Diane: I suspect your poor fingers are frozen solid, so started the new thread. :-) Do hope your friendly neighborhood critters show up when the temperatures rise.
Check back for lovely pic of Kingfisher (and more) from Clare; Lindybird's Second Christmas and updates on cruises; OG's plans to attend a masked ball - and more!
I drove all over the local neighborhood today: Library; hardware store; charity shop; Bed, Bath and Beyond (looking for towels); Habitat for Humanity's ReStore warehouse; University's hazardous waste center; County electronic recycling center; pet shop, beauty supply shop; and two supermarkets! Phew!
Cold here too, LINDY! Went to Tesco this morning, it was pretty deserted until the hordes of schoolchildren arrived to buy their lunch. So, on the way back to school they munched and I was dive bombed by gulls also as the school is near my home.I swear that the gulls know the school timetable.
Amy is much better, taking oral anti sickness meds, the ones that dissolve in the mouth. Her ketone levels are now OK thank goodness.
HEATHER - pleased to see Amy's improvement. Still cold here too. Been quite busy with some general filing - digital and paper.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
ROSY- looking forward to hearing about your cruise! And Pat- you are packing also?
OG- you could come here and do some filing! I am a bit behind with it, just stacking up papers facing alternate ways, if you know what I mean. I'm attempting to do something every day that is outwith normal household routine, filing is almost at the top of the list!
Rosy: I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing cruise. Enjoy yourself!
Pat: I see that you're packing, too. I hope you have a good trip!
Morning all:
Lindybird: My OH spent a couple of hours last night going through exactly that kind of paperwork, some of which are going into the recycling bin. All a bit odd given that these were part of people's lives at some point. That earring may still show up!
Harelady: Ah, it was Serafina's name I misplaced. Children are invaluable in keeping us focused on the future and what's joyful. Had my annual physical yesterday and doc told me he has patients who've developed pneumonia after the flu, which is a nasty strain this year.
Heather: Good to read that Amy is doing better. Any chance her diabetes will be easier to manage when she'd older.
They have a real mess in Montecito today after a really heavy storm that went through the area in the wee hours. These are areas below the hills that burned back in the Thomas fire and that are now totally denuded. They've had military vehicles evacuating people but several houses (mansions!) were swept off their foundations by mud/debris flows - and huge boulders from a creek that burst its banks - before the residents could escape. Five dead so far with many missing. What must be so frustrating for the first responders is the number of folks who ignored yesterday's mandatory evacuation order and either had to be rescued or who are now stranded in their homes (no power anywhere down there) and can't be reached or who are surrounded by downed power lines, trees, etc.. Moreoever, multiple areas in voluntary evacuation areas have been inundated.....mud is waist deep; highway 101 closed; train service halted. Pouring down in our neighborhood now, but no threat for us.
Annette: I am so very glad to see you on here. I slept late, and I've just seen the news from Santa Barbara County. I immediately rushed over to this site to check on you. I watched video footage of Montecito. That is just ghastly. Unfathomable destruction. That poor, poor man who pulled the baby out of the mud was describing the conditions there. Horrific.
I'm so glad that you aren't under threat. I'm happy you're getting rain, but stay safe.
Annette - that sounds terrible. Glad you are not directly affected. It's so silly when people ignore warnings to evacuate ... these decisions are not taken lightly. It just adds even more problems for the emergency services. Your area has certainly had more than its fair share recently.
Yes, I'm trying to pack. Off to Cambodia on Monday. It's very hot and humid there right now ... how can my brain work out suitable clothes when it's cold, wet and windy here? I think I've done those things which I ought to have done, but I'm sure I'll find some things I have not done, We have an extremely packed itinerary and have been told to prepare for a strenuous time both physically and emotionally. The itinerary is a bit long to post here ... a week in and around Phnom Penh, including visiting projects supported by Tearfund, as well as the Genocide museum, the Killing Fields and various market. Then the second week in and around Siem Reap looking at temples etc. I'll need a holiday when I get back!
Rosy - enjoy your cruise.
Heather B said:I swear that the gulls know the school timetable.
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
ANNETTE/DIANE- have just been reading about the floods/mudslides on the LA Times page. Awful awful.
PatO: Have a great trip and plan a rest when you get back.
Rosy: Where are you off to? I know it's a cruise that crosses the Equator....
Diane: Yes, toddler found all by herself; then a 14-year-old and her Mom dug out. I can't believe the giant boulders that came down from the hills.