Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 26 December 2021

LINDY Sorry that OHs golf was late being cancelled.....soggy ground and Ice do not mix well with golf!!

Our son hates gardening, & takes no interest. But a previous owner of the house must have planted a yucca, which has suddenly decided to flower! It's huge!! Picture taken through their misty conservatory window.

They have knitted tops on their postboxes, too!! This is a festive squirrel!

HEATHER – I wish the outside thermostat here would turn down. After a hot sleepless night (too hot even for a sheet), it has reached 31 C already at 8.30 am.

OG - I enjoy leftovers. Turkey roll finished and we have now started on the small cameo ham. I have been Googling for ideas for different salads. I added feta cheese & sundried tomatoes to trolley so there are more new salads to try and for OH to grumble at!

CC – Safe journey and enjoy your visit with brother.

LINDA – Rain? I do remember vaguely what that wet stuff is. . . My parents had a row of yucca in our back garden on the farm. We planted one in our front garden but when it thrived and grew too big OH removed it, alas. I love those bell flowers.

Too hot slaving over a hot computer, I am retiring to lounge – air con & books.

Annette - pleased you can visit your daughter easily and that the snow is minimal. However,, they are wise not to transfer her too early as presumably they want to make sure she is well on the way to a good recovery. You are doing a fantastic joh being able to stay up there and help out. Thinking of you..

OG - hope J's appmt goes will. Do hope you manage to have your Hogmanay supper even at lunchtime. Loved it when before the pandemic we would have a fun evening in a local hall and a traditional Hogmanay supper. Our minister is Scottish and he thought of the idea. We held it for about 3 years but now they have changed it to a quiz evening when we can meet properly again..

Brother and partner came down from Manchester today and we exchanged Christmas gifts. Didn't expect them till towards lunchtime but had a phone call about 10am to say they would be with us at about 10.30. Had a pleasant 3 hours with them before he wanted to get on his way before darkness descended..

We have now found out more about my OH's condition due to my Dau-in-law ringing the hospital and speaking to the consultant - which she knows due to working there for over 40 years - and we gave our permission for her to do so. Apparently it is twisted adhesions from an operation he had years ago. They think they are getting on top of it and it seems to be untwisting but we have been told it could go either way and may in the end need surgery. We await to see what happens, in the meantime we had a phone call to say we can't visit as someone tested positive for Covid on the ward and it was closed. Not sure if we can visit after the 7 days quarantine as the Trust has cancelled visiting throughout the hospital. Will be ringing tomorrow to find out more as he managed to ring us and said he had been moved to another ward. The saga continues.

Love the flowering Yucca and the post box, very festive.

Thanks for all your news always good to read what one is getting up to.

Lynette: I'm glad you're getting answers about your OH's condition. My best to him for a full and quick recovery. 

Lindy: That yucca plant is gorgeous! A friend on my FB page (who lives in England close to the Scotland border) had a photo of daffodils already popping out of the ground and starting to grow! It is utterly astonishing to me that you Brits can have plants blooming this time of year, when you are so far north of me. All of our vegetation is dormant, and the landscape is barren even in a mild winter.

AQ: I would surely send you rain if I could. I've had cold rain for the last month. I should be grateful, though, because it's been a mild winter so far by Indiana standards. Hope the polar vortex stays strong and keeps that Arctic air up there. I'll ask it to send you a little burst of cold to give you relief. Stay cool. (Yes, I talk to the polar vortex. LOL!)

Heather: I'll bet you turned the air blue when your house was so cold. I haven't had the heat on this season at all. All fuel (electricity, gas, oil) is extremely expensive here right now. I bought a very thick, warm, long coat with a luxurious fake fur lining during the Black Friday sale. I've been wearing it indoors, trying to put off plugging in the heater for as long as I can. 

Lynette, glad you're getting some answers about you poor OH, who seems to be getting more than his fair share of everything. Such a nuisance that covid is making things more difficult.

Diane, we have an unusual situation at the moment where warm air is being dragged up towards us from below in Africa . Its making it unseasonally warm & its now predicted that we will have the warmest New Year's Eve ever recorded! It's not that unusual though, to see the tips of the spring bulbs poking through - I have several patches of them & they're promising us that spring will come, eventually.

Fingers crossed for the space telescope over the next few days, as it deploys its shield against the sun. It sounds as if the scientists will be up at night worrying about it, as if the shield doesn't work then all is for naught.

I fell asleep on the sofa after lunch & woke after nearly 2 hours - must have needed it. Another busy day tomorrow, then we will cook something nice & have a glass of wine to see in the New Year which must surely be better than the last one, for most people.