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.
Annette - have sent an email to your home address, let me know if it doesn't arrive, my ISP is not talking to certain others-------------
Unknown said: Mary – we are on the Solway coast, so hardly get any snow –
Mary – we are on the Solway coast, so hardly get any snow –
We have only ever been in D&G twice OG, hadnt been for 20 years but we were in Ayr for a week end March/beg April and took a drive down to Dumfries from there, (the weather was brilliant then) were very surprised to find mountains en-route, it was a pretty isolated road we took though but we really enjoyed the drive. Next time we are down in Ayr though will definitely make the trip down to those gardens that you took photographs off, they were lovely, I had never heard of those Gardens, forget the name right now but they were the other side of Stranraer as I checked them out on the map.
EJ's Memorial Balgavies Loch Ospreys 2023
ChloeB said: OG I think I will leave Tiger to explain about shoving cars out of ditches, ie, my car. LOL he started it! :)
OG I think I will leave Tiger to explain about shoving cars out of ditches, ie, my car. LOL he started it! :)
I think Tiger is being a bit shy about this story!
Edit; I see that Tiger has explained all. Ouch! But glad to hear that no-one was hurt.
Birdie's DU Summaries 2018 https://www.imagicat.com/
Unknown said: Sheila – I see you have weather – does that mean the East of England is no longer in a drought situation? Sorry about the throat – plenty of warm drinks and rest, and I hope you’ll soon get over it.
Sheila – I see you have weather – does that mean the East of England is no longer in a drought situation? Sorry about the throat – plenty of warm drinks and rest, and I hope you’ll soon get over it.
I haven't heard that we are no longer a declared drought area Cirrus. I would not imagine we have had enough rain to warrant that. If you dig down the soil is barely damp. But having said that, the garden has taken on a new look, with the grass growing once more and weeds abound everywhere!!
Unknown said: Sheila - beautiful photos of the Inverpolly area, we have been going up there for years and years, and I must say that road up to Inverkirkaig is not for the fainthearted. Suilven is an amazing mountain, viewed from Lochinver it looks like the sugarloaf mountain. Hope the weather is better if you decide to go back there.
Sheila - beautiful photos of the Inverpolly area, we have been going up there for years and years, and I must say that road up to Inverkirkaig is not for the fainthearted. Suilven is an amazing mountain, viewed from Lochinver it looks like the sugarloaf mountain. Hope the weather is better if you decide to go back there.
Mary you are quite right, the road north to Inverkirkaig is certainly exciting to say the least. My OH cycled the last leg of his planned route from friends house near Kinross, from Ullapool and took the windy road. I decided this was foolhardy for me to do in his, larger than my, car, and so I drove round to Lochinver, and only had a few miles on windy, single tracked road! This was indeed a beautiful area, very different to the scenery around LG. I really must learn more about geology. I think this had some of the UK's oldest rock formations - Lewisian? Like many west coast beaches, the white sands are wonderful.
Annette Lochinver was our nearest village, and just under 3 miles away. We bought food there and ate out twice there. Lots of nice seafood and fish on the menu and sold real ale which was a bonus! These single tracked roads, with hairpin bends, blind corners and blind summits are somewhat nerve-wracking and definitely not for the boy-racers of the world!
Just south of the area was extensively hit by fire back in late April/early May, and the landscape certainly showed this with burned moorland, trees, shrubs all around. And yet the grass was already beginning to grow, so I guess that in a few years there will be no evidence of the ravaging which occurred.
auntie, I cannot believe we are now on the downward journey to Christmas already! However, I certainly don't think summer is over until the end of August, and even then we often have a wonderful September and October. Enjoy your long hours of daylight!! How are your osps doing? Have you been to see them recently?
Alan, so good to see that all eights cygnets have survived and are progressing so well. The reed cutting supervisor does have that ' Don't come any nearer ' look. Lovely dog.
Lynette, SiL has had three operations in the last eighteen months and we thought she didn't want to be too far away from her GP, but that doesn't account for other strange behaviour.We would prefer her to see a different Dr. If I miss you, do have a brilliant holiday.
Heather, 22 for the weekend. That sounds like really hard work, although I am sure it will be great fun. Having said that, I am sure you will welcome Monday !
Dibnlib, I am sure it was lovely to see your Mum, but what a journey.
Annette, I don't envy your grandson having a wisdom tooth removed. I had two removed some years ago and the pain, bruising and swelling afterwards was not the best experience of my life.
Tiger, Thanks for the car rescue explanation. There are a few roads like that around here. If it is possible, I take an alternative route which means a few more miles added to the trip.
Done an hour in garden – helping hack-back (sorry, “prune”!) shrubs. Large ones were overshadowing small ones, and Forthsythia was reaching for the sky! Rather nice Broom seems to be dying off, and they don’t take well to pruning, but will give it more time to decide. OH now has to clear up piles of branches – I feel a trip to the tip coming on!
Tiger – thanks for the car in ditch story – but where was the photo of you covered in mud - the one we really want to see! Did you continue to the beauty spot, and was it worth it?
Brenda – so sorry your SiL is still the same – and how dreadful for her OH not getting any “real” meals, as well as worrying about her all the time. I agree, he should speak with her doctor, who may not know any of this.
Dibnlib – pleased you managed the trip to see Mum – but sorry about travelling woes. I hope you managed a talk with Brother too.
Lynette – if OH prefers not to drive after dark in France, could you have main meals at lunchtime instead? This could also be more comfortable to digest too. (I see that Dibnlib has made a similar suggestion – “great minds …”)
Alan – pleased to have update and photos of the Barnwell Cygnets. Sorry you missed the Kingfisher this time.
Lindy – glad you enjoyed the visit and can look forward to Monday too. I hope the new contract works out well for your youngest.
Heather – sounds like you need not only an extending table but an elastic house – like the Humming Bird nest! Have a great weekend with them all! Most of my poor little Runner Beans survived, but are way behind usual height at this time – just hope we don’t get any early frosts when autumn comes.
Mary – will put Galloway Gardens details on your page some time. Landscape in Galloway Forest is amazing – crags and lochans, Deer and Wild Goats – the Highlands in miniature! We have something of everything down here – coast and countryside, forest and moorland – and therefore diverse wildlife.
Need to see how OH is getting on in garden and then put my mind to dinner.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
BRENDA We usually stay for one or two nights but this time decided to go there and back in one day. Think it will be that way from now on as my bro has decided that sometime this year it would be best if he moved in with Mum so he has more control over her safety. She only has two bedrooms so OH and I would have to hotel locally or drive there and back in a day. That is a 360 mile journey through magnificent scenery but really only possible in the summer months when we have extensive daylight hours.
Two Britiish ladies now out of Wimbledon, hope Andy Murray does better.
Sorry to hear that SIL is still suffering, such a shame for all involved.
Hazel b said: It seems that people want to know about the car in ditch story! :) Well we Chloe and I had been told by this visitor at our B&B that if we took this very small mountain road we would come to a lovely beauty spot. We decided to investigate on the afternoon of Friday June 3 which was a lovely sunny day. The road was one of those that you do not want to meet something coming in the opposite direction. Well we met this big 4x4 and Chloe reversed a bit and pulled in to let it go by. I felt our front left wheel slip a bit but was not unduly concerned. Anyway the driver of the 4x4 gave us a wave and all seemed well. However as soon as we tried move forward the left front wheel began to spin (front wheel drive). Rather than let the situation escalate I decided to get out and give the car a push (less weight more drive). This freed the car immediately but I got covered in mud. Anyway crisis over. It was caused by there being a ditch just beside the left front wheel of the car. In pictures it looked like this Not sure what would have happened if we had not freed it when we did.
It seems that people want to know about the car in ditch story! :)
Well we Chloe and I had been told by this visitor at our B&B that if we took this very small mountain road we would come to a lovely beauty spot.
We decided to investigate on the afternoon of Friday June 3 which was a lovely sunny day.
The road was one of those that you do not want to meet something coming in the opposite direction. Well we met this big 4x4 and Chloe reversed a bit and pulled in to let it go by. I felt our front left wheel slip a bit but was not unduly concerned. Anyway the driver of the 4x4 gave us a wave and all seemed well.
However as soon as we tried move forward the left front wheel began to spin (front wheel drive).
Rather than let the situation escalate I decided to get out and give the car a push (less weight more drive). This freed the car immediately but I got covered in mud.
Anyway crisis over. It was caused by there being a ditch just beside the left front wheel of the car.
In pictures it looked like this
Not sure what would have happened if we had not freed it when we did.
We wouldn't have minded if the place justified driving that distance down a single track road but we have been to far more picturesque places than that.
ChloeB & Tiger's Osprey Data