Hallo all. Hasn't stopped raining here all day - two more days of it - BUT the weather in the UK has been making headlines on the radio and telly! Will catch up with chat later.
Good morning dibnlib so pleased the stookie has gone but do take care won't you.
Margobird
margobird - I've just read your devastating news ... my thoughts are with you and your family. Pleased that Billy Whizz is still around and enjoying himself.
Joan - avid bird and nature watcher in Northumberland!
Index Thread
Wow, Diane, deer passing your window! And thanks for the owl vids. Oh, just seen your later owl posting, yes, we should all concentrate like that. Sounds like our favourite nature commentator, Gordon Buchanan. Even though I am not at work this week so don’t have to get up early, and even though I had a works dinner last night and went to bed late, I still managed to look out of the bedroom window at 7 this morning to see the moon had been half eaten by the earth’s shadow. I sat up several times until it was nearly all gone, but then I’m afraid I went back to sleep, great to see. I seem to remember seeing a lunar eclipse sometime near C’mas in the late 60s I think, I’m sure Tiger will have details!
Thanks for the Jethro Tull link OG, I do like Ian Anderson and his flute, saw him at Maryport blues festival the other year. You are right about the fog, many days recently they said it would be foggy and it was clear as a bell, but it arrived yesterday, thicker at the coast I believe. Rowan and Willow are absolutely beautiful, we’ll all be getting cute overdoses with all these puppy pics. Glad you got back from your expedition.
Lindy, I think the satnav taped to the steering wheel is an excellent idea.
Gary, thanks for the puppy pic, we do need regular updates on here because they grow so quickly!
Lynette, I always add brandy to the mincemeat too, and then for eating I take off the lids and put some brandy butter in to melt while they warm up, yum! Diane has her own tools and they are not pink LOL.
Yes Wendy, I think you are bonkers, shovelling snow at 11 o’clock at night!!! Hope you got out this morning.
Paul, your robin looks like he was really fattening himself up against the cold! We have three around here at the moment and one is much fatter than the others, he must be the resident.
Sorry about your more sad news Alan, two is a very young age for kidney failure. Hope Hamish’s walk went well today, does he wear a coat? We had minus 11 last night, hasn’t been below minus 8 before. Minus 5 daytime brrrr!
Cirrus!!! Welcome back (and welcome home by the sound of it). Poor you, sounds as if you have had a traumatic time. Hope to hear from you again soon.
Margo, such awful news, I think it is harder to bear a sister’s illness than anyone else because the memories go back together all your lives (I probably wouldn’t say that if I had children). Chin up.
dibnlib – congrats on losing the stookie, but no dancing yet for you. : ))
Well, as I am off work this week and not going down south for C’mas, I must get on with tidying the house, or at least the kitchen and living room, and put some lights up.
Terry in Cumbria
Thankyou DjoanS, Lindybird and TerryM. Trying to be positive but it is so hard. Hard to control my emotions at present. I keep looking at a photo of all 3 of us together on the front lawn with a cat when we were children. Of course we had our differences when growing up but I think that is the way it is with sisters. Have always got on well as we got older and a lot wiser.
Margobird: I am sorry to hear you have received such terrible news. My heart goes out to you and your family.
Cirrus : Nice to see you back on the blog and I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
I have just taken Hamish for his walk. He does not wear a coat at the moment because his hair is very thick and he would look like Michelin Dog with a coat on. I am taking him to be groomed on thursday weather permitting so I may have to consider buying a coat for afterwards, I just cant see him tolerating it somehow.
Thanks Alan. The whole family are struggling to come to terms with such sad news at what would normally be a happy time for all us.
If Hamish does have a coat after grooming please put a pic of him on here.
Busy this morning – I did washing up and ironing while OH cleaned and refreshed fish tank. Whole purpose of water supply to garage was for dealing with fish, but it’s frozen again, so he had to do the clean water part from his shower and disposal outside, with water from inside taken out to clean parts and then wash outside sink – at least the waste pipe wasn’t frozen!! He’s now ironing the duvet cover which is too heavy for me.
Son phoned – says he was up early and took a photo of lunar eclipse – we couldn’t see the actual moon, but the pink sky in the west was spectacular – OH described it as like having sunrise and sunset at the same time. Son started his car on the battery and drove it (very carefully, without power steering or servo) to the town garage. He is spending the rest of the day on the phone to try to find out why he has had nothing from the Job Centre, having registered online – he never got through yesterday, and still wants to know what he is doing for Christmas. Dau#2 emailed to say GSon#2 managed to arrive at 1am, so her nest is full for Christmas – unless our Son (her Bro) can get there but not here.
No sign of yesterday’s fog today – bright sun although we were forecast mist! Birds busy as usual, all puffed out to widest extent, although temp is now nearing zero (up from minus 12).
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Having a read of posts.
Gary – thanks for latest fix of Puppymania!
Wendy – hope that your late night snow clearing paid off and you got out safely today.
Hi, Paul – good to hear from you as always. Pleased you had happy Robin company in your shed, and were able to tackle your chores in a manly way! Your birds somehow manage to look surprised in photos – do you don fancy dress to go out with the camera?? Like the Robin very much.
AQ – sorry about printer prob causing a change of plan – good of your OH to get the new one for you. I think these ones with separate colours do tell porkies about being empty ….. not being able to continue ….. and blahty-blah - so you spend more money. When we first began, our printers were our slaves and we told them what to do!! Pleased you have your tree sorted!
Lindy – nice to hear a good appliance service story for a change – but sorry it was wrong in the first place. Well done to your OH for his supervision of chicken on Sunday – especially with the roasties which you mentioned before!
Alan – sorry about the young Boxer having kidney failure at such an early age.
Cirrus – good to have you back. You seem to have had a horrendous time; pleased it is over for you. I hope you can take a real break for some recovery time over Christmas.
Oh, Margo, I am so sorry to read of your devastating news of your Sister. That really is a tragedy for the family, and I hope you will be able to get there to see her very, very soon. My off-day last week was nothing compared with what you are going through, so thanks for your good wishes.
Dibnlib – that’s wonderful news! Don’t go leaping about or doing anything silly!! Are you keeping the Stookie for an umbrella stand??
Terry – enjoy your time off over the holiday period – don’t work to hard! You say you are not going south – does that mean you have cancelled plans?
Son just phoned again having been unsuccessful chasing his Jobseekers application and having received his post – he had given his phone number wrong (silly boy) and they have tried it twice (only) so want him to phone them - on the number on which he has been trying to ring them about ten times in two days! Apart from this, they had asked for a mobile number too, but apparently never tried that!!