Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 3 September 2023

Evening all: Cleaned the house this morning; wasn't planning to, but one thing led to another. Did manage 3 hours in the garden chair this afternoon. Our massive Chinese Elm has started dropping its (millions?) of seeds, a three-month long annual event. They are very light and the slightest breeze sends them wafting down onto the patio, hour after hour, like snow, and when you try to sweep them up, they waft off somewhere else. Thank heaven the tree people are coming in a few weeks.

Heather: Oh my gosh - Amy is all grown up and headed out into the world. How wonderful.

Cirrus:  Nice to see you!

Rusty: Maybe your friend's activities haven't included mowing lawns, etc. That fatigue is a real pain in the derriere when you're used to going nonstop.

Clare: Tell me those 1,700 photos weren't from Sunday's outing! I had to Google HAARP. Enjoy your summer days.

dibnlib: Well from what we've heard about Erica, I doubt bad weather will deter her from her skydiving ambitions. Hope she can arrange another date soon.

Lindybird: Two lawnmowers? That's ambitious. Is he planning on driving them both at the same time? :-)

Have a good Monday everyone.

Unknown said:

I had to Google HAARP.

So did I!  It's the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program.  Phew, what a mouthful.

Unknown said:

Tell me those 1,700 photos weren't from Sunday's outing!

They were indeed.  I took 749 photos ...... Limpy took nearly a thousand.  It's been a while since I got that carried away.  My finest moment came on our first day at Bempton Cliffs last year - I took more than 1,460 photos in one afternoon!  The wind direction meant that the gannets were flying straight towards me as they came in to land - they are my favourite seabird and I just kept snapping.  Just awesome.

 

Morning. It’s HOT already, I have just been out watering my pots before the sun gets to them. I have also done a bit of deadheading. Now I feel weary again!!! I agree with you Annette about this post covid fatigue being a pain in the derrière. Talking of French. The group resumes this afternoon and I volunteered to take the first lesson!!!! I found a very interesting article in a French magazine about one of the gardeners at Monet’s garden. I have made up some questions to go with it. I also set homework for everyone to write a paragraph in French about a garden they like to visit be it a large one like Kew or a friend’s garden. Then I found an article about the top 15 gardens in France. I have printed that off for us to read. I hope it will be a pleasant 2 hours with nothing too taxing or intellectual for the first session back. NB. I did all that prep before my holidays fortunately. I have also written 3 A4 pages in French about my visit to the Hebrides to read to the group. I have no doubt that other members will have done the same about their holidays.
I hope everyone has a good week.

RUSTY Well done to you, that all sounds very impressive.

HEATHER – re Amy – how time has flown! Sounds like she has a real calling to that work – well done, Amy. You must all be so proud of her.

DIBNLIB – so pleased the jump will still take place.

LINDA – quotes added to my stock! Thanks.

CLARE – glad you two had a good visit to Titchwell reserve – and photos to remember it by.

RUSTY – not a lot of time available yesterday, but I sat and watched OH hoe the back shrub border and then slap some protective paint on the raised bed surround. We had mist early today – no wind to disperse it – but now back to summer – doing quite well for several days now. Sorry you are still struggling with the covid fatigue. Wow – all that preparation for your French group – and gardens making it such an interesting session.

CIRRUS – good to “see” you posting here.

ANNETTE – that tree sounds a pain with all those seeds falling. Our Son-in-Law drives two mowers simultaneously – he has two robotic mowers so sits and watches both!

J has walked to the job centre for his fortnightly appointment. No news of any school jobs that he can get to by bus. OH is busy getting ready for the cleaners this afternoon – followed by gutter cleaning company later. I have been working on church mag – started early with what I can so there isn’t a mad rush at the end!

Goodness, everyone sounds so busy!

Annette, you get a slap on the wrist for doing so much cleaning in one day! Look after that sciatica.

My OH now has THREE lawnmowers, and we only have one quite small lawn !! The petrol driven mower is at the menders as it gave up the ghost. My OH then dug out an old electric mower from the shed which I didn't even know we still had. Then he bought a cheap one yesterday. Now, he's tested that one and it worked although not as efficiently as the petrol driven one. He says he will now take the old electric one to the tip.

Rusty, well done on all that French homework, and what's to come, too!

Clare  & Limpy -- so pleased to hear that you had a cracking day out!

It's really sunny and warm here - when I saw the forecast I must admit that I didn't quite believe it. But it should last the week.

My OH has now mown the lawn, after first going to the allotment and picking beans, then picking up a machine and  spending an hour cleaning our dining room carpet. He hired the machine and it soon made light work of it- the worst bit is emptying the room first (Except for the two heavy dresser units) and then avoiding walking on the carpet afterwards, while it dries. As this means going out of the front floor, into the house again through the garage, and ending up in the kitchen ....   .... ....  Now we've had lunch in the conservatory, and he's finally sitting down in the garden. Phew!! 

Some more quotes:

Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all 4 essential food groups: alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine.

__________________________

The cardiologist's diet --- if it tastes good, spit it out.

Later, I'll tell the Tale of The Parcel Which Arrived & Made me Laugh Out Loud Before I Even Opened It.