Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 10 June 2018

HAPPY NEW WEEK!

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

In case anyone missed the exciting announcement, the NASA Curiosity Rover found preserved organic material, as well as a mysterious level of methane gas, on Mars. These two discoveries indicate that Mars well could have sustained life in the past, and life could even exist there now in some form. 

NASA Press Release
The Independent, UK

Delicate Arch at Night
Arches National Park, Utah USA
National Park Service/Jacob W. Frank
Photo labeled Public Domain (Copyright Free)

  •  So, what do I do on a wet holiday afternoon?  Come on here, of course!  We feel very lucky to have had much less bad weather than the rest of the rest of the country this past week, so one wet day doesn’t seem too bad.  We did set out this morning (Saturday) to look around Falkland and Falkland Palace, but after a very pleasant coffee and scone, light drizzle turned to rain which seemed as if it would continue all day.  We came to change out of our wet clothes etc and buy in some sandwiches for lunch.  The staff were really good to us (this is a Holiday Inn Express) and kindly set up a table with placemats and cutlery, and even a stem of flowering Heather in a little glass!

    (I am having to edit every few words again as a section of text flies off elsewhere on the page.)

    Had a good day yesterday, the highlight being our discovery of The Eden Estuary Centre near Leuchars .   It is unmanned and opened by a combination lock, but equipped with an accessible toilet, plenty of space to drive my scooter in, a heater, comfortable seating and picture windows overlooking the river as it meets the incoming tide.  The tide changed from ebb to flow and plenty of water birds and waders came in.  Our Grandson#2 and wife came over from Dunfermline for dinner and we enjoyed their company last evening.

    This typing is getting tedious, so I can’t cope with trying to answer any posts – it has taken me an hour to get this far!  It's not to do with the site, I think there is a loose connection between detachable keypad and screen!

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!

  • So good to hear from you, OG! Indeed, how nice of the staff to look after you so well. I'm sorry, though, that you were rained off. Yesterday sounds good, though, and your meal with your grandson and his wife.

    It is very quiet on here lately and I do hope that I am not too boring - I lead a quiet life but so enjoy reading about what everyone is up to.

    What is happening here today is RAIN!! The garden must be happy.

    DIBNLIB - Yes, a quiet weekend for you, I think is a good idea! well, a break from swimming, anyway....

    Loved the ditch lilies, DIANE- they look very similar to cultivated ones in the garden here.

    Three days now before I set off for Shropshire and Bella and Sam. I'm looking forward to it and I know that I will see the new babe as my daughter in law will have an induced labour next Sunday if nothing has happened by then!

  • Diane: Thank you in advance for starting next week!  Our much-ballyhooed storms have yet to arrive although it is deliciously cool- in the low 60s right now.  I've missed a lot of news except for inadvertently seeing some alarming headlines. Nice though that PM is behind bars awaiting trial, even though the way not-my-Prez is handing out pardons, one does wonder....  But listen to this: I was driving around town Thursday and there was an anti-Trump-immigration policy demonstration at one intersection! In Arizona yet! I honked and waved both times as I drove by; in retrospect, wish I'd parked and joined them.  Granddaughter, playing devil's advocate,suggested they were all newly transplanted Californians :-)  

    OG: Sounds like things working out well in spite of naughty weather.

    Heather:  I forget - how long will you be down south?  Thanks for letting us know Lynette is lurking somewhere on the site. :-)

    Lindybird:  Oh dear. Sweary word time re the garden. I know the feeling - my OH either does too much (when he does it at all!) or so little you don't notice.  Still, he never claimed to be a gardener...

    Am nearly at the end of the second book I brought so may pop into the lovely local library and see what I can arrange in terms of borrowing something...

  • HEATHER   Hope all goes well in Shropshire.

  • Thanks, DIBNLIB! I'll give you all a push by push account :-) Or maybe not!

  • We've had very mixed weather today: light rain to start, then cloudy, then brightening up enough for us to enjoy going to a village Fete not far away - sis in laws granddaughter was crowned Rose Queen and looked lovely. She also made an impressive speech, thanking everyone, in a clear voice - and we were told by her proud mother that she had written it herself (she's only 13). We watched the Morris dancers and the Maypole dancing, and had ice creams before heading home. As we sat down to a welcome cuppa, it started to rain, which quickly became torrential!  - so lucky that the proceedings weren' t spoilt by the weather.

    Relaxing now after a busy day, and looking forward to seeing our grandsons tomorrow when we head to the Midlands for the day.

  • Sis in law would have been very proud, LINDY! You and OH certainly get about, and a road trip tomorrow. The boys will be excited to see you. Eldest daughter and her OH are coming tomorrow for a tutorial about the house alarm and watering my ( few) tubs while I'm away.

    Sadness here in Scotland today, the Glasgow School of Art building on fire last night, only just getting rebuilt/refurbished after the last fire. It is an iconic building designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.