Beware Of The Dog

Edited from Facebook Archives

14 May 2022 at 1202

In a Zoom meeting this morning a local politician mentioned how shocked she was about the MP who was seen to be viewing porn in Parliament.

"He's such a nice polite family man, I couldn't believe it of him."

Which reminded me of something which happened in my youth.

After graduating from university in 1978 I had a year doing not much.  I went home and worked for a while as a barmaid in a local pub/restaurant.  Most of the profits came from the restaurant but the bar was also important.   

It was the village local and the landlord knew it was an important part of the community.   

One of the regulars was Dad's oldest best friend, a poacher, who I'd only heard stories about.  

The Poacher and Dad grew up in the 1920s when some families were very poor:   

he caught rabbits and duck 'for the pot'.  

Dad reckoned “he was as good as a dog, he could smell a duck and run it down."  

Grandma disapproved of him “That boy’s sitting on the gate waiting for you again.”

Dad joined the RAF in 1934 (he was 18) his friend was joined the Army at the outbreak of War.  Chatting at the bar one evening the Poacher told me he'd been posted to a camp right next to a big country estate 

"Well, I mean, I couldn't help myself.  Of course they found out and do you know what they did?  The buggers made me a forager and sent me out to the Far East."

He was a rogue, naughty but nice, and his lovely tidy wife worked as a silver service waitress in the restaurant.  She always looked neat and polished, nicely made up and proper.  If he came drinking at lunchtime Mrs Poacher would pop her head through the hatch into the service corridor and give him 'the look': 

"Cold tongue for tea tonight boys."

One of their sons was the same age as me and very like his dad; full of banter; we used to fight for the back seat of the secondary school bus.  There was another son older than us who was blading, bespectacled and hardly ever spoke.

After a while I got a temporary job working for PGL Adventure holidays as a kitchen assistant in the Ardeche.  It was initially only for a fortnight over Easter so I was soon back at the Plough.

One of Dad's postmen friend's wives, Ethel, was really glad to see me back.

"Well, that one that replaced you was no better than she ought to have been!"

"What did she do?"

"Flirting - and her a married woman - I went out to the carpark after closing time one night and there she was - snogging Poacher's older son."

I was astonished

"Poacher's son! Are you sure? I mean he's so ... quiet!"

She looked at me very wisely and said

"Quiet dogs bite Ben."

A piece of cautionary advice I've remembered ever since...

Dad, Mum and me at Henffrind's wedding 1980

 

 

Biscuits Carpets Hacked

From Facebook Archives

13 May 2010 at 19:52

Second nice surprise of the day: next door just gave us a box of Belgian biscuits for giving them our spare tray and litter for the cats they got on Saturday (shelter handed them over immediately which they weren't expecting)

13 May 2013 at 10:13

First tomato seedling coming through

Carpet fitters are here

13 May 2013 at 15:15

We now have carpets up the stairs and on the landings

Old carpet went down in 1988 (ish) so owes us nothing.

Also there is enough bathroom flooring left over to replace loo floor.

Hum - wonder if I should have a word with Will Fixit when he gets back off his hols?

Mr Minor  It shouldn't take him more than 6 months to do a loo floor!

Bentonbag  Ask him about scaffolding next time you see him ....

13 May 2016 at 11:10

Sorry folks it appears my email may have been hacked.

If you get any stranger messages than normal from me beware and apologies.

I've run the virus check, changed my password and had a chat with Monkseaton Computers who look after all that sort of thing for us.

McChurch  So, let`s get this clear, you DON`T want me to send you my bank details so you can hide your Namibian windfall ?

Bentonbag  No thanks, the Nigerian prince is looking after it for me.

 

Frogs Cats Alpacas

From Facebook Archives

12 May 2016 at 23:09

Tonight's torchlit score 10 snails and 2 frogs in the pond.  

I wonder why the frogs aren't at all bothered by being looked at by torchlight but shoot out of sight if your shadow falls on them in day time.

12 May 2021 19:4l

So I'm sat here browsing weather vanes on't'internet when I hear Felix yowling.   

Find him glaring underneath the spare bed in Ferretfingers' room.

Curled up, Smaug style, right at the back was Jessiecat.  

Got Thunderthighs down to witness it.  

No amount of verbal cajoling would get her out.   

In the end I ordered all doors shut, Fester to open the back door, Thunderthighs to stand at the foot of the loft stairs and went and fetched a broom.   

She left most reluctantly and slunk out the back door, only to stop and sit down just past the doormat to have a stare out with Teddy.

I'm wondering whether to go around to No3 and ask if she's ever home!

Fester says "She's a cat after Mrs Float's heart".

Miss Doozer  Get a water pistol.

12 May 2023

Theoretically yesterday was a day with only one, early, appointment and the rest to myself but I have no idea where it went.

Although I did plant parsnip, lettuce, radish and the last of the packet of broad beans in raisedbed#4, and another tub with potatoes that had chitted under the kitchen sink.

And brought one load of washing in and put another out.

Oh, and popped down to see The Squireen with her birthday card.

Then there was an emergency WI committee meeting on zoom as the people at Happy Hooves have covid and can't bring the alpacas to the meeting on Monday.

More like a Victoria Wood script or Dulcie Domum every day...

Grey and damp out there, back into leggings after wearing shorts and a dress yesterday.

 

 

Weather Trainspotting Time

From Facebook Archives

11 May 2009 at 16:44

I’m wondering why it looks so nice yet feels so cold.

11 May 2010 at 18:54

My boys and I are liking Trainspotting on Discovery Shed.

(tv series not the film)

11 May 2018 at 23:41

I'm again amazed at the time lag between things happening and Ferretfingers talking about them.   

The past few nights he's kept saying "Yorkshire" and "11 Diggs Way".   

Tonight he started talking about 2012, "Uncle Stephen died" and "we moved house."   

Well in a way we did, moving a lot of DiggsWay stuff into Chateau Midden.

Mrs Elswich  Wow.  I saw some really lovely pictures of Steve that popped up on May Day.  Made me happy and sad all at the same time xx