Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 5 November 2023

ANNETTE - I hope Daughter and Horse arrived safely - I assume she wasn't driving and towing - who helped her? I hope horse will settle in well - sure he'll be happy for a reunion with his old stable mate! I see later that it hasn't happened yet - I hope all is well!


RUSTY - glad you had another lovely day out at the zoo. I know Chester is very well regarded for its educational input.

We had a few phonecalls to make today setting up various things which are happening. Everyone had queues on the line and three short calls took us an hour and a half! Tomorrow will be busy. Podiatrist is coming late morning. Handyvan coming to fit our keysafe (police approved model) at suggestion of social worker. Gas service is also coming in the afternoon. Also arranged some other appointments which had to come later.

Feeling tired this evening, but enjoyed a good dinner.

HEATHER - I hope you are losing your bruises and staying well - one thought: do you drink enough? (Water, I mean!)

Rusty: Wonder what the 'people of small stature' are called these days? I guess someone decided it was offensive - but who? Were the "people of small stature" offended or are they too busy living their lives to worry abut the sensitivities of people of not small stature? As it is, our Audubon Society decided to keep its name (John James Audubon's family owned slaves - definitely not a good thing at any time) after some people got offended, but the American Ornithological Society is changing the names of some birds named after people now deemed unworthy of the honor even though whatever they did that was offensive may have had nothing to do with birds. Soon there'll be nothing left to learn from history; it'll will all have been scrubbed clean of unpleasantness. Sorry, but I do feel political correctness can be carried too far. I'll duck behind my soapbox now.

OG: Daughter did not drive but rode with the ranch manager of the therapeutic place, who has a big truck and access to trailers. His Mom lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, just 90 minutes from Prescott Valley, so daughter was able to visit granddaughter and Ms D over the weekend while he stayed with his Mom). The ride back took longer than usual because you can't drive 75mph towing a horse trailer and they were both too tired to finish the move today. We are helping granddaughter buy a condo here so she and Ms. D may be moving back by the end of the year . I was surprised she is keen to come back to California, but she says there's essentially no room now to move up in her job (she's at the top in that department) and she definitely doesn't want to transfer to highway patrol. Says she's ready for a change.

One of our phone companies has had a major outage for past 10 hours. Ten million people affected, also hospitals, businesses. Shock horror, some cannot buy a coffee! So much for the cashless society. A first world problem though.

Not a bunyip

and its call.

AQ: Hope you are all re-connected down under. Was that landlines or cellphones too. That call is not at all what you'd expect from a bittern.

ANNETTE - Both mobiles & landlines affected, though 000 (emergency) was supposed to work. I noticed fewer customers in supermarket this morn. Many would have no cash & unable to pay. People were advised to find a friend on a different network but in some country districts there is no choice of telco. A major stuff-up. We are with a different telco.

I googled American bittern sound. It sounded as if it was rather unwell..

Annette - I do so agree with you. We can't rewrite history. Things happened that we now find unpleasant, but we have to admit they are part of what brought us to where we are now. All this trying to 'whitewash' everything (and I suppose that's not PC these days either ... ) should stop - let's learn from the mistakes of earlier generations in the same way as we learn from the good things. (Sorry ... something I feel quite passionate about.)

PAT - I get cross with all this "nonsense" these days. Why should I apologize for something that was normal in the past. Yes, it was wrong, we can't change the past, let's learn from it. I'll get off my soapbox and go and serve our evening meal.

AQ - I think you and I share a double soapbox!