HAPPY NEW WEEK!!!
Here's a link to last week's Weekly Chat thread. The code for this week's Weekly Chat is WC250813 (in case you ever want to search for it from the search box).
I was away most of last week, and I think it's too late for me to get caught up on replies. I have read all of your news and have loved all the photos! I enjoyed the report and pics from AQ's most recent trip (yay, ducks! And loved that pelican, also the big trees). Wonderful photos from Mulberry and NiteOwl (lilies are one of my very, very favorite flowers; yours are super lovely!). Beautiful dragonfly from Alicat. I really loved the very majestic photos from Lindy -- ducks and deer! Woo hoo! That's an especially beautiful species of deer. Beautiful hibiscus from Alan. Love your increasingly subversive signatures, Alan. LOL! Glad that Mulberry saw an osprey! Happy belated birthday to Jess.Glad that Cerist at Dyfi has been found! Nice to see Mike posting here. Brenda: Are you glad or relieved to say good-bye to the puppy? LOL OG: Hope your sparrow hawk was okay after the window strike! Thanks for posting the excellent photos of handsome Diesel, handsome George, and your own beautiful self!Nice to see Lynette. I hope you have a grand holiday in Austria.I hope that Limpy is feeling better!I'm so very glad that Margo has had good results from the chemo. Sending good energy to you, Margo.Everyone have a great week! It's Indian Summer here and the temperatures this week will be 90 - 100 F (32.2 - 37.7 C) with very high humidity. Yuck.
Here's hoping your drainage/drive problem is resolved, and good relations with neighbour restored!
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
Sadly, never had good relations with old couple next door - they never speak, and if we say hello to them , we are lucky to get a grunt from him or a stare from her! Not used to having neighbours like them, so it's been quite hurtful living next to these two the last ten years.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Getting through my list..... have also sat in the sunshine for half an hour after our lunch (an apple each!). Its beautiful weather here, but forecast for the rest of the week is cloudy.
dibnlib: Aaaaww!! just lovely pup.
Alan: Nice to make the acquaintance of your hedghog - also gorgeous. We had a regular visitor a few years ago, who left us little messages on the path afterwards, but we don't seem to see any these days.
Hope that margo is finding this week better, now she is having treatment at home. I'm sure little Billie is in close attendance.
OG: You can choose your friends, but not your neighbours! We still have Mr. Grumpy diagonally opposite us, and he actually said good morning to me the other day and I nearly fell over in shock! When folks won't speak, I always say "It's their loss!" Thankfully, most of the other people in the road are OK.
Mulberry: We love going to Glaslyn when in N. Wales and they are very welcoming there, but don't know what is going to happen next year when the RSPB give up their sponsorship. The lady who interviewed me about our possible future visits said that they could well be much better off as they will qualify for other grants etc. if they are no longer under the RSPB umbrella, so all is not lost. Love your photos - isn't it a beautiful valley?
We sat in the garden in folding chairs, and looked behind us at the white metal bench seat. I said "That rust is getting worse...." My OH said, "It will get much worse this winter and be awful by spring". I suggested rubbing it down and repainting, sometime. He is now on his knees on the grass, rubbing it down ready to paint later today! He does like to be busy, so I should be thankful.
Beautiful weather in North Wales today. Bangor vs Rhyl live on the telly at the moment, just about to kick off. Come on Rhyl!
Hedgehog looked healthy enough so I will keep an eye on it if it returns.
Meanwhile #badgermonday is trending on Twitter:
Lindybird said:You can choose your friends, but not your neighbours! We still have Mr. Grumpy diagonally opposite us, and he actually said good morning to me the other day and I nearly fell over in shock! When folks won't speak, I always say "It's their loss!" Thankfully, most of the other people in the road are OK.
I'll be posting shortly - I'm just sorting out my Minsmere photos.
Here's one - this cormorant is clearly modelling himself on Odin:
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Stop the badger cull petition trending at number 1:
Nice Cormorant, Clare. He does seem to be copying Odin!
So hot here I keep coming in from the garden where I am supervising (!!) the painting of the metal bench.... I do keep pulling up weeds when I see any!
The other week, my Friend and I decided that we had enjoyed our visit to Dunham Massey Hall so much that we would repeat it by going to another local house, called Little Moreton Hall. This is a Tudor wood framed house, painted black & white. I have often seen the signs on the road when going to somewhere but have never been in to take a look. We arrived on a sunny morning, and went through the modern entrance building & shop to the path leading to the house itself. When you turn a corner, it is revealed to you in its peaceful glory:
As you approach, you can see there is a small moat around it, and a bridge to the entrance way:
Isn't it wonderfully wobbly!!!! The whole place has sunk, and if it were built of brick or stone, would have fallen down long ago.
The entrance:
--- Nearly forgot, if you want to look this up, its on the Website of the National Trust at:
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/little-moreton-hall/
EDIT: It would originally have been brown and cream looking, but there was a time in history when people thought that they had to 'preserve' the wood by painting it with tar or some such. Now a lot of these buildings are black & white looking, but some of the inner parts of it are still the original wood colour with creamy plaster in between.
More pics of it tomorrow - I have to go put some things away.