Afternoon all: Geez. May already? This happens every year!
Sitting in garden with laptop! Under umbrella in shorts and trying to ID a pale pink hybrid rose I didn't think I'd bought but which is now blooming like mad. I went out to buy orange/apricot/peach and yellow roses and have no idea how this pale pink one got into the mix. Also, it doesn't have a little metal label, which the others do, and I'm wondering if it didn't get into the wrong bin at La Sumida, where I bought six bare roots. In the meantime, Amber Flower Carpet and Julia Child roses are doing brilliantly... Met friends for breakfast this morning: Had a egg-white and seasonal veggie mix - won't make that mistake again! Very boring and challenging since nothing stayed on my fork. Was forced to rectify the situation with a cafe au lait and a boysenberry and lemon scone!
Diane: I have a visor and a sweathshirt with a hood that I wear on windy days at the whale count. That's it! Daughter has several cowboy hats, including one with a woven decorative band she made from hair taken from Cimarron's tail (the horse she had to put down Feb 10). I'll check out Trucker Steve next.
Alicat: Bet you had fun with Bobbie. Have you sorted your naughty OH yet? :-)
Wendy: Dolphin visit sounds like fun.
Sheila: Argh! Take care of that knee. Geez. A 1.5 hour wait for food? Did everyone complain loudly? Apparently, several of our channels repeated the wedding video throughout the day yesterday; I'm watching the recording a bit at a time; can't stand to be inside on a lovely day.
OG: More fab azaleas! Good news that son is trying the part-time option; hope it works out for him. Really understand "more money than sense," which also applies to grandson who, sad to say, doesn't have much money, so .....! Still, he's young yet and as always, we live in hopes. Little vole looks awfully sweet.
Hallo also to Lynette. It's past 4; can now officially start new Weekly Chat!
CIRRUS, Those stockings are awful! I had to wear them after my knee op for six weeks. They are so uncomfortable and make your legs itch. I thought they were worse than a plaster cast which I found much easier to get a knitting needle down.
GOLDFINCH, sorry, they were your pics, thanks for sharing.
The mind is like a parachute, it doesn't work if it's not open.
Rain was slow to arrive – and first shower lasted all of five minutes! Still warm here. All fish alive, although one of the new ones looks a bit “iffy” – older ones apparently unaffected by change to water.
AQ – lovely account and wide views of your recent trip. My favourite photo has to be the Galah with outspread wings landing in the Gum Tree, but I also liked the desolation of the lone tree at the abandoned iron workings. Stubble burning was banned here some 25 years ago – but then we didn’t have a plague of mice! Having driven them out by fire, how do they actually catch/kill them? How annoying that speed signs are going in after your road was finished – at least ours had the traffic control put in place first, even if the job did take aeons to complete!
Diane – our own lawns are less manicured than many around here – we don’t cut them too close as they then shelter insects which in turn become food for birds. And a close-cropped lawn would certainly not suit your house! I also noticed George’s absence - I hope he is well by now – maybe just busy enjoying spring outdoors.
Annette – Mothers’ Day coming round again already? Where did that year go?? Enjoy today’s breakfast with Daughter. In that last batch of photos, the Osprey was much closer to us, so less editing on computer, so clearer pictures.
Lindy - will you continue ironing for your friend – or will they engage an ironing lady? Daughter#1 has her dried laundry collected Monday and it comes back neatly folded or hanging on Wednesday – charged by weight so cost reduced considerably when our Son moved out with all his heavy jeans! Had to move large Geranium pots out of greenhouse to make room for Cucumbers so put them in a cosy corner, and luckily cloudier weather means warmer nights!
Quietwoman – are you very far north, to be having such windy weather? You will see Sulphur Crested Cockatoos on the Galah Camera which Diane mentioned – in fact, when I look in there I see more of them than Galahs! By the way, most folk on here refer to me as OG.
Final day of our April Holiday – LotL on the way home - birds around feeders:
Mr Pheasant looking inquisitively at camera:
Mrs Woodpecker (no red patch on head, hope that's right!):
Yellowhammer:
Greenfinch and Chaffinch:
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Hazel b said: Update on the goslings. Some of them have fledged. See various videos here.
Update on the goslings. Some of them have fledged. See various videos here.
Thanks Tiger for the link.
Margobird
Dashing , will have to catch up later
Annette - yes, someone else's OHMe is different problem. And I'm a single lady (hope to be married one day - had one marriage proposal this year - it would never have worked !! )
Two Goshawk chicks
Morning all,
OG : Thanks for the great osprey pics taken at Spey Bay. They are really outstanding as I know how difficult it is to capture ospreys in flight. When we went to Spey Bay in 2008 there were no ospreys around.
AQ : Thanks for the pics and description of your trip. Very interesting as usual.
Cirrus : Thanks for the update on the Goshawks and the pic. Not been following that webcam very much.
Thanks to everyone else for the chat etc.
Went to vote this morning. Not very optimistic we will get change this time to the voting system but hope we do. Hung the washing out in a manly way and did a bit of tidying in the garden.
Weather is cloudy but feels warm as the easterly wind has dropped.
AQ - thanks for your description of your day out. Saddleworth was mentioned, there is one on the Yorkshire/Lancashire border which is where some of my ancestors originated. Love the primitive Methodist Chapel and all the surrounding countryside, always nice to see what its like on the other side of the world.
Annette - OH is seeing the vascular consultant next month so hopefully they will sort him out. His doctor thinks there is a procedure that they can do as a day patient under a local anesthetic so we await and see what will happen. Maybe then we can book our holiday to Sri Lanka!!
OG - simply super pics of the birds you've captured.
Cirrus - thats nice to know about the chicks. Hope everything goes alright with the legs - I was once told to wear that type of stocking after a female op way back in 1990 but refused to do so, the nurse kept saying I would have to speak to the consultant. Did so and he knew I would be up and about as quickly as I could so gave me the all clear. Cannot wear anything like that - they seem too restrictive and make you feel sweaty.
As I type, EJ is looking around her, possibly hoping for some lunch!
http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/things-to-do/wildlife-webcams/loch-of-lowes/
RSPB Giving Nature a Home
Good morning all and still birght and sunny here but we had one or two drops of rain last evening. Rain forecast for the next few days but whether that will happen remains to be seen. I am sitting here with my constant companion during the day, she is curled up just inside the front room where she gets the sun and no doubt will stay this way for hours. She really has OH under her spell now, when he sits down she immediately jumps up and sits cuddled up to him. Our little Billie is such a changed cat from a month ago. She sleeps most of the day and comes to life in the evenings and during the night. If either of us have to get up during the night we always look out and there she is romping round the garden. Have to say it is very relaxing having Billie around, she brings a real sense of calmness to every day.
Off to the folk club this evening and quite looking forward to it after my first experience of folk music a couple of months ago. Near home to it won't be a very late nght thank heavens as I have to be up early tomorrow for appointment at doctor's surgery for blood test, blood pressure and water check. Usually on a Friday I treat myself to an extra hour in bed.
See you have had a bit of rain original goldfinch I think the whole country is desparate for rain now. Wonderful photographs from you again, you are such a good photographer. Was sorry to read about the fish you have lost. We lost a couple last year from our pond, didn't know what caused it as we had the wate tested and it was OK. Hope you have better luck with the others. Good to hear your son is feeling better, he certainly does have a rough time.
Lindbird it is s---ds law for me that someone will ring the doorbell when I am either in a state of undress or just not looking my best, old clothes on and hair all over the place. So nice that your friend has so many friends who hare helping out and a wonderful OH doing his best for her.
Wouldn't swap my OH for the world, the few minor things are more than made up by the way he looks after me. It is our Wedding Anniverary on Friday 13 May (not the best date) and he has booked a meal out at a surprise location which I don't have a clue about and it will be nagging me to death for the nest week tryig to work out where we are going.
Annette you sound so busy again, hope you are getting plenty of sleep at night. Enjoy breakfast wit your daughter and enjoy Mother's Day.
Cirrus you really do have problems, it must be a bit upsetting for you as you do like your hiking. Horrible having to wear those awful stocking as well but good for you in remaining cheerful and doing what you like to do.
AQ thanks for the news about the trip and your photos, looks so desolate in some of them.
TerryM hope you have a wonderful holiday and you made me smile about dust bunnies. My eyesight is less than perfect so I don't really notice them too much. I do housework all the time during the week but not at weekends and there is only one spot in my lounge where the dust really shows and that is on the TV stand, when the sun shines through I can notice it there.
Gary another cute photo of Toffee, she really is a beautiful dog.
Lynette lovely photos of the blackbird and goldfinches and also the capture of the goose.
Diane thanks for the link, hope your weather is improving a bit now.
Brenda H that is a long time to wait for your computer. When my needed a health check we took it to PC World and they were very quick with it at that time although when my sister had hers checked it was not so quick.
OH mentioned there is milk especially formulated for cats so I guess he will get some at the weekend being the softie he is. Have to say though that Billie drinks water from anywhere she can get it. 2 bowls out and she drinks from the birth batch and the pond and it we had rain puddle she would drink from those as well.
Unknown said: Two Goshawk chicks
Thanks for the news from the Goshawk nest Cirrus.
margobird said: Update on the goslings. Some of them have fledged. See various videos here.
Tiger - the link I was looking at she still had eggs to hatch, is it these eggs which are now hatching, I'm a little confused but pleased there are goslings about.