Happy New Week all:
Rumbles of thunder all day, but it seems to be passing just east of us. Apparently our share arrives tomorrow evening.
I seem to have lost the Rich Text formatting option - and the text has gone weird.
OG: Apparently Aldi is going to open some stores in California. Your lunch at the Old Toll House sounds wonderful.
HEATHER: Here's a very long link to a film of passengers arriving g to board the Lusitania on its last voyage. Extremely clear images for the times. www.criticalpast.com/video/65675040085_SS-Lusitania_passengers-arrive-at-dock_passengers-aboard-SS-Lusitania_author-Elbert-Hubert
LINDYBIRD: My hammock, which as a large metal frame, is stored in the garage in favor of my zero-gravity folding chair, which is so much easier to put up and then away.
LYNETTE: Home delivered groceries sounds wonderful, except I buy from three separate stores and like to see/feel the veggies/fruit.
See I've put 'enjoy' twice, but I haven't had my cup of tea yet!
Lindybird said: Weather looks good, no snow today!
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
J arrived home yesterday just after our dinner, so was actually only gone part of Monday (didn’t leave till just before lunch), all Tuesday and most of yesterday. We had a good day Tuesday; weather was “iffy” (although it never rained) so we only went as far as Dumfries. Began with “Art in Madness” exhibition at the Arts Centre and had lunch at the café there. I had a wonderful sandwich of hummous, olives and roasted med veg – a bit like “Tapas in a Sandwich” but really yummy with a beautiful fresh side salad. Then we just did ordinary shopping before coming home. Yesterday we had hearing tests in the morning. I had decided that if I said I would go, it would persuade OH to go, because he seems very deaf, then it turned out that he has very little hearing loss, but mine is bad enough to need hearing aids in both ears! My reaction was that it is amazing that I have been able to take part in conversations and my brain has worked very hard to achieve this, whereas his result proves that he just doesn’t listen! This morning he is painting fence and I am sitting here resting to be busy making muffins later, when he goes on duty at the museum.
Annette – sorry to see that rain is hardly touching your neighbourhood; I hope some of it has helped refill reservoirs in the hills. Next trip is next month – probably sounds local to you, but to me it is a long way: we shall stay just a few nights near Grantham (Lincolnshire) to make a one day visit to BiL near Cambridge – a duty visit, I am ashamed to say, but tempered by promise of Rutland Ospreys!
Heather – congrats to OH on bowling success on Monday!
AQ – I guess you have an extra Nanny-Day to cover Friday for Granddaughter – but it sounds like you all benefitted from the shared day!
Linda – I hope you enjoy the new camera and that it performs for you at the wedding. Front garden sounds good!
Clare – is the Dyfi “3 on the same day” a record? I believe it may be – at least for public nests; would love to have been there! I hope you are enjoying MInsmere today; I guess Helen will be at the stables a lot during the school hols.
Sounds like OH is coming in now – coffee time.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
OG - sounds as if you had a most enjoyable day at Dumfries: I liked your description of "Tapas in a sandwich!" I know just what you mean about men going selectively deaf: mine only hears what he wants to hear!
The man next door is all alone and is sitting at the top of the house, sawing wood as he is tackling some of the roofing himself! I just hope he doesn't fall off when no one is watching..... We have noise from the building works almost every day, and wagons keep arriving with materials, plumbers and workmen. I shall be heartily glad when its all done with and the For Sale board goes up.
It sounds as if the Dyfi "3 in one day" might be a record for ospreys which have been observed, OG. It was pretty amazing. I have missed seeing our own "LG chicks" this year but life has been so busy, I have not replaced them with having time to watch other nestcams.
I'm off to put a photo an advert in a local shop for our Hammock - its one of those with a frame, and doesn't need trees to support it. Nevertheless, I find it very hard to get out of once I'm in! So its going, advertised as "as new". Our garage is very full of all sorts of garden stuff, as my OH will not have a shed in the garden as he says he doesn't want it to spoil the view. After this summer, some of the shabby cushions we have for our garden chairs can go in the bin, too. I bought one of those large containers for garden stuff and keep my tools in there, but it drives me crazy as its most unsuitable: what you want is usually at the bottom of the pile! Sorry, end of Rant!
Do hope that our Margo is having a pleasant week with her OH at home.
LINDA - it does seem foolish for that man to work totally alone up on the roof - and I wonder whether he is even wearing a hard hat? When I read "I'm off to put an advert ..." I worried that it was going to be for a young Spaniel! We have a shed in the garden, but still a hugely full garage - for which, of course, I get the blame for two mobility scooters and their chargers! I find that all the recycling bags and boxes also take up valuable space. We have two of those storage boxes you mention - one in the back of the garage for outdoor cushions and one for first stage recycling, where dry stuff goes from the kitchen until it gets bagged/boxed for trips to the tip! I actually keep my own set of gardening tools in the shed, to separate them from OH's, because he is so bad at cleaning his to put away, so isn't allowed to use mine!
He's gone, so now off to kitchen to make muffins.
Morning all: Just about to launch into sorting through various cupboards to see what we need.
OG: Yes, even if we only got a drop or two locally, some parts of California got drenched so hope there were some reservoirs that maybe picked up a few feet. But then of course we keep hearing from weatherman who remind us it's only a drop in the bucket (whereas they've been hyping the storm for a week ahead). The good news is that NOAA has forecast a strong El Nino this winter, but it's just one component of our weather pattern, so fingers crossed all the others fall into line. My sister lives between Grantham and Sleaford - in a tiny village - so pretty. I think we all have "duty" visits.
Lindybird: On the topic of shabby cushions, we inherited a patio set when we bought this house. The patio cushions were wonderful. Two of the four eventually wore out, I replaced them with cheapo look-a-likes and boy, what a difference - the new ones faded within a couple of years. There's a brand called Sunbrella that's pretty expensive, but when you get the almost constant sunshine and heat as we do, it is apparently worth the splurge over the long term.
Hi to everyone else. I expect Clare will be floating in her front door any time now. :-)
Have a lovely day, LINDY xx
Hope that CLARE,had a great day, too!
OG- I'm so glad that I'm not the only one with personal garden tools.
My 'final' mammogram tomorrow. Too old now to be sent for, must request one in future.
OG- Shall you get the hearing aids or keep going for a while? I have mild hearing loss but don't fancy clunky things in my ears ( yet).