Weekly Chat, Sunday May 29, 2011

Almost forgot about starting this one!  Off to read last few posts of last week.

 

  • Fantastic pics OG and hope you manage to get to Caerlaverock tomorrow.

    Just looked in at the Springwatch cams - baby barn owls.

  • Very quiet on here today.

    OG: Marvellous bird shots!

    jsb: Whoever said the big stores (Harrods, for example) are brilliant when it comes to sales is right; it's the same over here.  And 300+ thread count is nice - you can get 500+ count (saw some the other day - Egyptian cotton), but pricey!  How about a gift certificate for your nephew?  Then they can get what they want.

  • Just finished watching the last DVD of Season 4 of Mad Men - love it!  My sis in the UK says you haven't seen Season 4 there yet (or she hasn't anyway).  We're going to have to wait a year for Season 5 due to a contract dispute between the writer (I think) and the company.  Will have to find a new series to get from Netflix to tide me over!

    OK, so here's the view from my hammock. Those are Valencia oranges and it's pretty risky lolling underneath since they do fall off...   Looks like another huge photo!  I went to install PhotoShop the other day and found it was the old Windows XP version, so no good for the new laptop.  Sigh... I've reduced the size but Windows Live Photo seems to give only pixel sizes, not actual inches.

  • And, for good measure, here's a shot of Stow House - it's the original home of the family that planted the first commercial lemon grove on the Central Coast. It's at Lake Los Carneros; the house and the grounds are also the the scene of music festivals, holiday celebrations, special events, etc., etc.  - also open for tours. When it's not open, it's just a nice place to walk to and around....

     

      

     

  • OK. I'm off to bed; stayed up too late last night and paid the price all day.  Daughter has decided to leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow for Arizona rather than wait another day (for a quieter drive through LA, but who listens to me!)  Grandson is due here early p.m. after exploring more job vacancies; then we'll help him pack up his stuff at his Mom's apartment over the weekend prior to his moving in with girlfriend in another week.  Never stops, does it!  :-)

    Night all; have a lovely Saturday!

  • Good Morning ALL,

    OG, Super photographs of your baby birds. It is a brilliant time to see all the birds and their young.

    Annette, I have always envied your valencia oranges in your garden and dozing in a hammock beneath the tree sounds like heaven. Not too sure about being bombed by the oranges though. Sounds as if you are in for anoother long and busy day. I will try to have a lovely Saurday but do you mind if I enjoyed Friday first !

    Margo, I hope your OH is feeling ok this morning.

    Going to food shop now. I don't want to waste a glorious sunny day in the supermarket. 

  • Morning all,

    OG : Brilliant bird pics once again. Our baby goldfinches have not been back but still lots of adults around. Also lots of young starlings. There seems to  be more sparrows this year so that is also a good thing.

    Annette : Nice pic of the Valencia oranges. Only fruit we have in the garden at the moment is a few strawberries.

    Thanks to everyone else for the chat and pics.

    Not a lot on today so we will see what develops. Probably watch Andy Murray later on in his semi final against Nadal.

    Weather is super. Sunny and warm and not much wind.

  • Morning everyone:  Hooray!  Sunshine again , at last!

    Lovely pics from OG and Annette - those oranges look good!  Dear baby birds from OG again.

    re the sheets debate - I am a huge fan of QVC  (yeh, I know everyone says don't buy from the TV but I have used them for all sorts of things for over 15 years and they are an excellent service - you can send stuff back if you don't like it for any reason at all).  We are at present luxuriating in 300 thread count cotton sheets from there, & I can recommend them.  The site address is qvcuk.com - if you Google this, you will find them online.  Must admit that I don't know without looking if they have any in stock at the moment, but they have literally hundreds of sets of bed linen.

    OK  - Like others, I'm off now to get going, as don't want to waste a sunny day (out with the new washing machine again! - anything not nailed down will be washed)

  • morning margobird,just wanted to say have a good week at LG saying it now as when we get back you will already be there,will try and get on later but must go now and finish HW packing is now done

  • Bright blue dome above, with a shiny golden orb – is this summer?  I sure hope so!

    Annette – Valencias – my favourite.  Lucky you.  Would love to see some of the planting in your garden – it must be very large to have Orange Trees like that!  Like photos of Stow House too – very impressive entrance, and I love that style of architecture – I would call it “colonial” but I would think that sounds rude to anyone over the Pond!  Drive through LA on a Friday?  Not me!  But I can understand your Daughter’s eagerness to get there – and maybe to get away from Grandson’s domestic changes – maybe even because he is the last to leave the nest!

    Alan – we too haven’t seen the baby Goldfinches this morning – but there’s plenty going on with Sparrows, Starlings and adult Finches – including Greenfinch who we now see about four or five times a day, for quite long visits.

    Alicat – enjoy your trip!

    Must go!  I hope everyone has time to enjoy this beautiful day – I noticed even EJ was having to shade her Chicks!

    Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!