Evening/Morning all: This week should bring more interesting news about Mallachie. Check the last few entries of the previous Weekly Chat for another photo of Queenie and other input from bloggers!
Hope you all got your clocks, microwaves, coffee pots, TVs, etc., organized for the next six months. And when did BST replace GMT, at least in the summer. In the US, standard and daylight savings time have had a long and fascinating (and apparently often confusing) history, given that we have three times zones for the contiguous states. DST is another matter, with most states changing but some not, but at least we don't have 30 minute increments like they do in Australia!
TerryM: The GE Help window is pretty clear re tours. I do recall that it took several "clicks" to get the thing started. Other folks commented on that and I had the same experience in the beginning but then it was okay. I tried to copy and paste some of the info onto your page, but it included boxes with images and they didn't copy. I'm sure other folks will have more helpful info. Good luck. Too bad lovely Queenie isn't around any more. When my daughter and I were away the other week, we stayed at a place which is a favorite "drop off" spot for folks wanting to "lose" cats. They had three cats when we were there, which hung around the garden entrance to the dining room waiting to be fed (by the staff). One night, the cats were served prime rib, all nicely chopped up for easy digestion!!!!
Alan: So. Are you treating us all to a trip to Loch Garten next year with your lottery winnings or will we be depending on the webcam again? :-)
Gary: Dying to hear about your English food outing (what was it really like?)
OG: We grow tomatoes outside here but my friends who do often fence them and other veggies in to keep various critters, including deer, from snacking on them; not to mention snails. My sister has expressed some frustration with EU rules - specifically not being able to buy French cheese off a market stall (I think that was it). Is following EU rules a bore or do you think it's generally for the good?
Thanks Gary. I was too busy watching the Barn Owls.
Cirrus ... how strange ... did you get to the Barn Owl Trust site? ... or just a total blank? I am watching them now ... I find them fascinating ... and I sponsor one of their owls called Hazel so I am a bit biased :))
Joan - avid bird and nature watcher in Northumberland!
Index Thread
hi lindybird
saw that wonderful kingfisher. didn't realise they were so small. sadly it is a bird we do not get up here.
glad your dog is no longer on a diet ( am i right he is called buzz) we had the opposite problem with dillon and when he was young he was worryingly thin. it turned out he had a digestive problem and food was passing through him too quickly . anyway he is fine now and a healthy 31.5 kg which is perfect for a male g ret
hi annette
are we right you will be somewhere near yosemite. what an impressive place. couldn't believe people were climbing up el capitan. cannot remember how you spell it. they really have a death wish -never mind that wee mouse nearly killed myself there trying to ride a bike with a european braking system instead of a UK system. i am sure that it put me off bikes for good. anyway have a good time
hello poorly margobird
so sorry to hear about your accident ( just adding to your woes) i fell out of bed last week hitting my forehead on the bedside locker. i was wide awake at the time. felt a right nit!!!!
just be careful out there everyone! Sorry to hear about that Dibnlib.
That bike ride sounds "exciting"
Cirrus: Your new television sounds wonderful! You bought a great TV for a terrific price! I hope you enjoy it. Lovely picture of you with the beautiful leaves!
Margobird: Sounds like you took a nasty spill. I hope that you heal quickly. Maybe you should have a doc take a look at you; make sure you don't have any fractured bones? Take very good care of yourself. I'm sending good energy to you!
dibnlib: Sorry about your accident, too!
Lindybird and AQ: You should definitely hold a "Name that Skink" competition! :-)
Gary: Glad you liked the video. LOL
re comments/queries on heat in SA. First I must explain our heat is a dry heat. When temps are in 30's C, the humidity is only 20-30%. I found 29 C in the UK much more oppressive than 29 C here. Usually we would get about 5 days over 40 C (104 F) each summer – last summer we had 9.
A heatwave is said to be more than 5 consecutive days over 35 C. In March 2008 Adelaide had 15 consecutive days over 35 C. The average for March would be 2 days !!!!! In Jan/Feb 2009 we had 40+ C for 6 days in a row with the max being 45.7 C (114 F). From Jan 25 the temps were 30, 36, 43, 45.7, 43, 43, 41, 40, 39, 36, 33, 35, 44, 41, 25. I did not turn on the stove. We lived on salad. When it finally cooled and I cooked a hot meal, Himself looked in disbelief and cheered – "Real food".
The 2008 heatwave was the longest heatwave in any Aust capital city. The all-time record is 160 consecutive days above 100 F from 31 Oct 1823 to 7 Apr 1924 at Marble Bar in northern Western Australia. They were tough in the old days. My mother was 8 months pregnant when the temp reached 117 F in Jan 1939.
Thank you all for comments on our resident skink. You are welcome to name the critter. I may have to ask Himself to adjudicate! Please note Himself believes she is a female due to certain markings. Wattle – not too sure about our environment being great – ours is just a suburban garden about 1 kilometre from the beach. However the back corner is a pile of old tree trunks, bricks, tree dahlia stalks! And she has access to the saucer of water I put on the ground for birds. Annette – they can’t be endangered as Wikipedia says they are popular as pets. Himself believes ours is an escaped (or released) pet.
Lindybird I thought your leopard was saying "No I mustn't have a snack, I’ve just cleaned my teeth".
Diane Any rain will be gratefully received.
Hallowe’en. Alas 2 little boys called last Wed evening when I was out at a meeting & Himself had nothing to give them. I now have some treats ready.
I’ve waffled long enough. Hope all the sick chicks and fallen angels are recovering.
Margobird, get well soon!
AQ - oh I did laugh at 'himselfs' reaction to a hot meal! I have ex relatives in McClaren Vale so I found all your statistics very interesting.
Caerann - absolutely stunning flowers - a great photo.
Alan and Djoan S - wonderful colours and I can smell the fragrance of the bluebells!
Out all day hiking with my friend Sharon today and it looks like we'll get a dry brightish day. Good morning to you all and I hope all your individual days are really good and crisis free. Later ........