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!
Hello everyone Sorry not to speak for a while........been in a bit of a bad place. Anyway I have picked myself off, dusted myself down and will resume normal service asap. Spent the last couple of days catching up with essays - course resumes next Sat. Off to watch the extremely funny "Walk on the Wild Side" then "Strictly" so will speak soon.
Hello one and all. Lots of lovely chat and super photos as usual. Bit of a mixed day here. It started wet, dried up so I put the towels out then went shopping. It poured with rain as I returned, but thankfully I got them off the line just before the downpour hit. Whew. Yes, Tiger, I did remember the stunning photo by Mark Hancox and the discussion thereafter! Emma I loved the BBC photos link, which I too often take a peak at, and like OG I think my favourites are Glen Etive and Ben Vrackie. I climbed Buachaille Etive Mor from Glen Etive (considered the unusual route, I think) as the OH and I were to surprise a friend ascending it from Glencoe - it was his final Munro way back in 1986, a month after my OH completed his on Schiehallion. I so wish I was as fit and have the energy I had then! It is so difficult to get at the right place at the right time to get the view, the light and reflections. Annette I was really interested in your whale watching. Is it easy to tell the difference between Orcas and your Gray Whales? Are you actually able to id individuals? Do you do this from the shore or from a boat?
Will be a spot of escapism tonight what with Strictly and Casualty. I have had an eye on Walk on the Wildside dibnlib, and laughed out loud at the rapping crab. Priceless! I hope you all enjoy your evening/day whatever you are up to.
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I opened the front door this evening and discovered this little visitor:
Lovely little hedgehog, Alan, did you put out catfood? We found 2 hedgehogs this spring in the bottom of some pampas grass in my mother's garden, we did not look again as not to disturb them, but saw some signs around the garden for a while. We did not put food out though as there are a lot of cats around so they would most likely get it first - or is that not right?
I am rather sorry to have mentioned that comet Hartley2, as it seems to be fainter than forecast and I certainly have not seen it even on a couple of very clear nights - did anyone else? - now the moon is too near it anyway. Oh well, wait for the next one. Oh, and I now have a certificate for the Mars Lander..!!! great idea Diane!
Thanks to everyone for the great photos etc, I learn all sorts here!
Good evening, all. Back from event – evening temp 4 degrees C, bright moon and stars.
Dibnlib – sorry you have had a bad time again – do take care. Glad that you have been able to catch up on the essay schedule. I sampled that comedy prog on iplayer, but couldn’t stand it!
Sheila – how lucky to have ever been fit and energetic enough for Munros!
Alan – love the wee hedgehog!
Time for bed – rather tired, but hoping to get to church tomorrow.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Evening all: Just finished Giant Load of ironing with just a few hang-dry items to run the iron over tomorrow. Didn't hurt to have a string of old Alec Guiness movies on Turner Classic tonight.
dibnlib: Good to see you! Sorry you've been out of sorts; do hope things are better. Life gets bumpy at times.
Sheila: I swear our lead researcher - Mike Smith - can tell the difference between a gray whale and a humpback from miles away! He's spent years on the ocean. Most of us volunteers can only id them by behavior: Humpbacks hang around our coastal area during the summer and head south to warmer waters during the winter. Migrating gray whales hold a steady course north-south (Alaska to Mexico) Nov/Dec/Jan then south-north Feb through early May, with the females and calves not infrequently seen just beyond the breakers. Orcas have very clear markings (black and white) and stay far out from shore; they range up and down the West Coast in the summer. We certainly can't id individuals gray whales, though perhaps the researchers/fishermen down in the lagoons in Baja, where the whales give birth and nurse their young, may be able to. Oddly enough, the females in the lagoons are extremely friendly and often approach fishing/tour boats as if to show off their babies! That all changes once they leave the protection of the lagoons and head north. We count from Coal Oil Point, part of the Univ. of Calif. at Santa Barbara. There are three locations in California: Palos Verdes (Los Angeles), Coal Oil Point, and Piedras Blancas, near Hearst Castle at San Simeon. Here's the link to Gray Whale Count website. Things will start up again in the New Year. http://www.graywhalescount.org/GWC/The_Count/The_Count.html
Alan: Oh how sweet! What was in the bowl? He didn't seem scared by the door opening.
I've decided to take my laptop in for a "serious" quote on fixing it. If it is the backlight and the low end estimate of $150 still holds, I'll go ahead and have them fix it. It'll be far cheaper than buying a newer one, which would be nice, but this one works just fine. Anyway, I'll take it in tomorrow afternoon and will be using OH's computer when he's not on it.
Take care all and have a nice Sunday.
Thread continued at Weekly Chat, Sunday, October 24, 2010
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