Hi all. Just starting this 'coz going out to birthday dinner with OH tonight (Indian - his choice). Back to catch up with last week's final posts later, (which included a great photo from OG's trip).
Jsb – I hope the bottled tears work - your eyes will probably feel a whole lot more comfortable now. HeatherB – hope you found something to watch or listen to whilst ironing. DjoanS – sounds like a lovely day out – and Heron experience must have been very special.
Weather here went from bad to worse – showers got heavier with some hail. In between had some warm sunny intervals, but couldn’t really go outside, and painting guy abandoned window frames at lunchtime – then window cleaner turned up!
We have cancelled the first part of our holiday – neither really fit to travel. Also problems with second part, so wanted to be fair to weekend B&B and let her know soon as possible. Re second part, we have been promised a phone call in the morning, but the problem seems insoluble. OH phoned to book first night dinner and just checked on suitability of room – which we had upgraded from original booking to make sure of an accessible shower, which they confirmed in writing as with disabled access. It now turns out the shower is over a bath! This has happened so often, I wonder what these places don’t understand about our description of my needs. Whole thing was pre-paid and supposedly non-refundable, but they failed to deliver, so we shall fight all the way. Don’t feel much like a holiday now anyway, so it looks like we shall just travel to Edinburgh next Thursday for our visit to Gardening Scotland on the Friday – checked shower promise at that hotel also, and that seems to be correct!
Another one from previous trip: Ballindalloch Castle, Speyside.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
OG: So very sorry about your holiday plans. I hope that you feel much better soon! Beautiful garden photo! I really loved that mandarin duck photo. They sort of remind me of our wood ducks. Very colorful and ornate! DjoanS: Glad the barn owls have had a first hatch. Hope the chicks are healthy and progress well this season. Things have been a little rocky for that pair this year. Margobird: It's normal for us to get storms this time of year, but the storm fronts this season have been huge and just seem to hang around. Hope you're doing well! Alan: Lovely garden pic and also the North Wales photo! AQ: Ah, the old chainsaw-leaf blower defense. LOL I read your link, and I also watched the video on that page. The video was great! I love all of Mother Earth's creatures, but those flying fox bats are kind of creepy little fellas!!! Lindybird: Oh, my goodness, Buzz, be careful on the steep paths, buddy!!! Loved your photo. Buzz is such an exuberant, happy little canine. Just love him. Thanks so much for that moon link. I spent waaaay too much time playing with it. LOL HeatherB: Oh, no, not the ironing!!! Annette: Lots of political news today. House just voted to repeal "Don't ask, don't tell." It's about time. Hope you're going to take life easy over the holiday weekend.
Everyone have a nice Friday.
Evening all: Well early breakfast turned into a long day tootling about and meeting up with grandson another half hour farther north to deliver some mail that came to our house (had an errand in that neck of the woods, so no biggie); then back this way; then off to roses; then home for dinner (and two glasses of wine which totally finished me off!). Out all day tomorrow too; meeting a former colleague in Malibu for lunch. Plan to do some serious lolling about come the weekend. Looks like Trucker Steve had pneumonia and ended up in the ER. Apparently someone he knows picked him up and took him to the docs and is standing by ready to help out again. He's back in truck, but really - recovering in a truck doesn't sound like fun.
Heather Things are dire when we're doing ironing for lack of a live webcam. Xmas is too far away to wait for laptop. Suggest you tootle off this weekend and buy yourself one for no good reason other than it's osprey watching season (put it in the kitchen where your OH won't notice it en route to garden!) :-)
Margobird: My OH does dishes too, but when he gets an especially grotty one, he leaves it to soak, and soak, and soak.... then I get up next morning and can't stand looking at it and end up washing it. He also does some of the grocery shopping, but announces he's going to the store about two minutes before he walks out the door and then wants to know where's the list, which of course I haven't given a second's thought to at that point.
Djoan: Finalising details on the new kitchen, eh? It all sounds so simple until they start the work. But it will be worth it - ours is a pleasure. If you're getting new appliances, be sure to put time aside to read the instructions. During our remodel, I found that the contractors were so eager to get to the actual equipment and installation instructions that they tended to put the owner's manuals aside with the packaging, then toss out the packaging..
OG: My goodness, that is one large building (not your weekend bungalow then?). Will have to Google it to find out more. Shame you had to cancel the trip, especially when you did all the upfront work. If you need support fighting for a refund, let us know and we'll inundate them with letters of outrage! You can also threaten to post details of your experience on TripAdvisor.com for the whole world to see.
Diane: Heard about "Don't ask; don't tell" on NPR on way home, along with the news that Willie Nelson has cut his pigtails! What is the world coming to!
Thanks everyone for lovely photos posted over the last few days - I missed acknowledging some of them even though I admired them. Off to bed before I fall asleep with my face on the keyboard. Take care.
Hi All,
For anyone suffering webcam starvation, the Springwatch cams are online - though I suspect overseas viewers will be unable to see this - and the programme starts next week..... http://www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch/webcams/index.shtml
Great to see Lily and Hope reunited - the Bear Centre have posted a further update on Facebook, though not yet on their own site. http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=450209319477&comments
Morning, All. Dull here today and its rained a lot in the night - which is good, because both the garden & the allotment need it desperately. A mixed weekend of weather is forecast for the British Isles, so I suppose it will rain for most of Monday (which for those of you overseas, is our Bank Holiday & most people get the day off).
OG: So, so sorry to hear that not only are you both still unwell, but that your holiday has had to be changed. Also, can't believe my ears that someone thinks that a shower over a bath is ok for you - don't they have any commonsense? Hope you can get a refund without too much of a fight. Just loved the picture of the Mandarin Ducks, by the way - so smart in their feathery outfits!
BrendaH: Glad to hear that you enjoyed the Flower Show at Chelsea - I've been watching it every night on the TV and its been good coverage by the BBC. We are looking forward to the Tatton Park Flower Show in July, which we never miss and in the past few years, have been lucky with the weather for it.
DjoanS: Your day out sounded interesting, its best to grab these days when you can, as summer seems so short! (even if you have to pack the raincoat for these things)
Enjoyed all the pics of peacocks, azaleas and castles - keep those photos coming, we are all so varied.
Willie Nelson without his pigtails! Has the world gone mad! What next?
Thanks, Sue for the link to the Facebook report on Lily & Hope's story - we don't all belong to Facebook (don't have the time!) and so that was very welcome. At least they have learned something from this story of the bears to add to their other data on their lives & habits.
Sunny so far – haven’t checked temp. Painter is here and working hard to catch up. Both feeling so relieved that we aren’t travelling tomorrow – still await phonecall re Monday.
Diane – Mandarin ducks were brought home form the east by 18th and 19th century landowners/collectors to enhance their landscapes, and are now naturalised. Annette – according to Trucker Steve’s mother, TK is one trigger for his allergic reactions, so maybe new truck and no cat would be best for him physically. Enjoy your intended restful weekend! SueC – just read FB account of Lily & Hope reunion – what a story! Thanks for providing the link, don’t use FB myself. Lindybird – I can hear the plants growing after yesterday’s and overnight rains flowed by morning sun! Season seems really caught up now – all the veg plants doing really well.
(was adding a photo here, but won't upload - have adjusted for size, so just agremlin - will try later).
Well, yer 'tis! Just like that! Another of part of the Ballindalloch Rock Garden, showing the scale (see bench) and how it kind of pours down out of the woodland area.
Good monring Lindybird Lily and Hope's story was really something. Such joy from them both when they were reunited.
Margobird
Looking foward to Springwatch Sue C and have already been looking at the webcams in between contantly refreshing still camera at LG.