WEEKLY CHAT (non-osprey topics) SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2016

A new week - no posh link to last week's thread I'm afraid, but then again, it may not be worth the aggravation!  :-)

  • Hi Clare, The woman was pushing her husband in the wheelchair, and in fact, they were off to the loos, as I heard her ask where they were.! So that would be the hurry - still, did not have to crash into me on the way. Never mind, feel better to have had a moan on here!

  • Keith: Congrats on getting probate started so efficiently.

    ChrisyB: Look after that ankle; it'll probably feel more sore tomorrow.

    Thanks all for news.  Have a nice Friday.

  • Pleasant morning. Off for a swim, then coffee with a friend. It is OHs birthday but he is working. He will enjoy a nice salmon steak tonight. followed by pear belle helene.

    CHRISSYB  Sorry to hear you have been in the wars

  • On Wed I discarded walking frame for stick. Yesterday Dau & twins dropped in after Baby Bounce (ie playgroup) with a pile of books she had borrowed from her library for me. They should keep me quiet for a few days!!! I had rummaged in drawer and found some “new” books to put in toy box. First MissJ then MissL came to ask me to read them.

  • Good Morning Everyone. Light rain again, here !!

    Lynette, It does seem to be taking an age to get the house repairs started / finished. Has your OH's ear completely healed now ?

    Dibnlib, Happy Birthday to your OH. I like the sound of his Birthday dinner.

    AQ, I would think the twins have been missing you. I should imagine it was 'fun' telling them not to knock your knee.

    A quiet day for us, I think. Nothing planned. I have a few plants still to plant in pots, if the rain stops.

  • I meant to mention this earlier in the week and forgot. You will remember I mentioned a few weeks ago that there were Ospreys at WWT Caerlaverock again. Now they say on Facebook that they have overcome technical difficulties and have live camera relay to the visitor centre showing the nest with two large and healthy chicks; they still hope to get it live on their website – I think this has to be done via WWT head office.

    Other wildlife news – OH heard noisy Hedgehog “activity” under the bedroom window at 4am today – so apparently Mr Hog is not alone! Sadly, our House Martin nest is broken again – we didn’t find any egg/chick debris, and it looks as if Mrs HM might be persevering in the remaining bottom half of the nest, with Mr HM still coming and going.

    Back later with replies.

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!

  • Good news about Caerlaverock, OG. How wonderful that you have two hedgehog. I would love to see them in our garden. I do hope the HM nest succeeds. You may have to put a safety net, below :-))

  • AQ: I'm impressed with your progress!  Bravo.

    OG: Have never heard hedgehog "activity."  :-))   Did something damage the house martin nest or was it a case of poor construction?

    dbnlib: Your OH's b/day dinner sounds yummy (especially the dessert).

    I posted a note on our neighborhood website yesterday about the coyote activity and another neighbor posted a response that she'd seen a coyote on their street (about four blocks south of us) at 6 the same morning I saw the unfortunate cat just north of us. So they're well into the neighborhoods and still around at daylight.  

    I'm off at noon today to the Wildlife Rescue Center for new volunteer orientation. It'll be interesting to get an idea of what they're looking for; it's just 5 minutes up the road in the foothills, so would be really handy.  Have also signed up to get info on volunteering at the Zoo and the Natural History Museum (where they have a wonderful Eyes in the Sky program that involves taking care of injured raptors that are unable to survive in nature), but need more info before I commit to any of them.

    Take care all.

  • Keith – pleased to read of the helpful accountant and progress so far.

    Chrisy – sorry to read about your painful experience at the garden centre. I have had a lot of similar encounters – where wheelchair pushers (not those operating their own chairs, who are much more considerate) expect me to leap out of the way when I am “only” using walking sticks so in their eyes am not “really” disabled! I hope the swelling will be less today (if not, get it checked out – those footrests have nasty edges), but am sure you will still have a painful bruise.

    Brenda – OH bought a water pistol this morning after two cats visited! Hasn’t yet been used “in anger”! We had a really bright, dry morning again today, but afternoon showers included some heavy ones with thunder

    Lynette – this was our second recent visit to the Vale of Belvoir – first went there, to the Castle, over 40 years ago. We have found a lovely farm B&B – very comfortable, friendly and relaxing.

    Dibnlib – I hope you are both enjoying OH’s birthday celebration dinner, and will maybe also have a special day out over the weekend?

    AQ – how lovely to have a visit from the Twins, and read to them – sounds as if they have inherited your enthusiasm for books! Congratulations on graduating from walking frame to stick.

    Annette – I think the Housemartin nest had a weak spot following previous repair after the nest was attacked and the chicks killed. It was probably already doomed to failure, being a renovation of last year’s nest. We probably should have knocked the old nest down, so they would build a strong new structure, instead of renovating it. Surprised you are considering even more wildlife community activity – I think the Rescue Centre and the raptor project sound better than the Zoo.

    J is happy to have reached the end of the school year; he is very tired and sounds like he might sleep a lot of the weekend away! Next week, he has volunteered to work evenings with young people as part of his church’s mission in a marquee on their land (intended for building a new church centre). I think it is a mistake to do it first week of the hols, when people who work in schools really need to recharge their batteries! A quiet day for us tomorrow – apart from sound of pipes and drums and horses hooves, that is, as it is Annan’s Riding of the Marches; I hope they will get some reasonable weather for it.

     

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!

  • Good evening, all.  I spent the afternoon on Reception at Minsmere today - after leaving off I headed home via Thorpeness, where this handsome bird posed for me:

    Click on him to see a lot more of him!

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.