WEEKLY CHAT (NON-OSPREY) SUNDAY JANUARY 8 2017

Lindybird said:

Nice bird pics.  Over recent years, you've made me appreciate Corvids more!  Handsome birds.

Love your gorgeous picture, by the way.

Hello all. Thanks for your news so far.

Dibnlib - I do empathise with you and your bro. In the end my bro. had no choice but to put our mum in a care home. She had lost all sense of time etc. He came home from work one day and found her sitting on the stairs - she had been there all day in her night clothes and so confused. It was the kindest thing we could have done as my brother could no longer cope. That was some time ago now.

OG - do hope that you get the builder to turn up and finish the work.  Hope J finds somewhere to settle. Its not easy. I moved away from the Parish Church because I found it to be so rigid in its outlook that I wanted somewhere more relaxed but still have a Christian ideal that is why I went to a local Baptist church and have settled quite well.

So sorry to learn that Brenda is unwell - thoughts are with her and her OH.

AQ - send some of that warm weather over here.   It sounds like your dau had "fun" with fitting out Miss5 and the twins joining in in their own way.

Not a lot of news here, just wet and grey for most of the day. Wintry weather promised for the end of the week????

Clare: Nice selection of pix there. I also am a waxwings fan. This morning, when I came in the back gate from a walk, four crows glided silently down to the telephone/cable wires above our back garden. I said Good Morning to them and went and got some old bread (actually a rather yummy cranberry and walnut loaf from Costco) crumbled it into smaller pieces and tossed it in the garden.  Went to go back into the house and heard the most awful commotion from above.  Turned out Lightning (cat) had ambled over to the bits of bread and started nibbling them, much to the crows' consternation.  Picked up cat and brought her into the house. Problem sorted.

Lindybird: Cute pix of kitties.

OG: Interesting that your church has no minister. Is it run by committee?  Any news from the builders?

AQ: I'd think even grocery shopping would be a treat without kiddies in tow...  

We are having WONDERFUL rain. Lots of heavy rain last night, which was so nice to listen to snuggled up in bed. Unfortunately, farther north they're getting floods and mudslides...

Sending very best thoughts to everyone on the thread who is coping with adversity (in all its many forms). Sigh. Hugs to you all.

Good morning, all.  It promises to be a better day weather-wise here.

Annette, good to know I'm not the only one who greets the local crows!  Glad they got to enjoy their treat.  I bet they made one hell of a racket when Lightning appeared.

I've yet to decide what I'm doing today.  Limpy is at Minsmere and I'll soon be dropping Helen off at college so the day is my own.

Good Morning. Still damp & drizzly here - but we're not as desperate for rain as Annette!

I feel much better for having had more sleep, but my active imagination still had a workout, with a cinematic epic of a dream or two! 

Here's another pic:

"I REALLY DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT!"

Good morning all!  Today the weather looks quite promising – in fact and in forecast; change begins overnight and worse the next night.

Lunch and shopping trip went well, and garage customer service was excellent – even after just changing our wipers, they offered a courtesy clean but we didn’t have time; we did get home in time to produce dinner and go out again.  However,Gardening Group was disappointing – new venue is very unsuitable in several ways (not just for my access needs), and I don’t think we shall go again.

Annette – currently no minister since ours left for a call to a group of churches in Fife in November; many denominations seem to be having longer and longer vacancies, so the elders and others must run the church – which is theoretically business as usual, unless you get a minister who takes over!  Many of our elders are – well, um – elderly, so we “young elderlies” are helping when and where we can, hence having me to lead and talk on Ch Day!

Linda – that is a very surrealist-looking seal photo, wouldn’t want that one in my dreams!

Haircuts (at home) after lunch then off to a lecture on “Saving Nature” this evening, with supper after.

OG - yes, the shortage of ministers can be difficult.  We were 'without' for only about five months, and our new minister has been with us since September.  Another church in our circuit lost their minister (who was called to a church in difficulties in another circuit) last summer, and won't get a replacement until at least September this year.  Can make life difficult and unsettling for congregations, but certainly in our case it was worth the wait!  Makes my life more interesting and varied, though!

Been trying to sort out a muddle with our next holiday booking - we go in six weeks, and the owner of the apartment had got the date wrong:  big panic here that our holiday would be spoilt, as we have already booked our flights.  Anyway, after some phone calls and emails late last night, all is now well: we are booked in for this year and for next!

(we love the apartment and the location, so try to be first before anyone else can muscle in on our preferred dates.  This is the one where we have several weeks in the Canaries, and just chill out, read and walk around in a lazy kind of way!)

OG - sorry that Gardening Group was a disappointment.  We have a lively Gardening Club here in the town, but we don't go to it. They have nice competitions in summer, with their flowers and produce, though.

The weather here has finally dried up a little. The garden is looking very soggy, though, and the birds look sorry for themselves :-(