Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 29 April 2018

Annette: I'm sorry, I've just now seen your earlier message to me. I'm not sure if you're now in the air flying back to the states or are still being held at Heathrow. 

I'm sorry your flight was delayed and the Midwest hasn't been very welcoming to you! Be assured that the Midwestern airports and train stations -- especially O'Hare -- are accustomed to dealing with extreme weather, and they will know when it's safe to allow air traffic and train travel. So try not to worry. 

My best advice is to check Weather.com for updates. That site seems to have the most accurate forecasting for my part of the Midwest, and it's the one I always use. Here's the Chicago page. You can click on "Hourly" to get to forecasts for the next few hours. You can also click on "Maps" and then "Future" to see the trajectory of the weather front and how it impacts your journey. Right now, it looks like there could be more storms rolling into Chicago around 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. tonight.

Here's the power outage map for ConEd in Cook County, in case you're dealing with outages. 

I think my part of Indiana is supposed to get the next front and Chicago will be later.

I hope your flight is smooth, and you don't encounter bad weather on the train. I wish my region would be nicer to you. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't listen to me.

Take care, dearie. 

I hope that Annette is well on her way to Chicago by now, if not already there. How kind of you to think of ways to help, Diane.

Can't believe it's Friday already! Where did the week go? But I expect lots of people will be looking forward to a long weekend, as it's a Bank Holiday on Monday.

Well, I overslept after staying up late (see above). Good Morning, All.  Dry here and a little sunshine promised, hooray!

Thinking of ANNETTE and also of DIANE, who I see is expecting more weather fronts.  It's not great here either - so very cloudy and yet breezy, so "feels like temp" is lower than suggested.  We were planning a day at Caerlaverock including lunch, but have decided to stay at home - still plenty to do!  J arrived safely in South Manchester last evening; his appointments (two departments) start at 11am.  He'll be staying tonight and expects to return mid-afternoon Saturday.

OG - sorry your weather is preventing your trip to Caerlaverock.  I have been there a few times, and on two occasions stayed at their self-catering guest house.  Lovely to have the site to yourself in the early morning before the 'public' arrive.  You reminded me I haven't been for some years and must put that right soon.  Hope J's appointments go smoothly.

Just to rub it in - we have clear blue skies and I'm off to Sheffield Park soon.

Morning all:  A good flight to Chicago, albeit later than planned, though just a little bumpy in the last 20 minutes with a bit of lightning flickering off to our left.  Did get some marvelous views of Greenland and Labrador. Flight crew very good, plane was new and about 75% full - the same as the LA-Heathrow flight.  There were lots of airline folks at Chicago helping folks who were rushing to or had already missed their connecting flights - all seemed very efficient.  Woke up to e-mail from American Airlines this morning announcing a 3,000 travel mile bonus for the inconvenience, which was nice given that the delay wasn't their fault.  Hotel here is in older downtown building with all the limitations of such, but bed,bathroom and heating/ac good and efficient and the room is quiet.  Must say the in-house restaurant not their greatest attribute, but it served the purpose last night.  Train for Seattle leaves at 2 this afternoon, so am going to stash my luggage either at the station or with the front desk and go explore a bit.

Lynette:  Nothing like ticking all the boxes in your kitchen escapade!  Hope the damage was minimal and something that a mild painkiller can dispatch!

Diane:  I used to hear a lot about O'Hare from much-traveled colleagues.  This delay was a trickle down effect from previously delayed flights. I was surprised the weather wasn't as bad as expected when we finally came in to land.  Don't worry about "unwelcoming" weather, my sister in the UK was beside herself with all the rain we had when I was there, although it didn't bother me that much.  We had a few bright but cloudy days and did manage a few outings, but they weren't my first priority.  Thanks for the outage tips; all seems okay at present.  Too bad you don't live closer; we could meet for lunch!

OG: Assume these are check-up appointments for J?  Hope the weather gets better for you this weekend - it's supposed to be nicer down south.

Need to wipe off, get more coffee, and plan the day.  May have internet access on the train. Amtrak is another whole world of its own anyway and we're travelling through some big  wide open spaces so nothing is certain...  Due to arrive Seattle Sunday morning our time...

Take care all

There is a new BLOG.

Glad to hear that you've arrived Stateside with little problem in the end, Annette. Hope the rest of your journey is trouble free.

OG:  Good to know that J has arrived safely in Manchester and will hopefully have an incident free trip and a good outcome from his tests.

Its sunny here and quite warm, although not hot by any means.  My rhodedendrons and azaleas have decided that its enough warmth to pop out, though and are looking very colourful.  We dashed off to a garden centre this morning where my OH picked up one lonely tomato plant, as one of the ones he bought the other day is not doing well.  I bought a new plant for the border, a Calceolaria, which I've never had before, and a replacement Hebe for one in our front gateway large pot which looks as if it's died in the harsh winter weather. We didn't indulge in a cuppa or a naughty cake this time!  But I did weigh myself this morning, with some misgivings, as I had indulged myself over the weekend in Wales (chish & fips, jam doughnut, chocolate bar.....)  but strangely, I have not put on any weight for some reason. Ho hum.   Other times I seem to put on pounds just looking at the cakes in the bakers window...

Just back from Elgin, knees sore from walking (but grateful that I am able to walk a number of miles!). Thanks ANNETTE for updating us - I'm sure that I wasn't alone in wondering how you were getting on.

OG - sorry that you couldn't get out today.

Tired - will get back later or tomorrow. regards to ALL