Weekly Chat, Sunday 24 April 2011

Hi everyone.

Thanks for all your updates, links, and pics :-)  Had a lovely afternoon at the Falls of Clyde, on Sunday, watching the Peregrines.  It's a fairly long walk to get there and laregely uphill but certainly worth it when you see such magnificant raptors.  Pictures to follow if any turn out decent once I've cropped them.

AQ:  A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :-)

Happy Tuesday everyone :-)


Paul.

Another sunny day slipping by with phone calls (50% successful) and appointments.

Lynette – Son told me yesterday that he was not at all apprehensive about return to work today, and this morning he had a brief review – only comment was he could work faster, which he was aware of, and feels he can improve now he knows what he is doing!  He’s also had a boost to his confidence by being asked to preach at his church next Sunday!

AQ – I had noted your birthday for Tuesday and put it in a safe place!  Can’t find the safe place, and now the day is past for you, so I hope it was a good one – BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Annette – sorry Monday was not good for Whale counting.

Auntie - three visits to Pohtiolampi at the weekend?  Quite an addiction!  So pleased you are also getting good warm weather, and had time to get out and enjoy the weather and the birds.  Thanks for the link to the Helsinki Eagle Owl story and to Sheila fro English version.

Lindy – lovely photo of your Snakes Head Fritillaries – ours have gone over now, but they had multiplied this year again, which is what I like plants to do – except weeds of course!

Sheila – I do intend to finish my holiday description (including Ospreys) before the next one, but keep having things to do!!  I asked about the black lambs – apparently the Tup was black all over.  Photo completion voting exhibition was Sunday, and I wasn’t even in the voting!  Some of the finalists were truly superb – but very telling that they apparently had no entries in the 13s to 18s section!

Margo – pleased you enjoyed Ken Dodd on Saturday.  Enjoy celebration for Friend on Thursday, and weekend in London.

Alan – is Hamish’s limping foot recovered now?  I do hope so.  Lovely clear Blackbird photos.

Dibnlib – pleased you had a walk on your own with Dillon without mishap – sorry about forestry activity, but I suppose it is intended as an investment, just like any other crop.

Joan – hosepipe out again here this evening and everyone we meet asks “is this our summer for 2011?”!

Wendy – pleased you had a good day out together.  I noticed the Sainsbury’s going up in Nairn – and road works through the town, too!  Pleased you saw Dolphins – by the way, count me out of the boat trip in August!!

Diane – Clava Cairns site is under the management of Historic Scotland, but is free entry, with quite simple polite notices not to damage the stones.  It is quite remote, and a very peaceful place – although it is signposted from the main road.  Haven’t really looked into the Findhorn Community, although someone did suggest they have a shop and coffee shop open to the public – must find out more!

I hope to come back in a little while with some more photos – still sorting them day-by-day!

OG/DjoanS : Hamish foot has improved and is no longer limping but I may take him to the vet to get it checked as he is still licking it. I will see how he is tomorrow.

Really bad news about the Hampton female eagle being killed by an aeroplane. They are having a meeting to discuss what to do about the  eaglets.

Unknown said:

Diane: Was listening to NPR today and they had a report from Indiana on the flooding and said - horrors - that some areas are expecting 9" inches in the next day or three? Will have to check out the "God Particle" when I'm awake and can appreciate it (providing, of course, I can understand it).

Hi, Annette. Sorry that the wind curtailed your whale watching. Too bad the whales can't walk up on the beach and wave. :-) I'm so glad that your printer and router are on friendly terms now. That was a struggle. I'm also glad that you're finally getting a new TV. You were very patient with those people, and you deserve a new one at this point.

Yup, it seems like half the bloomin' state of Indiana is under water. Roads closed everywhere. 100s of water rescues to save people, and there's widespread damage. And you're right, the rain isn't over. We'll get several more inches here in the next day or so. My county's under a River Flood Warning and a Flash Flood Watch now. I was very worried this morning, because my creek was to the top of the levee when I got up. I considered trying to sandbag this afternoon, but then the rain stopped for a while today. The creek has now receded. Yay! Really bad thunderstorms are predicted for tonight and tomorrow morning, so I'm hoping the creek is now low enough that it can take the heavy rain. I'm going to stay up all night to watch it, just in case I need to evacuate, but I think I'll be okay here.

Sheila: Hello to you! I've enjoyed reading your posts. You asked me what happens when my creek floods. The water pours over the levee and rushes through my back garden and past my garage, where it meets up with the main creek again. The water travels fast and carries tree limbs and other heavy debris. The house rests on slightly elevated land, but if the water gets too deep, the flooding will begin to expand toward the back of my house. In the past, my creek rarely flooded, but the weather is becoming more volatile. I may have to spend some big money and build up my levee. The highest I've ever seen it was in the massive flooding of 2008, when the water reached my back door and stopped just in time. Phew!

I hope George G is feeling better. Also hope that Buzz is on the mend and Hamish is no longer limping.

Happy Anniversary, dibnlib! And I hope AQ enjoyed the Beesting cake (was it a cheesecake?).

Wow, auntie, ten ospreys, have you overdosed?  Thanks for the eagle owl story, I don’t think much of Google’s translation. Thanks Sheila for the proper translation (not you literally of course...)

Alan, your blackbird looks in very good condition, lovely pics.

OG, thanks for your holiday stories, love the lambs and coos, especially Bad Hair.

Lovely fritillary, Lindy.

So sad to see the NBG eaglets alone on their nest.  The male hasn’t been seen either, although he managed to avoid the plane that killed the female.

I think I forgot to say, after my Bassenthwaite duties on Friday, driving past the entrance I saw 10 ducklings and mum in the middle of the road.  Pulled in, jumped out and stopped the traffic until she had taken them across, then followed them down the road a little way until they reached a place where the wall stopped and they could carry on down to the lake.

Terry: Good for you, saving the little ducks!!! Glad you've been able to work at Bassenthwaite.

Evening all: Quick look in - falling asleep in my chair here!

Auntie: Sounds like you hit the jackpot with your 10 ospreys!

Sheila: Thanks for ID'ing the flower on Lindybird's card for AQ - it is lovely. I don't recall Terry's mentnion of Lewis (assume that's Inspector Morse's sidekick turned main character?) but I like that show too. It's funny you mention international phone call solicitations - my sister sometimes waits for me to start blathering a message before she picks up because they get international sales calls too.

Margobird: What a full weekend! Enjoy your new refrigerator. You're quite right: the Brits have cornered the market on Pomp and Circumstance.

Alan: Such a quick summer! :-) That is one handsome blackbird. Bad news about the eagle; will look forward to hearing what they'll do with the eaglets... Glad Hamish's paw seems to be improving; hope it keeps up.

Lindybird: Indeed, a year of changes for daughter and granddaughter! Your Easter Sunday sounds lovely. Spoke to my sister on the phone Sunday and she mentioned the plethora of upcoming holidays; nice for those still employed fulltime though. They're starting the live broadcast of the wedding here at 1 a.m. Friday morning our time!! Egads! According to our national news, there's more American media covering the wedding than British! I'm going to breakfast at a friend's house at 9.a.m. that day and we were half-joking about having a slumber party on the Thursday night so we could watch the wedding. My daughter is planning to watch it at last report, but we'll see what happens when the time arrives.

Wendy: Good you got your decorating done; maybe pop over to AQ's and consult with her on that "green" paint. I'd be excited about a new Sainsbury's too. Gosh, Gary doing a trip over the pond this year - I missed that - assume he must be going to LG??

Diane: Hope t-storms don't upset your wedding viewing - weather looks awful back there; heard they ran out of Road Closed signs today! Stay safe!! Will check out your "Cliff Notes" version of the Higgs Boson when I can keep my eyes open.

Thanks everyone I haven't mentioned by name for pix and posts!  Do appreciate them.

Off to check out nest before I fall into bed!

A major security breach at Sony, Playstation, Qriocity database, holding personal, password and credit card details, which I just read online. It has taken a week to warn customers!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8475728/Millions-of-internet-users-hit-by-massive-Sony-PlayStation-data-theft.html

Diane  I did not realise that Peter Higgs had done most of his famous work back in the sixties. I did not know I was talking to an international science icon, just one of the mathematical physics lecturerers. Yes we did talk about physics, relativity in fact....about whether one can travel faster than light or not. A very good friend of mine would know him much better as he did a degree in mathematical physics. I will as him what he remembers of Peter Higgs.

JSB  Fortunately I do not have a play station. Shocking for those who do.

I hope London2012 site does not get hacked.

More trouble trying to get on blog. Hence delay in replying. Thank you Annette, Auntie, Cirrus, Joan, Linda, Tiger, Sheila, Margo, Alan, Dibnlib, Lynette, Paul & OG for birthday wishes.
Thank you to Joan & Linda for my flowers - lovely. I hope I haven’t missed anyone.
I had a lovely lazy day. Dau#2, Sil and Jasper the grandcat dropped in to share the bienstich. (Well, not Jasper. He got cat biccies.) Now, answers about the Cheesecake Shop. I always spend ages dithering and deciding which cake to get. Sorry the website doesn’t display the bienstich - must be a local shop specialty. It is not a cheesecake. It is a german cake, a very light cake covered with honeyed baked almonds and filled with custard cream.
Before:

Later

Diane - Four?????????!!!!!!!!!! You’re not a bit greedy are you? LOLOLOL Think of all those calories!

Aussieland has a Do Not Call Register to prevent unsolicited phone calls. However charities and market research are exempt. And some calls get through from unscrupulous companies who do not name themselves to prevent being reported. "Congratulations you have won a trip. Press 9 for details." That one has finally been removed. The latest is "This is Windows Operating System and you have a problem, blah, blah, blah". In an excited voice I usually invite them to drop around and clean my windows . . . Other times I chatter on about what a lovely day it is and are they enjoying it too, until they finally hang up. The calls I hate are the silent ones. When I answer no one is there. Apparently these call centres dial (computer generated) several numbers and whoever answers first get the call and others left in limbo.