Weekly Chat, Sunday April 25, 2010

Alan and Sandy - brilliant - even my OH laughed!

Sandy and Alan - that is so funny ... love it!

For anyone interested there is an interesting article on BBC Tyne website about tawny owls. The number of owls in Kielder forest in Northumberland is soaring despite the bad winter ... because the vole population is flourishing as the owls were unable to hunt in the snow! Link below

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/tyne/hi/people_and_places/nature/newsid_8650000/8650677.stm

DjoanS - I read that this morning - it's amazing to think of 105 known pairs in Kielder forest!  I do hope they will do well through the summer, especially the pair with five eggs!

Been reading up on the Gulf oil leak - found NASA pictures which really show up the size of the slick against the land mass.  It's huge - horrible to think of the damage it will do to all the species living there, and the wildlife habitats. 

Catching up on the past week...(sorry it’s a long one)

Congrats, Caerann, on the job, well done, hope it all goes well for you.

Lucky Margobird, being taken to Venice! I’ve never been to Italy but would like to see it some time. What a shame your hospital visit didn’t go as you’d hoped, you seem to keep very cheerful about it. My OH has had several visits for one by his ear, digging deeper each time. He is a gardener so has been outside every day for years, and always ignored me when I nagged about wearing a hat. He wears one now.  I don’t think it’s always to do with the sun as a friend of ours had to have a skin cancer removed from somewhere that never sees the sun...

Lovely bluebells Alan, ours are not out yet (and I haven’t heard a cuckoo here for years, although I have heard them in the Lake District and Scotland, not as much as a few years ago though). “Personally I never go to the docs in case they find something wrong with me.” That is a typically man thing to say Alan  ;))

Hi Ginnie, I vote for the conservatory too, you can always hook up a shower hose over the bath!

AQ/Wattle, beautiful black swans, thanks both.  I’m sure I’ve seen one once, can’t remember when or where though, maybe in London a long time ago.

Happy Birthday, DjoanS! (belated) Hope the lunch was good, maybe I’ll come across a description in a minute!

What a cute mini-horse, Lindybird (with a little help from Annette), I think I want one, Imagine having a horse cuddled up on your lap... 

OG, if they had to take out a dead person’s vote from the pile how long would it take to find it?  And they try to tell us it's anonymous, although I don't trust that number stamped on.  I always find it strange that the postal vote card arrives ages before any of the bumf about what the candidates say, so you could return it then hear something that changes your mind (if you’re easily swayed).  Actually, we are a bit in the sticks so we don’t usually get much of the bumf, however this time we have been moved from Penrith and the Border (Willie Whitelaw followed by David Maclean) into Workington (Labour stronghold) and they are all dropping their leaflets on us. Other parts have been moved to Carlisle (also Labour).  Although it covers a huge area it is very sparsely populated so probably won’t affect results that much.

Tiger I SAW THE ISS TONIGHT!!!

TerryM   Well done in seeing the ISS. I knew it was going to be a good pass tonight but it was raining heavily where I was. Now they just get better and better for the next week or so. Really glad you saw it.

Evening all: Has been a very busy couple of days and yes OG, have been tired - most tired of house projects!!  Will be up early tomorrow morning 'coz friends are having a garage sale and I'm piggybacking with a few items I'd like to get out of the house. Packed the truck this afternoon and put prices on the stuff - so we'll see what happens.  Also had problems getting on the site this morning.

Have been watching the oil spill debacle this evening - first photos of oil-covered birds on the news, with much concern for current mating/nesting birds and migrating birds still expected along the Gulf Coast.

Margobird: All that hanging about in hospitals  -  do you have good eyesight now? It certainly seems like it.  Very smart to defer your next "facelift" until after your Venice trip and the christening.  I envy you the Carer Day at the Donkey Sanctuary - what a lovely gift.

AQ: Six hours in the waiting room?? Good job you don't carry guns down under!  Very pretty grevillea.  Do they still call French rolls French rolls or does it have a fancy new name? Dinner sounds wonderful. In our house, we always treated books with great reverence - my friend has a Kindle but I love the actual feel of a book - so friendly.

OG: Dead people used to vote regularly in earlier corrupt elections here!  At least the politicians didn't have to worry about upsetting them once they got elected.

Diane:  Hmm. Problem with Windows XP and IE8? I keep getting reminders to update to IE8 but haven't done it yet.  Engineered hardwood should be a good choice given the moisture problem. Are you going to redo the whole house - and are you going to do it yourself?

Lindybird: Yesterday must've been the day to go shopping and come home without the two things we went out for. I ended up dragging myself out again and then had to comb three stores, aisle by aisle, for substitutes (another home project).  Sigh.  A "fascinator"?? Sounds, um, fascinating. I think dress codes are getting more and more casual even for "big" events.

Hi Heather:  As mentioned have been tired, but part of that is the very high wind we've had for several days (with more to come) - humidity is very low and eyes are scratchy and allergies flaring up.

Alan: Nearly fell off the couch laughing at the David Cameron/Data pix!

Sandy: Just got back on the couch then read your comment and fell off again. What a hoot!!

Brenda: Brilliant that you saw the ISS. I daren't look to see if it's coming over here any time soon since have so much on my plate (on the other hand, seeing it pass by might put things in perspective!)

Thanks all for pix and posts. I enjoyed catching up.

Hi everyone.

Don't panic, I know it's the middle of the night in this part of the world but honestly I'll promise not to make too much noise.  Anyway many appologies for forgetting to post in the weekly chat for a while.  If I'm honest, with this being my first season watching the LG ospreys and all the wonderfulness(don't even know if that's a word) that brings; I've kind of become a wee bit lazy in terms of posting here.  I feel really bad about not responding to people's news and events, not wishing people Happy Birthday, good wishes, well done, or even hope things pick up ASAP, on time.  The thing is there is something eternally magical about all species of birds but witnessing the events and antics of Odin and EJ, is simply brilliant.  Okay I'll admit it, I love eating fish so I suppose in a way I can kind of relate to Ospreys.

Anyway not much happening at my end, apart from the fact my internet connection has been acting strange, and I got turned down from a job in the garden centre of a branch of a very big department store, a few days ago.  I'll give a clue.  It's the one that has an ampersand "&" in the middle of the name, and many moons ago used to be called Doge City.  They said I didn't have enough retail experience when they phoned me a number of days after the interview.  We were actually having part of our bathroom retiled, by a guy I went to school with many years ago, when I got the call.  I'm not really that bothered but I'd have prefered if they'd called me sooner.  Working in retail horticulture isn't my first choice of job because I've had some experience in that field and it's not great.  However I've been out of work for a while and could do with a little more money in my life.  Well the starlings, sparrows, jackdaws, woodpigeons etc. that visit my garden have to eat and they provide brilliant entertainment.

Many thanks to everyone for posting updates, news, info, fantastic photos (all top class), amazing poetry etc.  Here's the replies and please let me know if I have any errors, brain farts etc.

AQ:  A very belated Happy Birthday!  Hope you had a sensational bithday.

DjoanS:  A belated Happy Birthday to you!  Many happy returns.

Caerann:  I'm absolutely delighted you got a job.  You couldn't wipe the smile off my face with sand paper.  Wonderful news! :-)

Margobird:  So sorry you last medical appointment didn't go too smoothly.  I really hope you have a magical time in Venice.

Alan:  Fantastic powers of observation! David Cameron really does look like Data from Start Trek Next Generation.  LOL.

Sandy:  Brilliant political comentary.  Much better that the stuff on the telly. LOL

OG:  Some gorgeous pics from Mersehead.  We were down in the south west of Scotland, last October.  Stayed in Dumfries for a few days, and visited Caerlaverock, and Mersehead.  Had a wonderful time, in a beautuful part of the country.

Sorry these replies are not in chronological order but I've just been trying to remember stuff that I've read in the Weekly Chat pages, email alerts etc.

A very happy Saturday to everyone.



Paul  

Gee Heron: Was that you tiptoing in and out again?  :-)   Don't worry about keeping up with the posts; it takes time and sometimes we have it and sometimes we don't.   The rumor here is that the economy is picking up and that consumer confidence is up, though as our Prez keeps saying, that doesn't help when you're one of the folks who's still unemployed. Bummer.  I haven't been watching the nest as much as some, but I think things will change once the chicks arrive and start bopping up and down and wobbling about the nest.  Do take care - I'll keep fingers and eyes crossed that an tolerable opportunity presents itself soon!

Everyone: Happy May Day and Beltane -- Lá Bealtaine (Irish) and Latha Bealltainn (Scottish). I'm never sure about the spellings of the Scottish and Irish Gaelic names for the ancient festival. Every source I read gives a different spelling. Happy day, anyway!

Lindybird and OG: The Gulf oil leak both angers and sickens me. When I was married, I spent a lot of time on the Gulf of Mexico (in Florida). The birds/animals there are breathtaking. The damage the spill will do to the economy, to people's health and livelihoods, to wildlife, and to the overall ecology is mind numbing. Such an abomination!

DjoanS: Thanks for the owl article. Hope your BP was okay.     Paul: So sorry about the job. I hope you get a wonderful job offer soon! Will send good energy your way. Brenda: Glad you saw the ISS!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!