Weekly Chat (Non-Osprey Topics), 10 June 2012

Good Afternoon All,

Lindybird  thank you for monday smiles :)

OG  Beautiful pics I love the one of you and Harry.. We loved it at Orford it was so peacful and very interesting too for such a small place.

Annette  I hope you and your daughter had a lovely breakfast meeting,

Cirrus  Spectacular pics of the Peacock thank you, such a magnificant looking bird.

AQ  Thanks for your encouraging words and from others too, I hope I will soon feel "normal" again.. it is a bit up and down just now but it's only 2 weeks since my surgery and everything needs to settle down and heal, which I've been told could take upto a couple of months so I must be patient! lol  I love your little jailbird. :)

Sandra  thanks for the Goshawk pics, at least 3 are ok. I hope Wales soon recovers from the floods. Surely we must be due some dry warm weather!

Take care All

Mary GK  I hope you have a lovely holiday (again) LOL :)

NiteOwl I love your Orford video.  We used to go to a week-long dog agility competition in Ipswich and had time to explore the area.  It's all so peaceful and beautiful.  I hope you're now feeling a bit better.  it takes quite a while to get back to full health after surgery.

OG As usual, your pictures are beautiful.  Harry is so cute - by an amazing coincidence, I know someone who has a dog just like him and also called Harry.  Your B&B must have been really good and in a lovely area - are you prepared to tell us where? 

AQ Isn't your little jailbird beautiful, and she has grown each time we see her picture.

Linda Thanks for the smiles.

Alan I heard a report of our Leader's leaving his daughter behind in a pub, as I was coming back from dog-walking.  Hope he takes more care of the country!

Alan, What happened to the chick in Norwich? Was it because of bad weather?

Thanks Patriciat, We were looking to go camping there next year but I don't think there is a good site there now, but we definitely want to go there again and have a look round the place properly, we only had a flying visit this time and it was late afternoon.

Sandra : The report on the 3rd chick at Norwich here 

Hello All - I am sure that I saw a post from Margo on Saturday, on the Dyfi thread (on RSPB forum)

Sorry that I haven't phoned her or indeed posted on here, daughter's predicament and old lady next door have filled my time to bursting point!

Thanks to all for supportive messages, much appreciated. I have been lurking and quite honestly, have found it very therapeutic to do so!

PS Edit - Margo just phoned me, her OH has had a few days off and she has been spending some quality time with him, she is still reading posts etc.

Feeling a bit achy and lethargic today, although I did manage all the ironing and a few other things.  I think the weather is going cooler this evening, but nothing needs watering tonight.

Alan – I didn’t count how many Red Kite photos there were to produce a few reasonable ones! 

NiteOwl – 2 weeks since surgery is a very short time, and I am sure your body still has a lot of healing to do – so take care and don’t ask too much of yourself. 

Patricia – Harry is a Lhasa’Apso – eight months old.  He’s already been clipped twice!  The B&B is off the Marybank road (past the Distillery) in Muir of Ord.

Heather – I was surprised you mentioned Old Lady as well as Daughter – I do hope next door is not putting any demands on you at such a difficult time.  I’m pleased that reading the posts here is helping you through.  Thanks for news of Margo – she had said she might take time out from posting on this thread.

Margo – sorry it was such bad weather for your OH’s time off – but at least he was there to share toilet watch!

Heather:  Thanks for letting us know about margo - I wasn't too worried, as I know she likes to give time to her hard working OH when she can, but she certainly hasnt posted much lately.  Glad you have found it therapeutic to be a 'lurker'!   - we all need hobbies and interests which take our mind away from problems and troubles, and I have found it so here, too.

We missed the showers today, although I believe its been very wet in the South.  Took Buzz for a walk and a swim, he enjoyed himself and then flaked out in the car whilst we had a cuppa and a potter amongst the plants - bought some more bedding but havn't had time to plant them up yet - must do so tomorrow.  We saw swans and ducks with little families on the lake, and some children were there enjoying the sights - suppose some of them won't go back to school until tomorrow. One child patted our dog on his back as he passed by, which makes me cringe - why don't parents educate children that not all dogs are friendly, and he might have been startled by this.  Happily he wasn't bothered but I'm sure the parents would have been blaming us if he had barked or turned around.  He is a rescue dog and is well behaved most of the time but we are wary that sometimes he can be unpredictable. (he must have had a terrible young life as he was frightened by a lot of things when we first got him).

The rain has made most of my beloved poppies drop their petals almost as quickly as they came out, but here is one I photographed the other day. I do love 'em!

OG:  Crossed with you - sorry you are achy and tired.  Hope its temporary.

Linda – I know exactly what you mean about children patting strange dogs – not that I am implying that Buzz is strange in any way!  I don’t think it is fair on the dog to be patted by a strange child!  That’s a lovely Poppy photo – is it Pattie’s Plum or another new one?

Photos from our Speyside Monday.  We have quite a lot from this day, so will split into several instalments, starting with

Osprey Centre part 1: Ospreys  I am always disappointed in my photos from LG – I know it so well that my brain seems to see so much more than shows up in a photo.  For any newbies among us, here is the nest in its landscape.  EJ was multitasking, as only a woman can, brooding the chicks, looking out for Odin and doing some preening:

Odin brought a wriggling fish complete with head, but EJ jumped into action to deal with it, ad he sat and watched her feed the chicks:

He set off:

And flew away:

Yes, well, OG, I am finding it very difficult not to help S out any more than I do, but have stuck to my guns. I arrived in there today at about lunchtime, to find her sitting on the edge of her bed, trying to file her toenails. She said they were giving her 'gyp'because they were so long. In fact, they weren't that long. I know that she has been going regularly to the NHS podiatrist so suggested that to her. She replied that 'they' made her toes bleed and she didn't want to go any more. Cue for me to tell her that I certainly would not attempt to trim them, if a professional could get it so wrong-- it would be dangerous for me to try. Community Nurse is visiting on Wednesday to help S put on special stockings of some sort. I keep encouraging S to tell the professionals what she can and can't do for herself. She is attending the Day Hospital every Friday and my belief/hope is that they will assess her care needs. Watch this space.

OG: I can't see any photos in your last post. But I'm on the old computer, which is held together by duct tape and willpower. So it may just be me. I'm sure they're grand photos. Yours always are!

Edit: Nevermind! There they are! Woo Hoo!

Edit again: And they are WONDERFUL!

Diane – your computer was quite right – they weren’t there for a while – I posted without having inserted them!  So I edited to put them in.  Then the first didn’t show, so I had to edit again to make sure I had them all!  Will try harder this time.

Osprey Centre part 2:

We had stopped at the pond on the way up and watched this Four Spotted Chaser Dragonfly for a long time, catching and eating prey:

There were also Damselflies:

The Red Squirrels weren’t about – probably looking after babies – but there were the usual Woodpeckers:

And a Woodmouse feeding under the feeders by the kiosk:

I don't think I am focussed enough to do more tonight, so will add two more Monday sections to Tuesday, when we diddn't take so many!

OG Brilliant pics from Loch Garten thank you! :)

HeatherB  don't beat yourself up over your neighbour, I know its hard when you get involved but she and the care workers need to take control, you've done your best to get her help and now all you need to do is be the good person you are in keeping an eye on her.