of all,for he is for the present his own master,and although he works himself hard,he is ,at least a reasonable boss,if you get my drift.

DOGGEREL

Do any of you remember the Rupert Bear Annuals of about fifty years ago. They were written in the most execrable verse imaginable. Today I decided to revive the ancient art of doggerel and offer up this “poem” as an example of the style.

An early start,the rowdy clock

Awoke our tribe at dawn

Our first guest at the door did knock

While I was in mid yawn!

A breakfast quick, a train to catch

A day in town for some.

For others forty winks to snatch,

Before the gang came home.

For Avie there was lots to do

There nearly always is.

Still I love the bustle of something new

Though I sometimes get in to a tiz!

Pasta and salad and garlic bread

With mushrooms on the side,

Then jammy scones with cream to spread,

And lemon cake beside.

While Pa snored on I toiled away

Preparing every dish.

Until at last I have to say,

They fulfilled my every wish.

My son arrived,his guest came too,

I fired up the stove.

By then there was not much to do,

But was already done with love.

Upon the feast,the ravening hoard,

Descended as one man,

To strip quite bare the groaning board

To the last bit of pasta and ham.

A final glass of good red wine,

To speed the parting guest.

He to his bed, I to mine,

Before my feet went west.

The feast was spread,our guest was fed

My busy day was done.

Now tired Avie's off to bed

With a cup of tea and a bun!

AN ENTERTAINING EVENING

Tonight we entertained a friend of my son's to dinner,the two of them are off to a convention tomorrow at the crack of dawn and since the friend lives in Portsmouth it seemed sensible that he should spend the night here.

Actually he is spending the night at our neighbours house as our tiny cottage does not lend itself to overnight guests. We did however give him a good supper and a hot shower before escorting him to our neighbours house.

Not knowing quite when he would arrive I prepared Brie stuffed chicken breasts,roast potatoes,stuffed red peppers, sugar snap peas and carrot batons. Two sauces completed the first course a rich tomato sauce for my son and a tarragon cream gravy for the rest of us.

I had made a lemon drizzle cake as I happen to know it is a great favourite with our guest, this with some scones strawberry jam and clotted cream and some butter shortbread completed the meal.

The boys will be leaving early tomorrow and so my son will get breakfast for the two of them, later I am cooking breakfast for our neighbour as a thank you and the boys will return for dinner tomorrow night before our guest heads back to Portsmouth.

I am weary but very pleased with the day,it is a pleasure to entertain my sons friends many of whom we have known for years. It is a small thing to do when I consider what a wonderful son he is and besides all his friends are such lovely people.

Now happily I am off to bed having showered before our guest arrived,my little cat Twiggy is waiting for me draped artfully upon the pink patchwork quilt,so I shall say Good Night to all and pleasant dreams.   

COMMUNITY POLICING

If you are a regular reader of my ramblings,you may remember my blog on April 5^th entitled “A long day for Moth”,which contained an account of our late night call from the I.P.O mob.

On the night in question of course called the police and most certainly did not open the door to the bogus policemen.

My first contact took down lots of details and said that he would pass me on the the Community Police. This next bit is important,he did not give me a crime number.

After a considerable pause,during which time we could have been murdered in our beds several times over a pleasant voiced young man took down all my details...again.

“We were not to worry .” he said “The next knock at the door would be a real policeman.” These were his exact words. Once again, no crime number!

Pa and I sat up for hours, no one came.

This was the day when all the trouble with our little cats pregnancy began and for many days afterwards we were either tied up of too worn out to do more about the I.P.O. Mob.

Yesterday I was returning from a brief trip to town and by happy chance I met two Community police officers strolling up the lane. I hailed them and enquired weather there had been any progress with our case. Firstly he claimed to know noting about it, secondly he asked for the crime number I had not been give and thirdly denied all knowledge of our ongoing problems with vandals and petty thieving.

The fact that we are disabled seems to have made us the target for some nasty individuals would think it is great fun to steal out out door disables aids, throw rotten eggs and fruit at our windows and generally behave in a menacing manor.

I have observed on the news that it is the intention of the Government to cut the number of police officer on the street and instead have more of these semi trained special constables.

Speaking personally I think it will take a lot more than a couple of police look alikes in each area to stem the rising tide of vandalism and criminal behaviour we are seeing here.

I had always thought that impersonating a police officer was a criminal offence, especially when it is done to gain unauthorised entry, apparently this is not the case.

Today I tried again and rang the Metropolitan Police and asked them what it was going to take to get someone out to see us. In fact the officer I spoke to sounded thoroughly nice and I was for once disarmed....he he!

He agreed with me that we were being targeted because of our disabilities which made it a hate crime and so to cut a long story short an officer is coming to see us tomorrow afternoon at one.

I am more relieved than I can say, to have someone hammering on your door in the middle of the night is bad enough,but when you are disabled you are so much more vulnerable. My son,who since finishing night work is spending time with friends all over the country has been talking about staying home or at least not staying out overnight..well I won't have it!

For once the police can do the job they are paid to do, after all if my son had given the rotters a good hiding he would probably be charged with assault.

For myself I have no scruples, I have a razor sharp machete by my bed, a gun at the top of the stairs and if anyone tried to hurt Pa I would not hesitate to use either,or both, disabled or not!

MORE ABOUT MOTH

It was with considerable trepidation that we prepared to take our cat Moth to the Vet for the removal of her C section stitches. I knew that there would be no way that she would go willingly into her carry basket this time and I was right.

It took four attempts by which time I was scratched to pieces and my shirt was torn across the front.

Never the less we prevailed and when the taxi arrived my son took a squalling, spitting,very angry small cat to have her stitches out.

At the other end it took three persons to handle her while the stitches were removed,her immunisation administered and a birth control shot! Yes unbelievable though it may seem she is in season ,a mere ten days after her caesarian, and the local Tom cats know it!!!

By the time they returned I had bathed my many scratches with surgical spirit and applied dressings were necessary, and consigned my almost new shirt to the rag bag.

For the first hour or so she avoided my company and it was at least a couple of hours after that before she stopped giving me the air. Now we are the best of friends again,we have only to prevent he going out for a week and all will be well.......until a week later when she goes to the vet again for her booster shots.

If anyone out there has a suit of armour I would be happy to hire it for a day or two....just name your price!

SURPRISES IN THE POST

Last night was relatively quiet and thankfully I managed to get some much needed sleep at last,and woke this morning feeling much better. There are times when the pain becomes so dreadful that just standing still is unbearable,yesterday was one of those.

I freely admit to taking a very large dose of Codeine followed by Tramadol a little later and it was this ,and this alone which allowed me to get some relief. So many people suffer from arthritis,some of them children, and the thought of a little child having to endure so mush pain is heartbreaking,it is to be hoped that the new drugs being trailed at the moment will help;frankly when the pain is very bad I would take a dose of arsenic if I though it would help.

Many sufferers frequently overdose to a dangerous level and I fear I am one of these, it works, and that is all that matters to me.

Enough of this maudlin chit-chat. We were at breakfast(poached eggs on toast) when the postman arrived with our mail, to my surprise there were parcels for me.

I was quite excited as I opened them and I almost cried when the contents were revealed.

As you may know I do a great deal of cooking and have numerous cookery books give by friends and relations over many years,some of which I am particularly fond,and oven the years I have

literally cooked the covers off a number of old favourites and worn the print off others.

These books have been a sort of kitchen talisman since I was a bride and I had hated the thought of losing my old friends.

My darling son,noticing the dilapidated condition of these books went on line and tracked down replacement copies, and even purchased a book new to me, by a favourite cookery writer,it was a wonderful surprise and entirely typical of my son's generosity.

He makes a joke and says he has an secret motive as he gets to eat all the recipes, I know the truth, he is a kind and wonderful human being,I am so proud that he is my son.

Tomorrow I shall begin to repay his kindness with a good dinner from the new book....I love to try new ideas so it will be fun.

Moth is having her stitches removed tomorrow,believe it or not she appears to be coming in to season again. Since there is no way she can be spayed so soon after her c section she will have to go on the pill! I kid you not!

Baked Out!

It's been a pretty long day for Avie today – lots of baking and cooking and other things – and she has retired early to bed...normal service to return tomorrow!

MOOD MUSIC

In an earlier blog I expressed my resolve to remain silent upon the subject of Margaret Thatcher's demise, on the principal of not speaking ill of the dead, since by now I must be the only person not to do so I am persuaded to give a general opinion upon this glori........ I mean sad event.

Firstly ,the music currently in the charts and rising fast which celebrates the death of the old b........... I mean Mrs Thatcher. Could we not have at least come up with some thing original and less mindless than “Ding Dong The Witch is Dead”.

Of course it could be argued that this dearth of originality is due to the dumbing down of the education system,begun by “The Lady” herself and elaborated upon by that male Maggie wannabe Tony Blair. The blinkered National Curriculum which allows neither child nor teacher to look either right or left and actively discourages originality thereby, who can say?.

The retaliatory strike by Margaret Thatchers supporters is similarly inane and cannot help but wonder what the poe faced old.......er I mean..Lady Thatcher would think about it?

In any event I shall throw my cap in to the ring with a little ditty of mine own devising.

TO THE TUNE MEN OF HARLECH (appropo don't you think?)

Now the devils in deep trouble though his fiery cauldrons bubble

Best get stoking on the double Maggie,s on her way!

All at once ten thousand pit men, to a man they're Maggie Hit men,

Volunteer to do their bit man,if you've got the coal?

Stoke the fires up higher,burn the Tory liar,

Shovel fast and make it last this glorious funeral pier.

Miners leave your heavenly glory, help to spit roast this foul Tory

Let the whole world hear your story ,Maggie burn in hell.

I trust this will clear up any doubt as to my views on this subject, I do so detest ambiguity!

THE NIGHT HAS A THOUSAND EARS

It was with a degree of incredulity that heard on our local B.B.C. News programme that some wise acre has put together a committee(probably at the taxpayers expense) to look at the effect the noise of night flights at Heathrow Airport has upon the population living under the flight path.

Wonder of wonders,they concluded that the noise was causing a disturbance and that people had difficulty sleeping when huge aircraft roar over their rooftops in the middle of the night.

I am ,unfortunately one of those who are affected ,although by no means as badly as the poor souls living in the Hounslow area,but when I tell you that the residents of Richmond;a town much further away than us complain bitterly about the noise pollution you may tell for that how very bad the problem is.

There have been innumerable campaigns, petitions and lobbies to draw attention to the fact that the sleep and also the health of those living under the flight path has been compromised for years,it seems odd then that suddenly a “study” of the problem is deemed necessary.

Strangely the result was announced as if it had come as a complete surprise to those undertaking it. Suddenly, “Shock horror, all those poor people having their sleep disturbed.” Hmmmmm,it all seems a bit suspect if you ask me.

And that's just the point,why didn't they ask us? We would have gladly told them. In fact we have been telling them....for years!

Instead of spending a fortune on the survey why didn't someone just spend a few nights in Hounslow? It just doesn't add up! Unless that is there is an alternative motive for this sudden concern.

Mr Cameron promised that there would be no third runway at Heathrow and because of this his candidates were very successful in those areas most affected by the noise by day and by night.

Knowing how easy this coalition has found it to dance out of their pre election promises it came as no surprise when it was announced that there had been a change of heart over the runway after much lobbying from the city, and that the Government was reconsidering it's policy.

Call me suspicious but it seems to me that there may be some kind of play off being planned. No more night flights in return for a third runway. I have just one question. How long will the no more night flights promise last? In the face of pressure from the City I suspect not very long!

TWIGGY AND MOTH

I am very happy to report that Moth is recovering well from her operation and is lapping up all the attention lavished upon her,particularly by my son. Always rather partial to him,it seems now that she has chosen to be his cat,she seeks him out in his room if he is away for long;and when tell you that until a few days ago she had never been upstairs this will show you the strength of her feelings for him.

To reach him she must brave passing through the living room,Twiggy,s domain and this requires considerable courage. It seems a pity that the cats do not get on,it is not that they fight all the time,in fact they have,so far,seldom come to blows,it more a question of threatening posture,squaring up to each other with tails like Christmas trees and swearing like a couple of fish wives,really ,the language is truly atrocious!

Last night they met on the stairs,the performance went on for some time and was deafening, so that in the end I was obliged to intervene with my own howling version of a very angry cat!!!. This gave them to understand just who the alpha female is in this family, both looked at me incredulously then both backed away and turned to their allotted area. When I had finished it must be said the the boys also looked pretty incredulous too, but if it

works,what the hell!

At the moment an uneasy truce has been declared,this of course is likely to break down at any moment and we are prepared for the worst. I hope and believe that things will settle down soon , now that Moth is getting about more, she and Twiggy will meet more often as that eventually familiarity will breed contempt. If they just ignored each other I would be satisfied.

I confess that this level of animosity between two cats is new to me. I have ,in the past owned as many as thirteen cats at one time, along with two dogs ,two young owls and a polecat which lived amicably together in our small dwelling . No fighting,in fact the owls and the cats played together and often ate together as the owls developed a taste for cat food!

Perhaps my powers are fading with age, I have since early child hood possessed an odd affinity with all animals and birds too. My poor mother recounts the story of how she discovered me at the age of two holding what she says appeared like a rat circus,me in the centre with a posse of rats running around me,then to her horror she saw that I was cuddling one of the rats like a pet and feeding it bits of toast. My father always said that he heard her screams from the pub which was half a mile away.

After that for poor old Mum it was all down hill and a host of small animals and birds passed through my hands as a child,including a nest of mice which I hand reared after a dog had dug up their nest and killed their mama.

For the present Twiggy is asleep on my bed and Moth is asleep in the kitchen,long my it last.

THE RODENTS RETURN

Surprisingly ,through our the whole of this long hard winter not a single rat has been seen in the gardens or the garth,until this week.

I am not sure what the attraction is,it cannot be the bird food we put pout daily or they would certainly visit us in the winter when food is scarce , so why come now?

We are still waiting for the work on the out buildings to be completed so there is nothing in the sheds to attract them,it,s a mystery. Pa thinks that it may be because our two cats are staying indoors at the moment. I think that perhaps it is due to the fact that the Tom cats chorus has been much less in evidence of late,whatever the reason they are back!

On Tuesday evening I got a shot off at a big male rat,I am a good shot,the rat did not suffer,it's a job I hate but having been brought up on a farm I know the importance of keeping rat numbers down, not only for the damage they do but for the disease with they carry,even so I have found myself unable to shoot the baby rats that congregate around the bird bath to drink,they are just too damned cute!

I dislike the idea of using poison as I fear the accumulative effect it can have upon foxes, cats and other creatures who kill them for food, over all I think a clean quick shot is best .If a fox, a crow or any carrion eater finds and eats one it will not harm their young or themselves.

Moth continues to recover from her operation and has now completed her course of antibiotic,Twiggy,in a towering rage and has spent all day sulking in my room. Aggression between them is oddly spasmodic so a cause is difficult to trace. We shall have to persevere with these two stubborn females I can see. Hormones can be the very devil.

My son is tonight attending a meeting to discuss further work to be done on the River Crane,this river was deliberately flooded with effluent two years ago when problems developed with the drains at Heathrow Airport. It seems that the fine for polluting ,not only the River Crane but the Duke of Northumberland's River at Silverhall, and The River Thames at Isleworth, (an area only just beginning to recover from a similar event some years before) was much much less than those which Thames Water would have faced had they chosen not to pollute the river

This discrepancy in the amount of the fine for such behaviour is at the root cause of many of out problems with river and land pollution, and it is well past the time when the seriousness of such irresponsible decisions was acknowledged by a greater equality in the punishment.

Finally I feel that I must mention the passing of Margaret Thatcher, but since it is not done to speak ill of the dead I shall refrain from doing so here.

SUNSHINE,SMILES AND A PURRING CAT.

After several days of alarms and excursions,hope and grief we are at last returning to our normal selves,this includes our two lovely cats.

The death of the kitten caused more pain to us all than I could have believed possible after so short a time with us. Tuesday was dreadful, poor Moth could not understand what had happened and we were all so tired that we had no strength left,there were many tears.

I could not believe how upset my son was, through out the whole thing he had been strong and brave, decisive and in control,

He held out until we buried the poor little scrap in the garden beside the beehive,poor boy,he sobbed as if his heart would break,he has not cried so since he was eight years old. We clung to each other in the chilly garden,Moth watched from the window.

|For the first time since the kitten had died she showed signs of real distress and we were kept busy distracting her for the next few hours which was good for all of us. She settle down and during dinner sat with us at the table as usual on her own chair. Things were returning to normal faster than I could have hoped.

Having had no sleep since Friday I found it hard to keep my eyes open during dinner and so after a hot shower I went thankfully to my bed and actually managed to sleep for a few hours.

The sun came out this morning and Twiggy,Pa and I went out in to the garden to pull a few weeds and tidy up a little,more than anything Twiggy likeS to have company in the garden

Today we are still tired and sad but there is a silver lining even to this dark cloud,Moth has overcome her fear of being picked up,and better still has become so fond of my son that she has also conquered her fear of going upstairs and is now spending time with my son in his room;something he has been hoping for ever since she came to stay. She sat purring like a small engine while sitting on my son's bed,Twiggy purred just as loudly as she curled up on mine and poor Pa began to smile again as he watched.

She looks at my son adoringly,I am sure she understands that it was he who saved her life.

My dear boy wanted to pay for all the Vets bills and Pa and I have been at some pains to make him accept contributions from us,finally it was agreed that we would each pay a third.

How I wish that all those well meaning friends and relations who insisted that he would grow up to be selfish if we continued to spoil him could be here today to eat their words. I am more proud of him than I can possibly say.

Sad News

I'm sorry to be the one to report that our lovely kitten died early this morning. It does not appear to have been in any pain; I think it just ran out of fight. We buried her today in a lovely sunny spot in the garden amidst all the flowers. Moth remains fine; I think she's taking it the best of all of us. None of us have had any sleep for days, and we're all just about played out, so will sign off here.

Normal service to be resumed tomorrow.

Son of Avie

we Dare To Hope....

 WE DARE TO HOPE

Every two hours through out last night and during today Moths kitten received warm milk and moth herself a well deserved fuss. By three in the morning I was terribly worried as I had been unable to persuade the kitten to drink more than a few drops...it was not enough.

Of course all would be well if only the kitten would feed from her mother but so far we had only seen her do this once...that too was not enough.

The boys were having a well earned sleep. Poor Pa was worn out and my son , who had been so wonderful ,taking moth to the Vets and dealing with all the travelling was desperately tired, and since there was nothing either of them could have done it was pointless for us all to lose a nights rest.

All the same as I grew more and more despairing I would have given much for someone to talk to of my troubles. Bleary eyed I prepared a feed at six fifteen,I heard sounds from upstairs and by the time I had finished another abortive attempt to feed the kitten a cup of hot strong coffee awaited my in my room, made by the best son in the world ,it was the best coffee I ever tasted.

Of course my son,ever the optimist told me not to worry,that moth was probably feeding the kitten herself and that all would be well. I returned to my neglected slumbers one more time and finally I managed to sleep.

It is astonishing what a difference an ours sleep came make and after another feed I prepared our breakfast of porridge,I always find it heartening,especially if served with brown sugar and butter or cream.

At mine we called the Vet to ask her advise, she was very encouraging and so realising that we were doing all that could be done I tried again to feed the kitten this time she took some food. The next three feeds went well and then wonder of wonders the kitten do a poo! I know this is a strange thing to rejoice over but you see the colour of this tiny poo showed that without a doubt the kitten was digesting milk. The relief was overwhelming.

Moth continues to be the perfect little mother and it seems almost certain that the I

kitten is feeding after all. The two hourly feeding continues and another night with little sleep is in store for me, I admit that I am tired but it is worth every bit of trouble to see our pretty Moth gazing adoringly at her little one. To see my son with tears of joy in his eyes makes me certain that I shall do everything to ensure a successful out come.

We weighed the kitten and she has gained a little weight, she is gaining strength and moves about so much that her mother has to keep a paw on her to hold her still when she washes the little mite.

We have hardly dared to hope for a happy out come to this sad little story but we are now just beginning to dare ,enough to talk of a name for the pretty little kitten. At the moment it's two against one for “Maggie” Not because we had any fondness for the old girl,but because she was feisty and a scrapper, a survivor, as we hope Moths little one will be.

WELL DONE MOTH

It was very late last night when the news came that moth's caesarean was over and that she had come through it well,the rest of the news however was terribly sad. One kitten,the large one that I had attempted to deliver was still born and the remaining two a male and a female were so small and weak that it was thought they would not last the night.

How we all rejoiced that out little cat was safe, but in my heart I grieved for those kittens,for Moth's sake,how dreadful to go through all that for nothing,having had difficulties with childbirth myself I felt for her disappointment.

We went late to bed in spite of good intentions,needless to say no one slept and although we had promised ourselves not to even think about the kittens it was impossible not to...I was glad when morning came.

Half way through breakfast a call came through from the vet,the kittens had made it through the night and they were trying to ensure they were feeding properly,it was still touch and go.

Although we did not know if Moth would be coming home I set about making the kitchen tidy,changing litter trays,washing bowls and dishes and most important preparing Moths new soft bed and ensuring easy access for her to all areas.

Another call ,the male kitten had been too weak to survive,the female,although having difficulty feeding had a good chance, Moth was coming home with her kitten. I have never seen my son dress so quickly, he was gone in a flash,Pa and I completed the preparations with renewed vigour. I am afraid to so that I cried as I finished making ready,they were tears of relief, for moth had her reward.

Moth arrived home in great state and was carried to the kitchen,she was pathetically glad to be home and during the journey the bond between her and the new kitten seemed to have grown. Every inch the proud mother she displayed her baby and then began to to wash the little mite. Often kittens born by caesarian are rejected by the mother,this time all seemed well.

The kitten(no name yet) is the image of her beautiful mother and we mean to keep her if all goes well.

I shall be busy feeding the little mite every two hours around the clock until it is strong enough to feed from Moth,moth is more than willing but the tiny kitten is still weak and we need to be sure she is getting enough food.

Daily weighing is also a must. We are not out of the woods yet,but it is impossible not to hope,our lovely Moth is home again,that's the main thing everything else is a bonus.

I shall not get much sleep tonight but oh, the difference from last nights desperate vigil,happy does not do justice to the way we,and half the village feel about this tiny miracle.

Good night to all ,wish me luck.

POOR LITTLE CAT

After a night of watching and waiting Moth had still not produced her kittens. She had by then been in first stage labour for about 22 hours,which is not at all unusual. I have had considerable experience delivering all sorts of animal,including cats,but there was something about this birth that had me worried.

At 24 hours she was still in first stage labour and displaying all the usual signs ,we kept her quiet and I kept her company,two hours later I was sure that something was wrong.

I shall not go into the gory details but three in the afternoon it was obvious that she needed help the first kitten had been visible for over an hour ,but it was impossible to tell which end was coming first(kittens can be born head or feet first) I was very loath to intervene as pulling the kittens head can do damage.

Moth was still restless and by now was exhausted, I could detect movement in the kitten but Moth seemed unable to push hard enough to expel the very large kitten. It was time to take her to the Vet.

Now it is a well know fact in animals and humans alike that if there is going to be a medical emergency it is almost always on a weekend or after surgery hours.....or both. This time we were luck and our vet was still open ,he agreed to see our poor little girl,if we could come at once.

I now had the task of getting an already distressed cat,a cat who has never allowed us to pick her up in to a small cat carrier, I was amazed when the little darling walked in to the carrier and settled down on the news paper as if it was something she did every day.

A cab was called, a local cab company so that,we hoped he would have no trouble finding us,.The driver was new, the drivers command of English was practically none existent. In short he got hopelessly lost! His Sat Nav took him to the wrong place as he had taken down the wrong post code letters and all attempts to talk him down, so to speak failed as he did not understand a word we said.

By now Moth had decided that she did not care for the carrier,I covered it with a towel to make it dark and sprayed some cat calming pheromones on to the towel, then I prayed.

At last the controller managed to explain things and he arrived in a huff and got a large piece of my sons mind,which I must say he seemed to understand perfectly.

Our dear little cat behaved impeccably while the Vet examined her,he seemed to think that all she needed was an injection to strengthen the contractions and this was done at once. Pleased that at least both she and the kittens were well we returned home with the Vets latest words ringing in our ears. “If she fails to deliver within the next few hours she will need a caesarian at an all night clinic in Northolt at a cost of £2,000!

Northolt is many miles away ,a taxi there would cost almost as much as the operation, we made a pot of tea,and we waited.

If anything the contractions were fewer and milder than before the injection and I quickly became very uneasy, an attempt to help the cat by pulling the kitten out on a contraction only made it even cleared that something was badly wrong,by now one leg and a tail were out,and they were cold.

We decided that she must return to the Vet and as we prepared a friend called to see how things were going, when I told her she immediately gave me the address of her vet who would she said be less expensive and was situated only two miles away. I called them at once, the young lady vet asked me if |I could dislodge the kitten,I told her what had happened and she advised us to take her in at once,and that is what we did.

By we I mean my son,a tower of strength throughout this horrible time carried of our little cat in a taxi at once.

Now comes the difficult part, it seems that the first Vet we took her to may have been more interested in the out of hours fee than with the welfare of our cat and her kittens. Instead of dealing with her problems he sent her home with an injection,he must have know that it could not work. All he thought about was a £2,000 fee at his night clinic so far away.

My son called to tell me that Moth would need an emergency caesarean, and that there was little chance that the kittens would survive.

My poor little cat, after all her brave struggles she will have no kittens to fuss over,it is breaking my heart to think of it. We are waiting now for my sons return,the hospital will let us know when there is any news and Moth will stay in hospital for a while,it dreadful to think of her waking up in a strange place in pain and with strangers.

So for now there is nothing to be done but wait and hope.