Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 18 March 2018

Belated birthday greetings, EE. What a beautiful beast, Diane. I trust the building work is going to plan!

Diane: Thank YOU. I'm dead on my feet from the last few days of party prep.  Mr granddaughter should have been an event planner.  I was in charge of picking up last minute stuff this morning. It started off with four employees at the local Safeway putting helium in balloons: The lady who was assigned to fillthem was typically in the produce department, had been seconded to flowers/balloons but had never use the equipment before.  A lady on the cash register saw her fighting with the nozzles and came over to help; she had yard-long finger nails but managed to tie the ends of the balloons in double quick time with no mishaps. However, one of the balloons escaped and floated up to the ceiling, so they had to call in someone else to find a pole with sticky tape on the end to grab it, but he couldn't find it until another employee came by and told him where it was.  The four of them combined to chase the balloon with the result that it was caught in a corner, hit something sharp and exploded.  Then the really, really big balloon turned out to be too big for any of their nozzles, so I had to zoom off to a florist to get it inflated. Then it was off to Costco and then to pick up the cake, then back to the house.  Granddaughter's former (??) boyfriend came over and helped out and grandson turned up out of the blue as a surprise.  So a full house even before the invitees arrived!   Thank heaven, everyone has now left and it's soooooo quiet without a dozen shrieking little people.  Phew.

OG: Happy belated bday to EE.

ShielaFE: Hi there; Nice to see you.

I'll be heading home tomorrow afternoon, spending the night in beautifiul Blythe, then will topple into my own front door Monday.  :-)

Stay safe and warm everyone.

Annette: I started the thread because I knew you'd be exhausted after the party. What a kerfuffle with the balloons! Sounds like the boyfriend may not be "former"? I hope you have an enjoyable, relaxing drive home. Maybe take an extra day in Blythe to sit by the pool and read? 

Sheila: Hi, nice to see you! Turns out that the bulk of the repairs are going to have to wait until after my upcoming freelance projects. I need to hire some help to do some expensive work before I can take over and finish it myself. I have that area of the house blocked off for the time being. I hope you're well and ready for the osprey season.

Take care all and stay safe in the winter weather. Hope this will be the last of it.

Annette - thank you for starting my day with a smile.  The picture of people rushing around the store with a long pole on a balloon chase ... quite a sight!  Sounds as though you are being a very busy bee.  Diane's idea of an extra day by the pool on your way home sounds a very good one!

Clare - thank you for the lovely photographs.  I do like egrets - they are so haughty and elegant, and they know it!

More snow overnight, and I am really not looking forward to leaving home in a couple of hours for a sixteen-mile drive on icy roads, only some of which will have been gritted.

Pat O said:

I do like egrets - they are so haughty and elegant, and they know it!

I love snapping any member of the heron family - they are such elegant birds, and so beautiful.

It is absolutely freezing here but happily we haven't had that much snow.  There are two sandwich terns at Rainham Marshes who must be regretting their early return!!

Good Morning.  Happy Sunday, and thank you to Diane for starting us off again with the lovely bear! Sorry your repairs are going to be so costly, Diane :-(

Pat and Clare, I agree about the elegant egrets, they're so delicate. Loved your pics, Clare. 

Annette - laughed I'm afraid, about your description of the balloon dramas! At least it all went well in the end. I looked up Blythe on Wiki when you journeyed down: It was founded by a Welshman who saw potential in the water rights there. Have a safe journey home.

This morning was white with cloud and mist, here, rather than snow as in UK. At this time of year, the day often starts with clouds which burn off as the sun gets higher in the sky. I'm sorry I put on the sunny picture yesterday, it seemed to rub in the fact that it's so grim in UK this weekend. Hopefully, that may be the last of the wintry weather.

Lindybird said:

I'm sorry I put on the sunny picture yesterday, it seemed to rub in the fact that it's so grim in UK this weekend.

I'm very glad you put that picture on - it's good to know you've both escaped the lovely conditions here!

ForestBoar said:

Snowed in again. Not going to a belated Mothers' do with family in Cheltenham - in fact not going round the corner for Sunday lunch either. Currently 5-6 cm and continuing.

Sorry you're both stuck indoors again. Hopefully it might be the last of the wintry weather! Take Care.

Sorry for those who are having to curtail activities because of the snow or to those who are dreading having to travel.  Dry and snowless here, but a little on the cold side. Think we will drive Benson to Daviot for his walk this morning. He will be in his 7th heaven to have a car journey and most certainly again over the next few days as well as OH has a few days hols.