Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 8 July 2018

HAPPY NEW WEEK!

I hope everyone has a wonderful -- or at least a better -- week!



Scarlet Tanager 

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (Lake Michigan)
U.S. National Park Service
Photo labeled Public Domain (Copyright Free) 

  • Great day out, several churches. One had plain glass in windows on left and, with sun shining through stained glass on right side windows, I captured latter through glass. A signboard to a closed demolished chapel showed an old photo of the building. Alas, vandals had graffiti-ed the image. Laboriously scraping with fingernail, I cleaned the image to capture it. (The things we do!!!) At another church the pastor came and offered to unlock, so more windows photo-ed. Unlike the churches I saw in UK (some were even down isolated lanes), our churches, both city & country, are only open for services. Are UK church visitors more honest and less vandalous? For lunch we ordered burgers which turned out to be ginormous, yummy but oh-so-filling. OH had lunch out, so lazy tea tonight - soup.

  • Sounds enjoyable, AQ.  Many churches here now have to lock their doors because of vandalism and theft.  It was different when we were younger, they were all open all the time.

  • Good morning Friday people!  Dull and humid but so far no rain here – we shall probably see it pass us by again!  OH has gone to Dumfries for a hearing test – persuaded him at last!  He will do some shopping while there and then buy chips on the way home; he’ll phone when he has them, and J and I will fry some eggs for when he arrives – it was our request to have Egg & Chips for lunch!  J has a huge ironing pile, so hopes to tackle that this morning and then dig grasses this afternoon if it is still dry.

    I phoned Dau#1 for a catch up last evening; they have given GDau#2 one of their cars – age 18 and off to Uni in September, don’t know whether she’ll be able to take it with her!  It is the car she used for learning to drive and she is taking a friend on holiday in it this weekend.  GDau#1 is about to buy herself a different car, for which I assume she is part exchanging the one they gave her!  Talk about “how the other half live”!

    Linda – sorry you are having a tough time trying to support your Friend while keeping your fears and feelings hidden.  I know nothing but agree with you that her prognosis can’t be very good.  I hope she can be kept comfortable, although she does seem to be suffering already.

    Annette – I hope you got some rain along with the thunder – sorry about the animals, especially that goat who sound quite a character (I like goats!).

    AQ – pleased you and Friend had a successful and enjoyable day out photographing churches.

    I now need to think what I’ll do with the rest of the morning!  I keep thinking about THAT MAN setting foot in Scotland this evening – and our MP is going to WELCOME him!!

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!

  • Annette - I'm so pleased I was able to play Turnberry before THAT MAN grabbed it.  I have happy memories of it - but chose not to go back last year when I was in the area, because … well, do I need to say why?

    Lindy - so sorry to hear about your friend.  I do hope the medics can do something to keep her comfortable and as pain-free as possible.  My thoughts and prayers are with her, and with you as you support her.

    OG - Egg and chips - haven't had that for ages.  Enjoy!

    Weather here is a bit dull and overcast but mild.  We were promised thunder storms and torrential rain - not a drop or a rumble so far …  I am planning an afternoon switching between the tennis at Wimbledon and golf at Gullane - so hoping for no rain in either of those places but just a bit here - we really need it.

  • Rain?  Was that it? - three "showers", about an hour apart.  Each not enough to cover the paved path, and totally dry before the next!

    Egg and chips was very acceptable - a good holiday treat!

    OH has a follow-up more thorough hearing test next week, but today confirmed that he has problems.  It's recommended that I go with him so they test him with my voice, but it is downstairs in a basement, so not accessible!

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!

  • Morning all:

    OG: I was also requested to attend hearing thingy with OH when he went for a test but I was going to be out of town and they used someone else; not sure how effective that was as I still find myself having to say an awful lot in duplicate. Then again, OH decided he didn't need any external device.  Gosh, knowing how much you eschew political chat you must have strong feelings about THAT (GHASTLY) MAN.  My sympathies to Scotland.  The goat is indeed a character.  We were all standing under the patio roof when the storm hit and poor Billy rushed into his little house and hid in a corner. We called his name and he poked his head out just enough to look pathetic.  Apparently, last year during a really violent storm there was a micro-burst that broke up his house and tossed him (he was a baby then) around the garden, leaving him stunned on the ground. My daughter wasn't going outside with all the lightning, but stood at the window shouting "Billy, Billy!  Are you okay?" until he finally staggered to his feet....  

    PatO: Sorry the same ghastly man ruined your golfing experience. And now we've got one ghastly man meeting that even more ghastly and seriously sinister man in Helsinki. Look for lots of cozy photos of the wretched duo. The one is just so much putty in the other's hands, it's worse than pathetic.  Wonder what T will give away this time...   When niece's visit is done, I'm going to volunteer to work on the midterm election campaigns.

    Our contractor spent yesterday rounding up bits for daughter's shower trim (the actual parts we ordered were three hours down the road in Blythe waiting to be transferred to a Prescott-bound UPS truck.) Fortunately, the local supply shop had most of an identical kit on hand that they were holding for another customer who wasn't ready to accept it, and "borrowed" it for us  Phew! The plumber is lending us a shower valve until the correct one arrives Monday so shower should be operational this p.m.  Must say our general contractor has bent over backwards to accommodate us while coping with over-extended sub-contractors.  The pool of skilled workers here is limited and the bigger businesses in Phoenix won't travel up to Prescott for local pay rates. Our general contractor owns a family business that has been in the area for 20  years and he says his most dependable workers are all retiring, skill levels are dropping and the large developers are also lowering their standards, which is discouraging,

    Anyway, I hear cutlery noises from the kitchen so will poke my nose out and see what's going on. Granddaughter is working today, Ms D is going to her Dad's tomorrow first thing and daughter and I will go out to breakfast tomorrow before I leave around lunchtime.  I'll spend the night in Blythe (to decompress!), then will leave for home at the crack of dawn Sunday.  Hurray!!!

  • Thunder storms all around us. Highest rainfall rate so far is 94mm/hr. One cat outside somewhere. Not a happy bunny!

  • Lindy-so sorry about your friend. It's so hard when there seems to be nothing you can do. Your support is all she wants I'm sure. I am having the same with a friend of mine.

  • Saw online- How will our Head of State cope with someone who makes undiplomatic remarks.Answer, easily, she has been used to it for 65 years :-)

  • bjane said:

    Lindy-so sorry about your friend. It's so hard when there seems to be nothing you can do. Your support is all she wants I'm sure. I am having the same with a friend of mine.

    Thank you, bjane. And everyone else who has sent their thoughts to me. Sorry to hear that you have a friend in that position yourself.