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Friday 3 August:
Excursions
Rose has been taking a well-deserved break after finals and graduation. The real world is calling but we’ve taken some time out together. Yesterday we raced off to Theatr Mwldan to beat the rush of people flooding in to see Harry Potter. Yes, there must have been, ooh, nearly a dozen of us in there. We’ve armed ourselves with a bag of sweets each from the Pick ‘n Mix so I have a brilliant time watching the film and scoffing Snowies, Dolly Mixtures, black and orange Jelly Babies and Shrimps.

Today we’re off to the Cardigan Island Coastal Farm Park just down the road, well worth a visit if you’re in this part of the world. We spend two and half hours wandering through beautiful scenery feeding very eager animals and, best of all, watching the seals. Both Rose and Lily loved farms when they were little so the visit brings back lots of happy memories. When we return the Foot and Mouth outbreak has been announced on the news. Not such happy memories.

Saturday 4 August: More Excursions
The normally quiet hours of the night are broken by sounds of lorries trundling along the road. In the morning I see a trailer of sheep being towed past, a herd of cows being moved along the main road and half a dozen sheep materialise on a spare field opposite.

Sunday 5 August: Chickens and Eggs
It’s been a difficult week for Tracy-next-doors parents who have been minding the house whilst Tracy and Jeremy are away. We’ve been round to help but Tracy’s dad is still unwell so they decide to return to their own house. I am now the Lady In Charge Of Chickens. Now, look, I know that many of you are experts at this but I am a Chicken Novice so I am a bit apprehensive at first. I quickly find that next-doors’ chickens are complete tarts, purring and cooing at me and making up to me shamelessly. Although they seem a bit disappointed that I only have hen food for them and no treats (I’m afraid of poisoning them!) they reward me with my first egg.

Wow! Isn’t that thrilling? I know it’s obvious, I mean that’s what hens do, but it still felt like a small miracle! I think I am a hen convert… just wish they wouldn’t keep pooing in their water.

Tuesday 7 August: Rewrite Progress
Thank goodness! I have finished a chapter. One chapter? Yes, I’m afraid there was a severe bout of nerves to overcome, not to mention the horrid inner voice whispering, ‘That’s rubbish, that is!’. One down, thirty four to go!

Wednesday 8 August: Far From the Boden Blogger
For all the lifestyle journalists avidly reading our blogs (or not, or we wouldn’t be described in such stereotypical terms) our model today is Chris (Biggest Indulgence: ‘Soaking my feet in a bowl of hot water’). Chris is wearing a pair of her daughter’s cut-offs (fallen upon with glee along with two pairs of jeans and a black skirt in bag of clothes Rose was throwing out) and an old Primark tee shirt. Now, would anyone like to take a photo of me for their aspirational magazine – or would that be too much like gritty reality for you?

Hwyl fawr!

Painting is 'Newgale' by Tom Tomos

Comments

Anonymous said…
Chickens are relatively easy to keep. They will eat almost anything. I give ours leftovers, cut up bread for them into small pieces and obviously give them corn. They spend most of their time pecking about the farm. Good luck! Hope you neighbour's dad is okay.

Crystal xx
8 August 2007 at 06:00
countrymousie said…
Great blog as always. My dad is a real free range chicken keeper - I know nothing about the darn things. They do indeed poo in their water, and on the paths, etc etc.
Loved your description - we now need to have a Purplecoo clothes collection to go with the bags, and you can be the model!! love mousie
8 August 2007 at 06:06
Maddy said…
Newbie - you certainly pack it all in.
Best wishes
8 August 2007 at 09:32
muddyboots said…
great blog, feet in bowl of water, l am smiling!
8 August 2007 at 11:55
Sally Townsend said…
Petite enough to wear daughters cast off's, am not smiling !! xx
8 August 2007 at 12:14
LITTLE BROWN DOG said…
Hi there, Chris. Loved your Boden parody - those cute little Q&As in the catalogue are just so yuck! Wish I could fit into my offspring's cut-offs (mind you, it's probably just as well I can't - he's only 8).

Well done with your progress on the re-write. How did you get that little thermometer gizmo up on your page - it's great! (although not having made very many inroads on my own opus, one would hardly be appropriate on mine!)
8 August 2007 at 14:27
CAMILLA said…
Lovely blog Chris, no nothing about Chickens, but it must have felt wonderful just collecting those eggs.Luckily my daughter and I are same size, comes in useful sometimes.

Best of luck with next chapters Chris, words will flow, you see!

Camilla.x
8 August 2007 at 15:08
Suffolkmum said…
You've made the all important start on the re-write - good luck! And good luck with the chickens - I know nothing ....
You can be our purple model of the week.
9 August 2007 at 01:35
Rotunda said…
Oh do not worry about chickens they are very self sufficient you know we had them for years!! You do sound a good neighbour!! I wish you had not mentioned dolly mixtures adn shrimps .do you remember Tom Thumb drops too!!
9 August 2007 at 03:33
Westerwitch/Headmistress said…
Gritty reality rocks and don't you let anyone tell you other wise.

Corn, layers pellets and left overs - illegal to feed them meat - but saw our once tear a bin bag open and attack a turkey carcass - have also seen them eat a mouse killed by our cat . . .

Well done on the rewrite start. You ARE good enough - you would not be doing a re-write if you weren't good enough to be considered for publising.

Thank you for the comments on my Finished the course post. Thanks ChrisH - lovely thing to say. And Oooooeeer I won't dare smoke I promise.

We could have Fag watch posts and weight watch which we can all add to as the days goes on. And indeed anything else that people need. Support is what the site does best - look at the support Bodran and I got last night - really amazing.
9 August 2007 at 13:29
Milkmaid said…
Fantastic bit about Boden, those bracketed bits are so cheesy. look forward to the day I can fall upon my girls cast offs, hopefully that'll mean I'll be a size 10 like they will be (as they declare they are never going to let themselves get to a 12/14/16 like their old mum)
9 August 2007 at 14:22
Exmoorjane said…
Huge congrats to Rose - go girl! Know just what you mean about chickens - alien species to me (our only experience was of hens so free-range they roosted in trees and we never saw a single egg). But our new nextdoorneighbour keeps them and I too was suprised at how flirty they are....until jack tried to eat one of course. But forgiving souls, they still cluck and coo at me when I pick the raspberries.
Good luck with the rewriting - SOOO tough.
10 August 2007 at 04:02
Exmoorjane said…
Forgot to say I loved Eagle of the Ninth and all her books when I was young and definitely want to re-read....though do wonder if they will be as good as I remember...old children's books now seem slow-paced to the point of sluggish!
Would heartily recommend Northumberland - best place we've holidayed in years. SO much to do. Oh, and a few nice people living up there too!
10 August 2007 at 05:50
Elizabeth Musgrave said…
great blog as always Chris. have just got back from the eisteddfod and realise forgot to ask how your welsh course went. i am feeling very hopeless as a result of wandering round failing to understand anyone although did compete in a learners' choir which was a whole load of fun!
10 August 2007 at 09:07
snailbeachshepherdess said…
Well I was stil worrying about the old man next door....But I think the chickens may need my concerns now.....they really are easy to look after Chris....my youngesst 'talks' to all chickens...they only have one word....its 'Becky' say it in all different ways ...loud at the front ..elongated ..whatever...and I bet they'll be answering you...go on I dare you!!! Make sure no-ones watching though!!!
11 August 2007 at 13:25
Maggie Christie said…
Good luck with the re-write and congratulations to Rose.
I beat you to see Harry Potter - I went to see it at Mwldan two days before you! One day our paths will cross in that cinema - I'll be the one in row E munching a HUGE box of popcorn!
13 August 2007 at 10:16
Zinnia Cyclamen said…
A chapter - well done! And tell that horrid voice to shut up, it's not a writer, YOU are, a voice can't even hold a pen so what does it know?
14 August 2007 at 00:59
Pondside said…
Hi Chris - I promised myself one blog and then I'd turn the laptop off and head for work - so glad I chose this one! Good for you for finishing the Chapter one re-write! Don't listen to nagging voices - just press on!
Loved your fashion blurb - we should have a huge purplecoo 'come as you are' party .....we'd give the fashion writers a shock! I can share clothes with Lillypad - like you, I salivate over the castoffs!
14 August 2007 at 08:21
Tattieweasle said…
Oh good heavens! We must have at least passed each other at the Cardigan Coastal Farm Park! Grotty Landrover four kids and three misbehaving adults! It was either that or we had left and were on our way back to New Quay via the Farm Shop + Tesco.
By the way that first egg - it is the tatsiest most precious egg out!
14 August 2007 at 09:00
Bluestocking Mum said…
Highly entertaining as always.
I have been promised I can have chickens when we retire to the Welsh Hills one day...

Really good for you with the re-writing...Steely, determined, brave, resilient...you do right girl!

warm wishes
xx
16 August 2007 at 00:09
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