Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 20 May 2018

Hallo!   I got to Wales in one piece, after a journey where the traffic was very heavy for the 1st hour, and it was darned hot, too (24degrees on my car readout, which means that it could have been more like 29/30 deg. outside!)

Sat out with a well needed cuppa on our decking, in the sun for half an hour, after unpacking the car. It's still beautiful here, and the bunnies are frolicking in the evening sun in the absence of Bonnie!

Good to see a long post from DIANE!  Can't you just chop the weeds off with the mower?  And do watch out for snakes, wasp nests and other nasties!

Pleased LINDA arrived safely and has enjoyed her first cuppa with the Bunnies!

OG: It's nettle. The stems are thick, and I've let it get too tall to mow because my shoulder was too painful for a while. If I pull it, it won't come back so soon. Sigh... I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the 5-foot long black snake is somewhere in those weeds. LOL I'm going to stamp my feet often to give him warning.

Lindy: Glad you arrived safely.

Black snake, Diane! ---  I would be stamping my feet very hard indeed! Sounds as if you need some kind of mechanical equipment to get rid of all those weeds. Wish I could send you something appropriate......  a flame thrower comes to mind! (Not that I can lay my hands on one)

Heather, no one expects you to just bounce back from such a huge loss. Please don't apologise for grieving. Like Diane, I am grateful to read that your family, including your stepson, are all including you in things. {{HUGS}}

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Put lots of things away, then had a late supper courtesy of M&S and the microwave! There are other people around, here, but I've not spoken to anyone yet. Too tired now to walk down to the beach so will do some reading then get to my bed.

Annette – Great to see city & wide open spaces I shall never see for real. Your train accommodation looks like the singles on our Indian-Pacific train – I would feel too shut-in. Glad I was sharing a double with Friend where enough seating for 3 turned into a bed.

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Diane – Perhaps you need a goat!

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Linda – How far is your drive to Wales, approx, 1 hour? Two?

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Yesterday’s stained glass outing was not the best. Microphone thingies didn’t work. Speaker didn’t explain very well. And worst crime, the expected 1½ hour walk became 2 hours and then I had a 20 min walk (hobble) back to my bus stop. Another lady had to hurry off as her car was on a meter. I won’t go with that organisation again. On the plus side I know where to go myself, in my own time. Which I should have done long ago.

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Food shop this morn, nanny duty this arvo.

Diane- you need to get yourself an electric hedge trimmer. They aren't very expensive and very useful for cutting down grasses and tall weeds. It will save your shoulder.

Evening all:

Diane: You'd love the trains. I struck up an acquaintance with a woman from Chicago who was a freeelance technical writer. She was off to Seattle and Portland to visit friends and was working in her roomette a lot of the time.I haven't been there for years - and then only for a super-quick visit, but Portland is a lovely and livable town. Thanks a bunch for the tip re Fotor online. I've sent myself an e-mail with the link (I tend to forget bookmarks). Hope you've got some thick gloves for those nettles.

So I finished organizing the rest of the trip photos. Here they are:

We're in Minot, North Dakota here.  Take a look at this amazing piece of equipment that used to pull the Empire Builder back in the 30s - loaded with Lord-knows-how-many bells and whistles, not to mention the cowcatcher!

This is our rather boring, albeit a lot cleaner, engine....

I'm a bit lost below..... it's afternoon and the scenery is just beginning to change

Where on earth can this person be going!!??  (Those are the Rocky Mountains in the background - finally!)

I'm speculating we're close to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana, but don't quote me!

It's getting dark and this is the Flathead River....

And we were allowed off the train at Whitefish, Montana (below) where we stopped to change crews....  The station looks like it got lost on its way to a Tudor Revival event!!

Diane:  My writer friend and I were very surprised to see Border Control officers board the train here!!!  Amazing.  Were they looking for Canadians trying to sneak into the country?  I can't imagine why any Canadian with half a brain would want to do that!!!   Our attendant told us it's not an especially new procedure; he's heard that some folks who entered Canada illegally (or maybe legally) are finding it harder to make a living there and are coming across the border (where it's so heavily forested at that point) into the States.  Apparently the border control folks came across four New Zealanders who'd overstayed their visas some time back and were escorted off the train).

Just one more day of photos left....

Good Morning. Sunny here, again.

AQ -  Sorry you had a disappointing outing. What a shame. Hope the nanny duty goes well.

Annette -- Thanks for the pics, how fascinating.  Love the cowcatcher!  There's something romantic and emotional about trains.....And loved the mountains!

Edit:  That Tudor station is really strange!!

Good morning – cloud right now, but expecting another bright day for visit to Watch Tree reserve in Cumbria.  I am ready, but waiting for OH who is busy washing up and feeding birds.

Diane – I hope big black Snake hears you coming and stays well away from you!

Linda – pleased to see some of the other owners are in residence – was a bit worried about “things that go bump in the night” if you were there alone!

AQ – sorry about the disappointing outing and inadequate speaker – plus extra walking.  Hope Nanny Day went well.

Annette – loved the train photos – I find trains so fascinating, but especially old ones!  I wouldn’t like those wide-open spaces in the plains, would feel so exposed.  I like hills around to protect me!  Interesting station building – and hearing about the border precautions.

Have a good day, everyone, probably BBL.