Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 14 June 2020

I'm watching a NOVA program on Australia's First 4 Billion Years. The host is scientist Richard Smith; maybe AQ has heard of him...

OG – I sympathize. I could never visit tropics as I cannot cope with high humidity & temps together.

As for you all ranting about modern devices. I have a mobile phone; just a basic phone; to be used when I need to call for car breakdown, flat tyre, etc. Yes, I manage to send & receive texts but both Daus have sent me photos. They are in the message list forever, can’t open, phone techies can’t delete them. And no, my phone can’t have apps, whatever they are.

ANNETTE – You sound a wee bit down. Perhaps a letdown after your escape? No I haven’t heard of scientist Richard Smith. I have heard of Dick Smith, obviously a different bloke, record-breaking aviator, philanthropist, political activist & serial entrepreneur according to Wikipedia.

I took camera to photo a few city buildings this morn. Also I badly want to visit State Library for research but I shall wait until numbers increase next week. Instead, on way home I called into a local library for a lookup in a book on reference shelf. After sanitizing me & handing over library card for ID, I discover they have no reference section. Excuse me? I checked the catalogue just this morning. Click click tap tap on computer. Her: Oh that book was last lent out in 2014. Me: Don’t you do a stocktake? Her: Yes, but that one must have slipped through. Yeah, right just like those missing from my usual library when I was ordering “click & collect”. It must be rant day.

Just a thought
Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday, and all is well.

[The mood I’m in, I’m not so sure about that.]

Seems like this whole situation is getting to all of us. Someone sent me a question yesterday which made me think slightly differently - she suggested we should ask ourselves, every morning and every night, 'How do I feel?' Being me, I wanted to put that question under four headings - physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. It's a good exercise - so good that when I tried it for the first time this morning, it gave me another hour of lovely refreshing sleep! But I have decided I don't have any new aches and pains, my brain is still working reasonably well, I haven't burst into tears yet this morning - and I'm working on the spiritual bit!

It rained all night here, and hasn't stopped yet. I was supposed to be going to Hever again today - glad I cancelled it yesterday. We are trying again for next Thursday … an open air event, planned some time ago, was cancelled yesterday. I have a friend coming round this afternoon for a socially distanced walk and a catch-up. We may spend the time sitting in the summer house!! I thought I ordered rain overnight and dry and sunny during the day?!?!?

Have a good day, everyone.

Good Morning. Raining here, and grey - and the grey is just me!! LOL. I promise not to rant here. At least for today.

Pat, interesting idea. Physically, I feel very sluggish now - another reason for our walk yesterday. And I think I will have to take myself in hand over what goes into my mouth. Mentally, I'm ready to do battle with everything for another day.

Hope everyone on here keeps well, We are a great community, and we have a love of nature to help sustain us!

Good morning all - I agree its getting hard now and I'm sure the humidity yesterday added to the stress. It seemed to rain all night here in Suffolk and very heavy at times. My poor Delphiniums and Foxgloves look very dejected and won't last much longer. I did however cut the grass yesterday and have a slot booked at the recycling centre for tomorrow.

The weather looks good for the next few days and this will hopefully lift our moods.

My new Granddaughter Lily is almost 4 months and Ive only seen her once but as I saw my Daughter and her Girls at the weekend I am not allowed to visit my Son's family as single people can only have one family in their "bubble". However when I see others having lots of people coming to their houses and gardens it does not do much for my BP!

I have read that some areas have had spikes in the number of cases. Here in Suffolk we have gone 3 days now without any new cases but I'm sure now the shops are opening we will get an influx of second home owners to Aldeburgh and Southwold. Lets hope they follow the distancing.

Yes, Harelady, it makes my blood boil when I see visitors to other houses - in some, this has been going on for ages, long before the recent loosening of restrictions. I sympathise, as I've only "met" my new granddaughter Rosie 4 times since she was born nearly a year ago. She must have grown so much since we saw her during her Christening celebrations in February. And I haven't seen Amber or her daddy, our Eldest, since a week before Christmas!!!

Well, I'm supposed to take some more blood pressure readings, but I am not sure when, as I have had yet another technical drama. I decided it was time to pay an account, and when I went onto their website on my desktop, where I usually do transactions like this, they informed me that due to increased security I would need to download their App, then synchronise it with the account I have online. I duly went through the process - at first, I couldn't download the App, so tried not to emit too many swearywords. After some effort, I found it and downloaded it, only to notice on the comments section that a lot of people had said it was "the worst they had ever used!!"

Then I tried to follow their instructions, with mobile in my hand and words on the screen. All my efforts in vain. Eventually, I found that I could now pay my bill by using the new, said App, which in desperation, I did. I really hate doing anything monetary on the phone and did not want this at all. Its almost enough to make me think I will not keep on using this company, and I may write to tell them so.....

We are in an area (the NorthWest) where there have been a lot of cases of the virus, but thankfully that has been boosted by the rather large number of idiots in the cities, (if you know what I mean) and around here in the countryside it seems relatively low. We are not taking too many chances, though, and are still being careful.

We've had heavy rain following the earlier showers, so it was no surprise to hear my OH returning early from his golf: they managed 12 holes before giving up as too wet to enjoy themselves.

Off to get some lunch and have a sit for a while - hope to get the pics from my phone onto here, from yesterdays outing.

RIP Dame Vera Lynn - I felt quite emotional when I heard the news. I weep easily at the best of times....but I do believe that she was a national treasure.

A National Treasure indeed, Heather. A member of Royalty really :-)

Sorry to hear we have lost her, but glad she had a good, long life.