Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 19 February 2017

Great news that OG has moved .

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Thanks Heather for update. I hope you are feeling more positive.

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Successful & delightful nanny day yesterday. While Dau was out for school pickup, MissL woke from nap happy. Yeay! Later as she was trying to put a rug over dog, he was play-biting the twins. MissJ said “Toby, don’t eat my sister, don’t eat my sister.” The only low note was Miss5 who came home crying after a long and exhausting school day. 8.50 to 3.05. My girls came home early when they first started school. Generous hugs and waves from all when I was released to go home.

Must dash and clothe myself ready for camera outing with Friend.

Thanks HeatherB for the flag up re OG. At least it will make things easier for EE to visit.

I know when I get cold calling I just tell them I don't do it and hang up.

Hope Lindy  and OH have a lovely break.

a couple of the albatross family in Florida.

copyright of cornell lab bird cams.

Evening all:  

Heather: Thanks for news from OG.  Sounds quite cozy in her local hospital. Is your bro still around?

AQ: Such a change from nanny duty in the early days. What a relief. But poor Miss5 - a long and exhausting day at school!  :-))

Lynette: Like your albatross duo.  The name had me going to Google to find the source of "albatross around my neck."  Apparently it's from Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

Had to drive up the coast today and was amazed at how green our hills are after all that rain. The wild mustard is starting to bloom and you can almost see the lupins and poppies just waiting to burst out in blooms. Should be a lovely spring (oh, and great for allergy sufferers too).

Have a good Thursday everyone.

Light (very) rain fell while driving to meet Chauffeur-Friend, rest of day fine, though my car was quite hot when I returned as I hadn’t bothered to park under a tree. We captured 2 ex-chapels, one of them now part of a winery – no, we didn’t sample. Found a coffee shop for a healthy salad sandwich for lunch and we called it a day. Except on way home I detoured past 2 churches to capture more/better pics than I had some years ago.

Hooray! 

Yesterday afternoon OG was safely transferred to Annan Community Hospital.  She is there at least until an ambulance visit to Dumfries Orthopaedic Clinic to check her mended leg and decide then how to begin to use it.  Until then left leg remains no-weight-bearing.  Annan hospital are commencing gradual rehabilitation by lifting out of bed each day to sit up, preferably for all meals.  Visiting hours are a little more limited than Dumfries, and there are no provided facilities for visitors (food or drink), but it easy to pop home for anything.  Already some local folk we know have called on Ruth when visiting other friends in the hospital.

Also,  I have my mended PC back.  A new harddrive has been fitted (loaded with Windows 7 as this machine was originally configured.  I am having to spend hours updating and re-loading Windows 10 and all other programmes I regularly use.  Luckily the computer repair lab was able to salvage all my previous personal document etc. files.  It is only the applications that are required to be laboriously re-installed.

Access to this thread was my second priority (after Outlook email), only 15 other applications and 25 favourite sites to complete to get me back to where this PC was a fortnight ago - and then catch-up begins!

OG herself will be a bit longer before she gets going online, as we have not yet established Wi-Fi in Annan Hospital.  I will investigate during this afternoon's visiting.

Thanks again for all contact during our various difficulties.  Hopefully OG and I can be ready to pay attention to the ospreys as they return to our country soon.

Hooray, indeed, EE. I can see OG fighting for recovery. Sending more strengthening thoughts to you both.

That's very positive news, EE.  I'm sure OG's recovery will be far quicker at Annan than at an enormous hospital.  Prayers and good wishes continue for you both.  And for your computer.  A sick OH and a sick computer at the same time is extremely tough.  Do hope all the re-installation goes smoothly and that you are soon back to normal.  It's such a shame, but we're all so dependent on computers these days - when they go wrong life becomes far more complicated!

A message from Chris.

Dear all

Margobird

Thank you for all your loving messages and tributes paid to Margo over the past two weeks. Margo was so touched by all the kind words I was able to relay to her before she passed away, and I derived great comfort from the online community’s clear love for her expressed in such warm terms.

Margo loved all of nature and most of all the Loch Garten ospreys and the people that shared her passion for these magnificent birds. As has been remembered, it was a dream for her that she could spend a week at LG volunteering to watch them: despite being June it was bitterly cold in the hide, and she came home full of it but quite unwell! I’ve enjoyed re-reading her splendid account of that week – thank you Sheila for re-posting that. Wendy, Heather, rosiemac and dibnlib were all so kind to Margo on that trip and she didn’t stop talking about it all for some time afterwards (Margo says I wasn’t keen for her to do it again, but it was only over concern for her health and sure enough, I would have given in if she’d been able to come once more). In her last few years post-diagnosis I’d sometimes ask her if there was anything on her bucket list she’d like to do, but there wasn’t: I think she’d already done it at LG, it couldn’t be topped in her eyes.

Special thanks also to lindybird for her “Our Margo” poem, which tickled her (and me) hugely.

Over the last decade or so Margo’s online friends have been there for her, no matter what current adversity she was facing: I’ve been able to talk with Heather, with Mike, who’s been unstinting in relaying the messages, and with Brenda’s OH, John; I wish I could meet and thank each and every one of you personally. Alas! That’s not possible, though I promise to come up to LG one day. In the meantime sincere thanks for all your warmth and kindness at this sad time.

Mike will post a link to the notice in the local paper about Margo’s ceremony. It would be beautiful if you would like to join with us in spirit for a moment next Wednesday at 1.15.

Chris