Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 30 December 2018

Haha Diane:  At least our orbit around the sun is stable, even if everything here on earth is completely wacko.   I just about got back to normal today: ironing done; grocery shopping too.  I haven't seen Old Faithful in the flesh, but you can see the Milky Way clearly from the house in Prescott Valley.   Is it visible to you?   Thanks for starting us off.

Annette: I fear that it will become more wacko before it gets better. Sigh.... Glad your life is returning to normal.

I've never seen Old Faithful in person, but I used to watch the Old Faithful live webcam. However, the webcam is not running right now, because of our government's extended shutdown. Don't even get me started on that subject....

I can sometimes see the Milky Way here, but not as prominently as in the Yellowstone photo I posted.

Get some rest, Annette. Hello to everyone. 

Thank you DIANE. Hello new week I’m not looking forward to it – 41 C on Thurs, the very day Dau has dentist & I have to Trio-sit. Currently temp is a mere 29 C & humid. Salad, again, for tea (after salad rolls for lunch). Lots of reading in room with a/c; already finished 2 books from Dau.

Thank you, DIANE.

8 degrees here, AQ! How do your little ones cope? 

We all went to bed at 8.30pm last evening. The family were tired after driving through the previous night. I was all Bella'd out! Where that child finds her energy I simply do not know. I found a 'princess' dress ( previously a bridesmaid dress from youngest daughter's wedding). Bella was watching the film 'Frozen', singing, twirling, bowing, curseying and quite thrilled to be dressed up. Her elder brother escaped upstairs and her six month old sister - a very placid character - just looked at Bella as if she herself was the older sister just about tolerating the antics of the younger sibling....

I listened this morning to a BBC programme from the Forest of Dean, the wild boar population etc and thought, of course, about our own FORESTBOAR. Hope all is OK, FB.

Have a good day, everyone.

HEATHER - I can't imagine 8 degrees! Dau has air con on most days for herself & Little People. Also she lets them play with tub of water on patio (under supervision). I used to let mine play in bath. Plenty of water to drink. So you are "All Bella'd out." I can sympathise!

Heather: We are still ticking over. Older SD got the keys to their new house Wednesday before Christmas, which meant that all the stuff they had packed up could go over there so we were able to have Christmas day with them thank goodness as the alternative was with us and we don't have space or seating for nine people. Now girding our loins for New Years day. It gets frustrating when all you want to do is your normal shopping. Weather her has been exceptionally good and looks set for the week. As this is copied and pasted I have no idea what the font will look like!!

Harelady:  You just echoed my sister's comment this morning about the number of presents kids get these days.  Ms. D has her Mom, Dad (divorced), Mom's partner, grandmother (my daughter),  her Dad's grandparents and me and OH.  Our side gave the whiz-bang all-singing/dancing globe, a winter jacket and boots and some small stuff (always a book somewhere). She got a fascinating magnetic building set from her Dad and a magician's beginners set from her grandparents on her Dad's side.  Her Mom's partner bought his nieces and Ms. D  the same pretty dress (in different sizes).  I was glad to see the  fun but educational slant to her gifts.   But oh! Your car broke down again and you only got it 6 months ago - that's no fun at all.  Did you have your local mechanic look over it back then?  Good luck with the decision whether to keep or trade it in....

ForestBoar:  I was telling my sister that Christmas ends abruptly here at the stroke of midnight on the 25th, then it's pretty much back to business as usual.  (She liked the sound of that; said it went on for two weeks in the UK.)  Come New Year's Eve, I shall have a glass of nice red wine and cheer in the New Year with New Yorkers on TV, then probably slink off to bed before midnight here.

AQ:  Sincerest sympathies with those temps. Can you put one of those sprinkler and/or slider thingies in the garden and let the kiddies play (they still make water pistols, right?).  

Heather:  Had to smile at Bella'd out.  It doesn't take much...

Diane: I didn't realize Old Faithful was offline due to the shutdown (I'm sure what's-his-name would sell the rights to the energy it produces if he could).  

One gift I got that was really lovely was a set of really lovely garden chimes from daughter and granddaughter - they're hung and tuned individually and sound a lot like temple bells - so much less "clangy" than my old ones.  OH and I exchanged IOUs as usual!  :-) 

FB – I always type in my favourite font in a Word doc, edit & oops re-edit. When I paste here, it always appears in the font chosen by the site.

HARELADY – I agree that children get far too many gifts, big gifts. I give the Little People clothes, a book & maybe a pack of craft material (pipe cleaners, stickers, coloured paper, etc). They are happy with that.

ANNETTE – Dau has many ideas for water play in garden. BTW those slider thingies are plastic and get too hot to touch. Sprinklers are no longer banned but are frowned upon as too much moisture is wasted in evaporation – we are said to be the driest state in the driest continent (ignoring Antarctica).

It is 8 am & I  must away to water my tomatoes and leafy greens before the sun bakes them. I have picked one ripe tomato. It had tooth marks on it. <sigh> My tomatoes are not for sharing.

Hello everybody, not been on for some time.   Do hope all of you are OK and that you had a lovely Christmas.  A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL.

Exciting news from NASA re the New Horizon probe.

Do hope that 2019 will be a favourable year for all and that we will see EJ back .