Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 10 September 2017

HAPPY NEW WEEK! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful week. 

When I was young, I spent a lot of time on the Gulf coast of Florida. My then-husband had family there. I so loved watching the Gulf wildlife. Tonight, the area where I explored the wild is under a mandatory evacuation order. It's expected to be hit hard by the massive Hurricane Irma. (For perspective: Irma is bigger than France.) My thoughts are with the people and the wildlife throughout the southeast U.S.

Manatee, Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Florida USA
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Photo labelled Public Domain (copyright free)

  • Lindybird said:

    We got the RSPB letter all about Arne, yesterday. It sounds like a good thing: if they can be responsible for the whole of that area, there will be better prospects for all of the wildlife. We are going to make a donation in memory of dear Margo, and to help the RSPB in their efforts.

    I rarely post on this thread but I thought I should let everyone know that, having seen your posts on this matter,I have informed Margo's husband, Chris, of your very kind thoughts and intentions.

    He rang me last night to express his thanks to all and to tell me that he has in fact visited Arne and is following the Poole project. 

  • Thank you so much for letting us know news of Chris, Mike. I'm so pleased that he's interested in Arne and the Poole project.

    I hope he is coping with coming to terms with his loss.

  • Just a quick hello from me - must get busy.  OH has gone to help prepare church lunches (wowee, that means another month gone by).  He'll come later to fetch me to eat, and then go to my physio appointment.  Meanwhile there is a huge pile of beans here to be prepared for freezer!  SO, BBL for replies!

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!

  • Thank you for the information, Mike. You're always welcome on this thread -- any time you'd like to pop in and say hi. 

  • Quick replies before I catch a train with Michael Portillo.

    Annette – Sunday’s bus trip is with the history group. I just wait for what our tutors have organised.

    Linda – I had my car serviced last week. I am also a member of the RAA and can call for road assistance – if I know where I am! Only joking. I won’t venture far from main roads.

  • Annette: Thanks for the info. I will watch the Cassini program. 

    Hi to everyone! I will try to do some replies later. I had insomnia, and I'm going to try to get some sleep right now. :-)

  • Hope you sleep, DIANE.

    Well, talk about shoes and slippers! The grass cutting man is coming today so I got up much earlier than usual, had shower etc and staggered down the back garden, lawn rake in hand. Loads of plums and leaves to clear before he arrived. After I'd finished and accidentally squashed a lot of plums with my feet (what a waste) I returned to the back door, only to notice that I had my slippers on... They are now in the washing machine. Thank goodness I have more than one pair of slippers:-) No excuse, gardening shoes live beside the back door. Also went off to bed last night and forgot to lock up the garage.

  • Done that many a time, Heather.  In fact I wrote a bit of poetry about "Gardening in Slippers, Again!"

    Diane: Hope that sleep doesn't elude you for too long.

    Have had a frustrating morning, which I won't go into, here, but I didn't get done all the things I was hoping to cross off The List. Also, had a long phone conversation with Friend, who means well, but we talked too long, so then I got even less things done....

    Hope we don't get any of those dodgy Salesmen phone calls today, because I shall bite someone's head off!!

  • Diane: Hope you caught up on some sleep. FYI, I got an e-mail - "Watch Cassini Plummet Live into Saturn" - from Slooh this morning saying there'll be a live broadcast this afternoon (Thursday) at "4pm EDT (International Times)" which confused me at first but the IT was a link to timeanddate.com confirming that it'll be at 1 p.m. PDT.  Except I thought it was tomorrow morning....  Still, will be here at one watching something!  EDIT: The Washington Post (I subscribe to the digital version) also sent an article written by a woman at JPL who says Cassini will start its dive 3:30 am California time on Friday. Apparently, it'll then take 83 minutes for the spacecraft's final signal to reach the earth. :-(  You can watch the current signals from Cassini here at the Deep Space Network: https:/eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html?wpisrc=nl_science&wpmm=1.   

    Mike: Thank you for the update.

    Heather: My trick is to go into the garden in "nice" shoes, then come across something that needs a quick prune, sweep, water, weediand come back in with not-so-nice shoes (not to mention leaves, twigs, petals, etc., caught in my hair and stuck to my clothes, which I then unwittingly scatter around the house unless OH stops me to shake me out!). I do have a tatty old pair of shoes that I keep in the garage specifically for kicking around in the dirt, but never put them on for these "small" jobs.  Hope the plum juice won't leave any permanent stains.

    Lindybird: Don't answer the phone tomorrow. Hope it goes better.

    AQ: Enjoy the trips.

    Off to organize morning and make trip to gym so will be back here for Cassini.

  • I had this going through my head, yesterday:

    DANCING IN THE KITCHEN

    I'm dancing in the kitchen -
    But it's an obscure reason why.
    It's not because I'm happily
    Pretending I can fly.

    I'm swirling and I'm twirling, and
    I'm searching for a spoon
    I'm wondering where my tea mug went -
    I'm sure I'll find it, soon!

    For my movements are the symptoms
    Of a thing they call "Old Age"
    They're because I keep forgetting
    Where I am now, on the page.

    The book of Easy Recipes
    Is calling out to me
    "You can do this, on your head, you know"
    But I can't quite easily see --

    For one thing, my trusty specs are not now
    Perched upon my nose
    Nor are they on the worktop ---
    So this is how it goes!

    I'm dancing in the kitchen
    I keep on spinning round.
    For half of all the things I need
    Are now nowhere to be found!

    One day I will remember
    Where everything's been put down
    But until then, I have to be
    The Swingingest Cook in town....