Weekly Chat, Sunday October 11, 2009

2009 World Conker Campionships winners:

http://www.worldconkerchampionships.com/html/2009_winners.html

Unknown said:

Thanks for your reply Alan. I really do love watching the Stag.

Gary, there is sound but I think, at times, the camera/microphone must be quite a distance from the action.

Thanks Brenda. I will turn the volume right up tomorrow and see how it goes. I am on a laptop with poor sound so that can't help.

Thanks for the link to the Conker Championship Winners, Alan. They all look very happy winners & it looked like a good day- at least they had dry weather this year!  Everyone else,don't forget to go and have a look at Alans great pics. of the event, in the gallery pages.

dibnlib, love your avatar, he's a great dog.

Husband has had porridge for breakfast for the last 50+ years at least, and looks well on it- for the last ten years, he's made it in the microwave & uses a plastic stirrer I'm afraid, although we had heard about spurtles!! Will have to have another adventure 'over the border' sometime & buy a spurtle there if we can. (Love Scotland & keep promising ourselves we will go back soon)

AQ:   I'm so impressed that you will make such an ardous journey to get to Scotland, it sounds horrendous, but sure you find it worth it when you finally get to see that wonderful scenery, and all the wildlife. Hope you manage it again sometime!

ANNETTE:   Yes, I know its important to know about handling money- I learnt that years ago when my father died & my Mother had no idea how to pay a bill or write a cheque either. I made it my business to find out the things I didn't know after that, & of course as the generations get more savvy with handling their own affairs I expect women in particular will catch up with men. (Bank stuff today was mainly business, we are only semi-retired & are trying to keep on top of things in the recession).  Loved your pics of your short holiday. Have a good day/night!

Well, I could comment so much about everyone's comments ! but I can't remember who said what ! All great reading though.

Life , programme. the bits I saw when I came home from work were all of various lovelies of nature fighting for their lives. So, here's one girl not going to watch the rest of the series. I'll stick to Flash Forward instead.

So relieved that Mallachie is in Africa and may she have a totally uneventful flight down to where her big sister is. What a shock to come home from work to find she had left Portugal though - took me completely by surprise.

Lindybird - I know many woman (wives) who do all the paying of the bills and the writing of the cheques and the checking of the bank statement etc. Personally, I believe both sexes and both spouses should understand those  needful things even if they do not share the responsibility of actually handling them. I've  handled my own finances for so long (and yes, I am good at it  - my credit rating is excellent (made it my business to find out) I would really have to 'vet' the man in my life before I let him loose with my money. He's not maxing out my credit card :)

I believe that Alan said, on the blog, that Mallachie is now on Rothes' migration track? If Mallachie and Rothes do end up in the same general area, then genes are likely driving their choice of migration route. So it would seem logical to me that Garten would also winter in that same place. And that's a good prospect if the islands are a safe haven for ospreys!

So, three safe and secure sisters expanding their tummy rolls in the tropics together!!!

I wanted to post a reminder to everyone that the 3rd episode of "Scotland Revealed" is now available for watching on Scotland TV on the web. http://programmes.stv.tv/scotland-revealed/ And here for HD: http://player.stv.tv/programmes/scotland-revealed-hd/  I watched it last night, and the aerial photography was breathtaking. This is the episode that shows the Cairngorm Mountains, the River Dee, Aberdeen, and the East coast. They mention the Abernethy Forest. Episode 2 is also available, which shows the Western Highlands. If at all possible, watch in HD. My system stuttered some, but it was worth it.

Stunning Iandscapes!!! I think that the Scottish Highlands have truly been kissed by the Divine.

Cirrus: You mentioned "Flash Forward." Did you mean the new show in which everyone in the world is rendered unconscious for 2 minutes and 17 seconds? During that time, everyone sees a vision of their own futures. I didn't realize that you could watch that program in the UK. I am REALLY enjoying it. Riveting story, great concept. And the suspense is growing!!! 

Annette: Have you seen that show? You can watch the early episodes and get caught up on www.abc.com I missed the first ones, but watched them on the web. I think you would like it. Also, keep us posted on mudslides if your rains start tomorrow as predicted. We all want to know that you're okay!

Caerann: Neighbor, you keep that snow up there in Chicago!!! Stay warm.

Hi all: So. Mallachie has made the big move. GE has updated per Alice's post, but it will be interesting to see how far M gets in the next day or two.

Djoan: Fab photo of stag - what a lovely time you had (but not much sleep by the sounds of it)

dibnlib: That's my kinda dog! He looks like my daughter's dog, Oro, who is a big softie.

Caerann: "Raptor Force" just played on another PBS channel here - and it was definitely a red-tailed hawk that the falcon went after - the hawk was hanging about the falcon's nest and the falcon was having none of it.

I've got to see these stags that you guys are raving about;  maybe I'll go straight to that site tomorrow morning. 

Just got back from seeing a friend who lives in Sacramento (the California state capital just east of San Francisco) and who is visiting LA for a week. I met her at the original Getty Museum in Malibu, which focuses on Greek, Roman, and other classical civilizations, and which has just been refurbished. Anyway, after an hour or so of admiring the exhibits, we plopped down on a bench in the Roman-style garden to relax and chat only to be interrupted by the sound of a very noisy and very unclassical LEAF BLOWER!!  I kept glaring over at it and then tried to explain to my friend that there was this RSPB blog about ospreys in Scotland where everyone had been chatting about leafblowers over the last week. I'm sure she still has no idea what I was on about....

Gary: Had a fun hour pottering about in the Target in Camarillo on the way home. I like it that they never play music in the stores.

Husband told me he was looking out the window this afternoon and saw a hawk sitting on the fence about six feet away; he also saw one yesterday, chasing a mourning dove. We think it's a Sharp-shinned hawk, although we do have Cooper's, Red-shouldered, and Red-tailed hawks in the area, in addition to Peregrines and even Golden Eagles (never seen one of those around here though).

Diane: Thanks for the reminder re the Scotland series - I've still got it bookmarked to look at. And no, haven't seen Flash Forward; haven't even heard of it.  I do want to read the David Attenborough autobiography though - my sister said it was great.  So many books, tv shows, so little time.....  And I'm off again at the crack of dawn - well, 7:30 a,m. - tomorrow to do some running about with my daughter.   Haven't been to the gym since last Friday.  :-(