HAPPY NEW WEEK!
Last week's Chat thread is HERE.
I thought Annette seemed tired from all of her pet-sitting and entertaining duties, so I've started this week's new thread. Hope that's okay, Annette and all.
I've been very busy on a freelance project. The contract allows another month to complete the work, but I want to finish it sooner. It's very demanding (thanks for asking about it, Brenda).
I've also been trying to keep up with my lawn mowing. I've managed to see a lot of wildlife this week.
I've seen R.T. Hawk and his mate. I assume they're hunting to feed young. R.T. flew low over the driveway lane and gave me a disapproving look and a bit of a screech because he doesn't like the lawn mower. :-)
For the first time in many years, I saw an Indigo Bunting on my patch. He was glorious and looked like a blue Easter egg. He was singing like a canary, so he must have a mate this year, too. Woo-hoo!
With great fear and trepidation, I mowed over the site of last year's yellow jacket nest (aggressive species of wasp). I was so grateful because I didn't see a single yellow jacket! Apparently, they are well and truly gone and have relocated to someone else's land. Yay! I was swarmed twice last year, and I don't think I could take any more of their venom!
On Thursday, I had an exciting incident. I was cutting some weeds along the house, and a stunning, shiny black head appeared. A black snake flicked his tongue at me, and then climbed up the exterior wall of the house (yes, they climb!!!). He disappeared behind a loose piece of siding. All four feet of him!
He was gorgeous! It's a good thing he was a gentle black snake and not a racer; he might have bitten me, because I was pretty close to him. I knew what he was, though, and I wasn't afraid. I hope he stays around, because he'll keep chipmunks, field mice, and other critters away from the house and the car. :-)
There used to be a big one on this patch a few years ago, about 5.5 feet long. This fella must be an offspring.
I also have an active pileated woodpecker nest this year, and they're all very loud.
I hope you all are enjoying the spring and looking forward to summer. I wish good travels and fun times to all who are on holidays.
I'll be around to post when I finish my work. Take care, all.
Good Morning Everyone. A dry bright morning but not forecast to last. It is my OH's Birthday, so our son and his wife are due to arrive this morning. We will then be going out to lunch to a restaurant we have never been to before, followed by a tour of their winery, so I hope it will be fine. Not sure what son has planned for later.
I survived another nanny day. MissJ refused to give in for her pm nap until 5.20 pm, by then Dau & I had tried everything. MissL can crawl a few inches but prefers walking while someone holds her. I wish I had my camera when I spotted the two playing happily with Miss3’s dressups – mobile MissJ was sitting on the back of stranded flattened MissL. I still have my cold which has grown up into a chest cold + cough. OH is not much better. Dau’s birthday today and s-i-l took the day off work to give her a rest.
Sorry you, and your OH, feel even worse now, AQ. Hope you can enjoy your daughter's Birthday.
Good morning all
Another day of sun and showers by the look of it. I hope that OG and EE are getting reasonable weather down in Galloway.
Happy birthday to your OH, BRENDA! Looking forward to hearing about your day out.
AQ- Sorry to read that you and your OH are unwell, it must make Nanny duty more exhausting than usual, especially when the little ones fight sleep. Regarding the day care- my eldest daughter was a childminder for ten years. She always preferred to start taking the children when they were babies - and I mean young babies, when the Mums returned to work after maternity leave, as the babies settled better and didn't usually develop separation anxiety.Most of the children stayed in day care with her until they started school. If the parents wanted the little ones to go to nursery school later on, then Lucy took them there and looked after them outside of nursery hours. She,like a lot of her childminding friends started doing it so that she could be a stay at home mum to her own little girl. Now Katie is 13 and at secondary school Lucy works full time in a Nursery. (A glutton for punishment, I think!!)
Just bumping us up. Personal update to weather in Inverness - sunny spells followed by freezing cold rain just when I was walking back from supermarket. It might have even been hailstones----
Morning all: Off for follow up visit to docs then coffee with Brit friend; then will deposit some cast-offs to various organizations.
Brenda: Hope the weather is fine for your OH's b'day lunch and tour. Sounds interesting. Does the restaurant produce their own wine; if so, which grapes and where are they grown? Or is it their wine cellar?
AQ: My chest aches for you - my head cold ended up heading south and sat there for a week. Hope your daughter has/had a somewhat restful b/day. Our Ms.D has been in a morning group at the local school four days a week for the past year; now, because of birthday cut off dates, many of her classmates are "graduating" to preschool. She was a bit bereft until g/daughter told her she was going to be the senior class member and would be needed to show the new kids how things are done. Now she's feeling quite important.
Heather: I think my granddaughter would make a marvelous child minder. In between working (2 24-hour shifts a week) and college classes, she volunteers at Ms. D's school. She's thought about getting a child-care license but that would require missing out on her own classes. Her long term goal is to become involved in education/program development for kiddies.
I went to the library last night with the intent of signing up for their summer reading program, which works with local schools to keep early readers on track in between school sessions, but they are over-subscribed with volunteers. Apparently, the local high schools offer credit to their seniors who perform this kind of summer volunteer work - can't think of a better reason to be turned down! :-)
My OH's b/day is on Friday. I've invited our friends (he used to go to Sunday school with the wife) over for a casual dinner.
Off to hose down then out the door! Have a good evening all.
AQ hope you feel better. Similar sounding bug has been doing the rounds here.
Busy day, was at the pool for 0830 and only had time for 30 lengths before a medical appt at 1000, then dentist at 1130. We then went into town and booked our Sept holiday. Home and lunch for OH, made him his snack to take to work, then walked Benson. My dentisit said I needed some old fillings replaced and so I needed to book a 30 min and a 40 min appt. Couldn't believe I have to wait till 6th of Aug for the first. The plus side of course is that being NHS, it will not cost me an arm and a leg!!!
forgot to say, that walking back with Benson I saw a red squirrel ina neighbours garden.
Unusual up here, DIBNLIB?
dibnlib said:forgot to say, that walking back with Benson I saw a red squirrel ina neighbours garden.
Or am I talking rubbish? Maybe the grey have not got this far north?