Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 29 March 2020

HAPPY NEW WEEK! 

I hope everyone has a good week and keeps healthy. I'm hoping that everyone on this forum will avoid the virus. Sending you all protective energy. 

BIRD NEWS FROM MY PATCH

The big Barred Owls are nesting at the bottom of the ridge right across from my front door. Every time I go outdoors, one of them gives me a booming hoot. Last year, they nested in a tall, old locust tree on the levee by the creek. We had so much flooding that the nest site turned out to be a precarious perch. I think they remembered it was a dangerous location, so this year they’re nesting low in a tree across from me. They are incredibly loud. Their call sounds like, “Whoo cooks for you? Whoo cooks for you?” They can also caterwaul just like large apes when they're feeling aggressive. They can chill my blood sometimes. LOL!

I walked up the hill to town last week to get a couple of meal items at the little general store. I looked up, and R.T. Hawk was flying above me. He landed on a tall silo and watched while I went into the store. Then, he escorted me back. I think he thought he was protecting me from the big Barred Owls, which are his enemies. I hope they can all stay away from each other. R.T. and his mate are nesting far back in the flood plain away from my house right now.

  • Pleased to hear everyone is keeping themselves amused..
    Bitter wind all weekend but a couple of good dog walks. Daisy had a bath and dried off in front of the fire.
    Self isolating going well with even OH staying close to home as I can’t see the point of me staying local and him going shopping and bringing back wrong items and the odd virus.
    Car enjoying the rest as not been out for 10 days and the tank is still full. Nice to see fuel coming down as we ordered heating oil today Down by 20p a litre and that will save us £360 this time. Which is good as we can’t make use of dual fuel discounts as no mains gas.
    OG we don’t have any banks locally anymore but if I did get a cheque I have the facility to pay it in on my phones internet banking App.
    It’s raining:-((
  • You all sound so organised! My freezer in the garage is a bit of a lucky dip - strangely, I find that quite pleasing - I found two containers of home made cheese sauce the other day and thought aha! macaroni cheese and a veggie lasagne. Little freezer in the kitchen is different, I know exactly what is in there and (roughly) where.

    OG - our Danish friends have been worried about their daughter in law. She is a GP but there was talk of her having to go to a front line hospital. Her husband is able to work from home but she would have had to leave home for ages and not see their two year old daughter. I have no idea about the whys and wherefores over there but she hasn't had to go, for the time being.
  • PAT - we are using church Facebook for news and updates and to draw attention to the website, but I am planning a May magazine - online only again - though I did see that OH made printed copies for some of his pastoral list - hopefully other elders and pastoral helpers are doing likewise.

    WENDY - OH doesn't use phone apps - and I am such a Luddite I refuse to learn how to use my mobile phone!

    HEATHER - good that Danish doc isn't having to step up to the front line yet. I phoned this morning to enquire whether I could miss my next blood test due next week, nurse called back to say last one was so good with everything stable including white blood cells that I should wait a month and ask again. I asked how things are, and she said they are coping, but work is ramping up a bit.

    OH is digging again - dull but still warm here - 13 degrees at lunchtime! I've paid all the bills I can find to pay, not sure what I should do now; will probably read for a while.
  • Well that’s the first and maybe sensible cutback by our council... cardboard, tins and plastic and the bottle bins not being emptied for the foreseeable future. I am lucky as have spare wheelie bins and a log store I can store overflow in. Feel sorry for people with limited space especially flat dwellers.
  • Oh dear, Wendy, if that happens here we will be in trouble. We have three large paladins for the whole place, but there are 55 units and we usually fill all three in two weeks. Hopefully, as we are all 'elderly and vulnerable', we will be given some sort of priority. Who knows?
  • We have been told there will be no garden refuse collections TFN.
  • We will only get a general waste bin every 3 weeks...
    Recycling used different lorries...
    Brown bins will continue they are free if it’s food waste but £45 if you use it for garden waste. I would need 6 of those with the size of our lawn and as we are rural there are ways and means to get rid of such stuff.
  • Morning all:

    AQ:  Great Orange Prophet!  :-)))  I love it!   Also the Post Office story (had heard the one about strange people showing up on couches).

    OG:  Grandson is a sweetie.  Those 'one exercise a day' rules sound a bit over the top, especially with young kiddies, as long as folks are keeping distance, etc.

    PatO:  Good for you for volunteering the weekly newsletter, which some isolated folks will look forward to.  Our friend is experimenting with Zoom too, but for family link ups....   Does Skype allow that I wonder...   Can't imagine they'd not pick up trash from your community.  (Can't find any explanation of 'paladin' though other than the top guys in Charlemagne's court.)

    WendyB:  I discourage OH from going shopping at the best of times (he once famously announced that the supermarket didn't have any Tide or, on another occasion, brown sugar).  But he's also less aware of contact points, etc.  I'm very thankful for the garden. I was out there yesterday and it was sooooo quiet in the neighborhood until the lady next door (on maternity leave) put on a 'spinning' video to work out with in her garage, but only for about 30 minutes.   No cutbacks in trash, etc. collection here - in fact we're being told everything will go on as normal.

    Heather:  How are supplies for docs, etc. in Denmark do you know?  Enjoy the buried treasure in your freezer!

    Many grade, middle and high schools here have finally managed to reorganize their curriculum and compulsory online classes start today.  Granddaughter's partner works nights, so he has taken on the responsibility for his kids plus Ms. D to all be at their computers at 9 a.m. each morning.  Poor guy.   Niece in UK was lecturer at private uni for foreign students (most of whom have been called home by their own unis) and has been hustling to organize distance learning for them too.  Not sure how my nephew (who's now working at home) is coping with his three; his wife manages a clinic near Milton Keynes...

    Take care everyone.

  • WENDY - our recycling (cardboard, metal etc) is not collected anyway - but the recycling centre /tip is closed to the public - and we were due to go when it shut down so our garage is full. We could put everything in the one wheelie bin, but can fill that anyway just with general waste - once a week and no "side" rubbish (bags) allowed. When our new scheme comes in - and presumably that will be delayed - we will still not have glass collected!

    PAT - your home sounds very posh, having paladins where we have bins!

    ANNETTE - I hope the various health workers in your family (and their households) will stay safe! I assume your sister, being so rural, has her groceries delivered already.