Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 19 December 2021

AQ - What sensible offerings to your grandchildren. Pleased to hear that they became absorbed in their books. Happy reading to you with your chocs in front of you!!

OG - pleased to see that you are beginning to feel more normal.

Haven't put up too many decs this year as with the fairy lights around the room and some white led lights on the mantelpiece showing up the Nativity characters its enough, along with fresh flowers.

Colder and cloudy down here. Also a little damp. Went to our Carol Service last night and it was simple and short with the social distancing guidelines in place. Nice to be able to sing traditional Carols.

Lynette: I'm so sorry about your OH's physical issues. I hope the doctor's can help him and put him on the path to health. 

Lindy: Your Christmas tree is gorgeous! 

AQ: I am always so impressed by your grandchildren's curiosity and thirst for learning! I'm glad you enjoyed your holiday visit.

dibnlib: I'm glad you're enjoying that intricate puzzle. I'm sure you're much better at it than I would be! LOL I'm awful at spatial tasks. 

OG: Nice to see you!

Limpy: I loved that spider story. LOL!

Heather: I know what you mean. My general To-Do list gets longer and longer every day. Tomorrow during the Solstice, I'm going to pray that my productivity increases with the returning sunlight.

Annette: Sorry about the end of your long evenings. This time of year, the sun doesn't rise here until after 8:00 a.m. and it goes down about 5:20 p.m. I live in a "holler" at the base of a ridge (sharp hill) covered in towering old-growth trees. So by 3:30 p.m., the sun has set behind the trees and my patch is growing dark. I don't see much sun in the winter, and I start to feel like an owl. LOL! Glad you resolved your plumbing issues. Sending healing to your daughter. 

DIANE – It is mean of me to mention this – sunrise today 5.58 am, sunset 8.28 pm, sunny day, light breeze, max 22 C here near the beach.

This morn OH asked when was I taking down the tree? It does rather feel as if χmas is over! Yesterday I lazed, today a load of washing and a 2-hour nanny nap.

Next Doors’ fence was finished last Friday, except for the gate. It was quite windy on Sunday and the new panels rattled and clattered. Yesterday workmen returned and removed panels, made metal sawing noises, replaced panels. They were back again today but this Nosy-Lady cannot see what is happening. I must drive that way to the shops tomorrow!

Just a thought

Experience is yesterday’s answer to today's problems.

Our state opened borders some 2 weeks ago, having reached almost 80% double jabbed. From 1 or 2 covids a day, cases have increased each day, yesterday 154. Not many compared to UK & US but a lot for us. Testing stations can’t cope, waiting time up to 8 hours, cars snaking into distance. To solve problem, people coming from other states (those with higher case nos!) will only be tested 72 hours before they leave and NOT when they arrive if they have no symptoms & are double jabbed. Ahem, isn’t one of the aspects of Omicron is that one can have no symptoms? Our leaders, health & pollies, believe Omicron is no problem. We have to “live with covid”.

Last weekend a 19-year-old ignored his positive result message and went nightclubbing, thus putting 150 people in quarantine for χmas or perhaps even infected. The idiot is safely in a medi-hotel. Police investigating; $20,000 fine is possible. In TAS a positive traveller who escaped quarantine & caused half of TAS to be locked down, has been given 3 months in prison.

Ghastly, AQ. I'm sure we have plenty of idiots here, too.

Good Morning, Everyone. Dark as night here, still, and expecting it to be grey & misty when we can see!! 3 degrees again.

Glad to hear that AQ managed a nap to recharge her batteries and that the awful fence is finally finished. When we went to put a card through the door of a former neighbour of ours, we could see our old property at the top of the road - it's almost unrecognisable as two subsequent residents have each put in extensions. Now, the house next door has been sold, which used to share a lawn with us (we were tucked into a corner) - the new owners have put a new, ugly fence in which steals a big lump of lawn from the front of the house & makes it part of the back! It's ghastly!!

Guess that we've all been busy today!
I have put up a small tree in the dining room ( artificial). The large one is in the hall. I really didn't feel like bothering but was encouraged - ha ha - to do so by the children. By that, I mean the ones in their forties !
ANNETTE - I'm glad that your plumbing issues were sorted so quickly.
LYNETTE - Sending thoughts to you. I hope that your OH will soon get the help that he needs.
AQ - your OH sounds a bit like mine. He was not a Scrooge but he often said ' Bah Humbug' ..

Lynette:  I'm also sending good wishes for your OH.  It sounds like a really unsettling time for you all.

Heather:  Had two plumbers here from same company: One to sort out the thermostat control and the other to sort out sewer line. I should be able to take a shower today without being alternately scalded or frozen. :-)  

I've put up my table-top fiberoptic-lit tree;  it's ancient but still one of the prettiest I've seen. Doesn't smell though....   I'll be here for Christmas Day, but am heading to Arizona for a week first thing Boxing Day to visit daughter in the hospital and hang out with Ms. D during the school holiday while granddaughter gets some work hours in. I'll be in Phoenix and Prescott Valley (where it's going to be very, very cold). Brrrr.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Very Happy and Healthy New Year. Let’s hope that 2022 will see a return of Ospreys to many nests and especially to Loch Garten and that they breed successfully and have some healthy chicks.