Weekly Chat Sunday 26th June

Steady rain, currently 13 C in Adelaide.

Finishing holiday saga. Sunday was my last day in Vienna. Hotel checkout noon. Flight 7.45 pm. So I wandered all afternoon, restless, managed a clock museum, some churches and a magnificent rose garden. Boring at airport, especially as plane left late. Luckily there were 2 others to catch the Singapore plane and when our 1st plane landed we were met and taken by minibus to an obscure door, passport control and a mere 5 min walk to the 2nd plane which was loaded and ready to take off. That's service!!!!!!.

Arriving in Singapore late in the day I had 8 hours before my next connection. Horrendous when all I wanted was to go home. I checked into a lounge and tried to read or snooze. There was a TV displaying news that I did not want to see - Qantas (the Aussie airline) had cancelled flights to/from Adelaide because of the Chilean ash cloud. I didn't know whether to hope Singapore Airlines were braver or not. Perhaps they are more experienced, anyway they did fly, tho' I noticed the route was different. Then the hassle of passport, customs, etc. Methinks Adelaide is the worst! Finally I was able to find a phone, ring OH and ask for pickup. We live 5 mins from airport. I calculated it was 38 hours from hotel to home.

As you may have noticed I have a weakness for churches - just love looking a the different styles and decorations. I saw plenty. On the bus my seatmate & I amused ourselves by trying to snap villages/churches as we passed. More often than not we caught a passing tree/bush/vehicle and then giggled at our result - "Got a another tree". Probably annoying those who we trying to sleep on the bus. Alan's idea of voting off passengers sounds good - I would start with a few who could be politely described as "aloof".

Well, the trip was an experience. I guess in time I will appreciate more what I saw rather than moan about what I couldn't/didn't do.
I shall continue posting pics on flickr. Today I reached Heidelberg, soon beautiful Titisee. AQ's pics

Evening all: Finding the site very slow tonight; can't upload pix to DU.

Haven't been on before now since was watching a repeat of the Nadal-Murray match and didn't want to "see" the results here before I could watch it. Such a shame - it started off so well for Murray but then fell apart - again.

Diane:  Geez.  Does that mean you can't drive until the tree is gone? Can you just ask the neighbors to clean it up or at least help clean it up? Most people want to keep on good terms with their neighbors; seems like they'd appreciate your situation.

OG: That's funny - I've also thought the evenings seemed lighter this past week!

AQ: Eight hours between connections on your flight home?  Eeek. I had to sit in Dublin Airport en route from LA to East Midlands for four hours on one trip and felt like the walking dead; was desperate to lay down but only hard chairs available, at least to lower-class flyers like me and OH!!  :-)   I like Alan's idea of voting off passengers too - sounds like a great idea for a reality show: Survivor: The Bus Tour.

I'm signing off now. Very tired. Was out most of the day: A friend of my daughter's suffered an aneurism yesterday morning (a really sweet Mexican guy who used to help her with her horses). He's in the ICU unit at the local hospital and I went by to see what I could find out but his family members weren't there and the people in charge weren't (legally) allowed to give me - a non family member - any info. However, a sympathetic nurse dropped some broad "hypothetical" hints; basically, his "hypothetical" prognosis is better than one might expect from someone with the same "hypothetical" condition. Then I met a friend who's a guide at the local art museum for a tour of a current exhibit and lunch, then whizzed by the Mission rose garden, then to the gym, then home to watch Nadal/Murray. A long day.

Have a good Saturday ALL. (Site is really playing up!!!!)

 Morning, Everyone.    The sun is out here, so we are looking forward to our family invasion, shortly.  Just off out to buy some grub to feed the hordes.

AQ:  Your experience certainly seems to have been as Annette described, a 'Survival Bus Tour'.  Do hope you can indeed look back on it later, as a good experience in spite of your illness and difficulties.  Thanks for all  the lovely photos - you certainly took a few!  (one thing that always gets our goat on holidays is those folk who decide that they live in a bubble of their own, and speak to no-one - do they think they are a race apart?? !)

Diane:  Hope your tree problem is being sorted - you can't be expected to deal with it on your own, you know.

Annette:   You are busy again, no wonder you're bushed.  Take a rest in that hammock for a bit.  Sorry to hear about your daughters friend - perhaps youth will be on his side and he will recover OK.

Must go, will not be on much this weekend as visitors, but have a lovely one, everyone.

Bright, sunshiny day.  No definite plans, so just more of the same – another late start following another late night!

AQ – thanks for continuing the Vienna part of the trip – and that   l  o  n  g   journey home.  Sorry the worst aspects of the trip are still vivid in your mind, but as you look through the photos and regain your strength from the virus, I am sure the better parts will stay with you longer.  I am certainly enjoying all the pictures!

Annette – that was a very busy day – hope you can take it easy today and tomorrow, enjoying hammock, BBQ and fountain!.  Sorry about your daughter’s friend in ICU.  I hope he pulls through – guess it depends partly on exactly where the aneurysm occurred.

Lindy – have a great weekend with Son etc – and enjoy showing off Tomasz to your OH’s family!

Amazingly Pale Male's chicks are almost ready to fledge. See  Pale Male Miracle

Hazel b said:

Amazingly Pale Male's chicks are almost ready to fledge. See  Pale Male Miracle

In just two weeks they have gone from cute to awe-inspiring!  This is so wonderful.

don't think there has been a more elegant player than Chris Evert and I too am not a fan of the big hitting Williams sisters.

Sorry about Andy Murray yesterday. He looked a picture of misery after he lost. He did make a lot of unforced errors that is for sure

Remember when we got Dillon. It was Fingals birthday and I don,t think he would have asked for a pup as a pressie, but before long they were play boxing in the garden and I think in all the years there were only a couple of minor skirmishes

Another lovely sunny day. Spent all of yesterday on HW, gardening, washing and then ironing whilst watching the tennis and then back to gardening. I allowed myself to check on the nest from time to time, but knew if I sat down at the computer, I wouldn't get as much done.

Sorry that Murray lost but Nadal was definitely the much better player.

Annette, Slow down ! You need more time in your hammock. Not good news about your daughter's friend. I hope all turns out well for him.

Diane, I guess you have to be grateful that there was no damage to your house. I hope your neighbours are helping or are sharing the cost to have the tree removed.

AQ, I have enjoyed following your holiday news and looking at your photographs, but it does sound as if you need a holiday to recover.

Linda, I am sure you are going to have a brilliant weekend with your Son, his wife and definitely Tomasz. Enjoy your visit to your OH's aunt and family.

A friend has just called by with some carrots, lettuce, tomatoes and small cucumbers from his garden. They look super. He is showing his carrots at a show in Great Dixter today, so we will go and see how he gets on and have a look at the gardens.

Good to see you, Dibnlib.  How is Dillon?   I hope he has not had any recurrence of the leg pain and limp.

MARGOBIRD   sorry to hear you have been so unwell and lost your computor for a while

PATRICIAT you to have been in the wars. Get well soon

Thanks for all the news and pics