Weekly Chat, Sunday, December 5, 2010

Lynette – glad to read that the wrapping is progressing!  Just had email from Dau#1 asking advice on what to give her unemployed Brother fro Christmas – and we don’t even know what to do ourselves – especially as we don’t know whether he’ll be with us, with Dau#2 or on his own.  If he’ll be with family, I think money is best, but if he’ll be alone, I think he needs parcels to open – not that he would be totally alone, as I am sure someone from church will invite him.

Brenda – hope you will have a great day and evening in London tomorrow – and enjoy Daughter’s birthday – pity she has to work that night.  Do keep away from students and anyone else who might be joining in this new Winter of Discontent.  Unfortunately, the press are always ready to encourage action – I remember that from uni in 1968 – and such inventions as mobile technology and social networking make it easier to organise protests – but neither excuses the protesters’ antisocial and destructive behaviour.

I think it’s bedtime now – off to Dumfries again tomorrow for various messages, unfortunately including the big Tesco for things which our smaller one doesn’t have.  One more bird while I’m here - this Gull didn’t like the feel of cold snow on his feet last weekend:

Margo - What a delightful Xmas card. I shall just have to forward it on.

OG - Maybe you can give your son money plus a small gift to unwrap. This what g-m has been doing in our family for years.

Temp range here today 14-18 C, so it is back to jumpers. Definitely no shorts. I’m not complaining about the cool (so far) summer - I love this weather.

Brain teasers
7 D with S W
1 H on a U
21 D on a D
76 T L the B P
60 S in a M

Last week’s answers
11 P in a C T = 11 Players in a Cricket Team
1000 W a P is W = 1000 Words a Picture is Worth
29 D in F in A L Y = 29 Days in February in A Leap Year
64 S on a C B = 64 Squares on a Chess Board
40 D and N of the G F = 40 Days and Nights of the Great Flood

Evening all:  Back from spending afternoon with daughter; was going to local nonprofit Christmas party tonight with friend, but she was tired and that was enough to have me stay home for the evening.  That UPS delivery guy did have a nifty little trailer behind his bike for packages; not all balanced on the bike. 

Gary: The landscape redo will take a few weeks - the crew works four days a week (they do routine maintenance for various folks on Fridays); then, of course, now that we're redoing the front walkway, we have to replace the post that holds up the porch roof coz it's been buried in soil for eons and has rotted out (wait for more small fixes as yet unidentified! Think more $$$$s.)  Typical!

OG: Sorry about son's SAD; not a great time to be looking for work right now.  Money is always welcome with our lot, but I do like to have a couple of things wrapped up as well.  We're trying to keep it fairly low key this year.

Oh yes, on another note, our super flat-screen telly has gone wrong - HDMI port #1 went kerpooey, followed in fairly short order by #2.  The service guy came and picked it up then left a message today saying that Panasonic didn't have the part in stock (hallo??) and that it could take three weeks to get it!!  Needless to say, I'm going to get on the horn tomorrow and complain to Panasonic customer service.  It's under warranty, but.....     Panasonic has a really good reputation; we've owned lots of their video recorders, tvs, stereos, etc., so I'm somewhat dismayed that a five month old telly has gone on the blink, especially when we have a 20 year old monster telly in the spare room that still works PERFECTLY!   Aaaack!! 

Apart from that, we are all vertical and mobile, so still a lot to be thankful for (especially wonderful drive back from daughter's today in late afternoon sunshine with blue Pacific glistening off to my right).  :-)

Take care all; hope all who are ailing improve and that all who are off and about this weekend have a lovely time wherever you're going.

Up early (for me!).  4 real degrees C already, and thaw has been continuing through the night!

AQ – I think we shall have to go with your suggestion – and pass it on to Dau#1 – I know Dau#2 has already sent Son a gift cash-card (which he sadly saw as a reminder to buy a wedding present for his nephew, because she reminded him of the date at the same time!), so our gifts will be the only one he has to unwrap.  Enjoy your jumpers while you can!!

Annette – strange how one job leads to another and the $$$$s or ££££s just grow!  You had mentioned the first HDMI port going, but both of them, that’s too much – especially to hear that they can’t get it back to you for Christmas – can’t you ask them to lend you one which works?  Can imagine that lovely drive south from your Daughter’s this afternoon, lucky you – actually when I think about it, we get some spectacular views driving home from any of our offspring if we don’t leave it till dark.

A different view of Blue Tit on frosted foliage, doing what Blue Tits do!

Morning, All from me too - and its thawing here, too!  Much milder yesterday afternoon so we watched the frost finally drip from the trees and the garden begin to clear - now, this morning, we can see that all has melted and the fields are now full of water where the snow has been.

There's just a big pile of melting ice around the bird bath, where Husband has been going daily and throwing the ice to the ground & replenishing the water with hot water. It's been quite funny watching the Starlings bathing in the steam rising from the still warm water!

Rang Son last night to arrange for our visit at the weekend, to see how much new Grandson has grown - I could hear the cutest of little hiccups in the background!  I have a Skype camera and set up which Son arranged for me months ago, but I have never used, but I think it will be used, now!

Sad that it all 'ended in tears' yesterday at the Demonstrations against the Student Fees.  Sadly, also, it could have been predicted that 'Rent A Mob' would once again be in attendance and that the peaceful students would be only in the background.  This has not helped their cause at all.  I was shocked though, that the security was so lapse around the Royals that they could have got so near to Prince Charles & Camilla.  I guess that their car would be bullet proof etc. but nevertheless, someone could have tried to attack them under the cover of the chaotic conditions.

Off to do some mundane food shopping, plus some Christmas shopping, today, so hoping it will not be too mad in the shops.

Thanks to OG as usual for great bird pics - they are always interesting, OG.  Sorry no time for inidividual replies at present. Hope you all have a good day.

Morning all - the thaw has continued overnight ... and bits of patio are beginning to appear from under the snow! Not so many birds around this morning I notice, so they must be finding it a bit easier today.

Thanks for more lovely bird photgraphs OG - I love the bluetit one and the gull on the arch is so cute ... not something I thought I would ever say about a gull, although I do like terns and kittiwakes!

margobird - lovely Christmas card ... just my kind of thing! I have a Jacquie Lawson advent calendar along similar lines on my computer!

jsb - thanks for the link to the photographs ... some beautiful shots there.

I hope all goes well for Alan and Hamish at the vet today.

Off to sort out the Xmas wrapping paper ... and the tree and decorations! I don't have to think about lunch today, as there is still some of my leek and potato soup left, so big bowls of that with big chunks of my homemade brown soda bread .... sorted! Is it lunchtime yet? :-))

Thanks to all for chat etc

Take care.

Hi everyone.

Appologies for the lack of individual replies but I'm grinning like something that grins a lot.  This is due to a pair of Tree Sparrows paying a visit and having a feed.  Temperatures are in the positive this morning and there's a gradual thaw.  My absolute best wishes to you all my friends.

Sorry this pic doesn't show both birds but its the best I could find from my frantic use of the rapid fire button.  :-)

Paul.

Morning all,

Thanks for all the chat and great bird pics from OG.

Just had a phone call from SIL in Tenerife where they are having a thunderstorm at the moment. It has been very hot there 31c at the harbour yesterday. The hotel they are staying at is only a quarter full because there were so many cancellations during the cold snap.

Temp here today has risen to 5.8c and any remnants of ice and snow are fast disappearing. I dropped Hamish off at the vets at 9am and he went in quite happily after I signed the consent form. I have to wait for the phone call now so wont be going anywhere today. LadyP has gone off shopping with daughter.

Hi Alan.

Hope your SIL is okay in the thunder storms.  All the best to Hamish, hoping all goes well today.

Morning all. Chilly here again today.

I'll catch up later but wanted to let you know Alan, thinking of you and Hamish at the moment while you wait to hear:)