Weekly Chat, Sunday May 2, 2010

OG mentioned earlier that snow had fallen on the Cairngorm - think by now it may be lower as the rain I am now getting at sea level is falling as snow above 2000ft!!!!!!!!!!!!  Too late now I think to be called the "lambing snow" !! 

Dibnlib - welcome back!!  Missed seeing the photo of Dillon - how old is he?  Had to laugh about your referral to Diane wearing "non messy work" clothes. Reminded me of many years ago seeing someone doing the walk through Steall Gorge wearing a twin set, pearl necklace, skirt, and healed shoes.  The usual safe apparel is walking boots and warm (waterproof) wear!  Not seen Dolphins yet, but may try again in July when up in I'ness again.

Hi everybody!  I love the Priests!  Their harmonies are excellent. 

Ouch! I just realised how sore my fingertips are now I'm typing this.  I did a stint yesterday reclaiming my neglected herb garden from the kikuyu grass.  It has about 4 layers of underground runners, which can go down about 9 inches, and the only really effective way of removing them  is to start at one end and scrabble down for them by hand.  I still have another couple of sessions to go before the job's done.  Yesterday I was 'helped' by one cat, 4 magpies and about 6 apostle birds, who were hastling me because i wasn't finding enough worms for them! 

 I've also been taming my very wild and VERY thorny boysenberry bushes.  Last night I sat and removed all the fine prickles that had still found their way through my leather gloves from my fingers.  This week I've also got to tame my passionfruit vines and get them covered with shadecloth as frost protection.  Our first frost of the season is forecast for Friday morning. The last few days have been absolute gems of autumn, but we are promised a couple of wet days towards the end of the week.   A seedling passionfruit has established itself  nearby at the foot of a small tree, and is in the process of slowly strangling the poor tree.  Since it looks like being a good vine and is loaded with flowers and young passionfruit, I'm going to try to untangle it from the tree and put in a proper support for it.  If we didn't get such heavy frosts here, I'm sure we'd get a lovely crop of passionfriut in winter, as well as summer.  All vines are loaded with young fruit which, unforunately, will just sit there through winter and not mature properly.  Wish my wisteria would grow so rampantly!!!!!

Is anyone else suffering withdrawal symptoms without their regular 'fixes' from the live nestcam?  I know I am!  I suppose I might make a bit more progress on my family tree while it's down though.  It's been suffering a bit from my osprey watching distraction. 

I'm off now to get my breakfast and get my day started. 

Patriciat – congratulations to Tweed gaining a rosette at his higher grade – and to you for training him and going with him!  Liz LFW – the hill farms around Moffat and Annandale started lambing last week (the sheep that lamb out of doors) so today’s snow could be the “lambing snow” for some of the northern farmers at altitude!  We are going north in the middle of May, so I have been asking Dibnlib’s advice about access at Chanonry Point!  We went to the centre at North Kessock once before, but didn’t see many.

Trucker Steve's tractor unit has problems again!  So he's awaiting repair in Ohio (I think) and if safe will then hope (again!) to head for Utah and a new vehicle.

As I type, this little critter is sitting on our patio, having - we think - struck a window.  He can't fly very high - made it across the yard, then came back toward the feeder but couldn't gain altitude, so I moved the feeder (was also about to pop him in the shoebox and take him to the Wildlife Center) at which point, he scurried across the patio and started to sip.  Wildlife folks told me to "observe" at this point.  Stay tuned.

.

Good grief: Now two Orioles have arrived, wondering where the feeder went, and are in the hanging geraniums discussing this unexpected change of events..... no chance of a photo of them though

Good morning all on this fine sunny breezy Monday morn. I’ve managed to hang washing without Alan’s help. (Where were you when you were needed?) The last few days I have been quietly reading and giggling - noting Heron tiptoeing, Annette studying naval officers and Lindybird’s dog smooching the new girl friend, etc, etc. Heron - May the employment gods smile upon you. And thank you for birthday greetings. Today must be the last day of my b'day - I am lunching with a friend despite agreeing when we met 3 weeks ago that would do for my b'day!! Just a simple lunch, toasted sandwich or croissant. Margobird - Some showers are so small, we have noticed it raining (lightly) in the back yard while the front is dry. And no, our house is not a great big mansion, just an ordinary 3 bed suburban house, 2 rooms deep. Lindybird - What I am to wear to the weddings is a problem. I don’t want a formal suit as both weddings are late afternoon with reception in evening. One will have dancing. Why should I be stuck in a suit when everyone else is in party frocks? I am hoping to get a longish skirt with a separate top. In colour, not black. No hat. No fascinator. Here fascinators seem to be worn by trendy young things at the horse races. I shall let you know developments.

Have been watching the new episode of Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking. The Voyager I spacecraft (a robotic space probe of the outer solar system and beyond) was launched in 1977.

It has traveled 11 billion miles or 17 billion kilometers since that time.

It is rushing through space at 11 miles or 17 kilometers per second  -- 38,400 miles or 61,600 kilometers per hour.

Even at that rate of speed, it would still take humans 350,000+ years to reach the nearest Earth-like planet.

So we (especially the U.S.) had better stop dumping oil into our oceans and otherwise destroying our environment, because we aren't going to be able to ditch this planet and find another home any time soon.

Hallo all; Looks like an evening off, what with the webcam down.  Well, our little visitor ended up at the Hummingbird Hospital. We checked him out now and then, but he could only skitter across the patio a few feet at a time and his right wing seemed damaged.  I caught him easily with a soft cloth and popped him in a shoebox and took him around the corner (so convenient!) to the Wildlife center where they were, they said, "inundated" with injured birds.  They took a look at him and said his wing was in the correct position. Usually they have you release them back into the neighborhood they came from, but the lady there said he may have to go to avian rehab (or something like that), so we'll see. I'll check with them tomorrow.  As we know from Phoebe, hummer males aren't exactly Odin-like when it comes to incubating; just hope it wasn't a Mom with eggs somewhere.....

Emma Peel: Oh my - color-coordinated clothes pegs? That does sound a bit like OCD.  Colored wellies are big here - with flowers, etc., - not like those old black things I used to have to wear.  Of course, they're a fashion item here, since we really don't have welly-weather.

OG: New carpeting has been christened twice by Lightning - from both ends now! Trucker Steve will be so happy to get his new rig - I'm sure we'll be treated to pix.

Patriciat: Congratulations to Tweed on ever-higher achievements. You're obviously going to have to go into agility training yourself to keep up with him.

AQ:  Don't know what employment gods look like, but agree they should smile on Heron.  Wear something to the weddings that you'll be comfortable in.

Off to watch Foyle's War, which is starting up another season. Really like it, may not even notice that I'm doing the ironing while it's on.

Hi, all. I can't be a night owl tonight, so just wanted to wish everyone a good Monday! Hope the cam is fixed.

Annette: I hope the little hummingbird fella completely recovers soon.

Annette thanks for rescuing the humming bird and then taking it to the hospital, hope they can do something for him and he recovers.   Such a shame but it sounds as though his wing isd not too bacly damaged.

Happy Monday, All.   Here is this week's 'smile' :