Hi everyone.
Welcome to the final weekly chat of 2009. Remember to check out the last few posts of last week's chat for the latest posts.
Paul.
Warning! This post contains atrocious spelling, and terrible grammar. Approach with extreme edginess.
Very little drizzle, so still mucky outside – I hate the aftermath of snow, need a good rain to wash it away.
Lindybird - seems most of us slobbed about this Christmas, between all the eating! Looked at my salad lunch today and thought “have I really got to eat this?” – answer affirmative, otherwise I would have grazed on chocolate all afternoon! Hope you are enjoying the concert.
Auntie – thanks for link to scenery – followed a link on that site and saw a really nice view behind a Christmas card – think it was part of somebody’s advert! Wonderful story about the Golden Eagle – he obviously remembers a good thing from one December to the next.
GeorgeG – hope you enjoyed your Sunday coffee and got your presents safely home – keep warm!
Gary – a lot of us seem to have strange weather patterns now – no further comment as I don’t want to get political! Made about a dozen cards while OH was trying to finish getting grouty finger prints off the wetroom tiles this morning.
Margobird – so sorry about your Christmas and Birthday bug – and missing the London trip again. Enjoy your books and DVD and keep warm and safe.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Good Morning Day to you, everyone:
More snow falling here with temps at 19f/-7c and wind chill 10f/-12c. Despite having a sore throat and feeling crummy, am meeting #2 sister and brother in-law to see Sherlock Holmes movie today as it will be my last chance to see them before they depart back to Utah on Tuesday. John is still too sick to go out but it's a just a very nasty cold virus; no fever or body aches for either of us.
Happy Belated Birthday to Margobird! Sorry to hear you've been sick as well and I wish you a speedy recovery.
Thanks Gary, will watch myself while traveling. Definitely going to wear the WeatherTrax over my boots today!
Thanks to everyone for your recovery thoughts and wishes. So nice you all are and I appreciate you very much. =O)
Happy Sunday!
Oh pooh! Once again hit the "back" button for the wrong screen and lost my post - tends to happen when I follow a link. Anyway, hallo everyone. Must've blinked and missed the one raindrop that probably fell somewhere in SoCal overnight; looks sunny out there now.
Auntie: Ruth Rendell's Barbara Vine stories are much "darker" than the Inspector Wexford books. What! A murdered shepherd? Probably ended up in a pie somewhere in the UK! Miss Maple? Very good. I've bookmarked that link for later since it's pitch black there now. Interesting story about that eagle - he's probably remembering all the fun he had as a bachelor.
OG: The cookbooks were stored during the remodel and I'm looking for some inspiration. We don't eat red meat and OH and I are tired of same-old-same-old chicken/fish. Yes - nothing like a middle-of-the-night phone call to send the worry-meter off the scale. We have caller ID, but this just showed "Unknown caller" which happens when the caller is unlisted or the UK family calls. Oh dear, I know how "grazing on chocolate" can happen - so easily.
Djoan: Do I detect relief in "well that's it all over for another year!" :-) I'm frankly glad we can get back to so-called normal.
Lindybird: In my case it's the family that calls at unsociable hours to discuss things. :-) Hope the concert/roads are brilliant.
George: A former colleague of mine is an editor at BonAppetit magazine and havng heard all about the "staging" of food photos, I don't trust them at all! Don't lose your balance with those presents.
Oh Margobird: Too bad about all those missed treats. Can you reschedule New Forest lunch? Sounds like you had some nice gifts - especially the one from your niece! - and the Donkey Sanctuary plan sounds like fun. OH is a trooper. No problem staying warm here in Santa Barbara!
Gary: I was also thinking it might be a bad sound cable and will try that, but maybe wait 'til I feel less hostile toward all things electronic!
Caerann: That's the "gay" Sherlock Holmes version, right? I had Basil Rathbone reruns on a few days ago - o tempe, o mores (or something like that!) Glad you're feeling well enough to go out.
Enjoy the footie Alan, and hi to Tiger and anyone else I missed. About to totter off for toast and home-made (not by me) marmalade. Yum!
Good Day Annette yes could go another day to the pub but it the Boxing Day buffet which is so special. Really good food completely different to what has been eaten Christmas Day. Will have to wait another year now although to be honest I am not really feeling like eating at the moment.
I did the donkey carer for the day last year and it was just magical so I asked for the same for my birthday this year. I so enjoyed being in the company of these adorable donkeys. Have a good day.
Margobird
Hi everyone.A belated happy Sunday to you all. Temperature is around 2C here, so it's not as cold as it's been for the last few days.Caerann: Sorry to hear you and John are unwell. Sometimes it seems to take ages to shake heavy colds off but I'm sure you'll be felling fine very soon. Brilliant Snow picture. Thanks for the owl pic.Annette: I'm sorry you still can't get sound on your DVD player. A lot of modern technology seems to be too delicate these days. At least a couple of decades ago you could give things a good dunt and that often fixed them.Auntie: Seems like that snow will go on for a good while yet. Thanks for the golden eagle story.Margobird: Sorry you're still under the weather. Here's hoping you get back to good health soon. A very happy belated birthday to you.Alan: Brilliant collared dove photo.Stay safe everyone.Paul.
Margobird: Oh double boo to missed New Forest brunch - but if 2010 goes as fast a 2009, it'll be here before you know it. Wonder if they do a similar special brunch for Easter??
Right, I hope you've all been saving the stamps from your Christmas card envelopes. I used to save mine for the Great North Air Ambulance, but the shop where I took them has stopped collecting and I was wondering where to send them now when I came across a note in November's Bird magazine. We can help albatrosses by sending used stamps to RSPB Stamps, P O Box 6198, Leighton Buzzard, Beds LU7 9XT. (I used to live near Leighton Buzzard before we emigrated to Cumbria.)
Caerann - thanks for the owl, I too love owls and am another person with a collection of owl ornaments.
Annette - the hummingbird has been busy since yesterday, the nest is more built up today and she is just sitting on it now, rather than tucking stray ends in. Does anyone know if they go away from the nest until they're ready to lay again? She laid last year around New Year. fledged 15 Feb.
Terry in Cumbria
Terry: What on earth does the RSPB do with used stamps? Just saw the indefatigable Phoebe on the nest. Does the link Alan posted have any info about them leaving the nests before laying again? My sister used to live in Leighton Buzzard - on Chestnut Hill; then on Stoke Road in Linslade - before they moved to Lincolnshire.
Morning Heron: Yes, the old days of bash-it-and-it-will work are gone. Sigh.
Here is another Hummingbird link with info:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/
Lots of charities collect stamps (used), don't have a clue how they make money from them.
I should read Alan's link before I ask questions, I suppose, anyone found anything? She's moving about more now, the bloggers say she is using another nest to rob pieces.
Another small world, Annette, we lived near Hemel Hempstead and my sister went to Cassio College in Watford.
At work we always say we'll throw the computers into the dock, which is the view from the office window. I'll take a pic one day. The threat usually works ;))