Hallo all: I put up the painters' tape showing the dimensions of the various flat-screen tellys (tellies?) we're looking at and now we're thinking maybe we don't need a really big one.
Auntie: Great that you had a lovely day at Pohtiolampi; how fun to see ospreys in action.
OG: I say put Loch Garten for sure on your trip north! We expect a full report! OMG: That python/gator photo was fascinatingly gross. Talk about his eyes being bigger than his belly!! Eeeeuw! Why did I think orchids were a hot-weather plant.... Well - if you go to Caerlaverock, hope you enjoy it. Are "kissing gates" the same as stiles? All I can remember is "Would you rather run a mile, jump a stile, or eat a pancake in a field?" Oh dear. Talk about regressing...... Thanks for update on Big Rig Steve; haven't been on the computer all day. Had earnest discussion with vines, who have promised to behave, and gave some encouragement to the tomatoes, which are being a bit shy. Currently, our ailing Navel Orange tree is getting a lot of TLC in the form of deep watering followed by nutritional snack that will make it feel better (and we hope, look and and taste better).
AQ: Universal laws transcend borders. :-)
It's July 4 - Independence Day - tomorrow; will start off the day shortly after 6 a.m.(!) with live Wimbledon coverage (on our normal channel - just checked!), then will putter about before picking up daughter in late afternoon to go to Mission Santa Ynez, where we'll watch July 4 fireworks display. OH not thrilled with fireworks, so he'll stay home and keep Lightning company (she doesn't like them either).
In the meantime, off to check on osprey cams.
Morning all ... not so nice here ... cool breeze, no sun and rain forecast.
Jeanette - thanks for your info about your volunteer stint at LG ... sounds a wonderful experience
While not a lot has been happening on the LG nest this morning I have also been watching the young barn owls at BOT. They are so funny ... jumping around and flapping their wings in the nest box.
http://www.thewebbroadcastingcorporation.com/barnowlcam_nestcam.html
Happy 4th July to our friends across the pond
Thanks to all for chat etc
Take care
Joan - avid bird and nature watcher in Northumberland!
Index Thread
Morning, All - and Happy Sunday to everyone, but also Happy 4th July to those in USA!
Always an easy day to remember my dear m.i.law's birthday, today - sadly she died aged 94 a few years ago, leaving 3 of her 4 children and 9 beloved grandchildren behind. (there are now 10 and a half great grandchildren also) An amazing, inspiring woman, who took me into the family as if I were her own... I shall be forever grateful for that, and for having known her.
Dull skies here today and wind forecast. Can see its been very windy at LG overnight.
Thanks to Annette and Lynette for starting off the threads again, and keeping us all in order.
Here is a pic of my e n o r m o u s water feature, as promised! (just joking, its really teeny tiny and is only one of those bubble up things amongst some pebbles, but I didn't want a big feature - anyway, as you can see, its still a work in progress as we need to surround it now with either smaller pebbles or some slate, to finish off around the edge of the lawn)
-- yes, I know you can't see it!! - its where you can see the black stick, which is the spout, on the right!
If you look carefully you can see that the plant just above this writing, on the left, is a little poppy- my favourite plant - but the pink flower has gone now.
... a postscript: see our 'friend' has not been back online lately.... my son, who works in IT and knows a lot about these things, has warned me in the past that some people come on to Forums just to cause trouble, its their version of having a 'bit of fun' .... best to ignore them and not rise to their arguments... just thought I'd mention this.
Thank goodness for that Lindybird :o)
Lindybird - my OH said exactly the same last night
Definitely a dreich and a windy day, but OH says we shall still go to Caerlaverock. I wanted to come on here before we get ready, to wish all our US friends a Very Happy 4th July, when you wake up, and a good time at your various celebrations. John Paul Jones’ birthplace Museum at Kirkbean is not very far from us (other side of Dumfries and down the estuary) and they are holding a 4th July celebration. We shan’t go, as the extras are mainly for children, and we have done the normal visit before, watched the DVD etc. It flies the Stars and Stripes as well as the Saltire.
AQ/Wattle – I saw Wattle’s posts on the Daily thread (haven’t seen her here for ages), but hadn’t realised the trip includes Adelaide until AQ mentioned it. So, Jan if you are looking in, have a great time meeting all the “new” relatives – quite a daunting experience, so am thinking of you. AQ – so good that you are there for her! Pleased you MiL was well enough for the family visit. Can just imagine the whispers and wild guesses when the baby clothes are hung out to dry!
Diane – your tennis shots sound like my badminton – used to book a court for the family, and (then future) SiL queried whether I didn’t want grandchildren when I hit a particularly powerful shot in his direction!
Jeanette – how wonderful for you to experience a week at LG and see our family close at hand as well as the other Osprey nests. Look forward to your poems.
Lindybird – we had a bubble pool with cobbles at our previous house, and it attracted frogs into the garden. One year when we went to clean it out there were at least dozen, in varying sizes. We sometimes used to hear the frogs singing in the evening. I’ll see if any of the photos are worth posting some time. I like the heuchera in front of yours – don’t lose that when you do the edging. I think certain person was posting on Daily Update yesterday just to cause trouble, because after a couple of non-controversial posts, he went right back to the beginning – seemed to want to be disliked!
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Annette – Pasting your bit separately as it got a bit long! So pleased to hear you have decided against a huge flat screen TV. Our native orchids are all quite small, about 6 to 12 inches tall. There are some which like wet conditions, like the Northern Marsh Orchid, and others which grow on the chalk downlands of southern England (and there may be some in between that I don’t know about!). The one in the photo is about 12 inches over all, with a 6 inch flower spike made up of lots of little individual flowers shaped like more exotic orchids. A kissing gate is a gate swinging in an enclosed arc or triangle, which people on foot can get through only one at a time and cattle can’t at all – this also means nether can bicycles, prams and wheelchairs. If two people try to get through, one each way, they end up “kissing”! Our first tomato is so nearly ready that I have had to tell it to choose whether we eat it before setting off Tuesday, or it has to slow down a bit for when we come home! I hope the Navel Orange Tree responds to treatment. So glad your OH will have Lightning to look after him during the fireworks! Trucker Steve’s journey in North West looked a lot like parts of Scotland – even the ferries! Just that everything is bigger over there.
Good morning all and thanks for all your news and Lindybird I do like your water feature, very pretty. We have a pond with fish and last evening we noticed one of them looked a bit poorly. We isolated him but this morning we found he had died so have just buried him in the garden. First fish we have ever lost so a bit of a shame.
I am glad to see also that a certain person has not appeared. I tried not to get involved yesterday but his last post just annoyed me so much that I had to say something.
Hav e a good day all and Happy 4th July to our American friends.
Margobird
my photos in flickr
Happy 4th July all.
OG, if you have gone to Caerlaverock today, good on you, it's very windy with rain in it here. Hope it's not raining at Wimbledon. "They" say that three weeks rain in the Lake District won't be enough to top up the water required and we'll need four. Heavens, maybe Manchester (etc) should have its own reservoir and let it be sunny up here! (No, I know it doesn't work like that...) OH spots lots of orchids at the side of the road when we cycle, your pic was beautiful and the colour just right. We have some self-seeded in pots in the garden.
I was playing at a Prom concert near Kirkby Stephen last night, and we were advied to take the marquee down then and not leave it until today because of expected bad weather. How true that forecast was, we'd never have been able to fold it up in this!
Oh dear, can't remember all the things I was going to reply to now, having made myself read through yesterday's Daily. So, thanks all, whatever you wrote.
Terry in Cumbria