Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 6 September 2015

HAPPY NEW WEEK!

Last week's Chat thread is HERE.

If you missed the end of last week's Chat thread, click on the link above and go back to see OG's spectacular photos of the Sparrowhawk that visited her garden! The pics are really good. See pages 8-9! 

Also, Brenda posted a lovely kestrel on page 7.  

Autumn is right around the corner, but it's still very hot on my patch; 95 F (35 C) tomorrow. I'll try to send some heat to Brenda, who had to put the central heating on in her home yesterday. :-)

Happy Labor Day on Monday to Annette, June Spradlin, and anyone else in the U.S. Labor Day was very important in my family, and I always miss my Dad on that holiday.

Everyone have a good week.

  • Goodness. Where is everyone?  Went to the local beach with my book, chair and sunscreen after lunch.  Lots of waves, sun, sand and families enjoying the day. Gym is opening tomorrow for a few hours in the morning (tomorrow is officially Labor Day) after maintenance week. May pop in for a very light workout; we'll see.

    Lindybird: Hurray for a relatively good journey. Wonder what the kennel's cut-off time is when considering one or two days; maybe you can leave them a second night and it would still be just two days and your OH could sleep in.  Are you still happy with your wedding outfit?  And yes, agree that AQ's soup sounded yummy, though I'd have to freeze my portion for cooler days.

    Have a good Monday all.

  • Good morning everyone

    Thank you DIANE for starting the week.

    Glad that you enjoyed your time away, LINDY. It must have been lovely for you to see Amber starting to walk:

    I'll catch up later, loads to do today,inside the house and outside. Must take advantage of a few dry days this week to continue deadheading and  tidying up. Greengages are ripening, plums ( Victoria) very slow. Grapes still green with no sign of colour change.Last year we had over one hundred bunches. A very different story this year.

    Have a good day, all

  • Hi!      Sunny here, so got the usual w.machine load out on the line.  Whilst cleaning my teeth this morning, glanced out of the bedroom window and could see a man up a tree - my OH, as usual, too hasty to wait for me to hold the ladder.  He trimmed the top off the plum tree and then commenced to pick all the apples from our big apple tree.  Not so many this year, as a lot of them had come down as windfalls already and got bruised in the process.  Bonnie was rushing around madly  "helping" - she went even more crazy when the doorbell rang and it was sis-in-law on the step, just back from her hols (cruise on the Rhine & The Danube:  wonderful). 

    So have not had a moment to come on here & chat.  Annette:  we wanted to leave Bonnie for the minimum amount of time, as it was her first experience of kennels and of course as we have dear sis-in-law only too willing to help, hopefully she will not need to go there very often.  But their cut off time for a Sunday was three in the afternoon, which was rather annoying as we could not have lunch with the family, just breakfast on Sunday and then Goodbyes before we were off again. Had a lunch of a delish Chicken & Stuffing with Mayo sandwich from Waitrose at the Motorway Services, on the way back.  Wedding Outfit is all organised and ready to pack:  I said to a friend a few days ago, I never like the photos afterwards, whatever I wear on the day!   So why worry, LOL!!  Am trying to remember to practice wearing the black high heels I've got planned, as its so long since I wore high heels that I'm out of the habit.  If you remember, I have a pair of comfortable black mules to change into, after the photos etc!!

    Had a fun experience just before our guest arrived:   Was making coffees and in my case, one of those hot choc drinks which are in a small packet. You tear off the top, put into a mug, and pour on your hot water.   Well, tried to tear the top off and nothing happened.  Tried harder:   result - Brown Dust on Absolutely Everything!  -  kettle, coffee & tea canisters, teapot, toaster, just everything everywhere.......     Amazing how much such a tiny amount of stuff can spread when its a fine powder!

  • Little Tomasz has started at School today:   He is not five until 1st December but qualifies to join now.

    Here is his proud photo taken this morning, ready for his First Day at School:

  • He is one handsome boy, LINDY! Going to break a few hearts one day! And yes, that brown stuff goes everywhere! My eldest decided to investigate the baking cupboard when he was about two. Result, cocoa powder absolutely everywhere. He also locked me in the larder but that's another story.

    It is a really lovely day here. OH was bowling so I set to in the garden, sweeping, scrubbing slabs etc. Then he arrived home and didn't want much to eat for lunch so decided on coffee and gingerbread. I must have had my 'don't you dare drop crumbs, I've just hoovered inside, washed kitchen floor and swept outside' face on because he stood, looking lost, wondering which table he dare sit at. Poor old sausage. I do love him, really.

  • From all the sabs now working hard in the cull zones and the pixies and the Wounded Badger Patrols

  • Morning all:

    Lindybird: Tomasz in school already? Yikes.  Can understand about Bonnie (I think!), but 3 p.m. is an early cut-off time. Take off those high heels before you get into the champagne. :-)

    Heather: I'm not even thinking about housecleaning until the painting is done. Then I have this feeling all the windows will need doing due to power washing, which has left lovely streaks all down glass - and, what looks even worse - the door and window screens.  :-(

    Alan: A shame all this has started up again...

    Spent an hour in the shady parts of the garden doing some tidy up, but too hot now until the sun goes behind our big tree. Three hot days ahead. :-(

  • Hi all, and thank you Diane for starting us off.

    Hope you all had a good Labour Day in the US.

    Lindybird - love the pic of Tomasz - all grown up in his school uniform.   Glad you enjoyed the weekend with family and hope the wedding is a lovely affair, which I am sure it will be, and that the weather is kind.

    Weather here has been better this last couple of days, managed to get washing outside which is a great help.  Went to see doctor who specialises in orthopedics as I had been diagnosed with a trigger thumb by our triage nurse at the surgery.  Turns out diagnosis was correct and he has given me a steroid injection which could take up to two weeks to feel the benefit. Just cannot bend thumb all the way or grip properly but no doubt over time it will sort itself out.

    Off to the gym for my swimming tomorrow, knee a lot better after fall and managed last Thurs. to get up to speed so hope to tomorrow as well.

    Margo - always thinking of you in my prayers.

  • Good Morning.    Sunny here, and I had a late start as I couldn't seem to get up and going this morning:  full of ambition now, though, over what I will get done today!

    Annette:  Hope that you can find somewhere to sit to make the heat more bearable over the next few days.  Expect you're glad you got the a/c sorted out in your study, now.

    Lynette:  Thanks for your good wishes for our special day, coming up.  As the weather has perked up a bit now, we are hoping for a lovely Autumn day to brighten up the photos.  I said "Aaak!" as I have quite a summery outfit and I might feel cold, but the Bride assures me that she hates those weddings where the photos take so long everyone loses the will to live......

    Bonnie is in lively mood this morning, and my OH has gone off to golf again, so I keep throwing her toys as far as I can out into the garden, to give her something to do.   The fields of wheat at the back of our house are now ripe, dry and ready, so the harvester machine came yesterday to start on getting it all cut.  Its HUGE!   - 18 feet wide, my OH says, fascinated as he leans over the hedge to watch:  in his day they were far smaller and more manoeuvreable:  this looks too big for the small fields its in.  (have looked up manoeuvre in the dictionary and its impenetrable LOL!!)