The North Weeps for a lost sister

                                         Lunch for a Preston Lass 8-11-11

Housemate has developed a taste for Sushi, she has gone home to break the news to her parents, No more Tripe or Black Pudding sarnies, those poor people will be so unhappy that they have lost their only daughter to the Dark/South side. I blame H  with her sophisticated Devon ways.

Talking of whom, her riding seat has been well tested recently by feral pheasants leaping out of the undergrowth and frightening the horses. Further research on Facebook shows that it is becoming a national problem. In a bid to nip this problem Ari took her out on the lead to take a tour of the fields to warn the pheasants about their conduct and the dire consequences should they persist. Unfortunately they bumped into the Gamekeeper, he loves those birds, well he loves shooting them anyway. He was not happy that his beloved prey were in danger from the rabid Scottie. Fortunately Ari was on his best behaviour and bloodshed was averted. The birds have been warned.

                                          "I'm a good lad me"

I'm sure many of you are worried about the rate of growth of the Movember 'tache, well look away now if you don't want to see the result.

                                                 Day 8  http://uk.movember.com/about


Not that impressive yet, but the more you give the more it will grow. The link is above.

Off to Ludlow races tomorrow and the Nicky Henderson/AP McCoy team should win at least two if not three of the races. However my tip is in the 2.00 where Backfromthecongo trained by the in form local trainer Richard Lee can take advantage of bottom weight.

The agony and the ecstasy

I'm really fed up with having to do nothing waiting for back to shape up. Today all I managed was a short stroll down to the field to check out rumours of a new love affair.

                                          "Are you looking at my girlfriend ?"

Amazingly it is Rooster who has been bitten by the love bug. He has been smitten, by a palomino pony of all things, who has moved into the next door field. Just look at the soppy expression on his face, the last time I saw him this happy was when he had moved all the horses to a place of relative safety in under 90 seconds during his annual risk assessment training. Sadly someone will have to break the news to him that he is too late and that she is in foal to another. Which, as Rooster is a gelding, is hardly surprising. Will it break his heart ? Oooh it gets more like Downton Abbey (of which more anon) every day.

Talking of intense friendships Mush and Kavi have been seen a lot in each others company recently, I gained this papp shot at great risk to myself as Sid had not given his permission to take shots of his herd. He is not sure whether to allow this amount of Bromance amongst those for whom he is responsible.

                                           "You're my mate you are".

It was eviction night last night on Downton Abbey as an outbreak of Spanish flu was responsible for  a sneeze off between Lady Cora, Carson the butler and drippy Lavinia. The odds shortened dramatically when the Scottish doctor who mistook Matthew's bad back (I feel your pain) with total paralysis said that Lavinia had luckily only got a mild dose and should be up and about soon. The vultures were soon circling  and poor, damp, Lavvy evaporated pausing only long enough to infect Matthew with a severe dose of pathetic. Mr Bates was arrested as no one was surprised to see although Anna's lip seemed to have gone into spasm in the long shot, perhaps she was trying to stop herself laughing as Bates did his noble camel look while being led away by the peelers. (They are policemen not a part of his anatomy)

The good news is that it will be back next year. But what will keep us going through the cold winter nights at Barns Cottage ? Suggestions on a postcard.

Something for the Weekend

Yes I know that it's been a couple of days since I last blogged but I do have excuses. Firstly H was away for the weekend, she had gone to Oxford to meet the rest of her coven. With Housemate being busy looking after the horses I had free access to the telly so was able to watch lots of footy and racing. More importantly I have not been well, no, proper man unwell. It was my back since you asked, housemate did show a little sympathy and chucked some painkillers at me telling me to "Shut the luck up" not sure what she meant by that, anyway she was pleased to see H coming home tonight, running weeping to her saying "How do you put up with it ?" Yup it must be wonderful being married to someone who bears pain with such fortitude as me.

Anyway Friday was haircut day for H and I decided to have mine seen to as well The barbers shop in Ludlow is run by two or three ladies who are very pleasant but tonsorial attention is not like it used to be. When I was growing up in Chester the only place to go and have your hair cut was Trevors. The "salon" was a back street shop inhabited by two old rockers with incredible DAs.

 At the age of 13 I was allowed to go there alone and ask for the style I wanted, the trouble was that I attended  an old fashioned single sex school who were very fixed on what a hairstyle should be.It was the sort of school that really wanted to be a public school where" head boy" was an order not the role taken by the most popular  senior pupil, however it was blighted by oiks like me passing their 11 plus and spoiling it for the nice middle class boys.

 I would ask for it to be left long especially down the back, with the curly bits bouffanted (it was the 1970s).Trev knew that I went to the "Grammar" so I got a short back and sides, every time. Worse still Trev always had a ciggie on the go while he was hacking away (whilst glancing through the Daily Mirror and attempting to sell contraceptives to other punters at the same time) and for years I thought I had galloping dandruff, it turned out to be fag ash. He also did a thing with a lighted taper that he would wave in a frightening way around your head. And No I have no idea why.

Tonight is the last episode in the current season of Downton, can't wait. Hopefully I will bravely be able to go and visit the animals tomorrow, I'm sure that they've all got Get well Soon cards for me

Girl on Girl action with Kate Middleton and Jordan

Big day yesterday for Housemate as it was her birthday, a milestone birthday as well. After a good pub lunch and a pint of Bath Gem ale, we all went on to Westonbirt Arboretum.
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt

Darcy accompanied us to ensure that we took the requisite amount of exercise after all the chips and ale. We saw some trees, some more trees and a few more trees

                                                       Guess what

Darcy, of course, elicited a lot of attention clad in his finest knitwear, this is not always a good thing as he is a shy sex symbol and gets worried about all the adulation that he recieves. he was quietly minding his own business when he was accosted by a very forward young Jack Russell bitch. he was prepared to be a bit friendly but she was so, well, tactile and insisted on ,touching him in a most familiar way.

                                         "Stay away from me you hussy"

It all became too much and he was forced to seek asylum on the bench where I was resting. She followed him there too and he nearly had a fainting turn. We tried to tell him to Dog up but it was no good and we had to rush him away.

As befits a woman of her age Housemate had a doze on the way home for her surprise party. We had curry and champagne (classy I know) The Nice lady from Next Door came to celebrate and, being the poshest person we know, brought a few of her celebrity, and indeed Royal chums.

                                            Should you really be doing that Your Majesty

As the evening went on the party got wilder and wilder to the point that one of my fantasies was brought to life. Yes Katy Price warmed my spuds up.

                                                  Words fail me                                         


. Anyway a great day was had by all and we can't wait for Housemate to be 21 again.

PS
The title of this piece is to entice some more, shortly to be disappointed, men whose computers have a left handed mouse

Step aside Delia (and James Herriott)

Definitely going to get organised for Christmas this year. Last year was not helped by a month of snow, leading to us being confined to quarters, so this time I'm starting early. Today's task, bake a Christmas cake. Ingredients bought and recipe to be followed, after all how hard can it be ? People do it all the time, and Great British Bake Off looked great fun and I can look Mumsy too.

                                           Should it look like this ?

While it was cooking in the oven H flew into the kitchen "Furrgall's dead !! He's lying behind the hay in the barn !!" I rushed outside, we hadn't seen the little fella this morning and conclusions had been jumped to.

                                               Reports of my demise.....etc

It's just as well H is not a vet, he was just having a snooze.  Back to the Kitchen for the great unveiling and then to get the cake out of the oven, dad dum tish.

                                            Well hmmmmm, maybe it will taste nice.

There will be no blog tomorrow as it is a big day for Housemate and curry and champagne is in the offing

Charity begins....

Ari loves playing with children at least I think so as he chased the Trick or Treaters off down the drive with the little ones screaming, aren't they supposed to be frightened tonight ?. It was that or give them Housemates piece of cake which is all we could have offered them. No choice at all really then.

We were going to start a competition here at Barns Cottage for Movember
http://uk.movember.com/donate/

This gives money towards cancer charities particularly for Prostate and Testicular types. I know what you are thinking, "Where in your packed life will you find the time to grow a moustache ?" ' Look, it's for a good cause, I 'll make the time'. After all I am an experienced slug balancer with many years of facial fungus to my name. People of a nervous disposition may wish to look away now.

                                                     Day 1
I asked Housemate and H to join in to see who could grow the best 'tache in a month but amazingly they both demurred, leaving only me and Darcy to cultivate some whiskers. Now I appreciate that times are hard for everyone and there are many competing charities for the few quid you may have spare but if the pictures give you a small grin then any few bob would be appreciated to see if we can wipe out these awful diseases.

Highlight of Downton last night was Matthew's Lou and Andy moment when he leaped out of his wheelchair to stop drippy Lavinia from tripping over,so not paralised at all then ? yeh I know, Look Lavinia love you may as well pack up and go home now, we all know how this is going to end. Thomas "Arfur Daly"'the footman's lock up holding all his black market gear had to be trashed by him in a rare outbreak of emotion. The slightly less irritating daughter ran off with the world's least believable communist but was talked out of it in about fifteen seconds by her sisters. Finally and at last it looks like Lord Grantham is going to exercise his droit de seigneur with one of the maids. Glorious stuff.

I promise that Christmas will start tomorrow

Production, distribution and control

It was a big day in the locality yesterday, the first hunt meet of the season. The yard was full of people stock tying, mane plaiting and injury insurance document checking. Off they all went, I'm never quite sure what to say to people when they are off hunting, my "Hope you kill lots of things" did not seem to go down too well.

All the horses were confined to quarters which most of them didn't like and they spent most of the day with their heads over their doors. The hunt came past the yard and a couple of the hounds wandered up to Ari's run, this was the chance he had been waiting for "Comrades" he cried "this is your chance to rise up against the hated masters, rend them asunder, let us become the dogs of ...revolution. You have nothing to lose except your leads." The lead hound looked at his mate and said "Blimey.. a talking dog"

                                             To the barricades fellow workers.

It is a tough and lonely life being a socialist dog around here, his dream of a workers collective where each was given what they needed was scuppered when Darcy cornered the world market in Bonios and awarded himself a 50% snack rise When Ari stood for the canine council on the SWP (Salopian Wagging Party)platform, he finished last, the sitting tenant Raaaaascaaaal, from the big house, had garnered all the votes, DJ was going to vote for Ari but decided on a nap instead, and it was noticed that Darcy was wearing a new coat after the visit from the sitting member .

Tomorrow I will reveal details of an exciting competition at Barns Cottage and will start the countdown to Christmas, Anyway it is Downton Abbey soon and I'm off to get my noble trousers on.