HAPPY NEW WEEK and HAPPY FULL SUPERMOON and HAPPY LUNAR ECLIPSE!
I hope everyone has a good week.
The moon turns full on Tuesday night (17 September) in the US and early Wednesday morning in the UK. It's a very close supermoon, so it should be beautiful. A partial lunar eclipse will be at maximum right after the moon becomes full.
The autumn equinox is next Sunday, 22 September.
You can find the exact times for the full moon, the eclipse, and the equinox by putting your town or city name in the search box at www.timeanddate.com. It's a safe site.
Hugs and love to everyone!!!
Heather - I hope the boiler is safely installed.
OG - I bet you are glad the cleaners have gone. Sorry your OH gets in a panic. The French lesson. I prepared seemed to be well received. I had found some articles about the preparations the French had made for the Olympics from the point of view of trying to make them as “green” as possible. It also talked about the role of the chef in the Olympic village and the task her had, Another topic was the preparation being made at the airports for the unusual luggage such as javelins. Plus the preparations they were making for handling wheelchairs at the Paralympics and making places accessible. They didn’t succeed with the metro as they had hoped to do. Anyway, there was much chat and discussion for the 2 hours which is the point of the class.
Bet that was interesting, Rusty. My OH has a nephew who works for a hospitality organisation and has been in Paris for 6 months, helping with the organisation of the Olympics - he was mainly concerned with transport and accommodation all of the various officials from other countries. I must ask him one day about the javelins!
I saw the pylon in the Kelpies picture & decided it looked as if the horse was snorting!! Glad you enjoyed your Scottish tour.
OG: My friend G used to have a cleaner, as she was always busy working - I told her that I'd be paranoid about having one, and would be cleaning before the cleaner arrived!!
Heather- Hope the boiler is sorted and it's not been too chaotic- at least now you're ready for winter!
My OH went into the kitchen to feed the dog, and from the nearby conservatory I heard a big crash and an annoyed yell. I thought he'd broken a tea mug, but no, he'd broken a dog bowl. Bonnie looked uncomfortable a while ago when eating, so I bought a double dog bowl which had a frame to raise it and make it easier for an older dog. The two bowls in it are ceramic. He'd dropped one right on the kitchen floor tiles so of course it shattered into many tiny pieces. Boo-- it was expensive & we'd only had it for a month.
Bonnie is actually looking better since the Vet gave her some anti inflammatory pills. We'll have another discussion when she goes for her M. O.T. and her annual jobs in a week or two.
Well, the new boiler is in and working happily ! It's such a relief because the old one was very slow and temperamental. They asked me where the drainage 'thingy ' was and I just didn't know, so they drained the system another way. It was only later that my stepson reminded me about the hatch in the floor of the cupboard under the stairs , AKA the Harry Potter cupboard !
I'm feeling a bit introspective today. My Welsh friend tried to video call me this morning. I didn't respond and after a typed chat we agreed to differ. She knows that I dislike this type of call but tries every now and then. She says that she and all her family and friends do it. I think video calls are very intrusive - in the same way that I don't appreciate folk just arriving at my home without telling me first. Even my children phone first. Now I'm wondering if I'm a strange person !
Heather - I don’t think you are strange. I don’t video call. We did do family Zoom meetings in Covid times and they were nice but I just like chatting on the phone without people seeing me!!!! Glad the boiler is installed and up and running. Lindy - what a shame about Bonnie’s bowl. These things happen though. Isn’t it interesting about all the things which have to go on to out an Olympic Games on. Your OH’s nephew must have found that job really interesting but quite demanding and stressful I would have thought. A couple of friends and I have been out this morning to recce a couple of walks for the Flora and Fauna group. They are both short so we thought we could combine them. We were pleased with what we found and they will be added to next year’s timetable. Of course the warm sunny weather made everywhere look lovely.
HEATHER I agree with you and Rusty, video calls and zoom calls are not for me. I love the interesting snippets about the Olympics. Don't think I have mentioned that we are going on another Viking cruise next year. We fly from Aberdeen (such a shame Viking do not use Inverness) then sail from Avignon to Lyon and super fast train to Paris where we will spend 3 nights.......counting down the days.
Heather - I don't think you are a strange person. I like Zoom calls for meetings, which means I don't have to go out on a cold, wet, dark night, find a place to park, etc etc - staying at home while still conducting a meeting is a really good result from Covid, as far as I'm concerned. I also Skype with a friend in Australia every week - we wouldn't be able to communicate otherwise, and it has worked well for eighteen years!! But other than that, I agree - and I certainly wouldn't want 'unscheduled' Zoom calls I am also not keen on unexpected callers at the door ... although I enjoy having visitors when they are expected.
Rusty - Your walks sound lovely. I could do with a decent country walk ... probably won't happen until next Tuesday, when the forecast is rain. Hey ho ...
This morning I slept late after a bad night. When I finally woke up I opened half an eye and saw a strange orange blob up a tree. I opened my eyes properly to see a tree surgeon with a chain saw, dressed in a very fetching orange outfit, cutting large branches from a tree that I had thought had been looking pretty sick. Over the last few hours the tree has been totally cut down. Fortunately we have lots of trees here, so after we get used to the gap it won't really show - and the tree was pretty sick. So the chain saw has been noisy ... as has the angle grinder just outside my kitchen window, cutting stones to reform a set of steps. Well, I guess it gets all the noise over in one go! But it would have to happen on one day when I need to be concentrating on my computer and getting a lot of stuff dealt with!
LINDA - OH doesn’t clean before the cleaners, it is a matter of putting stuff away (mostly into the study as we don’t have them in that room – too private. He has a “routine” – but can’t always remember what that routine is – as in some other matters! Sorry about Bonnie’s bowl – is there any chance of ordering a replacement insert for the structure?
HEATHER – not sure I know where our drainage thingy is – but I seem to think there are two, anyway, so would probably find one of them if asked. I don’t think you are at all strange to avoid video calls (I would not want people to see me at home in my scruffs or nightie!) and I too don’t encourage visitors without knowing they might arrive.
RUSTY – I hope the new walks have suitable lunches for your group!
DIBNLIB – the cruise sounds interesting, combining the outward voyage with the Paris visit. What time of year is it?
PAT – sorry you had a bad night and a rude awakening! I hope you can fit computer activity into the rest of the day.
We started the day well, and even went to the local supermarkets before my shower this afternoon. Aldi has been “refurbished” – but all that has change dis that they have put fridges in for chilled stuff and veg, with outward opening doors for people to bump into! There was hardly anyone there or in Tesco, and we only wanted a few things as we go to M&S tomorrow. I am going to try to be serious about looking for some new ideas to eat. We shall have lunch at the Old Toll Bar on the way, but will drop J at Burger King in Caledonia Park first. He has at last had a “To whom it may concern” letter from his Social Worker laying out what are his housing and care needs! She promised in January he would be settled by his birthday in June (perhaps she means next year!)
LIndybird: That pie looked seriously yummy. I'd warm it up and have it with vanilla ice cream. And your OH can come here to make jam, clean up the yard and cook roast beef anytime. How old is Bonnie now?
Rusty: The second shot of the kelpie really does show the challenge of scale and balance. And I didn't even notice the pylon till you guys pointed it out. Interesting about the Olympic logistics; like most people I hadn't even considered them. I'm not a big summer Olympics watcher because I have no one favorite sport and find the coverage too fragmented - do like the winter sports though.
OG: I'm actually thinking it would be nice to have someone come and clean the house. I've spent so much time this summer with family stuff and sorting through OH's mountains of paper that everything else has gone to pot. I especially hate vacuuming and cleaning the floors. I took up two long runner rugs for the summer but my OH likes them and our other rugs and they're a royal pain in the derriere. Do hope J will be able to find something that works for him!
Heather: Hurray for new boilers! I loathe and detest 'chattery' texts, although they're okay for quick updates, etc. I do Facetime with my UK niece (as I type shes in Doha awaiting her connecting flight to Adelaide) every couple of weeks for a good natter and also about once a month with my BiL, but my sister never liked it and I can't see the point of Facetime with locals. Our yoga class has been on Zoom ever since Covid and it's convenient but I'd much prefer it at our instructor's studio (spare room!), which she has currently rented to a needy young relative.
dibnlib: Good for you and the Viking cruise; imagine you'll be spending going and coming nights in Aberdeen again....
PatO: Initially thought that strange orange blob was the sun (and not Donald Trump). Argggh. That would be a nightmare. Hope the noise wasn't too disruptive, but I know those kinds of noises are really intrusive.
Must get organized. It's already past 10 a.m
DIANE - Thank you for another start. Nights are too cold to be moongazing. – overnight Mon-Tues our min temp was 1.9 C. Adelaide’s 1.3 C was the coldest spring min on record. Sunny today, showers tomorrow.
RUSTY - In Aussieland Kelpies are dogs. Pylons (& our local Stobie poles) are a menace in photos. I have learnt to remove them with a simple photo editing thingie. It also straightens angled pics. Before the Olympics, the Aussie team did not appreciate the “green”ness and they had air-cons installed in their rooms. I’m guessing it was the humidity rather than the heat that was the problem. Soon after arrival they complained bitterly about the vegan food. Extra steaks had to be ordered!
HEATHER, PAT - Now about unexpected callers. One day last week I decided to wash my hair at 5.30 pm. Lazily I decided to dress for bed before tea, after all, who would see me. Then, in my dressing gown with towel around my head, there was a knock at the door. A 15-year-old lad doing a school project, accompanied by his father who quickly backed off. LOL
ANNETTE – I hope your niece has warm clothes for evening outings in Adelaide.
Lawn Man came today. As well he pruned the overgrown shrub that was taking over. Now my green bin is full and enough for 2 bins is stashed between shrub & fence. Green bin is collected every 2 weeks and of course it is not this week.
Dau#2 asked could I knit her another cotton short-sleeve cardigan. The yarn arrived this afternoon, for once Aussie Post was efficient. Sunshine yellow, I shall begin this eve, a welcome change from beanies for charity. BTW MissJ is confused that “wool” is cotton. I shall collect scraps of wool, cotton & acrylic, in various plys, to show her “yarn”.