Hi all: First off, con't miss the last page of last week's chat for lovely photo of Alan's hibiscus and OG's very informative shots of the nest at LG, showing the perch under the nest where chick #1 likes to sit.
OG. Assume plumber on the list for next week. So Boat of Garten actually has something to do with a real boat! I thought it was some obscure Scottish vernacular-ish term that had nothing to do with a boat. There was a nature program here last week about "preparing" an environment for some species that are living in an area that is expected to be threatened by higher ocean levels in the coming years. As with the Lapwings, the change has to be made gradually.
Cirrus. A 12-mile hike! I probably burned a couple of hundred calories just thinking about it.
Was in the garden all day - as I type have the soaker hose going on the camellias, which I fed and which need deep watering about twice in the summer; they're putting out buds now. Also fed the roses and plumeria. Found a volunteer duranta repens growing in one of the plumeria pots - I thought it was familiar but only recognized it today. Sun came out around 11 and lovely cool evening now.
DjoanS said: Diane - I've just been looking at your Cardinal birds ... how beautiful they are ... such a vibrant red colour.
Diane - I've just been looking at your Cardinal birds ... how beautiful they are ... such a vibrant red colour.
Thanks, DjoanS! I wish you the absolute best of luck on your kitchen remodel. I hope everything goes smoothly and turns out just the way you want it to!
Here's a public domain, copyright free, government photo of a Northern Cardinal. This is what the ones here look like.
Have a good day everyone. Sorry I've posted so much. I'm off on cleaning mission now!
Hi Diane what a beautiful bird. How is your weather still hot and humid I guess.
DjoanS hope all goes well for you next week with the refit. Nice when it is done but causing lots of work for you at the moment.
Margobird
Morning all: Woke up this morning and thought, "Today I'm going to do nothing!" Well, maybe start that pile of newspaper articles I've kept to read, finish my book - Cutting for Stone - really, really good; take a nap, watch old movies on telly, etc. Just got an e-mail from OH who is settled in his Cambridge rooms and will probably call in a bit.
Diane: I'm not watching any of the ads for the governor's race. I'll be voting for Jerry Brown and hoping.... Haven't watched Meet the Press for a while since I can't see the point of getting upset so early in the morning!! Wouldn't miss it during the Prez campaign; also I really liked Tim Russert. David Gregory seems to be mixing politicos with outside experts/reporters and not sure i like that, but do like the roundtable segment. Yes, finally - unemployment benefits! I mean, do any of those people against extending them have any idea what it's like to be out of work and broke? Now those same folks are complaining about not renewing the Bush tax breaks for the rich!! Aaaack! Cinnamon pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing?! I'll be right over.
Stunning Cardinal! We don't get any red birds around here but the Vermillion Flycatcher hangs out around the California/Arizona border and the male is very bright
AQ Dont' worry about me - send all the ice to Diane - and maybe Gary - I believe there are some extreme heat warnings in his area. Glad Bride 1's recipe party was a success. What is Bride 2 going to do? Just Googled the OG hotel and found one review of the restaurant that wasn't very kind! I suggest you avoid it - especially for Christmas dinner.
Alan: Hope the "little blue dog" is back in the pink pretty quick!
Djoan: Let's hope for 5 days for your kitchen. Good luck (a good excuse to eat out too!)
jsb: Thanks for that French link - but oh my - The Lark Ascending video (thank you Lindybird for pointing that out) made me so homesick! I love Vaughan Williams. Made me want to rush to LAX and hop on a plane home!
Just remembered have to go get peaches from my favorite stall at the local Farmer's Market, but that's just a few minutes away. Lightning just got very peeved: She was lolliing on the carpet and we both heard a noise outside the patio door. Turns out one of those fat little brown birds was in her foodbowl! Pretty nervy, eh? She rushed out to tell him off but he flew off.
Thanks everyone for pix and posts; take care!
Hi Annette and I hope you do have an easy day. You seem to have been so busy of late. I have had a "me" day as OH took himself off the Farnborough Air show. Not my scene and a bit too much walking for me. Can't do dancing for over 3 hours and walk round an air show all in the same week. I am about to go and prepare a prawn salad for myself, really enjoy just eating what I want and no cooking either. Pleased about that as the sun shines in my kitchen all day long and it gets unbearably hot in there. So all in all have had a very lazy day apart from a bit of washing, watching golf on TV and the motor racing earlier as well as being welded to the computer. Have a nice day.
Hey Margobird: They have an air show down the road from us (well about an hour) at the beginning of August with the Blue Angels - can't remember which service they belong to - maybe the Air Force? :-)) Anyway, I'd like to go but not sure I can take the crowds/traffic - even without dancing three hours the same week! I'm enjoying eating what I want too; funny isn't it? It's always much less and and at irregular hours than when OH is home.
Wow! Diane- what a great creature is the Cardinal Bird..... just love him! Thanks for the pic. Hope you are not as hot, today. I like the sunshine but too much heat just makes me limp & dopey.
Alan: Glad Hamish is on the mend - they will eat things they shouldn't won't they? I wondered if it was all the thunder we've had lately, as our Buzz is very upset about it, but I guess you've not had the same weather. Wonderful pic of the Hibiscus flower.
DjoanS - Will have everything crossed for you this week with the kitchen remodel - I don't think there is a room which is more inconvenient to have upside down than the kitchen. Just keep saying to yourself how nice it will be when the Men are all done and gone away!
TerryM: There are some crowds at the Flower Show, but it's not oppressive as long as you go into the Main Tents early, before it all builds up. We are lucky to live fairly near, so can be there in the queue waiting for it all to open at 10.00 am - then we make a beeline for the RHS Marquee which is the biggest display, so that we have seen that first and then can enjoy the outside displays later at leisure. It all has a lot more space than , say the Chelsea Show, so there is always somewhere you can go to be away from the crowds. We always take a picnic as the big queues are at lunchtime for food outlets & restaurants. (Definitely no Dogs at the show, of any kind except perhaps Guide Dogs.) (Martin Mere has a No Dogs policy, too, don't know if it was different years ago.)
Many Many Thanks indeed to OG for the absolutely brilliant pictures of L. Garten!!!! We who have not been, have to imagine all the sights of the nest & the geography, so its just great!!
Must break off now, but will write more, later...
Good evening, all. Been reading all the chat from overnight and today. Thank you for all the compliments on the photos – and I am glad they have been useful in giving an idea of the layout and scale of features at LG. All were taken from the visitor centre, and the area where Odin was hiding was at about forty-five degrees to the right from the nest. I confirm I am happy for them to be copied.Went to church this morning (hadn’t been for a while) and then to a Cream Tea at one of the local villages this afternoon – our first one this year as we’ve not been around for others this month. Probably ate too much! And we were silly last evening – decided that new potatoes meant not having our usual Saturday roasties, so we would roast the courgettes, carrots etc instead – then ended up throwing the potatoes in the same pan! Not getting much exercise either – we both seem quite lethargic – I think part of unwinding after the last few weeks. Friends are calling in for coffee on their journey south tomorrow, so that is something different to look forward to, and may wake us up a bit!!
Annette – don’t know when plumber will materialise – waiting on a phone call Monday. I read today that Boat of Garten got its name because that’s what the Victorians chose to call the station when the railway reached those parts! So it seems the station was named after the ferry and the general area (originally Gartan), then the village took its identity from the station – until we find yet another theory! Pleased you had a good day in the garden yesterday and intend to be lazy today!
Diane – so glad you enjoyed the photos, and that you shared them with your Dad. Sorry you have such exhausting heat – take it easy (not too much cleaning!), breathe calmly and have plenty to drink – but I am sure you know all that. What a striking bird that Cardinal is! Was that what took over your garage earlier this year?
AQ – sounds chilly there! Sorry your cold hasn’t entirely gone; hope you feel much better soon. Thank you for sending me my own hotel – LOL!!
Alan – sorry about Hamish’s tum – eating anything they find is an unfortunate trait in Spaniels – our two even used to hoover up slugs before we could stop them! Quite a nice day here too – and getting brighter now – despite being just over the water from the Lake District!
Lindybird – I hope you enjoyed your time with your son, and that you and OH are no longer coming over dizzy.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
margobird - Just remembered how much I laughed the other day when you described having a joke with your friend about remembering things - we are always saying to each other "I met Whatsit the other day" or "Did you see thingummy on TV the other night?" - we all accept now that our brains are going to mush & we just have to prompt each other.
I think it was Alan who said that they had had more goldfinches since putting out Niger seed, that happened to us, too.
Annette: Hope you enjoy your daughters visit. You can have a nice girly natter, I expect. Yes, I know the jigsaw is a bit premature, but I just love putting things away - there are alreadylots of books on a shelf marked Grandchildren & we kept our sons' favourite childhood reads, too, in a box. I have always given my children books for Christmas, even now they are over 30! Sorry that Lightening is upset - they do like routine & get used to people, too.
AQ Know how you feel about having the stuffing knocked out, as I feel a bit the same & am still not myself today. We cooked roast beef for Eldest Son today when he came over for lunch, & the men watched the German Grand Prix - I went for a lay down on the bed for an hour with a magazine. I'm sure you feel worse than I do, though.
Must sign off as have phone calls to make etc. Will try to post pics of the Tatton Show tomorrow (camera played up & looks dead now so hope the SD card is not broken, too). Night All.
Unknown said: Does a Cardinal sound anything like a British Blackbird?
Does a Cardinal sound anything like a British Blackbird?
Hi, Cirrus. Yup, we have AC. Don't know how my poor ancestors did without it. I listened to the Brit Blackbird, and I think our Cardinal calls are different. Click on the little gold arrow on this page and hear their sounds: http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=3 Ours mostly go, "purdy, purdy, purdy" or "what-cheer, what-cheer", and they also make the metallic "chip, chip, chip" sound as a contact or alarm call. We've had several pairs this year. The males are solid, bright red, and they look just stunning in the winter against the snow. Hope you had a good day!
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Wow, Diane - that is one wonderful song !!! Nothing like a British Blackbird of course but yet very similar in the complex phrasing of its song. And so stunning to look at . Thanks so much for all of that.
EDIT Alan I've only lately caught the fact that Hamish has been poorly - I am so sorry to be late with my well wishes and do so hope the little chap is thoroughly on the mend
Well, I had one long 'wake' in the night last night so I'm off to try for an early night. Have a really good rest of the evening and I'll ''see'' you all tomorrow.