WEEKLY CHAT (non-osprey) SUNDAY JANUARY 12, 2020

Yesterday I detoured on way to church to return a batch of books to my local library, alas the After-Hours return chute was jammed by a bundle clearly labelled “Do Not Return to After Hours Chute”. Toys probably. I could not budge it <insert sweary words>. As one book was due tomorrow, I took myself to Port Adelaide this morn to return books and, killing 2 birds with one stone, checked a local history only available in reference section. While there I noticed a nearby Methodist church had stained glass windows. It closed 1995 & is now the offices for a group that helps keep elderlies in their own home. I schmoozed my way in and captured the dozen windows & plaques in memory of former parishioners.
Oh, it was so hot out and about. Another 34 C tomorrow then “cooler” for rest of week. Dau & Trio are coming for lunch on Wed. On Friday I am twin-sitting while Dau takes Miss8 to a holiday activity – chemistry. MissL complained that they had not seen me “for a long time”. (2½ weeks)

LYNETTE - I thought you already had a diagnosis of Labyrinthitis? Hope doc visit will be helpful.

AQ - how annoying about the library shoot - but good that it led you to some photos! Sorry it was so hot, even early morning. Glad it will be a bit cooler for Trio visit and twin-sitting!

No sighting of LINDA this morning - hope they are both okay after the weekend!

Storm still awaited and sunny right now, so OH is continuing with garden tidying around the deck - jobs which didn't get done in autumn! My back is okay now, and I shall be catching up with correspondence - target is one letter/email per day, but could do more once I get going!.

Morning all:  

OG: I suspect Lindybird is sorting through the backs of cupboards while her OH puts a second story on the house...  :-)

AQ:  Nice to happen upon more stained glass.  I can imagine you didn't have too much trouble schmoozing your way in, especially as the former church is now dedicated to helping elderlies (though I'm sure you don't yet qualify as that).

Downsizing my garden involved taking out about 7 salvia (the easy part), leveling the area, which measures roughly 15 x 30 feet, then digging out the dymondia ground cover where it's climbing over the rocks in the rest of the garden and replanting the bits with nice roots where the salvia was (the not-so-easy part).  So yesterday I spent all morning scooting back and forth on my little cart digging and planting and finally watering it all.  In the front garden, where the irrigation is such a problem, I've decided to plant two medium-sized rocks. No watering, no pruning - I love it!  I went to the place just across the freeway where they have Santa Barbara sandstone and other landscaping materials.  They'll load the rocks and the guy said he could pop over and unload and maybe help place them for not too much money.

Off to check the headlines....

Sorry, I forgot to come on! -- well, actually, 1st thing today I found that my tablet kept by the bed had run out of steam and that the charging cable was downstairs this morning. We both flaked out yesterday after our lunchtime treat, and didn't want much else to eat all day. Then we went to bed early.

Must have done my OH good, as he was up and about this morning and then went out to buy more paint, as the tin of matching dining room paint had gone "off" and he wanted to paint the wall where the new furniture is going to go tomorrow. Then once I was up, it was all hands to the pumps to move the old sideboard (huge) and the tv out of the way. We took the sideboard into three pieces to cope with it. It's now in the conservatory as some of it will be useful in the newly carpeted study, once we get around to it. He then spent the morning painting, whilst I cleaned bathrooms.

He's still coughing, of course. I wondered if I'd got the same malaise as Lynette when I read about her dizziness and nausea, but I've put my strange head down to tiredness. Lynette might find hers is her inner ear problem, I think.

Annette, I really like your idea of gardening with rocks. Here, there is a lovely old building in the town where there was a solicitors office with an untidy garden in front. They stripped the garden, all except for one graceful tree, and put big rocks in the ground with pebbles around them, plus just one or two architectural green plants. It looks wonderful and requires no maintenance.

AQ -- Glad you found an opportunity to get some more pictures. The heat sounds very oppressive.

Well, the Royal drama will be ongoing no doubt. But The Queen has put out a sensible statement, which hides the real story of family hurt and argument. I suppose there will be a happy outcome of sorts, but I feel that Harry will always be a troubled man.

I feel a little better, and my OH is just finishing off the last of the mulled wine, which has warmed him in the last few days. I've written a couple of letters to friends who we heard from at Christmas but who I didn't write a proper letter to, just a note with our card. It's been very windy today as the storm has lashed lots of the UK, but we are lucky here and as its flat land it just rushes over us to somewhere else.

Lindybird:  We have three olive trees in the front garden and we already had some rocks around them - it seemed like a simple fix rather than fretting about irrigation (yes, I know, a first world problem).  I bet the Queen has had quite enough of family - at least our disagreements don't land us on the front pages.  I wouldn't be surprised if your OH has another project lined up once the new furniture is in and sorted.

Lindybird:  Saw some friends this afternoon who offered the same opinion of Little Women as you - chopped up and so much back and forth that they weren't sure what was going on.

Glad I'm not the only one, Annette: Sue and I both agreed that we would never rewatch the film once it got around to being on tv, it was that bad!

Good Morning, Everyone. A wild night, where the Isle of Man got the worst of it in this region. My OH continues to improve, so just has the remains of a cough now.

Hope Everyone on here has survived the storms, both in the UK and elsewhere.