Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 4 February 2018

Thank you Diane.   Huh. Your American Marten just showed up!

And thanks again to all for the b/day wishes.

Lindybird: Hope you had a nice trip - I missed acknowledging that very cute and funny verse about Froggie. Very good!

Lynette: Hurray for successful shopping outing! If Barry Oldfields gets an Oscar, Gary Oldman is likely to be really upset!  :-))  Yes, I also read the make up took four hours.  Makes me wonder if they couldn't have found a really good, portly older actor to play the part... but nobody asked me (again!).

OG: I thought you just got a new mobility scooter, but obviously not. Do hope you like tomorrow's auto option - you had a lift attached to your current one not too long ago, right?  Anyway, good luck and if you see something that will make life easier, go for it.  Were those imported fresh raspberries? Where from I wonder.  I'm always looking at "country of origin" labels on things like that. In the Winter, I buy frozen organic blueberries from Canada and frozen organic raspberries from Chile (not at all soggy like strawberries). I think Scottish ice cream more than makes up for any imported fruit.

ForestBoar: So good SD lives so close, but difficult for everyone by the sounds of it.  Had to smile at 200-year-old house gone missing at the water department.

Hope everyone feeling under the weather recovers quickly and that everyone else has a nice day.

We have had a few coolish days, allowing me to catch up on chores. Alas, 35 today and rising steadily again all week. Six or so more weeks of this. Enough!!! I‘m cancelling the rest of summer.

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Annette – I hope you had a great birthday. . . and I see the celebrations continue, thanks to doc’s orders.

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Heather - First term is 11 weeks long. Hence 10 more nanny days PLUS any days when Dau is sick MINUS any days when s-i-l has a day off work. Dau has offered that I reduce but I do know what a difference a little help makes. Poor girl has been suffering headaches. Little people still wake in night. Something to be said for the old-fashioned tot of brandy LOLOL

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Twins are so cute – sometimes. When they visit us, we have toy box filled with books and puzzles. Here is MissL working on her numbers. Look at those ringlets, says straight-haired g-m.

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MissJ chose a puzzle meant for her older sister. With a little help from Daddy, she finished and insisted I photograph the result. She is difficult to photo as she now pulls a strange grimace when she poses. This was the best smile.

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AQ;    Good grief.  I thought that first pic was of big sister (how old is she now?).   Gorgeous girls with gorgeous curls.  Kiddies seem to go through phases where it's impossible to get a decent photo; you have to sneak up on them.  I have several group photos taken of the family over the years where one or another child grabs the spotlight with some strange face.  :-)   Seems like our 2017 summer is still around; hope yours departs on time. Did you see the very brief video of the cyclist who collided with a kangaroo? 

There's a wonderful composite photo and a video of the Mars rover's 5-year journey across Mars. The brief video is on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=76&v=U5nrrnAukwI   The composite image - you can click on it to enlarge it and scroll back and forth - is at https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/images/largesize/PIA22210_hires.jpg .   You can only wonder about the natural history of the planet as it evolved over the eons.(

Big sister is 6¼, twins will be 4 in June. How the years have flown, (even if the hours have been long <grin>).

Good morning, all.  Pleased to say sun is shining for our trip to Carlisle this afternoon – still very cold.  Advance weather forecast looks grim for next two weeks – I predict a late harvest this year, unless we get an exceptional summer May through August!

Diane – thanks for starting the week once again.  Beautiful Marten – looks a lot like our Pine Martens – love them, but don’t often see them, very elusive.

Annette – nope, scooter is 13 years old!  And the hoist in the current vehicle was fitted on delivery – five years ago!  Motability contract is normally only three years from new, but we got an extension to five due to having the adaptation.  (Contract on WAVs – Wheelchair Accessible vehicles – is five years, but I can’t have one – can’t get into front seat due to height from ground and lack of suitable rising/swivelling seat).  We wouldn’t be having trouble finding a replacement vehicle if our current model hadn’t been discontinued – why do manufacturers refine something to be perfect and then change it?  I know really – all to do with profits!  Rant over!  The Raspberries were from Morocco, and so sweet!

AQ – surprised those girls still wake in the night.  Has Daughter tried separate rooms so they don’t wake each other?  No wonder Miss L still has long daytime sleeps!  But lovely girls, and all those curls too!

I hope Linda will have a good journey home today – and a good week to all.

Thank you, OG -- We have indeed had a good journey back home. 

Enjoyed our weekend, and of course the company of a certain young lady, who is now three & a half, going on 33! More about our adventures later.

Annette, sorry I seem to have missed your birthday and that you've had to move the celebrations: but at least you'll be able to have a glass of something :-)

Welcome home, LINDA - and I hope the short break has refreshed you!

A lovely afternoon for our trip over the border - Lambs in the fields and Geese flying over - and coffee and cake at OTB on the way home!  Car order is almost definite - will be confirming after scooter demo on Tuesday.

Michele D: Sorry, I've been sick and I forgot to say congratulations on seeing your local Ospreys! Yay!!!!!!!! Wonderful that they've had two offspring return to your county. That's so great that you were able to see them closer up this last time, and they are obviously nest building. I hope they have a successful season and you see a lot of them!

Annette: I hope you're feeling better. I enjoyed the video and the image of the Mars' Rover journey. Thanks! I've always been curious about the evolution of Mars. There even could have been microbial life -- it might have even spawned life here on Earth. Speaking of movies, I want to see the new film Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele. You can watch the trailer here. It was nominated for 4 Oscars.

Lynette: Glad you're finding clothing you like for your cruise.

Linda: Welcome home. I'm glad you had a good time.

OG: I hope you get all of the transport decisions made and are very satisfied with the results. I know it's been stressful for you. I'm glad you had such a good day out, complete with seeing the Imbolc lambs in the fields. I've never seen an American Marten. Their habitat is a little north of me. 

AQ: Those children are so beautiful with their lovely curly hair. They look healthy and happy. Good to see. I can't believe they are growing so fast. Seems like they were just born!

bjane: Hope you're warm. It's cold here tonight, and I got pelted with ice when I went to the mailbox!

Take care, everyone. 

Good Morning. Just got light here, and it looks cold outside, but we have the heating full up as the house was really cold when we got back.

More from me, later.

Today's pic:

"I'm alright, I've got my friend!"