Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 6 June 2021

Hallo all;:  Site was very slow again today, but have caught up with everyone's news.  

I also saw the news reports on the plague of mice afflicting farmer in OZ.  It looked horrendous and obviously drastic measure were called for.  I hope they work.  

Lindybird:  Gorgeous photos.  Sounds like Toffee will need some training and/or time before he's trusted off the leash again.  Has Sue's problematic neighbor moved out yet?

AQ:  If travel friend not able to travel anymore, would you consider - at the appropriate time - going with a group?  Any such trips on the horizon?

OG: Sorry your leg is grumbling about your PC.  Any news on that Swedish gizmo?

Back to sorting photos.  Have a good Wednesday everyone.

OG & DIANE - The mouse plague in NSW, now in 8th month, is not over, just as bad as ever. Mice are eating grain, stored or still on stalks, hay bales, fresh shoots as they appear, electricals in tractors, etc. Uncover anything and mice scatter, 100s, 1000s. There is talk of poisoning but it’s costly. However there are claims that native fish (Murray cod) are eating the mice and the poison will enter the food chain. Also galahs & other seed-eating parrots eat the poisoned grain. It is winter now, farmers are dreading the spring when the mice start breeding.

ANNETTE – Travel Friend is quite happy to drive herself alone wherever within our state. (Crossing borders at the wrong time can lead to unwanted lockdown if there is another covid outbreak.) I had considered a bus trip after I have second jab. Two reasons why not. One, there are no day trips on offer that I have not already done, some places several visits. Two, when I mentioned possible bus trip to Doc (who knows date of my next jab), he frowned, shook his head and said “It’s a confined space”. This latest Delta variant is being transmitted by people just passing each other briefly. Too scary a risk.

Any thoughts we would go out to dinner tomorrow have been curtailed by chosen venue changing to winter times. Only dinner Friday to Sunday. Back to search engine. But probably weather too miserable to venture out anyway.

I like my money right where I can see it: hanging in my closet. (Carrie Bradshaw)

A thing of beauty is a joy – until the style changes.

When in doubt, do without. (Samuel ben Hofni)

AQ: I thought that mouse plague looked very bad. I hope your country will find a solution. Such an awful catastrophe.

Also, I know you don't need my approval, but you're absolutely, positively correct about that Delta variant. It's going to be the dominant strain almost immediately, and it's uniquely (so far) dangerous. It's beginning to spread here in the US, too. Scary. Rest and build up your energy, and I hope you can take trips later in your winter. I know they would be good for you.

I've had rain, rain, and more rain. I wish I could send it to you and Annette.

Couldn't get on here (again...) this morning.

AQ - Sorry you've missed out on a meal out. We saw scary videos of the mice running in all directions, in their thousands. What a huge problem. And I wouldn't be able to sleep unless I'd sealed up all the doors to my room, even though I'm not afraid of mice or rats at all.

A very muddled day here: my OH has taken out the toilet in our downstairs bathroom, in readiness for a new piece of flooring being installed on Friday. He's now going to line the floor with hardboard- he wouldn't let anyone else do it. So there are bathroom things all over the house, and a toilet sitting in the hall!

He took an hour off to go to the funeral of his golfer friend who died recently, just after enjoying his day on the course. A very nice service, he said, with modern music and no hymns. As usual, a relative tried to read out a meaningful poem but failed as she was too upset to get the words out. We think that someone not related should be nominated for this job as we've seen it happen so often.

I've been ironing and trying to keep order in the chaotic scene here-- I'm also packing to go to Wales again at the weekend, as although we don't know when the flooring man is coming on Friday but we hope to leave once he's done.

Strange weather here today - hot and humid. No news about carseat gizmo, or Kitchen continuation - both these due to ordering parts. E-E saw painter yesterday. New date in diary - will try to be optimistic that he will actually appear. I have telephone consultation appt with Rheumatologist - on a Saturday at the end of the month.

E-E ordered a kettle from Argos this morning - click and collect - so he has gone to Carlisle to fetch it and (clever me) visit M&S Food next door because I just happened to write a list this morning for our next visit there. (I had no idea he would be going as intention had been to order the kettle from John Lewis, but Argos turned out £20 less! Most unlike me to buy something just for the style and how good it will look in the kitchen! We did consider a smart tap delivering boiling water, but decided it was not a safe thing to have at our age - but we are enjoying our plumbed filtered and chilled drinkng water tap.

LINDA - I hope Sue will keep Toffee on his lead now. One of the problems of a rescue dog - you just don't know whether it is at all trained - or if giving it a new name, how long it will take to recognise it. So when you go to Wales, will you be leaving the toilet sitting in the hallway?

I've forgotten other intended replies; forgive me.

Have been reading but not posting for the past we while. Truth is I have tried to post some garden pics but have not been able to had a big sulk.

Thank goodness Sue caught up with Toffee. No doubt Toffee will be kept on the lead for a while now. Next time she tries, it is probably best she has company!

AQ:  Didn't realize you had scavenger fish in Oz (though I did read Bill Bryson's book).  That's a real conundrum with the mice given the poison/food chain complication, which is only obvious when you think it through....  How about a plague of cats as an alternative?  Sorry , I'm being facetious.  Is anyone worried about all that dried up feces from the mice that might set off cases of Hantavirus?    Speaking of viruses, I can't get my head around the new politically correct Covid names; still, with ignorant people ganging up against innocent people with an apparent regional identity, I guess it makes sense.  A bit late though.   I've read the Delta variant is more contagious, but I wonder about the 'just walking by' theory. I also read the Pfizer vaccine and mostly like the Moderna versions are 88% effective against that particular strain; still these strains do keep evolving.....  Re Samuel ben Hofni:  He'd clearly never been to Costco. :-)

Lindybird:  Think of the toilet caper as a fitness opportunity (assuming you now have to use an upstairs loo).  Hope the weather in Wale is kind and that those noisy folks have departed by then.

OG: Hope your chic new kettle performs as well as it looks.

Heather:  I assume the neighbors who arrived home late aren't the same ones who were doing night-time remodeling last week?

We are going out to dinner tonight to our favorite fish place thanks to a gift voucher from daughter and g'daughter (for a past birthday/anniversary.....we can't remember which...)

Take care everyone

PS: Has anyone seen the videos/photos of that adventuresome herd of elephants in China?  :-)  The last one of them having a family nap is so sweet.

Yes, I saw the travelling elephants. Aw!!

I thought it would do me good to have to keep going upstairs for the loo, but truth be told it plays heck with my knees having to come down again. Ho hum. Not sure what will happen to our travelling loo : if there's no time for it to be put back I guess it will have to become part of our decor!! LOL!! It's all down to what time of day The Man arrives & how long it all takes him.

Toffee is now being walked on his lead until he looks more attached to Sue. We did think it was rather discombobulating for him to be whisked off to Wales when he'd only just got used to Sue's house, but then we hadn't the heart to say anything as she had not had a break away from home for over 18 months. She badly needed to get away after the dreadful business with her neighbour. Toffee loved the big expanse of beach which was probably a new experience for him. Now we're all counting the days until she (the neighbour) moves out- she's going to live on the South Coast which is a nice long distance away.

Dibib: sorry you've had a few swearywords over trying to post pics. Sometimes mine won't post so I go back to them and trim the edges a bit, it seems to help. Especially if they are somewhat dark pictures, must have more pixels in them or something.

Annette, have a lovely meal out.

OG - Enjoy your new kettle!