Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey), 21 January 2024

Thank you DIANE. I hope your weather warms up soon.

Other posters may wish to check end of last week's chat as DIANE has posted some replies/comments.

Not good news for Gouldian finches.

Anyone seeking opals?

Diane: You are super to start every week so positively; we know things must be rough right now. So thank you. You are very much appreciated.

AQ: Idiot campers. Opals are my all-time favorite gemstone - so much variety. I love anything that reflects light and color. I saw a program some years back that showed opalized fossils of dinosaurs under a dry lake somewhere in Oz. (just Googled it - Cooper Pedy environs?) but apparently Lightning Ridge is the main place Also, Australia is the only place where you can find opalized fossils of land-based animals (Thank you Australian Opal Centre.com).

I've been catching up with paperwork today. Wasted two hours the other night watching a really stupid movie (called The Nest). Stayed up to watch the end - except there really wasn't an end. I couldn't believe it when they started rolling the credits. What?!!? That's it??!! Jude Law was good, but the characters were generally depressing (a snarky cynical mother who smoked in front of her kids, a blow-hard lying father who's run up debts all over and a moody teenager girl. What's not to love? Why did I keep watching? I kept asking myself that question. The only lovable character was the 9-year-old son. I would've run away.....

ANNETTE – I am not biased, Coober Pedy is said to be the opal Capital of the World because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there. Lightning Ridge is in the eastern states so they think it is more important.

Thank you Diane for your words re the 80th party and for starting us off again for another week!

It was indeed a very happy occasion as like a lot of families that are spread far and wide we only get together at weddings and funerals and as we all get older there are more of the latter.

Well here in Suffolk and for a lot in the UK we are battening down the hatches and waiting for Storm Isha to hit sometime around noon and we have a weather warning until same time tomorrow.

I will wait until tomorrow - refuse collection day - to put my wheelie bin out.

Well need to get off to Church now - have a good week all and stay safe.

Thank you Diane for your words re the 80th party and for starting us off again for another week!

It was indeed a very happy occasion as like a lot of families that are spread far and wide we only get together at weddings and funerals and as we all get older there are more of the latter.

Well here in Suffolk and for a lot in the UK we are battening down the hatches and waiting for Storm Isha to hit sometime around noon and we have a weather warning until same time tomorrow.

I will wait until tomorrow - refuse collection day - to put my wheelie bin out.

Well need to get off to Church now - have a good week all and stay safe.

Thank you Diane for starting the week once again.
It will be wonderful when spring finally arrives at your patch. I remember your butterfly story from several years ago.
That was a lovely description, and I think of you surrounded by butterflies. Does anyone else remember? I don't think I imagined it!

A Q and Annette, I haven't investigated the opals yet, but I will. I also like them, but did not know about the fossils.

Thank you Diane for starting us off. I hope your weather is improving.
As with Harelady, the wind is getting up here in North Wales and we are under an Amber warning. I really don’t like the wind up here on top of the hill where I live. I have put the bins on their sides and will not put them out tonight for the binmen. I don’t have that much rubbish anyway. The recycling lives in the garage.
This morning I was preparing my talk about the trip to the Hebrides Islands. I wanted to give some information about an interesting church we had visited. I looked up the appropriate website and it said the site was closed today because it is the Sabbath. How interesting is that!

Thank you Diane. I am thankful to say , I am out of the woods flu wise. Only my second dose of this in my life time but having suffered with it about 10 years ago, one never forgets. Nothing to do with sneezing and nose blowing (I wish !) but everything to do with incredible weakness and loss of appetite.I can actually walk upstairs again and have started to eat properly but still feel fragile. I so hope each of every one of you are in full health and enjoying life. This is my wish for you all.

Good Afternoon. Thank you to Diane for starting us off again. As Annette says, we do appreciate it

Interesting about the opals - I'll look at AQs links in a while.

Cirrus - Sorry to hear that you've been suffering with the flu. That's horrible. Get plenty to eat, especially warming soups in this weather, and get yourself well soon.

I've been busy (sort of!) as we had a lazy start to the day, then went to visit Sue who is recovering at last from her bad chesty cough.

It's windy here and blustery, but not as wild as most parts of the UK. The birds were lining up to greet me as I put out my birdseed and fat balls- I have to ration them or I'd run out before the end of the week, it's so popular!

For AQ......