Evening all: Off to check previous week's posts.
OK. Well, everyone busy with one thing and another.
Auntie: Nice to see you! Hope you're not working too hard.
Lindybird: Had a very hot day here - so hell migh've been appropriate! We are all melting and whining and complaining - but so relieved it has come so late in the year and will be (we hope) short-lived. Had to drag out the fans, put on the attic fan and let down the shades to keep the house cool. But, as usual, nice cool evening now and humiditiy is low so no biggie really. My friends taught English in China for a year a while back and lived and ate a la Chinese. Assume you didn't get served crunchy silkworms or crickets? Seriously - they're delicacies served at banquets in China. Enjoy the sun!
BrendaH: What a shame about your local garden center. Does seem a bit odd that they're in effect discouraging the locals with higher prices during the off season. Hmm. I love to watch storms/lightning too, but we don't get them that often.
TerryM: I think Lightning was a normal kitten. We "inherited" her from my daughter about 8 years ago when they moved up this way and couldn't keep all their pets. She's about 12 now or thereabouts, but can zip about when the spirit moves her. She's very gentle and pats us when she wants attention. You're so right about being "fired" from volunteer positions; usually there's a core of folks who do all the work.
Margobird: Aha! At least our OHs have one thing in common since mine also sorts and packs his own clothes for holidays. Phew! I was beginning to feel hard-done-by! :-) Oh dear, it's good of your OH to visit his friend - that kind of thing is always so sobering.... Intresting about Hope and Lily bedding down together for the winter; didn't realize they stuck together beyond the first year.
Heather: I was so tired went to bed at 9:45 Friday night; woke up at 2 and finally went back to sleep at 5. Hate those nights! The worst of it was that I finished McCall Smith's Corduroy Mansions (the first of a new series) at about 3:30!
Heron: My daughter's birthday is October 3; I think we're sneaking off to the Sierras for a week to breath in all that lovely fresh pine-mountain air.
Lynette: Have a Wonderful vacation!
Happy Sunday to everyone else. See you tomorrow!
Another new week! Where are they coming from!!! Thanks Annette for starting us again.
Today is International Day of the Tiger. Not sure if that includes human Tigers. LOL
Our Prime Minister spoke yesterday before the Aussie Rules footie final. She said that the result could not be a draw and that Aussies hate draws. Huh, she jinxed the match! It was a draw. Under the current rules they have to replay the whole thing next week. BTW they are still arguing over who will be speaker in federal parliament. Labor don’t want to nominate one of theirs as it would reduce their slender margin. Liberals don’t want one of theirs and give Labor extra advantage. And the Independents don’t want to give up the opportunity to vote. It should be interesting when they gather.
I’ve been a bit slack - no funnies, so here are two more.
There is nothing wrong with making suggestions so long as the person to whom they are offered is not obliged to accept them. (Elizabeth Peters)
Those who can, do; those who can’t, write the instructions. (Anon)
And I’ve not posted the promised (threatened?) landscape pics of last trip. Most through the bus window. The first is near Riverton, about 60 miles north of Adelaide - a crop of peas.
The next was near Rhynie, about 60 miles north. Note the hard shoulder on the edge of the bitumen road. Unlike roads I drove on in UK, we have this space (usually gravel) where we can pull over, stop, snap photos, change tyres, check map, whatever.
Woolshed Flat church sitting beside a canola (rapeseed) crop. The foreground is the carpark where our bus came to grief.
Now further north near Sevenhills, about 80 miles north. Vineyards of the Clare Valley. . . and a windmill that has seen better days.
Again near Sevenhills, showing one of the farmer's dams filled with water after the recent rain. The foreground tree is a eucalyptus, don't ask me which!!! My tree identification is no better than my bird ID.
Hi, all. Tomorrow (Sunday), Trucker Steve will travel right through my area. He'll take Highway 74 out of Indianapolis and go right past Crawfordsville, the small town where I get my groceries and supplies. I'm not going to meet him, though. I don't care much for Steve's politics, and I fear we wouldn't get along well. :-) (For new people, here's the link: http://www.bigrigtruckcam.com/ .)
Once again I'm behind, but I'll try to make a few replies.
Lindy: Lucky you to see the 25 geese flying over the field. I enjoyed your account of the Hat museum. What fun! I wish I could see the photos that were taken! I love hats, and I've been looking for one to wear this winter. I can't find the perfect one. I'm sure Dog will be okay in the kennels; he seems well adjusted. I used to be the pet sitter for my friends' in Indianapolis -- they've always had a house full of rescue dogs and cats. What a challenge! I hope you really enjoy your holiday!!!
OG: I just loved the chubby chaffinch with attitude, and that goldfinch and woodpigeon appeared to be having a deep discussion. I enjoyed your account of the Bird Club lecture. I Googled the Svalbard polar bears -- very interesting reading about them. You certainly have lots of good, wholesome food in your freezer. Like Annette, I'm going to stay with you! LOL Glad you liked your batik artwork.
AQ: Love the pics you just posted! I hope Jasper stays in the vicinity on his outdoor adventures. Thanks for the language info. I think Woop Woop is a good name for my local small town. Oonawoopwoop is even better! Actually, I think I live "beyond the black stump." LOL I have links to some comprehensive Australian slang glossaries, but I can't post them because they contain some very funny but... well...profane entries. LOL By the way, I think this road needs a Warning: Heavy Plant Crossing sign http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2002/tree-in-road-p1.php
Auntie: Glad to hear from you. It's not usually quite so hot here at this time of year. We've had record-breaking temps. It's finally going to cool off here for the next few days. Yay!!! We still need rain, though. I hope your job is going well and you're enjoying autumn!
Heather: I so hope that your son-in-law can return from Afghanistan very soon!Brenda: I'm sorry that you lost your Dad when he was still so young. So sad.Margo: I'm glad the frog relocation was successful. :-)Lynette: I hope you enjoy your holiday! The cat in the photo was adorable.Gary: I also hope you enjoy your trip to Vermont with your mum!dibnlib: Glad your injury is healing well!Paul: I often walk into a room and then wonder what in the world I was going to do there. LOLEmma Peel: Wonderful that Steed passed the HGV test. Hope doors open for him and he finds a great job.
Would anyone like to do this job: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/8244494 ? It made me really dizzy and queasy at the end!!!
Tiger: Thank you so much for the Harvest Moon picture. I adored it. I resized it and made it my desktop wallpaper. Wonderful!
It was interesting to read about your return to your childhood home in "the middle of nowhere." The property where I live (and own now) belonged to my ancesters. When my parents moved here, I remember thinking how tiny the house looked, compared to my childhood memories of the place when I visited my grandparents. It's just a small cottage house, but it seemed so much bigger then! Have you ever considered buying the property where you grew up?
You asked me whether the wild turkeys are gentle or aggressive. Actually, they are very distrustful and fearful of people, so they are elusive. I've spent a lot of time in the forest, but I've rarely seen them and only from some distance away. The males do have large, wicked spurs on their legs, which they use to fight each other for the right to "court" the females.
You and Chloe might like this video of a brilliant fireball over New Mexico this week. http://www.space.com/spacewatch/new-mexico-fireball-video-100924.html
Annette: I'm glad that you've found a solution and can watch TV while on the computer. I always listen to TV while I'm on the computer. Unfortunately, when my Dad is awake, he usually has the political shows on, which make my stomach eat itself. :-(
It's wonderful that you're going off to the Sierras for a week. When are you leaving? I hope you have a relaxing and wonderful time. I'll look forward to photos. I know you could use a peaceful break.
9:30 pm Saturday - Back home – needing to sit awhile after a late meal, so will start reading and replying but may not get it finished till morning. Will also tell you a bit about Edinburgh trip, because we’re out again tomorrow!
AQ – thanks for Aussie vocabulary. Although I know what it means, I often comment that I am looking out for overweight triffids when we see that sign. Another one is “Cross Winds”, which I refer to as “angry breezes”! Saw an interesting home made one recently in a very rural area – “Danger Tractors Turning” – written one word under another and part hidden by roadside hedge and grass, it looked like “angry actors”.
Annette – pleased you are re-equipped for more multi-tasking! Moon clear here now – due to cold weather (see later). Only other Moggie I know is old Morris Minor (1960s small car).
Auntie – sounds like you are enjoying your new book – that was quick delivery after warning of delay! Smiles and hugs to you too!
Lindy – Geese are really actively around now – Solway wintering numbers increasing daily, and we saw a great skein going one way over the Pentland Hills this morning and back again this evening in the same place (am assuming same ones, due to number, and that they roost in one place and graze elsewhere).
Terry – in the photo, Abbey looks closer to back of street than it really is, but, even so, it is quite close. I seem to remember lunch that day was soup, sandwich and coffee sponge (ie – too much!) – eaten a lot since then, so can’t remember details!
Heather – I hope you will sleep better tonight. We had to get up at 5:30 this (Sat) morning, so I am flagging now!
Paul – you reminded me – I had a 70 Starling flock yesterday (Friday) – followed by 30 Sparrows – exceptional! Already forgetting what you entered a room for? At nearly 33, you’re far too young for that!
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
About our Saturday in Edinburgh – I managed to be ready to leave at 7:30 as promised – don’t know how, as I am rarely showered and dressed before about 10:30! Temp was 2 degrees C with frost! But this gave us a wonderful open-sky sunny drive to Edinburgh – such long clear views of the Lowther and Pentland Hills. Driving into the city was reasonable being Saturday and we found a good parking place in George Street – and free with Blue Badge. The event we went for was Members Meeting and AGM of Scottish Wildlife Trust (Loch of the Lowes and all that). First speaker was Nick Baker who makes wildlife films and writes books – introduced as “Bug Boy” by the chairman! He was fun and informative – got the day off to a good start. Then we had a planning guy on the built environment “Apart from nature or a part of nature?” After progress reports and future visions, we had an excellent sandwich lunch. A young “Watch” group from Stirling gave us their presentation which had won a award, and two volunteers gave insights into their roles. They were followed by the formal AGM, and even that was very relaxed, despite dotting the “I”s and crossing the “T”s as required. Each session was followed by questions and discussion, and the whole thing was worth the early start from home. They mentioned high number of hits on the website is partly due to webcams – I didn’t disclose that I go there twice a day and that was up to ten times a day during the Lady Marge crisis! At the end we set off towards Starbucks on the next block, but got waylaid by a Lakeland store (kitchen, household and foody things for those who don’t know) and just had to explore, even though we use online ordering from them quite regularly. Then there was a queue at Starbucks, so we turned back and I noticed a Prêt à Manger where we had hot chocolate and carrot (for him banana) cake. Never ate there before and we were very impressed with price (less than many places -unexpected in Edinburgh city centre), quality and cleanliness; even the toilets – including disabled - were excellent, especially considering it was early evening by then. We looked for dinner in Moffat, but couldn’t get in anywhere – hadn’t booked due to not knowing time we would get there – so ended up having really good fresh-cooked fish and chips with salad at motorway services! I left most of my batter, but we both really enjoyed having something we so rarely have and so nicely cooked because they weren’t too busy.
Sadly, when we got home, had a message from dear Friend in Lancashire to say her husband had died today – the one who was in hospital with lung cancer when we went to that other funeral. I had phoned her yesterday and he had been allowed home with a hospital bed and carers 4 times a day to celebrate their 60th Anniversary last week, and to wait to go. We await funeral date.
Ok – now it is Sunday morning. Off to Wigtown Book Festival today – first of three visits this week! We are so lucky with our special designated towns and all the events in this region. Mrs Moon was bright early this morning, as is Mr Sun now, so I guess there was frost again. … went to turn Sunday bacon under grill, so checked garden temp – 3½ degrees C. Also saw 65 to 70 Starling flock out back! Thanks for overnight posts. Replies after brekky.
Gary – good of you to pop in from Vermont – pleased trip is good.
Lynette – that was a late appearance last night – have a great holiday!
Annette – thanks for bringing us into the new week. Pleased you are enjoying some sunshine – sorry it is hot with it, but evenings sound very pleasant. How great that you and Daughter are taking a birthday break to the Sierras – but we shall miss you! The two of you both need a break to be Mother and Daughter together rather than worried Grandmother and Mother.
AQ – I think your “those who can, do” is much more polite than the common un-PC one over here which ends “those who can’t, t**ch”. Apologies to all teachers on here. Maybe your version was an adaptation to make it more PC and polite! Thanks for bringing your pix up-to-date with the landscapes. Big open skies! Fields of peas over here are found mostly in the Fens – South Lincolnshire and North Norfolk. Used to have those wind pumps in Berkshire when I was growing up – drawing water from the chalk downland – one on every small farm, but nobody complained about them as they do about winds farms!
Diane – noticed Trucker Steve was headed your way. Enjoyed the “heavy plant” picture! Hope you get some rain soon – but that it also knows when to stop!
On which note, I will now move over and make room for everybody else - will be later home this evening, so will see you Monday. Have a good Sunday all, including anyone I left out!
Diane - thanks so much for the link to the New Mexico fireball and yes, I enjoyed it very much. There are a few videos of it in there so watched all of them. I once saw a meteorite many years ago and it looked like a burning aeroplane, quite scary at the time.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data