Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 24 December 2023

HAPPY CHRISTMAS 

To All Who Celebrate

I hope you all enjoy the holidays.

Santa will need a good GPS system on his sleigh when he arrives here. The temperature is soaring and likely to be 60F or 15.5C or higher tomorrow. So strange for us. The soaring temp has created VERY dense fog rolling through the woods and fields. I just saw a massive white-tailed deer buck in the bean field across the highway. He looked quite surreal bounding through the heavy fog and mist. 

Love and hugs to all.

  • Well I've just been watching "Maestro", the Netflix movie about Leonard Bernstein's relationship with (among others) his wife and his music. And if Bradley Cooper doesn't win multiple awards for his performance I'll be shocked. He also wrote and directed the movie. He apparently spent years learning how to conduct (coached by Yannick Nézet-Séguin of the Metropolitan Opera and others) and the six-minute segment showing him leading the London Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mahler's Symphony #2 in C Minor (Resurrection) at Ely Cathedral is nothing short of brilliant. Carey Mulligan plays his long suffering wife an will likely earn some nomination too. And of course there's the music......
  • AQ - so sorry your OH was muddled yesterday. It must be very difficult for you. I hope he has a better day today.
    Annette - I cancelled my Netflix subscription because I hardly ever watched it. Do you think Maestro might be on at the cinema? It sounds good.
    Lindy - (packed and ready to go) - have I missed something? Where are you going? Family? I doubt it will be to the caravan as it is far too wild and wet.
    Yes. It is wild and windy again today. Some poor people had an awful time last night with roofs blown off and floods. Not to mention the snow chaos on the A9 in Scotland. I feel really sorry for all those people.
    I am awaiting the arrival of my school friend. We are only having a light lunch - soup and sandwiches.
  • rusty2 said:
    Not to mention the snow chaos on the A9 in Scotland. I feel really sorry for all those people.

    So do I, but I wonder how many of them had weather warnings stating that they shouldn't have tried to travel?  The A9 in the wrong weather is notorious.

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • We were so glad we travelled home on Boxing Day when we had a good journey in wonderful blue sky and sunshine with the hills and mountains at their spectacular best. We chatted today with someone who returned home from North Berwick and it took them 8 hours instead of 3!!
  • Morning all. Just reading about the tornado in Manchester! Good grief. And so much flooding. I don't remember any of that when I was growing up. Hope nobody on here has suffered any damage.

    Rusty Yes, Maestro is showing in a local theater and is online. I do watch Netflix and we have an Amazon account too, mostly for the free shipping, but I rarely watch their programming. I dislike their online streaming interface: It's clunky (fast forward/rewind difficult to control - OMG a First World Problem if ever there was!!), the b*****ds won't let you FF through the ads and yesterday - to add insult to injury - they sent an e-mail saying they're going to be adding more ads but consumers can enjoy an ad-free experience by paying an extra monthly fee. Bah humbug. In general, I'm beginning to hate online shopping and have been having fantasies about browsing through an old-fashioned department store with soft music playing in the background and enough salespeople about so you don't feel you're the sole survivor of a global catastrophe. A propos of which....

    Diane: The LA Times had an article the other day saying that two Sears stores had 'quietly' reopened: one in Burbank (LA); the other in Washington state. Not that I'll make the trip to LA, but we always used to buy our appliances from Sears. Looks like you may be in for some snow?

    Lindybird: I too was surprised to read "packed and ready to go." I probably haven't been paying attention but assume a family visit?

    Clare: Bad weather in the midwest and east is causing all kinds of travel snafus; seems to happen every Christmas. Trouble is, flying is really the only way to go great distances here and I always feel bad for folks who are just trying to be with family for the holidays. Chicago O'Hare used to be notorious for hang ups, but now it seems more airports are affected - and never mind the roads..
  • ANNETTE you wrote "enough salespeople about so you don't feel you're the sole survivor of a global catastrophe"

    Good luck with that. Our department stores have so few staff that it is a major expedition to find someone to serve, let alone answer a query.

  • Well folks, I've ended up back in the main hospital . A further fall on Tuesday while in the rehab unit and a fractured neck of femur. Surgery was on Wednesday and I'm quite fed up.......I
  • Oh Heather, I'm so very sorry to hear that news. The last thing you need. I do hope all the damage heals as quickly as possible and that you are able to get home very early in the New Year. Prayers and healing wishes and hugs all winging their way to you. I'm sure the family are doing everything they can to keep your spirits up.
  • Oh dear HEATHER so very sorry to hear this. No wonder you are fed up, you are having a nightmare of a time. Wishing you well and do hope you are on the road to full recovery soon.
  • Oh Heather, I am soooo sorry to hear that. Just when you were in rehab too. They will really have to get to the bottom of the cause for your falls. Something must be triggering them. Sending hugs. Keep strong. As Pat says, I am sure you are getting lots of support from the family. Thinking of you.