Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 25 June 2023

HAPPY NEW WEEK!

I hope everyone has a week of joyful, serene summer days.

I posted a couple of replies at the end of last week's thread. I read with interest all of your news throughout the week, and I apologize for not replying to everyone. I've been ill this week, and I haven't accomplished much of anything. Sorry, folks, for this negative start to the thread. I usually try to write a positive post.

Have a good week, all.

  • I am just “having a moment” re Microsoft PowerPoint!!!! May I have a mini rant? I am all set to continue with a presentation I am preparing. I have got it on the screen and have attempted to insert a photo. It keeps saying “PowerPoint is not responding” Aghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I have shut my computer down (on iPad here) and am restarting it. Wish me luck.
    In the meantime, it is French this afternoon so that will be a pleasant 2 hour interlude
    By the way Pat - great crested grebe in the NEC. That’s good. Thanks for your sightings. Shame about the food.
    AQ - glad you got out for your tasty meal.
    Lindy - hope you are having a pleasant morning out in Wales.
  • Thank you DIANE . I'm so sorry that you have been unwell - hope that things,are improving.
  • Also saw the tornado coverage in Indiana, but think it was southeast of Diane....

    Glad AQ got out. Re hotel food for PatO - kinda spoils the time away.... :-( Rusty: Good luck with Powerpoint!
  • AQ: Thank you! Yes, I'm ok. Yesterday was stressful here. My area had twisters in the sky when the storm front arrived, but not yet on the ground. I had hail the size of ping pong balls just briefly. As the front moved east, through central Indiana, the storms intensified, producing ground tornadoes and frighteningly large hail. Many communities saw hail the size of tennis balls and larger! The National Weather Service frantically warned people of the danger to children, pets, livestock, and wildlife from the hail. This was a big front that created lots of damage. I'm lucky. Thanks for caring.

  • Out of respect, I should have noted that people were injured and there was at least one death. Emergency teams are still conducting search and rescue at tornado sites.
  • Oh Diane, how frightening for you, I cannot imagine ,those dreadful Hailstones, but so pleased you are safe, and hope you are feeling a little better healthwise Bless you.

    Of course commiserations for anyone injured.

     

  • Update on food - This evening was coq au vin (but don't think there was much vin around!) And mashed potatoes. 'No vegetables?' I asked one of the servers. 'No'. she said. So I had hot(ish) meat and potatoes and cold salad leaves. Then dessert - Strawberry Pavlova sounded good ... but it was a sort of Swiss roll with something pink inside it which tasted of absolutely nothing - and not a sign of meringue. Some fruit salad helped, as it was very dry. Not impressed!

    Rusty - Saw A mixed flock of Canada and greylag geese this morning. Things are getting better!
  • Pat - I can’t believe that food!!! I suppose it depends on how much the people organising the conference are prepared to spend. But no vegetables- that’s ridiculous. Good news re the geese.
    Diane - I am pleased you are OK. Even the weather you had sounded scary. I have great sympathy for those who were badly affected.
    Good news here. After a coffee for me and a half hour rest for my computer, PowerPoint decided to work again and I got a bit more of my talk done.
    French this afternoon was fun. We started with a dictation of some song words and then sang the song. We then tried to interpret the message of said song. Next we did sone exercises using the future tense. I have an article here to read looking into the future. It is about flying taxis in the Paris area. Until I have read it, I can’t be sure whether it is serious or tongue in cheek.
    Finally, I have found out why the fatballs I put out for the birds are disappearing so fast. The culprit - a magpie which can land on the feeder and take huge chunks out of the fatballs. I don’t mind the wood pigeons hoovering up the crumbs which fall but to raid big chunks is another thing.
  • DIANE – Pleased you are safe but sad for those injured and worse.

    PAT – If our bus trip had a dinner “included in the tour price”, the food was very mediocre. The hotels could not cope with 30 people and provided a set menu or choice of two. Far too often with the latter they would dump the plates alternately around the table. Too bad if you don’t like roast and want the fish, unless you can swap with someone nearby. Dessert was likely to be fruit salad out of a can. When we were on interstate trips, there were no “included dinners”. A group of us would wander down the street and choose a restaurant, thus I have dined at Thai, Indian, Italian, South African, to name a few.