Hi All. Don't forget to check last page or so of previous week for all the latest! Granddaughter made excellent time to AZ - got there at 4 p.m. our time - an 8 hour ride with minimal (comparatively speaking) traffic through LA early this morning. Thunder received hysterical greeting from Pepito, tiny noisy companion who wondered where Thunder had gone but was much too noisy and excitable to bring along. Brought Oro home for successful visit after which I went on a hunt-and-scoop mission to clean up yard after two large dogs. Oh fun! Daughter and I watched Wallace and Gromit DVD (the "were-rabbit" one) - a hoot. OH and I just remembered we have tickets for Charlie Rose (PBS interviewer) this evening so have to hose myself down, prop open my eyelids and try to stay awake for another few hours. Why do these things start at 8 p.m.?!
Thanks Alan for reminder re Phoebe (keep reminding us since I'm so busy running and fetching); four big storms due this week with threat of flooding, high winds, power outages. Sounds like real weather!! TerryM: Will pass on gerbil story to hamster! Lindybird: All hankies put away now! :-) Congrats on the redecorating and dibnlib: I'm with you from now on - hire the folks who can do it in half the time (at four times the cost, yes, but....)
Off to comb hair and make self presentable. Have a nice Sunday all.
Well, got into bed early last night - was so tired; fell asleep at 8:30 after two wet and chilly outings and too many (don't ask!) glasses of lovely red wine and now here I am wide awake at midnight and scarfing up a bowl of cereal. Not a routine I need to develop!
Heron: What?! No taste buds? What a revolting development. If I get a cold I often lose my sense of taste and it's almost worse than the cold itself. Can't even cheer myself up with a hot chocolate or whatever. Hope your taste buds get back on the job soon. If not a book or a novel, sounds like the making of a bad sitcom, although since there are so many these days, maybe not. :-) I agree re horror movies. although I typically avoid them. I think the original of The Haunting - with Claire Bloom I think - was far better than the noisy, overdone remake of a few years back. There's not a lot of subltey (sp?) these days; I think they depend too much on special effects. I remember holing up in the stacks at Watford library as a kid and scaring myself silly with Tales of Borley Rectory and such like (evenutally proved a fake I believe) - and that was just words in a book. OK, so call me clueless but what are those pretty birds in that nice photo?
Auntie: Wonder what makes so many animals scared of storms. The other day, at the first flash of lightning our cat (inappropiately named Lightning!) put her ears back, sort of flattened herself againts the floor and started almost crawling around looking for a hiding place - must be some kind of "cellular memory" or some such in the genes.
AQ: Dau's bike outing sounds more like an obstacle course; would not like to have to contend with vehicles. Here in the States we have so few bikes in general that most drivers just aren't in the habit of looking out for them. Oh dear, such a shame that some people were so rude and arrogant. Well, definitely Oro is in charge of our walks; he rushes off while I whiz along behind with my feet whirring like a cartoon character. If he were mine, I'd be in some kind of training class with him. Here, Costco has what they call a "concierge service" (I think they used to call them "installers") whereby a crew will come out, connect all your "entertainment center" bits so they work together, then give you a crash course in how to work them. They charge around $90, although a friend bought a flat screen TV from Amazon and the delivery folks hooked it all up for free when they delivered it. I told my OH that the next time we hook stuff up, I'm going to take a photo of what goes where so the next time we move them around, we don't end up with a giant pile of cables and no idea where to connect them.
Diane: I remember the Woody Woodpecker song! They eat ants? Oh my, do we need one now, since the rain has got all the ants in our garden rushing for higher ground, specifically - yes, you guessed it - my multi-hued, black speckled granite counter top. Have been fighting them off for two days now - they even showed up around the bathroom sink. A pileated woodpecker sounds perfect - and eco-friendly too! I haven't read The Tommknockers or seen Taken, though I did work with a seemingly sensible colleague who thinks she was abducted after seeing something strange and "losing" several hours in Arizona years back while on a camping trip with her kids. Hmmm.
And on that note, now time to get back to sleep, Incidentally, am reading Drood by Dan Simmons, which is turning out to be interesting - and very heavy - not a good book to have in your hands while you're nodding off in bed. Have a nice Saturday all.
Good morning Heron 77 glad you are improving and hope you get your taste buds back soon. Love the photograph as well.
I have to say I rather like watching horror films. It is usually our Saturday night viewing. Have a good day.
Margobird
Good morning original goldfinch I too watched Lily as much as I could yesterday. She had a really long labour but safely delivered her cub. Have been watching this morning and the cub is quite vocal, lots of noises. Well done Lily. I actually missed the birth as had to ger OH's dinner ready but have watched the video of it this morning. Another wonder of nature. Have a good day.
Thanks Alan what a great day for Lily, she really had a long labour. This clip seems clearer then the one I have just watched because obviously after watching most of the day I missed the birth live. Had to get OH's dinner ready. Saved to favourites now so can watch whenever I want. Have a good day.
No more news from Lily's den but I could hear the cub. Only 972 viewers when I looked in.
Annette, sorry, but still laughing at visions of Oro taking you for a walk.
Heron, hope you are feeling much better this morning, with your taste buds having returned.
AQ, great to hear your daughter completed her bike marathon. Does sound as if it could have been better organised. My son & his wife, and my daughter take part in triathlons and we usually are exhausted trying to run around and spot them at various points of the course.
Lovely to read all your stories and news. Hoping to hear more news of Lily and cub/ cubs.
Wonderful video with sound Alan just amazing. Nature is just amazing. Well done Lily I think we were with you yesterday feeling every moment.
Database done - well, at least, the cross-checking is finished! We now have a bundle of cards from which to make new entries, but OH has incoporated a data entry form, so that should be much easier on the eyes and brain!
Brief replies (from memory of reading earlier today): Heron - pleased you are getting better from that nasty cold. AQ - we have two expressions for the incompetence you describe. One is "couldn't organise a booze-up in a brewery". The other one can't be repeated here!! Annette - Sorry about your trash-can and water experiences with Oro! Hope you have a better day today. Heron's birds on the feeder were Goldfinches.
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
Afternoon all,
Paul : I hope that you are back to full fitness soon. Nice photo of the goldfinches. I used to enjoy horror films but seem to have gone off them lately but I still enjoy science fiction.
Auntie : Bear beer is definately the tipple for this weekend. Can you send a crate over please?
Everyone else thanks tor the chat etc.
This morning Lady P and myself took a trip to Stamford and had a walk around the shops. Weather was dull and gloomy but just as we were leaving the sun came out briefly. Afterwards we went to The Walled Garden Centre at Elton for lunch. Just as we arrived at the car park we saw a red kite wheeling above the trees in the grounds of Elton House. It looked as though it was teasing some crows. They really are magnificent birds in flight. It all looks so effortless for them. It is worth the effort to get out and about even in this weather as you never know what you might see.
Weather dry , temp 6.3c , wet bulb 5.4c , dew point 4.1c , humidity 85% , Wind NW 6.4mph.
Sunrise 07:55 , Sunset 16:30
On the forest camera 2 in Estonia at the moment there are some deer:
http://www.looduskalender.ee/en/node
Morning all; I see a clear sky in the East. Maybe we will bring Oro for a "home" visit in our garden today so daughter and he can be in the garden together but will hide all the trash cans first.
OG. Will have to remember "a booze up in a brewery" line for future reference. And thanks for ID'ing the goldfinches.
Hallo to everyone else; back later!