Happy Sunday all UK folks and Hi to those in the Eastern US and Down Under and, of course, Auntie in Finland. Don't forget to check out the last posts from last week; I'll be back later to check on them myself!
Thanks Alan for the alerts Eagle is eating.
Margobird
I think it’s darker now than it was at the solstice, sky looks threatening, but nothing falling! Just had to call out B Gas for leak in boiler, despite being one month since service – because it is a combi-boiler and (they say) we can still use it, this is “not an emergency”, they will make a “routine” visit next Thursday! This is not weather-related and is separate from our garage pipes, for which visit by contractor was promised yesterday or today and is still awaited!
Lindybird, Heron and others - re book-clubs and accumulations of books – I told OH this morning that if we reduce the voluntary work, we could have time to read books and magazines instead of hoarding them!
Caerann, Diane – wish we could have watched the Humming Bird programme . Watched a second-hand 1989 video at lunchtime re South America and saw lots of Hummers there – and the majestic Condor of course!
Annette – glad Oro was more co-operative yesterday! Pleased you were able to enjoy a further post-Christmas family gathering – must have helped cheer up your daughter.
Lindybird – I think coffee shop must find me awfully boring – we go there almost once a week and I usually order “decaff latte and carrot cake” – maybe I have brainwashed myself into thinking carrots are healthy!
Alan - sorry to hear about black ice continuing where you are. It sounds like today’s snow is widely spread, but with huge unaffected areas too. ~~~ Sorry to read in your later post that snow has arrived with you.
Margobird and others – I share your concerns for the people in Haiti – almost impossible to imagine the numbers of people affected, as well as the huge death-toll. Birds here in large numbers today, and all sitting around as if waiting fro something to happen!
(just went to turn off simmering chicken korma and leave it for the flavour to deepen ready for dinner, and found burnt bits – maybe I can claim they are bits of herbs!)
dibnlib – hadn’t seen you for a few days – welcome back (or sorry I missed you!). Hope all is well up there.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
New blog courtesy of LTV Douglas
So sorry that you all couldn't watch the hummingbird show. Darn it!!! :-(
Nice rain all night here with more forecast for weekend. Hurray! Daughter coming along and in good spirits. Hurray!
Welcome Jude.
OG: Wow - hair do; coffee and cake and Tesco - that must've been a thrill after all those days in the house.
Heron: We get the same green stuff after a few rainfalls here - its turns into brown stubble by August.
Lindybird: Better plan more vacations to catch up with those books. Yes really ghastly news from Haiti - CBS had a segment on the efforts made to relieve the poverty and unemployment in that country on Sunday evenings 60 Minutes. Everyone interviewed then sounded so optimistic; now I'm wondering how many of them are even alive. The trouble with earthquakes in the "third world" countries is that the building codes are almost nonexistent - witness the collapse of that brand new school in China some time back!
Diane: interesting info about playful crows. Isn't it magpies that like also shiney things?
Tiger: Thanks for the update on the US ospreys.
AQ: Ha. Pigeon trying to act nonchalent while spying on neighors - a dead giveaway.
Hallo to everyone else. So sorry about dismal weather; a little goes a long way.... Do take care.
Thanks, Alan for the earthquake data link- how interesting that there are so many all around the world. Sounds from the news coming out of the area that Haiti is going to need all the help they can get.
Thanks, Diane: for the hummingbird links, never mind. You have reawakened an interest in me in these amazing little birds, as you & Annette have posted pics etc. (I have never even seen one for real).
Hi Annette - yes, I'm sure that's why we refer to the 'thieving magpie', they do like to collect shiny stuff. All sounds good at your end. Did your daughter admire the new kitchen, by the way? !
Tried to snow properly here all day, but failed really, but I fear that other areas have come off much worse. Now its all freezing hard again, so very dangerous on the roads. I went to local shops, people were wearing some amazing layers of clothing & some hats which I'm sure they wouldn't be seen in normally, but never mind, keeping warm is a priority! I bought warming stuff like porridge, crumpets & even hot cross buns!! Hang the diet!
Hi folks. Have been reading but not posting for a couple of days. There seem to be lots of exciting links. My problem is that I don't know how to save them as favourites from this blog! Any help would be most welcome. Hope you are all safe and well - those in the snow warm enough and those in Australia a bit cooler.
We have had snow, though not as much as those of you on 'the mainland', and a lot of ice. There was quite a lot of ice on Strangford Lough though it's now thawed away. I took some pictures on my mobile for OH who can't get out to see it and he thought it looked like the Arctic Ocean (guess who watches Ice Road Truckers!). I've been worried about the bird-life here as we didn't seem to have as many coming to our feeders as in previous years but we've had visiting dunnocks, which is a bonus. I looked out the windown tthe other morning and saw a large bird on a neighbour's roof - thought it was a bit big and the legs were very long for a gull. A second look confirmed it was a grey heron. Stayed for some time. I've never seen a heron on a roof in this area before though I see them regularly down by the lough - three the other day.
Annette So glad your daughter is progressing well and that she has felt able to visit Oro.
OG It's good that you have been able to get out again. That carrot cake sounds good though I'd have had a caffeinated coffee!
Margobird Congrats on becoming a great-aunt. Hope you see Rhys soon.
We watched the Snow Watch programme this evening. It had some wonderful photography and, of course, lots of interesting facts.
Quiet on here today.
Lindybird: Daughter did indeed admire kitchen, but am discovering downside of multi-hued granite counter top - cannot see spills and splotches easily, and found happy congregation of ants munching on a cookie crumb the other day. Not easy to see ants either, as we have tiny black specks in the granite! Is it a dead ant or part of the decor? Now getting compulsive about cleaning entire surface whether I've used it or not.
OH went to Los Angeles today, parked his car, came out to find someone had side-swiped it! Aaack!. Driver's side doors smooshed and mirror hanging by thread. Insurance will pay for all but the first $500 and we have insurance for rental vehicle coverage while this one is repaired. It's not even the damage that's the pain, but the hassle of calling and reporting and then organizing repairs, rental, etc. Of course, compared to what the folks in Haiti are suffering, this is of zero consequence our list of blessings is still very, very long.
Another pleasant day, currently 21 C, expecting 27. Temp should hover around 30 C for the next week, giving me a chance to do some baking. Ironing, you say? Well, it's still waiting. I had a great day yesterday (apart from one bus not arriving, the next so late it came with the 3rd). I only managed less than an hour's "work" in the library before friends dropped in, lots of chat, lunch, more chat and then it wasn't worth going back to work before I had to catch the bus home. (Free travel for Seniors between 9 am & 3 pm.) So reinvigorated by "day off", that I made chicken pie and then veg-ed out for the evening. Woke this morning feeling like a new person.
Annette - multi-hued counter-top. We have the same problem with carpet in living room. We chose a non-descript beige colour with flecks of darker hues. It never looks clean but I assume all those brown bits are carpet. LOL
Lindybird, Heron - I can't help myself when there is a second-hand book sale at the library. Also my friend & I do day bus trips to towns of historic interest (run by WEA). There is usually a 2nd-hand bookshop at the lunch stop. Lunch or books? What a choice!!! We have just booked 2 tours for this term.