Dang! Started a thread but it never loaded and now it's eaten my entire post! Grrrrr. What's worse, I typed it in Word, copied and pasted it, and now can't get it to paste.
Hope we don't get two new threads.
Anyway, have a nice Sunday everyone. Will catch up (again!) tomorrow.
OG - glad your hospital appointments went well and that you have'nt got to go back for 6 months. Enjoy the Internation Christmas market. We have one in Northampton at present but probably won't get to it.
Take care all.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
RSPB Giving Nature a Home
Margo - I meant to say earlier that I am so pleased your test results were good, now you will be able to relax and enjoy Christmas with your OH.
OG - Glad your appointments went well this morning. Sorry that you had fog/mist, we had a nice sunny day here. Hope you get to the International Market tomorrow, I believe we might be having some snow.
Heather/Lindybird - I had a bit of an embarrasing experience this morning. I had left the conservatory door unlocked with a notice on the door to leave any parcels inside if I was out. I was in the sitting room in my nightie and bare feet when suddenly a courier appeared at the door from the conservatory with a parcel for me to sign for. It was quite late too, but I had been on the phone to my sister for ages. - I must have looked awful especially as I wear those short T shirt type of nightwear, I did 'nt know how to explain myself !!!
Evening all: Good day here; woke up to showers with more on the way, followed by what the weatherman called a "potent" storm that is due in another 5-7 days. :-)
I see more scantily clad posters have had narrow misses with delivery men and building contractors; it must be contagious.
AQ: That's too bad about the nanny business. How long will Dau's OH get for annual leave? How old are the twins now? Obligatory Christmas pies here are typically pumpkin and/or pecan, though I've heard Costco does a great pumpkin cheesecake. I've never bought any of their pies coz they're huge and then OH and I are forced to eat the leftovers, even when we send some home with kids.
Lindybird: A quiet Christmas Day with visitors fore and aft sounds lovely. I like the idea of your Christmas meal out before the main event.
Brenda: Geez, people still out of their homes since last year's floods? That must be so dispiriting.
Margo: Too bad "doggie bags" haven't caught on in the UK; here there's no embarrassment at all about asking for a take-home container.
Rita: Oh how I envy you - a professional cook in the family who wants to do all the cooking!
OG: Enjoy the Christmas market.
LizLFW: Good to see you.
Lynette: I stick the permanent gift tags telling to whom and from whom on the presents as I wrap them, but use the stickies to remind me what the heck I bought. I've been known to forget and be just as surprised as the recipient. :-)
Going to watch the second season of the U.S. version of House of Cards; the fictional political folderol is so much easier to take than the real stuff.
Have a good Friday everyone.
No sign of frost here yet – unlikely now, as the sky is slightly cloudy.
Liz – hello! I hope all is well in The Fort.
Lynette – enjoy the Carol Service on Sunday. The one we used to go to here had an annual one with the Town Band, but it was more of a concert than a service. This year our Baptist Church in Dumfries is holding a Community Carol Service one evening next week, at a school near where our new Church Centre is to be built; I think we shall go.
Rita – sorry you forgot Amber’s Advent Calendar; maybe you can have an extra lunch out if you go back for it! I hope you won’t get too much snow today.
Annette – enjoy your rains, although a “potent storm” doesn’t sound very friendly! “Doggie –bags” are slowly catching on here, especially in the London restaurants.
I think we have to sort the kitchen and change our bed before we get ready to go out today.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Trying out my Ipad to see how if I can get the hang of it. Has been very cold here the last few days but nice and sunny. was very glad to here Margo's good news and hope she will have a great holiday period with her O/H Will finish now as I am winning.
george g
George – good to see you are getting used to the new IPad! The day turned out very sunny here too, with none of the expected showers.
Our Carlisle outing was good, but the actual Christmas market in the pedestrianized City Square was disappointing. The local producers were fine, but it seemed that very few of the stalls from “abroad” were from any further south than Manchester! We did buy a few Italian biscuits, and some cheese from near Hadrian’s Wall. We had started with a good lunch in a little restaurant called The Shabby Scholar, in one of the hidden “courts” near the Cathedral and Market Hall; we each had turkey, cranberry and brie toasted sandwich with maple-spiced sweet potato chips. Very unusual for me to eat chips with a sandwich, or even to finish a whole meal these days, but it really was excellent. On the way home this afternoon we had hot chocolate at the Old Toll Bar at Gretna and then stopped at Rigg to watch the Starlings gathering. There were about eight cars stopped, with a dozen assorted people enjoying the spectacle.
We shall be out again tomorrow; I seem to be determined to enjoy the run-up to Christmas this year! We are first going to a village craft fair at Eastriggs (mainly because they make good soup at lunchtime) and then in the evening to a Social Evening for members of various groups in the village, including the Gardening and Wildlife groups we belong to.
Had trouble getting on site so came in via Community from RSPB main page - saw this on the way, from one of the Mods:
The community will be unavailable to public browsing from Midnight Sunday night/Monday morning through to 6.30am Monday morning – 8th December. This means that blogging, forums and community account sign up will be unavailable during this time.
We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause.
Kind Regards,
Ben
Afternoon all: Managed to wake up in time to watch the ocean landing of the Orion capsule in the Pacific this morning - some marvelous video from the capsule as it plummeted to earth (at least before the parachutes deployed). I tried to watch the launch the first time round, but it was scrubbed and I didn't feel like sitting for hours in front of the computer again for a second night in case it was scrubbed again. Still, apparently a text-book mission, though was listening to some comments en route to the gym about it making more sense to put a telescope on the dark side of the more-accessible moon (to dispense with earthly and other interference) than aim to put someone on Mars. Again, they didn't ask me. :-)
OG: Thanks for the heads up about the site being unavailable Monday morning UK time. Too bad about the Christmas market, but sounds like lunch made up for it. I'm enjoying most of the Christmas prep this year; probably because it'll be the first year granddaughter and Ms. D will be here with us.
George: Your iPad seems to be behaving itself. Have fun with it. There must be a gazillion videos on YouTube demonstrating various options.
Bought a Leucospermum (an orange one) from the nursery this morning for the garden, but won't plant it until the soil drys out a bit; then to the gym now home for the rest of the day.
Off to see daughter tomorrow (I think), then plan to put up Christmas lights on Sunday (early for us). OH is also going to hook up his new desktop, and I've told him I need to get behind his desk to clean there and also the window blinds while he's sorting it out. Heaven knows what I'll find - 500lb dust bunnies at least. Don't ask how long it's been....