Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 1 March 2020

Nothing gets serviced here except the gas boiler, and that's only if it looks poorly.....

I see what you mean, OG about the panels. I think that the rain must clean mine :-) I have a monitor that tells me what the temp in the solar tank is and whether they are operating. I'm happy to say that both were working hard today because the sun was shining!

Hello everyone from a windy and rainy Malta. Yesterday was a warm sunny day, but today the sun disappeared. Tomorrow's forecast is also not good.

We have not Done Very Much as OH is not feeling great (no, not That virus). Like Lindy and her OH, he has had a cough for a couple weeks. Several other people I know have been the same. We hoped he would feel better once on holiday, and relaxing.
This hotel has a lovely garden, and we spent some time there yesterday. I had a chat to one of the gardeners about various plants (as you do!)

I like the elephant story and poem. I thought Lindy was going to say that there was an elephant lurking in the bushes.

I hope you get to enjoy the garden centre lunch tomorrow OG.

Lindybird:  Right, just what you need on vacation - a mad rush to find some shorts to wear.    Thank you for so cleverly solving the fountain mystery.  :-)

Rosy: Sorry to hear Malta weather is iffy.  My sister and BiL went there some years back and had a howling gale and rain coming in through the balcony doors.  

Am spending a small fortune on those small paint sample pots and various walls around the house have been sloshed on and sticky labels with the names of the paints stuck nearby. All I need to do is forget which paint is what.  If I can't make up my mind by the end of the week, I'll just throw up my hands and redo everything in a warm off-white as before.....  

Today is Super Tuesday when many states cast their nominating votes for the Democratic nominee for President.  California may not have a final count in for a week or more given that we have so many mail-in ballots, which can be postmarked as late as election day and apparently many people did not make up their minds until much later than usual this time round.   Still, I'll be glued to the telly tonight to see what the other states are up to and how things are looking here....

I agree with LINDA’s wonderful travel advice. I would add a list of things that cannot be packed until last minute – for me eye drops, glasses. Obviously we have long flights, eg 6-7 hours to Singapore, then 12-13 hours from there to Heathrow. On long flights I drink plenty of water and move every hour. I walk up & down the aisle and wear compression stockings to avoid Deep Vein Thrombosis.

ANNETTE – Super Tues. I am puzzled how these 77 & 78 year olds can expect to run a country. They are not much older than I, and I feel weary just getting up in the morning!

Supermarket was very very busy this morn with people panic buying. I must have had the only trolley without toilet paper. One woman had her trolley stacked high. Checkout girls were wondering if it was a year’s supply. I said “otherwise someone has a serious problem”.

AQ;; Unlike us, those 70-year-olds don't have to spend their time doing grocery shopping, laundry, caring for appendages or fretting over paint samples!  

I agree Annette, but also with AQ.
Is it just my brain that has slowed down? ( or maybe the starting point was not so good).

LOL, Rosy!! Mine, too!! I do think that people who have been in politics for many years have good advice to give as say, advisors, but that the big leaders of countries should be younger men. Incidentally, I see that Putin is trying to seal his grip on power in Russia for way beyond the actual end of his term, by changing the rules!!

Annette, my sympathies over the paint decision. We painted this entire house with warm white type woodwork in every room when we moved in, but now fashions are changing. Last time we did the bedroom, we changed it to a sort of deep mushroom on the frames and doors, which looks good. We have crisp white in both the bathrooms. The walls in each room are different - three of the main rooms downstairs are a pale yellow, and the hall is pale coffee (ish). The study has wallpaper which is pale rust.

Rosy, sorry too that Malta weather is disappointing. We went in autumn when it was very pleasant, but not hot.

AQ - I agree that there are lots of last minute things to go in the bag - we assemble these on the dining table and go through them all together before going to the airport - it includes of course medications, and mobile phones. Also don't forget things like power converters, insect repellant, guide books, maps, and a pair of sharp scissors. We also take an MP3 player each, and a small loudspeaker which gives us music anywhere. I need several pairs of glasses: a spare pair of the ones on my nose, a pair of closer ones, a pair of prescription sunglasses and a pair of sunglasses which go over my ordinary ones!

I need to relax on holiday, and unwind: if I have everything organised, I know that we can just enjoy ourselves. One other tip which I gave to my sons, is that you should make a paper list of all your important phone numbers. If anything should happen to your mobile, and it gets stolen, lost or broken, you have also lost all your contacts!