Hi everyone: And a good Sunday and rest of the week to you all. Don't forget to check the last posts of last week's chat for clever moving graphics from Tiger and Alicat (and maybe some others), pix of OG's friends' garden, late updates on one thing or t'other - and pix of my trip north! :-)
Weather these last few days are more like a not-very-nice English summer day. Unbroken gray skies, low clouds, and a constant soft drizzle. All very odd. On telly they were saying we had a couple of days of summer and now it's back to May Gray and June Gloom. Although tomorrow through Tuesday they're forecasting rain and possibly thunderstorms! A good day for doing inside stuff - like researching a new laptop. Spent ages reading about replacing the LED bulb in my laptop and it does sound a tad daunting: The Dell forum folks gave a link to a video, but you apparently - according to several folks who know - have to be "very, very careful." I didn't mind that but was especially put off by the news that the LED bulb (long and slender) was made of a very brittle glass that likely had lead in it, not to mention mercury. Also, do not have the tiny soldering iron or the special tape. Sounds like one of Alan's "Destroy It Yourself" projects! :-)
OG: Poor son with bad toe - definitely not a good time to develop problems - but ugh! - what a nightmare to find his new apartment so trashy. Just awful. So good of your OH to go up and check out the appliances, etc. Don't you hate it when "our" kids run up against this kind of stuff!
patriciat: I suspect there's more than one Mission San Miguel - wonder which one Lonnie Donegan (and U.S. artists) were thinking of. There is an old pueblo next to the mission I visited, which oddly has a Scottish name - The Rios Caledonia Adobe. According to the history page: In 1846 William Reed, Miguel Garcia, and Petronilo Rios bought the San Miguel rancho from Pio Pico, Governor of the Mexican Nation. Rios and his wife, Catarina Avila, had twelve children and moved into the adobe in 1851. In 1862 German-born Warren C. Rickard purchased the property from the state of California on a possession claim. In 1868 George Butchard named the adobe the Caledonia, a Scottish word meaning Scotland. He operated a stagecoach stop, tavern, and inn. According to local legend, Jesse James and the Dalton Brothers visited the inn.
Enjoyed reading all the posts; back tomorrow. Take care dear friends!
Continuing weekend tour. After Melrose (in South Australia) we had a short stop in Wilmington. This was taken as we approached one of 3 passes through the Lower Flinders Ranges.
Horrocks Pass (with one of those road signs I always think should indicate snakes about!). Not very rugged, mostly green velvet hills, road very twisting and turning.
On the western side the sunlight on the hills was gorgeous. Much lower rainfall this side of ranges.
Some galahs!!!!! We saw a few emus but, alas, bus was moving too fast and pic is too blurred to see anything.
Crossing a bridge at Port Augusta. to be continued
Evening all: AQ and OG: Lovely pix again - thanks so much.
Alan: Just went to Phoebe's website and was greeted by a black screen, even though it said it was broadcasting. Will check again tomorrow.
Tiger: That is one long cat - good grief - looks a bit odd actually.
Seems like our stormy weather has gone for now. Got car serviced today; went to gym, read far too much about laptop tech specs and have a quote from Dell but will go with OH tomorrow to check out Best Buy and Costco before purchasing. Also am having lunch tomorrow with my Scottish friend at Stella Mares (the place by the bird preserve).
Haven't been responding to individuals much lately and feel bad about that, but it's been busy and not sure what schedule I'll be on next week; could be I won't get called in at all. Have a nice Thursday all.
Hi, all.
Heather: Sorry you're taking a hiatus from this site. I understand about spending too much time on the computer. I've had to limit my blog time lately for more productive work. I hope, though, that you didn't feel neglected. Stop in at your leisure and let us know how you're doing. I'll miss you.
Terry: I really like that shipping site. Thanks for posting it. I have read that learning to play a musical instrument is one of the very best ways to build new neural pathways in the brain -- keeping your brain active and healthy. I try to learn some new fact or skill every day. Don't know if it helps in my case. LOL
OG: Lovely photos you posted! That vole would make a good meal for my great horned owl, which I think was sitting on the edge of our roof last night. I forgot to answer your question about the size of the bobcats. They stand about 2 feet high and are about 30-50 inches long. They primarily eat rodents, birds, etc. but the larger ones are capable of taking small deer. I hope your son is settling into his new apartment without further problems. It sounds like it was a rough move.
AQ: My stomach hurts and it's your fault! I made my stomach hurt laughing at that breaking news story about the skink home invasion. The photo of Lizarda departing was so funny. What if she hadn't found her own way out? Would your husband have picked her up or would you do it? Would she have tried to bite or just freeze? Would she be difficult to hang on to, sort of like an alligator (turning and rolling)? I'd like to have the opportunity to see her cobalt blue tongue. It's very good that she returned to the wild unscathed after her exploration of your house. Thanks for posting a great story and thanks for the camel link. Also loved the photos you posted today!
Annette: That's hilarious that you were called to serve on the writer vs. publisher jury. LOL I've never been called for jury duty, and I don't know why. It may be because I didn't drive in Indianapolis, and I think they pull potential juror lists from the Dept. of Motor Vehicles records. My Dad was summoned a while back, and I had to write a letter as his caregiver/power of attorney stating that he was not physically able to serve. So they may have purged our address. I hope. Are you still having storms? We have a Red Flag Fire Warning in effect. It was windy today and with the drought, we are now having field fires pop up around the state and our county.
Alan: I haven't watched a lot, but I haven't seen Phoebe either.
Lindy: I loved the Just a thought essay/poem. Puts life in perspective. Thanks for posting. I read the news article you posted; I think the Science Discovery Center sounds wonderful. We need more encouragement for young people to develop an interest in science.
Tiger: I enjoyed the article about the Geiger-Marsden experiment. My favorite scientist is Dr. David Bohm (1917-1992). Many years ago, I happened upon Bohm's theories on wholeness, the holomovement, the implicate/explicate orders, and the holographic universe. Reading about his work has had a major impact on my life, and today his theories influence my beliefs about nearly everything.
For those who don't know, Bohm was a quantum physicist and a protege of Einstein. He also made significant contributions to theoretical physics, neuropsychology, and philosophy. He was a kind man of great political integrity and courage, as well.
Everyone have a great Thursday!!!
Diane - So sorry about your stomach, ha ha ha, not really sorry, a laugh a day and all that . . . Lizarda hissed when she got trapped in a corner. No way was I getting close enough to see her tongue. As for me catching her - I was on my sandalwood box thumbing thro’ phone book for wildlife rescue. I don’t know how OH intended to catch her but this website gives some interesting info on how to hold and, ahem, how they bite. http://www.mooloolabapets.com.au/html/blue_tongue_skinks.html
Our house is so peaceful now. Dau2 & sil were collected at airport by his parents, dropped in briefly to collect Jasper who behaved very lovingly to his mum. We still have most of his stuff, scratching posts, litter tray, etc, as there was no room in the car with all them & luggage. OH had taken his mother for a hearing check. You should have seen the puzzled look on OH’s face when he returned home!
Hullo all! Sorry I haven’t been around much lately but I have been “grinding away” (sp?). In our hospital nurses have to pass a test every five years abut calculation, medication, preparing and giving iv-drugs, blood transfusions etc. And it was my turn to take that test yesterday, so I’ve been studying every spare time I have had lately. But luckily I cleared that test yesterday, yea!
I know I am terribly late with my wishes but Happy belated Birthday Alicat and Paul. And what a brilliant card yo made for Heron, Diane! Glad that Annette’s trip went well and great pics. So,so sorry about your mum, Lynnette, but pleased to read she passed away peacefully, thinking of you and yours. I always love to see OG’s pictures, yo definitely are one talented lady with your cam and lovely to ‘see’ yo. Lindy, thanks for those Monday smiles again. George, glad to hear your son is getting better and your cleaning wasn’t done in vain. AQ, wow, Lizarda inside your home!!! Heather, please don't leave us altogether, pop in every now and then when able to, OK? Hope Margo has a wonderful time on her hols. Sorry I don't mention everyone here but love to read about your doings. Have a nice day all!
my photos in flickr
Hi auntie and All. Glad to hear you passed your exam, auntie (of course!) and that you are OK in spite of grinding away (yes that's right) at work and study. Give yourself a pat on the back!
Thanks to AQ for the great pictures again last night, and also yesterday. So interesting to see the vegetation/scenery out there, AQ. We don't have the wriggly snake sign for bends, it's rather fun. You will find the house strangely quiet now that Jasper has left!
Also thanks to OG for pics, and Alan for lovely pic of the goldfinches - they are gorgeous.
Cold here again this morning but not as frosty. Am cracking on with the packing for hols as we go at the weekend. OH is packing his slimmer sweaters as he has lost weight, too. He really needs a break now and so is looking forward to reading some books, something he only does when away from home. (I should add that although I can get into some of my briefer shorts, I am not a slim person yet, and will still have to diet some more for the rest of this year at least :-( )
Off to polish the front door now as the neighbours are coming round to deal with our post whilst we are gone, and I don't want them to get a bad impression!!
Hello, Auntie. So good to "see" you!!! Congratulations on passing your test. I know your career is demanding, but I always enjoy hearing from you when you can stop in!
George G: A few pages back, you mentioned that you like wolves. You might enjoy this web page. http://www.defendersblog.org/2010/10/wolf-weekly-update/ It's a weekly update on the ongoing battle over the survival of America's wolves. Also, this is Wolf Awareness Week, and here you can find a really good summary of wolf activity around the U.S. http://www.defendersblog.org/2010/10/time-to-celebrate-wolf-awareness-week/ I just thought you might find this interesting.
Annette: You might be interested in the info about the highly endangered Mexican wolves in Arizona and New Mexico.
AQ: Thanks for skink info. LOL I will definitely read it. Very funny picturing you standing on your box looking for wildlife assistance.
I also meant to say hello to Joan, Brenda, Chloe, Alicat, Patricia, Paul, Gary and anyone else I've forgotten. Lynette, my thoughts are with you.
Oh, and Lindy, have a wonderful, restful holiday!!! We'll miss you!
I probably won't be here for a couple of days. Back to work on the house...sigh.
Thanks for the holiday wishes, Diane!
ps. As I was in a hurry, I also forgot to thank AQ for the very funny tale of Lizarda the skink.... I , too had a great mental picture of you standing on that box!
Morning all,
Very cold and frosty this morning with lots of car windscreens iced up. Hamish was still keen to go for his walk however. Its only wet mornings he hates.
OG/AQ : Apologies for mixing up Melrose . That will teach me to read posts thoroughly instead of skipping through.
OG : Nice pic of water vole. Not seen one for a long time.
Auntie : Nice to see you on here again.
Linda : In case I forget : Have a great holiday!!
Everyone else: thanks for the chat,links clips etc. Off to read David Camerons spending review (only joking).