Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 8 December 2019

PAT - I think that my brother is running out of steam, he is in early seventies and I'm older than him but he's never been full of get up and go ! Two speeds, dead slow or stop :-)

Evening all:  Poured with rain at times here, then brilliant warm sunshine, then another farewell shower from this storm.  Have been busy with one thing and another, but reading everyone's posts.

AQ:  Saw a huge chunk of cliff slide into a river in New Zealand due to too much rain.  I know you're not close, but it's a shame things aren't moving your way...

Have a good Monday all.

HEATHER – My mind is always racing everywhere & anywhere. Eg in church when I should be concentrating on higher things, my head is likely to be flittering around – what’s for lunch, I must do Xmas cards, remember to tell OH something. I “return” to join in hymn and a word will set me of on another trail. Smack, behave.

ANNETTE – I saw that cliff fall clip. Shocking but amazing sight. I also saw a report on the Victoria Falls, down to a trickle due to their drought.

NSW has had 2 days to back burn to try to control fires before tomorrow they get the hot weather & winds we had yesterday. Three bushfires have joined to create a mega-fire. Firefighters from overseas have arrived; the US sent to south of Sydney, Canadians to north of NSW.

I am feeling very virtuous having this morn donated unwanted stuff to charity collection and claimed refunds on bottles, etc waiting in garage. In our state we get 10c refund on soft drink bottles & cans. The 10c is included in original price. For some reason wine industry won’t join in. Scavengers clear up & collect from rubbish bins thus reducing litter.

PS ANNETTE - We get our weather from the west. It's the hot air rising over Africa mixing with monsoon that is the current problem. What we need is some cold swirling up from Antarctica. There are technical terms for all this - Indian Ocean dipole & southern annular mode.

Good Morning. Up early as have to be ready for carpet fitters.

Dreadful news from New Zealand, about the sudden eruption. I hope they can get everyone off the island.

AQ/Heather -- My mind races all the time. I plan and think of things when I should be concentrating on others. I tell myself it's a sign of higher intellect, LOL!!

LINDA - They are saying it is too dangerous for rescue teams to go on the island. It is now night time as well. 5 dead of those taken off, unknown number still on island, many Aussies. Dreadful news. What were these tourists doing on an active volcano? Adventure holidays indeed.

Bad stories coming out about the situation, as they can't rescue those left behind without endangering the rescuers. What a mess - there should not have been any tourists when its an unpredictable volcano.

Carpet fitters here & banging away.

Carpets done. Thank goodness. Gave them coffee & biscuits whilst they worked, and a tip plus a box of mince pies when they left! The carpets look good, and now we just have to put everything back. Ugh. It'll take at least two days, and that's not counting unpacking all the boxes of books which need a new piece of furniture to live in.

I wrapped presents whilst they were here, and my OH finished putting up the outside Ch. lights.

Lindybird:  Hope you're planning a treat for you and OH once all the heavy lifting is finished.  After that, maybe he can come and put up our outside lights (which will be token lights this year).  

AQ;  Interesting about weather patterns. I didn't realize yours came from the west.  Had no idea at all Victoria Falls almost dried up.in the worst drought in 100 years but also lower average flows levels in general .....   :-(  

Apropos of decluttering, I was listening to an interview on the radio (NPR/Terri Gross for US folks) with author Adam Minter who has just published a book "Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale," which follows various items (mostly clothing) from where we drop them off to where they actually end up.  Apparently, from beginning to end, the folks who sort our stuff are pretty sophisticated about how much something is worth - and what happens when it isn't worth what we think.  There really is a pretty highly evolved global trade in our castoffs....

Not good news from New Zealand then....  Re adventure travel, etc., then there are the folks who dive off mountain tops without parachutes and others who climb rock faces with no safety gear (and then fall off with distressing regularity).  Such hubris.   They are usually very young and I always wonder how their parents cope.  

A group of Brit friends are meeting for a sort of Christmas lunch today, so must figure out what to wear to Tai Chi class that will also work for lunch.  First world problem.