Weekly Chat, Sunday, June 19, 2011

Well the steady rain has finally arrived here in the early evening, much needed by the gardens but hopefully it will pass in the night and according to the weather forecast it is supposed to be very warm and sunny, we shall see!!

SheilaFE - never been down to the South or as far West and down to La Rochelle. Have had holidays on the Loire though. Stayed near the town of Beauchamps not too far from Orleans which we visited.   Tend to stay mainly in the North, Normandy or Brittany when we go.How lovely to be there for Bastille Day, I bet it was quite spectacular.   We were in Aras about 2 years ago and the celebrations had just finished for VE Day - its really celebrated over there.

What lovely pics at Achiltibuie - saw the mountains in the distance from my friends house - mist cleared in time.

Diane - fascinating about the wasps. Take care and don't get stung.

Hope to look in over the weekend but must get some packing done tomorrow.

Take care folks.

Tiger - A dilemma with the analemma. How can I have my one&only camera on permanent duty for a year? I shall have to pass on the honour & glory of the 1st in SH.

Mary - I did see one graffitti-ed bear. Most of the graffiti was along the streets low on buildings. Unlike the yobbos here who climb on verandahs, roofs and tag seemingly impossible places.

I woke this morn to the sound of galahs (Eolophus roseicapillus) feasting on our front lawn. First pics thro' dirty windows. Then I discovered they were not fazed by me opeing door and clicking away. So did OH. He caught one with crest half up, I caught a pair squabbling.

I don't understand why my pics are appearing so big when I am doing the same as before I went away. I've shrunk them to similar sizes. BTW is it my imagination or is the webcam window now smaller . . . and this print bigger so I can read it?
Herewith the squabbling galahs.

The one on the left won. 'Tis he in the single pic above when all was settled.

Hi, all.

OG: Maybe the wasp queen is stopping by to lay more eggs when I'm not around. The nest just keeps producing more wasps! :-o Was your son's job volunteer and he still needs to sign up for unemployment? Or did that job end? I think my memory is flawed! Sorry he has to go to Inverness to sign up on his birthday. Awful. I wish him well. Your area of Scotland sounds beautiful with so much diversity of landscape and wildlife. Lovely siskin photos!

Sheila: Thanks for your kind wishes. I've so enjoyed reading about your holiday and seeing the very beautiful photos. I loved that tall rock cliff. Hope you're feeling much better!

Brenda: I'm so sorry that your SiL is not improving. Devastating for all concerned. I hope a doctor can be found who can resolve the issues. Is it major clinical depression?

Heather: I hope your family gathering goes wonderfully!
Alan: Lovely swans/cygnets! The Reed Cutting Supervisor looks intensely serious about his job.
Lynette: So sorry the builder disappointed you. I hope you have a fabulous holiday.
Joan: Gorgeous photos from you!!! Congratulations on your new camera. Yay!
Auntie: Nice to see you!

Terry M: I looked at your photo gallery. Wonderful!!! You're very talented, and I loved the Bridge to Nowhere, as well as the lighthouses. Also the cats, of course!

Mary: Beautiful photos from you!

AQ: Very colorful and unique bears! I hope you're feeling better??? We also say "living daylights". I always thought that was one of those quaint Midwest U.S. expressions. Had no idea others used it. Such terrible news from Christchurch.

Lindy: So glad that you are getting an opportunity to visit with Sweetpea. Sorry that your son must live away from home a few days per week, and awful that they might have to move further away from you! In this economy, one has to seize the opportunity, but sad for everyone. I really enjoyed the pics of Buzz and the swans. Glad Buzz had no interest in them, and they left him alone! Buzz always looks like such a happy doggy.

Annette: I hate to drive. Maybe you could move here and drive me around? LOL I would bake you biscuits/cookies. How 'bout raspberry? I hope your grandson will have success as a result of his job interviews. I did watch the Nature episode on Victoria Falls. Excellent photography.

Everyone have a nice weekend!

Hey, AQ. You snuck in while I was typing. I love the colors of those galahs. I sometimes watch them on that Australia galah cam. Your photos are good!

Yes, while you were gone, the RSPB eliminated images in the signature box, and they increased the type size of the main body of the post. I'm glad; much easier for me to read. And, yes, the webcam window has changed size and dimensions. Here's the explanation.

re: photo size. This is what I do: After I shrink the photos, I always make a note of their size. Then when I upload them here, I always insert the proper dimensions into the height and width boxes. I know that you don't have to enter any info in those boxes in order to post a photo. But I find that when I do put in the desired dimensions, the photos come out the size I want them to be. Maybe I'm just being goofy. Probably. LOL!

Diane - Thanks for the "explanation" and what to do about my pics. I shall try one now, with one last bear.

EDIT. Woo Hoo It works. Thanks Diane. Now I gotta swot Tiger's tutorial & learn about posh links.

Evening all: Another busy day - finished the trench in the garden and helped OH dig out the area where the fountain will sit - now have to put down some gravel, etc., as a base. Electrician is coming Monday to install the conduit. Very late getting on tonight; lots of interruptions and I'm doing the laundry too.

HI Auntie: Enjoy those long days.

Lindybird: Ha! Yes, read that first as if petunias accompanied the lamb. I've tried petunias, but they seem to attract a  lot of snails. Glad you enjoyed visit with Sweetpea; good for Son! I donate blood when they let me; sometimes I don't have enough whatever-it-is when they do that thing after they've pricked your finger.

OG: Butter and sugar in the cookies? I'd never have guessed. :-)

Brenda: Sorry to hear your SiL isn't doing well; do hope her OH follows your suggestion and has a chat with the GP. Sorry, but must confess I missed the original post about her condition. Sounds like depression (but what do I know?) Ah, Sheila mentions op; hmmm....

Lynette: Going out for more meals sounds like a great plan! I have a dish towel that reads: My favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations!

Alan: Lovely pix of the cygnets - Mom (or is that Dad?) is just gorgeous - such graceful creatures.  Yes, Murray is hard to watch; wonder if he's like it in all matches or just the "big" ones.

Heather: Sounds like a family reunion at your house! Have fun.

Tiger: Brilliant to get the car out of the ditch; hope you didn't get all muddy. Ah, Chloe spilled the beans!

Sheila: Amazing how much a little bit of rain will perk up plants (especially the weeds). Also amazing how quickly the land recovers from a fire. Our Botanic Garden suffered badly in one of our fires a couple of years ago and you'd never know it from the abundant shrubs, though trees still tell the tale.

Diane: Hope the bees busy traits are contagious; sorry the heat'll be back on soon. We're still cooler-than-normal here. Tomorrow is the big Summer Solstice Parade downtown (In fact, Google's illustrated logo on June 21 linked directly to the Santa Barbara festival). I'm having breakfast with friends and we may stick around to see the parade; it's usually great fun with much silliness. I guess I like to drive because it's just so gorgeous out here.

AQ: Love those galahs!  Some years ago, New Mexico (the next state east of Arizona), had a competition for artists who were invited to paint life-sized models of horses. The basic sculpture was very lifelike and some of the artist's interpretations were simply marvellous.

Well, very discombobulated evening here. Sorry to have prattled on so long.  take care all and have a good Saturday.

Sheila - That is indeed a good few miles for your OH to cycle from Ullapool - around 26 miles Id say, you were wise to go the long way round in the car, we've driven the road many times up past Inverkirkaig but with my OH at the wheel, dont think I would take it on.     There are loads of beaches to pick from I do like Achmelvich further north, but I dug up this photo of the beach at Achnahaird which is within the Inverpolly Estate.

OG - Thanks for the offer of the link to Galloway Gardens.   D&G is often overlooked by visitors, I love the drive down the coast from Ayr to Stranraer, right by the sea.

AQ - Well just one Graffitti'd bear is a miracle, not sure they would stay that pristine in the UK.  That last bear was so colourful... Love the photos of your Galah's, I take it they make a lot of noise ha ha...  

Diane I.I. - Thank You

Morning to You, One & All.   Dull, here, after a night of the promised rain, but we are now promised a weekend of warm temps... hooray!

A lot of interesting posts above.  Can't reply to All but Brenda, so sorry to hear about your sis in law-  it does sound like clinical depression doesnt it.  She needs help from a specialist or counsellor, really.

Lovely pics of Galahs from AQ and another colourful Bear!  Glad you sorted out your size of pic problem.

We are so excited about our Sons new job offer - he has been 'head hunted' by another company, so he must be good at what he does!  It will be further for us to go visit, but as they are already too far away for the usual g'parent things like babysitting, etc. it won't make a lot of difference, except in our petrol bills.  First, anyway, we have to get through the 6 months of the contract - his lovely wife will be coming here for a little break sometime, so that she won't be too alone while he is away.  She sees as much as she can of her parents, but they too will be even further away from them.

Sweetpea is growing of course, and quite a weight for me to lift already.  Buzz was very interested in him, as he's not used to babies much, and wanted to lick him, so had to be restrained!  Here is a pic of Buzz for those not used to seeing him when dry!!!

-- have a good weekend!

Well I've got behind again with everyone's news. Just had a quick scan through.

Brenda sorry to hear about your SiL.  Have to agree with some of the others that maybe she's suffering with depression - hardly surprising if she's had so many operations in such a short space of time.  The trouble is some still have the attitude that everyone should be able to pick themselves up and get on with it but it's an illness just like any other and it isn't easy for any of those involved.  I hope she soon gets on the right road.

Margo hope to see you back soon feeling better after your chest infection.  I bet Billie has been a real comfort to you.

I've just got back from the vet's with Mia.  One ear has cleared but sadly the worst one is still full of wax which means she has to go in for the day to be knocked out and have it flushed out.  It's booked for Tuesday and I am dreading it.  Fortunately it will be OH who has to take her in as i'll be at work. The vet's is very close to his work so it will be easier for him.  She'll be on my mind all day though until I pick her up again.

Lindy  great pic of Buzz