Weekly Chat, Sunday, January 3, 2010!!

  • jsb (and Annette): I was also amazed that the pharmacies in your country deliver to anyone under any circumstances. I had to wait for over an hour the last time I went to the pharmacy for medications for my Dad. Don't even get me started on our health care system. GRRR.

  • Diane - a suitcase of slushy snow! You'd probably find yourself carted off to the looney bin. LOL Still, they should have a/c . . .  Gosh, those ospreys have got a lot to answer for. When I think of what my short visit to LG in 2008 has triggered. I wonder what I did in the days BO [Before Ospreys].  Annette - I haven't seen a long range forecast for ages. Methinks they are too wimpy to try to predict anymore. I did try Googling. Wow! I got the strangest sites. I rather like the Norwegian (!!!) one that said tomorrow would be 36 C. If only. The SA weather people have flagged 43 for the next two days. Fsil#2 says they have a new a/c and we are welcome. Yeah, but, they are in a black spot for internet. I couldn't survive without my daily fix.

    Both chicks have returned safely from travels. I haven't connected yet with Dau#2. This morn she had gone on a bike ride to prepare for the public day in the Tour Down Under. Crazy girl in the heat. I feel sorry for the European teams turning up to train for the event. They must wonder what has hit them. Even Dau#1 exclaimed when I picked her up at airport. It was only mid 20s in Sydney.

    Must away to think about tea. Some variation of ham and salad. Hm, how about salad and ham?

  • Hi, all.

    We had about 8 inches (23 cm) of snow here during this last storm. So we called our local Snow Plow Guy to push the snow out of the long lane/driveway that leads to our house. He did a good job and only charged us $30 (about 19 pounds, I think). So I went to bed reassured that we were no longer snowed in. Last night, we had high winds and white-out conditions, and when I woke up, all of the snow had blown back into the driveway. It looked like it had never been plowed. So I had to spend a few unattractive moments swearing a blue streak over my morning cup of tea. I decided just to leave the snow where it was.

    Then, about noon, Snow Plow Guy arrived unexpectedly. I hadn't even called him. He came down the lane in his big truck, pushed all of the drifted snow back out of the way and then he left. He didn't even ask for more money. What a nice man!!! So I nominate him for a hero award along with Lindybird's milkman!

    AQ: Your situation there sounds very serious. I hope you stay safe and that you are not threatened by fires. Don't try to do too much in that heat.

    Annette: I hope your daughter is doing well and that all of the animals are living in harmony.

    Everyone in the UK: I know that this winter weather is tough on all of you. I have been seeing the news reports about rare and extreme conditions there. Please take care of yourselves and stay inside if you can. Be safe, all.

  • Morning all (8.50am). So sorry about aquilareens heats and Britons colds. I guess Diane, Caerann, maybe Gary and myself are used to get by in cold and snowy situations so it`s not that "everyday life disturbing thing" for us. Temp now -22C but promised to go for more reasonable numbers this weekend (says she hopefully) sunrise 9.27 sunset 3.31

    Tiger, Caerann: we don`t have GHOs here but we have Eagle Owls, never seen one, only pics and in telly, probably heard once.

    Have a good Saturday all and please, please stay safe

  • Morning, All.  Thanks for the concern of those not in UK:  yes, auntie we are not used to this so its all the talk on the news bulletins etc., & of course our local authorities have now had the grim sight of coming to the end of their stocks of grit/salt with no idea how long it will take to restock it. They are not flinging it about with such gay abandon as they did in the 1st few days. Only some people in the Highlands have proper chains on their car tyres etc., & we were saying to each other only yesterday, that the young (those under 30) will never have seen anything like this before. I fear for the elderly who will be worrying about their fuel bills & trying to keep warm.

    Husband has just gone on walk to the shops for a newspaper & bread, including some extra supplies for our Aged Neighbour.  She has relatives who take her for a weekly shop in their car, but there must be many other people round about who are wondering how to cope.

    Thanks again to Tiger for his Osprey Clock!   We will cling to the thought that Spring can't be too far away, & we will be watching our ospreys again, although Aviemore was on the News this morning, & is one of the coldest places in UK, so no wonder there is little wildlife there at present.

    Off now to check my bird feeders, the RSPB is putting out pleas for everyone to feed their local birds, as this is exceptional weather. (my flower pic was taken in the Canary Islands, alas, we don't get bouganvillea here, Annette)  Good to see you, Maureen, take care & keep warm!

  • A very early morning to all - just fortified myself with two cookies (middle of the night rumbling from tummy) and thought I'd check in before I fall back asleep.

    Diane (and AQ):  When you think of it, those two ospreys are responsible for a lot of very nice things!  But when it comes to sending snow to AQ, be sure not to transport it in your underpants!   In the meantime, I'll try to figure out how to send some of this relentless sunshine to points East.  And yes, that Snow Plough/Plow?? Guy.is a sweetheart.   Re our health care system, the insurance company was dragging its feet about pre-approving my daughter's surgery (Christmas holidays didn't help), so I just went to their customer service office, which fortunately is near my house, and demanded (politely of course) to know why the delay. I got to see the Director of Member Relations and they approved it immediately! But I often wonder about folks who don't know how to deal effectively with all that corporate and bureaucratic red tape. 

    AQ: A black spot for internet. How can that be in this day and age!  :-)  Assume they don't have cable or DSL (telephone line) access. Such deprivation!  In Wichita Falls, Texas, where they have fierce summers, they hold the Hotter'N''Hell Hundred bike race every August (hottest month). I think the people who join these types of rides are the same ones who jump in the North Sea, etc.,  every January 1!!  Maybe try chicken and salad for lunch today (pre-cooked chicken of course).  Or canned (wild) salmon and salad.

    Auntie: Morning - yes, folks who go through extreme winters are toughies. We in SoCal are weather wimps!

    Time to go back to sleep. Take care all.

  • Morning all from TI,

    Nice to see you posting Maureen.

    Everyone else : Thanks for the chat , links , photos etc. Keep safe and warm.

    We have had further snow showers overnight and another few centmetres have been added to already lying snow. Took the thunderdog out for his early morning walk and again saw the fieldfares in the same place. The sun is shining at the moment so hopefully it will melt some of the snow off the cars.

    Weather Temp -1.2c , Sunrise 08:08 , Sunset 16:07

    WU forecast: Chance of Snow. Partly Cloudy. High: 1 °C . Wind North 39 km/h . Chance of precipitation 20% (water equivalent of 0.82 mm). Windchill: -8 °C .

  • Maureen lovely to see a post from you.  I hope you are keeping warm and safe.  I too have spent a lot of time watching my beloved gaden birds.  They are eating me out of house and home and defrosting the bird baths is a real trtial at the moment.  Usually manage to get some water out for them mid-morning but it takesa lot of effort.  I don't mind though as long as they are well fed and watered I feel happy.    I get magpies in my garden as well and they love grated cheese but they have to dunk it in the water before they eat it.

     

     Have a good day.

    Margobird

  • Morning Liz LFW thanks for that have recorded and will not miss it as I am wondering how all our wild life is managing in this extremely cold weather.

    Margobird

  • Annette, not sure if I`m a toughie, I just don`t have a choice LOL. I actually dislike winter.