Weekly Chat, Sunday August 29, 2010

  • Hi everyone

    Not much to report from here apart from the fact that the weather is quite nice.  Although it can get a bit cold at night.

    Alan:  Thanks for the picture links.  Hope is such an endearing bear.  Love the Lapwing and Osprey pics.  Hope Hamish's ears are better soon.

    ClaireM:  Must've been great seeing an otter at Montrose station.  I sometimes watch the Montrose Basin webcam but I've never seen an Osprey there.  Great to watch the birds feeding there though.

    Brenda H:  Well done spotting a Chaffinch at LG.  I've not seen anything on the nest since the Ospreys left for their holidays.

    Joan:  Thanks for the link to the tiger pic.  They're such magnificant looking creatures.

    margobird:  Glad your shopping mission went well and you got everything you needed.

    Tiger:  Thanks for the news about Lady Marge's daughter being spotted in Dumfries and Galloway.  That's a really nice story and it's great to think how much Lady Marge has done for the Osprey population.

    Linda:  A very Happy Birthday to you.  Hope your having a great day.

    Emma Peel:
      Hope everything goes well for your daughter in West Africa. 

     

    Paul.

    Warning!  This post contains atrocious spelling, and terrible grammar.  Approach with extreme edginess.

  • Hello Emma Peel! I read with interest about your trip 'in leathers'  the other day. Now, you are getting organised re daughter's trip. Well done on staying calm. 'Calm' is not an adjective that applies to me, very often, so I might need a tutorial----

    And George - whenever you get the chance to look in here, you will realise that we have all been thinking about you and SiL today.

    My day has been one of such monotony that I am not going to bore you all with a description! OH didn't even catch a salmon last night but strangely, that doesn't seem to matter to him. He just says that being on the river, peace and solitude, listening to nature's sounds and watching what ever is going on, is what it's all about. I have a lot to learn----

    Night all!!

     

  • I hope you had a lovely birthday, Lindy!!!

  • Tiger that is wonderful news to hear that one of Marge's chicks has returned and been spotted!

  • Had a good visit to Caerlaverock today – but disappointing for photography.  Saw two Ospreys – one was flying from near the saltmarsh, the other was visible out on the dead tree there, but still a long way away for my lens – likewise the Roe Deer which were grazing on the merse.  But it was good to see them all and I have photos with small images which we know are them!

    Been ironing again - pile grew with what was put out to dry this morning, so it was like starting over!  Also a friend came and had coffee, therefore tired, so will answer posts tomorrow.

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!

  • Alan said;Lynette : Used to do a lot of walking around the Peebles area when I lived in Scotland. Peebles is one of my favourite towns with lovely walks along the river Tweed. Glentress is also a great place for walking and cycling. New Lanark is also quite interesting with

    Yes, it looks a super area, although I am not good at walking these days with my arthritis, I will certainly give it a go.  I hadn't realised we were close to the River Tweed. Really looks a lovely area to be in looking at Google Earth.

    Swim went well, managed my usual 12 lengths. I know I should push myself more but get breathless due to a heart condition which I have.

    Linda, many congratulations on your birthday and hope you enjoyed the Italian meal you went for.  Picked it up from the many messages that were sent to you.

    Day has been lovely here and is fair set for the week, or so the weather forcaste says!!!!!!!!!!

    You seem to talk about anything and everything so maybe I won't feel so self concious when I write.

    Night,Night, and talk again soon.

  • Evening all:

    Lindybird: Hope you had a lovely birthday and wonderful meal out!  Your secret is safe with us.  :-)

    AQ: You have to read Steig Larsson's third book right after the second since it's a continuation of the story and you risk earning another star in the Lost the Plot club if you have to wait too long.  Wishing wells, eh? Here they have something called Money Trees but I'm not sure when it's okay to have them.

    patriciat: Oh dear; bad news re the little boy. How fast things can change.

    Heron: Of course! Hadn't thought that I had a more sophisticated thought process; I'd put it down to indifference and fatigue!  I still think of cars headlights as eyes and their grills as mouths.  Some look menacing; others sort of bland.

    dibnlib: Definitely smart to get advice re that cross-trainer at the gym.  Our local Y (formerly the YMCA) is closed for a week for annual refurbishing.

    ClaireM:  Hmm. I found pizza used to get my grandson up and happy early in the a.m. when he was staying with us.

    OG: I do fresh fruit, yogurt and granola in a bowl and eat lunch sitting out on the patio.  I stay awake much better then than trying to read in bed at night. What?!  Money to pay for a honeymoon?  Oh dear, I must be very unromantic.  I know some couples who've gone into horrible debt to pay for extravagant weddings - doesn't make sense to me.  I still haven't tackled my ironing; maybe I'll overnight it to your house?

    Djoan: If you're used to Cadfael, you'll find Steig Larsson's books (Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the third in a trilogy) quite different to say the least.  Very good and convoluted plots, but quite a bit of violence - not as much - at least at this point - as in the first though (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).  What a clever birthday card for Lindybird!  Is that bunch of moss for her?

    Margobird: You've probably gone by now, but glad the shopping trip was successful and not too stressful.

    Tiger: That is good news about Lady's offspring.

    Alan: Hope Lady P's sister is coming along and lapwings are notoriously uncooperative when it comes to taking their photos. :-)

    EmmaPeel:  Oh I hate the feeling on not being able to settle until whoever it is in the family has arrived safely. Called my sister in the UK the other week and she was sitting in the garden, not able to focus on anything until she'd heard her daughter had arrived safely in Crete (or somewhere like that).  It's the same thing when folks here go on long drives....

    Heather: I can understand your OH's liking for being on the river. I feel the same about the ocean - the waves are so soothing. Yesterday I went for a short ride to Nojoqui Falls with my daughter, and we just parked the car under the trees and listening to wind rustling the leaves.

    Diane: What a sunny b'day card!

    Going to try new yoga class this evening I think - if I can summon the energy to hose myself down and tootle off. Take care all.

     

  • Lindybird said:

    Goodness I'll never catch up!  There is lots to read on here these last few days!

    The sun is out here, I put on a thin vest thing on today under my blouse, & a thick woollen jacket on top,  but had to peel that off when I got to Sainsburys!   I've had a nice day with the sunshine out & a successful shopping trip - bought some boring stuff but also came home with 2 new pairs of trousers, doubley marked down (in Ed. Woollen Mill!).   Had a long talk with Youngest Son on the phone, as he has the week off work to paint the nursery.  We are off out tonight to a grand Italian Restaurant with friends  (don't tell anyone, but its my birthday !  ssshhh!)

    Glad you got kitted out in M & S margobird..  always a good place to start looking for warm things.

    --- have to go out again, now.... bye

     

    Its also my mum's birthday,  91 years young today even though she doesn't realise it. Anyway, hope you had a super day and meal out.

  • Hi, all. Very hot here still, even though the leaves are falling. We saw a beautiful doe and her fawn (deer) outside the living room window today. The fawn was quite small for this time of year. It must have been the second of the season.

    Here's a lovely wading birds cam from the Monteray Bay Aquarium (Chilean flamingos, roseate spoonbills, scarlet/white ibises, and egrets). You also can check out a live penguin cam, a sea otter cam, a kelp forest cam, and an aviary cam. Most of the birds were rescued and cannot live in the wild. The habitats look very nice and spacious. You can also watch a webcam showing a beautiful view of Monteray Bay in California. http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/efc/cam_menu.aspx

    (For those who don't know, here's how to watch a webcam in Windows Media Player: Right-click on a webcam video and then click properties. Look for the word "Location". Copy that URL into your address bar, and it will open up Windows Media Player and play the webcam in that larger format.)

    Tiger: Very good news about Lady's young'un.
    GeorgeG: My thoughts are with you during this difficult time.
    AQ: I hate waiting for books. I want to read them when I'm ready. :-) Can you order online?
    Alan: I hope Hamish's ears recover soon. My Dad also sends good wishes to "the little blue dog." Hope Lady P's sister is healing.
    Joan: Thanks for the tiger pic link. One of my favorite creatures. I often summon tiger energy when I have to do heavy work here. Looking forward to the owl aviary webcam.
    Auntie: Glad you saw so many ospreys at Pohtiolampi!
    OG: I forgot to thank you for the splash back info. I'm glad you received your protective glass tops. Your kitchen sounds beautiful. Glad you had a good visit to Caerlaverock and you got to see ospreys.
    Annette: I hope your yoga class went well. Funny you should mention yoga. I was just thinking today that I should start doing yoga or tai chi chuan in the mornings or evenings.

    Tonight Hurricane Earl, a Category 4, is churning toward the U.S. East Coast. Warnings have been posted, emergency teams dispatched, and ships sent out to sea. It originally wasn't supposed to make landfall, but reports now say that it may be turning. Good wishes to anyone on the East Coast. Night all. Everyone have a good Wednesday and beginning of September (already!).