Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 27 May 2018

This is now the fourth day with head in the clouds, cold and very damp. It will lift eventually, not asthma weather.

Apologies to everyone who has had a reduction in starling numbers. I can tell you where they are, outside our bedroom window, we have so many that, especially with all the fledglings, we cannot count them any more. Fortunately first feeding is after the dawn chorus starts, 4.14am precisely! I dare not look too closely at the cost, I was thinking of putting a collection box on the tray but guess that won't work! Our numbers have definitely not decreased.

Big family lunch on Friday to celebrate end of cancer treatment for SD.

As Heather rightly said, the haar had burned off by lunchtime today. OH and I spent more time and money at Simpsons this afternoon. We bought a dwarf lilac with new tub and another plant as well, though can't remember the name.

I have had a nasty cold and cough for the last week or so, but am now well on the road to recovery and will swim again tomorrow. No friends for coffee afterwards as one is enjoying a Scandinavian cruise (she and her OH are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary) and another is on final preps for a trip to Ghana. Meanwhile I keep the home fires burning!!!

LINDY  I know all about hefty dental bills, but well worth it I think. Hope that is the end of troubles with that particular tooth.

FB - I can tell you, you don't have all the Starlings - they rush in to feed, piled three deep or more but then they fall over) on the feeding tray - I don't know how they don't stab each other with those beaks.  The young ones are sometimes among them, sometimes left in an orderly line on the fence - till they change places and confuse the adults!  Then second wave arrives... and so on.  After feeding, there is a general rush for a bath - as many as can fit in the large drinking bowl, and the rest in the water feature.  Then everyone has to sit and preen on the fence - with wings outspread like little Cormorants!  Real clowns of the bird world and very entertaining.  Wonderful that you can all share a celebration lunch on Friday!

LINDA - pleased you have finished with the dentist for a while.  Sorry the washing got wet!

DIBNLIB - sorry about the cold - glad you are recovering - and had a visit to Simpsons!  I still envy you Simpsons, but maybe one day we shall get back there!  Enjoy being back at the swimming pool!

We had a good day out at Caerlaverock - Osprey chicks due any day now.  Many birds with nests.  Damselflies and Dragonflies appearing from all the ponds.  Saw a sight we knew about but hadn't seen before - Martins were gathering at the water's edge collecting globs of mud for nest building - lots of them!  Spotted a shrew crossing the track ahead of my scooter - scuttled across so fast that OH hardly had time to see it!  Had a good Mediterranean Quiche there too.  Lovely warm day but sun not too intense.  I began to smell rain approaching abot 3pm and OH was happy to tell me it wouldn't rain until 9pm, but it was already raining here as we drove into Annan.  No thunder and lightning but it was that kind of warm rain - the sort that makes the runner beans grow!

I like that, OG   - "The kind that makes runner beans grow!"

Glad you had an enjoyable day.  (Speaking of chicks, there have been three eggs hatched at Glaslyn in the last few days, whoo hoo) My Friend rang the consultant as required and has made an appointment for a phone consultation tomorrow, but is expecting to need to go for tests after that. Fingers crossed that it could be something else....

Dibnlib - Sorry you've been suffering with your cold & cough.  My OH is still coughing, and has been for ages now. A dwarf lilac sounds lovely.

ps I love dragonflies!

Evening all:  Very Noisy here today and likely a variation on the same theme tomorrow. Still, things are proceeding apace.

Heather: Sounds like similar work at your house.

Forestboar:  Hope treatment has left SD able to join in and enjoy the festivities.

Very hot here, but the locals don't seem to think so.  There's a fridge magnet showing a skeleton leaning against a cactus or something with the words "But it's a dry heat."  Have stopped keeping track of how many Chutes & Ladders games I've played with Ms. D.  :-)

Good Morning.  Dry here, and should be a good day to get my latest laundry outside.

Hope things go well on the workman front for both Annette and Heather!  

Annette, you'll be playing chutes and ladders in your sleep!

There is a fun video on BBC News website called "Do these photos change your views on pigeons?"  - it's by a New York photographer who's fallen in love with their diversity!

LINDA - sorry - I always think some plants put on a growth spurt after thundery rain - and Runner Beans sure need it this year!  Third Glaslyn chick took its time hatching, but looks very healthy standing in between the older siblings.  Will see if I can find the Pigeon Video.  Thanks for suggesting photo resizing solution - I suggested it to OH but he hasn't replied yet - I was not keen to be the one to bring an application into our network which uses a cloud!

ANNETTE - pleased progress is happening in the bathroom.  Must be a hard job keeping track of dust etc in dry heat.  Can you and Daughter take showers in Granddaughter's part of the house?

Expecting phone call from solar man - told us yesterday new invertor has been obtained - could get here as early as today or tomorrow! Hope he calls soon, so we can plan the two days.  Meanwhile gas man came at breakfast time to do the annual service, so that's one job out the way!  Low cloud this morning, but dry - could be very wet tomorrow.