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.
More lovely photo's Lindy, I love this style (Tudor?) isn't it?
OG sorry your drive man didn't arrive, I think it so rude when waiting around for someone to come, and then they don't. I'd never heard the word 'snap' until I moved from Sheffield to Derbyshire in 1981 ... somebody said "I'm going to get my snap ready before going to bed, I hadn't got a clue what they meant, prior to this I had been living and working for a year in Broadstairs, Kent, and said to my landlady one day, shall I 'mash' some tea? ... after looking at me strangely asking me to repeat it over again, she didn't know what I meant ... when I then said "shall I make a brew", the penny dropped. Mulberry and I used to get into disagreements over 'breadcakes' he calls them T cakes, a T cake to me is a breadcake with sultanas or curranants in them ... Lol :-)
Annette hope you have a good rest soon! I hope you're safe with those raging fires, seen it on the news and looks and sounds horrific!
I don't know where everyone here finds their energy, I've just washed a sink full of pots and had a quick tidy round in the kitchen, and I feel like collapsing! I've a mountain of ironing waiting, and the hedges are desperate to be cut, I was going to make a start this morning while Mulberry was still awake so he could help pick it up, but when he got home he said it was like pea soup ..(thick fog) and also the man was out with the cutter clearing the drain at the side of the road, so that didn't happen, now bright warm sun, and he's in bed! Too hot to put the iron on, and no energy to stand and do it. :-(
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
Yes, its Tudor NiteOwl. Everything there just seemed to be soaked in history. Didn't read all of the explanations (there were some in each room) and no time to read a guide book, but I think I will have to return sometime and have another look, and a read of what it all means.
We've been busy here as I washed curtains yesterday so today they have gone back up, with my OH's help, and I have decided to sell some of the many china teapots I inherited from my Mum. They have been decoratively displayed either on a shelf in the kitchen or on top of a cupboard in the dining room, but now I'm tiring of getting them down and washing them all two or three times a year. Packing them up later to take to a local Saleroom. (12 of them - I already got rid of about 15 when we moved here and I still have 5 which I love, in my kitchen!) My OH has been up a big ladder, and has cut off the tips of all the branches of the apple tree now that we have harvested all of the apples (a cooking variety). Now we have to pick up all of the branches, twigs and leaves which are strewn all over!!
Don't worry about the ironing, NiteOwl - it will wait. Just put the ironing basket where you can't see it!!
Afternoon all,
After spending 10 minutes shouting and swearing at Owen Paterson on the tele this morning, by the way he is a complete liar and a moron, I decided to go to Rutland Water to calm down. Here are some pics from a another delightfully sunny tuesday at Manton Bay:
Little egret:
GCG:
Egyptian goose:
Lindy I think I will have to ask Mulberry to take me to visit Little Morton Hall, it sounds very interesting and looks magnificent! I think just spring cleaning is a thing of the past, these days it involves autumn cleaning also now. Glad you're getting through your to do list, I'm short of storage space in this bungalow, and the spare bedroom the bed is covered in washing needing to be ironed with no where to go, all my duvets and fleece blankets piled up on there too, I keep saying it is a waste of space having a bed there no one uses, and buy a wardrobe and chest of draws, at least then it could be kept tidy.
Alan lovely photo's, glad you can go to such a beautiful place to take your mind of the awful goings on with those poor Badgers, it breaks my heart, and can't listen to the news about it.
I too, had a good swear at the TV - my poor OH was trying to quietly eat his lunch and listen to what was going on, but I was trying to tell those on the screen about the scientific (& non-scientific!!) evidence that this cull is an expensive upsetting and uncessary waste of time and money.
More lovely bird studies from you, Alan. Those GCGs don't ever give up on nesting, do they?
Clare: I used to think that about the cormorants, too, and after your recent mention I tried to write a little ditty about their strange habits, but however I worded it, it turned into something rather rude, so better not published LOL!!
More pics of Little Moreton Hall tomorrow - I took lots of pics but some have come out disappointingly as it was very dark inside the building and in some rooms you are not allowed to use flash as it damages the wall coverings which have paintings on them.
Morning all: Up at 6 this morning to catch up on paperwork on OH's computer; off to Costco later.
OG: Saw your note to Lindy re Great Moreton Hall - I suspected someone would fill in the blank, so to speak. Thanks! Grew some Early Girl tomatoes this year, but very disappointed in bland taste.
dibnlib: That must the same reason we kept the old refrigerator that was in this house when we bought it; not that old but still works well (even though I can't stand it - it's one of those side-by-side models with an extremely skinny freezer section that you can't even fit a reasonable-sized pizza into). It is, however, frost-free; not sure I could cope with defrosting one of those old monsters. FYI, we used to put plain old fans in front of those to speed defrosting though I was known to wave a hair dryer at times. God, what a mess those things made - towels on the floor and dripping water inside. :-(
AQ: You did not hear the word 'housework' from me - moved some stuff on shelves around yesterday and quickly put them back due to sudden dust storm. Glad you had fab days out.
Brenda: First haircut mention of late on the blog; mine is due soon, but I wear it tied back a lot in summer so am always surprised when I realize how long it's got.
Lindybird: Ah, that "pet door" and trough at LMH conjurs up lovely image of days gone by. Fireplace is definitely in an odd location, not to mention wobbly. I can see they had problems with contractors even in those days.
NiteOwl: Don't worry, all that house/garden work won't go anywhere (mores the pity).
Alan: "A complete liar and moron"? Sounds like various people on our tele. Glad Rutland put you back in a good mood (at least temporarily).
Re "luncheon" we used to call lunch dinner and dinner supper, but didn't "partake" of anything. :-) Does anyone remember that old music hall (I think) song "I like a nice cup of tea in the morning; just to start the day, you see. And at half-past eleven, my idea of heaven is a.... etc.,etc." I haven't heard it for years but it keeps popping up in my head - am sure there's a fascinating biological reason for that.
Off to start the day; take care everyone and Big Hallo to folks I didn't mention!
That's a wonderful outcome Mulberry. You hear on Long Lost Families of sons, daughters, etc meeting up with family after a number of years. It is heartwarming to hear and long may your relationship with your dad continue.
Annette - sounds as though you have had a lovely break. Do hope they can eventually bring the Yosemite fire under control without loss of life to both man and wildlife.
Lindybird - thanks for the Monday smiles - delightful.
RSPB Giving Nature a Home
Lindybird said:Clare: I used to think that about the cormorants, too, and after your recent mention I tried to write a little ditty about their strange habits, but however I worded it, it turned into something rather rude, so better not published LOL!!
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Lovely old hall, Lindybird. Worsley New Hall is a bit like that and also the Court House in the village. They are wonderful buildings but I imagine need a lot of upkeep. Like the pic. of the comorant.
Clare - lovely pictures of your garden birds , I agree the young starlings do look fascinating in their patchwork clothes.
Good for you DibNib - 60 lengths, I can only manage 16 which I have done today at the gym - now getting my strength back into my knee a bit more.
Thanks for all your news and pictures.