Phew! That's that for another year. Now off to check recent posts.
WendyB: It was on the last day of our holiday and I am sure it was near Ballindalloch and yes it was a stone bridge.
Thanks for that as you had us both puzzled but it is all clear now. You were on a bridge near the Ballindalloch shop and the river is the Avon (known here as the Arne) it then feeds into the Spey near the castle grounds. The bridge we refer to as Ballindalloch bridge is near Cragganmore it is a steel built railway bridge and spans the Spey. Even more confusung on the road map a road bridge near the old station at Blacksboat is stated to be the Ballindalloch bridge...but it isn't really.
By blowing you picture up we recognised the fishers hut on part of the Ballindalloch castles fishing beat, looking forward to the better weather and seeing it like that again.
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Happy Festivities to you all, with my special thoughts to Margo. I was so sorry to hear the news of your sister, and feel I can do no more than send you my hugs and best wishes, particularly on your birthday.
It was lovely to hear from Cirrus too. I was so pleased to hear that your nightmare is over and that you can look forward to 2011.
I have had great difficulty in keeping up with the vast number of exchanges! I can only say a huge number of thank yous to the wonderful snowy photos, the cards, the laughter and comments. I just love the snowy scenes and the cards.
We have been 'snowed' in since last Sunday. We have a track from the house to reach our single track lane then down to the main road, and that track goes down from the garage, over a bridge which crosses a usually dry ditch and up the other side to the lane. On Sunday last, after Saturday/Sunday snow fall OH had an hour or two on his x-country skis and then decided to try to get the car out onto the lane – but failed. After many attempts at reaching the lane he backed down to the bridge and turned round to drive back up to the garage – but couldn't. Whenever he ran out of traction and braked the car merely slide back down! Eventually I phoned Mr Farmer – yes, the one I chastised for possibly causing my flat tyre the day before – and he towed us back to the garage. But that meant we were stuck. Bro and I learned that Aged Aunt might be coming out any day, but it was impossible to get her to me, even if we could get the car out. The walk from the lane to the house in snow and sub-zeros wasn't conducive to a 92 year old just out of hospital! The next day the hospital decided after all that she wasn’t fit to be released which was a blessing, but sad. Mr Farmer kindly got us to the lane again and on Wednesday we did our food shop, leaving the car at the top of the track. We put the shopping in a wheel-barrow and pushed it home! It appears our tyres are excellent for UK and continental roads in sun and rain, but not for British snow! Chains are on order now, but not due until January.
There has been no further snow fall, but we have had daily sub-zero temps.
We enjoyed a quiet but lovely Christmas day with the goose and all the trimmings, and had a snowy walk after our Christmas meal, just before dusk. So many wildlife footprints were seen. It is amazing how much activity there must be behind our backs! The bird feeders are emptying quickly, the water I put out freezes rapidly. I have resorted to raiding the freezer for red and blackcurrants to throw out, the apples chopped and even bananas disappear very quickly. Blackbirds, pheasants and fieldfare love the fruit. The partridge and pheasants make a bee-line for the ground feeder. Green, Chaff and Gold finches love the seeds, even the odd robin will have a go. We have had a couple of brambling too.
My thoughts are with you all, enjoy your Christmas with your families and friends, take care, and a huge thank you for just being a part of this wonderful 'family' of bloggers and letting me join in, even if only occasionally.
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
Hello, Everyone & Happy Boxing Day. Just come on to wish Margo a Happy Birthday, though I understand it will be a little muted, but I hope you are able to enjoy some cards and a little fussing from that wonderful OH of yours, margo.
Great to hear that those of you on here had a lovely time over Christmas Day, and that all went well. I laid the table with care, taking trouble over placing of table decoration, mats for hot food, napkins, etc. Felt something was missing. Wasn't until we all sat down and starting tucking into the turkey dinner, I realised that I had missed off the vital components of Salt & Pepper! Still, I said, if that's the worst that can happen to the meal, that's OK!
Will come on again tomorrow, meanwhile, hope you all enjoy the rest of the festivities (what lovely cards you have made for margo!)
Sheila: Carrying groceries in a wheel barrow is genius. Well done! Your lane to the main road sounds longer and more treacherous than mine is. I hope you were able to buy enough groceries and supplies to last for a while. I'm sure your birds deeply appreciate the fruit. Mine all love it. My snow is completely full of animal tracks, too. It looks like a beautiful mosaic. You are right; it's truly astounding how much activity goes on that we don't even see -- even if we're nature watchers. Be careful in all that snow.
Gary!!! Speaking of snow, I see that you're under a massive blizzard warning and flood watch. Yikes! That looks plenty ugly, my friend. I hope you have all of the necessary emergency supplies and gear. Please be careful. You'll get the opportunity to use that new snow plow/plough!
Have a lovely day, Lindy!
I just have to post this clip. It's cute but has a good message. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG3O6UBLGbA&feature=player_embedded
Morning all: Just got off the phone with sister and niece in Lincolnshire. We Skyped them yesterday, but it was a bit of a fiasco - couldn't get a visual at their end for about 10 minutes and my computer had defaulted to an incorrect audio setting which I didn't remember to reset for the first 5 minutes! Also not great connection - sister says Skype's system has been overloaded, so maybe that was it. So everyone was hunched in front of computer - but I could only see my sister from the neck down (her worst view, she says!) with all trying to talk at same time until everyone realized it and everyone stopped talking at the same time. Much more satisfying to sit on couch with coffee and yak on phone, but still good to see everyone still has two eyes, two ears, one nose and one mouth each! Also (later) just spent ages uploading photos to Costco to pick up prints before g-daughter heads home Tuesday.
Margobird: Thinking of you on your birthday and hoping there's a spark of lightness in your world today. As Lindybird noted, I'm sure your "sainted" OH will be fussing over you!
Diane: Sounds magical where you are. Here's to a serene day with lots of visits from the local wildlife. Love that dog video - so clever! And such a nice message. I'm sure some people have seen the Digital Nativity? My UK niece sent me it - here's the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkHNNPM7pJA. It's very clever - I had to watch it a couple of times (being not so techy).
Auntie: Didn't realize you have Boxing Day there. But sounds like you're off to work; hope things weren't too bad on the roads.
AQ: Sounds like a nice quiet few days there - I wouldn't say South Aussieland is backward - sounds very sane if you ask me to have stores closed. Funny how chocolate and biccies pile up isn't it? I seem to be stuffing treats in my mouth with my first cup of coffee - must dig out the whole wheat cereal and oatmeal at some point. I am tired of leftovers before I've even got Christmas dinner on the table. Hear you've had some ghastly weather Down Under - all very unseasonal. Nieces Aussie friends went surfing somewhere; all ended up freezing and getting colds. Totally missed news of large earthquakes in the SW Pacific - just checked them out on the USGS site. Not good. Glad you got to put your feet up for the dishwashing event.
Alan: Not an easy Christmas for Lady P. All this news of ailing sisters has made me determined to spend an extended period in the UK in 2011; want to potter around old haunts with my sis.
Gary: Looks like a fierce storm heading your way up the Eastern seaboard. Just what you need, eh?
Sheila: Always good to see you. Thank goodness for Mr. Farmer eh? Looks like you might need him again before those chains arrive. Also looks like you've inspired Diane what with your wheelbarrow activity. Assume Aged Aunt will stay in hospital another few days? I don't recall she lived with you... My sister feeds a lot of birds in her village - she has to eat gluten free breads, etc., and apparently made something from a new gluten free recipe yesterday that turned out like a brick. She and her daughter broke it up into little pieces and put it out for the birds. Her OH then watched one bird fly in, pick up a piece and fly halfway across the garden before turning around and bringing it back! They must be spoiled.
Thanks everyone else for posts with pix and talks of walks! I really must go take a shower before someone calls the Haz-Mat team!
Diane the interesting thing is we don't really have much snow. Probably only 6 inches max a week ago, but it is very dry and when compacted has become very slippery, which is why we cannot cope with the slopes! Seems so wimpish when we reach the village as down there the roads are clear, but not the pavements, and certainly the main roads to the nearby small town and into Cambridge are fine. I am sure your prairie life is far more remote than mine! I heard about the lunar eclipse, but sadly we had cloud. We have a few badger setts around us. Fortunately they have never found the garden, but it is fun trying to identify the various marks left in the snow. Badger actually showed he claws, the small dog prints must be fox, and the long snake like mark we have discovered is actually the partridge as they wade thru the snow: their bodies leave the mark rather than their feet! It is cold goose, jacket potato and salad for dinner tonight.
WendyB : It was the river Avon. I have had a good look on Google Earth and there is a good Panoramio picture of the bridge,
OG - Is your guest with the socks one whom you clean up after rather than before visit?!!!!
Auntie - We cannot imagine minus 8. As for minus 27 . . . To think we complain when temperature drops to 5C here!!!!!! We had a few Santa Claus snippets on TV on Christmas Eve showing him packing up to leave - all filmed in Finland.
Margo - Happy Birthday for yesterday.
Terry - You are good, taking walks every day.
Gary - Our news this morn reported storms in your part of the world. Hope you & all you care for are OK.
Wendy - "They were getting ready for the annual jump into the harbour" What? No sense, no feeling?
Sheila - Aged Aunt is safer in hospital but disappointing. I think you had better be nice to Mr Farmer.
Alan & Wendy - I enjoyed your bridge pics. What would we do without Google!
Linda - Your guests should cut down on salt anyway!!!!!!
Diane - Sounds beautiful. You do have the right attitude - many would complain about being snowed in.
Annette - Aussieland is so big that the weather is different from one end t’other. QLD & NSW (floods & severe weather warnings), WA very hot & sunny with 40C, Hobart "freezing" at 15C (a few showers & mountain snow). Here in Adelaide currently (9am) 14 C, expecting 23 C. Bliss!
Kellogg - Wishing you a good holiday trip. I thought of you last night when we watched first episode (Nova Scotia & Newfoundland) of Billy Connolly’s trip across NW Passage. Fascinating but rather too much Billy and not enough scenery.
AQ: Had to laugh at your comment to OG about the socks' visitor and cleaning up after rather than before! (It's her son, so probably an "after" visitor.) :-)
Just came in from lovely walk around Lake Los Carneros; stormy weather so seagulls visiting the lake; six raptors of some kind circling to the south; multiple other birds; two bunnies; two horses (plus riders); and a bunch of two-legged critters, including three neighbors hoping to spot the resident bobcats.