Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 13 March 2022

A busy day so very tired now....

I see that the new webcam is now in operation at Loch Garten, although it is also a new nest, too, as the old tree was disintigrating. Let's hope there are soon ospreys in residence.

Made a massively big pot of spaghetti bol tonight and put several servings into the freezer for another time. Don't know what I'd do without the freezer.

A 'For Sale' notice has suddenly gone up on the elderly lady's house a few houses away from us: I worried about her at Christmas, if you remember. So I looked up the asking price of the house, which is on a generous corner plot - about £100,00 more than my OHs guesstimate! It is ripe for extending into a larger family sized property so I expect it will be snapped up by a developer. As far as I know, the lady has gone into the Care system which is a relief to us, really, as she was not coping.

OG – If I didn’t bake in hot weather, we wouldn’t eat home cooking from Oct/Nov to March! 34 C max today; please please the last of summer.

LINDA – You will be watching for new neighbours. “Generous block”. Any house on such a block here would be demolished & replaced by 2, or more, so-called town houses. With increased parking problems of course.

OH wandered in this morn, sat down and said “It doesn’t seem like Monday”. Maybe because it is Tuesday?

The good thing about getting older is if you don't want to do something you can say, I'm too old to do that! (Kate Summers)

You know you've aged when you read events you lived in a history book. (Will Ferrell)

At my age, I’ve seen it all, done it all and heard it all. I just can’t remember it all. (t shirt message)

AQ - I don't know about sil and fizz but your post made me Google the Bass Strait !

Good Morning. Sunny here, which is most welcome, although it was just on the cusp of freezing last night. Hard on the plants which are in bud and not sure whether to open yet!

AQ - I hope you soon get some relief from your high temps, I would be wandering around like a limp dishrag! Your OH is not alone, as we have to keep reminding ourselves where we are up to! It's possible that the house I mentioned might be demolished, as some have been in our town. It could, however, be stripped and knocked around to double it in size - at present it is 3 bedrooms & only one bathroom but it could become a very desirable pad for someone as we are within walking distance of the town centre here. We will have the fun of waiting to see what happens. (No such chance for us, as our bungalow fills our plot with the only chance to extend it being into the back garden which is not huge)

ANNETTE - you are always so busy - I don't know how you do it all with house, husband, family and garden (not in any particular order).

LINDA - male has arrived at Loch of the Lowes - earliest recorded for him. Been busy organising my fvaourites bar with 2022 links to the various sites to try to keep myself up to date. I hope the corner house will sell soon, so it won't become an eyesore in the street.

AQ - are you able to patiently correct your OH when he gets the day wrong, or does he get cross if you point it out to him that he got something wrong?

HEATHER - when I read AQ's question about Bass Strait I was trying to think why your SiL would have been filling the channel with beer from England!

Yesterday's lovely morning turned into a very wet afternoon - supposed to be showers but was continuous rain. After indoor chores, E-E is now out to greenhouse now for a bit more tidying - Geraniums were allowed to flower right through winter and into spring, so I have told him to cut them right back to shoot anew - if they fail, I was thinking anyway that it's probably time to get some new ones this year, these are ages old. Will try to get some of those baby plants next week and bring them on ready for planting - got some pots which need new plants as there is a lot of rubbish to fling (he doesn't yet know just how much!).

J didn't get much help from doc re knees - says it is definitely muscular not skeletal. I think his weight might have been mentioned again as he refused a piece of cake yesterday! Nothing on the job front. We all sat down with the census form last evening - over an hour online as my health section and J's employment section were so complicated (Scotland delayed a whole year due to covid in 2021).

Morning all:  My OH and I agreed that last Saturday felt more like a Sunday....wonder what causes those reactions..  Anyway, good to read that the ospreys are showing up in all the right places.

OG:  I have a bunch of pots but am thinking of not refilling them....  Will likely put a lot of succulent cuttings out on the curb; they  never last long out there.

AQ: Yes well, I can't imagine baking or cooking anything in those temps. Do you have a BBQ? Aren't all Aussie's supposed to 'throw another shrimp on the Bar-B?"  (An old ad here.)

Lindybird:  Our housing market is mad.  People are getting 14+ offers, all above the asking price, which is ridiculous to start off with.   And a realtor I know said 40% of the offers are cash!  Who ARE these people?

Got some things resolved yesterday, but there are some new items on the old list....

Annette: They aren't people. They're hedge funds, private equity firms, and other massive investment institutions. They're buying up the mid-market, single-family homes and driving up rent and house prices in future desirable communities. They're outbidding and pricing out individual buyers and sending rents skyrocketing. In a bidding war for a property, they win because they can pay cash up front. 

Diane:  Arghhh.  I did hear about private equity firms, although there seem to be a large number of families with young children buying them (inherited money?)

Two interesting Frontline programs tonight:  "Putin's War" and "Putin's Way."   Also, the US's former ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch was interviewed on NPR's "Fresh Air" today and also on the PBS News Hour.  I hardly recognized her, she looks so elegant compared to how she appeared during the Trump impeachment hearings..   I've just reserved her book Lessons from the Edge, also, Fiona Hill's autobiography There is Nothing For You Here.  She was part of the U.N. Security Council who also testified at those hearings.   Also got the new Michael Connelly mystery and another by Paula Hawkins.  

Got most to-do items done today - phew.

Have a good Wednesday everyone..