WEEKLY CHAT (non-osprey) Sunday, May 14 2023

Where is everyone? I have been out photo-ing stained glass windows. It's History Month. See you tomorrow

I have been busy this morning going over and tweaking the lesson I have prepared for the French group this afternoon. It’s all about internet use. How long do we spend on it and what do we use it for? I have some good research about what the French do. It will involve some interesting vocabulary - vocab which didn’t exist when we all learned French!!
Will be back later to reply to everyone.

Sorry - been busy! More gardening & also sorting out some stuff found in our loft when I went to put all my banners & flags away, from the Coronation week. How one thing leads to another!

Sunny here & no sign of the possible 'heavy showers' predicted. My OH got his hedge trimming machine out & attacked a big shrub which is trying to take over in one corner. He made a huge amount of green waste, & then had to go to the Tip with it. I had to supervise for part of the time as the shrub has some clematis intertwining, so I will have to delicately cut around the parts where they're married together.

Rusty - Your French classes sound really interesting. I hope that your IT problems are going to be sorted. Good to see that the drama is hopefully over at LoTL now the chick has been successfully fed. They do need a lot of luck to reach adulthood.

OG - Nice for you all to go to church together.

AQ - Lovely for you to have a family visit for M. Day. Enjoy your chocs!

Morning all:  Last week was nonstop with Not Much accomplished apart from my being tired and more than a little exasperated.  Was out with Ms Pearl (daughter's dog) on Saturday.  Ms. P is still somewhat reactive, so we try to avoid certain situations.  Was almost back to the car when I spied a lady with a big dog about to cut across our path.   I changed directions, but then she changed directions twice more (aaack! make up your mind lady!) and I did the same, but then before Pearl finally spotted the dog and lunged toward them, yanking me around and wrenching my hip.  Rude words (to myself) ensued.  No problem dogs; just problem owners.    .  

Rusty:  Will be interesting to see how many of the tech-related French words are anglicized - or should that be English words francisized??    Seems like things are looking up at LOTL

OG: Sounds like a good Sunday for you all. Maybe J is testing the waters at your church.

Diane: Have just finished reading A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America and the Woman who Stopped Them  by Timothy Egan (The Worst Hard Times and The Big Burn).  It's set in Indiana in the 20s, but - depressingly - the backstory relates all too well to many places in today's U.S.

Apparently, they are French Marigolds - I always thought they were the taller ones, but had it the wrong way round! Have to net them for the first few weeks as the Starlings like to peck shoots off; they seem to taste some sort of antiseptic quality for their nests! Another mostly sunny day - no rain but no gardening as it was cleaners day. Hoping E-E can treat the lawns tomorrow. Plenty of baby Starlings around now - and adults spending a lot of time splashing in the water feature.

French seemed to go well. I started with a short dictation followed by a discussion of our personal use of the internet. Then I gave out a survey of 5 different French people talking about their internet use which led on to a discussion of other apps and sites and their pros and cons. I was amazed how much people had to say in French for 2 hours. Annette - some words are almost the same - for example a text is un texto.
Also Annette - the end of the dog walk seems to have been a bit of a nightmare. What a shame.
OG - I am pleased you have baby starlings to watch. Shame the adults like your marigolds though!!! It was nice that you all went to church together and that it was a good service.
Lindy - you have both been busy with your gardening. Well done. What a lot of waste you created though causing a trip to the tip.
AQ - your trip out to photograph the stained glass windows sounds good. I have never had much luck taking photos of them. I can never get the colours to come out as striking as they are. How do you manage?
I have an appointment for my covid booster at 8,44 in the morning!!!!! I didn’t choose that time. It just came in a letter. Fortunately it is not far - just in a local church hall. I fear I might get caught up in the school traffic though.

Some "chat" to read this morn. I hope to get back later. Washing first. . . and, umm, there is activity to watch next door. Maybe the crane is back!

Good Morning. Dry and almost sunny, here: reasonably dry weather forecast so I'll have to hunt for something to throw in the washer, quickly!

The garden looks better for it's haircut- my OH cut the hedge at the bottom and some shrubs, & trimmed the edges of the lawn which tries it's best to spread itself across the paths. I was worried that he was doing too much, though, as he has also been super busy at the allotment lately. I have to keep pointing out that he's not 35 years old anymore! He did ache a bit afterwards, so perhaps he'll take it a bit easy now.

I'm off for my haircut on a different day of the week to my usual, as my hairdresser, who works from home, is off on a holiday soon. She's very excited about it so I'm expecting her to be even more animated than usual!!

Things Were Happening next door today. A ginormous crane arrived - when extended it was much much higher than the previous one. The piles of stuff on their front lawn appear to be less. Of course we can’t see what is happening in their back yard.

Dreary day. Washing did not quite dry.

Yesterday I joined a tour of the stained glass of St Matthew’s church, Kensington. Opened 1849, it was a fairly early church. One window is as old as the church, others date from 1912, 1976, 1991 & 2012, so a variety of styles. The guides had researched & explained the windows which were busy with symbolic motifs. When I have processed my photos, I shall post them on flickr and give you the link.