Morning all: Happy new week.
MARGO: Welcome back!! :-))
Wendy: Thanks for keeping us up to date on Margo's Big Adventure.
dibnlib: How nice to bump into Margo et al.
Lindybird: Yes, June Gloom highly predictable; if you know of anyone planning to come to California in June, tell them not to expect beach weather, but can be pretty hot away from the coast. Re new dark countertops that don't show dirt, have been horrified to find globs of dried up sticky stuff on ours; now have to bend over and catch the light on the surface to see what needs to be scrubbed.
Diane: Only four feet from a deer? Wow. Pretty impressive, especially after looking at the pix! Maybe whistle a happy tune or put bells on your shoes next time?
Jay-Me: Vacation time sounds nice and relaxing!
Lynette: Thanks for clarifying which part of you is hurting! :-) Nice that all your furniture is finally set up; now enjoy it.
OK, off to fix dinner; back later.
Evening all: The longest day of the year here means that the sun rose at 5:46 a.m. set at 8:14 p.m.. Still, the other side of that is that it doesn't set until just after 5 in the winter.... Re family names, I had an Auntie Lily (her real name was Elizabeth) and an Auntie Birdie (no idea what her real name was).
Tiger: 900 pound each? Phew. Very nice pups, but... Fascinating info about the analemma - wonder if it's the same shape regardless of where in the world it's taken - I couldn't get the second link to load, nor one of the Stanford links about the shape of the analemma on different planets. Will try again later. Amazing - very - um - mathematical (I flunked math but love this kind of stuff). Thanks!
Diane: Interesting about the vodka nettles combo (smiled at your "disclaimer" - all those TV ads!). We have another 3 ft of trench to dig for the electrical for the fountain since we want the plug hidden behind the potato vine (much prettier than it sounds). I would've given you seconds on the strawberries. :-) Actually, now I think of it, there's some left.....
Alan: Love the downy feathers on that wagtail. So soft.
Lindybird: Does anyone know why that huge multicolored bear is on that pole? (Looks like an art project.)
TerryM: Oh dear, sorry to hear about your OH's Mum; a good age, but still. Choir program sounds lovely; must be nice to be so immersed in music.
Hi Osprey! Thanks for the link and how lovely to see an osprey so close to home. Your excitement is contagious. :-)
It was 114 F in Palm Springs today; 109 in Phoenix; 92 over the hill in Santa Ynez. Here at the coast, June Gloom lifted at 10 a.m., but they're saying it will hang about longer over the next few days.
Adelaide airport was returning to normal today after yesterday's shut-down due to more Chilean volcanic ash. Not sure even then whether some flights were possible as the eastern states were still under threat. However Singapore, Malaysian & Cathay Pacific were still flying. Some businessmen discovered they could survive with tele-conferencing instead of interstate trips! For the shortest day it has been cool (12-16 C), a nippy wind and blue sky. I sent myself into library today, trying to get back into gear. But I didn't do any "work". One of the staff grabbed me for a brain-storming session (re family history) and then, oh dear, it was time for lunch with my friend. After a long catch-up on news, I just came home! Linda - that bear reminds me of some I saw in Berlin. Pics later. Yes, yes, I have started pruning/sorting/selecting my holiday pics.
NZ earthquake update. Last week Christchurch had more earthquakes, one measuring 5.3 (from memory). People were panicking. An inquest into collapse of building in the previous major quake was interrupted twice. This news was quickly over-shadowed by the Chilean ash cloud closing airports in NZ & Aus. The latest item I saw said that authorities were to decide which suburbs of Christchurch were to be abandoned. It must be terrible for the residents, not knowing whether to stay or give up and start afresh somewhere else.
Lindybird looks like Buzz is as mad about water as Mia is...
Annette That link you refer to was working fine when I put it up but then went bad so it is the site not the link. There is also an article on Wiki
You make a very interesting point about how the analemma would look from different parts of the world. Well from the southern hemisphere is should look upside down. As far as I am aware no one has ever photographed the analemma from the southern hemisphere. A real chance for AQ if she is photographically inclined.
Of course the one I posted before was the Tutulemma I do not expect to see that one repeated for some time. Memories for me as I really wanted to go and see that eclipse but circumstances prevented me.
Tiger Signature
Hello, Everyone: Some quick replies as I'm off out (again).
Annette: Don't know why the bear was there, part of an art project I expect, but it had gripped the imaginations of some children over the previous weekend. I loved the multi colouredness of it!
Terry: Sorry to hear about your OH's Mum - always a shock when the end comes, even if they are rather elderly.
Tiger: Thanks for the link to the analemma site - (think you must have posted it once before as I had seen it, but very interesting) Nature and the planets make such great patterns.
OG: Hope you are continuing to improve, today.
AQ: Hope you continue to be cool. Awful about the earthquakes, and also the volcanic eruption.
Diane: Those wasps are certainly a busy lot! "Busy as bees, we used to say".
It was still not dark here, last night, at 10.30 !!! It would have been easy to walk down the street without either a flashlight or street lights, almost as light as day. Pity it changes around again, and does not last for long. I love the lighter evenings.
The question of male ospreys feeding chicks came up on the Dyfi board. I was reminded of the famous case when in 1993 Ollie was left to care for the two chicks as a single dad. The story is related here.
Good Morning Everyone. Beautiful day yesterday but back to rain this morning.
Terry, sorry to hear about your OH's Mother.
I hope Margo's health is improving and that her computer will just mean a quick repair.
OG, I guess you will be feeling so much better this morning. I certainly hope so.
Osprey, I am so jealous that you have ospreys so near to your home.
Diane, Good news that the wasps are still maturing and leaving the nest.
I need to do a big food shop this morning. The freezer is getting low in stocks.
I have resolved my problem with Scottish Power's price increase email that I received. I do not want to give details here, but if you are affected, you can PM me. There may well be SP employees reading this thread.
EDIT: Second paragraph removed re British Gas....conflicting information on the internet!
Comments from BG.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data Site
Sat track schedule Spring 2014
LG 7 days; RW & SWT nil; LDOP varies
Manage your energy costs.....huh!
I just put my lunch in the wrong oven, it came out still frozen!