Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 12 June 2022

If you are interested in Aussie birds, here are some Tasmanian birds photo-ed by an extremely patient photographer.

Headline:- “There’s no end in sight to high lettuce prices. Could the solution be to grow your own?” Shock! Horror! What is the world coming to! Fancy expecting the modern Young’uns actually growing their own food! Aussies have been told to expect to pay up to $12 (£7) for a single lettuce after floods in eastern states. Hotels suggesting replacing lettuce salad with cole slaw, have not been popular. Definitely a first world problem.

Just a thought
Grandfather had a farm, his son has a garden, and his grandson has a can-opener. {Prochnow)

It's been said here, AQ - chopped cabbage, anyone, with their burger?

Good Morning. Dull & cloudy here, but expected to clear later: where we're off to in Wales is supposed to be less hot than most of UK so we're hoping for it to be just pleasant. I'm throwing stuff together to take with us, including funnily enough, a lettuce growing in a pot which I remove a leaf from now and then.

Today's quotes:

Old age is when your wants turn into wents.

I don't want to achieve immortality through my work, I want to achieve it by not dying. Woody Allen.

Nice and sunny here. Got to get to grips with the garden today. I cut my first bunch of sweet peas the evening I returned from holiday. I do love them and make the effort to grow them every year. I also had the first home grown strawberries of the season for dessert yesterday. Very nice and sweet I am pleased to say.
Lindy - enjoy your trip to the caravan. On the Welsh weather forecast just now they said it would be cooler at the coast.
Dibnlib- thanks for the information about the coos. They did have a notice at the front about the charity. I guessed the chain link one wasn’t part of it but it amused me!!!

RUSTY

Envy your the sweet peas. I do love them and the smell is so nice. We had reasonable sweet peas a few years ago, but with no success since.

There are a few chain coos around and they look almost life like.

Dibnlib - I observed the birds eating the buds on my sweet peas several years ago so I now make steamers out of tin foil!!! It seems to do the trick as very few bids are eaten now, Its all very time consuming but, for me, it is worth it as I so love sweet peas. I have been out tying them in just now and must go back and water and feed them soon. It’s warm out there. I see from the Loch Garten nest that is is pouring down up there.

I grow sweet peas, too. Although last year's were disappointing.

We are back in Wales, and it felt as if it had been a long time since we were here, as so much has happened lately. Warm but not hot - we noticed that it became even more overcast as we came into the mountain area. Not too much traffic today, but I expect it will be very busy on the roads tomorrow because of the hot weather.

Just a quickie on the health front. Had a letter from Oxford yesterday saying they are putting me on the waiting list for a procedure. Also one from my doctor's saying they are referring me to the sleep apnea clinic, so its the waiting game now.

Rusty - pleased to hear your birding trip went well and that you were able to visit LG. Great news that there are 2 chicks. Love the pictures of the best dressed Highland cattle.

Diane- again keep ,cool during your excessive heatwave. I think we would welcome some rain here but it isn't going to happen for a day or so yet.

Lindybird - another literary piece about the Strawberry Moon - love it.

Hopefully my gardener will be along tomorrow to plant the cypress trees and bamboo which arrived the other day. Also he is doing some planting of other items so once its done the garden should look a whole lot better than it does at present.

LINDA – If your lettuce in a pot was DownUnder, it could be a pot of gold!

LYNETTE – Some progress (of sorts) with your health at last.