Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 24 November 2019

Oh dear. I had written a longish reply before checking that I was signed in. Sometimes I wonder why we bother. Why do we keep getting signed out?

Morning all:  Went off to bed finally and managed a pretty good night's sleep in spite of all-night helicopter flights. FIxed-wing tankers due soon to drop that bright pink Phos-Chek powder over the hills.  Fire is still burning; still 0% contained, but the weather is in their favor:  Good storm due tonight and humidity rising as i type and, if you can believe it, snow a possibility in the hills behind us tomorrow!  Very smokey here this morning and sky is strangely orange.  Patio umbrella is sporting a layer of ash.  I'm supposed to be helping a friend with her garden this morning....   I have masks, but we'll see...

Heather: Do you get a message when you hit "Use rich formatting" saying the page doesn't exist or something like that?  It's a sure sign you need to sign in (which typically happens to me on Mondays) and at that point I copy what I've typed so I can sign in, go back to the chat page and just paste the text into the Reply box.  In terms of 'signing in' to anything, my wifi provider's online page now insists that it doesn't recognize my "device" (which I've been using for two years!) so I have to answer security questions.  Sigh.  All designed to keep us from doing anything useful!  :-)

Harelady:  Hope you can get head cold and blood pressure organized!  Take care.

AQ:  I see that the koala that lady rescued from the fire has died.  There was an item on our news last evening saying that they're in danger of extinction?  Say it isn't so..   :-(    

ANNETTE - it seems to be my PC that signs me out without warning! When I clear history from my Kindles, I expect it to happen. Maybe it's me.....
I'm glad that things seem to be OK with you. Have been wondering.

Annette: I stayed up late and then slept late, and I just heard on NPR about the fire at your location!

I jumped out of bed and got online to check on you. I hope the rain will arrive and wipe out the fire NOW. Please don't take any risks. Take your go-bag and bug out for a while if the situation calls for it. You and your OH have enough money that you can drive until you find a hotel with vacancies, where you can chill out and wait in the cleaner air. 

Also, I don't think I'd work in your friend's garden right now. The air around those fires is just too hazardous. Stay indoors and save your lungs. Take care, my friend. 

I copy everything ... just in case!

Still no joy with the church printer - so I have this afternoon printed the entire run of 250 copies in full colour, which will cost a fortune. I sort of had permission, but as the magazine is already a week late it had to be done. I also had to fold every one of those 250 copies inside out because for some reason the printer wanted the cover on the inside! And the person who has caused all the problems has still not had time to come and sort it out ... I despair. Thank goodness this issue lasts for two months, so I don't need to do any more until the middle of January! Time off for good behaviour? Or time off to stop me moaning? I couldn't possibly comment ...

Annette - I second everything Diane said regarding your safety. Scary situation!
I know you will closely monitor it all.
Sorry to hear about the poor koala.

ANNETTE AND OH - thinking of you. Do get out if it looks at all necessary, and don't take risks gardening in that polluted air!

Sorry to hear that things are still bad, there, Annette. Do hope you'll leave if it gets too bad. Thinking of you both.

Pat -- I would be more than just moaning, I would be hopping mad! What a horrible job you've had to do. Glad you can forget about it now for a while at least.

Heather, I feel your pain -- I've written lots of posts which have failed to appear, or have just refused to post. If we didn't have such a nice community on here, I would have restricted myself to just reading the osprey news only, long ago. Check that your avatar is showing at the top RH corner of the page before you begin writing, is my only useful advice.

By the way, we also have a window cleaner who just seems to turn up when he feels like it. I never know when he's coming. Often he appears to come when we are away, in Wales. My OH has taken to leaving one or two bird droppings on the window panes rather than wiping them clean, so that we can tell when he's done his job! Then we know how much we owe, when we do see him!