Weekly Chat (non-osprey) Sunday, June 30 2019

Get better soon HEATHER.

OG AND EE. Sorry to hear you are all going through a rough time. Hope the Manchester appt comes soon and that things improve.

Hope your eye settles down, Dibnlib: everyone says they're glad they had it done, afterwards!

Had a mixture of an afternoon: spent a good half hour fruitlessly trying to retune the bedroom TV as one of my OHs favourite channels has changed, but could not get it to comply. Boo.  Put on my big gloves and tackled some of the nettles lurking behind the trees in the border.

Sat in the garden with an icecream and a cup of tea, smelling the roses and the mock orange, and watching the birds.

A Close Contact with Nature

Yesterday, I was passing the conservatory, while in the dining room, when I heard a familiar noise: "whumph!" -- this is a common noise, and I stopped to see which kind of fledgling had flown into the window and see if it was alright. Surprisingly, I then realised that the noise had come from inside the room, and that a poor tiny Robin was now fighting to get out through the glass. He must have flown in through the open door and then found himself in a glass prison.

I ran across, speaking softly, as the poor thing threw itself repeatedly against the windows. I put my hands into a basket sort of shape, still softly saying "Its going to be alright" and chased it across the glass, pane by pane, as it frantically tried escape. Thankfully, I managed to get my hands around it and walk to the open window. I was astounded, not for the first time, to find that a bird weighs almost nothing at all.... It was like a piece of thistledown fluttering in my hands. It was luckily not difficult to reach up and put my hands almost outside, then let go: he flew off with his wings going madly. A lucky escape, in the end.

DIBNLIB - hope eye is settling well, with all the usual drops! Thanks for your kind thoughts - the thyroid question was another bolt from the blue, but I think we are all quite positive about outcomes even if it is bad news when he gets the biopsy.

LINDA - sounds a good way to spend an afternoon! I assume you will be leaving after golf tomorrow? We have had a lot of "whumphs" this year - there have been so many birds that they get in one another's way and inevitably some arrive at the window - but all from outside! So glad you were able to catch the wee Robin and put it safely outside.

We did go out today, a very hot one, and not so much breeze until the evening. I had a really good cheese and pickle sandwich - on brown and with salad, OH had a cheese and ham toastie with ditto. J ate a burger - surprise, surprise! We also all had pud - I had caramel apple tart (nothing on it), OH had same but with ice cream and J had lemon meringue pie with ice cream. We managed to buy all but one of the intended items, then we looked around the plants - some lovely perennials there - but we restricted ourselves to mint as ours caught rust last year. J got very tired, so we were home about three o'clock and he slept till dinner, but seems okay this evening. OH and I spent an hour in the garden; apart from general messing about, we planted the new mint. He is now unpacking a delivery of bird food and doing some watering.

No plans for tomorrow - cleaner will be here in the morning - no date yet for Manchester trip..

OG - going through the mill a bit. Do hope that J can be sorted out and that it not too much to worry about. It must be devastating for him, though, as he thought he was finished with certain treatments. Will be thinkiing about you all, hoping for good news re J.

Rosy , sorry to read about OH. Let's hope that, as you say, all is under control now and it can only be up.

Heather B - see that you have been under the weather too.

Same here - I keep going dizzy but once I rest it eases. If it keeps on I suppose I will have to try and get a docs. appt. to see what is going on. It could be an occurrence of labyrnthitis which I had some time back.

Weather down here cooler, sunny, and cloudy, typical summer weather.

Evening all:  Lovely day with kids. We went to a water park at Lake Casitas, about an hour from here.  It's in the hills, lots of trees and shade, with two main attractions: a Lazy River ride (with blue inflatable thingies) and a huge structure with slides, fountains, etc., etc. along with smaller fountains, sprays, etc. What was so nice is that the water structure is restricted to kids about age 11 and under, so no shrieking pushing teens or adults, who can however go in the Lazy River inflatables. Still, the emphasis is very family oriented and there are lifeguards/staff who keep a friendly eye out for any wild horseplay, making for a a wonderfully pleasant atmosphere.  G'daughter and Ms. D spent a lot of time on the Lazy River ride while I parked myself in the shade under a tree with my book and waved each time they floated by. Weather was lovely with a nice breeze.  I haven't sat and done nothing at all in ages and really enjoyed it.

Have read all the news but won't attempt replies other than saying that I remember when Heather's Amy was only - what 11? - just a year or two ago!!

Take care everyone else.

Good Morning. A bit dull here but dry and warm: we're hoping for a dry weekend in Wales and I'm spending the morning packing up and dusting round. We gave all the pots in the garden a good watering last night.

Annette, sounds like a near perfect day out, especially for you! Enjoy the rest of their visit. I too, am surprised to hear that little Amy has grown up!

Lynette, hope the dizziness goes away. Both my OH and I seem to suffer from it occasionally, and it seems to be something in the ears every time.

OG -- Have a quieter day today, apart from getting out of the way of the cleaner! Thinking of you all.

Diane, we saw the dramatic eclipse on the TV. Apparently there's another one in a few years!

Lindy: Have a safe journey and a good stay in Wales. I enjoyed very much your story about the wee bird. Wonderful that you could help it regain its freedom. There's a total solar eclipse in North America in 2024, and my house will be in the path of totality! Woohoo. 

Annette: I'm glad you had such a wonderful day. I hope you continue to enjoy your time with the kids. 

OG: Have a lovely, easy day today. You deserve it. 

Heather: I also was surprised at Amy's age. I knew she was growing up, but didn't think it was the magical age of 18.

Thinking of the people of the US on Independence Day; not easy to know what to wish for you nationally, but at least those who can get together as family and friends can have a good time together

LYNETTE - hope you can get to doc soon and get medication for the labyrinthitis.

ANNETTE - sounds as if your young ones are giving you opportunity for some rest and relaxation, while they do adventurous things - continue to enjoy their visit!

LINDA - same weather here again today - J has taken himself out of the way of the cleaner - walked to town for breakfast. I was extremely tired last evening - body went too sleep before going to bed, and had to be wheeled down the corridor as I couldn't walk at all; must get to bed earlier tonight! Have a good weekend away!

DIANE - good to see a post from you - take care!