Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 27 December 2015

Harelady: Are you near Aldeburgh or Southwold at all? My sister took me to that part of the coast for a couple of days - it was so pretty.

Hi Annette, I am in Aldeburgh I have rented a cottage until the end of June to give me time to decide where I finally want to stay.Aldeburgh is lovely but full of second home owners who disappear when the holidays are over, so I may move a few miles inland to one of the lovely villages. Also a few miles make a big difference in house prices here.

Terrible scenes of floods in York on news. Melting here, 38 C today, expecting 39 tomorrow. Too hot to sit at computer. I'm devouring lots of books in a/c room.

Good Morning Everyone. We returned home late last night and it wasn't long before we sank into bed. We had a wonderful time, but hardly any time to sit and relax. I won't be competing with Daughter's future mother-in-law, or daughter / partner when it comes to producing magnificent meals. We went to see Star Wars at an iMax cinema.The film was in 3D and have to admit that I did enjoy it, but why is the sound so very loud.

I do hope all of you in the danger zones, stay safe during the latest storm. I noticed that D&G is being mentioned this morning. It is heartbreaking to see such devastation being caused by this succession of storms. 

Hello everyone

Just to thank you for your news! I hope that all here are OK.

I've heard Dumfries and Galloway mentioned regarding flooding but seem to remember that OG is away from the rivers etc. I hope that Wendy is still battened down and not too far from the woodburner. We had winds last night but just rain today. I hear that there have been a few trees down and a landslip near Garve.

I am up to date - glad to see that BRENDA is at home resting after a hectic time. Also thinking about AQ in soaring temps. OG still flinging, I see. Good for you, OG.

Sheana's funeral service will be an interesting experience. Neither her nephew nor I have much idea about what will happen since Sheana preplanned it with the Order of the Cross. I unfortunately don't know either of the hymns and the readings will be taken from the Order 's literature and not the Bible. Or so I believe.

My vegan buffet for after the funeral is still a work in progress. If there are any here, active or readers, who have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. I have done some internet research. It is a finger buffet.

Now going downstairs to watch the last episode of Downton Abbey which I recorded. No spoilers, I promise!!!!

All safe here as we missed a lot of the rain but howling winds all night...

The Spey is so high but with the flooding around Aviemore and no snow on the tops I am not surprised.

Went for a coffee and drive with youngest and couldn't believe the rush of water under the packhorse bridge at Carrbridge.

Heather I am vegetarian but not vegan but was thinking that maybe a "finger buffet" is not veggie or vegan friendly :-))))) !!!!!

Hello all and hope you have now recovered from the Christmas festivities with family visiting  - just New Year to get through and then off into the New Year and not long to wait.

Thank you Diane for your New Year greetings.

Annette - love the colours of the scrub jay.

Thank you too , to all of you for your news..

Went home on Boxing Day to see brother and popped in at Sisley only to see the full extent of the building work going on. It is a shambles and the house has been left with hardly any windows in, no bathroom outside wall just tarporlin, scaffolding up to roof level whilst the re slate the roof. Totally stripped back inside apart from three rooms but it still has electricity and running water. All work stopped before Christmas because of a complaint.  Apparently the new landlord had not applied for planning permission to start the renovations and the listed building inspectors came out and told him he couldn't use some sort of insulating panels for the walls and roof which seems strange to me as it will be a godsend when the house is properly insulated - but its listed and they have to comply.  I've done a bit of digging and the developer seems to have irons in fires so we are just hoping that planning permission will be sought and that the work will be finished!!!!  Who knows, the saga goes on.

Do hope that those of you in the North of the country are not blighted by the horrendous flooding that is happening particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire although I did here that flooding could happen in Dumfries and Galloway today?  Keep safe and dry all.  From me to you all

We are okay here - most D&G probs are in Dumfries itself (record flood) and the Galloway end of the region - water where we walked on a holiday earlier in 2015!

Started "our end" of the loft this afternoon - OH took photos for me to see, and I am horrified at what has accumulated over just 12 years - and the junk which came here with us from previous abodes - don't know how it all snuck up there when we were downsizing!  At the moment, I am just approving all throw-aways - the cataloguing and labelling will come when I am convinced there is nothing left which is undeserving of a space!

Morning all:

Lindybird: Well somebody came down their stairs and hurt their ankle. Was it dibnlib?  If anyone knows, it'll be OG.

Harelady: Ah yes, property prices - my sister and I puttered around Aldeburgh - such a pretty town - and looked at adverts in the real estate offices. My sister lives in a large old house surrounded by fields in a tiny village between Sleaford and Grantham. They had their house on the market for a year and were looking at smaller properties but had decided that that part of Suffolk was, higher prices aside, too far off the beaten track for handy visits to and from grandkids who all live in the Milton Keynes area. There's a store - Avocet? - on the main road in Aldeburgh that sells prints of watercolor paintings of area landmarks by Adrian Wincup. I have three on the wall behind me now: The Moot Hall, Early Evening Aldeburgh, and one from Southwold: Pier View. They're daily reminders of a lovely visit and time with my sister.

Brenda:  Take it easy for a day or two. I'm another who won't be entering any "magnificent meals" competitions. :-)

Heather: Geez a vegan buffet?  Was this something Sheana requested? Hummus and crackers? Three-bean salad?  Tofu plus more tofu? If you were here, I'd send you off to Whole Foods to choose some prepared salads, etc., from their deli department.  (Don't look for me in any vegan meal competitions either!).  Thanks for not giving away any Downton info. We're all primed for the coming season!

bjane: Our TVs seemed awfully smart when we bought them, but they're apparently not smart enough to get Netflix. Oh well. Just got a notice from our library that Happy Valley awaits me. By the way, if you haven't seen Scott & Bailey, that's a very good UK series with four strong female leads, only one of whom, thank heaven, looks anything like their glamorous Hollywood counterparts in similar programs.

OG: Oh dear - now I'm scared to pull down our attic stairs and see what's been going on up there while our backs were turned.

If anyone's looking for good reads: The Farmer's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape is a lovely book. 

Must get organized. Take care all of you in nasty weather.

Wrote a mid length reply about 2 hours ago, but someone knocked on the front door before I pressed 'post' and I forgot it!! Been seeing to laundry and tidying up, since.  Of course it's been lost now.    Youngest has just rung and they enjoyed themselves at his in laws.  Must go and put clean sheets on our beds.....