WEEKLY CHAT (NON-OSPREY) SUNDAY DECEMBER 27, 2020

Hallo all.  Re dishwashers, we just fill it up and run it whenever that happens.   Re gifts, my OH was fretting again that my hedge trimmer wasn't much of a 'gift' even though I wanted it.  I got it organized today, charged the battery and it's all ready to go.  Meanwhile, he's thrilled with the four-slice toaster, which seems to the job in record time. 

AQ: Re a previous 'thought,' what bothers me is that I eat light and healthy between New Year and Christmas but then undo it all just between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Went for a walk this morning and all kinds of bits were jiggling along behind.  

Heather:  I'm sure your gift from daughter wasn't mere wrinkle cream but a very exotic and expensive moisturizer. :-)    Maybe buy her a book on how to stay in shape as you age?  Just kidding.  

Lindybird:  A too-small hat and ice-defrosting spray for the car?  And no flowers either.  :-(    By the way, what made you decide on that lovely painting of the sailboats rather than one of the two you'd previously mentioned?  I love the winter-time photos.  I always liked walking in winter when I lived there - it's quiet and sort of contemplative time of year.

Diane:  Is it your computer or just online access?  We've been repeatedly bumped offline at certain times each day recently; the techy folks said it was simply that too many people were zooming, etc.  Do hope it's a comparatively easy fix.

OG:  Oh geez. No flowers for you either - and no houseplant - what does it take I ask!   Personalized signs on the motorways, as in  "Don't forget the flowers for your wife"?  That raspberry pavlova must've been wonderful - and chocolate cake too.  I've put on weight just reading about it.

A lovely sunset here tonight, with a storm working its way down the coast.   Grandson and partner are coming down tomorrow for lunch. I told him we had leftovers, etc., but he insists on bringing everything and will do all the work, 'so you don't have to do anything and can relax with a glass of wine."   What a sweetie he's turned into.  I'm very lucky.

Have a good Sunday all. 

  • By time I was up and about, it had turned into a more fiery sunrise:

  • This afternoon, the sun went in and everything became more ethereal:

  • Lovely pics, LINDY, thank you .
    A very quiet day here at home but that is OK.
    I wonder if PAT or any other radio listeners have noticed the increased repeats - it's the same with TV. I listen to both Radio 4 and the World Service am getting frustrated ! I hear something on one and then the same thing on the other, often only a day apart.
    ROSY - I am so glad that your son was able to give advice. Some folk seem to have a good GP service but all too often I hear the opposite, these days.
    OG - Good news that J is feeling better and that you have organised a routine that suits all three of you.

  • Lindybird: Lovely views from your house, especially that sunrise. As I've said before, they remind me of the view from my sister's house in Lincolnshire.  think Jacquie Lawson does the best e-cards - I sent some at Xmas and always get good feedback.  Thank you -I shall have to remember that for next New Year.   Re foghorns, I sort of like them, especially at night when I'm snuggled up in bed. Same with trains - here they  have that very distinctive 'American' sound as opposed to the somewhat harsh 'klaxon' tones they have in Europe.

    OG: Good luck with the menus - and the associated shopping!

    Heather: Yes!  I've been yelling "You told us that yesterday!" at the TV.  IWe're also getting a lot of un-news (which is fairly common on our network stations, which also tell us world-shattering events in about 30 seconds if we're lucky). The online news sites seem to be on the ball though.

    Thanks all for posts and thoughts.  Stay well.

  • HEATHER I have a friend who is a retired GP. She was not impressed by the service when she contacted her old practice recently,  Her words were "I don't know what they think they are doing, these days"

  • LINDA - lovely progression through dawn, sunrise, morning and later! Sunset seemed a bit sudden here this evening, but not horribly early - must have been a cloud sitting on our horizon! One thing I missing beng in a bungalow is not being able to see what happens behind the houses!

    I found an excuse to get decorations taken down this afternoon - I had agreed with Monday, then OH got an email to say Elders would meet "one day this next week" so I suggested that if we did it today, that would leave him free Mionday afternoon if it is that day! J then vacuumed where needed - mostly just polystyrene "crumbs" from the packing. He is now emptying the dishwasher!
  • First pictures were taken from our bedroom window, last two from the conservatory, over the hedge to beyond. When I was left this house by my mother, we weren't sure whether to sell, let it out, or save it for ourselves: I had been thinking that I liked the garden - not too big with too much work, but not so small that we would feel constricted. Also jam packed with my mothers much loved plant collection. My OH then put the lid on it by saying that he would love to live with the view!

    So, after a couple of years, we put our existing house up for sale and got this bungalow altered, plus once we were installed, the conservatory went up. It took another couple of years for our car to remember which way to point when I drove home, as it is not all that far from our other house, but in a different direction, from the main road! But we are both happy here, its near enough to the town to walk in, if necessary but with the feeling of being in the countryside. Now the other house, where we lived for 28 years, is just a distant memory of our bringing up the children. I go back at Christmastime to distribute cards to old neighbours and am always surprised by the new additions to the houses all around where we lived. Plus, our old house has now had three new occupants since we moved in 2003 and the first two lots made major extensions. Its almost unrecognisable.

  • Heather - Yes, far too many repeats, and on different channels. Sometimes (not often!) it works in my favour if I have heard a programme on World Service when I am not fully awake - I can then listen to it properly on Radio 4!

    I keep looking at my decorations (a tree standing less than a foot tall, now festooned in tinsel with a Santa decoration 'glittered' by my four year old great-nephew and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on the top instead of a star) and thinking I must put them back into their bag. But this afternoon the sun shone on the tree and it looked so pretty so I thought, 'Oh, just one more day ...' After all, I'm still in date!!
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