Evening all. Wonderful rainbow over Santa Barbara this afternoon; more like April with heavy showers then sunshine. Don't forget to check last week's chat for Tiger's link to the Roy Dennis site about a French osprey that's already completed its migration, and Patriciat's recommendations for places to eat in Grantown (for when we all go to visit OG's son!). :-)
OMG! Just spent almost an hour responding in detail to everyone's post and LOST THE POST! AAAAACK. Double AAAACK!. Argggh. Grrrrrr. And all the rest. And this is the first time in ages I've forgotten to save it.
Alan: if you hear a lot of noise - it's not next door - it's me banging my head against the wall. Great Canadian link. Kawartha Lakes? Bobcaygeon? Now I have to go find out where they are. Love the geography lessons we get on here!
OK. Deep breath and will try again. Good job not much going on around here today.
Diane: LOL LOL - Golf clubs indeed! Hee hee. I'll have to pass that one on to the neighbors, who're all wondering what happened! Thanks So Much for the birding link; definitely one to keep
Diane/OG: Re whales, it's as much luck and experience as skill. Was watching the same spot (early whales tend to approach from a fairly narrow area) for about 20 minutes, then turned to check the rest of the horizon only to hear project coordinator, Mike, yell "Blow" and point at the area I'd just finished watching! Gingerbread? Yum. I'll bring whipped cream but Diane, plain black tea for me please!
AQ: When we remodeled our kitchen, we stashed all the copper pipes in the garage. Apparently, there's a "black market" or something in (illegally) shipping computer, etc., parts to third world countries where poorest residents extract the copper, exposing themselves to all kinds of horrible health problems. We take ours to the city recycling center, and assume (!) that the material is disposed of safely. Interesting history about the Chinese miners - they were invaluable in building our railroads and did experience discrimination although they were recognized as being the hardest workers. They were so valuable, in fact, that they instigated a strike against their money-grabbing employers which, from what I can remember, had a positive effect.
Patriciat: Ibuprofen and booze not good for stomach. I've heard that gluco/chondroitin combo isn't scientifically proven to help, but my sister swears by it and my daughter used to give it to poor old Cimarron.
dibnlib: Awful about OH's aunt. And so avoidable it would seem. Did she know she had asthma I wonder? Was she on inhalers? :-(
Margobird: Hang in there dearie. And feel free to fret here!
Brenda: Thanks for passing on info re disappearing pix. That explains things.
Djoan: I must be on the right server, since I can see your lovely photo of St. Mary's Island, but which county are you in? I can't keep track of where everyone lives...
Tiger: Another lovely osprey site
OK. I think that's it. Off to start the day. Wonder where Gary went? Take care all.
Hi Annette - I live in Northumberland, but St Mary's Island (in Whitley Bay) is 5 miles away, in the next county of Tyne & Wear - and is about 9 miles east of Newcastle on Tyne.
Joan - avid bird and nature watcher in Northumberland!
Index Thread
What a fantastic sunny day. Hope you have all enjoyed the sunshine.
AQ, I really am learning more . I have never heard anything about the Chinese connection to the goldfields. Thank you for the latest history lesson.
Tiger, Thanks for the link to those fantastic photographs. Well worth seeing.
Patriciat, So sorry you are in such pain with your sciatica. As for moaning, I think it is fantastic that we all see one another as friends and feel we can say when we have problems or even just have an off day.
Annette, What is the highest number of whales that have been seen in a day? Also, I would love to know more about your ' Tiger Woods ' incident. Part 2 please.
OG, I just love, soft sticky gingerbread. Do you take postal orders?
Maureen, Always thinking of you. Do get in touch when you can,
dibnlib Don't think sciatica would count as an emergency, especially as I've had it or a couple of weeks - I'll just have to 'thole'! How absolutely dreadful that your OH's aunt died alone of an asthma attack. I've been asthmatic since I was a teenager. It's well-controlled at present but used to be very severe, with scary attacks at night.. OH was a star, keeping me calm through the atttacks. I can imagine the fear and distress she must have suffered - actually, it doesn't bear thinking about. You must be hoping it was all very quick.
djoans Thanks for that beautiful photograph - such lovely blue sky. We've actually been blesses with blue sky and the yellow orb for two days!
margobird I love your spelling too - so descriptive of bad bruises! Chin up until Thursday. We're all sending positive thoughts.
This site has such a lovely groups of friends, even if we could pass unrecognised in the street. Lovely sympathy when things aren't great and such fun other times.
Spirit the peregrine checking out the camera in the nestbox at Montreal in Canada:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmq3WepWeYo&feature=player_embedded
Forgot the cam link for the previous post:
http://ornithologie.ca/faucons/
Patriciat – I have heard of storing gingerbread a few days to mature, but have never done so. Since there have been only two of us at home, most of my baking gets divided up as a few for now and more to freeze for later. We each ate a piece of gingerbread earlier today. I also baked some shortbread and some Bakewell tart, which have not yet been started – I use thin shortbread as the base for Bakewell, so always make a shortbread round at the same time.
Dibnlib – sorry you have received upsetting details of your OH’ aunt’s death – so sad when family differences mean we don’t know our relations as we should. OH’s Brother tells us nothing (although we have never had a falling out - that we know of!) – we heard of our Niece’s hospitalisation for at least three weeks with a mystery illness through our Granddaughter seeing it on Niece’s Son’s Facebook page and telling our Daughter who told us!
Alan – sorry you had to put u with neighbours noisy installation today – but at least the Thunderdog benefited from an extra walk! Good to know about Friends of the Osprey in Canada.
Tiger – thanks for link to great Raptor Gallery.
BrendaH – thanks for explanation of different servers and disappearing photos – hope they can sort it for us.
DjoanS – fantastic lighthouse picture! Wonderful clear sky today. Sorry you can’t join us for gingerbread – maybe you’ll have lunch out instead!
Annette – funny you mentioned whipped cream with the gingerbread: when we were out yesterday afternoon, OH had a split piece of gingerbread filled with whipped cream, and I said it seemed a strange thing to have – then I did remember a gingerbread and clotted cream offering once at a restaurant! At our usual Coffee Lounge, he nearly always asks for ice-cream on the side of any cake or dessert, but I can happily resist cream and ice-cream.
Others have been saying it, and I agree – I really appreciate the friendship of you all on this chat. May return later, if not, see you tomorrow!!
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
OG – SA does tend to get neglected, not just with history. The bigger states, NSW & VIC, hog the news. And they regard us as a backwater, the country cousins. When I am overseas, hardly anyone has heard of Adelaide and no-one understands where SA is. The name South Australia makes them think we are down in Tasmania.
Patriciat - Does gingerbread store? Does it last so long? LOL
Patriciat & OG - My doctor has had me try numerous pills for arthritis over the years. This one makes me depressed, that one makes me sick, another makes me dizzy . . . anyway they all have horrible side effects. At last we found one that taken in low dose does cut down the pain and has no obvious bad effect on me. Last year she convinced me that some other product was safer and had less side effects. OK this idiot tried it for 2 days. I should have left well alone! I had the most horrendous headache for 5 days plus other miseries. Back to the one that works.
Alan - Don’t mention that word insulation in Australia at the moment. Has the news of our debacle reached over there?
Brenda - Thank you for the news of the server that doesn’t like my photos. Maybe when daylight saving ends, my usual time on the internet will coincide with the other server. Or maybe I shall surprise you all and log on late at night (our time).
Margobird - Oh please, may I adopt your very descriptive spelling for bruises. It does seem so appropriate.
PS - Don't they say "A trouble shared is a trouble halved".