Morning all: Long day at the rose garden - poor Robert who supervises the volunteers has been fighting off a bug and a couple of us stayed on longer than usual to help him clean up stuff. I'm sure I'll be stiff tomorrow. Not as many folks showed up as last year and some of the beds were pruned by city employees which means we'll have to go over those beds again since they did a fairly perfunctory job.
Watching Mad Men (Netflix rental video of first season). Great viewing when you're too tired to think. Take care all and have a nice Sunday.
Hi ALL,
Woke to the ground covered in snow … not much comparatively speaking, but enough that the driveway and car need to be cleared off. Flurries are to continue for much of today but staying around the freezing mark.
Thanks, Annette, for starting us off for another week. At this rate it won’t be long before the ospreys return :)))
Hi Auntie! Sorry to hear you’ve been quite sick lately. Hope you’re feeling much better today, and that we can “Chat” later :)
I was sorry to read, Patriciat, that Nell’s brother had been put down. It was 4 years ago yesterday that I had my cat Dustie put down. She was 15 years, 7 months to the day and had rapidly gotten very sick … it broke my heart to see her deteriorate and suffer. It is always difficult to lose a close companion and to this day I miss her very much!
dibnlib: Loved the Kestrel pic. I’m sure there are worse things to find peering through one’s bedroom window! LOL
Alan: Thanks for the Estonian webcam pics and info re the Jordan Lakes eagles. I was going to initially respond that I could not get that webcam to work even though I have Quicktime installed, but this morning it miraculously loaded :)
Still waiting on the FOB eagles to lay their 2nd egg … should be today. Here is a pic of the female returning to the nest … it’s a great comparison of the size difference. The 2nd pic is mum enjoying her supper on the osprey nest while dad is on incubation duty.
The Antarctic penguin chicks continue to grow at a rapid pace. It wasn’t until yesterday evening that I realized the penguins on Cam 1 were also mums with babies … duh! LOL
Enjoy your day ... Cheers!
LINDY Glad to hear you are feeling better and able to visit Tomasz. Totally agree, for me the best cures for most things are swimming and laughing - hasten to add, not at the same time!!!!!
SHEILA OH was the manager of Sumburgh Airport. He was offered the job prior to leaving RAF and it was a hasty decision. We loved Shetland, great people and amazing coastal scenery and no crime so to speak. We were there 1993-95 and people didn't lock houses or cars( keys were left in ignition) Unfortunately OH didn't like his job and in/out trays were far more stressful to him than air traffic ever was so he resigned and we moved back down to mainland Scotland. I will always treasure the memories of my 2 years in Shetland.
Good evening all. Missed a few days, I think, so starting afresh with new week. Lovely sunshine today so watched OH clean some windows – window cleaner did outside Friday, so showed up what was on the inside! Carrying on with tidy-up/clear-out/spring-clean exercise, but not done so much today. Also getting on with replies to Christmas messages – getting some nice email replies.
Annette – usual thanks for new week. Pleased you had a good long time at the roses – shame about incompetent city “gardeners”. I hope you are shaking off the stiffness today.
Auntie – I gather from replies that you are not well – so sorry. Take care – and lots of rest, I hope.
AQ - Schutzenfest sounds like a good knees up - not very Lutheran in content! Do they wear lederhosen? Must make a change from all the lycra!
Patricia – sorry about Nell’s brother – must make you sad as you start counting her years too.
Dibnlib – will your friends be able to compete with their Huskies this year, having to train a new team?
Lindy – I hope you had a great time with Tomasz and the other Grandparents this afternoon – I am sure they (the adults!) enjoyed your baking.
Brenda – pleased you got there and back safe – a sad time.
Sheila – we have not been inspired to start on the garden yet – very wet underfoot from two wetter days.
Alan – surprised how long garden centres seem to be selling off Christmas rubbish sale items this year – thought they would have all the new stuff by now – maybe they can’t afford to invest.
Kelly – sorry about the extra snow – a reminder that it is still January. Lovely clear Penguin pics again.
Off to church after tea – service in one of the town churches for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Just popped in quickly to report the 2nd egg at FOB has arrived! :)))
Cheers!
Another week has begun. Thanks for all your posts.
dibnib - what a superb photo of the kestrel and so near, fabulous.
AQ - hope the floods keep away from you but heard they had spread into Victoria State. German fest sounds good fun, why not, shows times have moved on.
Annette - same here about the roses, hope the volunteers haven't anniahlated them (sorry spelling is probably adrift).
Auntie - do hope you are feeling a lot better and don't work too hard - too much work and not enough play and all that!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
RSPB Giving Nature a Home
Kellogs - thanks for pic of eagles and second egg, that's great
Had a lovel meal out last night with friends from Church. Got stuck in this morning with Junior Church and really liked it, looking forward to next weeks session then a break before duty again.
Brenda, glad you got back safely after your DiL's step-fathers funeral. They are always trying times but time really does help heal the gap left and fond memories remain. At least thats what I'm finding since mum passed away. Take care.
Take care all and hope the week ahead is OK for you all.
Well, church was a waste of time. Had early tea and got dressed for going out, set off, arrived at the church hall where it was said to be happening, only to find it would be in the church building, whose seats are just too uncomfortable for me to sit on. Came back home, changed back into rough clothes and just spent the evening sorting stuff from study which can be thrown out - and rearranging filing drawers and shelves. Still loads to do, but good to have made progress.
Our river has been on “Flood Warning” today, and higher upstream it flooded at least one hamlet. The high water was due to reach the town this evening, but being wider down here and no rain today, has been reduced to “Flood Watch” – although it was High Tide around 9pm, so there may have been a short-term flow of water over the banks.
Tomorrow, OH hopes to hear that he can fetch his mended denture back, and that will dictate the time for shopping mission. Then on with cleaning the study.
Hope all sore throats have cleared up, and that everyone will have a good week. (Reminder to myself – must report goldfinches on here tomorrow – too late for tonight.)
Evening all: Not at all prepared for Easter - we've still got Valentine's Day to suffer through! Unseasonably warm here today (after a couple of months of the reverse) - temps rose very quickly this evening when wind changed - felt good. This morning went out for breakfast with daughter, then off to see Miss Molly (her horse), who we took for a walk and met the ranch owner who was out with his camera shooting pix of a Great Blue Heron that was hanging out nearby. Miss Molly was spooked by something last Sunday night; on Monday we heard that a mountain lion had been hit by a car just a few hundred yards from the ranch. The rancher said he's seen them down by the river, following the deer.
Auntie: Please take care of yourself! A crawling nose? :-) And yes, as AQ says, your English skills are brilliant!
AQ: Roses, thank heaven, are quite forgiving. Had to laugh at your description of the Lutherans. We have a radio show here - Prairie Home Companion, with Garrison Keillor. It originates in Minnesota, originally settled by "dour Lutherans" and Keillor's narratives, which reflect on life in fictional Lake Wobegon, often refer to "Norweigian bachelor farmers" who are always mumbling disapprovingly in the background. I saw that Victoria is set to deal with floods, too.
Patriciat: Sorry about sad doggie story.
dibnlib: That is one amazing photo of the Kestrel.
Lindybird: Hope visit to Sweatpea went well. I like your home remedies - whisky sounds much more appealing than boring old salt water.
Brenda: Hey - two inches of daffodils is a good sign! Hope DiL is coming along OK after her Dad's funeral.
Sheila: City park employees typically "mow. blow, and go" - not trained in the finer points of rose pruning. Had a reasonable night's sleep and took two ibuprofen before I went to bed, so no residual effects today.
Kellogs: That's a great camera angle on the FOB eagle nest. Love the penguin shots too. I've lost the link, but will Google it.
Lynette: Pruned my few "home" roses this afternoon - had to say goodbye to a very old Joseph's Coat climbing rose (but two waiting in the wings to be planted by landscaper).
OG: Sorry you got all dressed up for nought, but at least you got a chance to sort through files. We're doing that now that OH is in his new "office." I haven't even started on my stuff. Geez - floods in your area - what's going on?
Off to find chocolate and scan the channels for some reasonable rubbish on telly. Take care all!
Found Nature on tellly - "White Falcon, White Wolf." - a BBC Bristol production. Brilliant. Wonder if Diane is catching it..... Poor mother falcon has killed a hare (mate spending critical time preening, not hunting!) but having a hard time carrying a hare she's dismembered (apparently something only eagles do) back up to her nest. Oh dear, now wolf pack has lost youngest pup. Hope this has a happy ending.....