Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 4 April 2021

PatO and LINDY .. so sad that the frost has damaged the beautiful blooms

Good Morning. Yes, dibnlib, sad but sometimes unavoidable. We've had quite a few years lately without the frost spoiling the early blooms.

Pat, we are on the phone preference but it doesn't stop foreign calls. I'm told the only way is to have Caller ID where you can see who's calling and reject calls, but it won't work on our cable service. My sis in law finds it useful. We do have a screen on our phone which shows the number calling, but you're never sure if it's a genuine caller until you answer.

An unexpected weather forecast of 22 C max had me out with camera. It was cooler beside the beach. The walking track beside the esplanade was like “Rundle St on χmas Eve”. Mostly walkers, a few bikes , nearly everyone had a dog. This was one of my captures at Henley Beach, named Dream, it represents a barrel wave.

From the side

Yes the "seat" is a surfboard.

I like gardening — it’s a place where I find myself when I need to lose myself. (Alice Sebold)

A weed is a plant that has mastered every skill except for learning how to grow in rows. (Doug Larson)

A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.

Friday again, and I am days behind! No problem with the vaccinations on Wednesday, just serious pain from getting in and out the car – left me very tired.

DIANE – wishing you and your car a safe shopping trip today, especially safety from the anti-mask people.

AQ – more lovely quotes from you! Nice that you could get some time out with the camera beside the sea – interesting beach art.

HEATHER – I would guess that the accumulated items in your Daughter’s house are due to two young people passing from childhood to adulthood during those years! I hope she will soon find a decent new place to rent.

LINDA – sorry about the flare-up in the second knee. Take care not to put extra strain on the other one.

DIBNLIB – how kind of your friend to send you flowers- they do look good.

ANNETTE – pleased it has been a good visit from Daughter and Pup – sorry about the doggie’s puppy ways – maybe she will grow out of mischief soon. Nice that you are getting a few days to re-charge your batteries while they are away!

Have enjoyed reading all the posts (to the accompaniment of the vacuum cleaner while OH cleaned the dining room). Another clear blue sunny day here – and not quite such a cold start. Had a Siskin on one of the feeders yesterday – first we had seen this year; he ate a lot of seed etc, then nuts and finally a drink of water before he flew. Hope he will stay around here, but he may have been en route further north.

In reply to Pat O. We have a BT phone that stops nuisance calls. It is a BT8500 Advanced Call Blocker. It is a digital cordless phone with Answering Machine. It has a facility called Call Guardian which intercepts calls from all numbers that are not in your contact list. The caller has to record a message which you listen to before deciding whether to take the call. Most cold or pest callers don’t even help leaving a message. Still appears to be available from BT. Hope this is helpful.

Suddenly heard the news mid morning, when I was amidst doing several things at once -- immediately rang Sue who is an avid royalist. She was in shock and about to ring me. We both think that when The Duke came out of hospital, he knew he was going home to die. Presumably they had said that they could do no more for him. But even if it was expected, The Queen must be in deep mourning for her long time partner in life.

Edit: What a character he was. What a life!  R.I.P.

Morning all: A good long life for Prince Philip. Will be interesting to see if the Queen hangs up her crown, but I somehow doubt it.

AQ: Totally agree with the first quote about gardens.

My first thought when J told me what he had heard on the radio was "He can't. He's always been there".