Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 17 September 2023

Sometimes, Lindy, the best pieces of writing happen that way. In the 1930s a university lecturer was making a bit of extra cash by marking school exam papers ....... he came to a blank sheet and, without really thinking about it, wrote 'in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit'. The rest is history.

Ah, but he must have had a lot of ideas already in his head, about dragons and warring armies. I often have not much going on, except what ARE we going to have for dinner!! LOL!!

Here is a gull picture for Clare:

He/she was eyeing me up, possibly because I was standing near a picnic table!  If you enlarge, you can see the Snowdonia mountains in the mist behind. And below his tail, is a black outline which is a helicopter about to turn in to land at Caernarfon Airport!

Lindybird said:

Ah, but he must have had a lot of ideas already in his head, about dragons and warring armies.

He was the best part of twenty years into the creation of Middle-earth, but apparently hobbits came from out of nowhere.  Amazing bloke.

Lovely photo, Lindy - very atmospheric, and of course you've included the subtle herring gull! Our local gull populations are changing with the incoming autumn - the great black-backs and common gulls are arriving while the lesser black-backs are heading out. Perhaps I'll be lucky and get a glaucous gull this winter. I haven't seen one in years.

Clare - I saw a glaucous gull on Mull in 2016!! It dwarfed the ones around it!!!
Lindy - I loved your very expressive poem.

It would do - they are very nearly as big as great black-backs.

Late again!

DIANE – many thanks for so faithfully starting us off every week during what has been a really unpleasant year for you. We do hope better things are round the corner! Love and prayers from the two of us.

ANNETTE – that is such a stunning flower – such a pity it has a short time in bloom, but always there to look forward to the next time.

RUSTY – church was good this morning, but several people absent – maybe they are psyching themselves up for bringing friends to Open Church Day next week – with a free barbecue. Désencombrement sounds much more gentle than decluttering! I still want to dispose of such a lot of stuff – I see that as part of my preparation for when I am no longer here! As most of you know, I am not much into mementos of the past. Just a few minutes of light drizzle here at times today.

LINDA – sorry you have to return a day early - but weather for Monday and Tuesday doesn’t sound very promising. I have been cold the last two nights – used hot water bottles and slept well. I hope you enjoyed your lunch out today. Love the “nature” poem!

HARELADY – sorry the cough is continuing – don’t put up with it too long without a return visit to the doctor! I hope you will be well for the visit to your brother.

ANNETTE – years back, when trees were getting close to overhead wires, councils were very good at trimming them for safety, but there is no money these days for those jobs – still, we have very few overhead lines these days.

We actually completed a good domestic catch-up today – well, he did – I was busy receiving emails for the magazine and trying to count spaces for them. Hoping to get to bed reasonably early to help J to be ready for tomorrow.

I always read the thread, then type my reply in Word before copying to “Reply”. Yesterday before I could finish, our internet died. It did not return for over 24 hours, by that time I had contacted techie s-i-l who planned to visit us in his lunch hour. The threat of him calling was apparently enough to restore whatever was wrong. I detest all this modern technology but I can’t live without it. So here is yesterday’s post.

DIANE – Thank you again. As for your feather, it just shows what can happen if one stops, sits down and does nothing. Some good fairy aka bird knew you needed it.

RUSTY – Our lawns dry our quickly when the hot northerly winds drag in the dry heat from the Outback, as they did earlier this week. I like extended birthdays; spreads the pleasure!

My bulb patch is blooming with irises. bluebells and black pearls. The iris are dark blue, light blue, a sort of purplish blue and white, lots of white. This year to add more colour I bought a pack of 4 mixed colours, the cover pic showed blue, yellow & white.  Mixed? – white, white, white and white.