Weekly Chat, Sunday December 19, 2010

ALAN: Minus 1.1 shorts and T shirt weather then!!!

Hi folks, all of you getting ready for Christmas and visits from family?? Do hope that everyone who is travelling makes it safely to their destinations.

Margobird - do hope you can make it to see your sister before too long.

Lindybird - what fantastic pics of the sunrise and OG - of your birds.  We really have some talented photographers on this network!!

Well, we finally had a significant snowfall, about 3inches. Brought a bit of chaos to the roads round and about, it took our daughter 2hrs to get to work this morning, she left at 7.55am and didin't get in till 10am.  Roads were a little better tonight.   We're not use to it here.   Going to be mainly dry and very cold for the next couple of days or so, so it could mean icy roads ahead.

Just taken these pics from the wildlife cam in Southern Pensylvania.

DjoanS said:

(Auntie and I must have had the same idea ... I made this last month!)

  Super card DJoan S, how do you do it!!  Love it with the three youngsters on it.

Hi everyone.

Things are seriously cold is this neck of the woods, with temperatures set to get as low as -11C overnight.  The upside to this is that the trees and shrubs all have a lovely festive look to them. 

Linda:  Glad your oven got fixed so promptly.

Alan:  Sorry to hear about the boxer that had to be put to sleep. 

Cirrus:  I'm so sorry you had such a bad time.  It's great to hear from you again.

Margobird:  I'm so sorry to hear the devestating news about your sister.  You and your family are in my thoughts.  Glad to hear Billy Whizz is still around. 

dibnlib:  Great news about the stookie coming off.  I bet the itching was a nightmare.

TerryM:  I've spotted three Robins in my own garden.  I've not noticed if any of them are plumper than the others.

OG:  Sorry to inform I don't don fancy dress when photographing the birds in my garden.  I just take the pics through the house windows.  Don't know if the poor birds could handle seeing me in fancy dress. :-)  Thanks for the stunning Chaffinch pic.

Annette:  I'm not sure if the Robin gave the shed the okay but either him or one of his companions performed a second inspection today.

george g:  Hope you don't get any more snow.  From what I hear, the east of Scotland has been quite badly hit in the last few days.

Wendyb:  Glad to hear the new snow tyres are helping.

Trish 2:  Great to hear you have a regular Sparrowhawk.  I've had a couple of Sparrowhawk visits in the past couple of years.  They are beautiful birds.

Joan:  I see a squadron of Starlings, every morning when I put out the bird food.  I love watching their antics.  Thanks for the lovely Christmas card.

To anyone I've not mentioned:  All the best!

Many thanks for all your stunning pics everyone.  A belated Happy Wednesday.



Paul.

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Thanks for the lovely Christmas card, Lynette. :-)

Evening all: Friends went on their separate ways today after a nice visit, though one friend was so chatty my ears almost fell off!   Has everyone seen this (the digital Nativity?)  It's clever.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHNNPM7pJA

We actually saw the sun for the first time in about six days today - blue sky too! How lucky can you get!  Horrible floods elsewhere in the Southwest  though - and of course right before Christmas.  :-(         Did see that Heathrow is almost back to normal.

Lindybird: Lovely sunset you've got there.

OG:  And very  nice sunrise!  Ah okay, see how much I know about UK Job Centers; hope he gets some help there.  Oh just brilliant news about son's plumbing problems - hope those thumps were good omens.  I see he's like most sons - walks in the door with a big smile plus laundry and an appetite. Oh wow, gorgeous shot of Mrs. RB in the sunset.

Wendy:  Thanks for pointing where 12 Days credit due - we appreciate your passing it on.  Gorgeous shots - thank you.

Alan: We're on AOL and have had problems for a few days - keeps telling us that our mail isn't "accessible at the moment." 

Heron: If the robin is in the market for a home, turning up a second time with relatives to take a look is good news! (That's assuming he didn't have a clipboard today either.)

Lynette: Christmas Card was too modern for my computer. I will have to download a "compatability pack" to see it - but new computer should be able to figure it out (once I get it set up). 

Thanks all for posts and pix. Have been washing sheets again today so off to sort out dryer and make the beds before the next lot (family) arrives Friday.   I'm soooo looking forward to Sunday morning (and a quiet house).

 

 

Just popping in to wish everyone a good Christmas, and a safe journey if you're travelling - I'm off to visit relatives in the West Country tomorrow for a couple of days.

Margobird - so sorry to hear about your sister's illness; I hope you can at least get to see her soon.

dibnlib - Great to hear you're free of the stookie, and hopefully getting over the odd feeling of vulnerability which I remember from that stage! Physio starting in the New Year I guess.

I'm still hoping. without success so far, to catch the flock of waxwings which are in town here, and have been seen within about a mile of my house on several occasions. That would be a Chrismas present. I know from the SOS sightings page that lucky Debbie Wiltshire saw a couple of them when she was over here for work.

Found another preview clip for the black bear series with Gordon Buchanan which Margobird mentioned yesterday - extreme cuteness alert again! Gordon and Hope     

I am sooo tired. Went early shopping for perishables - with a million other people!! Home again, stuffed it all in the fridge and went dusting. OH said to leave the vacuuming for him to do. Hm, but he always leaves it to the last minute, or until I want to set the tables. We’ll see if he can do better this year. LOL Then I made the chocolate cream pie, a good old familiar recipe, but what went wrong? It hasn’t set. (The filling is sort of choc mousse.) Tomorrow I must spoon it out and cheat with some gelatine. Cherry truffles made. Tomorrow with max temp expected 34 C I am cooking the turkey which does seem to be thawing. Shhh, m-i-l wouldn’t approve of cooking it a day early, what she hasn’t found out in previous years . . . I can then carve it at my leisure, wrap in foil for a quick reheat. Why didn’t I marry one of the blokes that carves the roast like we see on old time movies? Oh yes, the weather man is convinced it will be 34 C for C-mas Day. Too hot to be slaving over a hot stove.

This is an Aussie version of the 12 Days I found on a Christmas card a few years ago.

On the twelve days of Christmas my Aussie true love sent to me . . .
Twelve Swaggies snoozing
Eleven Possums peeping
Ten Emus eating
Nine Lizards leaping
Eight Wombats digging
Seven Koalas climbing
Six Platypus playing
Five . . . Black . . . Swans
Four Cockatoos screeching
Three Kookaburras laughing
Two Kangaroos hopping
And a Rosella in a Gum Tree.

Oops, sorry, Gary, wrong county, but you know all us southerners sound the same! I did really know you were from Kent. I’m originally west Herts myself and I think I’ve become immune to accents after living in Cumbria for nearly 20 years.  There are so many accents here it all washes over me, sometimes I can’t even remember whether an actor is speaking with an American accent or not LOL.  I was going to ask the same question as OG, Kentish man or man of Kent?  Hope son arrives ok OG, thanks for pics.

Don’t suppose Annette still has a Herts accent??  Glad your friends’ visit went well, good job your OH has a bunker to retreat to, and good that you’ve seen the sun at last; it’s been bright here. Are you booting the family out on Christmas Day?

Wendy, Spey Bay was nothing like that when I was there in the summer!  Are you whizzing about everywhere now you have the snow tyres on?

AQ, my dad always carved but my OH doesn’t and his dad didn’t, so I just have to hack chunks off...OH can’t cut bread thinly either.

 

Off for a walk.  Looking forward to Gordon Buchanan, marvellous to have Hope climbing over him.