anyone past 50 on here?

[Tystie]

Hello to a bunch of unfamiliar names, whether you're from before my time or new here!

Chandrakirti: My brother told me a story once about how he'd been doing a job in Southend. He fell asleep on the train back to London and, when he woke up again, he was heading back towards the coast. So heading for the terminus may not be a guarantee that your journey will end there!

I visited Cardiff Castle once, quite a few years ago. Even longer ago than that, I was a bridesmaid at a wedding at Castle Coch. Both places, along Mount Stuart (on the Isle of Bute) were decorated by William Burges. They're all gaudy, but fascinating. And it was fun to piece together the history of the buildings' and the people involved.

Apostle: Yep. I'd feel aggrieved, if I were in your shoes. Noisy children are only cute if they're your own...and possibly (probably?) not even then!

The sun is out! And I've harvested my first two courgettes of the season. (One is small, but I've got it before the slugs have had a taste.)

[cupid69]

Hello to a bunch of unfamiliar names, whether you're from before my time or new here!

Chandrakirti: My brother told me a story once about how he'd been doing a job in Southend. He fell asleep on the train back to London and, when he woke up again, he was heading back towards the coast. So heading for the terminus may not be a guarantee that your journey will end there!

I visited Cardiff Castle once, quite a few years ago. Even longer ago than that, I was a bridesmaid at a wedding at Castle Coch. Both places, along Mount Stuart (on the Isle of Bute) were decorated by William Burges. They're all gaudy, but fascinating. And it was fun to piece together the history of the buildings' and the people involved.

Apostle: Yep. I'd feel aggrieved, if I were in your shoes. Noisy children are only cute if they're your own...and possibly (probably?) not even then!

The sun is out! And I've harvested my first two courgettes of the season. (One is small, but I've got it before the slugs have had a taste.)

Well, I'm not particularly bothered about the children being a bit noisy as the school was there before I moved into the house (although the screeching girls ARE bothersome) so I knew what to expect somewhat. Not that it's turned out that way though, unfortunately. I'll just have to live with it I expect and maybe the head teacher will retire soon.....................

[pickles.]

I'm the only single on the bus, but I get 2 seats to myself.

This sounds divine. Note to self: Always travel solo when signing up for a tour.

Hi all! Another great day in Ireland! Today we visited the ring of Kerry. Absolutely stunning! We also visited a sheep farm, and had a demonstration of sheep shearing and dog herding. Drove over a wishing bridge and made a wish. For lunch I had ice cream and chocolate fudge. For dinner I had more ice cream. I had meals too. :D The day ended with a horse carriage ride.

The weather is still holding up. Today was a bright sunny day, which was nice for views that are typically blocked by clouds, rain, and fog.

Oh, Faraday, I love your enthusiasm for all you are experiencing. Thanks for the delightful update!

[Techie]

Welcome to the various newcomers! I have been following the daily digest emails but have not had much of a chance to write. Relatively unpaid work keeping me busy (I know, I am an idiot). But I get free air conditioning in the office and I get to play high speed "Internet" when I am bored (which is becoming more and more common lately).

Getting a break on the weather the next two days. I hope to go out riding tonight but I guess I am overdoing it some as I have been getting charley horses in my right leg (the one recovering from tendinitis). Still I want to go down to the south shore beach here tonight so I will have to take it a bit easier. Long Island is relatively flat on the southern half so it is not as difficult as cycling in my native area on the north shore where it is very hilly.

Someone asked here the other day about the beach at low tide and looking for interesting things. Well at low tide, my local harbor gets pretty stinky and you do find the odd dead fish or horseshoe crab on the shore. Part of the "stink" is due to a high concentration of natural iron and sulfur compounds around here. Hydrogen sulfide is quite odorous and strong at dead low tide. As such, I avoid the Long Island Sound beaches at low tide, especially in hot weather. This weekend the heat returns and the tides will be high in the afternoon so it will be back to the beach again (I hope).

Finally, having some flashbacks to my life 20 years ago. I used to commute daily across the Hudson River on a large bridge north of New York City. I did it for 8 1/2 years and often had to deal with massive traffic. Well there was breaking news a little while ago that a construction crane fell across that bridge and shutdown all traffic on that bridge resulting in HUGE traffic delays in that part of the state (there are no local alternatives to that bridge). 20 years later and I still get a momentary shudder when I hear about anything on that bridge. Amazing it can still rattle me all these years later but I did spend a substantial portion of my life getting to and from that bridge so I guess it will always be part of my psyche.

[pickles.]

P.S. I had such a fun evening last night. I went to dinner at my friends' house (two parents and their little guy who will be six in September), and they have gotten a big new trampoline with net.

Something like this:

Little Guy and I had a blast. I did a lot of laying on my back and raising him up on my feet, then tossing him off. We got five pillows from the house so that he had an even softer landing, and he was pretty much laughing his head off throughout. Then he wanted to practice his ninja karate moves on me, so then I was chasing him around the trampoline like a big glompy swamp monster, making all the appropriate noises that would go with that. This made him laugh even harder; he would often just drop to the ground (the bottom of the tramp, rather), laughing hysterically and telling me to "Stop!" He said I was making it hard for him to breathe!

Death by laughter; sign me up.

You'll notice I didn't mention a lot of jumping on the trampoline. I haven't been able to jump very well since my Achilles tendon injury. At first I was trying to jump, and Little Guy asked, "Can you jump any higher? It seems like you are not jumping at all!" It was true, I was just sort-of bouncing. So then we switched to non-jumping fun.

[pickles.]

Hi, Techie. It was me who asked about the critter hunting, but low tides sound quite unpleasant in your neck of the woods. Blech! But sounds like you might get in an enjoyable swim this weekend--I hope that works out for you.

I'm hoping to go back to Seattle at the end of this month, to enjoy low tides with the friend I housesat for. She's a volunteer beach naturalist, and is a font of information. I've stood in thigh-high waders in Puget Sound with her before--my favorite time was one New Year's Eve at midnight!

[daveb]

The castle I missed was Caerphilly.

I did get to meet up with some internet friends in Bristol on my way back to London. And had sticky toffee pudding in Bristol. It was okay. But on the whole, I'd rather have chocolate.

I'm currently waiting for my last flight of the trip.

[Skycaptain]

I did a lot of laying on my back and raising him up on my feet, then tossing him off..

I hope that means something different in Picklesland to Britain

* has major giggling attack*

Tystie, your not the only one whose harvest is being somewhat diminished by slugs

[daveb]

London heated up for my last day/night there. I never did see much rain or even cool weather on my trip, so I'm still skeptical about all the stories of constant rain, cold dreary weather, etc. :P

Among the highlights of my trip were meeting up with various internet friends along the way and, especially, exploring Scotland with Faraday! :D

Got home around midnight last night. There were a few glitches along the way. Such as the jet ramp losing power when we were ready to depart London, so they had to wait for technicians to come and fix it. Which didn't take long once the technicians arrived (I wonder if someone accidentally unplugged it or flicked the off switch... :P ). But I had a long layover in Salt Lake City so I wasn't worried about being late. Then getting ready to leave Salt Lake City someone decided they were feeling too ill, so we had to return to the gate and let them off. Then I got back to southern California and started home on the freeway only to find they had blocked off all but one lane (that happened on one of my recent returns from another trip as well).

Now I have a few days before gong back to work on Monday, to recuperate, relax, and catch up on things. I'm glad I set up my vacation for that, I'm exhausted (but I did have fun).

[BobRossRules]

Ditto, on both the chocolate front and exploring Scotland. I have to say that was the best part of my trip - fun to share experiences with another person! :)

The last 2 days in Ireland were a blast. We explored more of the coastline, hanged around a coastal town, and hiked the Cliffs of Moher. Not for the faint of heart if you don't like heights, but there was a trail where you can enjoy the views from afar. We also visited some museums, one was of the Skelling Islands. The other was a marble museum. I like geology stuff and it turned out to be much neater than I though it might be. One of the dinners was at a castle. It was similar to Midevel Times, as we ate our meats and such with our hands, and there was music entertainment.

I also learned a few phrases in Irish Gaelic. Although my tour ended today, I still have a full day in Dublin on Thursday. The streets are crazy packed with people. I may visit the zoo and a park, or maybe find a museum.

[Tanwen]

The castle I missed was Caerphilly.

I did get to meet up with some internet friends in Bristol on my way back to London. And had sticky toffee pudding in Bristol. It was okay. But on the whole, I'd rather have chocolate.

I'm currently waiting for my last flight of the trip.

Have you ever been to Warwick Castle? It's the most complete medieval castle in England. Lots to see and do :)

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=warwick+castle&tbm=isch&imgil=5-KsOUx9rhOotM%253A%253BlJ-iftjquThWMM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.warwick-castle.com%25252Fplan%25252Fwarwick-castle-ticket-prices.aspx&source=iu&pf=m&fir=5-KsOUx9rhOotM%253A%252ClJ-iftjquThWMM%252C_&usg=__Hb1K6llVlFxFg68Z646qpciSZGQ%3D&biw=1448&bih=758&dpr=0.9&ved=0ahUKEwihvZKDxYLOAhWLA8AKHVTWCHAQyjcI0QE&ei=HrGPV6G2MouHgAbUrKOABw#imgrc=5-KsOUx9rhOotM%3A

[daveb]

Faraday, the Cliffs of Moher hike doesn't sound a good fit for me. :lol:

Made me think of the Cliffs of Insanity from The Princess Bride; so I checked and apparently those are the very cliffs they used in the movie!

Yep, Tan, I did go to Warwick Castle on one trip a while ago. It is a good castle to visit! :)

[BobRossRules]

The Cliffs of Insanity!! Awesome!! I never knew that fact. I feel privileged now. Plus, Princess Bride is one of my all time favorite movies. That, and Joe Versus The Volcano. I do believe the view is better from down below. Next, I'll go via boat (the cliffs, not the volcano) :d

[daveb]

I love The Princess Bride, too. If you go by boat watch out for shrieking eels! (Galaxy Quest is another one of my favorites) :D

On the plane home I watched Zootopia and The Jungle Book (the new live action/cgi version). They were both decent enough (but I think I still prefer the animated version of The Jungle Book from my childhood). :)

I picked up my mail and it included a packet of retirement information and paperwork for my old job. That includes a small monthly pension that kicks in at age 60. So I need to read through that stuff (not light reading!) and fill out the paperwork. I also need to download my vacation photos so I can share them. I am planning/expecting to drive to another town this weekend for my mother's 80th birthday. About a 1.5-2 hour drive each way.

[Techie]

The Cliffs of Insanity!! Awesome!! I never knew that fact. I feel privileged now. Plus, Princess Bride is one of my all time favorite movies. That, and Joe Versus The Volcano. I do believe the view is better from down below. Next, I'll go via boat (the cliffs, not the volcano) :D

You need this name tag:

[BobRossRules]

Totally!! Excellent name tag :P

Yippee retirement!! It can't come soon enough for me.

[daveb]

I think I picked up a cold and/or sore throat. bleah

I tried to post a couple of photos from my trip, but AVEN doesn't like the format or something. :(

[Autumn Sunrise]

:(, dave. I hope you feel better soon. I'm glad you had such a great trip :D (even if we can't see the photos)

[daveb]

:(, dave. I hope you feel better soon. I'm glad you had such a great trip :D (even if we can't see the photos)

If anyone is interested I can send you links to my albums in a pm. I just don't want to post the links in the public forum. If I ever figure out how to get photos to show in the thread I'll add a few. I do not like the google photos thing which replaces picasa, as it doesn't seem to have all of the functionality, such as an easy way to link directly to individual photos. (even though google photos automatically detects and combines panorama shots)

[pickles.]

Hi everyone. I got good news today from my sister-in-law who was in the car accident. The police officer at the scene had said it was her fault, but she went to court this week and the judge exonerated her. What happened at the time of the accident was that she had started to pass someone on the left (which is the passing lane here in the U.S.), but the person in the right lane made a left hand turn right in front of her without signaling (to turn into a driveway). The officer had said it is always the fault of the person behind, but the judge disagreed.

[Autumn Sunrise]

That's good news, pickles, and it must be a great relief for your sister-in-law. Thank goodness for a judge who can think outside the box!

[Muledeer]

I think I picked up a cold and/or sore throat. bleah

I tried to post a couple of photos from my trip, but AVEN doesn't like the format or something. :(

Too bad you came home sick. I just hate traveling on planes for that very reason. And several other reasons too.

I have also had trouble posting photos lately, but I thought I just forgot how to do it. I am kind of relieved to know it may be something out of my control.

[Autumn Sunrise]

This weather we're having lately is freaking me out! About a week ago we had a few days of heavy rain: the creek on our property (and the two gullies feeding into it) flowed for the first time in about five years - in fact the creek overflowed, but since our house is quite a bit higher up the slope that wasn't a problem. The dam overflowed as well, and a whole lot of holes that "cats" had dug for planting bulbs filled up with water, and most of them are still full.

Then the weather dried up (well, more or less) and today has been so unseasonably warm it felt . . . wrong, and slightly ominous. Now there's another front coming through - it's supposed to get cold again, but at the moment it's mainly very windy. Outside, it sounds like an express train going through (doesn't sound too good inside at the moment either, which is a little alarming because the house is actually very well insulated ). Our district currently has three weather warnings: a severe thunderstorm warning, a severe weather warning (rain and wind) and a sheep graziers' warning (for possible loss of sheep and lambs due to the severe weather) !!!

At the moment I'm effectively "home alone" :( My son is actually home, but sound asleep because he has to work later in the evening, and "cats" isn't home from work yet. I hope they don't encounter any hazards on the road on the way home - there are so many trees, and it's not uncommon for one to fall on the road, or drop a large branch.

I'll be a lot happier when this wild weather passes, and we just have normal cold and rain again.

OK, rant over, I'm sure we'll all survive :D

[teatree]

I usually enjoy wild weather, but sometimes it does just turn ominous and scary. Last Friday night I was going grocery shopping and it was very still and humid, with the sky a strange yellow color (not a pretty yellow but a sickly one). I remember thinking it both looked and felt odd. When I came out of shopping, it was pouring buckets and wildly windy. Stay safe, Autumn!

I almost always get sick when I return from vacation, probably because of sheer exhaustion. Hope you are feeling improved soon, daveb.

[Qutenkuddly]

Pickles, I'm sorry to hear your niece was in an accident. Was she the same one who had her apartment emptied on her? I'm glad the judge found in her favour, though.

[Skycaptain]

Hope that weather doesn't do any damage and all get home safely, Autumn.

Pickles, good that judge knows more about the rule of the road

daveb hope the sniffles clear, a souvenir of our derpy weather maybe?

[Mocha Jo]

Ugh, Apostle- sounds like your only hope is for the head teacher to retire :( That would just be over the top. I'd be tempted to retaliate- play very loud music during clanging time?

Dave B- another reason for me to hate flying! I always catch something. Well, the relatively few times I have flown I do.

Pickles- glad your niece was not found responsible. Maybe her insurance rates won't go up too much.

Sigh. Working this weekend, but at least there is air conditioning. It is supposed to be humid and hot this weekend and I don't have any air conditioners in this year (because basically I can't lift them myself. Another reason to want a partner around :( ) Oh, well, I can live with fans and no air conditioner.

[Autumn Sunrise]

The wind is still howling and buffeting the house, but cats is home safely and my son made it to work without incident :) Time for bed, I think.

[daveb]

Good luck with the wild weather, Autumn Sunrise! Glad to hear cats made it home safely and your son made it to work without incident!

Skycaptain, I don't blame the weather. It was quite pleasant for the most part. I blame getting stuck in with lots of strangers from all over, mixing up who knows what germs, and probably not helped by the stresses of travel.

[pickles.]

Pickles, I'm sorry to hear your niece was in an accident. Was she the same one who had her apartment emptied on her? I'm glad the judge found in her favour, though.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but it was my sister-in-law who got in an accident, not my niece, and it was Fire Monkey's niece who had her apartment emptied out by mistake, not one of my relations.

Autumn Sunrise, glad cats is home safely and that your son made it to work. Let us know when you're all home safe and snug, and the wild weather has passed.

teatree, I know that odd yellow color that sometimes comes before a storm; it is so strange!