Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 27 September 2020

OG sorry the tumble drier chose now to decide to pack up. Its never a good time, though, is it?

Sue had The Boiler Man in yesterday to put in a new one before winter, then right after he left, found that the microwave had decided to go on strike. :-(

Hope that J is calmer now - it's a stressful time for everyone.

Glad you're home safely, LINDY.
OG - Sorry about your bad day yesterday. 18 years is good going for any equipment, think I got 15 out of my last dryer. I hope that J can get some help for the anxiety. My youngest struggles on a daily basis and has done for 15 years. A horrible thing. She doesn't want medication but uses lots of techniques including CBT.
From what I understand, Callum has got to arrange a meeting with his solicitor. I thought that he/ we would have been informed about proceedings yesterday.
ANNETTE - the shop is doing well. We're not sure why but it could be that it is because folk are so fed up they are treating themselves! The stuff he sells is not quaffing liquor :-)
I heard bits of the Biden/Trump show last night. Oh dear....
PAT - it was so good to read about your trip - what a treat to see little Charlie!
I know that I have forgotten some replies that I intended to make but regards to everyone !

Morning all:   Well, my first mistake was not eating before the 'debate.'  I'd planned to watch it while writing letters to voters in Ohio (offsetting the bad while doing something good!)  But I was running late and ended up watching it with dinner on lap in my room  (OH declined; smart man) with bottle a of Pinot Grigio close at hand. One glass of wine too many resulted in a case of the spirit being willing but the flesh being just a tad unmotivated.  Will do the letters today and pick up another batch before our coordinator has to mail them out mid-October.

Clare One thing about Trump's base, it appears not to have expanded over his term in office whereas more and more people (or so the pundits claim) are exhausted by all the turmoil. I know I am. Still, nobody's taking anything for granted following the polling fiasco in 2016.

Heather: Could it be possible that Callum's solicitor has options to offer?  Or maybe he's just running up the bill....    Really glad son's shop is doing well; people may be wary of pubs at this point and there's no limit to how much you can drink at home!

OG: Sorry J's anxiety is so high; my daughter has the same issues. It can be exhausting.  And, of course, the dryer has to go out on top of it all.  Hope things settle down.

Lindybird: Hope the drive home was good.  I was wondering if you were going to close up the caravan on this trip, but as OG suggests, you may be saving that for the next one.

Santa Barbara County is now in the red (Covid zone), which means more places can open on a restricted basis, including gyms which can now allow people to exercise inside rather than parking lots/patios, etc.

I've just discovered JK Rowling's mystery books written under the Faulkner name and am enjoying them.

EDIT:  Rowling's adult books are by Robert Galbraith, not Faulkner.  Duh.

Take care everyone.

Very heavy rain here for most of the day - but I wasn't here! I was walking over the cliffs and on the beach at Cuckmere Haven, near Eastbourne, and the sun was shining. We even had shadows! We had planned the day some time ago and had been watching the forecast, which was pretty dire. But we had a wonderful time. My FitBit tells me I walked 14,062 steps/42 rises in altitude/5.78 miles ... and burned 2,018 calories. And my knees can vouch for every step! We had decided months ago to walk over the cliffs and they are pretty high - not quite Beachy Head, which was about a mile away, but almost. And very windy. Then down to the beach and the really rough sea. Then back along another path through the meanderings of various rivers running out into the sea. Then we drove back past Birling Gap (where yet another cottage recently fell into the sea - only four left now) and Beachy Head into Eastbourne, where we had some delicious chish and fips - we had worked very hard and deserved it! What a lovely day. And we ran into really heavy rain about ten miles from home. Think I might sleep well tonight!!

Sounds wonderful, Pat. How lucky you were to have the sunny weather.

Pouring rain here and my OH has been waiting to take the dog out for exercise for the last hour, but it shows little sign of stopping - he got wet through twice this morning, 1st when they both woke up and then again just before we put her in the car to come home. Oh well, that's dog ownership for you.

Been feeding the w machine as usual and looking at contents of cupboards to see what we need to stock up on, when I go out tomorrow. I noticed on going into our living room that things seemed strangely brighter -- I stared out and realised that one of the neighbours opposite has had a very large tree pruned well back. It gives us way more sky! It was not immediately near to us, but so very large that I noticed the difference. My OH, who is sadly very unobservant, said "which tree??!"

Of course, his not noticing things does allow me to have more shoes .. .... ....

The more light the more dust you'll see, LINDY !

PatO:  That sounds like a wonderfully exhilarating day.  I had to Google Birling Gap to get an idea of the area - I just love those cliffs....

Lindybird:  Must agree that the 'fail to notice' syndrome definitely has its advantages.

Just in from weeding a neglected area out front on the parkway.  Supposed to be very hot here the next few days, but not too bad so far.

I see our Election Commission is going to implement new rules for the next two debates following last night's debacle.  My suggestion would be to have two soundproof booths (or maybe just one - with a lock - for Trump) so the moderator can switch off the microphone as needed to allow responses to his questions.  

Annette - I thought the so-called debate was a complete farce. Most clear-headed Americans must have been mightily embarrassed to think these were the leaders of their country, supposedly the best they could produce. My sympathy to you and most other people on the continent.

If you Google Cuckmere Haven you will see pictures of the beach we walked along, and the cliffs we stood under. The sky wasn't blue, but the cliffs were just as white! You can also see the cliffs we walked up and down ... my knees are still reminding me of them!

Good evening all. Thank you for news of various activities.

Annette, love the idea of the soundproof booth with lock. Why did no one think of that before?

Pat, I am impressed with the burning of all those calories. What a good way to do it. I hope the knees can soon forget.

Lindy, Lovely photos again. Your caravan looks to be in a very relaxing and scenic place.

Heather, Callum's case does seem to be dragging on. Very hard for a young person.
Glad that the shop is going well. Is it near the Welsh border?

Sorry that you are having a difficult time OG. Anxiety can be very debilitating.

I had my replacement crown fitted today. I was not keen as I still have a sore gum, but the dentist said that the permanent one would protect the gum. I am doing the hot salt mouthwashes.
At least this crown did not go AWOL.

Hello to Clare, Diane, dibnlib, Lynette and everyone not mentioned.

EDIT:  Rowling writes her adult books under the name of Robert Galbraith, not Faulkner.  Duh.

PatO:  I Google-Earthed Cuckmere - those cliffs are just gorgeous, but I can imagine the effect on knees and other muscle groups..   I was watching something a while back that explained how the UK had become separated from Europe - fascinating.    I'd stupidly imagined that Trump might have been advised to appear 'presidential' for the debate, but as everyone knows, he's incapable of following suggestions and has no idea what 'presidential' looks like.  I wouldn't tar Biden with the same brush by any means.  I had to laugh when Biden cracked - in response to Trump's 'concern' about voters in the suburbs, that "The only way you'd know a suburb would be if you took a wrong turn."