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!
Tiger : Similar picture in the Scottish Sun:
http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3191516/Throw-another-fish-in-the-flyer.html
Patriciat : I do seem to remember Billy Connolly up the Law Hill reciting that poem. It must have been on his travels around Scotland program.
Superb pics, thanks Alan.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data
Belated wishes to Alan
my photos in flickr
Thanks Auntie. FAB
Dreich forecast – dreich weather! Went out to RNLI coffee morning, going to FairTrade event this evening.
Heron – hello there! How ye daen yersel’?
Alicat – I wondered whether Phoebe was she – looks very fresh and sleek – but then I thought maybe she was just terribly stressed at the end of last season, and she’s had a nice rest! Whoever she is, I think Hummers in that bush will always be Phoebe to me!
Terry – your frost last week was the same day as ours – hardly surprising really considering the short distance between, as the gull flies! Sad to see that Mentmore Towers is currently on the English Heritage “at risk” list, having been empty so long – apparently TM folk sold it to a developer for an hotel which never came to fruition.
Annette – Steam engines were so much part of life – I grew up very near the Great Western Railway. But the steam train I most clearly remember, from 1965, was slowly carrying Sir Winston Churchill from his big London funeral to his burial in Bladon, near Blenheim Palace, where he was born. I hope you enjoyed the roses yesterday afternoon.
Emma – nice that you had time for a good long chat! Thankfully Son’s flat does not have a gas supply! He seems pleased that he moved – sorry for himself yesterday as he seemed to have been attacked by an underdone bacon sandwich he ate out somewhere – that’ll teach him to make his own! He is recovering today. I love watching out for the weekly BBC Scotland photos – some wonderful views and compositions – three favourites this week – Glen Etive, Ben Vrackie and, of course, the “Silvery Tay”!
Alan – hope there is some good football on for you today – my OH is clearing some more ground in the veg patch this afternoon – weather improved and is now quite bright. I think we have video of Billy Connolly’s “World Tour of Scotland” – must look it up some time.
Surprised to see Lindy here this morning – hope she flew off safely!
Patricia – do be careful doing the training and events, with your sore joints. Will Tweed and Fly both compete again this winter?
Tiger – just blessed with a reasonable memory – for my age!
Final two steam pix:
A bigger steam road roller – don’t know the manufacturer but would guess at Aveling and Porter.
Loco No 41708 - built 1880 at Midland Railway Derby Works – oldest loco on display at Barrow Hill, and was based there in service for shunting nearby Staveley Ironworks.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Great card auntie. Also, meant to say it before, love the flying smiley :)
" Whoever she is, I think Hummers in that bush will always be Phoebe to me!"
OG I agree. After all, the resident couple on DPOF nest were always called Betty and Dennis by tradition.
BTW love the pics. There is something about old steam trains isn't there?
Morning all: Quick hallo before I go zooming off.
Liz: Whales migrate south November/December/January. They typically come down the coast but take the shortcut out beyond our Channel Islands (Santa Cruz, etc), thus cutting out a large indent in the coast that runs East/West, not North/South. They have their calves in the warm lagoons of Baja California, then start the homeward migration in February, ending it in May. The females are pregnant on the southbound trip; when they return with their calves, they cling to the coastline and the krill beds (and also avoid Orcas out by the islands, which love to eat the tongues of baby whales). Anyway, since we calves, we start our count in February (although we do count adult males/femals and juveniles too).
Thanks Tiger for info on Hope and Lily.
Auntie: Had to laugh at Alan's b'day card and that flappy little critter you included!
OG: Roses tended to pale yellow yesterday; maybe our cool temps are keeping the apricot tinges at bay!
Take are all.
ChloeB said: " Whoever she is, I think Hummers in that bush will always be Phoebe to me!" OG I agree. After all, the resident couple on DPOF nest were always called Betty and Dennis by tradition. BTW love the pics. There is something about old steam trains isn't there?
That is one tradition I could happily have done without. We were forever wondering which Dennis or Betty we were talking about. Of course DPOF did not approve of anything like banding (ringing) or tagging. So ID was always a huge debate amicably referreed by a certain someone! :)
Tiger Signature
LOL yes. Memories, memories Tiger :)
We did have some great debates though didn't we? Trying to work out which D&B seemed to be half the fun and I'm sure we would have still debated if they were called something different :)