Hi all: Pesky cam is down again. Don't forget to check the last page of previous week's posts for a hallo from Caerann and somewhat worrisome news from Phoebe's nest.
Hot, hot here today. Now the wind is back up - chimes are chiming madly and motion sensor lights are coming on and off as the hanging plants sway in the wind. Nice tree man is coming next week; hope our Chinese Elm doesn't sustain any more damage in the meantime.
OG: Hoping to organize a similar video for my daughter's 50th (or rather, have my clever friend help me do one).
Alicat: Oh man; not good news about the hummers. Tried to watch the video, but more than 12,000 viewers were also on the site and the video kept freezing.
Diane: Fascinating about Zaca Station Road! Thanks - must've been a tiny railroad since the distance to Los Alamos is just about 9 miles..... I knew there were wineries up there though haven't visited them yet.
Really tired, so not staying around late tonight. Planning a lazy day at home tomorrow and Monday. Take care all.
Emma Peel: I was very pleased to see Patty's Plum being honoured with a special mention on the show- it was my Mum's favourite so bitter sweet for me, as we lost her only 18 months ago, and I used to sit and watch the flower programmes with her, and also when we went to the Tatton Show I took reels of pictures to show her afterwards in the Nursing Home (she was ill for several years). Still miss discussing the show gardens merits. They were much nicer this year, Friend and I thought, as less 'metal and glass decor' and more flowers/shrubs/plants.
Annette: My sis-in-law has three very large collages on the walls in the dining room, of all her huge extended family, including all the family weddings, grandchildren, christenings and etc. as she says she prefers to see them every day rather than put the photos in albums. They certainly look very effective. (Did I really wear that awful blue floaty thing to her son's wedding ?? !). I can't bear to cut my pictures up, so have lots in frames and lots in albums (but sadly, also, lots in envelopes still....). The new pics on the kitchen wall look good - they are ink drawings with a coloured overlay of a hunter & his dog, and a farmer & the plough (old fashioned plough, that is) as Husband is a countryman and remembers ploughing with horses many years ago. (OG: You had the right word - mounts, that was it !!)
Alan: Thanks for 'Puffin cam' - I did see this a few days ago but forgot to mention it here, too busy to write sometimes. Just love puffins.
Lindybird I can appreciate that you miss discussing the merits of the show gardens with your late mum. Most of my friends are not really into gardening so I usually chat about plants and gardens with my mum and would certainly miss that. I am keen to see more of the Best in Show garden which I think was a cottage style. As you said, this style has been replaced in recent years with various stainless steel/minimalist type gardens which look so elegant but seem to me more like ornaments than gardens. Mine is decidedly cottagey and gets minimum attention so most plants do their own thing. Lots of azaleas/rhododendrons flowering their socks off at the moment. Very colourful.
As you will have gathered I am utterly hopeless with photographs. Have loads and would never cut any up but very few are ever displayed. Recently though, parents-in-law celebrated 60th wedding anniversary and we have two good family photos which were taken on the day. I have spotted a couple of nice frames too and plan to unite the photos with the frames in the near future. (Thats the plan, but will it happen??)
Hallo everyone. Going to do a lot of paperwork, sorting out stuff around house today. Hot, fans going, but only a temporary spike before we cool down again. Back later. Take care!
Have just spent 3 hours catching up! Had to work full time hours for the last two weeks due to boss being off sick, so not much time to keep up with chat, although I do have the camera on in the corner of my computer – except it hasn’t been working so I was watching LotL instead. So good to have it back and improved! I normally do 4 days a week of 6 hours a day, plus one day gardening with OH (other people’s, not ours), so pretty tired at the weekend.
What a beautiful goose, OG, never seen one of those. Oh, you mentioned Lily and Hope so I had to go and read. So sad, hope she picks up. Also sad about Phoebe, still one baby left so we can hope for no more predators. Great pic of Ballindalloch gardens. When I got to the pic of the castle I remembered we’d been there, but I don’t think the flowers were out like that.
Another excellent poem Lindybird!
BrendaH, I missed you saying you’d been to Chelsea, I imagine it must be really crowded, is it?
Alan, just looked on the puffincam and there’s one in the hole!
Thanks to everyone else for interesting pics and info, too many to mention (nice to see Caerann here).
Terry in Cumbria
The pair of young peregrines at Brighton were ringed last Thursday - they think they have got two males:
TerryM : The puffin is incubating. Here is a picture of the egg:
And now mum:
Great Peregrine and Puffin pics, Alan & Sandy.
We did a bit of gardening, tidying up the things which needed a bit of pruning, and planted some geraniums in the front garden - did not have a chat with Grumpy Neighbour who was trimming his hedge across the road at the time we were working, as he studiously avoided us so as not to have to speak! People !
Have just enjoyed both the 'Halcyon River Diaries' and the 'Countryfile' programmes. Husband had me going to the dictionary to look up the meaning of 'Halcyon', which is peaceful. I had thought perhaps it meant a sort of Paradise, but then I wasn't far off I suppose.
Evening all: Lovely day here - turned out not as hot; nice breeze. Bought two new birdfeeders today: one for the larger birds and another for the small ones. OH cleared more stuff out of the garage. We'll do more of the same tomorrow. The Phoebe folks are expecting the remaining chick, Hoku, to fledge in the morning (no sign of Hope the other chick) who is assumed to have fledged when the crow attacked the nest. Managed to see the attack and the rescue videos today. Don't see much of the attack - just a black shape and then the cam got knocked out of position. No update on Hope the bear since yesterday (except an anonymous donor is matching donations to a max of $150,000!! They mentioned the dilemma of letting Hope go her own way (she's seriously underweight) vs saving her via what some are calling interfering.
Diane: Los Alamos, CA is a tiny, tiny town off 101 between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. Very quiet; no store other than a convenience store at the gas station. I used to think I'd like to live there, but I think I'd prefer more conveniences! Los Alamos, New Mexico, is fascinating. We were there a few years back. They have a somewhat funky but fascinating little museum in town....
OG: Have you and OH tried anything for allergies? I have prescription-strength Allegra but also use an inhaler now and then 'coz I get wheezy with the allergies. It works wonders.
Alan: Thanks for puffin cam link. Too late to watch tonight!
Lindybird: My sister was saying the same thing about the Eastern Bloc voting problems with Eurovision contest. What a pain - and just not cricket! Just Googled Patty's Plum poppy - lovely flower. Do you have it in your garden? I agree that photos belong on the wall; even prefer them in an album than on a CD....
TerryM: Welcome back; is your boss okay?
OK. Time to get cleaned up and think about dinner. Also notice someone has snuck a pile of ironing in the house.....
Hi, all. Very hot here. Humidity near 80% today. Thunderstorms tomorrow. Such sad news about Hope, the bear cub. Terrible ethical dilemma for the centre -- whether to intervene or not. I thought I caught a glimpse of our red fox in the woods today, but the vegetation is very dense, and I can't be sure. Hope it was him. I've read that they like to eat apples, so maybe he'll come to our apple tree when the fruit gets ripe. We have little green apples about the size of golf balls right now. The deer keep checking to see if they're edible yet.
Alan: Thanks for the puffin cam link. I really like those birds. TerryM: Welcome back. Hope your boss is recovering. OG: Hope you're feeling better!!!
Annette: Hope your Chinese Elm hangs in there with no further damage. I'd like to visit the Los Alamos, NM museum. I always thought that Oppenheimer was an interesting character. I've done some reading about him. It was a fascinating political time in America.
We live on the outskirts of a little town about like Los Alamos, CA. We only have a convenience store, too. We used to have a little grocery store, but it was destroyed in a tornado last year and never rebuilt. We do have a restaurant, a beauty salon, and a lovely little library. I hope you have a nice holiday tomorrow, Annette.
Very tired tonight, so not going to be a night owl. Hope everyone has a nice Monday.
Diane: That heat and that kind of humidity is exhausting - I was in DC one August and couldn't believe how sticky and awful it was. Do you have any a/c? Take care; hope it's better tomorrow.