Argggghhh. More beach volleyball - yawn. Where are the horses for heaven's sake!
Ah! Gymnastics (but still no horses!)
Have a good Tuesday all.
Dull here,but not raining. Good Morning All.
Have to go just now & wash my hair etc., as Friend is coming around this morning to gossip. She has been away so we have lots to catch up on. Tomorrow she goes for an op on her carpal tunnel problem with her hand.
Replies later, thanks for all the interesting posts.
Morning all,
Diane : It is a great achievement to land a robot craft on Mars but I cant help thinking the money could have been spent better to improve things here on earth. Pictures are fairly boring and predictable so far.
Linda : Thanks for the alien jokes and the great pics of Buzz the other day.
Brenda : Your weather sounds much the same as we had on saturday and sunday with heavy downpours and thunder at times. We had less rain yesterday but as you say everything is growing at an astonishing rate this year including the weeds.
Margo : Glad you had a good weekend including a trip to Goodwood. Sorry that your broadband was slow. I blame it on all the schoolchildren on holiday at the moment and clogging up the internet.
OG : I see you managed to miss the worst of the floods. I saw the pics of Jedburgh in the news and it looked really bad there. Thanks for the good news re the red kites.
Patriciat : Well done to Tweed for his 3rd place.
Thanks to everyone else for the chat etc.
The builders arrived next door to take away the fence which is the boundary to Hamish run so we had to keep him in the garden all day until it rained when he was moved to the garage. They have dug out the footings for the conservatory and today will pour the concrete so still a great deal of upheaval for several more days so we will have to keep Hamish away from that area during the day. Not been doing much else apart from watching some of the Olympics. Highlight was Andy Murray annihilating Federer in the tennis.
Black Kites on the move at Gibraltar:
"05 Aug: Moderate south-westerlies in the Strait , but fairly calm inland picking up after midday and turning west to north west. A couple of Black Kites flew over the Rock early in the morning, but no others were noted until winds changed to north-west after which 7850 Black Kites were counted in a three hour period in the late afternoon. Also seen were a juvenile Montagu's Harrier, a Short-toed Eagle and 2 Lesser Kestrels."
ALAN PETRIE Diane : It is a great achievement to land a robot craft on Mars but I cant help thinking the money could have been spent better to improve things here on earth. Pictures are fairly boring and predictable so far.
Alan and OG: A part of me agrees with you. However, consider that NASA pays for itself in:
In addition, we must eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels. One of the best hopes for a safe, renewable, and sustainable alternative energy is space-based solar power, but we can't rapidly develop this new technology without NASA resources and research.
The NASA budget for 2012 was $18.7 billion. In comparison, the Defense budget was $925.2 billion, in reality over a trillion dollars. I'm far more concerned about America's excessive military spending. Less than half of one percent of the total U.S. budget goes to NASA. We get a good return for our investment.
America has all but lost its manufacturing base. If we don't advance in science and technology, we're going to quickly sink to third-world status, with a terrible decline in standard of living. De-funding science is counter-productive for the economy.
Having defended NASA, though, I should say that I would like to see its resources and research more directed toward solving immediate problems (like developing alternative energy). And I'm deeply concerned about the commercialization and the militarization of space. I don't trust my government's activities there any more than I trust them on Earth.
Good morning – back to summer sunshine today. No plans for the day.
Patricia – pleased it was a good event on Sunday, running all three Dogs. Sorry you have to retire Fly, but she has done well. Well done to Tweed, and I am sure Indy is still learning! We were really lucky Saturday – about 50 miles from Jedburgh as the cloud flies (over the moors and forest – much further by road) and only 15 from Dumfries where the Show activities were curtailed by a very heavy storm! The showers/storms have been very localised. It is so good that your OH enjoys watching sport of all kinds on the television – not much else for him to do. My Dad had three sheds – one was built as part of the house, then he added a wooden shed, and then overflowed into another in the orchard, which had been the hen-house when they kept poultry! All had to be emptied when they retired to a seaside bungalow!
Diane – sorry about all the stinging nettles – what about using your magic mixture to kill them off?
Annette – that’s the kind of friend to have – with shortcake, strawberries and cream at the ready!
Linda – enjoy your catch up with Friend!
Alan – good to see you return – I hope that means you are fully recovered from the tummy bug – although you still “sound” a bit subdued. I guess Hamish is confused by the change of routine and where he is allowed to go!
Diane – I accept NASA has contributed much in tech design and achievement, with advantages for us all as a secondary issue. But those areas could have been researched more cheaply with humanitarian motives, and research to provide increasing capture of solar energy here on earth seems to be pointing to bio-technology rather than reaching into space. So we shall have to agree to disagree on that one, sorry!
Well, I shall go find something to do! Ah, I hear shopping arriving with OH, so will go fill cupboards!
Ospreys Rule OK, but Goldfinches come a close second!
OG: I had just edited my post to say that I would like to see NASA resources and funding more directed toward solving immediate problems. But, yup, we can agree to disagree, my friend. :-)
Good morning all and weather doesn't know what to do at the moment. Have had some rain this morning with more promised. Have never know such a dull summer and it must be one of the worst ever. All those poor people who have been flooded. We never seem to get what I would call normal rain, eit is always so heavy now.
AQ sorry you have been suffring with a sore throat, hope it is improving now. Thanks for posting all those pics, meant to mention yesterday but had been AWOL for so long couldn't remember everytining I had read.
OG so pleased that you seem to be missing the worst of the weather. Saw the flooding on the hews last night and it looked horrendous. Thanks for the link to the Red Kite story, how very heart warming.
patriciat so pleased you had a good weekend with good weather as well. Well done to Tween and Indy and hope Fly enjoys retirement. What a good age to still be competing. I agree with your comment about the gymnastics. How on earth do they fit all those moves in before they hit the ground again, it is just mind boggling.
diane hope you have had a good sleep after all the excitement of Curiousity. Fantastic achievement for all though.
Annette it has been a bit of a social whirl, We don't go out for a while and then we get several events at the same time, a bit like the buses really, wait ages for one and then three come along together. OH is off to London on Saturday to see a gig, I am not going to this as I can't stand the group he is going to see. They are called The Fall and they are just rubbish, loud and not very tuneful at all but he has followed them for years now and is quite bemused as to the reaon I hate them so much. Rhys is fine and fully recovered from his mumps and hard to believe but he will be three next January. How quickly time passes us by.
Alan I so enjoyed watching Andy Murray beat Roger Federer. I have never been a Federer fan much to my OH's amazement. I think he is very arrogant and I don't enjoy watching how he plays. Maybe this will be the start of better things to come for Andy. Hope the upheaval does not cause too much trouble for you and of course for Hamish.
Lindybird thanks for PM and I hope you enjoy your morning having a good old cha with your friend.
Off to sort out lunch now and watch some Olympics and hoping for some more medals for Team GB. Have a good day all and take care.
Margobird
original goldfinch But those areas could have been researched more cheaply with humanitarian motives
But those areas could have been researched more cheaply with humanitarian motives
Correct in theory, but not in the U.S. political and economic climate, I deeply regret.
~ ~ Friend arrived late morning, so joined us in watching the amazing Triathlon and the even more amazing triumph of the Brownlee Brothers, in both winning medals for this event together. This is certainly an Olympics to remember.
I saw a butterfly land on our patio yesterday, and went to investigate: it was a Small Tortoiseshell, one I can't remember seeing for many years now, although I'm sure they were quite common when I was younger. It flew off as I approached it, into the trees, so don't know how often it has been here and I havn't noticed it.
Sorry, still no time to comment on your posts: my OH is taking me to view his allotment whilst its beginning to need harvesting. We've already feasted on peas and runner beans, but the raspberries and strawberries have not enjoyed the wet weather. We grew some cucumbers from some small plants given to us by another neighbour at the Allotment, and they have been so huge we only eat the middle of each one! - We have given some of the surplus cucumbers to our neighbours in the road.
Re: NASA. I think it would be wonderful if monies spent on such "luxuries" as space exploration could be used instead to solve problems here on earth, but history would seem to indicate that it's almost impossible for individuals/political parties/nations to agree on anything that doesn't advance their own interests. Frankly, I'm much more upset about the amount of money being spent on the U.S. Presidential election - now that is truly obscene.
The thing is, the drive to explore seems to be an inherent and necessary part of being human, probably accounting for our survival as a species, whether we simply try a new place for a holiday or send a robot into space. And where would we draw the line: You can ride a bike, but not drive; sail a boat, but not fly? Spend not more than this or that amount on a hobby, etc., because it could be put to better use somewhere else? I'm probably wandering off point there....
Eons ago (in TV terms) James Burke did a fabulous show called Connections, which traced various steps (a mix of deliberate experiments/explorations and apparently useless and/or serendipitous findings) - many of them centuries and thousands of miles removed - that eventually gave rise to knowledge, inventions, even cures for diseases that we now take for granted. I'm sure when Columbus et al were agitating for funds to sail West, there were some in the Spanish Court who grumbled that the money could be better spent at home. Then what: They wouldn't have stumbled upon the New World and - think! Fish and What? Burgers and What? Even worse - no chocolate!! :-)
Meanwhile, back on earth, the folks who were supposed to come and sort out a wonky fence post have failed to show up.
Back later (without my soapbox).
Hello everyone. The osprey season is coming to an end so I will try to visit you all more often on this thread. Today was very special as it was 'results' day for Scottish school children and younger daughter managed 5 A grades in her highers so we have been out for a quiet celebratory meal with her and her big sister.
What about Chris Hoy and our wonderful Olympians? I have really enjoyed the games, especially Andy Murray's success and am thinking of going to Dunblane to have my photograph taken next to a gold postbox!
It was absolutely scorching here today (well relatively speaking in global terms) at 22 degrees with no breeze - beautiful and sunny all day. Tomorrow marks the first anniversary of Steed and I starting our 'new' jobs. All is going well on that front which is reassuring in our current economic climate.
Boiler repair man is coming to service our boiler tomorrow evening (we have a small leak) and get it ship shape before the frosts. Thursday evening I will have an opportunity to use the 'pamper' voucher I received from elder daughter for Christmas. Sciatica was so bad in the first half of this year I couldn't lie on my back but good news - I am now almost pain free. The deep tissue massage has done the trick but I had to put my inhibitions to one side because the affected areas at the foot of my spine and around my hip would normally be covered up - apologies - too much information.
I look forward to reading more of your news tomorrow.
Hi guys. I'm really tired tonight so will catch up tomorrow.