WEEKLY CHAT (non-osprey) SUNDAY, AUGUST 31, 2014

OG - Do hope you feel better today. Sometimes you can feel " off" but can't put your finger on why. It could be that the body is fighting off an infection. Brenda - Good news about your OH, but what a tiring time you had at the hospital. Lynette - Good to hear from you. Annette - I was glad the other day to read that you had a Day Off. Hope you can get those lights (surprised to hear that you have IKEA there!). Sorry if I've missed anyone out, its been all go here but I have been reading all your posts.

Good afternoon, all!  Jen has posted a farewell Blog.

I don't know whose idea it was to have a feeder cam in the winter months at LG but it was a really good one:

Come on, Bob.  Let's be having you.

We might not have Bob but we at least have Woody:

It has been very quiet on here today. We haven't done anything exciting. Changed and washed our bedding, plus some housework. Watched the Dyfi nest, while I caught up with some e-mails, then did some gardening

OG, I hope you are not still feeling under par. Have you caught one of J's bugs from college ?

Linda, Are you going to see Amber this weekend or are you still being patient and leaving them to settle.

Margo, Enjoy your weekend. I notice the osprey reports, still have sightings near you. 

Clare, I can't remember when the bird feeder cam wasn't there. Although it was originally the camera that refreshed every two minutes. 

Will catch up tomorrow.

thanks AQ for the pics of your day out, quite interesting.

OG - just looked at the link, what an awful thing to happen, let's hope they can catch the perpetrators!

Annette - don't do the full gym workout so to speak, just the swim. Good luck on getting to your goal.

Been quite a dull,cloudy day here too, but still feels warmish. Well Saints won the opening game of the season so OH will be pleased - he went to see them play.

Dau. taking me food shopping tomorrow otherwise a quiet weekend.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Yesterday I escaped to city for a library visit & shopping, nothing exciting, just socks.

Linda, I’m sure there a lot of wee cottages in need of loving restoration in these by-passed towns we visited. But not as relaxing as Wales? And a long drive to shops, bank, etc, probably in Clare.

Bus trip saga cont. The Mintaro Wesleyan chapel became a hall when larger church built. Sadly neither are being used now.

This pic just to show OG there were hills on our route! The catholic church was built on the outskirts of Mintaro. Services once a month. Notice the lush grass growing beneath the vines – it has been a great winter with lots of rain.

Near Mintaro is a lovely old home Martindale Hall. It was featured in the film “Picnic at Hanging Rock”. We didn’t visit it this trip..

Merilden was the railway station for Mintaro, some 2 miles to the east, now derelict. Once railways snaked across the state. Now there are only the 3 interstate trains – Indian-Pacific (Sydney-Adelaide-Perth), the Ghan (Adelaide-Darwin) and the Overland (Adelaide-Melbourne) and a few suburban trains. Our roads are cluttered <sigh> with huge semi-trailers, B-doubles & B-triples transporting goods.

Paddock near Mintaro, through bus window.

Next stop was in the sleepy town of Farrell Flat. Last visit I captured the former Catholic church, this time the former Methodist. Next a brief visit to The Gaelic Cemetery at White Hut near Clare. In 1850s the Highland & Island Emigration Society under the patronage of Prince Albert brought impoverished Scots to SA. They settled in this districtl they & descendants are buried in this small cemetery nestling amongst the vineyards.

Last stop was to the Medika Gallery in Blyth, housed in the former Lutheran church. Lots of birds & flora here. Well, that’s all folks until next trip next weekend.

AQ - thanks for sharing the last two sets of pictures - and I loved those cottagey-looking buildings, and that church looked just so English!

LINDA - I keep missing you out! Sorry you have had to be so busy.  I hope your Friend is recovering as well as she usually does, that baby Granddaughter is progressing well - and has your OH had that injection yet?  I hope he is continuing just fine.

I've probably missed someone else out now, so do excuse me.

I had a long conversation with Daughter#2 last evening, with lots of news.  First the bad news: the house repairs will take six months (actually, that was my original guess!)  The gist of the good news is that they will soon be in a six-months temporary home in a pleasant area, and work on the house will be getting underway.  Unfortunately they won't be moved before we visit, so I think we shall be spending a lot of time in restaurants and coffee shops!

We have been working in the garden part of today, and I also made several birthday cards to have them done before I need to start on Ch. cards!  J has been busy at the church fete, but we decided not to go because of the uneven ground of the field (it is the field where the new building will eventually be).