Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 27 October 2019

Evening all: I now seem to need to sign in each Sunday - and I don't get a "reply" option unless I do sign in.

Went to a talk tonight by a women who's spent 15 years with MSF (Doctors Without Borders here). She had lots of interesting/heartwarming/sad stories to tell. If I could do it all over again......

Annette: Would you have become a doctor, if you could live your life over?

I'm glad you posted tonight, just so I know that the fires aren't directly threatening you. 

Hi, all. 

Diane: Not a doctor, but I would like to have done some kind of aid work. Someone in the audience asked the woman what was the hardest thing about going to places with no running water, electricity, etc. She said the hardest adjustment was coming back to the States and being overwhelmed by (but ultimately appreciative of) the choices we have. I asked her what happens when aide groups withdraw from areas that are simply too dangerous. She was saying that MSF pulled out of Northern Syria three weeks ago (thanks to our idiot president - my words, not hers) but because they work and train locals they can often keep programs going remotely, which I think is true for many such groups.

Re fires, they're forecasting more strong winds tomorrow and Wednesday for Ventura and LA counties. We're still in the Goldilocks zone.

Good Morning. Glad you're OK, Annette. It's been a nasty situation for everyone there.

I seem to have to sign in again at random: sometimes not for 2 weeks, sometimes twice in one week. However, recently my tablet just won't seem to "talk" to this Site properly, and things won't post even when I AM signed in. <sigh>

A frosty start again, here, but lovely bright sunshine. OH is grumpily pottering about, as he can't go to golf, the course is too boggy with all the rain we've had.

Cold here but must gird up my loins as have hairdresser appointment this morning.
The clock on my oven is not responding to efforts to change the time - if I knew where it is connected to the mains I would try switching on and off. I suspect that the socket is directly behind the ( built in) oven.... At least I can cook - hope that OG s oven gets fixed soon.

Heather - Not to worry - the clock will be right again in six months!

LOL Pat! -- That's just what I said last year when I couldn't be bothered to change the clock in the car. It became the right time, eventually.

Very sunny and bright here. My OH has been in the garden putting in some daffs which we were given as a free gift, not sure what colour they are but never mind, they'll peep over the tiny front wall we have and cheer up the neighbours. (& some of them need cheering, miserable lot, LOL!)

Youngest said last night that poor Tomasz had been being sick for 24 hours after catching a bug at school. Trouble is, they are now at home for half term.

Got out our mini hoover and cleaned all the cobwebs and dead flies up, from underneath our reclining chairs - ugh! Had no idea there were so many. Good job no one can see them. Creatures creep into our conservatory and try to make a home, all the time.

There have been workmen next door to us, as the New Neighbour has a lean-to side porch the full length of her bungalow and it had really come to the end of its life when she bought the property over a year ago.  They spent yesterday banging around taking the old one down, now they are putting the new one up.  Have had to keep Bonnie indoors as much as possible in case she escapes when they stand on "our" side of the fence to get at things.

Am now packing as my OH says that we should go this weekend to shut up the caravan for the winter. Not sure which day we will be going so I will just have to be ready.

Hi! Had to have early lunch today for OH to go shopping – he has to do several messages in Carlisle’s Kingstown area while he is there to shop at Asda – including an appointment at the car dealer to have “Ad-Blu” topped up (I don’t know how they spell it!). J was quite relaxed after work yesterday, and we sent him off on foot today, since it was sunny (although cold).

AQ – wonder which is worse – sitting with two lively kiddies or one sick one? I hope all went well and that Miss J is okay now – and hasn’t passed it on to the others. Good luck with eye examination.

ANNETTE – sounds like an interesting talk by MSF lady – not the kind of work I could undertake.

LINDA – a Tuesday without Golf? Oh dear! I hope he isn’t getting in the way! I hope Tomasz will soon be well – and without passing the bug on to Matthew and Rosie – and you two and Amber etc last weekend. Safe travelling to Wales this weekend, to put the caravan to bed.

HEATHER – we are getting quite adventurous with cooking in different ways, but I am not happy about excessive use of frying pans! Haven’t had our offer for the freezer replacement yet from the insurers – I don’t think such large domestic freezers are so easy to find these days!

Our garden birds are all changing now. Less Finches about, but have had our winter trio around this week: Dunnock, Robin (two fighting one day) and Wren. Actually, Dunnocks are always around, trying to keep away from the Sparrows. We have seen a Tree Sparrow among our House Sparrows recently. Starlings are still about but haven't yet seen where their murmuration is in our area this year.