WEEKLY CHAT (NON-OSPREY) SUNDAY, JUNE 7 2020

I've been busy in the back garden today, as the weather forecast is not good for the next few days. It was only 4 degrees when I looked at 6am but has been dry and bright.
Youngest son in law arrived home from the oil rig this morning, three days early. He hadn't told anyone, wanted to surprise them and there was such excitement in their house! It is so lovely to see such a happy family.

Lindybird: I just had a young man from the company that prunes our huge elm over this morning to reduce the size of a truly massive staghorn fern that was in the orange tree. Here's a photo of one (about the same size as ours) that's in the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden up north www.advocate-news.com/.../. It measured about 8-10 ft by about 8 foot high. He took off the top two layers of fern and in the process evicted a family of tree rats that had built a complicated maze through the old dried fronds, which are a bit like layers of cardboard. Anyway, two babies were the first to go, then the Mom and finally the Dad fled. I don't like them and don't really want them around, but they're part of our world and I felt really bad that they had this cozy little home (with 24/7 access to Vitamin C) suddenly wrecked around them. :-(

Have heard of Staghorn Fern before, but never seen one that big, Annette! Wowsers! I'm sure the tree rats will find a home in one of your neighbours gardens.

Heather: What a lovely surprise for everyone. And their joy will feel infectious.

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I've found a quote which seems apt at present:

"I wish it need not have happened in my time" said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us."

From The Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien.

LINDA - I used that quote in one of our Lockdown Magazines - think it was the first one I did that way.

Sorry, folks, I haven't been doing anything busy or otherwise - just haven't settled at the computer yesterday or today - will try to do better tomorrow.

Good to see HEATHER'S news of youngest family!

Wow, that staghorn fern is enormous! I would think it could provide homes for many creatures, but I wouldn't fancy tree rats in my garden.

I spotted a lovely plant in our grounds the other day. A friend identified it as phygelius somerford funfair yellow. It's spectacular! Although it's just outside my spare room window I hadn't noticed it in the ten years I've lived here … must have grown over the winter! So unusual and so prolific - smothered in flowers.

Heather - What a lovely surprise for the family. I'm sure they will all make the most of the time together, and I'm sure you can share in their joy.

Lindy - That's a great quote. Another one for the church news sheet this week! Thank you to all contributors from this site - your lovely quotations fill all those little holes at the bottom of pages!

Going to bed with high blood pressure!

Got a letter the other day from our GP saying that they wanted me to take my own blood pressure, as at the moment they're not doing personal stuff except the important bits. Fine. But it says "please purchase a blood pressure monitor and take two readings!"

After I'd calmed down, I ordered one on the internet. Well, I'm not going out to buy one, am I? Now I shall have to wait for it to arrive.

Now I'm having major problems accessing my emails -- I expect my blood pressure is sky high at the moment! Grr

LINDA – Your GP is not very helpful. He could at least drop a machine off for you. What’s that saying? Keep calm and carry on?

OH said there was frost on the newspaper (plastic wrapped) when he brought it in at 8 am. Our min was 0.7 C – we use nearby airport temps. Too cold to sit at computer for long. Demands for covid restrictions to be eased further, yet great outcry when govt says it will wind down relief packages. Where is the money coming from? Who will pay for all these relief packages? Our grandchildren?

There were about 370 glossy black-cockatoos on Kangaroo Island before the bushfires started by lightning 20 Dec. Up to 75% had lived in the area burnt out. The area also had 60% of their feeding habitat (their only food source is the drooping she oak tree) and 93 of 130 artificial nest boxes. Good news of their recovery here.

Dunnarts are recovering too.

Why English is Hard to Learn

We'll begin with box; the plural is boxes; But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes, One fowl is a goose, and two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose is never called meese.

You can find a lone mouse or a house full of mice; But the plural of house is houses not hice. The plural of man is always men. But the plural of pan is never pen.

If I speak of a foot, and you show me two feet, And I give you a book, would a pair be a beek? If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, Why shouldn't two booths be called beeth?

If the singular's this and the plural is these, Should the plural of kiss be ever called keese?

We speak of a brother and also of brethren, But though we say mother, we never say methren. When the masculine pronouns are he, his, and him; Just imagine the feminine....she, shis, and shim! (James Donovan)

AQ: Thank heaven we grew up speaking English learning it must be a nightmare. I do admire people whose native languages don't involved our alphabet but who have managed to master English. More exceptions than rules.

Hurray! Just got e-mail from the city saying that our library will be opening on June 16 - for curbside service only, but..... :-)