HAPPY NEW WEEK!
Last week's chat thread is here.
Hi, all. I just thought I'd start the new thread since Annette has been busy with family/friends and is probably tired.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Not long before autumn now.
Lindy: Glad you saw a sparrowhawk. Hope the new camera worked well. Wonderful that you had a nice time with family. Amber sounds very bright.
Brenda: That's very scary about the lightning strikes. I'm so very glad that your house is okay. Must have been terrifying for the people who lost their homes. Regarding the penthouse, I think that Pale Male, the famous red-tailed hawk, bought that home for privacy! :-)
Heather: Glad that your grandson got your car sorted. I scratched the underside of my front bumper a couple of weeks ago when I got too close to a concrete edging. I can't wait until I can have a self-driving car.
OG: I see that you didn't waste any time getting busy with chores after your holiday! I envy you all that fresh produce.
AQ: I have been to all of those travel places. LOL Very funny post.
Annette: I hope your fountain is working now. You have to use just the right sweary words... What do you think of the reports that there will be a "Godzilla El Nino" (possibly the most powerful on record) this fall and winter? Are you glad because it might ease the drought, or are you afraid because of the potential for massive storms? Hope you'll be okay. I've been hearing the reports on NPR and Facebook.
Margo: I'm so sorry that you have so many issues that you must deal with. Thinking of you tonight.
Lindybird/Diane: Obviously am using the wrong sweary words; fountain still refuses to cooperate. It's amazing how soothing the sound of bubbling, splashing water is on a hot summer day.
Diane: I've been reading those reports too, but anything that includes the words "might," "could," and "if" is suspect. "If" the jet stream doesn't behave, El Nino "could" go north or it "might" go south. For the last two years, our local government has been expanding the puny drains under the 101 freeway into massive tunnels capable of handling a 100-year-storm. With our luck, we'll get a 500-year-storm. Seriously, we shouldn't be too bad here, but hillsides all over the state and especially areas that have burned will be in real trouble. Stay tuned. (That guy who called it a Godzilla El Nino says we "could" see storms as early as late October). :-)
Quiet on here for a Monday: but its sunny in most parts of UK now, so I expect everyone is out and about, if not just to hang out the laundry.
Bonnie has just come up to me whilst I was on the phone, and presented me proudly with a snail from the garden. She is very gentle when taking things from me and sometimes likes to bring 'presents' for me. I threw her a toy in the garden, then she ran into the house with it so I gathered it up to throw outside, but she leaped up for it and landed awkwardly on the step. For a minute, I thought it was a visit to the Vet's as she hung one leg down as if it pained her, but after sitting quietly with her for a few minutes, she recovered. Phew!
Yesterday, I was doing the ironing and from there could see part of the garden. Suddenly I realised that there were a pair of eyes gazing at me! A Sparrowhawk had landed on the back of one of our garden chairs very near the house and was looking around! I reached over very v e r y slowly towards the sideboard where my camera was sitting: would it see me moving? No, so I quickly took a couple of shots. Then when it was still there, I had time to adjust the camera to zoom in on it. I got several shots before he/she flew away, sadly I missed the flight as it was so very quick. My OH was upstairs and virtually hanging out of the window to get a look, he was excited too. We know we have a local Sparrowhawk, or at least one, as we sometimes find a bunch of feathers on the lawn, sadly :-( I hope to post the pics I took later.
What a fantastic sighting, Lindy! That's a sure sign of a healthy garden population. We've got a pair of them here.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Hello all
Lucky you, LINDY! We haven't seen one for ages, but OH isn't too unhappy about that because of his 'tame' blackbird. I thought that I saw a SH yesterday but when I looked through the binos - it was a pigeon!
It is a beautiful day here. I've been to town and now must tackle some boring domestic jobs. Just wanted to get the shopping out of the way.
I had to sign in yesterday and again today, on my PC. The tablet seems to behave itself. Thank you DIANE for your words of wisdom and help.
CLARE - Enjoy your time at Minsmere. I hope that they don't keep you too mired in paperwork. Actually, I'm more afraid of what you will find when you start doing things. I have been witness to my OH shaking his head when looking over accounts done by a previous (non accountancy trained) Treasurer for some organisations. Thankfully he isn't anything to anybody now - if you follow me!
Been clearing various small jobs this morning, had lunch, sent OH to the tip (!) and now prevaricating ironing!
Brenda – sorry your village was so hard-hit by the storm last week! I hope those with damaged houses had adequate insurance cover – pleased you didn’t get a lightning strike on your property. Sorry to see Margo and her OH are having so many extra problems – thanks for letting us know.
Annette – I am still very pleased with W10, on my PC and the Surface. OH’s PC reports that his processor is not equipped to receive it – an allegedly identical machine to mine and bought at the same time! J hasn’t signed up for it yet, although he does have availability on his laptop – he is too busy with rotas etc for youth work right now. Sorry the fountain doesn’t seem to understand your swearywords – maybe you should have a real tantrum; scream and stamp your feet!
Diane – I too was wondering too about the El Nino speculations – or are they just hoping for the rain? After being so dry, the amounts of rain together with the wind could be equally catastrophic!
Linda – we had some mist this morning and then “fine weather cloud” (when did they invent that one?) but all has cleared to a bright and warm day. Pleased Bonnie’s mishap on the step did not need the vet. How unusual for a SH to stay still for photos – well done; I look forward to seeing them.
Clare – enjoy your time at Minsmere – I think I read that you are there twice this week! I also noticed you had been visiting the Welsh Osprey nests while we were at Rutland!
Heather – I wish OH’s Brother would give up his various treasurership and Gift Aid involvements – he always struggled with them since their Father died (he had book-keeping experience, while B-i-L was an engineer) and with looking after his Wife now, he looks (and is) exhausted.
Don’t think I can pretend any more that I am thinking about the ironing – need to face it head-on! BBL.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
A busy and productive afternoon here. OH got his hedge trimmer back from son in law (thank goodness, I was getting tired of hearing about it LOL). So he made himself busy. BTW, I did laugh, BRENDA about your neighbour's trimmer in your shed! I did dead heading, sweeping and all the things that the second in command does. OH made a big decision, we are going to get rid of the cypress hedge. It requires trimming twice a year and is slowly getting wider. I can't tell you how happy this has made me. It really is a monstrosity.
Thank goodness, LINDY that Bonnie did herself no serious injury. She seems to be settling down a little, or is that tempting providence?
OG - I haven't yet been brave enough to get Windows 10. I hadn't actually thought that my machine might not support it. (The beans were lovely, by the way).
Speaking of computers, BRENDA, thank you for letting us know about Margo's internet problems. I hope that she is all fixed up now. I knew about the leak in her hall but not that it wasn't yet fixed:-( Fingers crossed that they do a proper job this time. MARGO told me that her OH was planning to be at home when the repairs were happening, I do hope that the delay hasn't altered that plan.
Better go and throw some potatoes in a saucepan.
Quick look in to post link to very pushy bear and cubs1 www.keyt.com/.../34759026
A very cool cat, ANNETTE.