Friday 24th January, 2014

Not a moment too soon leave out has arrived.  As I write this Bob is on his way home where his first job is to deal with five pheasants, 2 pigeons, 1 partridge and a squirrel which have been hanging in a barn.  He inadvertently left them there, his bag from the last time he was home….THREE WEEKS AGO.  I only know they are there because last Sunday one of our daschunds, just managing to squeeze through a gap under the door, emerged with a maggot infested and festering pheasant carcass in her mouth, and looking very pleased with herself I might add.  It took me several days to get over the shock of the stench that greeted me when I opened the door to investigate further.  It was like a scene from Silent Witness.  So good luck to him sorting out that little lot.

As for Jimmy….her GAP year is now in full swing.  As I may have told you, not for her tending to Romanian orphans, treating leprosy in the north of Thailand or even teaching English in Tokyo.  Swing is the operative word.  She is in St Lucia and from the pictures I have been receiving spends most of her day “chillaxing” in a hammock.  I don’t know much about St Lucia.  Of course its been in the news a bit this week following the tragic murder of the British sailor.  But I have learnt not to get too worried about that.  As a friend of ours told us, when her son went on his GAP year travels to Norway, of all places you might imagine you’d be safe and sound, first there was the massacre on that island and shortly after that one of his friend’s  got eaten by a polar bear.   Anyway Jimmy is having none of it.  Everyone is so nice she says….. “A Rastafarian took a like (sic) to me today and made me a flower out of a single coconut leaf.  Pretty cool xxx”.  Actually come to think of it I once had a run in with a Rastafarian on a family holiday in Antigua many years ago……it was a terrible holiday from start to finish to be honest, but as I wrote afterwards…..

 

There was one small moment of humour. Driving Henrietta to the doctor, trundling through the pictureseque village of All Saints, I slowed to negotiate one of the many and enormous holes in the road when a very hip Rastafarian guy peered in through the passenger window and mumbled something at us. I smiled cheerfully at him and responded, though I say it myself, at my casual and suave best " Yo thanks " leaving Hen howling with laughter. It transpired our Rasta friend had said "Lookin' good babe", and presumably he had not been directing his attentions at me.

 

Incidentally, going back to Bob and the carnage he inflicts on the local wildlife population.  It’s not a one way thing.  He gets as good as he gives.  I found this poster on the back of his bedroom door this week.  

Made me laugh anyway…..