Will catch up later, but see the last page of yesterday's chat for updates from folks - including the last one from Diane!
Annette - not sure whether I will be able to take the "gold"home but can ask my dentist!!!!!!!!!!
Margobird - interesting reading about the sighting of the hoopoe, he is way off course. Do hope he survives what predicts to be another cold snap coming this week or gets away fast!! Don't normall do colds or bugs but somehow this year has been the year for colds. 3 in 3 months with this latest one a bit of a fluey type bug, although I must say I wasn't feeling to achey for long, its just left me with a bit of a barking cough etc. Never mind will let nature take its course.
Alan thanks for the news re the Dunedin cam will try it later.
Just looked in on the Barn Owl and there's two there.
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
RSPB Giving Nature a Home
Chaotic day! Sounded so simple to have the guys on the roof, but we had electrician plus five roof men. Loft ladder was down all the day, which blocked access to our bedroom and the en suite with my adapted toilet. They were in and out a lot of the time while putting the rail bolts through this morning, but at least it wasn’t too cold. Electrician had to be in electrics cupboard a lot of the time, blocking access to kitchen and dining room. I kept PCs off in case he switched power off, so nothing to do in the study. So all we could do was Christmas decorations! He didn’t actually make the final connection yet; he has to come back with some parts tomorrow.
Pleased the server switchover went okay this morning; I am finding the connection speed much faster. And thanks for all communications: four pages since I was last here! Am finding the connection speed much faster.
Lynette - sorry you weren’t quite yourself on Sunday, I hope the cold part of it is disappearing by now. Not good to be out of sorts when you want to get on with preparations for Christmas. Sorry about the dentist decision too. Lovely pics from Starr Ranch Barn Owl cam tonight, but sorry about the burnt dinner after your very busy day.
Annette – had the LG TV about a year now and the only prob was communication between it and the HDD recorder (also LG) but that eventually was solved by using helpline.
AQ – your summer temps sound quite erratic, but I suppose the “cooler” days bring some relief from the hotter ones. Just love the “reasons why …” post this evening (your morning). There are some of those things I would just love to do, and I have also often wanted to shout “fire” in a crowded store, just to see what would happen!
Joan – poor wee Harry, I can sympathise with his arthritis; if his feet are anything like mine, no wonder he finds it difficult gripping his perch! Cummertrees and Powfoot are very close to Annan. We often go down to Powfoot: that is where we like a Sunday afternoon drive, with hot chocolate and shortbread at the Hotel, and also an opportunity to use their loo, because we can’t face the public ones!
Margo – sorry about wee Rhys’s febrile convulsions. I understand they are quite common and do not usually have any long-lasting effect. I hope he will be better now. Thanks for posting link to the report on wild bird plots at RSPB Mersehead, it really is a great place to see Yellow Hammers.
Alan – I can understand you not wanting too many anaesthetics for the Thunderdog, but it sounds as if he is quite robust, and bounces back quickly. I hope the antibiotics are doing their stuff and he will get the “all clear” on Friday.
Auntie – pleased you managed to get “in the mood” for the shopping. But I know what you mean about the dilemma about clothes for cold outside weather and too-hot shops!
Paula – good to see you, and delighted that you can share the Pied Wagtail with your Sister; I have said before, anything I put on here is for sharing.
Alicat – thanks for the card, and I’m pleased your OH is doing so well on the tablets. Enjoy the Christmas lunch.
Hello to Sheila, Tiger, Chloe and anyone else I have missed out! Sorry this got so long. Will also get behind tomorrow, as I need to keep PC switched off until after electrician finishes, and then have routine blood test after lunch.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Diane: Indiana topped the national news tonight with horrible weather!! Stay toasty there with all those wild critters.
Hi everyone else; thanks for pix and posts. Take care!
Thanks, Annette. We've only got about 5 inches of snow on the ground now -- more due on Thursday. Temperature is 0F/-17C tonight. We got a lot of freezing rain before the snow began, so we didn't get the huge snow accumulation that some areas received, but it's cold.
When I tried to start the car yesterday, it took 3 tries. I was pleading with it to turn over. So now I've been starting the car every 8 hours or so. I'm not going anywhere, because I don't want to get stuck in a drift in this cold. I'm very tired anyway, and the weather is just giving me an excuse to rest and not do anything. :-))) I went to bed at midnight last night, and I didn't get up this morning until 11:00.
I do feel sorry for the wildlife and for the homeless and people who've had their heat shut off (due to nonpayment). The Indianapolis news said that people are sleeping on the floors in the homeless shelters with no room to move. The shelters are all filled way over capacity. Very sad.
I just checked the weather for Dunedin, Florida. It's below freezing there tonight, so the ospreys are probably very cold. Even the very tropical areas of southern Florida are getting extreme cold.
OG: I hope the work goes smoothly tomorrow and you don't have so much chaos to contend with. Sounds kind of hectic.
Hope Hamish and Harry the Budgie are improving. I'll catch up with everyone tomorrow. G'night from the cold prairie.
Hey Diane: 11 hours of sleep - you've probably been sleep-deprived for quite some time so it's good the weather is forcing you to rest. Looks like they've been out with military helicopters rescuing stranded drivers in Ontario. Also saw that it was colder in Florida that some parts of New England today - poor folks went south looking for sun and they were out at Disneyworld wrapped in coats and scarves - I think I heard it was 27F there? Amazing. Can't imagine how the homeless cope in the really bad weather; we have quite a few homeless here and some people complain bitterly about them spoiling the lovely Santa Barbara "scenery" as if they don't have a right to live in a nice environment too. I keep wondering when homelessness became so prevalent (it wasn't just the latest recession). When I was growing up, there was the odd "tramp", but they were very few and far between; now it seems these lost folks are everywhere - and not just in the U.S. And on that happy note, g'night all....
Morning, All: Goodness Me! I came on yesterday morning, & saw the Notice about the closing so went off to do stuff, and didn't come on again... now look how much you have all written!
I just glanced over it all, and am glad to hear that Harry the Budgie is OK, and Hamish recovering. Thanks to Alicat for the lovely snowy Christmas Card. Will read through it properly later, when I may come up with some more replies.
A day of grey skies here again, but snow forecast for tomorrow & Friday so we will be back to Square One, again, with the weather. Some seem happy to have a white Christmas Day, but that's only if you don't have to go anywhere!
Husband had some appointments cancelled yesterday afternoon, so we rang our Youngest, and got in the car to drive down for another cuddle with Sweetpea, at short notice. Not a bad journey, and we saw the sun go down in the countryside around Birmingham as we got nearer our goal. A lovely red blur over a hill, with pretty pink clouds around it.
Baby looking well, but Mum looking rather anxious - however, she soon cheered up when the Health Visitor arrived with some advice on feeding, and some reassurance. Unfortunately, the H. Visitor was rather late as she had been held up previously, so we all coincided & we had to stand back and allow all the tests and introductions and weighing to take place, which rather ate into our 'visiting time'. Nevertheless, Grandad had chance to have his picture taken holding Baby, and Grandma had a good cuddle & a chance to cure Sweetpea of the hiccups! He is , of course, just Gorgeous, and very cute, to boot.
Now must get on with mundane things such as visits to Banks and shops today, together with rooting out some of the Chr. decorations. Have a Good Day, All.
Good Morning ALL. Dry and slight frost this morning. I still have to go shopping today. Just three presents still to get.
Linda, So glad you were able to see your grandson and have a cuddle. I am one of those who just doesn't want a white Christmas. We have to travel, but think I should do some emergency Christmas food shopping, just in case we are snowed in and OH and myself find ourselves still here on or own.
I will catch up later with all your news but must get mobile and finish the shopping.
Hello One and All. A very dank day here with a very wet fog. Birds are tucking into the seed, including a robin which clings on to the perch and takes a peck or two before flying off. I guess he doesn't really like the way the feeder swings. Seeing the beautiful pictures of the barn owl reminds me that when Bro and I returned from Aunt's last week he suddenly stopped the car on the lane as we turned a corner. He had spotted in the headlights a barn owl sitting on a fence post. Wonderful. I cannot do my present wrapping until I have labels, but I really ought to finish the cards! A dilemma! But talking about it won't get either done, so bye for now. Keep warm if you are still enduring sub-zeros, and take care.
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
Diane – sorry to read about the bad weather in Indiana. Minus 17 sounds very cold. Keep safe and keep warm; I am pleased to see that the weather is making you rest and catch up on some sleep. Electrician couldn’t come today; the parts were en route from Leeds to Motherwell (passing within 5 miles of Annan!) for him to bring here and would take two days! Company has phoned the supplier and a second attempt will be delivered direct to us this lunchtime and he will come early tomorrow. We didn’t know this until 11 o’clock, so we had been dashing about (at my pace, anyway) to get stuff done, and then had to do things planned for tomorrow!
Annette – I remember Tramps as “Men of the road”, willing to do a few odd jobs for a warm meal or a cup of tea. I think of the current homelessness as just one aspect of the “alternative” lifestyle beginning in the 1960s, a sad part of the “me” culture of the second half of the 20th century, which encouraged people to leave what they had to seek more and end up with nothing.
Lindy – lovely weather here today; cold but no frost, bright sunshine, low humidity and very high pressure, so no sign of change yet. So good that you had the unexpected chance to visit Sweetpea. Pleased that Tomasz is doing well and that Health Visitor was helpful to the anxious new Mum!
Brenda – I can’t see much point to a white Christmas when we have already suffered early snow! I hope it stays away for you and others who plan to travel.
Sheila – sorry you have such dreich weather today: a good reason to stay in and do cards and wrapping. Couldn’t you make labels to save having to wait?
Annette, the Editor – have you noticed that I am making a big effort to use real punctuation, instead of dashes all over the place?!! But it slows my thinking – and I just used a conjunction to begin this sentence!!!
Hello all. Temp here now -14C but the mercury might drop to -25 tonight… but then we might get more reasonable figures, like just -8 or so at least for few days ( says she hopefully) Have a nice day all and take care ChloeB, yes the vertical rainbows were just like that only a bit wider, how cleaver of you to find that pic! AQ, you just made my day with that “Wednesday smile” absolutely hilarious LOL. Linda, great that you had a chance to visit Tomazs (and his parents of course)
They have opened the feeding cam in Estonia mms://tv.eenet.ee/nova (requires RealPlayer)
And for those of you who like WTEs, here is a link where you can see pictures of a young Finnish female satellite tagged sea eagle Hilkaa who has migrated to Estonia
my photos in flickr