Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 10 February 2019

HAPPY NEW WEEK!

I hope everyone has a peaceful, safe week. 

--Diane

  • A lovely photo, OG.
    Same weather here, bright and cold. Enjoy your shopping!
    AQ - Dreadful to read of the losses, the world seems to be going crazy. I've often wondered why weeds grow and plants die. An aunt of mine used to say that if weeds are prolific it is the sign of good soil. I'm not sure if that is correct!
    Good to hear from you, HARELADY. I don't drive so no experience of today's traffic. I do have experience of grandchildren like a Duracell Bunny though! Son phoned the other evening. He has a nasty cold and cough so decided to sleep downstairs on the sofa bed as he was waking everyone up. Bella discovered him making the bed and got very excited - 'Is Nanny coming, Daddy?'. Sadly, not at the moment. My next trip will be for Emilia's christening.
    There were eight of us for dinner yesterday. It really is lovely to have some life in the house.....
    My garden man is very late today. After me opening the gates wearing my pyjamas early this morning!
  • We have garden men here, HEATHER, as our three trees have their biennial haircut! It was such a strange growing year last year that they all sprouted long whippy upright growth - straight upwards! They look quite sad right now, but they are all fast growers - although I think the Willow might need to come right down next time, When will Emilia's christening be? I seem to remember Bella's was when she was almost a year old. I assume our Cyrus will be dedicated at Easter, same as his sister two years ago. OG.
  • I think the christening will be in June, OG. Yes she will be about a year old.
    Garden man here, showed me sample of slabs etc.
  • Just had a visit from a slab-man here too! Going to lay a path to the gate to get me into the side garden - general "Mr Fix It" so will also lay the second hand turfs for us - and may even give him some tiling jobs in the shower rooms! Busy times.

    Can now set out shopping!
  • Here I am.... All out of sync now, as I used to post before I was dressed in the morning, sometimes before I was even up! But now have to find time to come onto the desktop to write on here. Thanks to Diane once again for doing the necessary and starting us off on a new week.
    Sorry to hear about your dreadful weather and even worse, the consequences, AQ. Sorry too about your tomatoes, its lovely to have the delicious home grown ones.
    Harelady: I drive and so I know what you mean. The traffic these days is so heavy, and everyone is in such a hurry and so frustrated by the other people on the roads, its a wonder there aren't more accidents. No patience, most of them, and if I stop and let someone in, they look plain surprised! Nothing like 20 or 30 years ago when the roads were comparatively emptier.
    Good that you've been able to plan to go out today, OG. Its a beautiful day here, sunny & bright, and there's no wind whatsoever. The birds are all chasing each other around, and getting excited.
    Heather, hope you can find what you want to put in the front garden. "First impressions," I always say, when you go up to someone's front door! - so its important to get it to your liking.
    My Friend G is still very poorly and did not get out of bed at all this weekend, in spite of a visit from her much loved daughter & son-in-law. She is having a visit from a physio this week so we all hope she can help.

  • Morning all:

    AQ;  Ugh. Hate to think of farmers losing so much - it's a hard life at the best of times.  Apropos of weeds thriving (well, not quite), here's a link to a BBC website video from their new REEL section, showing how a town can be buried under vegetation.  We already know this happens thanks to the buried cities of South America, but this is happening now.  https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p06nlgk9/the-forgotten-soviet-era-ghost-town.

    Heather: I think weeds also thrive in really bad soil and I figure there must be a reason why they're so darn hardy.

    OG: That's a great shot of GGD along the shore.  Second-hand turfs??

    Lindybird: G is supposed to be getting radiation, right? Or have I lost the plot entirely?  

    Off to sort out the world. Take care everyone.

  • Annette - yes, the turf which was dug out to do the ground prep for the ramp - being used to cover the ex-grasses bed!
  • OG  - I forgot to say how lovely the picture was.  This is another problem with this system, I find it harder to post and then harder to navigate, plus harder to remember.  There's no way I'm going to remember everything I sit down to say when I do get around to posting!  Grr.

    Annette -  G has had a long course of chemotherapy, but there may be no other treatment.  She knows that what she has is terminal, but no one, not even the docs, can be sure how long she has left. At the end of the chemo, the consultant did say that as she had had such a bad reaction to it (she is still not eating enough) if they did put her on another course of chemo in future, it would be of a different kind.  This means that it's possible she might have another course if they think it would be beneficial, but otherwise I think they've run out of suggestions, so it doesn't look good.  My OH's dear sister died aged only 51, some years ago, after undergoing two awful courses of chemo, and this has reminded us of those dreadful days.

    On another subject, I found by coincidence that I had a leaflet advert showing the whole itinerary for PatO's wonderful cruise. So I can see where she's got to.  What a time she must be having! (I keep some of the literature advertising some cruises, for future reference - you never know we might go again one day.)

    Edit:  I looked out of the kitchen window and saw an interesting bird in my apple tree.  A greenfinch!  Only ever seen one or two in all the time we've lived here. She (I think) was stuffing down lots of the sunflower seeds I put out this morning.

  • OG: Ah so   I had visions of a cottage industry of people selling used lawns or artificial turf.

    Lindybird:  Never seen a green finch, but a treat for you!  Thanks for clarifying G's options; what a wretched situation...

    Have a good Tuesday everyone.

  • I checked Auckland’s weather for Sat when Pat should be ashore. Partly cloudy, min 18, max 24 C.