Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 7 February 2021

HAPPY NEW WEEK! 

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy week!

White-Tailed Deer
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
US National Park Service, NPS/Pat Cohee
Photo labeled Public Domain/Copyright Free

  • Heather B said:
    Thanks LINDY, it has almost disappeared. However I have finally realised (!)that a!though my family have keys to this house, I wasn't making things easy if they had to get to me quickly. Apart from the intruder alarm, I had a,chain on the front door and was in the habit of locking the inner porch door which is one of those 12 glass panelled doors. So now don't put chain on and don't lock the inner door. They know the code for the alarm. I can't believe that neither they nor I had thought things through properly !!!!

    Oh, Heather. That takes me back to my mother.  She had this house locked up like 'Fort Knox' as they say. One day, as it was a Saturday and I was going shopping,  I rang to see if she needed anything: we lived on the other side of town, ten minutes by car. When she answered the phone, she was speaking in a totally garbled way -- I immediately said "We're coming over".

    We dropped everything and drove here, me clutching the keys to the front door. But there are two front doors, as there's a porch. I could only open the outer door and bang on the inner door. My OH said look around the back and I could see my mother laying on her bed, but could not attract her attention. He got a huge rock from in the garden and tried to break the glass on the inner door. It was unbreakable (so if you've ever wondered, yes, it can't be broken).

    Eventually we could see my mother approaching through the glass; she had made a superhuman effort to walk and to undo the door. We fell inside and could see right away that she'd had a stroke. By the time we'd called her doctor and he arrived, she was much worse. She was taken to hospital and sadly it was the beginning of eight years of struggle for her.  It taught me to give our family copies of ALL the keys to our house.

  • Morning all:

    Lindybird:  What a horrible experience.  I too find myself focusing on the bookshelves behind various talking heads, also their ornaments and pictures on walls.  We have a couple of regular correspondents on PBS whose cats show up now and then...

    Heather:  I lost the plot again and missed your dizzy spells, but it seems they've passed (permanently I hope). But you did think things through, just not everything at the same time.

    OG: Decisions made by committee are rarely satisfactory; glad to see you have wrested control of the menus again.  :-)

    AQ:  My poor house has had too many licks and promises over the last months, so this is a grand effort that should carry us through to....   You can arrange a visit for me (you're paying, right?) once Covid is done. I want to try some of those cafes around and about that you've mentioned and maybe a trip up into the hills?  Oh dear, re those sayiings, my OH 'fixed' a hook in my bathroom door yesterday....

    PatO:  Gosh, I'm a tennis fan, but am clueless about Kyrgios and Thiem.  I wonder if they're planning on normal Wimbledon this year...

    Am going to start on surfaces in kitchen and 'my' room in a minute, then when OH reaches full operating capacity around 10 an, I'll have him help move some furniture.   Here goes.

  • Just lost a post. My own fault. If I'm not back here this evening I'll report in tomorrow.
    Thanks for kind thoughts !
  • Pat: 

    I can explain how to upload photos to this thread from a computer, if you're interested. Only if you want to, follow these steps:

    (1) Click "Use rich formatting" underneath a reply box (next to "Reply to thread").

    This will take you to a new reply box with more options. 

    (2) Click on "Insert" in the top row of menu items.

    (3) Click on "Insert image/video/file."

    A box titled "Insert image/video/file" will pop up. 

    (4) Click on "From" and click on "File upload."

    (5) Click on "Browse."

    This will take you to your own computer. Just go to your folder where you store your photos.

    (6) Click on your chosen photo and then click on "Open" in the box.

    The photo will upload and appear in the box. 

    (7) Click on "Ok."

    Your picture will then appear in the Reply box. Just click "Post" as you normally do. 

    NOTE: Your photo will appear on the thread in small size (320 x 240 pixels), but folks on the thread can then click on the picture to enlarge it--like we do with Lindy's pics.

    If your photo was very large, it might look funny when it's forced into that small size. If so, you may need to resize it before you attempt to put it on this thread. Most computers have a program (such as Paint) where it's really simple to resize pictures. I can explain that if you don't know how. 

    Somebody else can explain how to upload photos to this thread from your smartphone. I don't have a good relationship with my phone. LOL


  • Heather: I'm glad you're feeling better. I hope the vertigo disappears.
  • Diane - Thank you so much. I'll try it out - but not right now. My brain goes to sleep very early these evenings, and my body follows soon afterwards! Promise I'll try it, hopefully tomorrow.
  • PAT – Victoria’s lockdown began at 11.59 pm. The match you were watching was earlier. All matches for the next 5 days will be crowd-free, except for players’ support and essential officials. I’m glad to see T won as I do not like K’s bad behaviour. I would slap severe bans on players when first they “misbehave”. It is the main reason why I no longer watch tennis.

  • LINDY, That was a very distressing experience. When my OH was in hospital, I left the chain off the front door.
    My OH is rather obsessional about security, but if I was on my own, I think I would not put the chain on.

    Glad you are feeling better, HEATHER.

    Many of those bookshelves look so contrived. I read or saw something about a company that supplies to order.

    ANNETTE, OG, I agree that decisions made by committee are rarely satisfactory - and then the same things come up at the next meeting.
    My efforts with the recycling were approved, but some of the committee were a bit reluctant as they thought we would have too many bins. I was acting on behalf of the residents who are very happy about it. At least we can have a trial period.
    I really am the Bin Queen. The compost containers have not arrived yet, as they are made in Germany, and have been
    delayed due to Brexit.
  • Faith makes all things possible. Hope makes all things work. Love makes all things beautiful. May you have all three. (Anon)
    A beautiful thought, AQ. Love the one about the wallet too.

    Lindy - always nice to see a vase of daffs - spring not too far away

    Diane - no doubt you will eventually get your jab. Its the same here all over 65's plus key workers and the vulnerable. Takes time but will happen.
  • not been listening to the impeachement goings on but no doubt they will be broadcast on the News bulletins as and when something happens. It will be interesting to see what the outcome is.

    Not sure whether I mentioned it but OH had to have a Covid test last Tuesday and it came back positive so we are isolating for another 10days. Dau's isolation is up at the weekend so will be able to pop out to get me mainly some lemons for Tuesday, hadn't realised it was pancake day, its come about fairly quickly. Love pancakes with lots of lemon juice and sugar, mmm.