# Good morning, Good evening, Good night



## Ruthanne

Just thought I'd make a place where we could say these things to each other.  Since it is almost 1 am I will say Good Night.  I'm going to watch some friends then pass out from all my meds.


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## SeaBreeze

Good night Ruthanne, about to follow you...pleasant dreams.  fftobed:


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## Shalimar

Sleep well my friend.


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## ossian

Well, it is good morning from me. Fairly bright and early here as I munch my breakfast. Although, it is almost munched through now. So.....good morning to all you on the other side of the planet who will be thinking that it should be 'goodnight'.


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## Ameriscot

Good morning here.  Mostly sunny.  Still in bed and breakfast is finished.  Watching Andrew Marr on tv.


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## Goldfynche

Good morning from a very sunny 'my part of Scotland'. Once again, trying to type with two extremely exuberant chihuahuas vying for the best spot on my lap!


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## Gail.S

Good morning from Tennessee. My eight year old grandson spent the night so I have to go make breakfast for him and coffee for me.


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## Gemma

Good morning everyone!  Another wet and cloudy day here.  Waiting for my hubby to return from a meeting before we do a late breakfast. 
 Hope y'all have a wonderful Sunday!


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## Ruthanne

I made it up this morning.  Usually am not up in the morning lately.  So I'll say Good morning!


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## Ameriscot

Love that song, Ruthanne!


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## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Love that song, Ruthanne!


Yeah, it's an oldie but goodie!


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## Raven

It's mid-afternoon and I just cooked a pot of rhubarb and finely chopped apple.
The first rhubarb from our patch this spring.  With apple added it doesn't take near
as much sugar and it's very good over vanilla ice cream.


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## Ruthanne

Raven said:


> It's mid-afternoon and I just cooked a pot of rhubarb and finely chopped apple.
> The first rhubarb from our patch this spring.  With apple added it doesn't take near
> as much sugar and it's very good over vanilla ice cream.


I don't know if I've ever had rhubarb.  Sounds very good, though!


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## Ruthanne

Good ev-en-ing! Hope everyone has a lovely evening.  Had my dinner and am full.


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## Guitarist

Good evening!  I just finished folding the laundry, before that I finished supper and feeding one cat, the other is curled up on a hot clean T-shirt. About to start the night now.


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## Ruthanne

Yes, we are well into the night.  I'm watching The Billboard Awards and Celine Dion won the Icon Award and is singing now.


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## Shalimar

Seven thirty pm here on the left coast. Sunny and warm, lovely breeze. I can hear the Westminster chimes on my balcony.


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## Ruthanne

Glad you have sunny and warm.  We are supposed to get sunny and warm this week, too.  Yay!


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## Sweetpea

Oh Raven, rhubarb pie is one of my favorites.  I like to fix it with strawberries.  I can taste it now...


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## Ruthanne

Good night everyone!  Just took my sleeping meds and should be off to sleep soon.


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## Ameriscot

Good morning.  7 am here on this sunny day.  Breakfast in bed.  Leaving for the gym at 8.


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## Ameriscot

Sweetpea said:


> Oh Raven, rhubarb pie is one of my favorites.  I like to fix it with strawberries.  I can taste it now...



A friend of mine often makes rhubarb pie.  Love it.


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## Ruthanne

Good early evening everyone.  I am in slow motion today.


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## Shalimar

Me too, Ruthanne.


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## Goldfynche

Quiet please! Some of us are trying to settle down for the night!


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## Ruthanne

Well, ex-cu-u-se me!  LOL


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## Ruthanne

It's pretty quiet here and I had dinner not too long ago.  Feeling good and full and that's a good thing!  I hope y'all get a good night sleep and sweet dreams!  I'll be hittin the hay before ya know it!  Good night.


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## Manatee

Hasta la vista amigos.


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## Shalimar

Bonne nuit!


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## Ruthanne

Buenas Noches.


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## Buckeye

I have to use the world clock function on my smart phone to know what time it is anywhere.  It's 6 pm here now, so for our friends in the UK its already 5 am tomorrow, and its midnight on the east coast of the US and 9 pm on the west coast.  So good night to some, good morning to others.

Its 6 am tomorrow in Paris but I haven't seen anyone from Paris on here.


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## Ameriscot

I use the world clock on my smartphone as well because I have family/friends in Australia, eastern US, Uganda, and west coast US!  Don't like to Skype in the middle of the night!  For those who don't have smartphones with this, all you have to do is Google 'what time is it in....'.  Bingo. 

Good morning!  Sunny day.  But we slept late so I've missed my usual bus to the gym and don't want to drive.  So I'm going to go out power walking.  Haven't done that for ages.  

Hoot, in the UK we are one hour behind Paris and there are quite a lot of us here.


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## mitchezz

It's 5:38 pm in my part of Australia. Dark outside and time to start thinking about dinner. My daughter lives in New York and that's 14 hours behind us.........I long for the days when I could just pick up the phone and call her without the mental arithmetic. Good news is she's coming home for 3 weeks holiday starting this Saturday......can't wait.


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## Shalimar

Warm evening here on the coast. At twelve forty-five am, it is time for bed. Goodnight everyone.


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## Ameriscot

Shalimar said:


> Warm evening here on the coast. At twelve forty-five am, it is time for bed. Goodnight everyone.



Good night, Shali.


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## Ameriscot

mitchezz said:


> It's 5:38 pm in my part of Australia. Dark outside and time to start thinking about dinner. My daughter lives in New York and that's 14 hours behind us.........I long for the days when I could just pick up the phone and call her without the mental arithmetic. Good news is she's coming home for 3 weeks holiday starting this Saturday......can't wait.



That's even tougher than when we stay in Thailand in the winter.  Like to Skype granddaughters in the eastern US and we are 12 hours different.  So we usually do 8 and 8.  

Enjoy your daughter's visit!  My sister is coming (from Michigan) on Thursday!


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## Goldfynche

Oops! Way past my bed time. Night all.:sleeping:


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## Ruthanne

It's late evening now so I'll say Good evening all!  Just ate dinner and am off for a walk but where is my energy?


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## Falcon

4:55 PM here now. Couple more hours I'm gonna curl up in my recliner with a big bowl
of Rocky Road ice cream and watch Jeopardy.  Hope you all have a great time wherever you are.


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## Guitarist

Back before the days of cell phones I had a friend in the UK whose parents lived in NZ. He kept a clock by his downstairs phone set to NZ time so he never had to do mental math to figure out when to call.

My old cell phone had a world clock function but I don't know how well it kept up with the twice-yearly time changes.  My current "smart" phone has no such function.


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## Ruthanne

Falcon said:


> 4:55 PM here now. Couple more hours I'm gonna curl up in my recliner with a big bowl
> of Rocky Road ice cream and watch Jeopardy.  Hope you all have a great time wherever you are.


That Rocky Road ice cream sounds to die for!!  Hope your evening is a real nice time, too!


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## Ruthanne

Well, it's time to hit the sack for me.  Good night everybody who is going to sleep about now.


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## Guitarist

Goodnight to all sleepyheads!

10 minutes more and _Frasier_ will be on.  I don't have any Rocky Road .... hmm ... bowl of Grape-nuts? Cheese and crackers?  Sherry!


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## Ameriscot

Good morning!  Sunny yet again.  I hope it stays that way as my sister arrives tomorrow.  Having breakfast in bed.  Then grocery shopping and housework.


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## Shalimar

Good morning Annie!


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## Ameriscot

Shalimar said:


> Good morning Annie!



Good morning/evening Shali!  This is the time I often chat with a FB friend who is in your time zone.  She lives on an island off Washington state and is a night owl.


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## Ruthanne

Good evening to those who are in the evening now.    Time for me to have a glass of wine and relax a bit.


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## Ruthanne

Good night to those who are in the night time!


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## Ameriscot

Good morning!  Having breakfast in bed.  Leaving about 11am to pick up my sister from the airport.  She left Detroit last night at 8pm.  She has to transfer in Amsterdam which means she flies over our house then turns around and comes back.  This is the route we always do.


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## Ruthanne

I haven't even gone to bed yet so I'll say Good morning!!


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## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> I haven't even gone to bed yet so I'll say Good morning!!



A night owl, eh?


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## Ruthanne

It's nearly morning here Annie.  It's 3:30 am now.  I may wait till 4 to go to sleep.  My hours are a bit odd right now.  I hope you have a good day!


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## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> It's nearly morning here Annie.  It's 3:30 am now.  I may wait till 4 to go to sleep.  My hours are a bit odd right now.  I hope you have a good day!



The sun would nearly be up at that time here in the summer!  I'm a 'reformed' night owl as I'm married to a morning person.  Getting out of bed soon.  Had my breakfast, my tea, and my cappuccino.  Up soon and heading for the airport!   

Have a good sleep or whatever.....


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## Ruthanne

Thanks.


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## ossian

A belated good morning from me. Been up for a few hours and have cleaned the house. It is interesting to note how many members here do seem to be still around late into the night. I am lucky and generally my brain goes straight into sleep mode when my head hits the pillow around 11pm


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## Ameriscot

Ossian, my husband is like that. 5 mins max to get to sleep.


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## Ruthanne

I slept a lot today.

Good evening eveyone!


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## Ruthanne




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## Sweetpea

Goodnight Ruthanne.  Sleep well.


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## Cookie

Goodnight Ruthanne and all.  Have a pleasant night.

Its getting on and I want to have a bath and relax for a while before hitting the hay.


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## Ruthanne

g'nite Swetpea and Cookie.  I haven't turned in yet.


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## ossian

Good morning. Well, I knew it was a mistake to boast of having no difficulty sleeping. I had a lousy night last night. Ended up staring out the window and 1:30am. Yawn!


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## Ruthanne

ossian said:


> Good morning. Well, I knew it was a mistake to boast of having no difficulty sleeping. I had a lousy night last night. Ended up staring out the window and 1:30am. Yawn!


I know about that with boasting.  It always happens to me with everything.  lol


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## Ruthanne




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## Buckeye

The kids are ready to turn in so I will too.  Hoot is on your left, Annie on your right.


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## ossian

Well, goodnight Hoot n Annie. Time for my day to start.


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## Shalimar

Lovely dogs, hoot. Beautiful house also. Love the red wall and wood floor. Good night all!


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## Buckeye

Shalimar said:


> Lovely dogs, hoot. Beautiful house also. Love the red wall and wood floor. Good night all!



Mahalo!  The floors are mango (at least that is what we were told..)


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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne

Going to try to go to sleep..


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## Goldfynche

It's still broad daylight out there but I'm tired and just want to get to bed. I have to take the pups out between 3 - 5am. It's already getting light by then.


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## Ruthanne




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## Cookie

Good morning/day!  A bit of a late start, still drinking coffee and contemplating my to do list.


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## Ruthanne




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## Shalimar

Goodnight Ruthanne, bonne nuit.


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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne




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## ossian

Well, another day of fun and frivolity! Well maybe not.  

Good morning everyone.


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## Ruthanne

Good morning.


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## Ruthanne




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## Goldfynche

Yay! It's 3.30 in the morning! I've just been out in the garden with the pups. One of the necessary chores of having wee ones. I always have a quick look in here, then I noticed that this will be my 1000th post! Er....do I get a telegram from the queen or something?


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## Ruthanne

Congratulations Goldfynche!! I'm not the queen but I'm a kind lady.


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## Shalimar

Congratulations  Goldfynche! Here is a huge virtual gold star!


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## Shalimar

Good evening mes amis.


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## Ruthanne

Goodnight y'all! Y'all come back now hear?


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## ossian

Ruthanne said:


> Goodnight y'all! Y'all come back now hear?


Well I did, Ruthanne.  Goodnight to you and good morning from me.


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## senile1

Tis a lovely, cloudy morn in Central Virginia. Wishing  each and everyone a most wonderful Friday. My son & grandson are coming to visit this evening, so looking forward to a busy weekend. Have a great Friday and may your's be a most wonderful weekend.
the senile1


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## Ruthanne

senile1 said:


> Tis a lovely, cloudy morn in Central Virginia. Wishing  each and everyone a most wonderful Friday. My son & grandson are coming to visit this evening, so looking forward to a busy weekend. Have a great Friday and may your's be a most wonderful weekend.
> the senile1


Thank you!


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## Ruthanne

Good night everyone!  Have a good weekend!


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## Goldfynche

Good morning from a dull cloudy Scotland. I'll try to fill in some of the gaps, whilst all of you across the pond are taking some time out.


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## Ruthanne

Good morning Goldfynche!  I can't seem to sleep.  Maybe I'll just stay up till I fall out.


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## Goldfynche

Ruthanne said:


> Good morning Goldfynche!  I can't seem to sleep.  Maybe I'll just stay up till I fall out.



Fair enough. I've just settled down with an amaretto coffee and two chihuahuas on my lap, as is our normal morning routine. So! Let us proceed withe day.


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## Ruthanne

That coffee sounds so good!  I may have a glass of wine or a cup of coffee or a glass of cold water.  Probably the cold water would be best.


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## Raven

Good Morning all.  It's cloudy but sun expected later to make a nice June Saturday.

I spent a half day this week cleaning out our attic.  It was hard work and my muscles
were lame the next day but there's more to do and I will get back at it later today.
One item I found that had been forgotten was a punch bowl with eight small cups to go
with it.  
I used to use it occasionally but haven't for a long time so it will go to a charity shop along
with other things that were stored and forgotten.  

Hope everyone has  a relaxing weekend and sunny weather.


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## Ruthanne

Thanks Raven


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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne




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## Shalimar

Lovely summer day here on Vancouver Island, 88 degrees.


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## Lon

Good Evening all    6:15 PM and 102 F  here in this hot box of California Sunday


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## fureverywhere

Night night kids...9:51pm and kid needs to get on school bus. Feed rats and a bath and her to bed. I am done.


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## Ruthanne




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## senile1

A jolly goodmorning to all.


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## Ruthanne

Hey senile1!  How are you this morning?


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## senile1

Goodmorning Ms. Ruthanne, I am great,thank .How are you this fine morn??


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## Ruthanne

I'm pretty tired.  Haven't gone to sleep yet.  I have some days where I am up all night like this.  Going to go with my dog to Dunkin Donuts and get some breakfast and then probably go to sleep for awhile.  I hope you have a good day!


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## Raven

Ruthanne, Breakfast at Dunkin Donuts sounds okay to me but the closest one here
is ten miles away so I just had toast, oatmeal and coffee.
Have a nice Monday everyone and may the sun shine where you are.


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## Ruthanne

Yeah, that's pretty far Raven.  We had our breakfast there and the coffee woke me up.  Your breakfast sounds real healthy.


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## Goldfynche

_Good morning from a beautiful sunny Scotland. Seems rather quiet in here this morning. Never seen so few people on line!_


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## Ruthanne




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## Goldfynche

Well. It seems remarkably quiet in here tonight. It's 10.30pm and I'm just pottering on the iPad, in bed. I've got a few books stored on file so I guess I'll just read until I nod off.

night all.


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## Ruthanne

Hi Golfynche!  Yeah, it does get quiet here at times.  I hope you sleep well!


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## Guitarist

Sun shone beautifully here all day yesterday (Tuesday).  Clear night, too, a nice cool breeze.  Monday was cooler, but so humid it felt hotter.  Interested to see what today (Wednesday) will bring. 

I like being on here this time of night (actually 1-2 am) seeing the Scots waking up and coming online and posting. 

Good morning, all!


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## Ruthanne

Good morning!


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## Ruthanne




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## senile1

Good morning,Tis a lovely morn in Virginia. Hoping your's is such a morn.


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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne

Good night!


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## justfred

Eight thirty on the morning of Saturday the 11th of June from a rather wet dull but humid Hampshire, (The New Forest)
A very Good Morning to you all.May your day be full of happiness and all your worries behind you.
Fred


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## Guitarist

Three forty-eight a.m. and all's well.  My older kitty, whom I took to the vet this morning, is her old self again tonight. She scared me this morning, though.  That's why I am still up -- can't get sleepy yet even though she is fine now. Other kitty is well too, three forty-nine a.m. and all are well!


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## Goldfynche

Good morning from a cool damp Central Scotland. Definitely a lot 'fresher' out there.


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## Pappy

47 degrees in upstate New York this morning. When does summer start again?
Anyway, hope you all have a fine day.


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## Shalimar

Good morning everyone! Woke up much too early. Going back to bed. Zzzzzz.


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## Ruthanne

I woke up much too late today. lol.  Couldn't sleep last night.  Got up at 6:30 pm.  Good evening!


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## Goldfynche

Anyway Tinytn, you're on your own. I'm off to bed. Night.


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## Raven

Hello everyone.  Showers this morning and the same for tomorrow
but sun is forecast for Wednesday.
I'm looking forward to a warm sunny day then.


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## senile1

Tis a lovely sunny day in Central Virginia, 68 sunny degrees, looking for a high near 90. Hoping you are enjoy such a lovely morn.


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## Ruthanne




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## Shalimar

Good morning from warm sunny Vancouver Island. Bonjour!


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## senile1

*Shalimar*  
Good morning from warm sunny Vancouver Island. Bonjour!​




 Bonjour mademoiselle, Nous espérons que vous appréciez un plus beau jour


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## Ruthanne




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## ronaldj

good morning from


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## Raven

Good morning from my house to your house.

Enjoy this Tuesday in June.

:coffeelaugh:


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## Della

Good morning from Ohio!  I've been up since six but the pets come before coffee,:love_heart:.


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## Ruthanne




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## Peppermint Patty

Is there anyone else around here who is also a night owl?   I was born that way.  It is hell trying to live in a morning "lark" world.  I had trouble waking up for school and then for many many years for work.  I won't schedule any appointments for mornings (doc, dentist, eye doc, dog groomer, beauty shop, etc. etc.)  I am presently trying to change my basic system/nature right now by getting up early and trying to go to sleep with the rest of the world.  What a hassle.  I know people think it is a character flaw, but as I already said, I was born this way. It is very difficult!  Why am I supposed to conform?


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## senile1

Peppermint Patty said:


> Is there anyone else around here who is also a night owl?   I was born that way.  It is hell trying to live in a morning "lark" world.  I had trouble waking up for school and then for many many years for work.  I won't schedule any appointments for mornings (doc, dentist, eye doc, dog groomer, beauty shop, etc. etc.)  I am presently trying to change my basic system/nature right now by getting up early and trying to go to sleep with the rest of the world.  What a hassle.  I know people think it is a character flaw, but as I already said, I was born this way. It is very difficult!  Why am I supposed to conform?





Good luck with that Ms. Patty, I have been trying for the last 35 years.


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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne

It is evening in the Eastern Time Zone.  Good evening.


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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne




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## Goldfynche

Good morning to all. Just been watching the qualifying highlights for the European grand prix on 'catchup TV' on the PC.
Any other grand prix enthusiasts out there?


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## Ruthanne




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## Gemma




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## AutumnOfMyLife

Good evening!  I've been away a while.  Been digesting some disturbing family news of old.  Thought I'd peek in and see how ya'll are doing.


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## Shalimar

Welcome back, I hope you find peace re your news. Family stuff can pack a wallop.


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## Ruthanne

Good night all!


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## Ruthanne

Good morning!


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## Goldfynche

Anyway. It's 11.30pm in Scotland so I'm off to bed. Night all.


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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne

Good morning!


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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne

..


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## Ruthanne

I hope you all have a good day, afternoon, evening, night!  Just kind of tired today and resting.


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## Gemma




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## Ruthanne




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## Butterfly

Raven said:


> It's mid-afternoon and I just cooked a pot of rhubarb and finely chopped apple.
> The first rhubarb from our patch this spring.  With apple added it doesn't take near
> as much sugar and it's very good over vanilla ice cream.



OOOOO!  I'd kill for some of my mother's rhubarb pie!


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## Butterfly

Peppermint Patty said:


> Is there anyone else around here who is also a night owl?   I was born that way.  It is hell trying to live in a morning "lark" world.  I had trouble waking up for school and then for many many years for work.  I won't schedule any appointments for mornings (doc, dentist, eye doc, dog groomer, beauty shop, etc. etc.)  I am presently trying to change my basic system/nature right now by getting up early and trying to go to sleep with the rest of the world.  What a hassle.  I know people think it is a character flaw, but as I already said, I was born this way. It is very difficult!  Why am I supposed to conform?



I have the same problem.  If you find a trick to it, please let me know!


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## Butterfly

senile1 said:


> Good morning,Tis a lovely morn in Virginia. Hoping your's is such a morn.



If I recall correctly, it's ALWAYS a lovely morn in Virginia!


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## Ruthanne

Gemma said:


>


Very nice!


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## Ruthanne

Good night y'all.  Going to watch some sitcoms and try not to watch the news shows.  They are morbidly addicting.


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## Wren

_'It's mid-afternoon and I just cooked a pot of rhubarb and finely chopped apple.
The first rhubarb from our patch this spring. With apple added it doesn't take near
as much sugar and it's very good over vanilla ice cream'

Good morning, that sounds delicious Raven, I'll try it next time I make a crumble _


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## Wren

_..._


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## Ruthanne

Goldfynche said:


> Good morning from a cool damp Central Scotland. Definitely a lot 'fresher' out there.


Good after morning!  I guess that means Good after noon!


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## Gemma




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## Ruthanne

It's a rainy morn here!


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## Ruthanne

It's time I go  to sleep  before I get beheaded! lol


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## Raven

Good Saturday morning everyone.
It's  cloudy with showers forecast for later this afternoon and we really
need some rain as it's extremely dry.
Hope you all have a nice weekend and find something interesting to do.


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## Ruthanne

Thank you Raven.


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## Ruthanne

Good night.:goodnight::zz:


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## Ruthanne

Ruthanne said:


> Good night.:goodnight::zz:


:dito:


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## Ruthanne




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## Butterfly

It'll be a long time till I say good night -- people in the neighborhood are setting off firecrackers and those screaming things and have got my Bonnie (along with every dog in the neighborhood) all upset.  So you hear a big BOOM! and then "bark, bark, bark, bark, yap, yap, WOOF, awroooo, bark."  Lovely.  I wish it would rain.


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## Ruthanne




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## Gemma

*
Hope your day is going well Ruthanne! *


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## Ruthanne

Thank you Gemma!  I hope you have a nice day!


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## Raven

This morning was sunny and warm.  I had a hair appointment and then did
errands around town before coming home to get lunch.
Worked in my garden for awhile this afternoon but had to give up on account of the
hungry black flies.

I'm tired now and am going to watch Coronation Street and then it's
Good Night all from me.


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## Ruthanne

fftobed::goodnight:


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## Ameriscot

Good...something. It's 11am here in Scotland and it's drizzly. We caught a flight from Michigan at 4pm yesterday and flew all night. Nearly home now. Very very very tired.


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## Ruthanne




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## Shalimar

Welcome home Annie!


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## Ruthanne

Sounds cool Ted!


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## Shalimar

Ted, what is the wooden hill, please?


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## Ruthanne

I love you all seniors!!


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## Ameriscot

Thanks, Shali!  

Good morning....errr afternoon.  Slept from 11 pm to 11 am last night!


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## Ken N Tx

Ameriscot said:


> Thanks, Shali!
> 
> Good morning....errr afternoon.  Slept from 11 pm to 11 am last night!



Welcome home!!!!


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## Ameriscot

Thanks, Ken!


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## Ruthanne

:goodmorning:fftobed:


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## Southern Gentleman

*good morning everyone!!*


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## Ruthanne

_Good evening to all!  _nthego:


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## Ruthanne

A Good Night to everyone!:love_heart:


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## Southern Gentleman

~Good night to all of you ~


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## Ruthanne




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## Ruthanne




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## Ameriscot

Good afternoon. Hazy outdoors but doesn't matter as I'm indoors watching Wimbledon final with our Scottish hero, Andy Murray.


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## Southern Gentleman

Ruthanne said:


>



Good morning Ruthanne. Thanks for bumping this thread . I was looking for it earlier then got distracted . don't ask what I was just snacking on for breakfast. I'll just tell you lol. I was about to fix oatmeal 
 I was digging in the cabinet came across some cool ranch Doritos . I didn't really feel like fixing oatmeal so I grabbed the Doritos. In hindsight I wish I'd opted for the oatmeal


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## Southern Gentleman

Ameriscot said:


> Good afternoon. Hazy outdoors but doesn't matter as I'm indoors watching Wimbledon final with our Scottish hero, Andy Murray.



I played a lot of tennis back in the day !! I'm a huge Andy Murray fan. I forgot it was on already. I'm flipping over to it. Thanx for the heads up


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## Ruthanne

Hi Annie and Southern Gentleman!  Yeah, Doritos in the morning just does not seem right.


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## Goldfynche

Yep. I've been keeping an eye on Andy this year. Particularly as he is virtually a neighbour. He only lives 12 miles away from us.


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## Ameriscot

Goldfynche said:


> Yep. I've been keeping an eye on Andy this year. Particularly as he is virtually a neighbour. He only lives 12 miles away from us.



I am not a tennis fan at all, but I become one when Andy plays.


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## Southern Gentleman

Goldfynche said:


> Yep. I've been keeping an eye on Andy this year. Particularly as he is virtually a neighbour. He only lives 12 miles away from us.



Very cool. I'd love to be doing some Wimbledon Strawberries and Creme about now.


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## Raven

Good afternoon on this sunny summer day.
This morning I renewed my driver's license for five more years,
of course my new picture looks five years older than on my previous license.
On the way home  stopped for an ice cream cone at a farmer's market and got
some fruit and veggies too.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Raven.  Ice cream sounds good!


----------



## Goldfynche

Good morning all.

Up a little earlier this morning. The pups decided on an early start, this morning. So had no choice but to get up!


----------



## Ruthanne

Good morning Goldfynch.


----------



## Ameriscot

Good afternoon here.  Showers today but the sun keeps peeking out.  Mild.  Hope it's sunny tomorrow.  Going into the city to buy a dress for a wedding.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning.  Hazy here and mild temps.  Trying to figure out my new GoPro video camera.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Good morning.  Hazy here and mild temps.  Trying to figure out my new GoPro video camera.


When all else fails follow the instructions.  lol.  I'm just kidding, I don't know if you are looking at the instructions or not.


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> When all else fails follow the instructions.  lol.  I'm just kidding, I don't know if you are looking at the instructions or not.



Yes, looking at instruction booklet and online.  Hubby set it up before as I couldn't figure it out.  I think it's synced with the app on my phone.  Can't get the strap on my bike helmet for holding my camera, but I'll figure it out.  I need to figure out how to set it to time lapse video.  Oh.....sweetheart........ help!


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Yes, looking at instruction booklet and online.  Hubby set it up before as I couldn't figure it out.  I think it's synced with the app on my phone.  Can't get the strap on my bike helmet for holding my camera, but I'll figure it out.  I need to figure out how to set it to time lapse video.  Oh.....sweetheart........ help!


I wish you lots of luck with that.  I had a hard time figuring out my last camera and lost the directions but now it won't work, so..I hope you have fun with it!


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> I wish you lots of luck with that.  I had a hard time figuring out my last camera and lost the directions but now it won't work, so..I hope you have fun with it!



This one is a bit different - it can do photos but is really made for videos while cycling, etc.  Hubby has now got the strap on my bike helmet.  Might wear the camera on it when we ride the one mile to our friends' house for dinner tonight to try it out.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> This one is a bit different - it can do photos but is really made for videos while cycling, etc.  Hubby has now got the strap on my bike helmet.  Might wear the camera on it when we ride the one mile to our friends' house for dinner tonight to try it out.


I'm glad you got that sorted out.  Sounds like it will be a fun ride!  Have fun!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning Ruthanne!  Did a video on our bike ride and I was pleased with the quality - picks up the sound a bit too well - like when I swore because hubby passed me on his bike.  Need to figure out better settings for the time lapse photos though.


----------



## angelica

Good morning to you all! A nice and sunny day to enjoy over here in Germany!
Have a great day with lots of good happenings!


----------



## Shalimar

Good night from the left coast of Canada. It is almost 3am pacific time. I was making brown sugar fudge and the time got away from me. Have a lovely morning those of you who are up. For the rest, bonne nuit, mes amis.


----------



## Ameriscot

Shalimar said:


> Good night from the left coast of Canada. It is almost 3am pacific time. I was making brown sugar fudge and the time got away from me. Have a lovely morning those of you who are up. For the rest, bonne nuit, mes amis.



Can you FedEx me some of that fudge please?


----------



## Shalimar

Fudge coming right  up Annie. Two kilos enough, do you think? Oink oink. Don't give any to hubby. Fudge is very bad for men, makes them weak...


----------



## Ameriscot

Shalimar said:


> Fudge coming right  up Annie. Two kilos enough, do you think? Oink oink. Don't give any to hubby. Fudge is very bad for men, makes them weak...



Hmmm...I gained a ton before the US and while I was there.  I'm just now going back down.  Better make it .5 kg.  Hubby does not have a sweet tooth, so it would all be for me anyway.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi everyone!  I slept most of yesterday and for me it's morning now at 1:20 am so:


----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning!  We had perfect weather yesterday - sunny and upper 70's.  Long bike ride, then BBQ at friends house with too much wine.  Woke up to alarm this morning to go to gym and shut it off and went back to sleep.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Good morning!  We had perfect weather yesterday - sunny and upper 70's.  Long bike ride, then BBQ at friends house with too much wine.  Woke up to alarm this morning to go to gym and shut it off and went back to sleep.


Glad you are having such lovely weather Annie.  That bike ride, bbq and wine sound so good.  How are you this morning?


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> Glad you are having such lovely weather Annie.  That bike ride, bbq and wine sound so good.  How are you this morning?



It was very nice, actually felt too hot yesterday.  Perfect BBQ weather in the shade though.  Feeling very tired this morning.  Should have my lazy butt at the gym, but I'll work out here today.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> It was very nice, actually felt too hot yesterday.  Perfect BBQ weather in the shade though.  Feeling very tired this morning.  Should have my lazy butt at the gym, but I'll work out here today.


Glad it was a nice time.  Maybe you should celebrate National Nap Day which is today and take a nap. lol


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> Glad it was a nice time.  Maybe you should celebrate National Nap Day which is today and take a nap. lol



LOL.  Love it!  Unfortunately, if I take a nap I'm groggy the rest of the day then can't sleep at night.  And I'm married to a morning person, although he didn't get up with my alarm this morning either.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> LOL.  Love it!  Unfortunately, if I take a nap I'm groggy the rest of the day then can't sleep at night.  And I'm married to a morning person, although he didn't get up with my alarm this morning either.


When I nap and wake up I am groggy, too, so then I go back to sleep again and again till I'm wide awake.  That's why my sleep/wake hours are off but I'm not working so I don't have to go anywhere.nthego:


----------



## Ruthanne

Been up since 6:40 am.


----------



## Ameriscot

Good afternoon!  Up early and hit the gym.  Mild and cloudy.


----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning!  Still sitting up in bed having had a breakfast in bed of porridge and tea.  Listening to BBC Radio 4 and also on my laptop.  Having my cappuccino now.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good afternoon!!  Sun is trying to come out!  My sis in law from Australia will be coming to our house tomorrow and in honour of her arrival I bought some Pimm's and gin!


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Good afternoon!!  Sun is trying to come out!  My sis in law from Australia will be coming to our house tomorrow and in honour of her arrival I bought some Pimm's and gin!
> 
> 
> View attachment 30840


What is Pimms?  I know what gin is of course but never heard of Pimms.


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> What is Pimms?  I know what gin is of course but never heard of Pimms.



Pimms is a popular summer drink here.  It's a gin-based fruity drink you mix with ginger ale or British style lemonade, along with fresh fruit like strawberries, lemons, mint leaves, even cucumber.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Pimms is a popular summer drink here.  It's a gin-based fruity drink you mix with ginger ale or British style lemonade, along with fresh fruit like strawberries, lemons, mint leaves, even cucumber.


Sounds tasty!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good evening.  Having a yummy cocktail with Pimms, lemonade, fresh strawberries and lemons.  And watching The Big Bang Theory.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Good evening.  Having a yummy cocktail with Pimms, lemonade, fresh strawberries and lemons.  And watching The Big Bang Theory.


Sounds like a nice time Annie. I'm thinking of having a cocktail, too.


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> Sounds like a nice time Annie. I'm thinking of having a cocktail, too.



Good morning!  Enjoying visit with my sis in law from Australia.  Don't get to see her often!  Tomorrow is a wedding.  Will be fun!


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Good morning!  Enjoying visit with my sis in law from Australia.  Don't get to see her often!  Tomorrow is a wedding.  Will be fun!


I'm up a bit late today.  Good afternoon!  I hope you have a nice visit and enjoy the wedding; I love going to weddings!


----------



## Ruthanne

I am one of you! Hay hay!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning!  Serious partying Friday and Saturday.  Wedding was Friday and a post wedding party on Saturday.  I won't mention all the beer, G & T's, champagne, Glayva (a whisky and honey drink)...... Mostly recovered now. Had a great time!


----------



## Raven

Hello all.  Another sunny day for August 1st.
 Summer flowers are blooming in my garden and the backyard is a nice
place to stroll around at this time of year.


----------



## Pappy

:love_heart:


----------



## Ruthanne

Pappy said:


> :love_heart:


Happy August to you too Pappy!


----------



## Wren

Just found this thread and thought I'd look in to say good morning all, this is the weather in my part of the world, so it's a mug of tea and back to bed for me !


----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning!  It's misty outside.  Had a thunderstorm last night.  It's supposed to be a gym day but I've picked up a sore throat and runny nose, so I'm hanging out here.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good evening!  Had some rain earlier but it's nice now - should be a nice sunset later.  7.30pm now.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Good evening!  Had some rain earlier but it's nice now - should be a nice sunset later.  7.30pm now.


I love sunsets Annie!


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi.  I still haven't gone to sleep. lol


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning!  The sun has just popped but doubt it will stay long.


----------



## Raven

No sun here yet but it's coming along with a high summer temperature.
The trick today will be trying to stay cool.   :sunshine:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## bluebreezes

Good morning, and it's a calm, sunny, cool so far day here on the coast.


----------



## Ruthanne

bluebreezes said:


> Good morning, and it's a calm, sunny, cool so far day here on the coast.


Good morning Blue!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Raven

Good morning.
A warm sunny day coming up and much needed rain forecast for tonight
and tomorrow.
Going to visit hubby in hospital this afternoon and hoping he can come home
the first of next week.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Raven, I hope your hubby gets better soon.


----------



## bluebreezes

Good morning Ruthanne. That stack o' cakes looks mighty good!


----------



## Ameriscot

Good afternoon!  Cloudy today and mild but it's looks to improve this week.  Nearly dinnertime here.


----------



## happytime

Ruthanne ; That was a scream...guess many of us pass out from to many meds......Oh well were are happy.


----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning!  Cloudy and mild today but expecting sun and about 70F tomorrow.


----------



## Byrd

About to go to sleep. Not too sunny and quite chilly


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

Good afternoon!


----------



## Ameriscot

Good evening!


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Annie, good to see you!nthego:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> Hi Annie, good to see you!nthego:



Been off on a wee holiday again!


----------



## Gemma




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## NancyNGA

Good morning, everyone!


----------



## Ruthanne

Good evening!:kiwi-fruit::chocolate:


----------



## Ameriscot

Good evening!  I'll be heading off to sleep soon.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good afternoon - just turned noon here.  About to Skype my big sister in Michigan.  She gets up early.


----------



## Wren

*Good morning, afternoon or evening*

A bright, sunny good morning to all members, I have a free day today and plan to go for a nice long walk on the beach, how about you ? Enjoy your day wherever you are


----------



## Ameriscot

Sounds lovely Wren!

Not so lucky here. Rain and mid 60s.


----------



## bluebreezes

Good morning! Enjoy your beach walk, Wren. Another foggy coastal morning here, and I love how it rolls into the yard and hovers.  In winter we get frozen fog which is beautiful.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good afternoon.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Annie!


----------



## Ameriscot

Hiya!  Nearly dinnertime here.


----------



## Wren

Sorry folks, I obviously didn't know but  there is a similar thread started in General Discussions by Ruthanne in May, I think it's a really nice idea  and it's popular on other sites, maybe we could combine the two ? 

I got delayed and didn't get out for my walk until later, but it's still nice and sunny so I've been sitting in the park reading my newspaper, hope the rain clears up for you Ameriscot, frozen fog ? can't say I've ever seen that bluebreezes


----------



## bluebreezes

LOL, I thought this was the other thread until earlier I checked that one and wondered where my post went. :eek-new:


----------



## Wren

ha ha ha ha , sorry I was just trying to make a contribution, I'll stick to replying to established forums I think as I don't really know what's been posted in the past....


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody, cloudy and cool in my part of the world today, quite a pleasant change, having a lazy morning and then meeting my daughter for lunch, hope you all enjoy your day


----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning. Halfway to Inverness to see stepdaughter and family.


----------



## Raven

Good Friday morning.  I have a lot of household chores to catch up on
and must get started at them.
Overcast and damp, not a good day to put the wash on the outside line.


----------



## Sweetpea

Good morning everyone.  We had very dark clouds early this morning and rain over night.  Now the sun is peeking out so it will be a sultry day in Missouri.


----------



## RadishRose




----------



## Jackie22

Morning all....not feeling too perk today...laundry day.


----------



## bluebreezes

Good morning (well now it's late morning) to all, and I hope everyone is having a great Friday! :banana:


----------



## Wren

Morning all, looking quite nice here despite a poor weather forecast


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Everyone.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good afternoon!!  Just back from visiting grandson and his parents over the last 4 days.


----------



## Ruthanne

Good afternoon all!  Tis a nice day here but a bit overcast.  Rain is forecast.


----------



## Sweetpea

Good night...  I have been fall housecleaning this week and am really tired.  The reason for the hard work we are having family in from Florida for a week visit.  I don't want to get in the habit of that bad housecleaning word.


----------



## Ruthanne

Sweetpea said:


> Good night...  I have been fall housecleaning this week and am really tired.  The reason for the hard work we are having family in from Florida for a week visit.  I don't want to get in the habit of that bad housecleaning word.    


What word is that?


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good afternoon!  Just got back from a short bike ride in the sunshine - only 10 miles.  If we had guaranteed sunshine 3 days a week I'd be in heaven!


----------



## Ruthanne

The weather is nice here, too, Annie.


----------



## Ruthanne

Good morning!


----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning!  Had my porridge and tea in bed, and now having my cappuccino.  Looks like a nice day.


----------



## Ruthanne

Porridge sounds good.  I haven't gone to bed yet.  Thunderstorms are happening tonight.  The thunder has been especially loud and made me jump.


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> Porridge sounds good.  I haven't gone to bed yet.  Thunderstorms are happening tonight.  The thunder has been especially loud and made me jump.



I have my Scottish porridge (oatmeal) every morning with cinnamon and a sprinkling of dried apricots, dates, raisins.  Topped with almond milk.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> I have my Scottish porridge (oatmeal) every morning with cinnamon and a sprinkling of dried apricots, dates, raisins.  Topped with almond milk.


Sounds tasty!  Wish I had some.  I'm going to put hot cereal on my grocery list, I am all out of it.


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> Sounds tasty!  Wish I had some.  I'm going to put hot cereal on my grocery list, I am all out of it.



It's good for you, low calories and very filling.  I normally eat it between 7-7:30 and I don't get hungry until 11 or later, even when I've had a workout.


----------



## Wren

Good afternoon, a lazy day today, just got home from sitting in the park reading my paper, the sun's in and out have to sort out the sunflowers outside my apartment now, they've just about had their day now, enjoy your weekend everybody


----------



## Ruthanne

Good morning!


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Butterfly

SeaBreeze said:


>



Hey, SB, glad to see you back!


----------



## SeaBreeze

Thanks Butterfly!  Got in last night from our camping trip, we and the furkids had a nice time and the weather was perfect.  Will post a few pics when I get them on the computer.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

Good morning.  Another dreary day outdoors.  Having my usual porridge in bed and watching BBC news.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Annie!  It's cooler here today and I'm liking it.  I am tired of the hot weather.  It will be time to complain about the cold weather soon enough..lol


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> Hi Annie!  It's cooler here today and I'm liking it.  I am tired of the hot weather.  It will be time to complain about the cold weather soon enough..lol



I complain about cool weather half the summer!  LOL.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> I complain about cool weather half the summer!  LOL.


I complain about the hot weather and then about the cold weather.  layful:


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> I complain about the hot weather and then about the cold weather.  layful:



Yep.  I remember when the only weather I didn't complain about what autumn and spring.  In December I'll be complaining about how hot it is!  But I'd rather complain about that the windy, rainy, dark winters here.


----------



## Wren

One thing I never complain about is the weather, we can't change it and, at this age, I'm just pleased I've woken up ! :goodmorning:


----------



## Ameriscot

Wren said:


> One thing I never complain about is the weather, we can't change it and, at this age, I'm just pleased I've woken up ! :goodmorning:




Good attitude.  I think half the conversations in Britain are about the weather!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

View attachment 32434


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Ruthanne

Good night SB!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

It's a rainy morning here.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

Supposed to be a nice day in the 70s here today!


----------



## bluebreezes

Good morning and hope you enjoy those nice temps today!


----------



## Ruthanne

Thank you bluebreezes!  I hope to get out and maybe go to the park if it's not too crowded.  I don't like crowds much.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ameriscot

View attachment 33178


Chilly here, but partly sunny.  Not going to complain about being cold.  I'll be complaining about being too hot in just over 4 weeks.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Annie, nice to see you today!  I'll be complaining about the cold soon enough...Winter is on its way here.


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> Hi Annie, nice to see you today!  I'll be complaining about the cold soon enough...Winter is on its way here.



Winters here are normally more rainy than normal, high winds, and even though the temps may be above freezing, still feel very cold to me.  The worst part of winter here is the very short days.  I think the shortest day is 8:45 am sunrise and 3:45 sunset.  Sometimes we get snow but it doesn't stick for long.  You can see why we escape to hot weather!


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Winters here are normally more rainy than normal, high winds, and even though the temps may be above freezing, still feel very cold to me.  The worst part of winter here is the very short days.  I think the shortest day is 8:45 am sunrise and 3:45 sunset.  Sometimes we get snow but it doesn't stick for long.  You can see why we escape to hot weather!


The days here are very short in Winter, too, and I like to hibernate!  I'm like a big ole polar bear. lol.  Your Winter sounds like our late Autumn.  Our Winters can be brutal.  Some of our temps will be frigid, well you know as you've lived in the states in the north haven't you?  We have some wind chills about 20 below zero.  I have a really warm Winter coat.  It was too tight when I first got it from online on Amazon but I have lost some weight and it fits now. lol.


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> The days here are very short in Winter, too, and I like to hibernate!  I'm like a big ole polar bear. lol.  Your Winter sounds like our late Autumn.  Our Winters can be brutal.  Some of our temps will be frigid, well you know as you've lived in the states in the north haven't you?  We have some wind chills about 20 below zero.  I have a really warm Winter coat.  It was too tight when I first got it from online on Amazon but I have lost some weight and it fits now. lol.



I lived in SE Michigan for about 30 years, and 4 years in Upper Peninsula.  Brrrr.....   I picked up and left one year because I was sick of the snow and cold.  Went to east TN and loved the climate there.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> I lived in SE Michigan for about 30 years, and 4 years in Upper Peninsula.  Brrrr.....   I picked up and left one year because I was sick of the snow and cold.  Went to east TN and loved the climate there.


I sometimes wonder why I stay here.  Am I crazy?  I do like the Winter and the coziness of it and nice fireplaces and Christmas.  Just don't like it frigid.


----------



## Ameriscot

Ruthanne said:


> I sometimes wonder why I stay here.  Am I crazy?  I do like the Winter and the coziness of it and nice fireplaces and Christmas.  Just don't like it frigid.



Snow on xmas day is nice.  But a week of snow is more than enough.  We used to go to Michigan every xmas.  Got tired of the cold, although I miss seeing the grandkids at xmas.  Better to visit with them in summer. 

I enjoyed the east TN climate but if I had stayed in the US I probably would have ended up in a coastal town in NC like Wilmington.


----------



## Ruthanne

Ameriscot said:


> Snow on xmas day is nice.  But a week of snow is more than enough.  We used to go to Michigan every xmas.  Got tired of the cold, although I miss seeing the grandkids at xmas.  Better to visit with them in summer.
> 
> I enjoyed the east TN climate but if I had stayed in the US I probably would have ended up in a coastal town in NC like Wilmington.


I love snow on Christmas, it tends to be beautiful but if it's a snowstorm I'd rather not have it!!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Buckeye

Tuesday night here on the Big Island so it's time to say goodnight.  And to all you folks in the UK, Happy Wednesday Morning!


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi H and A!  Good afternoon to all!


----------



## Ruthanne

It's a cool morning here in Ohio.  I am pulling an all nighter.


----------



## Ruthanne

Good nighttime!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

It's a pretty nice day in the 40s, haven't been out yet, though.


----------



## Buckeye

The Buckeyes beat Michigan in double overtime!!  Yippee.  Now Michigan State has to beat Penn State for us.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hoot N Annie said:


> The Buckeyes beat Michigan in double overtime!!  Yippee.  Now Michigan State has to beat Penn State for us.


Yay for the Buckeyes!!  Ohio has some winning teams now don't they.  So now you have to turn it around and root for Michigan.......lol....Go Michigan!!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

Good morning!  I haven't gone to sleep yet and it's after 5 am.  Time flies when you're surfin the 'net!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Buckeye

Aloha and Good Morning!  Cloudy & windy here on the Big Island.  High today will only be about 76. Not a beach day.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hoot N Annie said:


> Aloha and Good Morning!  Cloudy & windy here on the Big Island.  High today will only be about 76. Not a beach day.


That's pretty warm compared to here for this time of year.  We had 60 today and that was nice for this time of year here.  Do you go to the beach a lot?


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

Good evening everyone!  Hope your Saturday night is a nice one.


----------



## Buckeye

Been a weird couple of days here - the summit of Mauna Kea is supposed to get 20" - 30" of snow, yet at my place it has rained for 3 days and we had flash flood warnings, and down at Punulu'u Black Sand Beach (and neighboring golf course) there was a brush fire a couple of days ago.  I dunno.  Arizona is looking better every day.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hoot N Annie said:


> Been a weird couple of days here - the summit of Mauna Kea is supposed to get 20" - 30" of snow, yet at my place it has rained for 3 days and we had flash flood warnings, and down at Punulu'u Black Sand Beach (and neighboring golf course) there was a brush fire a couple of days ago.  I dunno.  Arizona is looking better every day.


That does sound like strange events for Hawaii.  Are you thinking of moving to Arizona?


----------



## Ruthanne

Just got up from a nice nap.  Have my Christmas lights glowing and they look so pretty.


----------



## Buckeye

Ruthanne said:


> That does sound like strange events for Hawaii.  Are you thinking of moving to Arizona?



Ruthanne - Yes thinking about moving to mainland somewhere next year, and Arizona might be the place.  Who knows!  That's why I decided to repaint the interior of the house a nice blah tan.  I am almost done with that little project, thank goodness.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hoot N Annie said:


> Ruthanne - Yes thinking about moving to mainland somewhere next year, and Arizona might be the place.  Who knows!  That's why I decided to repaint the interior of the house a nice blah tan.  I am almost done with that little project, thank goodness.


Has is gotten too lonely for you there?  Arizona is a nice place if you like really hot weather.  I was there and it was 104 f.  Good luck with your house painting project.


----------



## Furryanimal

Bore da o Gymru. Good morning from Wales.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Furryanimal!  

Good Afternoon all!  :love_heart:


----------



## Shalimar

Bonjour!


----------



## Ruthanne

Shalimar said:


> Bonjour!


Bonjour 

I just looked up what to say to someone who says Bonjour but I don't speak French.  I'd like to learn other languages besides English though.  Used to be good in Spanish.


----------



## Shalimar

Ruthanne said:


> Bonjour
> 
> I just looked up what to say to someone who says Bonjour but I don't speak French.  I'd like to learn other languages besides English though.  Used to be good in Spanish.


Sounds like you have a natural "ear" for languages. It might be fun to explore that.


----------



## Ruthanne

Shalimar said:


> Sounds like you have a natural "ear" for languages. It might be fun to explore that.


Thanks, I'm all for having fun and learning languages!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy

Good morning to you, Ruthann. Expecting some badly needed rain today. Have a couple errands to run today, otherwise a normal day...I hope.


----------



## Ruthanne

Pappy said:


> Good morning to you, Ruthann. Expecting some badly needed rain today. Have a couple errands to run today, otherwise a normal day...I hope.


We, too, are getting all that rain Pappy.  Hope your errands went well.  I'm just staying in.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

I hogged out tonight on Swiss Colony petit fours!  But Tis the Season, so oh we-el!!  LOL


----------



## Buckeye

Had a huge double rainbow here this evening.  Tried to take a picture or video, but it just didn't do it justice.  Trust me, it was gorgeous.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hoot N Annie said:


> Had a huge double rainbow here this evening.  Tried to take a picture or video, but it just didn't do it justice.  Trust me, it was gorgeous.


Wow, don't think I've ever seen that.  Lucky you!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

Hello everyone that may read this.  Just watching House Hunters on HGTV.  It's a cold evening tonight, around 23F.  Got the heat cranked.


----------



## BlondieBoomer

We came home from dinner with friends last night to find our heat had gone off and the furnace would stay on when restarted. We had to have a part replaced on the propane tank but they did that this morning because it was so late. So we bundled up and used a couple of electric space heaters for a couple of the pets. The temperature outside was around freezing. I never appreciated the heater so much as I did this morning. We were so happy the propane company came out right away.


----------



## Ruthanne

BlondieBoomer said:


> We came home from dinner with friends last night to find our heat had gone off and the furnace would stay on when restarted. We had to have a part replaced on the propane tank but they did that this morning because it was so late. So we bundled up and used a couple of electric space heaters for a couple of the pets. The temperature outside was around freezing. I never appreciated the heater so much as I did this morning. We were so happy the propane company came out right away.


Wow, that must have been scary being without your furnace!  I'm glad they got it working again.  

My dog likes to sit with her butt right against the heat vent.  Funny I remember doing the same thing as a child as I was cold.  I don't keep the temp. down in here, though, it is cozy.


----------



## Buckeye

Yes it snows in Hawaii!  I was in Hilo yesterday and took this picture of Mauna Kea from the Home Depot parking lot.  Normally you can't see the mountain top because of clouds, but Mother Nature was cooperating today.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hoot N Annie said:


> View attachment 34197
> Yes it snows in Hawaii!  I was in Hilo yesterday and took this picture of Mauna Kea from the Home Depot parking lot.  Normally you can't see the mountain top because of clouds, but Mother Nature was cooperating today.


Beautiful picture!  Do you ever to into the mountains?


----------



## Ruthanne

The weather is a bit warmer today, about 36 F.  I hope everyone has a good day!


----------



## Ruthanne

I'm up real late and I thought I'd watch a little Breaking Bad since AMC has the binge on this morning now.


----------



## Pappy

Good morning Ruthanne.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Pappy!  It's almost 7:30 pm and I'm having coffee now.  I slept till almost 4 pm.  Was up till after 5 am.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi all!  I napped last night so I am up late now.


----------



## Pappy

Good morning all. Happy January tooth.


----------



## Ruthanne

There was a time when I was drinking nearly that much coffee!  Haha.  That's funny!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

If you noticed I'm posting a lot it's because I got a "new" computer!  Yay!  I'm so happy!


----------



## Buckeye

Ruthanne - You go girl!


----------



## Ruthanne

Hoot N Annie said:


> Ruthanne - You go girl!


Thanks!  It's nice to have a computer again!  I'm doing the happy dance!


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi everyone!  Hope you all are doing well!


----------



## Ruthanne

I'm tired so....


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy

Rise and shine.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi Pappy!  I slept most of yesterday so I've been up all night.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

Slept pretty late today and went to bed early.  Sometimes we need a good rest.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy

Rise and shine.......


----------



## Ruthanne

Awww that's a cute one Pappy!  I just got up not too long ago...It's afternoon now.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Ruthanne

Yes, according to my time there's only 15 minutes left of January.  So long January!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Raven

Good morning everyone.  
It's a wild weather day here.  Snow overnight and now freezing rain.
Schools are closed and most every thing is at a standstill until the weather improves.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

Raven said:


> Good morning everyone.
> It's a wild weather day here.  Snow overnight and now freezing rain.
> Schools are closed and most every thing is at a standstill until the weather improves.





Pappy said:


> View attachment 35381



Hi Raven.  Hi Pappy.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

Pappy said:


> View attachment 35421


Good morning Pappy!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a peaceful evening !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

Thank you VL


----------



## dearimee

Good evening from NC. It's rained half the day but still warm. Tomorrow is to be beautiful. Can't wait to go shopping for a new tv. My tv is about as old as I am and refuses to cooperate. Just hope the sound is good enough for my bum ear. Y'all have a good'un


----------



## Ruth n Jersey

Good night to all from New Jersey, although I'll probably be reading my books on my Kindle for another 3 hours and then I wonder why I can't sleep. Oh well, that's life.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:
Have a wonderful weekend !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## GDAD




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Ha Ha Ha...:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody!:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## RadishRose

Goodnight


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

Hey y'all enjoy!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning everyone !:wave:
> View attachment 36734


Thank you and you too!


----------



## OneEyedDiva

Well it's now almost 3 p.m. so.....


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:
Good morning everybody !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Easter Sunday !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:
​


----------



## RadishRose

COFFEE BREAK


----------



## JustBonee

Good afternoon,   and happy springtime  ......


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

Good morning!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning  !:wave:
​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

22 April 2017 - Earth Day        :wave:

*Earth Day 2017’s Campaign is Environmental & Climate Literacy*
Education is the foundation for progress. We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concepts of climate change and aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet. We need to empower everyone with the knowledge to inspire action in defense of environmental protection.

http://www.earthday.org/earthday/


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning, dear friends !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

*English Language Day*

23 April 2017
*English Language Day* at the UN is celebrated on 23 April, the date traditionally observed as both the birthday and date of death of *William Shakespeare*. 
:wave:
[FONT=&quot]"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."[/FONT]
Romeo and Juliet


----------



## Ruthanne

Vega_Lyra said:


> 23 April 2017
> *English Language Day* at the UN is celebrated on 23 April, the date traditionally observed as both the birthday and date of death of *William Shakespeare*.
> :wave:
> "What's in a name? That which we call a rose
> By any other name would smell as sweet."
> Romeo and Juliet


Very interesting!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Raven

Good Sunday morning.  It's mild and cloudy and I'm having a day to relax.
:goodmorning:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:
​


----------



## Pappy

That's for sure....Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Leah

Good morning everyone.hope that everyone is doing good.its wenesday middle of the week, and it's a beautiful start to the day here in mi .Going to be in the high seventies here in mi today .Nice day for a long walk enjoy the sunshine.Have a great day everyone. Deannie


----------



## RadishRose

Good morning


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !:wave:


----------



## Shalimar

Bonjour/bonne nuit!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

Good morning!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a wonderful day !:wave:


----------



## JustBonee

Happy Sunday,  on a  lazy day for myself,  and animal family .. 

Yesterday was one of those strange weather days that comes around every once in a while.   It was snowing up north in the Texas panhandle, and in the valley,  it reached 100 degrees.    Glad I'm not in either place.


----------



## RadishRose




----------



## Butterfly

Bonnie said:


> View attachment 37208  Happy Sunday,  on a  lazy day for myself,  and animal family ..
> 
> Yesterday was one of those strange weather days that comes around every once in a while.   It was snowing up north in the Texas panhandle, and in the valley,  it reached 100 degrees.    Glad I'm not in either place.



We had snow here, too, in places, mostly Santa Fe and north.  We had some flurries in Albuquerque, but not much; still it was a cold and disagreeable day with rain and sleet.  Weird!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave::rose:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

*International Worker’s Day*

 International Worker’s Day comes on May 01 of every year. The International Workers Day is also called as Labour Day and May Day in some countries. The day is a celebration of laborers and the working classes which is promoted by the International labor movement, socialists, communists or anarchists. Some other countries celebrate International Workers Day on another date which is significant to them, for example, United States of America celebrates Labor Day on first Monday of September.

https://happydays-365.com/international-workers-day/international-workers-day-may-01/


----------



## Callie

Good night and sweet dreams... and good morning to those already in my tomorrow.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:
​


----------



## Pappy

Have a nice day.


----------



## Callie

Good morning world.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !:wave:


----------



## Callie

Good morning to everyone! It's a beautiful day here in "NorCal" and MUCH cooler than yesterday. 
Canine Trav, has black hair (well, he has a bit of silver showing now), but he has such a hard time with the heat. Stays in the house and mopes and melts. Gives me a chance to work in the yard without constantly having a tennis ball shoved at me.
 I hope you  all have a great day!


----------



## JustBonee

I found  the   "constantly having a tennis ball shoved at me"  funny,  as I live with a lab who does the same thing to me everyday!


----------



## Butterfly

Bonnie said:


> I found  the   "constantly having a tennis ball shoved at me"  funny,  as I live with a lab who does the same thing to me everyday!



My old lab Emily (RIP) was very impatient.  If I didn't take the hint from having the ball shoved at me, she would pick it up in her mouth and sling it sideways at me.  She did the same thing with her food dish when she thought I was late getting her supper.  She'd first bring in to me and if that didn't work she'd pick it up and sling it at me.  She had pretty good aim.  If that didn't work, she'd park herself right behind me and bark, just so I'd get the hint.


----------



## Callie

*Bonnie,* they can be pests, but by golly, I can't imagine living life without a Family dog and seeing tennis balls scattered all over the field. There should be a lot of tennis ball trees growing out there from all the ones that have been chewed up by the mower or buried in the weeds!
------



			
				[B said:
			
		

> Butterfly[/B];627675]My old lab Emily (RIP) was very impatient.  If I didn't take the hint from having the ball shoved at me, she would pick it up in her mouth and sling it sideways at me.  She did the same thing with her food dish when she thought I was late getting her supper.  She'd first bring in to me and if that didn't work she'd pick it up and sling it at me.  She had pretty good aim.  If that didn't work, she'd park herself right behind me and bark, just so I'd get the hint.


------

LOLOL..that is soo funny about the food dish!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Callie

Good night world, with sweet dreams amd a happy tomorrow.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

7 May 2017
World Laughter Day takes place on the first Sunday of May of every year . The first celebration was on January 10, 1998, in Mumbai, India, and was arranged by Dr. Madan Kataria, founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement.
Laughter Yoga says: Laughter is a positive and powerful emotion that has all the ingredients required for individuals to change themselves and to change the world in a peaceful and positive way.
The day is now celebrated worldwide.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Laughter_Day


----------



## Callie

Good morning World! Happy Sunday to you all.

(Vega_Lyra, laughter and smiles are also inexpensive face lifts!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL MIGRATORY BIRDS DAY! :wave:


----------



## Callie

Good morning World! I hope there are lots of smiles and happiness today for everyone!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Callie

Good morning, good MORN-ing
The best to you this MORNING.
tra la tra la.....


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:  Good afternoon !


----------



## Callie

Gooooood MORNING, WORLD!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon , dear friends !:wave:


----------



## Sunshine

Its good morning from me. Its mothers day. To all the mums , have a happy mothers day. It is a little overcast but lets see what the day brings. Birds are chirping, so thats a good sign.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning , dear friends.:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## JustBonee

Happy Sunday,   and Happy Mother's Day all  ......:flowers:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:
Fascination of Plants Day - May 18th 2017 
http://www.plantday12.eu/home.htm


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

We are in different time zones.    I'm getting ready to hit the hay and you are just starting the day; that rhymes!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA

Because....everything is open for business, in case of emergencies.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:


----------



## Pappy

Have a nice Thursday.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice weekend !:wave:


----------



## Pappy

Good morning.......


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a pleasant weekend !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a sunny Sunday !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy

Good Saturday morning everyone.


----------



## HiDesertHal

"Good night, David."

"Good night, Chet."

Anybody remember this famous sign-off?

HDH


----------



## Falcon

Yep.  I remember them.  Wish they were still here.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning, world !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Ken N Tx

4:45am here.


----------



## Pappy

You're up early, Ken. Have another coffee.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy

Good morning......


----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:


----------



## Pappy

Happy Saturday


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning, world ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:
Rainy day here...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## NancyNGA

Good morning!  Happy Sunday!


----------



## HiDesertHal

View of 10,000 foot Mt. Baldy from my neighborhood.

HDH


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Just a smile....:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy

Good morning all.....


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## terry123

Amen to Friday!!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## HiDesertHal

When you're Retired, every day is Friday!

So Thank God for Every Day!

HDH


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## terry123

Good morning from Houston town.  Hope everyone has a good Sunday!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy

Good morning from the Beach.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Shalimar

Pappy said:


> View attachment 38808 Good morning from the Beach.


Beautiful place you have, Pappy.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## NancyNGA

Dentist apt at 9:15 today.  Almost done with this journey, at least until the next tooth goes bad.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning, friends ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy

Ops....missed it by one day.


----------



## NancyNGA

Happy Tuesday, and Happy Birthday, USA.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! Happy Sunday ! :wave:


----------



## terry123

Happy Sunday.  Going back to bed for awhile!!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Shalimar

Pappy said:


> View attachment 39255


Lulz. You are a ray of sunshine Pappy!


----------



## Shalimar

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning ! :wave:View attachment 39251


Wow big sky country. Thanks for sharing, living surrounded by sea and mountains, I never experience this form of beauty.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Shalimar

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning ! :wave:View attachment 39278


Now that is closer to home, for me! My mountains are taller, but similarly rounded. Beautiful.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Ruthanne

Good Morning!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Shalimar

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning ! :wave:  View attachment 39409


So sweet.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

Good evening and thank you so much to Vega_Lyra for showing an interest in continuing this thread with great posts and thanks to all!


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Enjoy your weekend !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy the weekend !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a lovely Sunday ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Can't decide if it's a late Good morning or an early Good afternoon, hope your day is going well either way ...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## RadishRose




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Shalimar

Pappy said:


> View attachment 39793


Awwwwwww.


----------



## Ruthanne

Good afternoon!


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Wren




----------



## MarkinPhx




----------



## Shalimar

Bonjour mes amis!


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:


----------



## RadishRose

Have a fun Saturday!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Good afternoon all, hope you are enjoying your weekend


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Leah

Good morning everyone wishing you all a beautiful day.Leah


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !


----------



## Lady

morning all


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !:wave:


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Good morning,


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy the weekend ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## RadishRose

Goodnight


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Relaxing Sunday ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Good morning all,


----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day folks


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Friday ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy the weekend ! :wave:


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Sunday !:wave:


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody


----------



## LinuxCat

Good morning from me to everyone.
A lovely idea for a thread and a nice way to start the day.:grin:


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy

Good morning everyone.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a lovely week ! :wave:


----------



## LinuxCat

Good morning one and all 

https://youtu.be/kp5HCDGJsvM


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Tuesday path....:wave:


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## CeeCee

It's on the cool side for Fresno, high of only 97.  Usually in August all we see are triple digits and this has been a week of 90's!

Tomorrow morning is my MRI and I'm feeling anxious about it already.  I probably won't sleep well tonight so I'm sure I'll see some of you on the night owl thread.

I gotta think positive though because I have some errands to do this morning.

Hope everyone has a great day.


----------



## Wren

Hope all goes well for you tomorrow CeeCee


----------



## CeeCee

Thank you Wren!


----------



## CeeCee

Just got a call that it's been cancelled and it's on for next Friday.  This is my second cancellation...I'm actually happy instead of being upset but it would have been nice to get it over.

Something to do with dr and insurance faxing things over but that's what they said last week and that everything was ok so I don't know what the problem is.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

CeeCee said:


> View attachment 40807
> 
> It's on the cool side for Fresno, high of only 97.  Usually in August all we see are triple digits and this has been a week of 90's!
> 
> Tomorrow morning is my MRI and I'm feeling anxious about it already.  I probably won't sleep well tonight so I'm sure I'll see some of you on the night owl thread.
> 
> I gotta think positive though because I have some errands to do this morning.
> 
> Hope everyone has a great day.



Think positive, CeeCee.:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, it's a bright Friday morning here and after waking suddenly at 6:00am, I am drinking coffee in bed and slowly easing into the morning....enjoy your day.........







​


----------



## Pam

What a lovely picture! 

Dull and overcast here. I've had my morning coffee, just waiting for it to kick in then I'll be off shopping.


----------



## Wren

Sun  trying to break through the clouds here, I'm going out to visit a friend for lunch later, have a good day


----------



## merlin

Pam said:


> What a lovely picture!
> .



Yes I would love to be in it or here maybe :


----------



## Shalimar

What serenity that man exudes. When we are young, we are unaware that age can bring a strength totally beyond our understanding.


----------



## Gary O'

Mornin'

stepped outa the cabin to take a pee
stood there starrin' at the sun, scratching my hind end
thinking,
thinking boy that sure feels good







a bit blind now
gunna feel my way back to bed
y'all have a good Friday
...it is Friday, isn't it?
(I so love retirement)


----------



## Pappy

Great photo, Gary O.


----------



## Gary O'

Pappy said:


> Great photo, Gary O.
> 
> View attachment 40857



Blame ma nature
she does that

Happy Friday yerself

and thank you

keep a fire (28°F here)


----------



## CeeCee




----------



## Ruthanne

Having a nice evening here, weather is nice.  Got me a cold brew.  Feeling good.  






I hope everyone has a great weekend.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Glad to find you here , too,  merlin !
Your pictures brighten our day.
Have a lovely weekend !
 :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy weekend everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

It's 3:30 am and a brand new day...Time to start over...


----------



## Wren

Hope everybody has a great weekend


----------



## merlin

A very good Saturday morning to you all, it's sunny here and around 14c.......... I intend to have a relaxing weekend doing a bit of this and that and probably achieving nothing much in the end   





Enjoy your weekend whatever you are up to or not up to .......

















​


----------



## Ruthanne

Beautiful pictures Merlin, I especially like the big butts pictures.   It's funny!


----------



## merlin

Vega_Lyra said:


> Glad to find you here , too,  merlin !
> Your pictures brighten our day.
> Have a lovely weekend !
> :wave:
> 
> View attachment 40893



You too love your zen images and approach to life


----------



## Ruthanne

It's after 1:30 am here.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Sunday ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## Ruthanne

hi wren!  It's going to be a  lazy one for me that's for sure!


----------



## merlin

Hello from a sunny Sunday here in Worcester, I woke at 5am dozed until 7 but still not fully awake 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I need to do a bit of tidying up and some more gardening today ....at least that is the plan....have a great day everyone...














​


----------



## Wren

Hi Ruthanne,  nice to put a face to the name, this is my face on the body I wish I had !! 

Your pictures are great  merlin


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

Wren said:


> Hi Ruthanne,  nice to put a face to the name, this is my face on the body I wish I had !!
> 
> Your pictures are great  merlin


It's nice to see you also.   Are you into photoshop?  That's a very nice picture!


----------



## Wren

_It's nice to see you also.   Are you into photoshop?  That's a very nice picture!

_Can't remember the name of it, my daughter and I were messing about a while ago, some of them are so funny


----------



## merlin

Wren said:


> Hi Ruthanne,  nice to put a face to the name, this is my face on the body I wish I had !!
> 
> Your pictures are great  merlin


Nice picture Wren I added Johnny Depp's hat and some of his hair to mine


----------



## CeeCee

Ruthanne said:


> hi wren!  It's going to be a  lazy one for me that's for sure!




Same here!  I have a horrid week of drs appts and 2 MRIs, just chillin' today.  I will be happy when it's NEXT Sunday.


----------



## CeeCee

Wren said:


> _It's nice to see you also.   Are you into photoshop?  That's a very nice picture!
> 
> _Can't remember the name of it, my daughter and I were messing about a while ago, some of them are so funny




I have two fun apps...photolab and face in the hole.  Grandsons love face in the hole...I'll have to double check the name though.

Here's a few I did with photolab.


----------



## Wren

_Same here!  I have a horrid week of drs appts and 2 MRIs, just chillin' today.  I will be happy when it's NEXT Sunday.  

_Hope all goes well and according to plan this week CeeCee


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Senior Citizens Day ! :wave:


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

A very good morning to you all on a damp Monday here, I am going with my daughters to Manchester a bit later to visit my brother-in law John whose wife Jo died of cancer last year. He is managing well on his own but of course still misses her a lot, they were a couple that did everything together...

I didn't realise it was Senior's Day today Vega_Lyra, we don't celebrate our seniors in the UK as far as I know, anyway I wish you all a Happy Seniors Day  



  ......







...maybe we should celebrate ourselves every day  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	































​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CeeCee

Pickles woke me up early again! Just as well since I need to go out and want to do it before the solar eclipse.

Hope everyone has a great day and if planning to ...gets a glimpse of the eclipse.


----------



## Ruthanne

I'll be up awhile yet but thought I'd say this to those hittin the sack:






Goodnight!


----------



## Ruth n Jersey

Good night Ruthanne. Very serene picture.


----------



## CeeCee




----------



## Wren

Have a great day everybody


----------



## merlin

Good morning all, it's grey here but dry, I woke up at 6am and have been dozing on and off since, it's now 9am and my second coffee has woke me up more. 



  I am listening to some Sting music on headphones, which is affecting my mind/emotions though not sure in what way, maybe contemplation  



  ........ time to get up I guess  





I got back with the girls from visiting John around midnight last night, the drive to Manchester took over 3 hours, but returning less than 2 because of the quieter traffic conditions... John is going to stay with his youngest son David who lives in Tasmania, for 8 months from this October... he has offered his house for us to stay in if we want to spend some time in the area, it's in a small Cheshire village just south of Manchester, I know the girls will go there because Manchester is their favourite town.

I have no plans for today....enjoy yours whatever you are doing....



















​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Have a lovely Tuesday ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

Beautiful pic VL!  Hey Pappy!


----------



## RadishRose

Good Evening


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Have a lovely Wednesday ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day everybody


----------



## merlin

Good morning all it's a grey start to the day here and I have just about woken up after a few coffee's. My daughter Cathy is off today so we are going to do some of the heavier pruning in the garden today. 

Enjoy your Wednesday...


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Greyson

Knock knock ... time to wake up ...


----------



## merlin

Good morning friends, a slow start for me today, I was up late listening to some YouTube interviews, so I guess that's my excuse..

It's a sunny morning and I am getting ready to go to my daughter Caroline's house, to help her decorate her living room, a change from gardening....


Enjoy your Thursday...


----------



## terry123

Morning, Merlin. I am up for a little while.  Enjoy your time with your daughter!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy a peaceful Thursday ! :wave:


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all another weekend is here already, it's a beautiful sunny morning so not sure whether to do, gardening at home or carry on at Caroline's house decorating. 
I slept reasonably well so feel I have the energy to do either really  







Have a great Friday,


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning everyone, MRI this morning....can't wait til it's all over.  Ive been stressing about this for weeks.  It's been scheduled and cancelled and rescheduled since aug.11.  I was kind of hoping that they'd cancel again but they didn't.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a beautiful Friday ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CeeCee

Good afternoon!  I did it!  Wasn't easy and if I ever have to do one again I will ask for an open MRI.  Even though I'm not claustrophobic I felt trapped in the second one of my shoulder.  It was too close to my face and I didn't dare open my eyes for fear I would panic.

I'm drained but happy!


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Ruthanne

CeeCee said:


> Good afternoon!  I did it!  Wasn't easy and if I ever have to do one again I will ask for an open MRI.  Even though I'm not claustrophobic I felt trapped in the second one of my shoulder.  It was too close to my face and I didn't dare open my eyes for fear I would panic.
> 
> I'm drained but happy!
> 
> 
> View attachment 41229


I'm so glad you got through it alright CC.


----------



## Ruthanne

Greyson said:


>


Great picture Greyson!


----------



## Ruthanne

It's going on 2 am here.  Watching CNN about the storm.


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## merlin

Good morning all, it's 8am on a dull looking Saturday and I have nothing planned today except make a vegetarian curry.......Cathy and my grandson Oliver are both working so I will have the house to myself.....

It's the summer bank holiday weekend, so the roads will be overloaded and chaotic, the weather forecast is good so a lot will head for the coast ....... I will not stay in the peace and quiet of home..  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





Enjoy your weekend whatever you are doing...


Maybe some reading.......



































​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CeeCee

Good morning everyone!  I slept very well last night.  Just going to enjoy my stress free weekend!  Hope everyone in Harvey's path stays safe with minimal or no damage!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

CeeCee said:


> Good afternoon!  I did it!  Wasn't easy and if I ever have to do one again I will ask for an open MRI.  Even though I'm not claustrophobic I felt trapped in the second one of my shoulder.  It was too close to my face and I didn't dare open my eyes for fear I would panic.
> 
> I'm drained but happy!
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 41229



Glad to hear that your stress caused by MRI is over .
Best wishes ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy a lovely Saturday ! :wave:


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy a lovely Sunday ! :wave:


----------



## CeeCee

I had a good night....hope you all did also.   Happy Sunday!


----------



## Greyson

Snuggle up and relax ...
.


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## Greyson

Yawn ...


----------



## Greyson




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all.....it's 7am here and a sunny start to this holiday Monday, it's supposed to reach 26/27c (80f) today, fairly hot for us, but thankfully not as high as the temps in California.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I may do some gardening today or maybe simply relax in the garden, enjoy your day whatever you are up to...  

Here are a few paintings featuring pipe smoking, my father smoked a pipe at times, and I tried it as a teenager, but never took to it, I prefer the smell of some pipe tobaccos, over the, to me revolting smell of cigarette smoke...


----------



## Greyson

My e-pipe ...


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CeeCee

Good morning friends, it's going to be a hot week, high today will be 110!  Thank goodness for A/C.


----------



## merlin

Greyson said:


> My e-pipe ...



What do you smoke in it?


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a lovely new week ! :wave:


----------



## RadishRose

Both my son and grandson smoke these e-cigs, but they call them "Vapes" (as in vapor) and both look very different. I don't know if there's nicotine in them. I never saw a pipe like Greyson's. The "flavors" they use smells so good, but later, not so good.

Good morning.


----------



## Greyson

merlin said:


> What do you smoke in it?


----------



## merlin

Yes one of my grandsons smokes an e-cigarette/vape RadishRose they are not so good as made out evidently, because of the low nicotine content some smokers use them in addition to cigarettes. LINK
From my point of view as a non-smoker at least they don't have the awful smell of regular cigs,


----------



## Greyson

merlin said:


> Yes one of my grandsons smokes an e-cigarette/vape RadishRose they are not so good as made out evidently, because of the low nicotine content some smokers use them in addition to cigarettes. LINK
> From my point of view as a non-smoker at least they don't have the awful smell of regular cigs,



​I switched from smoking a couple of years back to vaping ... best thing I ever did ... you can get different strengths of nicotine content and I never used both nor wanted to ... you get the nicotine without all the tar and carbon monoxide and salt peter ...


----------



## Ruthanne

Greyson said:


>


How nice!!  You have a flair with that!


----------



## Ruthanne

Just watching Bachelor in Paradise!  Wish I was young enough to be on that show, ooh la la!


----------



## Greyson

Ruthanne said:


> How nice!!  You have a flair with that!


​Smiles indicate that winkles have been at work ...


----------



## Ruthanne

Greyson said:


> ​Smiles indicate that winkles have been at work ...


Okie!


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Wren

Morning all, have a great day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice Tuesday ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good morning all it's a grey one here as forecast, so a bit cooler but dry, I may have a bonfire today to burn some garden hedge cuttings  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





I didn't sleep too well so feeling flat at the moment, will hopefully wake up with more coffee.....


Not being an artist, I have always been fascinated how the creation of light in paintings is achieved, I like the way the artist has used  light in these paintings..

Have a great Tuesday!!!


----------



## merlin

Well I don't smoke but I made a lot of smoke this afternoon with a huge bonfire, which has just about died out now, see photo below taken before it finally died :













 ​​*Talking about smoke how do you think this advert would go down today..*


----------



## Greyson




----------



## drifter

Good night boys and girls.


----------



## Wren

...


----------



## merlin

*Good morning to you all, it's a cool damp morning here so I am going to spend the day with Caroline to finish off the decorating of her living room.

Over the centuries we may have changed our reading methods, but have we ? (scroll down)

Have a great Wednesday  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


*























*It does look amazingly like an ancient laptop, but evidently it's just a case  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


*








*Some think otherwise of course...*


----------



## Greyson

There are certain things that happen in human history that make sense at the time, but hundreds of years later they confuse people. Like…Why did the Mayan calendar end on December 21, 2012 and what was the purpose of building Stonehenge? Eventually, researchers and historians settle on a reason for these things, and we believe what they say, never really knowing if their explanation is correct. This gigantic computer keyboard monument is one of those things.
It will still probably exist in hundreds of years from now, and people then will look at it and wonder what it is. After they do their research, they’ll come to the conclusion that it is what was once called a computer keyboard, and it’s what people used to communicate in a digital way. Of course, they will all laugh about it since by then, we’ll probably communicate with our minds or something. It’s a wonderful tribute and will serve as a symbol of our lives at the beginning of the 21st century. I really can’t think of any other single thing that could represent this time in our history better than a computer keyboard.
This sculpture was built in Russia by Anatoly Vyatkin in 2005 to symbolize the collaboration and cooperation of Asian and European communications. Each key is embedded into the ground and made from concrete. The letter keys each weigh around 1,000 pounds, and the space bar weighs half a ton. Each key on this computer keyboard sculpture is placed in just the right place to represent an IBM PC keyboard. There are a total of 86 keys, and they were created on a 30:1 scale.
There is something very special about incorporating a symbol from our technology age into this natural landscape. It combines both worlds, the online and the offline, and it has become a popular tourist attraction over the years. If I’m ever in Yekaterinburg (Ekaterinburg) Russia, I am going to be sure to see this in person ...
.








...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a peaceful Wednesday ! :wave:


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Ruthanne

Greyson said:


> There are certain things that happen in human history that make sense at the time, but hundreds of years later they confuse people. Like…Why did the Mayan calendar end on December 21, 2012 and what was the purpose of building Stonehenge? Eventually, researchers and historians settle on a reason for these things, and we believe what they say, never really knowing if their explanation is correct. This gigantic computer keyboard monument is one of those things.
> It will still probably exist in hundreds of years from now, and people then will look at it and wonder what it is. After they do their research, they’ll come to the conclusion that it is what was once called a computer keyboard, and it’s what people used to communicate in a digital way. Of course, they will all laugh about it since by then, we’ll probably communicate with our minds or something. It’s a wonderful tribute and will serve as a symbol of our lives at the beginning of the 21st century. I really can’t think of any other single thing that could represent this time in our history better than a computer keyboard.
> This sculpture was built in Russia by Anatoly Vyatkin in 2005 to symbolize the collaboration and cooperation of Asian and European communications. Each key is embedded into the ground and made from concrete. The letter keys each weigh around 1,000 pounds, and the space bar weighs half a ton. Each key on this computer keyboard sculpture is placed in just the right place to represent an IBM PC keyboard. There are a total of 86 keys, and they were created on a 30:1 scale.
> There is something very special about incorporating a symbol from our technology age into this natural landscape. It combines both worlds, the online and the offline, and it has become a popular tourist attraction over the years. If I’m ever in Yekaterinburg (Ekaterinburg) Russia, I am going to be sure to see this in person ...
> .
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That is so cool!!


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Thursday , dear friends ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good morning, though I guess it's afternoon here  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




   ...........yesterday went well, I worked late and finished the decorating in Caroline's living room..... I didn't sleep too well last night so slow getting going today and  feeling a bit flat, have not even found any paintings this morning,
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.......  but the sun is shining so that will help. 


Have a great Thursday ...


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi everyone!  I hope to go shopping pretty soon.  Been up all night.  Just didn't feel like sleeping and instead did a lot of organizing papers of mine.  Threw out a lot of junk papers.  Good morning!


----------



## Greyson

Happy Friday to all Sefo's ...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !
Happy new month !  :wave:


----------



## NancyNGA

Good morning Friday cartoon!


----------



## Greyson

My view today ...


----------



## Wren

Let's hope September is a good month for all


----------



## Ruthanne

Happy Meteorological Autumn Day and Friday and September and Morning!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Greyson




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Saturday, friends ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

Good Morning Saturday!  I am up late doing laundry!  Such fun...:fun:


----------



## Wren

Morning all, enjoy your weekend


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, sorry I was awol yesterday, I was having an existential crisis, well a down day really,  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ...the sun is shining here today so will make the most of it.....have a great weekend.....

 A couple of paintings describing my mood....











 ​​*What I needed was a piece of pecan pie I guess...* 







*.....and some music....* 










 ​​*
 some fun...*






​​

*....and a nap*


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Vega_Lyra

:wave:


----------



## CeeCee

110 here today so I'll be staying inside where it's cool.


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Sunday ! :wave:


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

*Good morning to you all from a dull Sunday morning here in Worcester UK, I only mean the weather hopefully nothing else will be dull  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 .......my daughter Cathy is working a long day shift at the local hospital today, it's officially 12 hours, but usually runs on two or three more hours. 
*?​*Tomorrow is a day off for Cathy though so I am taking her out for an early movie show at 10am, and then out to a restaurant for lunch.
 My grandson Oliver is doing a day shift at a local McDonalds, so I am home alone, which means I can party all day  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 The film is "Alone in Berlin" starring Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleason:*







*
 Here are a few paintings by the Swedish Artist Fanny Brate*

_Fanny Ingeborg Matilda Brate, nee Ekbom, (26 February 1862–24 April 1940) was a Swedish painter. Fanny Brate's paintings influenced Carl Larsson, and her work is seen as the inspiration for his watercolors of idyllic family life._


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Ruthanne

Time for me to go to sleep!  Have a good night and Happy Labor Day to all Americans!


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Greyson

NancyNGA said:


>



And it's my 'unbirthday' ...


----------



## NancyNGA

Greyson said:


> And it's my 'unbirthday' ...


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Monday, dear friends !
 :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, 

It's a typical misty September morning here so we are slipping into autumn/fall though everything is still green of course.

I am leaving with Cathy about 10am to go to the cinema/theatre later this morning, it's billed as a senior/pensioner showing, so you get free tea/coffee and biscuits and a discounted price of $5. It's a small privately run arts centre in a town some 8 miles from Worcester, they have stage performances and art exhibitions as well.

Talking of art here are a few paintings below by the French surrealist Jaques Guidnard

Have a great Monday......and ...














































​


----------



## terry123

Good morning.  I am drinking Dr. Pepper and listening to gospel songs by the Statlers on You Tube.  Every now and then I get the urge to listen to the songs I listened to as a child in church.  Brings back a lot of memories.  Hope everyone has a great Labor Day!


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi everyone.  I hope you all sleep well.


----------



## Falcon

Thanks  Ruthanne,  Same back at you.


----------



## Greyson

Ruthanne said:


> Hi everyone.  I hope you all sleep well.


----------



## Wren




----------



## Greyson




----------



## terry123

Morning all.  We are having dry days in Houston now.  I am feeling blessed!!


----------



## merlin

*Good morning from a wet dreary Worcester though it is warm at 21c, I will do some housework and chilling out today......enjoy your Tuesday....

If you need any cheering up, (I did) here are a few fun paintings by Ronald West...... everyone seems to be having a good time ...   
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


*









































































​


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning everyone, Pickles woke me up early today which probably won't bode well for my 3 hr drive to the Central Coast this morning.  The drive makes me sleepy in the best of conditions.

Im going for a week but mainly to help my daughter move my oldest grandson into Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo. We're spending the night even though it's only a 2 hr drive from her house.
We plan on checking out the town and also Pismo Beach which is only 10 minutes away.

Hope everyone has a great day!


----------



## Pappy

Good morning from the rainy beach. A cool day in store for us up here in NY.


----------



## Greyson

CeeCee said:


> View attachment 41704
> 
> 
> Good morning everyone, Pickles woke me up early today which probably won't bode well for my 3 hr drive to the Central Coast this morning.  The drive makes me sleepy in the best of conditions.
> 
> Im going for a week but mainly to help my daughter move my oldest grandson into Cal Poly University in San Luis Obispo. We're spending the night even though it's only a 2 hr drive from her house.
> We plan on checking out the town and also Pismo Beach which is only 10 minutes away.
> 
> Hope everyone has a great day!



May the 'GREAT PUMPKIN' guide and protect you and yours ...
http://www.ruddockvisuals.com/blog/...-great-pumpkin-charlie-brown-linus-letter.gif


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

I am feeling tired today; yesterday wore me out and I was tired yesterday so am more tired today...oh well..such is life in the little city...


----------



## merlin

Goodnight Ruthanne I am off to sleep...


----------



## Ruthanne

terry123 said:


> Good morning.  I am drinking Dr. Pepper and listening to gospel songs by the Statlers on You Tube.  Every now and then I get the urge to listen to the songs I listened to as a child in church.  Brings back a lot of memories.  Hope everyone has a great Labor Day!


Hi Terry, how are things in Texas going?


----------



## Ruthanne

merlin said:


> Goodnight Ruthanne I am off to sleep...


good night Terry!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Greyson

maj po Hoch seniors
.





Start learning here ....
http://www.translator.eu/english/klingon/translation/


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice Wednesday!
:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good afternoon to you all, I was late waking up and getting my act together, but I am just back from a walk into town, I bought a few odds and ends from Aldi while I was there. After a gloomy start it's a bright day and pleasant out.....
 I am aiming to do a bit of gardening and some housework, but may end up doing very little, it's my daughter Cathy's last day here, before she leaves with her partner Mike for a vacation drive through Germany to Holland. I think I mentioned it before somewhere here, they leave at 3am on Thursday then back on the 18th September, the day I leave for Russia, which means we will miss seeing each other until I am back at the end of October.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I feel in a fantasy mood today    
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	
















































 ​​
 Have a great Wednesday


----------



## merlin

*Don't try this at home... *




*enjoy your day sober or drunk on life...*


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi y'all.  I've been up all night even though I didn't plan on it.  I guess I will get myself out of the apt. and do the things I should.  Hope you all have a nice day.


----------



## merlin

Goodnight sleep tight...
​


----------



## Ruthanne

merlin said:


> Goodnight sleep tight...
> View attachment 41782​


G'nite Terry!


----------



## Ruthanne

I slept about 4 hours total since last night or less.  I plan on staying up for some time.  Don't feel like sleeping yet so I'll just say:


----------



## Greyson

Ruthanne said:


> I slept about 4 hours total since last night or less.  I plan on staying up for some time.  Don't feel like sleeping yet so I'll just say:


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, I hope you got some sleep Ruth and yes amazingly they are smiling Rose  
I didn't sleep well at all last night, so very slow today, but that's ok there is nothing pressing to do....have a good Thursday ...  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Here is a mix of age and whimsy..........


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy this sunny September day.


----------



## Greyson

Happy Friday folks


----------



## Wren

Morning all, enjoy your day


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## merlin

Good Morning it's a damp drizzly day here, I hope you are all well and wish you a peaceful Friday, here is an eclectic collection of images to entertain or inspire you if you need it 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a sunny, warm Friday !


----------



## Greyson




----------



## Wren




----------



## Ruthanne

Such great and fun pictures from everyone!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a relaxing weekend ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good morning friends, my thoughts are with all of you affected by the hurricanes, that are causing so much destruction and heartache to so many peoples lives.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your Sunday ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy

Good morning forum friends.


----------



## NancyNGA

Oh, I like that one, Pappy.


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## merlin

Good afternoon friends, I have been struggling to wake up all morning, it's 3:30pm now, I took an extra one of my BP pills to bring the pressure down which it did to 116/64, but I woke up completely dazed and out of it, I will see how I get on over the next few days. My thoughts are with all who are affected by these terrible hurricanes and tornadoes.

 Have as a good a Sunday as possible...


----------



## Wren




----------



## Ruthanne

merlin said:


> Good afternoon friends, I have been struggling to wake up all morning, it's 3:30pm now, I took an extra one of my BP pills to bring the pressure down which it did to 116/64, but I woke up completely dazed and out of it, I will see how I get on over the next few days. My thoughts are with all who are affected by these terrible hurricanes and tornadoes.
> 
> Have as a good a Sunday as possible...


I hope you'll feel better Terry.  Taking a few bp pills once made me out of it and woozy.  Beautiful pics there!


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi All!  I've been oinking out all night.  Got to get a grip.  When there's no food left in the apt.  I'll be okay...lol  Then I won't eat!


----------



## merlin

Ruthanne said:


> I hope you'll feel better Terry.  Taking a few bp pills once made me out of it and woozy.  Beautiful pics there!


Thanks Ruth the problem with high BP is you usually feel OK with no symptoms, but the BP pills generally make you feel bad, it's a no win situation


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a good start of the week ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good evening friends, I spent some of this morning and lunch with my daughter Caroline, we had fish and chips (fries) and chatted about life, the weather, philosophy and a bit of psychology 



 ...... I am childminding for Caroline on Wednesday evening and taking her to the cinema on Thursday evening to see "The Midwife" a French film starring Catherine Deneuve which looks to be good, so we will be seeing a lot of each other before I leave for Russia next Monday:

​







Cathy my other daughter Mike are having a great vacation in Germany, visiting various places of historical interest connected with WWII and the Third Reich. I have dozens of photos they sent me, but will only post a few because most of them are crumbling POW camps and Nuremberg museums etc. Mike is pretty obsessed with anything connected with the war  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




They visited a lake and a secret waterfall where Hitler's second wife Eva Braun (though only for 40 hours) bathed with her sister, and the lake where she did yoga exercises. The path to the waterfall has all but disappeared, and was treacherous with warning signs of danger to life along it, but they managed it.​
*
.....part of the path​*






*A few mushrooms en route*​







*The bathing pool *​In 1943 






Now






The lake​






Mike doing an imitation 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	















Not sure where this was​







Cathy with the love of her life, who enjoys being on holiday (vacation) with them​








.....and the other love enjoying a German beer​



​


----------



## RadishRose

Ha ha Merlin, do you believe in Deja Vu?


----------



## merlin

I do Rose nthego:


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

A very good morning to you all, it's a sunny cool morning at 10c here, they are just closing off the road outside my house, not sure what they are going to do, but a new tarmac surface was only put down a month ago  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I am feeling drugged as usual, but I did sleep a bit better so not so tired.......I don't have any plans for the day, so will see what happens.....

Have a good Tuesday


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon, friends.:wave:
Cloudy, windy Tuesday here....
Have a peaceful day .


----------



## merlin

Cathy and Mike spent time at Hitlers Eagles Nest site and the surrounding area today, here are a few of their photos

*Then*
*



*​*






Now


















Now

















Part of the complex




Inside




​*


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

*It's a bright cool morning 10c (50f) here but showers are forecast for later, I have a few business phone calls to make and a bit of housework today, this evening I am childminding for Caroline.

Have a great Wednesday 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


*


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a lovely Wednesday ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

It's early morning.  I slept most of yesterday.


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, I am waking up with Coca tea at the moment, it's bright and sunny at the moment after a dull start, I am doing housework and tidying up yet again today, enjoy your Thursday  





This is a funny but ultimately sad photo taken off the coast of Indonesia, where serious pollution is killing a lot of marine life



























​


----------



## Pappy

Showers expected today and very warm for this time of year.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a sunny Thursday ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Hope everybody's day is going well


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi all!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a splendid Friday ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good something to you all .....evening here I guess 




  I finally made it here anyway.... my blood was extracted earlier so will get the report when I get back in October I guess, my BP was high at the surgery, the first time ever 



 , so I will make an appointment when I get back next month to see a doctor.

I have checked my BP over the last couple of hours and it has dropped from 170/98 to 106/60 so I am a bit dizzy and can't stand at the moment, but it's good that after a week being high, it has dropped for no reason at all....

Cathy and Mike stayed at this hotel last night, the only guests apart from another couple it's about $80 a night so pretty good value:
I hope you are all having or have had a good day..















​


----------



## RadishRose

Merlin, can't you set up an online portal where you can read all your test results, etc to get your results by tomorrow or next day? Blood work doesn't take very long. Anyway, I hope all is well and thankfully your BP went down!

That hotel is like a fairy tale castle!


----------



## merlin

Thanks Rose they do contact you if there is anything untoward, but maybe it's better not to know until I get back home nthego:
Yes my BP is well below normal now at 110/60 at the moment.... I will live another day  ..... hopefully ...


----------



## merlin

Cathy and Mike are now in Holland having driven along the east/west German border, they visited an old abandoned Soviet base the Forbidden City of Wunsdorf yesterday here are a few photos...

More info here LINK












































I wonder what is recorded on these tapes?

​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy weekend ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, last night I took a cocktail of a quarter of each of 4 pills, antidepressant/anti-anxiety/sleeping pill/tranquilizer plus my 2 BP meds all washed down with a glass of cognac.....I had the best nights sleep this century, true I am not exaggerating, though slow getting going today I feel in very good spirits.
Have a great weekend everyone I will read some posts and catch up a bit later...
A photo from Cathy who with Mike is staying with old friends in Holland, until they return home on Monday, I feel a bit like Buster in this pic  










​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

I'm still up, having some Cab


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Sunday everybody ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good afternoon to you all, I took the same bedtime cocktail last night and slept well, I am slow getting going today, but that's ok, my BP has stayed normal as which is good. I bought the last of the cheese from Aldi this morning and my suitcase is more or less packed, apart from the cheese which I will put in out of the fridge in the morning it's a cool autumn day here mainly cloudy but dry. Have a great Sunday...

Here are a few paintings I really like by the Russian artist Dennis Oktyabr:

_Son of a popular Siberian artist Valery Oktyabr, Денис Октябрь was born in the Russian city Novoaltaisk and continued the family artistic tradition. In 1992 Denis finished Artists School and in 1997 graduated Artistic College of Novoaltaisk. Oktyabr paints portraits, landscapes, genre pictures. In his paintings Oktyabr tries to abstract his mind and brush from shapes and stereotypes to reflect feelings, emotions and to illustrate the sacred process of perception and meditation. Shapes and colors of his paintings are perfect instruments to explore and embody ideas and sensations. Looking at his pictures one feels that there is a vision of the way things are intended to be, but never are.

























































​_


----------



## merlin

Here are the photos from Cathy of the Arnhem Oosterbeek cemetery memorial they visited today, they are driving home tomorrow (Monday). 





























​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a splendid week, like this cherry blossom !:wave:


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

We are all up here still, birds, and me.  Dog is asleep as usual.  It's going to be a warm, nice day again today..yay!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CeeCee

Another day...another doctor appointment

One tomorrow also!


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good evening from Russia it's just past 8:00 pm here and I have had a restful day, a few dozes and a short walk. We have bought some essential food and some essential cognac which I am sampling now, with a piece of double Gloucester cheese and a chunk of fresh ciabatta all very nice.

I do feel better here more at home somehow, everything feels familiar.....

The flight here was odd, we were all ready to takeoff from Amsterdam on time, when the control tower decided to switch runways because it was a quiet period, this involved a 50 minute delay which we made up some of by flying faster, but on arriving in Russia the airport had been closed for a party  



 so we had to circle for 20 minutes, eventually landing remarkably only about 30 minutes late. It was pouring with rain so we took a taxi to Lisa's apartment.

One of those coincidences happened on the flight here, I was sat next to a senior who lived about 15 miles from my home, she was with a group who were going to take a cruise from St.Petersburg to Moscow. 

... enjoy your day/night




















​


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning everyone it's midday here and a beautiful sunny day at 15c Lisa is at work today, so I will chill out apart from cooking dinner of bangers and mash [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot]  ....... Enjoy your day........ [/FONT]






*The fantasies....












​
The Reality 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






*


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning, it's 3:19 am here, I didn't sleep well last night.  At 8:00 a.m. I have another drs appointment, this one is to discuss my MRI results. UGH!  After this I get a break from drs for about a month...I hope.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

Slept a lot yesterday and up early today.  Watching awful news about all the hurricanes and earthquakes.  It's so horrible what they are going through.  I guess I am lucky that I am not going through that tho we do get tornadoes coming through my state at times.  Have a good day.


----------



## Wren




----------



## CeeCee

Ruthanne said:


> Slept a lot yesterday and up early today.  Watching awful news about all the hurricanes and earthquakes.  It's so horrible what they are going through.  I guess I am lucky that I am not going through that tho we do get tornadoes coming through my state at times.  Have a good day.




Love that candle, Ruthanne.  Ive also been lucky natural disaster wise but now with that earthquake in Mexico, starting to think California could be next for the big one.
Its not something I worry about though, health issues are my triggers.


----------



## CeeCee

I just had to add this one, just saw it on my FB feed.   I wish my dachshund would be agreeable to wearing clothes but you can barely get a harness on him.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Rainy evening ....:wave:


----------



## merlin

It's 9pm here now so will go and watch a movie with Lisa now, either an episode of a weird BBC drama series called Dr Foster which gets more manic each week 



 or a French film called "From The Land Of The Moon" which I have downloaded from Amazon Prime and looks good.

Enjoy your day/evening/night


----------



## Ruthanne

CeeCee said:


> I just had to add this one, just saw it on my FB feed.   I wish my dachshund would be agreeable to wearing clothes but you can barely get a harness on him.
> 
> 
> View attachment 42338


Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!! LOL


----------



## Ruthanne

SeaBreeze said:


>


Hi SeaBreeze, it's great to see you!


----------



## Ruthanne

I did some laundry and thinking about giving Suzy a bath.  Every time I do I get really nervous..don't know why..she doesn't get nervous..lol...  hahahaha!


----------



## Wren

Have a great day all !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a great Thursday !
It is International Day of Peace today. :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, it's another sunny day with a clear blue sky here, we are going out shortly to buy data for my phone and a some other shopping.

Have a great Thursday .......

These are a few odds and ends I found on the desktop of my laptop here, so I may have posted them before 
















 ​




























​​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ken N Tx




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!

_


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning everyone!  It's raining this morning which is rare in Fresno so Yay!  Also no Drs appointments today, another Yay.

So far it's a 2 Yay day.   Hoping for a 3rd Yay but don't want to get greedy.


----------



## Wren

Morning all on this sunny autumn day


----------



## merlin

Good afternoon to you all, it's nearly 2 pm here and I am just about up and running, .....Lisa is working till 3 pm so I have made a dinner of slow cooked pork steaks with veg and roast potatoes. It's a dull cloudy day here, but the weekend is forecast to be warm and sunny, so we will go to the country house in the morning.

Have a great Friday.....












​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Leah

Good morning everyone.Happy Friday .The weekend is finally here .Wishing all of you a wonderful day and a great weekend.Leah


----------



## Ruthanne

First day of Autumn; my favorite time of year!  I wish this month were over with already!


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a happy weekend, my friends ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, we are on the train on our way to the country, it's sunny and warm as forecast have a great weekend


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi.  I am up early.  Might have a yard sale today.  Others will; not sure if I will though.


----------



## merlin

I am reliably informed today the world ends, so I am making the most of it having a glass of cognac sat in the sun, see you on the other side


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning everyone!  I'm still here but it's early, don't know what time the world ends today but I hope it's later.

I just have a relaxing day planned, only going to the store for some food.  Might even get a cake pop from Starbucks if it's my last day. 

Hope everyone has a great Saturday....our weather is still beautiful, I'm actually chilled in the morning and that's a great thing in Fresno.


----------



## OldBiker

merlin said:


> I am reliably informed today the world ends, so I am making the most of it having a glass of cognac sat in the sun, see you on the other side



I guess I'll have a beer or two tonight to celebrate another survival of end of the world.


----------



## Wren




----------



## Ruthanne

Well, the world ended and I wonder if I'm in the Twilight Zone...lol
Got up too early..I should go back to sleep..


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Sunday ! :wave:


----------



## rkunsaw

I would like to wish everyone a good morning but since the world ended yesterday what's the use?


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good Morning Everyone!


----------



## CeeCee




----------



## Ruthanne

Just waiting on a pizza tonight.


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

​Good morning friends, it's nearly 10am and the sun is up after an early morning mist. We are going into town here to pay the bills for the Dacha utilities, then a relax in the deckchair and back to the city on the 4pm train.
Enjoy your Monday ... 










​


----------



## Shalimar

I am off to bed, good night all.


----------



## Pappy

A little foggy this morning and it could hit 90 degrees. The leaves are turning and it’s like summer out there.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Monday everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Shalimar

Good morning, bonjour mes amis! Cool and wet today. I think I shall stay inside.


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning everyone!  Another pleasant day here in usually HOT Fresno.  Only in the 80's but it won't last, think today is the last nice day...back to the 90's.

Although Ive been hearing that the east coast has been unseasonably hot, hope there's some relief in sight for anybody from there.


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning from a grey morning in St.Peter, a big difference to the past few sunny days, we are looking forward to going to a classical music concert this evening, which Lisa booked some months ago ............. nothing else planned except to cook a chicken dinner of some sort....[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Enjoy your Tuesday....[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]A gentle start......[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]









[/FONT]​


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day everybody


----------



## hearlady

Wish I could say goodnight. Work has been keeping me up the last few nights. I'm just a worrier and always have been so I'll just read until I get sleepy. 
Have a good day to all those time zones just rising.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a peaceful Tuesday ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

I slept about 12 hours and am well rested now.  Having me coffee...


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

I've been up since 6:30 am EST and am tired!


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, it's a grey day here again, we are going out to dinner to Lisa's cousins home this evening, Lisa is working today

The symphony concert we went to last night was packed, it being the first of the season, the guest pianist was an Englishman, though I had never heard of him

A blurry pic taken with my phone 





I am stressed at the moment filling in a form for my next 12 month visa to Russia, they have made the whole process more complex because the UK visa authority made theirs very complicated, tit for tat 



 ....It took Lisa more than a week to fill in the application form for her UK visa, all the Russian documents had to be officially translated into English, including the deeds of property owned her, the whole system has become a sort of madness, which seems the way of the world at present 





Enjoy your Wednesday I need another cognac already


----------



## OldBiker

Good Morning SF!

Woke up to the sound of heavy rain this morning.


----------



## Pappy

Good morning everyone. Another record setting day here in upstate NY. Yesterday it was 90 degrees and about the same today. Tomorrow it starts to cool down and look like fall. Leafs are getting real pretty again.


----------



## CeeCee

Happy Wednesday!  Back in the 90's for a few days but that's the normal here for this time of year.  As usual, I'll probably go out for some goodies.

I just got paid! .  This was a bad month for the 4th Wednesday to fall but I still managed.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening everyone ! 
Enjoy the sunset .... :wave:


----------



## Falcon

It's  still  morning here,  so  Good morning everybody.


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !:wave:


----------



## Pappy

Good morning all.


----------



## merlin

Good evening it's been a long hard day and I am brain dead  



   if I had a brain to begin with it would help.

I have filled in the Russian visa application, listing all the places I have visited with dates and visa numbers for the past 10 years, plus all the passport details of my daughters and my parents, as well as a list of which terrorist organisations I belong to and do I have knowledge of the construction of bombs and nuclear arms, and many other questions about previous arrests for offences, crazy really because a YES to any question would void the whole application.  





A few not very good pics from last nights dinner party, we both ate and drank too much and got back after midnight, Andre our host being a frustrated artist collects original paintings by well known local artists, and his house is full of various styles, the bathroom alone has about 8 paintings.

Hope you are having a good day, I will be back when I have recovered from all this brain 



 work.... 
















​


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Ruthanne

Feeling bad today;slept too much and don't feel like doing a thing.


----------



## CeeCee

Ruthanne said:


> Feeling bad today;slept too much and don't feel like doing a thing.



awwww, hugs my friend and hope you feel better!


----------



## Ruthanne

CeeCee said:


> awwww, hugs my friend and hope you feel better!


Thank you Cee Cee.  Maybe tomorrow will be better.


----------



## RadishRose

Goodnight.


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody


----------



## Meanderer

*Aacck!.... *Good morning All!nthego:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning , friends ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, I am on some sort of cloud at the moment a combination of the pill I take for sleeping plus the cognac. It's an ok place to be so I am living in the moment. 

Have a great Friday.......here are a few paintings by the contemporary Russian artist Igor Medvedev...


*IGOR MEDVEDEV (1931- 2015)*







_Working in a variety of media throughout his career, including painting, printmaking, watercolor and sculpture, artist Igor Medvedev’s art is characterized by a focus on structure, deep colors, a masterful use of light and shadow, and a tranquil, peaceful mood.

The serenity of Medvedev’s works contrasts sharply with the tumultuous early years of his life. Born in Kharkov, Ukraine of the former Soviet Union in 1931, the young artist’s life was shaped by the events of World War II. Medvedev’s introduction to art came with the friendship of Anatoly Martinov, a skilled local artist who was his family’s neighbor that lived with them during the war.

Following two years of the German occupation of Russia, the Medvedevs left their home country in 1943, staying in Poland and Austria before settling in Germany. The family walked for a month to avoid Russian armed forces and just before the end of the war, they reached Germany’s American-occupied zone.

During these difficult times, Medvedev found solace in his art. “There is something leading all of us toward something,” he has said. “Through life, I was motivated to create art.” Medvedev sketched the German towns he saw, finding comfort in the architectural composition. “It was a structural pursuit,” Medvedev said, “not flowers or figures, but buildings and cityscapes. It was the beginning of a feeling. As you grow and you have that feeling, you begin to use it, add to it.” This search for structure and the desire to capture it in his art would become a theme in Medvedev’s art.

For the next few years, the Medvedevs resided in Munich, Germany. It was here that the young artist began learning the art forms of bronze casting and sculpture. Igor’s artistic talent helped the family move to America. William Sudduth, the head of youth resettlement for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, noticed Medvedev’s abilities and expedited the family’s immigration process. He also helped Medvedev earn a scholarship to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, which he began attending in 1948.

At Dartmouth, Medvedev was further inspired by the work of artist-in-residence Paul Sample, who was creating paintings of winter landscapes of northern New England with a focus on architecture. Three years later, after graduating from the college with a degree in art history, Medvedev continued his studies at the University of Berkeley, graduating with a Master’s degree in 1953.

Medvedev’s art was immediately well-received. Between 1954 and 1963 he had fifteen one-man exhibitions of his work in Germany and numerous exhibitions in the United States. Still, he worked as a graphic designer and draftsman in Los Angeles to support himself and his family. Though his art was affected by the popular movements of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and Op Art, Medvedev found himself more inclined toward figurative work and structure, particularly in the roundness of these forms.

The year 1977 proved pivotal for Medvedev – it was during this year that he married Marina, and at her insistence, the couple moved to San Francisco. After teaching for a few years at San Mateo State College and Los Altos’ Foothill College, Medvedev began exhibiting in fine galleries in San Francisco and his career took another significant turn.






​











































__







_​


----------



## Shalimar

Beautiful, luminous paintings. Thank you!


----------



## Meanderer

Thanks, Merlin, I agree....brilliant!


----------



## CeeCee

I wasnt in a talkative mood this morning but I am now, so Good afternoon everyone.  Keep thinking today is Saturday but it's Friday. 

Hope you're feeling better today, Ruthanne :love_heart:


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## merlin

Good morning all, just getting ready to go on a train to the country, a bit later than usual, it not being a very good looking morning, but it has cleared up now.........enjoy your weekend...  










​
*

A couple more Medvedev paintings








*


----------



## Shalimar

Lovely paintings.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice Saturday ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Relax and enjoy your day


----------



## Shalimar

Vega_Lyra said:


> Have a nice Saturday ! :wave:
> View attachment 42773


Love this, from one belly dancer to another!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Suzanne

Good morning, a beautiful sunny day today.  Enjoying my coffee with DH and reading the Seniors Forums.  I went to bingo last night and won a jackpot so feeling pretty good today!  But will soon have to put my tablet away as today is housework day.  Have put it off too long enough this week and have my two sister-in-laws (one is 87 and one is 83) coming to stay with us for a week - we pick them up tomorrow.  I adore them.  My DH's family are British but were born in India when their father worked on the railroad there.  Love to hear their stories of their lives growing up.  My DH is a great cook of the curries which I now enjoy immensely which took a little time with my French Canadian palette. Have a lovely Sunday!&#55356;&#57118;


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

Another day has passed...


----------



## merlin

A very good morning to you all on this damp grey morning in St.Peter, Lisa and I are back from a weekend in the country, where autumn has set in, with the leaves turning golden and a calm misty feeling everywhere.
Staying in Lisa's dacha is like stepping back half a century except for our gadgets, 



 we went for long walks warmed the house with log fires in the evening and watched movies on a tablet ....

Today is a fresh Monday in a new month and here is an inspiring video by an Hungarian composer/pianist Balázs Havasi who I have been following for some years now, I haven't yet managed to get to one of his concerts, and sadly I will miss an upcoming one here in Russia because I am leaving 3 days before 











?​Balázs Havasi (born 18 September 1975) is a Hungarian pianist and composer. As a contemporary composer he has launched four completely different musical projects, including compositions for a symphony orchestra, rock drums and piano. Havasi wrote a song for singer Tracey Thorn and gave a speech at the TED Global conference about his efforts in musical innovation. He is known for his fondness of Asian culture and martial arts, which he practiced for years. Havasi’s works became known to millions within a short time.

Havasi first played the piano at the age of four. In 1996, at the age of 21, he was already a teacher at Weiner Leó Conservatory. He then went on to study at Franz Liszt Academy of Music, one of the most prestigious musical universities in the world. His professors included then rector Sándor Falvai and Jen? Jandó , a pianist who contributed to more than 200 recordings of classical music. During his years at the Academy of Music, Havasi won first prize at a piano competition of Yamaha Foundation of Europe

Havasi founded the band The Unbending Trees with singer-lyricist Kristóf Hajós in 2006. With English lyrics written and sung by Hajós, the sophisticated solo piano pieces of Havasi have resulted in a special musical world where Central European sounds merge with a little melancholy, perhaps akin to the style of Leonard Cohen, Scott Walker or Antony and the Johnsons . The band was offered its first record contract by British record publisher and producer Ben Watt, and soon released its first album called Chemically Happy (Is The New Sad).

_




_​_


_


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody,


----------



## Pappy

Good morning all.


----------



## OldBiker

Top of the morning to you all!


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good afternoon to you all, my days seem to start later these days, I made a cottage pie earlier which we have just eaten half of for dinner, Lisa is going to a department meeting later this afternoon and I will sort out some photos on the computer.

Enjoy your Tuesday....  





A few paintings from the Russian Soviet artist Sergei Tutunov 

_Soviet painter Sergei Tutunov (30 October 1925 – 12 October 1998) – Member of the USSR Union of Artists (1953). Sergey Andreyevich Tutunov was born October 30, 1925 in Moscow. His father, Andrey Tutunov was a major specialist in the poultry field. At the end of 1930, Sergei went to the famous Moscow Art School, where he first took on the sculpture department, since he felt shape and was good at sculpting different animals. However, later he moved to study at the fine art class.

During the war time (WWII) the school was evacuated to Bashkortostan, and in 1943, the school returned to Moscow. In 1945-1951, Sergei Tutunov studied at the painting department of the Moscow State Art Institute named after Surikov. His teachers were outstanding Soviet artists VN Meshkov, DC Mochalsky, AM Gritsay, PD Pokarzhevsky, AP Shorchev and VV Pochitalov.











​









































​

_


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all ! 
Enjoy this Wednesday ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Morning all, a beautiful autumn morning, have a good day


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, I am slightly less zombified today, I realised because I am taking the Amitriptyline daily now which does help with sleeping, the antidepressant effect is kicking in, which I have never experienced before  



  it's like the days just float by without a worry in the world, but I feel I am never fully awake................I will stop taking them when we go to the Czech Republic in ten days time, because I will be driving every day, so need to be alert.

It's a damp drizzly day and the municipal heating system is officially switched on today, so the indoor temperatures will rise from 22c to 26c (72f to 78f) 

Lisa is working so no plans apart from editing and enhancing some photos of Peru for Lisa's latest album.

Have a great Wednesday.....

Here are some paintings by a contemporary Russian artist Andrew Atroshenko

I think the reason I am coming up with a lot of Russian artists, is because using Google.ru for searches it shows a certain bias  






_Andrew Atroshenko is a romantic impressionistic Russian artist. Born in 1965 in the City of Pokrovsk, Russia, Andrew became part of a gifted child program at the Children’s Art School there, and was later accepted at the St. Petersburg Academy of Art, one of the world’s most prestigious art schools.















































_


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning to you all, I feel a bit flat today and am a bit slow starting, so on my third coffee, [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] Lisa has the day off but a lot of computer work to do, it's raining out and grey, so we may go out for a walk if it stops. I have put a couple of pork steaks in the slow cooker with some apples and veg for dinner, with probably roast potatoes.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Enjoy your day....... [/FONT]






[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	














[/FONT]​


----------



## Wren




----------



## Ruthanne

Good night y'all. I had a nice birthday even though I had no people with me.  Suzy gave me a big kiss.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Ruthanne said:


> Good night y'all. I had a nice birthday even though I had no people with me.  Suzy gave me a big kiss.



-----------------
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, dear Ruthanne !
A big hug fro you !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice Friday ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day all


----------



## OldBiker

Ruthanne,


----------



## OldBiker

Happy Friday to you all!


----------



## Pappy

Good morning forum people.......


----------



## Cap'nSacto

4:47am and finally! I'm sleepy. What a rough night. :crushed:


----------



## merlin

A very good evening to you all, it's a drizzly day here so no walks today. I cooked a chicken for dinner part oven, part slow cooker, we had it with roast potatoes and veg.
I am slowly coming off the amitryptaline tablets, so I will be properly awake for next weeks holiday/vacation...

Enjoy the weekend....

I came across these two artists by chance while browsing earlier this morning, an interesting story below how they met, also unusually they work together on their paintings,


_*MICHAEL & INESSA GARMASH* — Michaell and Inessa Garmash have created beautiful paintings, stained-glass windows, mosaics and drawings exhibited all over Europe. 

*An Art Love Story* – Michael was born in 1969 in Lugansk, Ukraine. He began painting at the age of three and by six started his formal education at the Lugansk Youth Creative Center. In 1987, he graduated valedictorian from the Lugansk State Fine Art College and became an art teacher there. He later graduated from St. Petersburg Academy of Art at the head of his class. Michael Garmash exhibited his works throughout Russia and France, adding stained-glass to his list of talents. 

During his stint in the army, Michael returned to his former school on a two-week vacation. The last day of his visit he met Inessa at a bus station; the next day Michael didn’t return to his division. Inessa woke that day to her image painted all around the city surrounding her house—on the road, on the walls of buildings and the walls of her apartment staircase. 

Michael had spent the night painting; he was arrested first by the city police, then handed over to the army MP’s, but he was not punished. (Even military personnel can sympathize with true love!) One year later, Michael and Inessa returned to the same bus station. Michael hung a bouquet of flowers on the station sign to commemorate the place where they met; the beginning of their “at-first-glance” love story. 

In similar spontaneous fashion, the two began painting together. Several years after their marriage, Michael began a painting of their daughter for a project at school. However, their two-year old found the painting during his absence and painted her own version of the subject. Inessa, not wanting Michael to be upset, fixed the painting, packed it up and gave it to him to submit. Michael handed the painting over for review and was told it was his best work ever. He was surprised to see the “new” painting and immediately recognized his wife’s hand. 

Since then, Michael and Inessa have worked together creating paintings, stained-glass windows, mosaics and drawings. They have exhibited in Sweden, France, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium and Finland. They continue working with their daughter Polina as a model and occasionally include themselves in their compositions. 

Inessa Kitaichik was born in 1972 in Lipetsk, Russia. Since early childhood she has excelled in ballet, gymnastics and music. Inessa attended classes in all three disciplines and, after graduating from music and ballet school, entered the Lugansk Fine Art School at age fifteen. At seventeen she was honored as that year’s best undergraduate. 

Michael & Inessa are a husband and wife pair. Both work on the same piece, which is extraordinarily unique in the art industry. Together they create a classic impressionism that remains both beautiful and timeless.

































































_


----------



## Wren

Have a great weekend everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy weekend !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Sunday everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

I have been so tired lately.  Haven't felt like doing a thing...


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody, hope you feel better soon Ruthanne x


----------



## Shalimar

Goodnight all!


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all from another damp cloudy day here, we are going out shortly shopping for odds and ends, I also urgently need a haircut, looking like a wild man from the woods these days  





Have a great Monday....

A touch of Danish today


Carl Vilhelm Holsøe (12 March 1863 – 7 November 1935) was a Danish artist who primarily painted interiors.


----------



## Wren

Have a great day !


----------



## merlin

Good morning it's cloudy here after a sunny start, I slept reasonably well and feel just OK today  



 somewhere between agony and ecstasy I guess  



 I don't have any plans apart from making a chilli bean casserole.......  





Enjoy your Tuesday whatever you are doing........ 

Here are a few paintings by the contemporary Romanian artist Corneliu Dragan Targoviste


















































​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a sunny Tuesday ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy this sunny Wednesday ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

We are both in a sad mood today, Lisa's best friend Natasha died on Monday, she had lung cancer but was expected to live for some time, understandably Lisa is very upset, Natasha was a very close friend from childhood, and the fourth death of someone in Lisa's life this year. 



but she is working today, so I think that will help occupy her mind, the funeral/cremation is tomorrow, then we go on our vacation to the Czech Republic on Friday.

Have a good day everyone....











​


----------



## Shalimar

My deepest condolences, Merlin. I hope your trip to the Czech Republic helps assuage some of Lisa's grief.


----------



## Wren

Sorry to hear your sad news merlin


----------



## Cap'nSacto

Went to bed a little after midnight, woke up a little after 3am, totally awake. That'll probably wreck my day.

Thought I'd watch a sunrise for a change, but our sky here in Sacramento is smokey from the wildfires. I can smell it, too.

I usually keep my doors and a few windows open all day, depending on the weather. Doubt I'll be doing that today.


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody,


----------



## Ruthanne

merlin said:


> We are both in a sad mood today, Lisa's best friend Natasha died on Monday, she had lung cancer but was expected to live for some time, understandably Lisa is very upset, Natasha was a very close friend from childhood, and the fourth death of someone in Lisa's life this year.
> 
> 
> 
> but she is working today, so I think that will help occupy her mind, the funeral/cremation is tomorrow, then we go on our vacation to the Czech Republic on Friday.
> 
> Have a good day everyone....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​


I'm sorry for your and Lisa's loss Terry.


----------



## Ruthanne

Been resting lately a lot, sleep feels so good!  Now I am up and have been up since 2 pm. yesterday.  It's nearly 4 am.  It's my sister's birthday today.  I wrote her a long email.  We have been communicating again after having a big disagreement and not talking for about 4 years.  I'm glad we are talking again..life is too short to let the arguments get in the way...we both forgive and understand each other now.

I hope you all have a lovely day!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Thursday everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Cap'nSacto

It's Thursday _already?

:sour:
_


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Now it is Friday ....:wave:


----------



## Shalimar

Awwww, baby duck! Bonjour, mon petit canard.


----------



## Ruthanne

Good morning or good evening or good night!


----------



## Wren




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## OldBiker

Wren said:


> View attachment 43356



Thanks and back at ya!


----------



## Pappy




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## Shalimar

Pappy said:


> View attachment 43357


Are you safely home?


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend !:wave:


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## OldBiker

OldBiker said:


>





Saturdays are made for College football.


----------



## Ruthanne

Hope everyone has a good sleep tonight...


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody, thanks Roseanne, I did, only just woke up !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Autumn stroll....


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy new week everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## Cap'nSacto

Good Morning, Wren. It's 1am here. Which, for me, translates to "late evening."


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a good Tuesday !:wave:


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Wednesday everybody !


----------



## Pappy

Good morning.....


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice Thursday !


----------



## Wren




----------



## Shalimar

Good evening all!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy a quiet Friday afternoon ! :wave:


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning!  It's raining in Fresno and cooler, I may even cook something in the oven today.  Doesn't take much to make me happy!


----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all from St.Peter, we have been on a 6 day vacation to the Czech Republic, thanks for you kind thoughts about our recent loss, it's still early days but the vacation helped. 
We hired a car and drove around the south of the country which is called Bohemia. The weather was gorgeous sunny and 23c (70s f) every day. We spent our last day (yesterday) in Prague, which was sadly the only cloudy day, but we enjoyed the town anyway. We flew back to St.Petersburg late last night,and eventually got to bed at 2am.
Lisa was up at 7am to prepare for Katya and her children's arrival this afternoon, for half term.
. 
It's been a very busy day and we just had dinner together, (photo below), we are a full house here tonight, but I am leaving for home tomorrow evening, so Lisa can spend a week with her family, without me getting in the way. 











​


----------



## CeeCee

Sorry, I said Croatia.  I can't keep up with your travels.


----------



## merlin

A few random autumn photos from our six days vacation, the colours were truly astounding, they can't really be captured in a photo, but you can hopefully get some idea, it was like walking in a fairyland at times.
I will post some more photos on another thread




































​


----------



## Wren

Morning all, have a great weekend


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice weekend, friends ! :wave:


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## merlin

Good afternoon to you all, I am just about packed ready for my trip to the airport for my first flight home, it's always a sad time when we part but we soon adjust ready for the next meet up.  





Have a great weekend will be on again and catch up with all soon  





This is a photo taken in Cesky Krumlov






​


----------



## Ruthanne

It's very early morning here.  I just got up from a nap.  We are going to have a nice sunny day today in the upper 70s.  Hope everyone has a good week ahead!


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good morning from sunny Worcester, there was no sign of *Storm Brian* when I arrived last night, it was dry and calm and fairly mild, I presume it all happened on Friday here.
I am still in bed at 9:00 am slowly surfacing with the help of coffee, opening a pile of post which is pretty much all junk mail  





 ...................enjoy your Sunday  
























​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your Sunday !:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy new week everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Wren




----------



## Shalimar

Bedtime for me, work day coming up. Goodnight!


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, I am actually up having drank three coffees in bed ...well in a mug really 



 .....to get me up and running, it's a grey dreary looking morning at 13c. 

I have to sort out the car today, since it's been standing on the driveway while I was in Russia, two tyres have gone flat, one is brand new the other pretty worn. Cathy did inflate the new one a week ago but it has gone flat again, so a slow puncture of some sort.

Enjoy your Monday I will post a few paintings by John Waterhouse below.....


_John William Waterhouse RA (6 April 1849 – 10 February 1917) was an English painter known for working in the Pre-Raphaelite style. He worked several decades after the breakup of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which had seen its heyday in the mid-nineteenth century, leading to his sobriquet "the modern Pre-Raphaelite".[1] Borrowing stylistic influences not only from the earlier Pre-Raphaelites but also from his contemporaries, the Impressionists,[1] his artworks were known for their depictions of women from both ancient Greek mythology and Arthurian legend._

_Born in Italy to English parents who were both painters, he later moved to London, where he enrolled in the Royal Academy of Art. He soon began exhibiting at their annual summer exhibitions, focusing on the creation of large canvas works depicting scenes from the daily life and mythology of ancient Greece. Later on in his career he came to embrace the Pre-Raphaelite style of painting despite the fact that it had gone out of fashion in the British art scene several decades before._

_Although not as well known as earlier Pre-Raphaelite artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt, Waterhouse's work is currently displayed at several major British art galleries, and the Royal Academy of Art organised a major retrospective of his work in 2009._


*Ophelia*​*







Nymphs finding the Head of Ophelia






Destiny






Gather Ye Rosebuds







I Am Half Sick Of Shadows






Psyche Entering Cupids Garden







Windflowers






Thisbe







Fair Rosamund



​*


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning everyone!  We're back in the 80's this week and although I can't complain I was much happier in the cooler 70's we had over the weekend.

Its still a good day...it's my favorite day...Monday.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Wren

Morning all, wet and windy again today


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Cold and windy today......


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, it's a blustery but warmish one here at 16c, I woke at 8am pretty late for me, slept well but feel kind of flat today, hopefully I will rise and shine later.

I have to get a photo for my Russian visa today and post my passport and application form, then make an appointment to have my fingerprints taken yet again, (in case they have changed since last year) 



 ..... which means a trip to London for a 15 minute appointment 





Enjoy your day............here are a few paintings and a video of a contemporary Japanese watercolour painter Kanta Harusaki







?







?







?







?







?







?







?



Here is a video of the artist creating a painting, (it's in 4 parts) I found it interesting as a non artist but though he makes it look easy, I could imagine getting into a mess very quickly 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








​


----------



## Wren

Have a good day everybody


----------



## merlin

Good morning from a sunny start to Wednesday  



 I was late going to sleep last night, I think I Od'd on the magnesium  





I am in bed on my third coffee so should be good to go sometime soon, it's 8:30 am at the moment...............no real plans for today will wait and see what turns up.....


All Russian art today, Google still thinks I am in St.Petersburg so brings up connected sites 







































​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy this Wednesday !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Ruthanne

Good Morning Thursday!  I have my appointment at the hospital this morning at 9 am.  I am staying up all night so I don't sleep right through my time to go there.  The financial advocate at the hospital called and said my insurance won't pay for the procedure but that they are fighting them on it and they will take responsibility for the scan if my insurance ends up not paying.  I was going to cancel and get another insurance co. but decided I will go and let them fight for me.


----------



## Wren

Morning all, hope everything goes well today Ruthanne


----------



## merlin

Greetings from a dull dismal dampish morning in Worcester........ I slept late because I took a pill at 5:30 am to get a couple of extra hours in, I woke at 8 and feel all the better for it.

I am doing housework this morning and getting everything ready for an early start driving to London via Bracknell and a train...........

Here are some delicate watercolours of scarred buildings in Belgrade Serbia which I like, they are by a local artist *Silva Vujovic ......
*_Silva Vujovic was born in Belgrade in 1953. She graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Belgrade in 1977, as a part of the architecture and design department. She has been a member of the Association of Fine and Applied Arts since 1982, and has been working as an independent artist since 1991. Over the last several years she has also been teaching at the Institute for Fine and Applied Arts in Belgrade.

Vujovic’s work awakens in us the memories of our childhood, of a life and ambient that is forever changed. Behind every weary fence, window, or door in her watercolors is hidden someone’s life story, full of events and memories. They make us wonder what happened to those who once live there, or still do. 
We wonder and we move on, and a painter like Silva finds in these places a new inspiration to preserve them for the future with her keen eye and brush. She paints the remnants of our times and events, just like life paints lines on the faces of their inhabitants. _
*
































​*


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend ! :wave:


----------



## merlin

Hello from a grey morning in Worcester, ........... yesterday was a long day and I finally got home about 6pm from my annual trip to London, to get my fingerprints taken for my Russian visa, I had some dinner and went to bed and immediately fell asleep 





The appointment took only 10 minutes though it involved a 5 hour drive and two hours on the trains plus a 40 minute walk 



 I am relieved it's done for another year..... Hopefully I will get a visa but who knows with the state of our relations with Russia these days 





I have no real plans for today except to go food shopping and general tidying up as usual................ enjoy your Saturday..

As you can see I have a lot of tidying up to do...... 










​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy weekend everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Lady

Morning all , Windy and dull here too
Merlin...Im trying to work out why it took you all that travel time to London when Worcester is only 133 miles away , ? and Google says you can drive or take a train and only take 2/3 hours .

Love the pictures that you are putting up .


----------



## rkunsaw

Good morning everyone. We have our first freeze of the season this morning. Also our anniversary. I've put up with this woman for 18 years.:sentimental:


----------



## Wren




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, our extra has been restored today, but I doubt I will notice it ............. I am never entirely sure what time it is anyway  





It's a brightish warm  and breezy day here, and I will spend some time sorting out more photos from my recent trip to the Czech Republic.

Enjoy your Sunday......







​


----------



## merlin

Lady said:


> Morning all , Windy and dull here too
> Merlin...Im trying to work out why it took you all that travel time to London when Worcester is only 133 miles away , ? and Google says you can drive or take a train and only take 2/3 hours .
> 
> Love the pictures that you are putting up .



Hi Lady ...thanks good to hear you like my pictures....to answer your question, driving and parking in central London is very expensive with congestion charges and finding a car park which has spaces difficult. I decided to drive to Lisa daughters hours which is 33 miles from London and catch the train to central London from there, which takes an hour. 
The motorway going home was very congested and it took well over 3 hours to drive the 100 miles. The UK roads are very slow generally, partly because of numerous roadworks, plus simply too much traffic for the road network we have here.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Sunday afternoon....................


----------



## SeaBreeze

rkunsaw said:


> Good morning everyone. We have our first freeze of the season this morning. Also our anniversary. I've put up with this woman for 18 years.:sentimental:



Good morning Larry, happy anniversary to you and your lovely wife....yeah, I'm sure you put up with HER for 18 years, lol.  :bigwink:


----------



## RadishRose

rkunsaw said:


> Good morning everyone. We have our first freeze of the season this morning. Also our anniversary. I've put up with this woman for 18 years.:sentimental:



 Happy Anniversary


----------



## NancyNGA

Good morning...


----------



## Wren




----------



## Shalimar

Good night!


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning it's 7 am (formerly 8am) on a sunny cold morning, just a couple of degrees above freezing. After doing some housework I will go for walk into Worcester and do some shopping, I need to buy a 2018 pocket diary for Lisa, she is about the only person I know who still uses a conventional diary. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have never been a diary person really, I would always lose it when I needed it [/FONT]





[FONT=&quot]Have a great Monday...[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]Here are a few inked watercolours...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






































[/FONT]​


----------



## Lady

wishing you all a good morning , its cold here and our first frost this winter,I must get the rest of my spring bulbs planted ,so if it warms up that is my plan for today.


----------



## Ruthanne

I plan on going to sleep in awhile for awhile.  I hope I make it to my appointment today but don't want to go at this point.


----------



## Pappy

49 degrees here in Florida. Couple days of cooler weather and back to 80s again.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon, friends ! :wave:


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning, Tuesday! _
Something to crow about?


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, it's a damp bright morning here, sadly not another sunny one like yesterday, I am going out to meet my daughter Caroline for a coffee now at the library cafe, she is on a study work day there.

Enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy

6:10 am. Nice sunrise taken from my driveway. Good morning everyone.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## CeeCee




----------



## Lady

Good day everyone ,cold and damp here ,,,wish the sun would come out ,Im feeling chilled to the bone .
This year has gone so quick ,we have been told to expect a cold winter after the last 5 have suppose to have been mild .
 The nights  are drawing in too,ive not done a lot over the last two months , but in middle November im going to see James Blunt in Concert..
Also have some big changes in the family home with one member moving out,.


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning on a bright but cloudy day at 8c here. I can't recall any plans for today, but something will crop up I am sure. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I wish you all a good Wednesday..[/FONT]



[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	
























[/FONT]​


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## Wren

Morning all, fingers crossed for. Great November !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a lovely November ! :wave:


----------



## Lady

Good day all ,a bright 1st of November here , last night there was lots of Trick and Treats out not one came to us though . 
Parents mostly go with the young ones here and they pre arrange with other parents where they can call ..
Next event on the calendar is Bonfire night , fireworks are already being let off though.


----------



## CeeCee

And Good Morning forum friends! 

Cooling off a little with a high of only 71 today.  Had some trick or treaters last night but I did manage to save myself at least one Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. .  Ok, can't lie...I saved 2.

Glad it's over though, unless I'm with the grandsons Halloween isn't fun, just a pain with Pickles barking and having to jump up and answer door every few minutes.

Next Holiday...Thanksgiving, YAY!  I'm going to my daughter's and am excited to see my oldest grandson who will be home from College.  Haven't seen him since we moved him there in Sept.

Have a great day everyone.


----------



## Wren

Morning all,


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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning to you all it's 7:30 am here and all is quiet, I have a doctors about at 10 this morning about my BP. I hope she can find a better drug to control it.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Have a good Thursday [/FONT]







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## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon all ! :wave:


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## Pappy




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## merlin

Good morning to you all another weekend is upon us, I haven't recovered from the last one yet  




  it's a bright but cloudy morning here at 10c, I  have a doctors call booked for 4pm about the results of my recent blood tests, and I should hear if I have been given a new 12 months visa to Russia today, fingers crossed.

Enjoy your Friday everyone.....




​












​


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## Pappy




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## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy a lovely weekend ! :wave:


----------



## Wren




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## CeeCee




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## Wren

Good morning all, have a great weekend


----------



## merlin

Good morning it's 9 am and I slept reasonably well though I feel like I have a sniffly cold, which is a result of the flu jab I had on Thursday think. The morning is damp after some rain earlier, the forecast is for sun later though.

I am going to my daughter Caroline's later this afternoon for a chat and to look at my granddaughter Elizabeth's bedroom which needs a makeover, it seems like only yesterday that I did it, but it was 6 years ago.

I came across this Danish painter which I didn't know and liked his works, he died 5 days after I was born, not that that means anything, except I couldn't be his re-incarnation 





I like the way he uses light, and the sense of presence he achieves.....

*Peder Mørk Mønsted

His father was a well-to-do shipbuilder. At an early age, he began to receive painting lessons at the art school in Aarhus and, from 1875 to 1879, studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts with Niels Simonsen and Julius Exner. In 1882, he spent some time in Rome and Capri then, the following year, visited Paris, where he worked in the studios of William Adolphe Bouguereau. 

In 1889, he went to Algeria. Three years later, he travelled to Greece, where he was a guest of King George I, who was Danish. While there, he also did portraits of the Royal Family. After that, he visited Egypt and Spain. 

His travels produced numerous sketches that became paintings he presented at several international exhibitions. Most of his landscapes were, however, devoted to Scandinavia. He was especially popular in Germany, where he held several shows at the Glaspalast in Munich. During his later years, he spent a great deal of time in Switzerland and travelling throughout the Mediterranean. Most of his works are in private collections. In 1995, a major retrospective, called "Light of the North", was held in Frankfurt am Main.


















































​*


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## Ruthanne




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## Pappy




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## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy this weekend ! :wave:


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## Lady

Deleted


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## Lady

Good day all, another good set of Art from Merlin hope you got your BP tablets sorted out I went through a list to get one to suit,the side effects was much worse the my High BP.
Lovely to see everyone's good morning pictures and i wonder if some reflects your personality , .
Well the last couple of days has seen my Kitchen getting a make over , decided to put wall cabinets up to match the base ones . Now deciding on what colour paint for the walls, I know we should have painted first , but it wasn't on the agenda..
Hubby has done it all with a little help from me , so we have saved a  lot there. 
Have a lovely weekend all.


----------



## CeeCee




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## Wren

Morning all, enjoy your Sunday


----------



## Ruthanne




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## Lady

Good day all ,


----------



## merlin

Good morning from a sunny cold Worcester at 3c, I didn't sleep too well so have been dozing till now 9am. We had our hour back last weekend and I mislaid it somewhere, so never made any use of it.................it's certainly gone for good now, and they will want to rob me of another one next year  





I will down a few coffees and come back later ....... enjoy your Sunday when it comes....






















​


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## Vega_Lyra

Good evening everybody ! :wave:


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## Wren




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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning! I woke to a frosty one here, our first one of winter, it will soon warm up though as 12c with some sun is forecast later. I need to start sorting out stuff to take with me for my Christmas trip to Russia. I have bought Lisa a new camera as the main present, the last one I bought her is worn out now. I take a Christmas Pudding, Devon custard and mulled wine plus other foods that are not available there.     

[/FONT]..............Enjoy this fresh new week.....



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## Ruthanne

Not much new here.  Hope you all are doing well.


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## Vega_Lyra

Happy Monday , happy new week ! :wave:


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## CeeCee




----------



## merlin

After a frosty start it turned into a beautiful sunny day, so I walked into Worcester and bought a few Christmas filler presents for Lisa, plus a bag of chocolate gold coins, and a children's chocolate advent calendar (Lisa loves anything chocolate) 





There were a couple of Peruvian pan pipe players in the High Street so I took a short video.......


----------



## Ruthanne

merlin said:


> After a frosty start it turned into a beautiful sunny day, so I walked into Worcester and bought a few Christmas filler presents for Lisa, plus a bag of chocolate gold coins, and a children's chocolate advent calendar (Lisa loves anything chocolate)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> There were a couple of Peruvian pan pipe players in the High Street so I took a short video.......


I like the music!​


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## Wren

Morning everybody


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## merlin

Hello all, it's a damp dismal breezy day here so not inclined to go out at the moment, I woke in a bit of a fug, but the morning coffee is clearing that thankfully  





Have a great Tuesday....



















​


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## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Wren




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## Ruthanne

I'm feeling pretty good right now.  I hope you all have a wonderful day!


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, it's a sunny morning with a cloudless sky after a frost, I will go out for a walk and buy a bottle of mulled wine to take with me to Russia, they don't have it there, apart from that I may take a video if something interesting shows up...... have a good Wednesday.....


























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## Lady

good morning , and its very sunny here but cold with it .
Have a nice day


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## Pappy

Good morning. A bit foggy here in the community this am. You can barely see our clubhouse.


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## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon . Cold and overcast Wednesday here...


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning, another beautiful fall day here.  High of 74!  I have a mammogram this afternoon, ugh.  Thankfully even though it's in the same place as my MRI was this doesn't scare me at all.

ive also been going to physical therapy for my left shoulder and frozen left arm.

After yesterday's session I can finally stretch my arm straight up and straight out without pain.  Still can't do a good reach to the back though.
I have another session tomorrow.

Besides the stretching exercises, they also do a deep tissue massage which hurts at the time but I think that's what helped me the most.  After that they put me on a tens machine and an ice pack for 10 minutes....don't care for that.


----------



## CeeCee

Well, I just got a call that my mammogram was cancelled because they don't have a tech.  Rescheduled for Friday at 11:00 am which is a better time for me but kind of makes me angry.

This same place cancelled and rescheduled my MRI three times, don't know what their problem is ...I made this appt in August!!


----------



## Wren




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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning I am awake but not entirely with it [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] I am going to meet up with my daughter Caroline for lunch at the old library in Worcester, which is now a museum and cafe since the new "Hive" one has opened......there is evidently an art exhibition there, not sure which artists though.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I guess I need to go and wake up properly and have a shower ................. have a good Thursday.....[/FONT]


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## Ruthanne

Hi everyone.  Fell asleep on the couch twice last night and this morning so I may be up now for awhile.  I think I'll do some more laundry today.  Did a load of my new pants from the thrift store yesterday.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Lady

Good morning all, wet here but not so cold .
CeeCee ........ its maddening when appointments get cancelled, preparing  yourself for the day for it to be changed .
there is a certain amount of anxiety when you wait isn't there , well there was for me , so much so I cancelled my yearly Echo .
Have a nice day everyone .


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## NancyNGA

_Rise and shine!_


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## CeeCee

Good morning and Happy Thursday.  Still nice weatherwise with a high of 72.  Today I have PT again and although I like the massage and it's helped tremendously..the exercises are mind numbing boring, lol.

Today I have to rush home instead of stopping at Trader Joe's which is just across the street because I have a plumbing company coming out at 11 to give me an estimate on my leaking hot water heater. 

Have a good day everyone!


----------



## CeeCee

Lady said:


> Good morning all, wet here but not so cold .
> CeeCee ........ its maddening when appointments get cancelled, preparing  yourself for the day for it to be changed .
> there is a certain amount of anxiety when you wait isn't there , well there was for me , so much so I cancelled my yearly Echo .
> Have a nice day everyone .




Yep, if they hadn't cancelled I'd be done with it today, now it's still hanging over my head.  I'm a big baby when it comes to tests unless I have someone holding my hand and unfortunately I don't.

Thankfully a mammogram isn't as scary as an MRI for me but I am anxious until I get the results.


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## Pappy




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## CeeCee

Well my mammogram just got cancelled and rescheduled again!!   Grrrr

Theyre doing the same thing that they did with my MRI.

Now I have an appt for Saturday at 11:30 but who really knows anymore.

Plumbing just left.  I had a leaking water flex.  Replaced it for $280.

Said my water heater will need replacing eventually...cost $1800.

I asked how long do I have...he said anywhere from 2 days to 2 years....real reassuring!

What a lousy day and it's only 11:09 am.


----------



## Ruthanne

CeeCee said:


> Well my mammogram just got cancelled and rescheduled again!!   Grrrr
> 
> Theyre doing the same thing that they did with my MRI.
> 
> Now I have an appt for Saturday at 11:30 but who really knows anymore.
> 
> Plumbing just left.  I had a leaking water flex.  Replaced it for $280.
> 
> Said my water heater will need replacing eventually...cost $1800.
> 
> I asked how long do I have...he said anywhere from 2 days to 2 years....real reassuring!
> 
> What a lousy day and it's only 11:09 am.


I cancelled my mammogram that was tomorrow.  Sick of hospitals and drs. at the moment.  I'll go next month.  I have enough to do this month with drs.  Hope you have a better evening!


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## Wren

Morning all, hope you have a better day today CeeCee


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## Kadee

CeeCee said:


> Well my mammogram just got cancelled and rescheduled again!!   Grrrr
> 
> Theyre doing the same thing that they did with my MRI.
> 
> Now I have an appt for Saturday at 11:30 but who really knows anymore.
> 
> Plumbing just left.  I had a leaking water flex.  Replaced it for $280.
> 
> Said my water heater will need replacing eventually...cost $1800.
> 
> I asked how long do I have...he said anywhere from 2 days to 2 years....real reassuring!
> 
> What a lousy day and it's only 11:09 am.



Chrissy when our hot water system broke down ,my hubby was away on a motor bike trip ....so I wrote down what the hot water system was ....went to a shop that sold them and explained that I needed a replacement .....I then phoned a Plummer to come out and fit the new one .. it cost half the price of having someone like a repair man replace it 

That was when we were living in adelaide


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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning friends, it's 7:30 am here and we have a tinge of red in the sky, so a shepherds morning I guess......... I am driving to Thornbury, a small town near Bristol later this morning, to catch up with my French friend Laurence, who has been in France with her husband renovating a house they bought there last year, she fell off her bike while in France and evidently injured her hands badly.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]I will go and wake up now [/FONT]




[FONT=&quot]enjoy your day .....[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	









[/FONT]​


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## NancyNGA

Good morning!


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## Pappy




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## Lady

Good day all, well today has been a busy one , I needed a winter coat so I got that first , it had 20% knocked off
Then after buying a King sized Quilt  yesterday I realised  I didn't have a cover for it .So off to the next shop where I got cover and sheets/pillow cases.
Then while there ,I looked round the Cook ware and bought a Frying Pan and a Egg Timer ,Its been a expensive day ,but well spent , 
Retail therapy is great for the mood


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## Vega_Lyra

Friday again...
Enjoy the day ! :wave:


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## Ruthanne




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## NancyNGA




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## Wren

Morning everybody


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## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy the weekend ! :wave:


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## Pappy

Good morning......


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## merlin

Good day to you all, well it's evening here after a damp cold drizzly day, though I have been out for a walk and some shopping.............. I had a lovely day with Laurence yesterday and because it was a sunny one, we decided to go for a short drive into Thornbury a nearby town, (L lives in a country area about 3 miles away). We then walked for around 6 hours apart from stopping off at a country pub for lunch.........we were talking all the time about everything under the sun 





I think I mentioned L had injured her hands, they together with her wrists are both in splint/casts, so she is helpless, it was an interesting experience helping her on with her coat, buckling her seatbelt in the car, plus cutting up her food and partially feeding her in the pub.

When I eventually returned home Caroline called in on her way home from her Oxford university course, which had been all about suicide, so we discussed that for a while.................... then she went with Cathy to stay with friends near London.................tonight they are treating Cathy to a surprise pre-birthday (it's on the 19th) treat at a London restaurant, where you dine in complete darkness london http://london.danslenoir.com/en/home/there is a branch in St.Petersburg where the waiters are actually blind, but Lisa doesn't fancy it 



 most of the reviews are positive, but I am not sure how I would feel about the experience 






Here are a few watercolours of the "Lake District" in the north of England...























​​I can't recall where this one came from, it was amongst my saved images, it's certainly not the Lake District 









​


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## CeeCee

Good afternoon!  Mammogram complete!  Yay!


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## Wren

Enjoy your Sunday all


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## Ruthanne

merlin said:


> Good day to you all, well it's evening here after a damp cold drizzly day, though I have been out for a walk and some shopping.............. I had a lovely day with Laurence yesterday and because it was a sunny one, we decided to go for a short drive into Thornbury a nearby town, (L lives in a country area about 3 miles away). We then walked for around 6 hours apart from stopping off at a country pub for lunch.........we were talking all the time about everything under the sun
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think I mentioned L had injured her hands, they together with her wrists are both in splint/casts, so she is helpless, it was an interesting experience helping her on with her coat, buckling her seatbelt in the car, plus cutting up her food and partially feeding her in the pub.
> 
> When I eventually returned home Caroline called in on her way home from her Oxford university course, which had been all about suicide, so we discussed that for a while.................... then she went with Cathy to stay with friends near London.................tonight they are treating Cathy to a surprise pre-birthday (it's on the 19th) treat at a London restaurant, where you dine in complete darkness london http://london.danslenoir.com/en/home/there is a branch in St.Petersburg where the waiters are actually blind, but Lisa doesn't fancy it
> 
> 
> 
> most of the reviews are positive, but I am not sure how I would feel about the experience
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Here are a few watercolours of the "Lake District" in the north of England...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​​I can't recall where this one came from, it was amongst my saved images, it's certainly not the Lake District
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​


Was is Laurence or Lisa that has hurt hands.  I hope they heal up fast.  That must be very hard to deal with for L.  So nice of you to be so helpful Terry.


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## Ruthanne

I slept a lot on Saturday.  It felt so good to bundle up and sleep and little Suzy curled up right next to me on the couch.


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## merlin

Ruthanne said:


> Was is Laurence or Lisa that has hurt hands.  I hope they heal up fast.  That must be very hard to deal with for L.  So nice of you to be so helpful Terry.


Thanks Ruth it was my French friend Laurence who injured her hands, it will take some 4 more weeks before she can have the splints removed, and will then need physio to get them working again... It makes you realise just how helpless we are without the use of our hands ...


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## merlin

Hello from this sunny Sunday morning in Worcester, I woke at 8:30 am and feel better than I have for a while............. I will go for a walk later and maybe go and buy some cheese ready to take with me to Russia on Wednesday.

Have a great Sunday .........  








































​


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## Lady

Good morning all , it a Sunny cold day here ,nothing planned . 
Have a good day ..


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## Pappy

From rainy, windy Florida.


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## Ruthanne

merlin said:


> Thanks Ruth it was my French friend Laurence who injured her hands, it will take some 4 more weeks before she can have the splints removed, and will then need physio to get them working again... It makes you realise just how helpless we are without the use of our hands ...


Oh, okay.  Yes, it's harder to lose the use of your hands than feet.  We do everything with our hands.


----------



## Ruthanne

merlin said:


> Hello from this sunny Sunday morning in Worcester, I woke at 8:30 am and feel better than I have for a while............. I will go for a walk later and maybe go and buy some cheese ready to take with me to Russia on Wednesday.
> 
> Have a great Sunday .........
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​


I'm glad you are feeling better.  That always makes life better.  Lovely pictures as always!


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## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice Sunday ! :wave:


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## SeaBreeze




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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening from a cool dark Worcester, a frost is forecast tonight and tomorrow will be cooler at 6c (42f) ................. my day went well, it was a cool sunny one so I walked to Aldi and bought the first batch of cheese, all the Double gloucester they had, so will go back tomorrow when they will hopefully have restocked. While I was in Aldi they observed the two minutes silence at 11 am for Remembrance Sunday, everything stopped and their was complete silence, I must admit I was moved to tears the war and the loss of so many innocent lives, hit me hard. I wouldn't normally even be aware of the time or the two minutes silence, so it was a valuable experience for me.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I went out again this afternoon and took the dog for a walk, which we both enjoyed....[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Cathy came back an hour ago from her weekend in London, the dark restaurant was an amazing once in lifetime experience for her and her friend, but Caroline had a mini panic attack at the start, and was consoled by one of the waiters who said it happens sometimes.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Eventually Caroline settled and really enjoyed the evening .................. because there are no distractions, you talk much more and food takes on a different dimension because of your heightened senses .............you guess what you ate at the end of the meal and they give you a photo of the dinner plate that was served to you........all the waiters are registered blind and extremely helpful and caring, and the food was wonderful (they all choose the Vegetarian menu)

http://london.danslenoir.com/en/home/
[/FONT]


----------



## Ruthanne

merlin said:


> Good evening from a cool dark Worcester, a frost is forecast tonight and tomorrow will be cooler at 6c (42f) ................. my day went well, it was a cool sunny one so I walked to Aldi and bought the first batch of cheese, all the Double gloucester they had, so will go back tomorrow when they will hopefully have restocked. While I was in Aldi they observed the two minutes silence at 11 am for Remembrance Sunday, everything stopped and their was complete silence, I must admit I was moved to tears the war and the loss of so many innocent lives, hit me hard. I wouldn't normally even be aware of the time or the two minutes silence, so it was a valuable experience for me.
> 
> I went out again this afternoon and took the dog for a walk, which we both enjoyed....
> 
> Cathy came back an hour ago from her weekend in London, the dark restaurant was an amazing once in lifetime experience for her and her friend, but Caroline had a mini panic attack at the start, and was consoled by one of the waiters who said it happens sometimes.
> Eventually Caroline settled and really enjoyed the evening .................. because there are no distractions, you talk much more and food takes on a different dimension because of your heightened senses .............you guess what you ate at the end of the meal and they give you a photo of the dinner plate that was served to you........all the waiters are registered blind and extremely helpful and caring, and the food was wonderful (they all choose the Vegetarian menu)
> 
> http://london.danslenoir.com/en/home/


Glad you had a nice time Terry.


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## Ruthanne

I've had a crazy night but am okay now.  All the best to EVERYONE!


----------



## Wren

Have a great week all


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## merlin

Good morning it's 7:00 am or it was when I started, on a bright frosty morning, I am going cheese hunting again today and will begin my packing ready for an early leave on Wednesday.
Have a great start to a brand new week.......








​

























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## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a good start of the new week. :wave:


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Well I hunted down as much cheese as I could at Aldi and topped up from Asda, I have just done a trial packing and returned it to the fridge until tomorrow night, I have split my packing between two suitcases for the hold this time, to make them more manageable.   [/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]
I also serviced our elderly gas central heating boiler this morning which is 30 years old this next January, the only thing that ever goes wrong is the thermocouple which lasts about 4 years and when it goes the pilot light won't stay on. I replace it every 3 years to make sure it doesn't fail while I am away, it only costs $5


The right hand copper piece . I am sure you are interested 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


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## SeaBreeze




----------



## Lady

Evening all,4.30 pm here and its dark  already , Ive had a lazy day because i was woken at 4am by my guest leaving for the Airport .
Took my Dog to the vets  this morning and she was all over the place , shes so excitable like a pup  but shes almost 7yrs .
she had  her yearly Booster and weight taken then we left .
Have a nice evening  everyone ...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a pleasant Tuesday ! :wave:


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, I have been busy sorting out odds and ends before I leave early tomorrow morning, I will be in Russia around 20 hours from now, assuming all goes to plan, I am looking forward to being with Lisa until virtually the end of the year 28th December....

Apart from the cheese which is residing in the fridge until the last minute, all packed I checked in and printed my boarding pass this morning, so I can relax now until tomorrow.

I hope your days are going/went well.....  




























​


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## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice Wednesday ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy

Good morning from Florida. 72 degrees here and almost ready for my morning walk.


----------



## RadishRose

_*Enjoy the day!*_


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Lady

Good evening all 7pm here .,its been a wet day here and the washing went in the drier . Im wondering if Merlin is in Russia yet , its some where id like to go but im not going to leave this Country  now .
On Friday night   im going to see James Blunt  in Concert , emails have been arriving from the venue on security checks  plus of all nights  the Christmas lights are being switched on so ive been told theres road closures and delays expected ..
Well have a nice evening all .


----------



## Wren




----------



## Lady

Good Morning all


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## merlin

Good afternoon from my second home here in St.Petersburg, though I spend more time here than in the UK 




It's a grey damp day at 40f with some snow flurries at times, Lisa is working so I am settling in and sorting out my clutter





The taxi ride last night took longer than expected, because having booked a taxi at the airport kiosk, when it arrived Lisa knew he wasn't a Russian by his look and accent, he was from the Caucasus region, he was friendly so everything was fine, but halfway to Lisa's apartment we were flagged down by the police. 

The driver became nervous, and after a 10 minute conversation with the police he told us he was being detained by them and rang his son to come and collect us.................after another 15 minutes our driver returned, rang and cancelled his son coming and took us the rest of the journey............ he had obviously paid the police some money for his release, this is common practice here, because the police are so poorly paid they rely on bribes for their income.

In the baggage reclaim, they now employ a cute looking black and white spaniel as a sniffer dog, who jumps on the belt and examines every suitcase, it was fun to watch and everyone was taking photos, I took a quick one but it's obscured.

My suitcases were also x-rayed on the way out, and I had to explain that the strange images were cheese, so I was allowed to go through 



 .................. all is well that ends well 





Enjoy your Thursday 









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## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good afternoon to you all, I am still a bit out of tune with the time so tending to get up on UK time, 3 hours late 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




it's 1:30 pm at the moment.
Lisa is at the university again so I have just made a chilli bean casserole for dinner and bought a bottle of monks wine to go with it 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Enjoy your Friday and the weekend...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







































​[/FONT]​


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## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon. Have a nice Friday ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all it's almost noon on another grey day here, nothing much planned just more vacation planning and dreaming............hope you are enjoying your weekend..........

An Italian flavour today Gaetano Bellei...
























































​


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## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!  (with balloons and a buttermilk sky)

__
_


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !
Happy Sunday ! :wave:


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## Wren

Good morning all, enjoy your Sunday


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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning friends although it's 12:30 pm here, so I guess it's really good afternoon [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] it's another grey dreary day and cold out, so apart from popping to the corner shop, for essential items like wine and beer [/FONT]






[FONT=&quot] we are staying indoors... we will spend more time on the Mexico vacation project, though the plan for the next summer one is looming, because Lisa's daughter Katya wants our dates, so she can plan her time away with her husband James next July.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We had planned on coming to the US for the next two summer vacations, Massachusetts 2018 and California 2019, but the deepening cold war and visa unavailability seems to have blocked that for now.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]So it looks like Colombia is the next project, Bogata and Cartagena both look interesting [/FONT]






[FONT=&quot]I hope your weekends are going well, here is some Italian rustic art by Eugenio Zampighi :[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	












































[/FONT]​


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## Pappy




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## SeaBreeze




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## Wren




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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !
Have a happy new week ! :wave:


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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning/afternoon/evening/night or wherever you happen to be, I am not entirely sure where I am to be honest 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




It's just another boring grey day here as usual, we are going to lunch shortly to the new Georgian restaurant 100 yards down the road from Lisa's apartment, it's been open a week and always looks empty when we pass, but we will give it a try.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


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## merlin

Good evening to you all, lunch at the new restaurant was good, it's a well laid out chic style place, I am not sure what they call it, sort of warehouse/industrial, all the heating ventilation pipes are exposed and brickwork etc..... a very common style in the UK, the food was good and it was surprisingly busy for a Monday lunchtime..... here are a few pics...


































​


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## Falcon

Looks cozy and nice  Merlin.  I'd like to go there.


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## Ruthanne




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## Wren




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## Lady

good morning all,the food looks good Merlin,and Lisa looks happy .

its dark and wet here at 8.07 am not to cold ,ive nothing planned..

have a good day everyone


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## merlin

Good morning from a slightly brighter St.Peter, I have just made a pork casserole for dinner and the rest of the day is an open book  





Have a good Tuesday whatever you decide to do 













































​


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## CeeCee

Good morning everyone!  Today I'm going to my daughter's for about a week.  It's going to be warm, 81!

my oldest grandson is home from Cal Poly for the week and I haven't seen him since we dropped him off in September.  It will be a fun week...with

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, soon to be 14 grandson's birthday and then driving to San Luis Obispo to return grandson to college on Sunday...love that area!

Between those major events will be the usual lunches out with my daughter and shopping, etc... maybe a mother and daughter pedicure too. 

Im excited...just hate the 3 hr drive.

Dont know if I'll get online as much so a 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all my American friends.


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## Vega_Lyra

Good evening to you all ! :wave:


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## Wren

Good morning all, great paintings merlin, have a wonderful time with your family CeeCee


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## Pappy




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## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all ! 
:wave:


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## Lady

Good afternoon  3.20pm and its been dark most of the day , with a weather warning in place , we have the strong winds but not the heavy rain yet.

Cee Cee  have a lovely time with your family reunion..

Everyone else have a nice day


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## SeaBreeze




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## merlin

Good evening to you all, I have spent all day going through the year end 2016/17 accounts to email to my accountant, so I am pretty much brain dead  






I hope you are all having a good Wednesday ....






























































​


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## Wren

Keep warm and have a great day everybody


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## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !
We are grateful for all we have. :wave:


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## merlin

*A very happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends here ........ have a great day!!!*
​

a card for you here https://is.gd/lvRJJC

​


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## Ruthanne




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## SeaBreeze




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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening to you all, I had an accident last night and clumsily spilt some water on my laptop keyboard which stopped the computer dead an ominous click [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] ..........so I put it on the central heating radiator overnight to dry out. Luckily it started ok this morning though the keyboard is all over the place, so I am using the onscreen one at the moment. If it's permanently damaged I will connect a wireless keyboard [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] at least it was only water .[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Enjoy your day........[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]a few paintings by Susanne Schuenke .........[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







































[/FONT]​


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## Wren

Hope everybody enjoyed Thanksgiving yesterday


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## Pappy

Good morning everyone.....


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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]A very good afternoon to you all, we still have gloomy weather here, but I feel sunny inside today 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I read an article by the developer of Amazon "Alexa" yesterday, he said by 2020 it would be possible to have a 20 minute conversation with Alexa 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 .......... so as it comes with the Amazon music app. I thought I would see how she is developing, the conversation was interesting:

Me: Good morning Alexa how are you 
Alexa: Hello I hope you are having a good day .
Me: Are you free for lunch?
Alexa: I am sorry I don't understand that 
Me: Ok I will take a rain check on lunch .
Alexa: Yes, how may I help you ?
Me: Can you play me songs by Simon & Garfunkel
Alexa: Are you asking me to play songs by Simon & Garfunkel?
Me: Yes please
Alexa: I am shuffling songs by Simon & Garfunkel

Then "Bridge Over Troubled Water" started playing, not sure if this was a coincidence or a reflection on our conversation about lunch 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I must admit it was fun, but some work needs to be on her social skills 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Have a great weekend 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










[/FONT]


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## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend ! :wave:


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## RadishRose

Good Morning


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## Ruthanne




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## Wren

Have a great weekend all


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## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all. :wave:
Happy Saturday !


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## Goldilocks

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qiVqztSqazXmpSgoVLSltVVYUpTDQJPgraT5Mk9koJ4OIYtiapUSs12y39SK5UJxizkJkqSKYyhtxyV3lSkTLislwYIQAMEJGOcxaqkudPtdpc2i2ZQUFuZezuYlz46lqA8yWyeB8/ESSyeWDQJvt37oTT9Ekle10rTQ5odW34FNHpiseWu/R3WDTRxLl5yDl0KaZuKnTJaQ6gpbK1pdxzktpJ4IO498xYKsaV0m3VNTP8ADb1Wm220pUC4XOyAkDevucAcnk9 8Ktlv2/o9Y38JW9 LusoaU8ipU6kJcSwpwFWVem4FWe0V 6h/vlsUyUpbl8VmsLnUJqSn3XCpYcUSAjYkeXgfp2gKKR82QQ09ItdBpWmyCQxMNe9GyP7KveqzVPlb/q7arEDBDudinB7D4jIj 62J6brbz045UnnnACVHceMcRkdaDtz iSaDolc0t4PuoSaqLrQwMH6iAuT7rnc4gdYZRL1adabTtbQ8tKUj0AUQBBSBKCzIyvIq1uZnHGXAsYJ Y3zFVcmHfE2IQfZI4glGR6gk8x9Va2iacSchUbkVN9B4Wf7wUjI9VLzZHtNgpZlLrnZNQUgpOP82YVEal1RAwEM/wC6YaUZ7wha08hWkOsahAKimITv/wCk6qgEbGf90wWe1CqzoUEuBrd32cQ2T3jD3hOhvZSu13U3inTu qWDddQXne6XM9wonmNZuKZOcBKQfaEuMhekIB2dkv8AvSE/ijxrMyVZ3/vAk1yYSpB48pyIT4yPdI7KP7VPz1lOBd71FSAgKCUjkBJIx 8aRds N3nySc7lEk/3JhFjITob2Upz8pxsyFLSrun1gb17znOVZJg4vUCpLkRKkN GFbs85P7w2YyFDQE4ajlgUJClk3XOqOVKBP6j/wBoLv12amPzqz phOjI90hRHMyCKLyjblTecIJIg9T7vqtLfS9KzjrLiexQojEI0ZHi0HkJGZeRG7qY8g/NTDafVbqFaKimXrMxMSygQ5LPTDnhugjGFAKGYdkl1u3HTqbOyUvaVspbm2kturW1MKXxnzAl3g8 kVyjIjMMZN0jjrOoEV5xU4HqxrykoBtq2ztG3JlnST9T4kZDDs2iSNSpTjszLpdcDxSFEntgf84yCetwQx1DKcbMhtf/2Q==Good morning everyone!!


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Sunday everyone !


----------



## Ruthanne

Happy Sunday!

I'm still up.  I had a long nap yesterday and not tired yet.


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## merlin

A quick hello and goodbye, it's 8:30 pm here and we have been out and about most of the day, the bad news is my laptop stopped working altogether a couple of days ago, so we have taken it to a local repairman to have a look at it, he quoted $45 to fit a new keyboard and repair the computer, which is remarkably cheap 



 he will ring on Monday to confirm it's what he thinks it is. 

In the meantime I have bought a new 10" Notebook at a sale in a shop down the road for a $100 which is remarkably cheap as well, but of course the system is all in cyrillic, so I am in the process of converting it to English 



 then I will be able to do more than just type online 





Will catch up and see you all tomorrow ................. enjoy the rest of the weekend


----------



## Wren

Bbrrrrrrrrrrr feeling chilly today, have a good week everybody


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!_


----------



## merlin

A very Good Evening, I have been for a longish walk with Lisa this morning down the main street here "Nevsky Prospect" we walked about 2 miles and came back on the bus.


The morning was surprisingly sunny so I took a few videos which I will post below............ I will go and have dinner now which is a spicy cottage pie I have made 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  ..................


Enjoy your Monday ...


----------



## Goldilocks

Good morning everyone!  I am slow on the go this morning, but it's allowed!!  Have a lovely day!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening everyone ! :wave:


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Morning all,


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, it's still not really dawn here though it's 9 am, I slept reasonably well and will have a look at the next project here, painting the bathroom. We bought the paint the other day, and it's a straightforward case of sealing some stains on the ceiling and repainting it, plus the walls. The only problem is here the ceilings are very high so it involves high ladder work 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Have a great Tuesday ...... here are some humorous cat paintings from a local artist Vladimir Rumyantsev, evidently known throughout Europe and the US for his "St.Petersburg Cats". I have posted a few in the past, I find them funny and clever the way he captures expressions....
























































​


----------



## Shalimar

Fabulous cats Merlin!


----------



## WilliamArcuri

Good night to all of you. Sleep well.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good night to you all !


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## Lady

good evening all ,very cold here .I went shopping today for a few things to take on my weekend away which is this Saturday.
Im going to Winchester in Hampshire , south of where i live .Ive not been to this area before so im looking forward to this ..

Good News regarding Harry and Megan


----------



## Ina

Hey Merlin, like your cats as well, but then there’s not many of your showings that I don’t like.  Keep at it friend, I appreciate the education.  :bowknot:


----------



## Wren

Have a great day everybody


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


----------



## Wren




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## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Morning all, well the countdown to Christmas starts today !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !:wave:
Happy December !


----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, I have had a couple of sad days so have been in my own space, I am back to a more settled state now..... enjoy your weekend..... it's a snowy one here and about on freezing point.......... here is a video I took earlier.....​​


----------



## Shalimar

Wren said:


> Morning all, well the countdown to Christmas starts today !
> View attachment 45392


 yay.


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## Wren

Morning all


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## Vega_Lyra

Happy weekend ! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




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## CindyLouWho

Good Morning!


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




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## Pappy

Good morning from Florida and another beautiful sunrise.


----------



## MarkinPhx




----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Morning!


----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all on this dark gloomy Sunday, Lisa has been busy with her online conference yesterday and today with a University in Poland, the professor who organises it is hilarious, he writes the most amusing emails I have come across, and seems quite a character......

I have been on phase two of the annual accounts, which I have been procrastinating on for over a week, but I am at least getting somewhere now.
I will post the videos of yesterdays tram trip and a short clip from our metro return journey, we decided to come back to our new local restaurant for dinner. The food was excellent again and the atmosphere and decor great, but the waitresses leave a lot to be desired, the food came in the wrong order and everything got mixed up, our waitress also lacked warmth and was not welcoming, evidently the Georgians can come across like that, it's part of their nature  



  ............... we enjoyed our meal though and had a second drink each, which is never a good idea for me, the Georgian beer is strong and though you feel good at the time, a couple of hours later I fell asleep on the bed here for three hours, so my nights sleep was all over the place  





I am more or less back to normal today until the next time............  






A mixed bag of paintings by Russian artists....












































​


----------



## Wren




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## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !
Have a lovely new week ! :wave:


----------



## Lady

afternoon all , I went to Winchester and Oxford over the weekend ,The journey down was a bit hair raising when the coach got its wheels locked when braking and we went into a Skid down the Motorway , the driver had to swerve to miss stationary traffic ..
Its beggining to get dark here and its only coming up to 4pm .roll on to light nights .Have a nice evening all .


----------



## SeaBreeze




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## Wren

Have a good day everybody


----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Morning!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon all ! :wave:


----------



## rkunsaw

Good morning folks. A cold front came thru last night and the temp is going to be 25 degrees colder today than yesterday.


----------



## Pappy

Good morning....rain has stopped and a mixed sunrise this morning. 68 degrees and perfect for walking.


----------



## RadishRose

That's a fascinating sky, Pappy!


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Hi everyone it's 6:00 pm here and I haven't achieved much today, apart from a short walk to the corner shop to pick up some groceries, and cook some fish for dinner. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I have finished watching a Netflix series (originally a BBC production called "River") which I somehow missed when it was on the BBC. I loved it for it's depth and all the issues it brought up. [/FONT]





[FONT=&quot]Have a great Tuesday!![/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Trailer:[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]



[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
?[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]Some paintings by Walter Moras a 19th century German landscape artist, I love the way he uses light in his works....[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


































[/FONT]​


----------



## Ruthanne

For my one post as of late...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !
Sunny, but cold today.... :wave:


----------



## CindyLouWho

* Good Morning!*


----------



## Pappy

Good morning from Pappy and Florida.


----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, it's 4:30 on another dull day here,  I have made a fish pie for our dinner, when Lisa comes home from work at 5ish....
Enjoy your day in whatever shape or form it arrives in 





Here are a few paintings by the Californian born artist Guy Rose which I came across earlier...
_
Guy Orlando Rose was born March 3, 1867, in San Gabriel, California. He was the seventh child of Leonard John Rose and Amanda Jones Rose.

His father was a prominent California senator. He and his wife raised their large family on an expansive Southern California ranch and vineyard – the San Gabriel Valley town of Rosemead bears the family name. In 1876 young Guy Rose was accidentally shot in the face during a hunting trip with his brothers. While recuperating he began to sketch and use watercolors and oil paints. He graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1884 and moved to San Francisco where he studied art between 1885 and 1888 at the School of Design

On September 12, 1888, Rose enrolled at the Académie Julian in Paris and studied with Benjamin-Constant, Jules Lefebvre, Lucien Doucet and Jean-Paul Laurens while in Paris. 

Rose lived in New York in the 1890s and illustrated for Harper's, Scribners, and Century. Choosing to return to France in 1899, he and his wife Ethel Rose bought a cottage at Giverny. In 1900 he resided in Paris and spent the winter in Briska, Algeria where he painted three known paintings. From 1904 to 1912 husband and wife lived in Giverny and his works from this period show the influence of "the master" Claude Monet, who became his friend and mentor.
























































​_


----------



## MarkinPhx

Good morning ! It's finally jacket weather time here in the desert


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day all


----------



## merlin

Good afternoon all, it's a sunny day day though just on freezing point  




   Lisa is working at the university and I am lazing around as usual  



 ..... we are going to Mariinsky Theatre this evening to see a programme of ballet excerpts from the "Silver Age", (end of 19th to beginning of 20th century) I am looking forward to it. They have evidently switched on the seasonal street decorations, so I will try and take a video of some of them on the way.

Enjoy the day.....  





Here are some pics of street art by the Croatian artist Lonac .......

_Best known for his large-scale photorealistic murals, Lonac is a highly talented Croatian artist whose amazing works can be found throughout his native country and beyond. His signature huge, eye-catching pieces – created with spray cans and brushes – are usually influenced by skateboard culture, comics, graffiti, movies, music, but also current social issues. Strong knowledge of operating painting equipment including his masterful spray can control has allowed the artist to create a recognizable body of work that ranges from monumental realistic pieces to smaller, humorous and often surreal works.








































































​_


----------



## Buckeye

HELP!!  I've been stuck in Southern Ohio for the last 10 days, and will be for 2 more.  Haven't seen sunshine since I left Arizona.  It's going to be a long 48 hours.  Would someone please post a sunny picture to get me thru the next two days.  (and the trip back to AZ will be, uh, interesting.  My new lady friend and me and our 2 little yappers in a small sedan for 2,000 miles....)  The things we do for love??

Hoot


----------



## Pappy

Hoot...I can give you a Florida sunrise from this morning.


----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Morning!*


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Sunny autumn for you....


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## SeaBreeze

Hoot N Annie said:


> HELP!!  I've been stuck in Southern Ohio for the last 10 days, and will be for 2 more.  Haven't seen sunshine since I left Arizona.  It's going to be a long 48 hours.  Would someone please post a sunny picture to get me thru the next two days.  (and the trip back to AZ will be, uh, interesting.  My new lady friend and me and our 2 little yappers in a small sedan for 2,000 miles....)  The things we do for love??
> 
> Hoot


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening to you all !


----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all from a white St.Peter, we have had several snow showers overnight and today. 
We had a lovely time at the ballet last night, I will post some videos/photos later....... I have been out of it today though because I didn't sleep well last night  



 ............ the snow season has started at last, so we have decided to go on a trip to an old partly restored manor house, it's about a 30 minute train ride and a mile or so walk from here.

Enjoy your weekend.....

A few paintings from the Spanish 19th century artist Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida























































​


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Have a great weekend everybody


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## QuietMouse

Good morning everyone.....a thick white frost here this morning, but the sun is shining..
have a great weekend, wherever you are in the world...


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy

Good morning all. The sunshine state has a glitch this morning.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Morning!*


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Have a great week folks


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all ! :wave:


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, I have been decorating today in the bathroom, I also made a dinner out of leftover chicken legs, and some buckwheat with mixed veg and lots of spices, which went down very well   





Have a good week..._






​_


----------



## merlin

We spent a lovely day out in the snow yesterday, in fact we enjoyed it so much we will do another trip next weekend, though all the snow has gone here at the moment and it's warmer with rain 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Here are some pics we took of the estate we visited, it's about 30 minutes by train north of here and a vast area of with buildings in various states of disrepair, the Germans never reached it, and during Soviet times it was used as communal flats, so it is one of the very rare examples of a Manor house and estate of the 19th century, that survived.

_The estate was built by Alexey Olenin, the president of the Academy of Arts at the beginning of the 19th century. Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Glinka, Pyotr Vyazemsky and Vassily Zhukovsky were frequent guests here. The museum organizers carefully preserve evidences of a unique page in the history of Russian culture from the 1820s.

Alexey Nikolaevich Olenin enjoyed the reputation of a well-rounded person. He served as the president of the Arts Academy, the first director of the Public Library, and a member of the State Council. He was not only an art connoisseur, but cared about and supported writers, poets, artists and musicians. 

Priyutino was frequented by lots of famous figures of Russian art and culture. It became the abode of exalted imaginative atmosphere of respectful and intellectual communication, that was free from affectedness and hypocrisy.





























































​_


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot].................... a few photos of the interior.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



















[/FONT]​


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## RadishRose

Goodnight-


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Hi everybody I have spent the day decorating and relaxing alternately, Lisa has been having a few bad arrhythmia attacks recently, so went to get some pills to help stabilise her heart. I am sleeping better but if I doze during the day, I can't get off to sleep at night, so it becomes a vicious circle.

In the evening we are watching a French thriller on BBC, which scares Lisa so we watch an episode of "The Affair" on Netflix afterwards to calm her down 



 ....... The Affair is not a series I would normally be drawn to, but it's leads are both Brits who are good actors, and it is in it's third season with a 4th in production, so it must have something


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## merlin

Good morning from a wet Wednesday here, I hope you all enjoy the day to it's fullest,  ................... I will continue decorating the bathroom here now, a creation in white  







A few paintings by the French 19th century artist Marie Bracquemond...... 




































​


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon all !


----------



## Pappy

good morning......


----------



## CindyLouWho

*Morning!*


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !
:wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good night all !


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Morning everybody, have a good day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all ! 
:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## hollydolly

Have a Happy Day folks....


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Evening!*


----------



## RadishRose

_Goodnight_


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !


----------



## Pappy

Good morning. Our Florida sunrise this morning.


----------



## Wren

Morning all, sunrise in my little corner of the world, enjoy your Sunday


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Cold and wet weather today......
Enjoy your Sunday ! :wave:


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CeeCee

Good Afternoon!  Hope everyone is having a super Sunday!


----------



## Wren

Morning all


Awwww, in the original all the characters are dancing, dosn’t seem to work on this site, sorry x


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Monday everybody ! :wave:


----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Morning!*


----------



## Pappy

Good morning from Florida and Pappy.....


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good Morning!


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good night!


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !


----------



## Pappy

Good morning forum...


----------



## Wren




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Happy Wednesday Mornin' All!*


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Evening      *


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good afternoon to you all, we woke to a winter wonderland this morning, a few inches of snow fell overnight, so it will be a White Christmas here, because it will remain subzero into the foreseeable future, and more snow is forecast. 

Have a great Thursday everyone...

Photo I just took from the balcony here........





​


----------



## Pappy

Good morning. No snow here, but lots of fog.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening to you all ! :wave:


----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Afternoon! Dreaming I am here and not working


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy

Good morning. On my walk this morning....


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your Friday !


----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, it's been a slow day for me, I have felt all weak and wobbly with a very low BP all day, yesterday it was high all day, my body is just weird 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





  the thing is on a high BP I feel on top of the world 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ......

​I did cook a spicy cottage pie and cleaned some pots and pans, but have been lying down the rest of the time.......... 

Have a great weekend 



​































​


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren

Morning everybody, enjoy your weekend


----------



## QuietMouse

Good morning, wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas  x


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend !:wave:


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## RadishRose

*good morning

*


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good evening from a snowy St.Peter, it's been a mixed day, I slept well and my BP is back to normal so I feel good, but sadly Lisa woke up at 5am with sickness and diarrhea, so she has spent the day in bed, thankfully she is feeling better now though feeling weak. but our Christmas celebrations tomorrow will be OK I think. 
We both ate the same food and drink yesterday, so it must have been a bug of some sort, hopefully I won't go down with it tomorrow  





I just took a short video of the snowstorm from the balcony.


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good afternoon from our Christmas day here 24th, (tomorrow is a working day) we both woke up feeling a bit tired but went out at 8am to buy a leg of lamb from the market for our celebration dinner, we were going yesterday but Lisa was too weak to go out in the end. After our early morning walk to the market, we both feel invigorated...... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I had the lamb and all the spices together with a kilo of chopped tomatoes, and a couple of fried onions in the slow cooker by 10am, after a flash roast in the oven for an hour. 

I always cook lamb in my version of a Moroccan tagine, with cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, paprika, garlic, ginger, cumin, cardamom, coriander and chilli. It will hopefully be melt in the mouth ready by around 6pm, we will have it with roast potatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and carrots. 

A couple of pics

....the start of slow cooking..[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




​[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot].......just now after 4 hours[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## merlin

I took a few photos of the dining room last night with a table decoration, that one of Lisa's students brought here as a gift in the evening, which was very fortuitous. 
I put all the presents I bought for Lisa on the side table, it looks a lot but most are simple everyday things.


----------



## Pappy

Good morning from Florida....


----------



## RadishRose

Good morning!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Merry Christmas ! 
:wave:


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Pappy

Good morning from the Moose club breakfast.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Merry Christmas !


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, it's been a busy morning, I went for a haircut and we went to a bank here to get some US dollars for our Mexican trip, you can get dollars here at the bank exchange rate with no charges, unlike the UK. I will mainly use Pesos but dollars are always handy. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I have also been hanging plates and sorting out boxes fot us to take Lisa's house plants to a friends house, who will look after them while Lisa is in the UK.

Here are a few photos from our Christmas celebration yesterday......


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody, enjoy your day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Dreaming of a White Christmas......
Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Tuesday Morning.*..back to work!


----------



## Aurelia

My first day to visit this site.  Enjoyed all your pictures.  I am way too lazy to take pictures of food.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody ! :wave:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice Thursday !


----------



## Wren




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Pappy

Good morning from Pappy.....


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Wren

Good morning all, enjoy your day, whatever the weather...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !
Rainy, cold day.......
:upset:


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

Good afternoon from sunny Worcester, this has turned into a nice day like yesterday though cold at just above freezing point.

Lisa is waiting for her flight to the UK from Russia at this very moment, but as usual British Airways computer system crashed again, so the flight is delayed by an hour or so 



 they are pretty much the poorest airline we have now, it's convenient for Lisa and a reasonable price, but I would never go near them 





I am still adjusting to life at home here, I woke this morning and thought I was still in St.Petersburg with Lisa for a few moments 





Have a great weekend 






A few paintings by the watercolour Impressionist Alvaro Castagnet ....


----------



## Shalimar

I love the dancers.


----------



## CindyLouWho

Thank God It's Friday!


----------



## Wren

Enjoy the weekend everybody


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Saturday Morning!*


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !


----------



## merlin

Good evening from a mild Worcester, it's been a breezy day with some sun at 14c, I have spent most of the day sorting out various technology stuff on the computers here, I will take the bargain Russian laptop I bought on our Mexican vacation, so if it gets lost, stolen or damaged, it's no loss 



 I have put all the software I need on it, and converted it to English from the Russian Windows installation it came with, it still starts with a couple of cyrillic screens but from then on it's readable 





Netflix removed "The Affair" from their UK site yesterday without warning 



 we only had 5 episodes to go in season 3, but I managed to find a site streaming it for free, though not strictly legal, hopefully it will stay up long enough for us to finish it 





Here are some paintings I love from the contemporary Russian artist Gleb Goloubetski.....







_Born in Omsk in the former Soviet Union in 1975, Gleb Goloubetski displayed noticeable artistic talent as a child under the tutelage of his father who was also a successful painter.

Gleb's formal training came from his studies at the highly acclaimed academy in St Petersburg where his work attracted much attention. Gleb's inspiration comes primarily from the aged architecture and geography of Europe. He travels extensively in the United Kingdom, the Mediterranean, the Far East, and Maui looking for images to paint. When he finds a view that inspires him, Gleb will sit and absorb it for some time, paying particular attention to how the natural light conditions of the day influence his perspective and moreover his emotional response.

Returning to his main studio in St Petersburg, Gleb will sit and consider his reference material. Reminding himself of scale, he then begins to paint. It is Gleb's emotional response to the subject that he conveys to the canvas, in oil, with only his palette knife.





















































​_


----------



## CindyLouWho

_Evening Everyone!_


----------



## Wren

Morning all, enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy

Can’t sleep so making coffee. Good morning.....


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Hi everyone, I hope you are all having a good last day of 2017, or maybe you are already in 2018, I am off to my daughter Caroline's now to start the celebrations, be back later...[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]​​










​[/FONT]​


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody on the first day of 2018


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


----------



## Shalimar

Happy New Year from Canada.


----------



## CindyLouWho

_Happy New Year!_:goodmorning:


----------



## merlin

A very Happy New Year to you all, I hope your first day is a good one, I had a great time at my daughter Caroline's last night, but after finally getting to bed at 2 am, I couldn't sleep  



 so I am struggling to stay awake as I type this, will go and have a doze and come back later...



















​


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Morning!*


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !


----------



## CindyLouWho

_Good Morning Rain_


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !:wave:


----------



## Wren

Hello everybody, hope you’ve all had a nice day


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, it's a bright and breezy day here and I feel a bit tired not sleeping so well last night 




 have been reading about driving in Mexico and after watching a Rick Stein food and culture programme on the Yucatan, *LINK HERE* I am looking forward to meeting some Mexicans and trying their food 





Have a good weekend


Here are a few paintings by Hans Dahl (19 February 1849 – 27 July 1937) a Norwegian artist who was famous for his paintings of Norwegian fjords and surrounding landscapes.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening to you all !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !
Have a nice weekend !:wave:


----------



## Shalimar

Good night everyone.


----------



## Wren

Good morning all, have a great weekend


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all.....

Have spent a restful day doing nothing much, apart from making a veggie curry for dinner ....... have as relaxing a weekend as possible.....


























​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Sunday !


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning


----------



## NancyNGA

Sorry, I couldn't resist. layful:


----------



## AliceNWonderland

Good day everyone!


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody


----------



## merlin

Hola I am getting ready for the last but one school run before I go home to Worcester, to get ready for our trip to Mexico, I had some strange dreams last night wandering around familiar but weird houses, and I met George Clooney driving a truck for some reason, no idea what all that means 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Have a good start to the week.....












​


----------



## Pappy

Good morning everyone. Some rain here this morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice week !


----------



## MarkinPhx




----------



## RadishRose




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Good morning all, enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening everybody !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good morning from a dark and misty England, it feels good to be in a warm bed while the world sleeps, at least it seems so here, I woke at 6 and on my first coffee, as usual no plans just slowly getting things sorted out for Mexico....

Have a great Thursday.................... here are a few surreal paintings by  Agnès Boulloche..






​


----------



## Wren

Hi everybody


----------



## kristinah18

*Good Morning*

Hi I'm Kristin and am new here. Feels lonely now a days. And that gave me time to put in an effort to get more social online.     
And so here I am.


----------



## Pappy

Welcome Kristin and Good Morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good morning everyone!_  Time to get up.  (meow)


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good wherever you are in your day, it's afternoon here on a cool grey calm day, I have just made a veggie chilli which should last me until I leave for Bracknell and our Mexican Adventure .................. I ordered some Pesos online which were on offer at Tesco for a good rate, it saves the pressure finding an ATM at the airport on arrival. Within 10 minutes of ordering I received an email saying they were ready for collection, they obviously stock some locally, so I feel rich now with 5,0000 pesos  



  it's only about $260 but it looks a lot and will buy a lot  





Hope your Friday is going well.......



































​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !
Enjoy your weekend !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Good Morning everybody,


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good Morning!


----------



## CindyLouWho

_*Morning!*_


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!

_


----------



## merlin

A very good morning to you all, I am a tad slow getting going today, after a late night from child minding my grandson James, arriving home and bed after 2am. A good time was had by all though, and it made a pleasant change to sit in front of a real coal fire at Caroline's house....

Today I will complete the packing and do some last minute clothes washing, 
Will read some posts now while I wake up with coffee 





Have a good Sunday...





​






​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## NancyNGA

_A Kellogg's Good Morning!  _:hatlaugh:_

_



_
_



_

_


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good evening from Bracknell, Katya has just fed us with a lovely roast pork dinner, with rice and veg plus a lemon drizzle dessert, served with wine plus a large bottle of Leffe for moi, needless to say we are all drunk and very happy  





Everything is ready for our drive to Gatwick airport tomorrow morning at 7:30,  it's around 30 miles from here, we leave the car on the drive of a Polish woman we know as usual, and catch the bus to the airport about 10 minutes away.

Will wish you all well and catch up with you soon


----------



## CindyLouWho

_Have a nice evening_


----------



## Wren

Morning all, have a good day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


----------



## AliceNWonderland

Good morning sunshine!


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Hi from Gatwick airport, everything went smoothly this morning, and we are waiting to board our flight in about 30 minutes, its around 12 hours flight time, be in touch soon [/FONT]





[FONT=&quot]Have a good day ....[/FONT]


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Have a great day!*


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning





_Have a beautiful day!
_


----------



## MarkinPhx




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Wren

Morning everybody, enjoy your day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Evening*.........


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !
Strong blizzard here...
Keep warm .


----------



## AliceNWonderland

It's like this here this morning

Good morning


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## MarkinPhx




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Have a *_nice_* evening!*


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody, enjoy your day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !
Enjoy your Friday !
Keep warm.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Morning!*


----------



## CindyLouWho

*Good Evening!*


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning Everyone!
_


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody, wishing you all a warm and happy weekend


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning! Let's take a ride!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !
Enjoy the weekend !


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody, enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## RadishRose




----------



## rkunsaw

Have a great day everyone, That's an order!!!


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!   Chirp!

_


----------



## Wren

Hey everybody,


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy new week !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## RadishRose

_*Good Morning*_


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning all !


----------



## Wren

And good morning to all


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## MarkinPhx




----------



## RadishRose

_Good Morning


_


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Wren

Good morning, enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Waiting for spring....:wave:
Have a good Wednesday !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## RadishRose

_Goodnight


_


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning all !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ken N Tx




----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy the weekend !


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody,


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy the weekend !


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

We have a nice day again today.  We are getting a break from the snow and cold for a little while.


----------



## Wren

Hope everybody is having a relaxing day


----------



## Ruthanne

Hi!


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

Back to the work week........Have a good day!


----------



## RadishRose

_Good Morning_


----------



## CeeCee

Still morning in California....


----------



## MarkinPhx




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Ruthanne

It's very icy and snowy here this morning.  We had a lot of snow fall late yesterday.  It's pretty but treacherous out there.


----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Morning! :wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Wren

Hava great Wednesday everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !


----------



## CindyLouWho

OH Happy Day!


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day folks


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## RadishRose

_Good Morning!


_


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good Morning!


----------



## RadishRose

_Good Morning


_


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning all !


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend !


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning!


----------



## Falcon

OK  Everybody,  Up  and  at  'em !   Have a great  week end.   :goodmorning:


----------



## SeaBreeze

Have a nice weekend everyone!


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody, enjoy your Sunday
View attachment 48043


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !


----------



## RadishRose

_*Good Morning!


*_


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good morning everyone!_


----------



## Wren

Hope everybody has a great week ahead


----------



## RadishRose

good morning


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!_


----------



## CindyLouWho

_*Good "Tuesday" Morning*_


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning! Happy Hump Day!_
(Oh wait, I forgot, we're retired.  No humps. )


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## RadishRose

_Good Morning


_


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Ruthanne

David and I say Good morning!


----------



## Wren

Have a great day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !
Rainy Thursday......


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, it's a brightish damp morning at 4c after a lot of rain last night, I slept better last night but still on uncertain time zones  





Have a great Friday and weekend to come......



























​


----------



## Wren

Good morning all and welcome back merlin !


----------



## NancyNGA

_Welcome back Merlin!  

_Good morning everyone


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !
Cold and overcast Friday....
Spring cannot be far behind....:wave:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Here are a couple of videos to help with that spring feeling ....


----------



## RadishRose

Good Afternoon


----------



## Wren

Good morning, wishing you all a...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening to you all I have had another slow day, dozing on and off, partly because we had a power cut/outage at around 11:30pm last night This set off the alarm system waking up the neighbourhood [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] but the power finally came came back around 1:00 am. I did keep up with progress via the power companies tweet account, so left the alarm off until it came back on. It meant another late night of course, so on it goes [/FONT]





[FONT=&quot]It's been a bit of a mixed day with some rain showers and quite breezy, enjoy your weekend ...[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## RadishRose

merlin said:


> Good evening to you all I have had another slow day, dozing on and off, partly because we had a power cut/outage at around 11:30pm last night This set off the alarm system waking up the neighbourhood
> 
> 
> 
> but the power finally came came back around 1:00 am. I did keep up with progress via the power companies tweet account, so left the alarm off until it came back on. It meant another late night of course, so on it goes
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It's been a bit of a mixed day with some rain showers and quite breezy, enjoy your weekend ...
> 
> 
> ​


----------



## Falcon

Thanks  Merlin.  Enjoyed all of  the  pictures.


----------



## RadishRose

Good evening


----------



## Wren

Morning all, enjoy your Sunday


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning to you all I hope your Sunday is going well, it's a sunny one here so far and I am pottering about doing various odd jobs around the house. 

I was browsing things Bulgarian earlier in readiness for our next trip, when I came across a native contemporary artist that I liked, Peter Mitchev, .............to me some of his paintings are reminiscent of Klimt's works.

_Peter Mitchev is a master visual artist. He was born on May 9, 1955 in Pleven, Bulgaria. He started painting at the age of 15 and is an autodidact artist. Between 1974 and 1990, his artistic career was developing mainly in Bulgaria because of the limitations imposed by the Communist administration. During that period he was not allowed to travel and exhibit abroad. After the change of the regime in 1990 his international career took off. Mitchev had the unique chance to exhibit together with Salvador Dali at Gallerie L’angle aigu in Bruxelles, Belgium. 

He gained major exposure in France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Denmark. In 1994, the artist joined one of the biggest cultural projects of UNESCO together with Cesar, Carsu, and Buffet and in 1997 the four of them had an exhibition at Hotel de la Monnaie, Paris. Mitchev’s paintings are displayed in collections all over the world along with De Buffet, Picasso, Dali, Rene Magritte and Botero. Hundreds of his_[/FONT][FONT=&quot] paintings are possessions of corporations and museums on the five continents. Between 2000 and 2005 the artist lived and worked in Tampa, Florida. In late 2005 Mitchev returned to his native city of Pleven, Bulgaria
*Artists Statement*
_
During the past century, there was too much aggression and hostility in art and life. Because of this, I have promised myself that I will paint for love and unity. For unity between all people, races, religions, man and nature, and for tolerance between the rich and the poor. For me, this is not an abstract idea, but my deep feeling and belief._

_As humans, we need to remember some very simple things like joy, tears, happiness... This is why time in my painting is reflected by a stillness. The history and memory of mankind are gathered in one place._

_My painting is a message to all people who need love and beauty. What everyone will see in them has already happened, is happening at the moment or will happen in the future. These images are inspired by the memory of mankind and the purest vibrations that people feel._

_These paintings are like children to me and that is why I am thankful if they bring joy and satisfaction. For me, painting is a form of thinking. It is a way of living. It is a mission impossible to give up. Painting is a salvation for my wicked soul..._

*Peter Mitchev, 1999*

*A major theme in his work is the woman placed on a pedestal - the tempting woman, the mother, the beloved wife. Peter says everything in life is held together by love.*

_














































_​[/FONT]


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning! _


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning friends It's a frosty beautiful sunny February morning here, and I am getting ready to go and see my friend Laurence in Bristol this morning, an hours drive from here. I have an appointment with my least favourite doctor this evening, but I will be interested in the BP monitor results.

Have a good week......[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Enjoy the new week !


----------



## CindyLouWho

_Morning!_


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## CindyLouWho

_Good Evening_


----------



## Wren

Morning all, have a good day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Warm and sunny day. Let’s hope spring is really coming.


----------



## merlin

Good morning all, it's a wet drizzly day here, I have just got back from the dentist, all ok there though he did say I am on borrowed time, I replied aren't we all 





I am off to see my brother Geoff now, in fact he lives only around 20 miles from here, so it's crazy we don't see each other very often  





Have a good day hugs to you all........................back later.....


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day everybody


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good morning!  _
Happy Valentine's Day 










But never mess with bacon.:stop:


----------



## RadishRose




----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good evening friends, I am safely ensconced in my Russian home and have had a restful day adjusting to life here, which is much easier than in the UK. Lisa's latest timetable is good in that she works only Monday and Wednesday, so we can go away on long weekends here from Thursday to Sunday 





We are planning one trip down south in March on a 6 hour train journey 200Km south of Moscow to a couple of interesting towns.
This weekend we are going to a festival here called Maslenitsa, in the park on the Islands, it's where our UK Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) originates, I think some parts of the US celebrate it, calling it * Fat Tuesday* or *Mardi Gras *sometimes? The festival lasts a whole week here, and people dress up in traditional costumes with singing and dancing.

It's cold at -8c around 17f with some snow, but in the apartment it's around 80f so very cosy. 

Enjoy your day....

_According to archeological evidence from 2nd century A.D. Maslenitsa may be the oldest surviving Slavic holiday. Maslenitsa has its origins in the pagan tradition. In Slavic mythology, Maslenitsa is a sun-festival, personified by the ancient god Volos, and a celebration of the imminent end of the winter. In the Christian tradition, Maslenitsa is the last week before the onset of Great Lent.

During the week of Maslenitsa, meat is already forbidden to Orthodox Christians, and it is the last week during which eggs, milk, cheese and other dairy products are permitted, leading to its name of "Cheese-fare week" or "Crepe week". The most characteristic food of Maslenitsa is bliny thin pancakes or crepes, made from the rich foods still allowed by the Orthodox tradition that week: butter, eggs and milk.

Since Lent excludes parties, secular music, dancing and other distractions from spiritual life, Maslenitsa represents the last chance to take part in social activities that are not appropriate during the more prayerful, sober and introspective Lenten season._*Maslenitsa





​
*


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## MarkinPhx




----------



## RadishRose

Have a Gummy Good day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good night everybody !


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Ruthanne

Hi everyone.  I haven't been on here as much as usual.  I have been resting.  Hope you all are okay!


----------



## Wren

Great to see some sunshine at last !


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !
Enjoy your Friday !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Wren

Wishing you all a lovely, sunny weekend


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy your weekend !


----------



## Buckeye

Okay, it's 5 a.m. here on Saturday morning and I'm on my second cup of coffee.  We will be leaving early tomorrow morning for an extended road trip, so today is final prep day.  Get car washed, unplug stuff in the house, turn off water to the washer, pack, etc.  It is complicated because we have 2 little yappers to take with us.  {sigh} Not looking forward to this at all.....


Pity party over


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good evening all I am still settling here and sorting out what we are doing for the next few weeks, we had Blinis for lunch yesterday, Lisa had caviar in hers (I don't like it) and I had cheese, with tomatoes.

The Maslenitsa celebrations are tomorrow, we had the wrong day 



 ............. so we will go in the afternoon.

I hope you are all having a good weekend, here are a few watercolours.....























​


----------



## Shalimar

Beautiful dreamy pics, thanks Merlin.


----------



## Wren

Morning all, weather bad so it’s a lazy Sunday at home today


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!_


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Enjoy the new week !


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good afternoon, Lisa and I spent a lovely time at the Maslenitsa celebrations here yesterday, it was the first time I had been and it was much larger than I imagined, there were various events taking place over a large park on the outskirts of the city.
It's still very much a pagan celebration and ends with a bonfire on the last day, it was gently snowing all day which added to the atmosphere. 

_On Sunday a straw effigy symbolizing winter is burnt away and warmer better times are coming back_.

I will post some photos and videos I took on my Russian thread, here a couple....[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
Have a good week...
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	









[/FONT]​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## ProsperosDaughter

:goodmorning::goodmorning:


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

merlin said:


> I will post some photos and videos I took on my Russian thread.
> 
> ​



They are *here*


----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Evening! I'm Dreamin' I Was Here!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

_*Mornin'*_


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !


----------



## merlin

Good afternoon from a sunny day here at around 18f, we got back a while ago from a trip out to do some odds and ends, like getting my visa registered, and visit the computer man for another possible repair of a faulty laptop I brought from the UK, I spilt a glass of wine on the keyboard 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




.......while out walking we were wary of falling icicles melting in the sun, several people have been killed and injured already this year, one man removing them from a building fell from a ledge to his death.

Have a great Tuesday....
_







_


----------



## CindyLouWho

_*Good Evening*_


----------



## merlin

Good morning on a clear sunny day here, though the temperature has dropped to -20c (-4f) which is pretty chilly I guess 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Lisa is going to the university shortly and I will get some dinner a pork casserole for later, goodnight to those of you sleeping and have a great Wednesday when it arrives, ...... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




A few suitably wintry scenes....... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




























​


----------



## Wren

Have a great day !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Jandante

Hi First time in this thread, and a while since I called in at this Forum.
Just back from a week camping with friends at an authorised Free Camp Site Northern Rivers, NSW.
Hubby's son gave him a drone for 80th birthday, and this my favourite pic.  
All the best to All


----------



## Jandante

Is that how it should be? I can see the pic twice.


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## merlin

Good morning friends, it's another sunny cold day here and we are going out shopping later and in the evening to the Marinskii Theatre for a ballet by Prokofiev.

We have just booked train tickets for our trip to the south on a long weekend in March, it's a 6 hour train ride to a town called Kolomna, I have also booked a one bedroom apartment in a quiet area near the centre, for around $70 for three nights.

A few pics of the town which is full of monasteries and museums, they even have one for the history of Marshmallow and for Blinis as well  ..









The beach on the riverbank​







Sadly the town will look more like this 
​



​

 Have a great Thursday  





​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


----------



## Wren

Morning all, have a good day


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## James




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !
Have a nice Friday !


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]A very good afternoon to you all, the evening at the ballet went well and we enjoyed ourselves, I don't dress up for the ballet apart from smart jeans and a sweater, but Lisa always does............guess I am too lazy plus I only really have casual clothes here, that's my excuse 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




..........I have just made a fish pie for dinner and we were going for a walk on the frozen river Neva here this afternoon, but the sun has gone in so we will postpone it till tomorrow or Sunday ....

Have a great weekend....

Here is an old painting of a winter scene on the frozen river here...[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good morning all it's a sunny one so we are off on a tram ride along the River Neva ending up at a cafe for a coffee .... see you later have a good weekend....

The Neva..






​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

[h=3][FONT=&quot]Snow and sub-zerotemperatures today, threatening to hold out through this weekend...
Keep warm.
[/FONT]



[FONT=&quot][/FONT][/h]


----------



## Wren

A cold but sunny good morning to all, enjoy your weekend


----------



## merlin

Good evening from St.Peter where the sun is still shining after a good day out and about. The tram ride of around 40 minutes was from the industrial suburbs towards the city centre, we stopped off at a cafe which translated is called "Plasticine" which all it's decor resembles, even the butter pats are made to look like it. 
We had pumpkin soup with walnuts and sunflower seeds served with warm bread rolls and butter.......Here is a video of part of the trip and a few photos...


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy

Good morning from Pappys place.


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]We decided to stay in and have a cosy day for a change, so we have had a relaxing time in the warm, it has been sunny out but still bitterly cold. I have converted some downloaded Russian e-books for Lisa to read on her Kindle, and cooked a veggie stir fry with buckwheat for dinner. 

Have a great Sunday....
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



















[/FONT]​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a peaceful evening !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## SeaBreeze

Good Morning!


----------



## NancyNGA

A good morning duet in bird talk!  

_Chirp, Chirp!

_


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

Good evening (at least it is here) to you all ...... I have had a lazy day waking up to low BP and pulse rate and felt very weak so relaxed and enjoyed that feeling  





Lisa went to work at 8am and still isn't back yet so I am trying to keep the dinner warm ready for when she returns, it's leftovers from yesterday plus some dranikis I made to go with it.

I have been looking up some details of an abandoned town, about 20 miles from here that Lisa found on the internet yesterday. We will go on Friday or Saturday depending on the weather, it's a 30 minute train ride. 
My daughter Cathy and her partner Mike have been into "Ruins Porn" as it is called, for a while now spending most weekends tracking down empty cottages and various other buildings. I will start a thread on it and post any photos I take on there...

It's been a cloudy boring sort of day out, apart from a snow flurry earlier... a couple of men were removing some icicles and snow from the building opposite, which looked a bit scary...

Hope you Monday is going well....











​


----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Evening


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Snowfall, strong wind and blizzard...
Waiting for spring.....................


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening all it's been another lazy day here, and very cold out at -24c (-11f) and -30c (-22f) is forecast tomorrow [/FONT]




[FONT=&quot] crazily though it might seem it's been too hot in the apartment at over 80f, that we have opened the windows at times to cool it down.... I did venture out to the corner shop and bought some veg to make a kind of cottage pie...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We watched "The Meddler" on Netflix last night, starring Susan Sarandon who I like, it was a mainly a light hearted fun film, with a bit of a message I thought.... recommended!!

[/FONT]


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good morning from a gorgeously sunny but very chilly St.Peter........... from tomorrow it's supposed to get warmer which will be good, because we need to get out for some walking, staying indoors a lot turns me into a vegetable in some way (an unhappy cabbage comes to mind) and I feel my world shrinks  





Lisa is working this afternoon only and we have leftover cottage pie from yesterday, so no cooking to do. I will read some posts and catch up a bit .......... have a good great day .......


----------



## Shalimar

Lovely pics. Is the last one an illustration from Wind In The Willows?


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
We are under the Code Orange for heavy snowfalls and blizzard...
Keep warm !


----------



## Ruthanne

It's a nice day here today.  Going to take  my car in to be fixed.  Hopefully, they won't charge too much...


----------



## Ruthanne

I finally got my car fixed today, spark plugs and a coil plus an oil change and they got my broken dipstick out (and put a new one in for really next to nothing).  I will continue to go to the new place I found.  Nice people!


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Morning everybody, enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !
Have a happy new month !


----------



## RadishRose

_Good Morning


_


----------



## SeaBreeze

_*Good Morning everyone, have a beautiful day!

*_


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning on yet another sunny day here and a tad warmer as well, we enjoyed our outing to the art exhibition yesterday, it's housed in an old mansion which is now the "Faberge" museum. I will post some pics I took below.

Lisa has to go to a panel meeting at the university later today so there are no plans to go anywhere, tomorrow we go to Pushkin to look out the deserted town.
Have a great weekend........


----------



## merlin

It was a 30 minute walk to the French art exhibition which was along the frozen river Fontanka, there was a steady stream walking along the river along a well worn path, I was going to give it a try but to get down to the water level where we were, involved a 2 foot jump so I opted out 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Here are a few pics of it..... 
























​​*The entrance to the exhibition....






​​






*


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## SeaBreeze

Good Morning!


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning  !
Enjoy a peaceful weekend !


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good afternoon to you all, I hope your weekend is going well, we went for a walk this morning around the city looking at some houses designed by a particular architect we both like, most of houses are on street corners and built during the early 20th century, I will post some pictures later. 

Here are some photos I took at the art exhibition yesterday...














































Modigliani who was an alcoholic and a womaniser and had a daughter by his last mistress (common law wife) Jeanne Hebuterne, during her pregnancy with their second child he died, and Jeanne committed suicide two days afterwards...
​






Jeanne Hebuterne
​







One of his many paintings of her ..
​



​


----------



## fmdog44

My first "good" of the day is when I get up and look in the mirror. "Good Greif"!


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Here are some photos of our tram ride and walk today, the buildings were designed by a local architect A.L. Lishnevsky who we both like, they were often built on corner sites at the beginning of the 20th century.............we caught the metro back and had a veggie stir fry for dinner......

Lisa has found a good access point to the main river here, the Neva, it's down some steps to the frozen water, so we will probably go for a walk on the river tomorrow at some stage, before warmer weather comes and the ice melts.... 

Hope you are enjoying your weekend.... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





My favourite of the buildings[/FONT]






[FONT=&quot]
Some features on another one, they are so called devils and spirits evidently, and are featured a lot inside, but we couldn't go in because they are private residential units now...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	















​[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]A couple of views from the tram window...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




​[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




​[/FONT]​


[FONT=&quot]A mosaic over the escalator in the metro station we used, there is a different one at each station....[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## Wren

Morning all, hope your weekend is going well


----------



## SeniorsParadise

good morning


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Have a great Monday everyone.......[/FONT]






​


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]A walk on the frozen river Neva yesterday......[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We both enjoyed this experience a lot, Lisa last walked on it the 1970s so it brought back old memories, you only realise just how wide this river is at around half a kilometre, when you are down on it ........ [/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]




































​[/FONT]​*Love in a cold climate 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






*


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]A couple of videos I took, excuse the shakiness, I was concentrating on the walking rather than the camera [/FONT]


----------



## Wren

Morning all, have a great week


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a lovely new week !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## SeaBreeze

Good Morning!


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good night!


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning friends, it's a cloudy morning here so far at 8:30 am, I don't have any particular plans, but having spent some time reading stuff on the internet, I have decided to have another go at reading some of the works of *Dostoyevsky* who I haven't read since I was a teenager, so I have downloaded a copy of *"The Brothers Karamazov"* which is a deep dark philosophical novel, of nearly 700 pages 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ......most reviewers on the internet say it's a life changing book, and purportedly the best novel ever written...... his house which is now a museum is only 150 yards from here, which we visited some 10 or more years ago, I recall it was very interesting and must go again sometime......................since I started writing this the sun has come out and the sky is a clear blue like yesterday........ have a good Tuesday everyone... here are a few paintings on the theme of relaxing in warmer time[/FONT][FONT=&quot]s...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






























[/FONT]​


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

_*Morning!*_


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## SeaBreeze

Good night, sweet dreams.


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody


----------



## Ruthanne

Ruthanne said:


>


Good morning!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Evening folks, it's 7:30 pm here and it's been another gloriously sunny day, Lisa has been working so I have spent most of it reading and cooking a roast chicken dinner. It's *"International Women's Day"* tomorrow", which is a holiday here, so we will go out for a walk and get some lunch somewhere. 

I hope you are all having a good Wednesday.....[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




​[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





























[/FONT]​


----------



## Falcon

I  LOVE  to see readers  reading.


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good night, sleep tight!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]A very good morning to all women members on this your special day 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  I am going out with Lisa now to a walk and some lunch, it's yet another gorgeous sunny day, and a little warmer at -5c ..... enjoy your day back later......​




[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



[/FONT]​


----------



## Wren

Good morning all, have a great day ladies x


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Bajabob

Let's try "good morning" in some other languages. If I typed "buenas dias" you would easily know which language it came from. But how about {"Ohayoo Gozaimasu ? I apologize for my poor spelling !


----------



## Bajabob

With all these pictures of people reading, I need to remind others that such activity is sometimes viewed harshly. Once, in a restaurant, I decided to read my magazine while I waited for a menu. I waited and waited, but still no menu. When I requested a menu, the waiter com- plained that I was reading. Oh what a social error ! But that is not all. When I was reading during a meal (this was in a foreign country) the waiter, who had seen me do this before, complained something like "Lesen beim alle zeit ist nicht bei uns." Gosh, I guess I'm doomed to always do something wrong.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good morning all,  it's 8:30am here and cloudy at the moment, we are at the start of yet another weekend, we seem to be having more than one a week these days 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ...

Yesterday was a full day in the end, we spent most of it walking, plus a couple of hours in a Georgian restaurant we have never been to before.
Because "Women's Day" here has always been a big event, and this year it's close to the weekend, the government have extended the national holiday to include today, making a long weekend for workers.

It's interesting that there are no feminist/women's groups here, because as Lisa said the communists gave men and women equal rights as part of their mandate, one of the very few positive things about the regime, equal pay has always been a given here.
The restaurants were all fully booked and a lot gave a free glass of wine to women diners, even the traffic wardens were handing out flowers to women on the streets.

Here are a few photos I took, lots of people still walking on the rivers and canals, plus a few motorcyclists and cyclists on them as well..... the temperatures are set to rise over the next week, so the ice will become to thin to walk on soon.

Enjoy your weekend ........



















​*The restaurant*





























​


----------



## Wren

Good morning all, enjoy your day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !
Happy weekend !


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Ken N Tx




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a pleasant weekend !


----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Morning!


----------



## merlin

Good evening friends...............

It's been a nothing sort of day here, neither of us slept well last night and we both woke up with a headache, maybe the change in weather as it's become a lot warmer. I have been reading and booking places to stay and sorting out car rental for our trip to Bulgaria and Macedonia in July.............I enjoy the planning part of these vacations, possibly more than the actual trip 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 .......... because two countries are involved it makes for complications getting from one to the other, and picking up a rental car in each country. I have found a bus that has a route over the mountain border, that only takes 5 hours so we will use that.

We go on a 4 day day trip 900 Km south of Moscow on a 6 hour train journey to Kolumna this coming Thursday, so in the meantime we are looking forward to that............. I found a flat near to the train station to stay in for a few hundred roubles 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




   the town itself dates back to the 12th century and has a beautiful kremlin and a couple of monasteries.....

It has a pretty train station as well....












​



A few relaxing paintings... enjoy the weekend.















​


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, it's snowing here at the moment, so not a good start to the day as we want to go out an art exhibition which we put off last week because it was closed for the Women's Day holidays....... we will go anyway but cut the walk short....... I find time is just rushing by, it's a job to keep up with what month I am in ... have a great Sunday....


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Sunday again.................


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren

Morning all, a wet start to the week...


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Happy Monday morning to you all !


----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Morning!


----------



## merlin

Good evening friends, Lisa worked all day today so I have spent it reading and dozing, plus I made a fish pie which we have just eaten  



  ...................the day started with sunshine but has become dull now, but still relatively warm at 5c....

The book I am reading "The Brothers Karamazov" suddenly became a page turner this morning,  so I read quite a bit today..... 

I will post a few pics of the art exhibition "Old Lithuania" exhibition of M. Dobuzhinky's paintings, which we went to yesterday, it was in the Museum of Music which we have been to before so we only walked through it..

The museum grounds...





​


It consists of many rooms and small cinemas all devoted to music and musical instruments...




























​


----------



## merlin

A few of M. Dobuzhinky's paintings


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

from a wet dreary St Peter, it looks more like November out  



 .... nothing planned today so I will just relax.... read.....and.....watch letting the day unfold........ enjoy your Tuesday......  














​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Morning!


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!_


----------



## merlin

Good morning or 



 to you all it's another gloomy November sort of day here, I guess I woke up in the same kind of grey mood, so cheering myself up with music and pics of flowers plus an early beer which always helps  



 ......... enjoy your day....  










































​


----------



## Wren




----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Morning


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon all !


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy a sunny Friday !


----------



## merlin

Good evening friends, we have been out all day in the sunshine, it's been a cold day, so we walked for an hour, then before we slipped into hypothermia, we went into a museum for an hour to warm up  




The old town is very interesting and the tram network fascinating, we also walked a few miles across the river to an 15th century monastery, I think we covered some 10 miles altogether, we certainly feel like we have ......... so it's an early night and up early tomorrow to catch a train to another nearby town called Ryazan....... I will post some photos and catch up with you all when we return on Sunday...... enjoy the weekend


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Welcome the weekend and enjoy it to your heart!


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## SeaBreeze

Pleasant dreams


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy a relaxing Sunday !


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good night.


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning all on another Monday morning, it's snowing heavily here yet again, having just got rid of the last lot..... I realised over our few days away that I was suffering from a kind of snow blindness, not being able to see much at all when I came indoors for a while, and the screen on my camera was barely visible outdoors. I fully recovered overnight each time, but I guess spending several hours a day walking in an all white snow covered landscape it was hardly surprising. We had a great time though and visited some magical places dating back to the 11th century, I will post some photos later.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Enjoy the new week........ [/FONT]





[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


































[/FONT]​


----------



## Wren

Good morning, just as we thought Spring was on the way, winter returns ! Have a good week


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening to you all !


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good morning all......here are a few photos of our recent trip to the kremlin in Ryzan, which is a very large area on the edge of the city, and dates back to the 14th century, the town itself was founded in the 11th century but is now a typical industrial city. The kremlin though is a magical place and can't really be captured on a photograph.........



















​​*A man fishing in the middle of the frozen river Moscow, one of three rivers in the town



*


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day all


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Morning!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## CindyLouWho

Good Evening/Night


----------



## SeaBreeze

good night


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Night, all!  _fftobed:


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !
Happy Friday !


----------



## SeaBreeze

pleasant dreams...


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Our trip to Lappenranta in Finland went well though it snowed all the time we were there, and was cold but not unduly so, we visited a couple of superstores en route, which is the main purpose of these bus trips, for Russians to shop for goods that are not available because of sanctions. They also get the VAT refunded.

We went to a Nepalese restaurant for lunch, for the second time, we first went there last June............. the food is amazing very similar to Indian and the cook is from Nepal so it's authentic, the freshly cooked nan bread was gorgeous having been freshly cooked in a tandoor oven .............. for a Finnish restaurant it was amazingly cheap coming to 30 euros ($37) inclusive of as much soup, salad and Nepalese tea or coffee as you wanted. Beer there costs more than the food because alcohol is highly taxed because of the drinking problems they have there...

Here are a few photos I took...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




?[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	















?[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]The view from the window was pretty bleak though...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




?[/FONT]​
[FONT=&quot]
The bus trip of around 3 hours was mainly through forests of fir trees, which were magical being covered with snow and a haw frost, difficult to capture from a fast moving bus but here are a couple of photos and a poor video [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	













[/FONT]​


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your weekend everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice weekend !


----------



## SeaBreeze

Have a good night.


----------



## NancyNGA

Good Morning

"Sunday Breakfast" by Igor Sventitski


----------



## merlin

Good morning friends, it's a grey gloomy day here, I doubt we will go anywhere today, enjoy your Sunday whatever you are doing....







​


----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 I am up and about after a reasonable nights sleep, it's been snowing again as usual and Lisa has gone to work for a long day until 5 pm, I have a few jobs to do around the apartment, a bit of touching up of the paintwork in the bathroom after a small water leak from above, and make a dinner of some sort........ I have just checked in on my flight back to the UK tomorrow evening, I will be sad to leave here, but it will be good to reconnect with my family again.......... I am back in Russia again at the end of April till June 

Enjoy your brand new week......






























​​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !
Happy new week !


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning friends, it's another beautiful sunny day here in St.Peter, sadly though Lisa has come down with a heavy cold and lost her voice, so we won't be able to go out for our last meal together [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] ........ worse than that her family are arriving on Friday to stay for the Easter holidays, hopefully her cold will be subsiding by then. This happened to Lisa last year, and left her with a persistent cough for a couple of months, hopefully it won't develop into that this time. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I feel fine today after a good nights sleep and only have to pack some bags of buckwheat, and odds of ends of clothing that go back and forth to pad out my suitcase [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] ....... it always arrives full of food and returns pretty much empty........... [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We watched the movie "The Danish Girl" last night, the second time for me, as I saw it last year with my daughters and loved it, but it was the first time for Lisa. It's a sad but poignant film, and on this second viewing I was swept away by the beautiful cinematography, superb acting and the music, if you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend it, Netflix have it on the UK site at least.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Enjoy your day....... [/FONT]


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning everyone, it's the day of my colonoscopy, the 4th one so far 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 it's at 4 pm this afternoon, I have just started drinking the 2 litres of nuclear laxative so just sit and wait, I have only eaten a boiled egg since I got back so I am pretty empty I think 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




It's a bright morning here and I will walk to the hospital which is only about 15 minutes away, my daughter Cathy has started walking to work there every day since her new job started, which is good for her health.
I have to drink another litre of plain water together, with the laxative which makes it 6.5 US pints in total, a lot of liquid 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Enjoy your day 

This is the newish Worcester Royal Hospital where I will go....









​......and the old one which has been converted into a "Worcester University" campus





​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## NancyNGA

*Good Morning!*


----------



## Wren

Good morning all, enjoy the long Easter weekend


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## Wren

Enjoy a pleasant evening all


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## deesierra

Had a busy and productive day today!! Or, yesterday depending on your time zone! Hope your tomorrow is all you hope it will be.


----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Wren

Good morning, Happy Easter and ‘White Rabbits’ to all, let’s hope April is a good month


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening to you all !


----------



## SeaBreeze

good night


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!
_Have a chocolate chip day


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody, enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho

I


----------



## merlin

Good evening everyone, I hope you all had a good Easter, we had a quiet family one and tonight 

I am going to my daughter Caroline's house tonight with Cathy to play Bingo, which has evidently become a weekly event for my family for the past month, it's just a fun evening, the eight of us each put a pound in the pot, and I think the winner takes all, I have never been before so I will let you know how it goes. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





Here are a few paintings by the Chinese painter Cao Yong which I like...










*The Winds of Love*































​


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Wren




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon all !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA

Good Morning!


----------



## merlin

Good evening friends, it's been a mixed kind of day somehow, the weather was gorgeous with blue skies and sunshine at around 14c, but after having a brilliant Bingo family evening followed by a lovely day with Laurence yesterday, today seemed kinda flat 





I sorted out lots of loose ends and business stuff, and did a food shop but didn't really achieve very much .............. oh well tomorrow is another day, and a weekend around the corner 




I hope you have a good Thursday and all is good in your world, 































​​


----------



## SeaBreeze

sweet dreams everyone


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!

_


----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy

Good morning...


----------



## NancyNGA

*Good Morning!*
Two of my azaleas - one single, one double, blossom 
(April 6, 2018)


----------



## Wren




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy this sunny Sunday !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Wren




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## merlin

Good Monday morning to you all, it's another dull day here but it's dry and fairly warm, I am going to Maxine and Patrick my senior couple, to help them with their new smartphone. ....Enjoy your brand new week...

















​


----------



## CindyLouWho

Happy Monday Workday!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good afternoon!_


----------



## chic

Good night.


----------



## SeaBreeze

sweet dreams


----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Good afternoon, hope you’re having a nice day


----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning! _
 The dogwoods are in bloom here.


----------



## Wren




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !


----------



## Wren




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning friends, it's another damp dreary one here in Worcester, but inside I feel bright which is what matters, I am off to carry on decorating my granddaughters bedroom...enjoy your day and the weekend to come...



























​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Enjoy the weekend !


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## chic

Good night.


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Have a nice new week !


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Ken N Tx




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Night_


----------



## Wren




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning friends, it's a lovely sunny spring morning here, and I am waking up slowly with the aid of my daily dose of caffeine 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



I am off decorating now, it's painting the woodwork today, then some of the furniture............................. 

Enjoy your Wednesday everyone...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Have a nice Wednesday !


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## NancyNGA

*Good morning!*


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good night...


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody, enjoy your day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !
Have a lovely Thursday !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Wren

Morning all, enjoy the sunshine and have a great day !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## ancient mariner

Good morning ...it's 7:33 here in sunny Florida...70 now...80 later.  Hope everyone has a wonderful day.


----------



## merlin

Good evening all, I have spent today painting various furniture bits and pieces from Elizabeth's bedroom in their garden, it's been a more comfortable 75f today, it was quite blissful painting with the birdsong and cats wandering around exploring the furniture for a place to sleep.....  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ....... the fluffy ginger tabby is Chips and is 19 years old, the other one is a neighbours cat, but spends most of his time in Caroline's house and garden.​​

​Here are a few photos I took..​
























*
Have a great weekend*​​


----------



## NancyNGA

merlin said:


> *
> Have a great weekend*​​


Merlin, it seems you both work hard, and play hard.   

Love this picture, so cat like....decides to nap in the doorway just when the door is open. 

You have a great weekend also!


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Enjoy a sunny weekend !


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze

Good morning!


----------



## RadishRose

Have a great weekend!


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

Good evening folks, I have been busy all day finishing off the refurbishment of the kitchen sink cupboard here, I left it while I decorated Elizabeth's bedroom last week. I have put in a new shelf and repaired the splashback/backsplash and repainted it all. I feel ready for some restful times now .....
I have two clear days before I go to Russia for two months, so I will concentrate on buying cheese 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 and other foods plus packing, I will take two checked in suitcases this time, to even up the weight.

I am having an early night to try and catch up on lost sleep.... I hope you are all having or have had a good weekend.....







​


----------



## chic

Good afternoon and Happy Earth Day!


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Time to relax ...........


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## merlin

Good morning all, my day yesterday was so hectic, full of lots of little finishing off jobs, that I didn't get chance to post anything 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



I won the Bingo jackpot last night, so I am rich for a few minutes, my suitcases are packed and ready to go to the airport, it's 5am here and the dawn is just breaking.

Have a good day everyone..........................

Here are a couple of pics of the cherry trees in Caroline's garden that I took last night, sadly it only lasts a couple od gays before the wind blows it away.















​Some of my cheese packed ready to go...





​


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Ruthanne

:bananalama::bestwish: Goodnight!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Enjoy a sunny Thursday !


----------



## NancyNGA

*Good Morning!
*(Hickory Dickory Dock)


----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Wren




----------



## NancyNGA

*Good night everyone

**

*


----------



## merlin

Good morning friends I am here in a very sunny Russia, the flight from Birmingham on Wednesday was delayed because of some problem with a runway in Amsterdam, so because of a very short connection, though I made the flight to Russia, my suitcases got left behind. 



............... after an hour of form filling in St.Petersburg airport, 



they traced the suitcases and delivered them yesterday.
It's good to be here at last though, I feel at home and relaxed already....

We watched a film together before falling asleep, last night called "A Little Chaos" and though panned by the critics we both thought it was delightful, a fantasy story set in 17th century Versailles, directed by and starring the sadly deceased Alan Rickman as King Louis XIV, together with Kate Winslett and Matthias Schoenaerts

If you haven't seen I recommend it for light-hearted and at times moving entertainment, I can post a link to a copy if you want to give it a try.





​


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## NancyNGA

*Good Night ... zzz ...*


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good evening all, I have had a pretty lazy day, though I did make a fish pie for dinner which we enjoyed with a glass of wine/beer, and there is enough left over for tomorrow. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




It's been another sunny day here though only 10c so we didn't venture out, but we will tomorrow. ..... next weekend is supposed to be a lot warmer, so we will go to the dacha and open it up for the summer, Lisa went for a quick trip last week to collect the bedlinen for washing, but it was too cold to stay.

I hope you are having a blissful weekend 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





Here are a few paintings based on the subject of bliss and tranquillity......





































​


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning to you all, it's 9:00 am Sunday and all is well, the sun is in a sky of blue and we are going out for a walk, plus calling in at the corner shop for some groceries on the way back.
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Enjoy your day.....

[/FONT]


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren

Morning all, have a good day


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## connect1

Good evening 
It's 10:28 PM here
Sunday night


----------



## connect1

How do we post images on here?


----------



## SeaBreeze

connect1 said:


> How do we post images on here?



I put an informational link in your introduction post.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Have a great week !


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning friends, it's a bright morning here and warmish at 13c, Lisa has gone to the university for the day, though for everyone else it's a bank holiday, which is unfair I feel....

I will make some sort of veggie dish for dinner later as a change from fish, Lisa wants a rest from meat after having her family here, who eat meat every day.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Have a great Monday...

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## connect1

SeaBreeze said:


> I put an informational link in your introduction post.



Thank you 


Good morning


----------



## Ruthanne

Good Morning Tuesday!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

I wish you a splendid May, with a sunshine state of mind !


----------



## NancyNGA

*Good morning, World!

*


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good evening everyone, today has been very wet, it rained all day but we did go out to see the "May Day" parades in Nevsky Prospect, we were mainly interested in the "Telegram" protest march which is against the blocking of the Telegram service here in Russia. 

It has turned out to be a battle between the government here and the creator Pavel Durov, who was a former student of Lisa at St.Petersburg university............ He was bright but not a very pleasant person according to Lisa 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Ironically though the authorities here have tried they have not succeeded in banning Telegram for more than a couple of hours at a time, but have managed to wreak havoc on Google and Amazon servers which Durov uses now, this has blocked many businesses worldwide and cost billions of dollars.

We missed the Telegram march but watched a few others, namely the *Communist Party, A Vegan Society* and a *Lesbian Vegetarian Group*, which is surprising in Russia.

Here are a few photos and a couple of videos I took plus a news item..







?



























​


----------



## RadishRose

Thanks, Merlin. I always enjoy your travels!


----------



## RadishRose

Thanks, Merlin. I always enjoy your travels!


----------



## Falcon

Great pics  Merlin.   Thank you.


----------



## helenbacque

Happy May Day to all.  Many, many years ago (mid 70s) I happened to be in Florence, Italy on May 1 and was surprise to see the display of military might.  No May Poles and dancing.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


----------



## Wren

Good morning all, have a great day


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, nothing much to report really  



 ..... we went out for a walk in the sun and called in at a local telecom agent, where I bought a data sim card, so we can access the internet when we go to Lisa's country house (Dacha) this weekend. I bought an unlimited 4G card at $7 for a month, hopefully it will work ok as I have never used this provider before.

Have a good Wednesday ....






​


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Rainy weather.....


----------



## Wren




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## connect1




----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, it's been a funny day really, Lisa has been at work all day and I felt in a flat kind of mood for no real reason really. I eventually had a G&T which lifted my spirits,  



  though I don't want make a habit of it, anyway I am sort of ok now. We are going to the dacha tomorrow weather permitting, though the forecast is not too good.

I hope you are having a good day .................... here are a few watercolours by Sergey Kurbatov which I like...









































​


----------



## Keesha

View attachment 51774


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## NancyNGA

_*Good Night!  *_​


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning campers, today is not going according to plan, Lisa woke up in the early hours with a splitting headache which she still has, so we have postponed going to the country until tomorrow.



Have a great weekend  





​


----------



## Keesha

View attachment 51788


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## NancyNGA

*Good Morning.  Have a great weekend!*






China's Luoping area, covered with rapeseed crops in bloom.   Photograph by Anne Berlin


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a great weekend !


----------



## merlin

Good afternoon to you all, we made it to the dacha on the early morning train, it's cloudy and cool here, though they promise sun and 18c tomorrow. I have lit a fire to air the place and Lisa is gardening, we went out for lunch here and bought some groceries for tomorrow, including a bottle of cognac to warm me up  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  I hope you are all having a good weekend......  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	











​


----------



## Wren

...


----------



## connect1




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening to you all, I hope your weekend went well, we got back from the Dacha an hour ago, after a lovely day sitting on deckchairs in the sun, well I was most of the time and Lisa did some gardening. We decided to give the dacha a makeover and clad the two bedrooms with pine, which I will paint in seaside colours (pale blues) in mine and a pale lemon in Lisa's. 

We made a start by stripping the wallpaper on one wall in my room, in the early morning before it warmed up, its interesting, because they paste newspapers to the walls under the wallpaper, so as you peel the layers off, you get a history lesson as well. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





The previous wallpapers dated back to 1960 and 1985 the last time it was papered, evidently when Lisa's father bought it in 1960 the newspapers on the wall dated back to the 1920s[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I burnt all the old wallpaper in the stove and then we relaxed for the rest of the day, cooking some pork and tinned roasted aubergines for dinner.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Here are a few pics of the walls...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The before look...[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



​[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]The stripped wall...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



​[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]

Lisa's wall which is damp from condensation...[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## NancyNGA

There you go again, merlin.  You make me feel so lazy.


----------



## Wren

Me too !  enjoy your day everybody


----------



## Ruthanne

And another one!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA

_*Morning!

*__


_


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !
Have a great week !


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening friends, it's been another beautiful warm sunny day here, Lisa has been at the university all day and I have cooked a veggie dinner and we are now packing for our trip to Georgia tomorrow morning. It's a direct flight from St.Petersburg to Tbilisi by Georgian Airlines who have just started flying from here, they only have a fleet of 9 aircraft so hopefully it will turn up. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



The weather there is warm but changeable evidently, so we are taking light clothes and an umbrella 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Hope you are having a good Monday 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




A few paintings of old Tbilisi...[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



















[/FONT]​


----------



## Sunny

Merlin, what beautiful pictures!  Thanks for sharing.


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good night...sleep well.


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !
Rainy day here.....


----------



## merlin

Good morning from Tbilisi, the flight left from St.Petersburg early and arrived in Georgia even earlier at around 4pm and a driver picked us up, and brought us to our studio room, which has a lovely little balcony overlooking the street. It's in the old town and our host is a lovely local man who is very kind and helpful, though he doesn't speak much English but his Russian is excellent.

It was raining when we arrived yesterday but today the sun is out and it's around 7:00 am, we will explore the town and it's many bath houses. I must say I love Georgia already from the smiling passport officer to the larger than life driver who brought us here, everything is pretty cheap, a small bottle coke or a coffee to go is 15 cents, the bus or metro fare 10 cents, so you feel rich  





We had a lovely meal in a restaurant recommended by our host, but I did drink a bit too much mainly because I had a beer but because the wine came in a litre jug, which was too much for Lisa I finished it off  



 we made it back somehow.

Here are a few photos we took last night...























​


----------



## RadishRose

Merlin what beautiful pics of this lovely little village area! The last shot are of candles or something else??

I saw a cooking show years ago about Georgian foods- fabulous!


----------



## Wren




----------



## connect1




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]We had a busy day today starting with a climb to the 6th century fortress at the top of a hill overlooking the town, we then visited a couple of churches and spent a few hours in the botanical gardens, which are huge having several miles of footpaths and streams running through them, we only covered a tiny part which was so peaceful, I could have spent the day just soaking up sun and birdsong.

The weather was perfect warm in the mid 70s and sunny until early evening when we had a short rainstorm which freshened everything up.

Here are a few photos I took....[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	










*The view from the top*











*
A couple of guys playing a board game of some sort*






​[/FONT]​




[FONT=&quot]The pedestrian [/FONT]*Bridge of Peace over the river












River scenes


















Plus dinner and dessert







Creme brulee with lavender ice cream, which tasted lovely.




*


----------



## merlin

RadishRose said:


> Merlin what beautiful pics of this lovely little village area! The last shot are of candles or something else??
> 
> I saw a cooking show years ago about Georgian foods- fabulous!


 Thanks Rose, I have love Georgian food since first coming across it in Russia, where it's very popular ...... I thought they were candles too, but they are in fact *Churchkhela  *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churchkhela a delicacy here, we had some as a dessert on our first night here, it's a bit like eating a wine gum with a nutty centre, ok ....... but I can think of better sweets to eat 

It's sliced here and has walnuts inside


----------



## SeaBreeze

Wonderful photos again Merlin, thanks for sharing them with us!  You live a very active and interesting life, I'm happy for you and your wife...never a dull moment.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## NancyNGA

*Good Night

*


----------



## Wren




----------



## connect1




----------



## hearlady

Great photos Merlin!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

merlin said:


> We had a busy day today starting with a climb to the 6th century fortress at the top of a hill overlooking the town, we then visited a couple of churches and spent a few hours in the botanical gardens, which are huge having several miles of footpaths and streams running through them, we only covered a tiny part which was so peaceful, I could have spent the day just soaking up sun and birdsong.
> 
> The weather was perfect warm in the mid 70s and sunny until early evening when we had a short rainstorm which freshened everything up.
> 
> Here are a few photos I took....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *The view from the top*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *
> A couple of guys playing a board game of some sort*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​​
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The pedestrian *Bridge of Peace over the river
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> River scenes
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 
> Plus dinner and dessert
> 
> 
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> 
> Creme brulee with lavender ice cream, which tasted lovely.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *



Your excellent photos tell stories, awake feelings and manage to share with us your amazing trips.
Thank you, Merlin !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !


----------



## merlin

Goods evening all, I hope you are all having a good day, we had a very long and tiring one, seeing several ancient churches, monasteries, a pagan stone city and Stalin's museum. I will post a few photos here and will then wish you goodnight, we have an even longer day tomorrow driving for several hours up to the north of Georgia and the Russian border.









































​


----------



## NancyNGA

Thanks for the pictures, merlin.


----------



## Wren




----------



## connect1




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you on a bright Friday morning, we got back late from a very long day yesterday and I developed a head cold, so am a bit sniffly today, hopefully it will improve as the day wears on.

It's our last full day here so we are going on an 8 hour round driving trip to a cave town and monastery near the border with Turkey, we have a few places of interest to stop on the way, and I can doze in the car and catch up on some sleep 





Have a great weekend everyone ...

Photos taken near the Russian border yesterday, it was in the lower 40s f..











​


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good night all.


----------



## NancyNGA

*Good Morning Everyone*


----------



## Wren

Enjoy the weekend everybody


----------



## connect1




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Enjoy the weekend !


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## connect1




----------



## Wren

Have a great week everybody


----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## merlin

Well yesterday (Sunday) didn't turn out as planned, the problem was that the restaurant we had a meal at on Saturday evening had somehow mixed the bottles up, because though Lisa ordered a glass of white wine, she actually got chacha (their local firewater) which is very potent at up to 75% proof, and served as small shots, this was a wine glass full 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Apart from feeling unduly drunk all was ok until 2am, when she started throwing up, which carried on until 8am, hence Sunday morning was spent in bed with a hangover. ..... though it looked like wine when Lisa said it tasted odd, I tried it and I knew it was a spirit of some kind, but by then it was too late.

Our host Amiran was very good and even offered to call an ambulance, but we settled for various potions he went and got from a local pharmacy, which helped, he wouldn't accept any payment for it.
Interestingly Lisa has no memory of getting to our room or going to bed, it sure was potent stuff, most restaurants make their own so it tends to be very strong, I had a glass at a small family restaurant earlier in the week and it hit my stomach like a lead balloon, so I didn't have a second one. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




_Chacha (Georgian: ჭაჭა [tʃʼɑtʃʼɑ]) is a Georgian pomace brandy, a clear and strong (ranging between 40% alcohol for commercially produce to 75% for home brew), which is sometimes called "vine vodka", "grape vodka", or "Georgian vodka/grappa". It is made of grape pomace (grape residue left after making wine). The term chacha is used in Georgia to refer to grape distillate. It may be also produced from unripe or wild grapes. Other common fruits or herbs used are figs, tangerines, oranges, mulberries or tarragon._

_Traditionally only a homebrewed drink of Georgians, it is today commonly produced by professional distillers and most wineries who include it in their product range. _

_Many Georgians claim chacha has medicinal properties and is suggested as a remedy for a number of ailments, including ear blockages and indigestion. Also, it is said to cure stomachaches by applying it to the abdomen. It is also said to cure acne by applying to the face._

Have a good Monday everyone, the good news is that back here in Russia we are having a heatwave with temperatures in the 80s, so we are going to the dacha when Lisa comes from work and will chill out in deckchairs tomorrow drinking beer


----------



## NancyNGA

Sorry to hear about Lisa's accidental encounter with the chacha, merlin.   Hope she is feeling 100% today.  I'd probably be sick for 3 days.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !
Have a fruitful new week !


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## merlin

Good morning all, we are in Sosnovo sitting in the garden enjoying the sunshine, it's in the mid 70s already at 9am. We arrived last night around 7pm and sat with a beer soaking up the utter peace here. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





The Bird Cherry trees are in blossom with the heady scent from them everywhere you go...................Lisa has put one sprig in the dacha and the whole house is perfumed beautifully.
We are only here until early tomorrow morning then back to the city because Lisa works on Wednesday............ then back here on Thursday until next Monday.

The first batch of timber is being delivered on Friday, so we can start cladding the interior walls of the Dacha......... meanwhile it's relaxing in the heatwave time........ 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Have a great day ...... 



A few photos of the Bird Cherry tree in Lisa's garden which I took earlier this morning .....















​


----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning from a wet St.Peter, Lisa is working and I am making dinner for later, tomorrow we go back to the dacha until Monday.

Yesterday was a blissful day full sun all day and drinking ice cold beer in the garden, it reached 86f a record for here as the last time it was that hot in May was 1975 at 85f 

A few of photos showing the fair distribution of duties in the garden   






Enjoy your day  
























The apple blossom is about to burst, so we should have a lot, probably too many apples this year....​



​


----------



## NancyNGA

*Good Morning!*


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## connect1




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !
Have a nice Thursday !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Morning all, have a good day and enjoy the weekend


----------



## merlin

Yesterday went well, we called in at Ikea on the way to the dacha and I bought a mattress to replace the old one that Lisa's father used, it was bought before WWII so had lasted a good time, but was very lumpy, maybe it was stuffed with dead pheasants or peasants 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 the new one is very comfortable and much warmer ...... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





The timber planks are being delivered today and an odd job builder is calling in to see about rebuilding part of the chimney/fireplace.

It's a mix of sun and clouds today with an odd shower forecast for the afternoon.

Have a great day and weekend...









































​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Enjoy the  weekend !


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody, have a great weekend


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## connect1




----------



## Wren

Wishing everybody has a nice week ahead


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good afternoon all, I have been up to my eyeballs in sawdust refurbishing the dacha. I am also rewiring the electrics as I go along so it's become a tad more complicated [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] a couple of photos below of one wall which I have completed in one room. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The builder came on Saturday and will rebuild the chimney stack on the roof, plus look at the foundations and various flooring joists. He is an interesting guy called "Slav" short for an unpronounceable Russian name, he has been through a divorce had a daughter, and is in the midst of a mid-life crisis, with two women in his life a Russian he lived with for a while, plus a new younger one who lives in Belarus, he exhausted Lisa asking her advice on how to sort out his life, he doesn't know how to choose which woman to make a permanent relationship with. [/FONT]





[FONT=&quot]Though he doesn't speak any English, Lisa said I would probably get on with him, because he has the same interests in astrology and the esoteric, plus he is a healer.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Have a good Monday..... [/FONT]






[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	









[/FONT]​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !
Have a great new week !


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## RadishRose




----------



## merlin

A very good evening to you all from a sunny hot St.Peter, we went out for a prolonged walk to Tavricheskiy park, which was once a palace estate, it was in the 80s so a tad warm for me, but everyone seemed to be sunbathing, and enjoying the prolonged heatwave that has been here for a couple of weeks........ here are a few photos I took.

Hope your day is going well......... 


































​​*An agile young guy rescuing a football from a stream ......*







​​






*We headed for the beer garden to cool off with a glass of ice cold local porter 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	









​​We stopped off and bought some strawberries for tea which we have just enjoyed 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	














​​We resisted the smelts this time 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


​






​​



*


----------



## RadishRose

Thanks for the scenes, Merlin!


----------



## NancyNGA

*Good Afternoon!*






:joke:


----------



## connect1




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good afternoon all, it's a sunny afternoon here after a dull overcast start to the day, I have been sorting out the next batch of building materials to order for the dacha, we are returning tomorrow to carry on the work.
We have also been planning a short break for my birthday next month, I will be 77 which is not my favourite number, I would like to be 80 and stick at that for a decade 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ..... so far we have come up with the ancient town of Pereslavl-Zalessky, east of Moscow in the so called Golden Circle of historic towns, so a few of train journeys are involved.

A couple of web pics...












​
​
*Have a great Wednesday.... *


----------



## Wren




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !
Have a sunny Thursday !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Wren




----------



## connect1




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, sorry for my absence again,  



 we have been busy organising planning and buying all the materials for refurbishing of the dacha, we came to Sosnovo last night on the late train, and have reorganised the rooms to accommodate the builder Slav, who is staying here while he rebuilds the chimney and does other works on the foundations. He is meditating at the moment and his dreamy music is drifting in the air.... plus the nearby cocks are crowing to add to the atmosphere while I drink my coffee...







The weather is gorgeous here with a clear blue sky and the lilac is in full bloom in the garden, I have days at the beginning of a project when I wonder  *"why did I start another one" * when I could just sit in the sun and do nothing *








Have a good weekend  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








*


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Shalimar

Pappy said:


> View attachment 52498


Hahahaha.


----------



## RadishRose

_Hey, Good Morning!


_


----------



## CeeCee

I don't always post a good morning post but when I saw the heart candle I felt like today would be a good day...it's my late husband's birthday.

Happy Birthday and still miss you after all these years. 

Well that didn't work, it was a gif and the rest said morning, have a nice day.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Night Everyone_
 May your night blooming cactus come out tonight and keep a lookout until morning...


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning from another sunny hot day in Sosnovo, yesterday went well I managed to strip a couple of walls in the other bedroom here and start cladding it.................. there were newspapers dating back to the 1920s still in good condition, all stuck on with a flour and water paste............ during the "Siege of Leningrad" _"..... the paste behind wallpaper was scraped off and eaten....."  _LINK

A new load of timber arrived in the morning and the builder more or less finished constructing the new chimney. Here are a few photos...[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	

























​[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]*Meanwhile nature is flourishing...... *[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	














​[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]*A photo of the view from our bedroom window which I just took .*..[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## Shalimar

What a beautiful sanctuary.


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## Wren

Good morning all, have a great weekend


----------



## terry123

Shalimar said:


> What a beautiful sanctuary.


My thinking too!!!


----------



## Ruthanne

Overcast here but going to be hot today.


----------



## CeeCee

Good morning and Happy Memorial Day weekend to US members.


----------



## connect1




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Have a sunny Sunday !


----------



## Wren




----------



## NancyNGA

_Good Morning!  _
Please join me in a cup of coffee and some chirping birds...


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Ruthanne

Good night...


----------



## Wren

Have a good day everybody


----------



## Ruthanne

Good morning, good afternoon or good  nite!


----------



## merlin

Good morning or rather afternoon here now, the heatwave is continuing here with sunny days white nights, it's the hottest May here since 1975, long may it last.......

We are in St.Petersburg for a couple of days for Lisa's work, then back to the country on Thursday morning, to carry on the refurbishment. The lilac season is in full swing with their fragrance everywhere, and everything is green and fresh now, it's still only early spring here so it's good to be warm already.

Enjoy your Tuesday...... here are a few lilac and lily of the valley paintings...


























​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## NancyNGA

The Song (by Oliver)


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]We have been getting ready for our next trip to the the country, which is tomorrow morning, Lisa has been at work this afternoon and I have cooked several meals of pork and chicken, and chilled them to take with us, because cooking there is very limited at the moment. 

The refurbishment of the Dacha has been extended to include an attic room, which hasn't been used for about 40 years, it only needs cleaning up and repainting really, plus maybe a bit of wiring.

Have a great day..... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			






A few dacha paintings...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







































[/FONT]​


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## Shalimar

Beautiful. I would love to fall asleep in the second one.


----------



## Keesha

Ooooowwwwww. Who painted these? That first one is sooo soothing to me. 
LIKE!


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## Ruthanne




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Enjoy a sunny Thursday !


----------



## connect1




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Ruthanne

Thank you for posting all the wonderful pictures everyone!

I will be back but don't know when..take care!


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening everyone !


----------



## merlin

Good evening it's been a busy day for me so I am having an early night, the one room is coming on nicely a photo below. Lisa discovered some lily of the valley growing in a corner of the garden under some trees, she has never had any before, in fact Russians never have them in their gardens, they only grow wild in the woods here.
The house is full of lilac Lisa has picked from the garden, and the scent is everywhere .......... lovely

Have a great weekend.... 

























​


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## Wren

Have a great weekend all


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## connect1




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## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Have a sunny Sunday !


----------



## AZ Jim

Good Morning!  Pretty Japanese garden I presume.


----------



## connect1




----------



## Pappy




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## Wren

Hope everybody has a great week


----------



## connect1




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


----------



## Wren

Morning all


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning!


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]We are back in St.Peter now and spent today chilled out and dozed a lot [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] I have put a few photos of the state of play at the dacha, as an extra I did wire in a new lamp which Lisa fell in love with in the hallway, which was always dingy having no light there at all.[/FONT]


*The lamp





​​A before and after of the end wall of Lisa's room..






​​






The attic room untouched for 40 years, a future project 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	









​​Part of the garden near the shed yesterday afternoon, there are lupins everywhere here now, especially alongside the railway tracks on the way to St.Petersburg




*


----------



## Wren

Morning all, enjoy your day


----------



## merlin

Sadly I had a message from my brother Geoff last night, saying that he has been diagnosed with kidney cancer, fortunately the scans show the tumour confined to the kidney, so hopefully after the planned removal of the whole kidney, he will not need any further treatment. I will go and visit him as soon as I return home from Russia in a couple of weeks time. I tend to sail through life feeling immortal, until news like this brings it home to me, just how fragile and transient life really is


----------



## Vega_Lyra

merlin said:


> Sadly I had a message from my brother Geoff last night, saying that he has been diagnosed with kidney cancer, fortunately the scans show the tumour confined to the kidney, so hopefully after the planned removal of the whole kidney, he will not need any further treatment. I will go and visit him as soon as I return home from Russia in a couple of weeks time. I tend to sail through life feeling immortal, until news like this brings it home to me, just how fragile and transient life really is


---------------------
I am so sorry you are going through this.
Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.
Best wishes for your brother’s fast recovery.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning all .


----------



## RadishRose

Good Morning!


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]It's after 7pm and the day has gone easy, I have relaxed and dozed, so I am ready for another weekend of work at the dacha, we are going on the late train tomorrow evening after Lisa gets home from work. I will precook some food again for our meals while we are there, which is until next Monday. 
On Tuesday we go on the planned 5 day trip to Pereslavl-Zalesskiy in the south about 150Km from Moscow, 900 Km in total, it involves the 5am high speed train from here to Moscow, then a 2.5 hour bus journey, we will also visit the ancient city of Rostov while we are in that region. We are both looking forward to a break from our busy time in the country 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I hope your day is going well ......... here are a few paintings involving candlelight......... [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	
























?[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]While I am working in the dacha I play music on the laptop from a playlist I have made, I often work to music finding it relaxing................. one particular track by Hans Zimmer from the movie *"The Thin Red Line"* always captures my attention when it plays, particularly from 3:50 to 6:00 minutes, I am somehow transported to a beautiful serene place, the video is lovely as well.

[/FONT]


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody


----------



## Ken N Tx




----------



## connect1




----------



## Ruthanne




----------



## Pappy




----------



## RadishRose

_Good Morning


_


----------



## merlin

Good evening we are in the country now having arrived on the late train, the heatwave has gone and it's cloudy and much cooler now. I hope to finish Lisa's room before we leave on Monday, I will come back to my room when I return in September.
We are also looking forward to our 5 day trip down south on Tuesday, and next month we go on our Bulgarian/ Macedonian vacation which will be hopefully be an interesting one.

Here are a few Bulgarian paintings most are by Pavel Mitkov .....

_Pavel Mitkov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1977. He took up painting in 1994 while still at high school. Later, he earned a degree in Landscape Design. Mitkov quickly made progress in the world of art, in just a few years he became one of Bulgaria’s best selling painters and in 2007, a Deutsche Welle documentary even pitched him as one of Europe’s most successful artists whose art has a universal appeal. 

He received international recognition in 2004 when the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Board of Trustees, commissioned and made a gift of one of Mitkov’s painting to the Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was on a visit Bulgaria. That brought in plenty of commissioned artworks and prestigious exhibitions. Mitkov’s paintings have also been presented as gifts to Pope John Paul II, King Albert II of Belgium, Pope Benedict XVI, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Russian Patriarch Kirill and other dignitaries from all over the world. With numerous international exhibitions in Europe, the USA and Russia 










































*Have a great day.....*​_


----------



## Wren

Morning all, have a good day


----------



## merlin

I have been up since 6am and am still in bed drinking coffee at the moment until the local building merchants open, so we can can go and buy some more materials to finish off Lisa's room. 

The morning here is sunny but only 8c (46f) so a tad chilly, but it should warm up later, have a great Friday ......






​​


----------



## NancyNGA




----------



## chic

Good night.


----------



## RadishRose

_*Good Night!*_


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Enjoy a sunny weekend !


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## Ruthanne

Good morning...still haven't gone to bed...here's some sunshine!


----------



## connect1




----------



## merlin

Good Monday morning to you all, it's a grey warm one here in the country, I have been burning the midnight oil and finally finished Lisa's room late last night, I only have 2 more coats of varnish to put on the cladding and finish off a bit of wiring today, then we head back into St.Petersberg on the evening train. I hope you had a good weekend......

Have a great week.....





















​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


----------



## Wren




----------



## connect1




----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Morning everybody


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening to you all from a wet Pereslavl-Zalessky, we arrived in the early afternoon after a 9 hour journey, by train and bus, our host picked us up from the station and brought us to a lovely new split level studio, one of four created after restoring a 100 year old wooden house. The interior decor of the one we are in is based on a sea theme, very similar to what I would like to create in the other room at Lisa's dacha. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]We have walked around the town and had dinner at a restaurant run by a family from Azerbaijan, the decor was pretty tacky but the food was excellent, we both had a pork cutlet stuffed with mushrooms, walnuts and prunes.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I have posted a few pics from Lisa's room in the dacha, which apart from the floor and some of the ceiling needing a repaint, is finished.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	















[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]*My room waiting for refurbishment...*[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


[FONT=&quot]A couple of pics just taken in the old town here, the Kremlin is a larger area than the one in Moscow, but little is left of it apart from some 12/13th century churches and monasteries.


[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]*Part of the National Russia day celebrations....*[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​

[FONT=&quot]*The dinner.....*[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​

[FONT=&quot]The back of the menu has a page of fines for misbehaviour ....... such as 50 roubles (80 cents) a word for swearing, 400 Roubles for breaking a table, and various amounts for dancing on the table, breaking a plate etc etc...... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]We have come across this list of fines at a few restaurants in small provincial towns on several occasions recently, I am not sure how many fines are enforced, or does it deter people anyway 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​
[FONT=&quot]I hope your week is going well, I am off to bed to catch up with some sleep now.... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]


----------



## RadishRose

merlin said:


> Good evening to you all from a wet Pereslavl-Zalessky, we arrived in the early afternoon after a 9 hour journey, by train and bus, our host picked us up from the station and brought us to a lovely new split level studio, one of four created after restoring a 100 year old wooden house. The interior decor of the one we are in is based on a sea theme, very similar to what I would like to create in the other room at Lisa's dacha.
> 
> We have walked around the town and had dinner at a restaurant run by a family from Azerbaijan, the decor was pretty tacky but the food was excellent, we both had a pork cutlet stuffed with mushrooms, walnuts and prunes.
> 
> I have posted a few pics from Lisa's room in the dacha, which apart from the floor and some of the ceiling needing a repaint, is finished.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​*My room waiting for refurbishment...*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> 
> 
> A couple of pics just taken in the old town here, the Kremlin is a larger area than the one in Moscow, but little is left of it apart from some 12/13th century churches and monasteries.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​*Part of the National Russia day celebrations....*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> 
> *The dinner.....*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> 
> The back of the menu has a page of fines for misbehaviour ....... such as 50 roubles (80 cents) a word for swearing, 400 Roubles for breaking a table, and various amounts for dancing on the table, breaking a plate etc etc......
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We have come across this list of fines at a few restaurants in small provincial towns on several occasions recently, I am not sure how many fines are enforced, or does it deter people anyway
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ​
> I hope your week is going well, I am off to bed to catch up with some sleep now....



What a nice job you did on Lisa's room. Now yours. 

Loved all your pics and the porkchop dinner looks delicious. 

Thanks, Merlin


----------



## Buckeye

Just another day in paradise for me.  Taking Hoot the Poodle and his new step brother Boots to Puppy Spa to get groomed.  (Boots was part of a package deal with my new SO.)

Cheers!


----------



## Wren

Morning all, enjoy your day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]A quick good evening before I fall asleep, these long days on our short vacation are more tiring than working on the dacha, 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 we visited three temples and a couple of churches today, plus a few hours of walking as well............... considering I am not into religion, I do seem to spend a lot of time in these religious places 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ......they are fascinating though and I find amazing peace in some of them, the last monastery we visited was especially tranquil with a stilling atmosphere, and to think it had stood there since the 13th century was awe inspiring really.
I will post some photos soon.............

Tomorrow we are going to another ancient town called Rostov, which dates back to 862 and became the capital of this Russian principality by the 10th century, it's a 90 minute bus ride from here............ the bus fares are remarkably cheap in this area, at 15 cents for local journeys and a couple of dollars for long distance ones.

[/FONT][FONT=&quot]A few pics of the studio we are staying in, these are by the owner I hasten to add, we don't have any snow here at the moment 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




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----------



## Wren




----------



## Ken N Tx




----------



## Wren

Good morning, hope everybody’s weekend is going well


----------



## Pappy




----------



## moviequeen1

Good morning all,Happy Fathers Day to those dads still with us,those in our memories Sue


----------



## connect1




----------



## SeaBreeze

Good Morning!  Happy Fathers Day!!


----------



## CeeCee




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


----------



## Wren




----------



## CeeCee




----------



## merlin

Good morning on my last full day here in Russia, the evening went well and we had a very good time a few photos below. It's a sunny day here and in the mid 70s again...

Have a good Monday..

















​


----------



## Wren




----------



## terry123

Good morning from Houston where the rain has stopped for now. More to come today and tomorrow!! Hope it slows down and I don't any in the house like Harvey.


----------



## connect1




----------



## CindyLouWho

......Even though today is not Monday, thought it was funny to post


----------



## SeaBreeze

Sleep tight!


----------



## Wren

Good morning  everybody wishing you all a peaceful day


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everybody !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## terry123

Good morning from rainy Houston!


----------



## CindyLouWho




----------



## Wren




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Have a nice weekend !


----------



## merlin

Hi everyone, I am a bit out of it, having not adjusted to be being back in the UK after 2 months away, but I also visited my brother Geoff who is due to have his operation for kidney cancer next Thursday, sadly though it hasn't spread as far as they can tell, it has attached itself to the nearby aorta, which involves a very difficult operation to remove it. The surgeon did warn that it's really major surgery, and he may not survive the trauma............. though Geoff has adjusted to this possibility, Anita his wife is in a terrible very tearful state and completely exhausted. 

I am reminded of the fragility of life yet again, I just pray that Geoff will make it through the op and get back to his old self as much as is possible........
I will be back soon....

Take care and enjoy your weekend


----------



## Shalimar

Best wishes and healing thoughts for Geoff and your family.


----------



## Jane

Thank you 


Vega_Lyra said:


> Have a nice weekend !
> 
> View attachment 53364


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Wishing everybody a good weekend


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Buckeye

Good morning.  I’m in Southern Ohio for a couple of weeks.  So far it has rained every day.  Every. Day.  Family reunion tomorrow.  I’m praying for blue skies.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !
Enjoy a lovely Sunday !


----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## Jane

Another beautiful picture,thank you


Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning to you all !
> Enjoy a lovely Sunday !


----------



## Furryanimal

Bore da.Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Good afternoon all, time for tea  !


----------



## gumbud

well I posted here and then got stuffed up - posting in a new site can be tricky! - what I was say was Hi it's 5pm and the sun is just setting over the West of WA [Western Australia] - i love this moment and may have a sunset photo hidden in the bowels of my pc! I usually have a few glasses of homemade beer and a bowl of bacci - but by 6pm it is already dark and getting colder. that's my end of the day light time! I also use a clock on my desktop - german made - definitely sound Sharp World Clock\Sharp World Clock.exe" - they give you a free copy for another pc and you can add as many clocks as you want from around the world. Chow!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## gumbud

just curious my pc tells me it's 7.20am ish in Florida yet Pappys post shows 11.0 am??


----------



## gumbud

well I suppose I am meant to keep trying? now 9am in Oz and after an early 5am start as usual which involves a quick check of emails and other sites then a taxi run I am settling down for some breakie - oh and feed a dog or two then to kitchen duties - we are rather depressed in OZ at the moment what with the cricket and soccer results - but we do have stiff upper lips so will recover soon! today looks glorious heading for another dry 28C winters day with no rain again. OK having claimed I am not addicted to the internet I must to housework! cheers

layful:


----------



## connect1




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !
Another rainy day ......


----------



## Wren




----------



## gumbud

Oh didn't realize it was just "click and pic' - I'll butt out then!


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Heavy rain this morning …


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Good morning all,


----------



## Buckeye

Morning!  Going to spend the day cleaning gutters on my lady friend’s house.   Yippee


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !
Have a lovely weekend !


----------



## Buckeye

Morning!  Going to Columbus today to visit my parents.  My mother will be 95 next month and has forgotten what a brat I used to be.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everybody !


----------



## Wren




----------



## terry123

Good morning from Houston.  Hoping the African dust leaves today. Hard to breathe outside yesterday.  Stayed in as much as I could.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## connect1

*Good evening *


----------



## RadishRose




----------



## Wren

Good morning, hope everybody’s week goes well


----------



## Buckeye

Morning!  Supposed to be a sunny day here.  I need to trim a couple of small trees


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening !


----------



## Wren




----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


----------



## connect1

Good morning :rose:


----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody


----------



## Ferocious

Good morning early birds........have you taken your vitamins?   .....I know I have, I rattle as I walk...........have a good day one and all.....


----------



## Pappy

Good morning from the Beach.....


----------



## Buckeye

Raining again here in Southern Ohio.  Ugh.  Time to go.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, today has been more settled and I feel generally relaxed now, there was a lot of ferrying children around and moving bedrooms yesterday, plus Lisa's tablet needed a major update which took hours to sort out in the end 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




We are settled in the attic which is Katya's bedroom and has the softest bed, and more space with an en-suite, they are a futon family which neither Lisa or I really like 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




The weather is still in the mid 80s and set to carry on this way until the middle of next week, but I am sort of used to it now.

Geoff's operation was successful in that they removed the affected kidney and the tumour on the nearby aorta, but I have just received a message to say he has a chest infection now and is on antibiotics, I guess after major surgery and trauma to the body, there are bound to be some after effects, hopefully the meds will help him get rid of it.

Have a great weekend....... 

A few photo's I took from the attic bedroom window/balcony which is on the second/third floor depending how you count, it's a three storey house 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	











​​*Lisa reading about Bulgaria in part of the rear garden/yard with Sharmi one of the two cats here.*





*The other cat Lika







The living room early this morning

**



*​


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all it's another perfect summers day here blue skies with a gentle breeze...... it's a football (soccer) crazy family here, so with two games to watch UK/Sweden and Russia/Croatia, that will take up most of their day  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  ...... meanwhile having no interest whatsoever in football, I will be a grumpy old man all alone in the garden  





  .....enjoying myself to be truthful  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






Have a great weekend, whatever you are doing...





























​


----------



## Pappy

Good morning>............


----------



## connect1




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !
Have a lovely Sunday !


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, another hot summer's day has started, it's 8 am and I am still in bed in a refreshingly cool bedroom, it won't stay that way for long though as 90 f is forecast again. I have adjusted now, and simply surrender to the heat of the day by doing nothing 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




England won and Russia lost in the football matches yesterday, so mixed emotions in our mixed nationality household 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I will get some coffee 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Have a good Sunday.....







​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Buckeye

Car is packed and will be headed for AZ soon.  Praise the Lord.


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## chic

Good evening.


----------



## connect1




----------



## RadishRose




----------



## SeaBreeze

Have a peaceful night!


----------



## chic

Good morning.


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !
Have a great week !


----------



## Wren




----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, it's been another hot day, but we did go out shopping for a new bikini for Lisa and I bought a pair of shorts, for our vacation next week. The rest of the day was spent running the children to and from school and nursery, plus sitting in the garden watching the birds and dragonflies at play.

Geoff was supposed to be coming home from hospital today, but the physiotherapist wouldn't sign him off, so I guess he needs to do some more exercises to get fully mobile.

I hope your day is going well....





​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


----------



## Wren

Enjoy your day all !


----------



## Ferocious

Mornin' all, shake a leg, (shake both if you want) the world is waiting for you, so go on make the most out of another day.   :bigwink:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

It's been a cooler day here in the mid 70s which is very pleasant, the heat comes back on Thursday evidently back into the 80s.
I have spent a lot of today cleaning Katya's oven, which I usually do once a year when I am down here  



  I somehow get pleasure from seeing it sparkling after removing all the brown gunk, simple pleasures for simple folk like me   





I hope your day is going well....





​


----------



## Wren




----------



## Ferocious

Top of the morning to all of you lovely  people. 
Time to get our smiling muscles into gear, then dazzle the world with great big grins and show our teeth, even if they are not genuine. :grin:

Have a super day whatever you have planned. :bigwink:


----------



## Pappy

Good morning folks. Both hips were hurting all night but decided to take my walk this morning anyway. Seems to have helped somewhat. 
Any way. You all have a great day. I know I will. :coffeelaugh:


----------



## Wren

Good morning everybody, enjoy your day !


----------



## gumbud

3.30 pm - relaxing before my 'feed the animals' routine that I like to start 'outside' before light fades - 3 dogs and a cat - although a fourth dog tries to muscle in. I have my dvd player outside attached to loud speakers and so can spend an hr our two listen; drinking and pipe smoking into the light fades and the chill factor rises!:iwillbeback:


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

*Good evening to you all, another pleasant day, though cloudier than it has been, I have been sorting through the stuff to take on our vacation, and packing most of it. 
I have just had some good news about Geoff, he is home at last, and feeling better already 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Katya and James are on their way back from the Azores via Lisbon, arrive here in the early hours of tomorrow (Friday).

I hope your day is going well................. here are a few more photos of the Azores, some taken on a whale watching boat trip..**





















































​​Katya by one of the many hot springs ..






​​*


----------



## gumbud

_*good morning from the mighty Kimberley - just ran some rellies to the end of the road to catch the town bus to the coast - 6am - back to feed dogs and administer meds - then water all the surrounding house plants and now for breakie and plan the rest of the day - no one in the house so alone at home at last*_


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## connect1




----------



## Wren

Have a good day


----------



## Pappy

Good morning from Sylvan Beach, NY. Part of the Erie Canal that goes across NYS.


----------



## merlin

Good evening to you all, today has been all about packing for our vacation to Bulgaria and Macedonia starting tomorrow, we fly to Sofia in Bulgaria via Vienna and then it's all driving until we fly out of Skopje in Macedonia to the UK at the end of the month.

Have a good weekend 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Here is a photo I took from our bedroom window at Katya's house last night, as the sun is setting..






​


----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## Ferocious

Morning Wren, you're always the early bird, thank you for your greeting. Hello and good morning to everyone else, have a good day, wink at a few people and watch their reaction.......you can always say, "I've got something in my eye."........:bigwink:


----------



## merlin

A quick good morning from Heathrow, we are waiting for our flight to Austria. It's another sunny hot day in the UK. Bulgaria is the same as here hot, in the upper 70s, Macedonia is hotter getting up to 90  

See you later have a good weekend   I


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !
Enjoy the weekend !


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Hi from Vienna, waiting for our onward flight to Sofia, it's a very hot day here as well, like a lot of the world we seem to be having a prolonged heatwave. Enjoy your day


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening and goodnight folks 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 we arrived early in Sofia at around 6pm local time, having moved 2 hours into the future 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 our place to stay tonight, is the home of a Bulgarian actress/artist who is charming. The apartment is spacious and Ina the owner lives in an adjoining part of the building. I will post some photos tomorrow.

There is no air conditioning but it's cool enough being in an old building.

We have been walking around Sofia since we arrived and have just got back after a meal at a nearby restaurant, the time is coming up to midnight, so I will wish you a goodnight and catch up with soon.[/FONT]


----------



## Wren

Morning all, off to the beach today, loving this sunshine, enjoy your Sunday !


----------



## connect1




----------



## Pappy




----------



## connect1




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening, last nights stay in Ina's house was good, and this morning we wandered around Sofia on a perfect summers day...... the rental car a red Renault was delivered this afternoon, and we have driven for a couple of hours to an ancient small town called Koprivshtitsa, high in the mountains it's a fascinating place and much cooler, barely 70f.

Here are some photos of the apartment we stayed in..
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----------



## merlin

The cathedral in Sofia complete with a wedding party in a pink stretch limo  



















The packed restaurant on Saturday night in Sofia, fortunately we managed to get the last table ..








We both had a tender pork dish with a berry sauce which was lovely ...









Desserts, Lisa's looked more like a meal  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	









​


----------



## Shalimar

Fabulous pictures, Merlin.


----------



## Wren

Good morning, I hope everybody’s week goes well


----------



## Ferocious

Good morning everyone, it's nice to log on and say "Hello", but it's also handy to find out what day it is........thanks Wren.....


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon everyone !


----------



## Pappy

Good morning to you all.......


----------



## connect1




----------



## Wren




----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Lin

I don’t know anyone but the idea of just commenting made me want to say...Goodnight all, you all have been so nice to someone who isn’t here all the time.


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Wren

Good morning


----------



## Pappy




----------



## ClassicRockr

Good Morning! Finishing getting ready (packing) for "Daddy Of 'Em All" in Cheyenne, Wyoming next week. This is billed as a huge Outdoor Western Celebration and Rodeo there and Cheyenne has been getting ready for it. Rodeo purse/prizes over 1 million dollars. Still flying out looking like Roy and Dale, just not nearly as fancy (LOL). Checking out both Loveland and Cheyenne for next years "move to" areas.

Really, really looking forward to this.​


----------



## merlin

Good morning from our second day in Sozopol, Lisa is swimming at the moment and later we are driving to the old town of Nessebar, it's an hours drive to the other end of the bay, and full of old churches and ruins (like me) so should be an interesting place to wander around. It's called the oldest city in Europe as it dates back to the 6th century.
I will take photos and post them in my Bulgarian thread

Here is an aerial view of the town of Nessebar

Have a great day...



​


----------



## Pappy




----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


----------



## Wren




----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, we are getting ready to leave Sozopol, Lisa is having her last swim, it's 7:30 am. It's already hot but according to Ira a Russian friend of Lisa's who has a summer house here in Sozopol, it's normally hotter than this 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Lisa met up we Ira yesterday and had a chat, they first met through Katya who she has known for a long time.

Ira is in her early forties and never works, because her husband is an IT man working in Casinos, and is VERY rich, they spend their time travelling, and have houses in several countries, nice life if you can get it...

I will post a few photos of Nessebar on the Bulgarian thread, 

Have a great weekend 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	





*Lisa having a swim

*


----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning all, it's another sunny start to the day at 7 am, this is the hottest town we have been to so far, in the 90s all the time, our Bulgarian vacation comes to an end tomorrow, (Monday) when we catch a bus to Skopje in Macedonia and pick up another rental car there, for our trip around Macedonia. It'a 104f in Skopje today but it's supposed to drop below 100 next week 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 .....hopefully

Today we are wandering around the old town here, before we drive to Sofia around 2 hours away.

Enjoy your Sunday...



Last nights dinner ......a pork stew..[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]​


----------



## connect1




----------



## Wren

Morning all, hope your weekend is going well


----------



## Ferocious

Wren, what a lovely greeting, good morning to you and all our friends on SF......:clap:


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## merlin

Good morning from our apartment in Sofia, it's 7am and we are getting ready to go to the bus station, for a bus to take us to Skopje Macedonia, it leaves at 9:30pm and arrives at 2:30pm, with an hours time change, so around a 4 hour trip.

Have a good week..


A few Bulgarian paintings



























​


----------



## Wren

Good morning


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


----------



## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning everyone !




Now this is a cheery greeting, wasn't it Monday yesterday and the day before that..........time flies, thank you Vega_Lyra


----------



## connect1




----------



## hollydolly

Mornin' all...


It's a another stonking hot day again.... gonna be over 90 deg ... and we have no AC in the house., only fans.. ( not much use but better than nothing)..

Yesterday we went to an area of London that has a huge choice of garden centres to buy some slate rocks for the rockery in the garden, and looking for a Solar feature. We got the former but not the latter. Did buy a few more plants tho'.. and on the way back we stopped for lunch at the village pub and watched the cricket on the village green opposite ..




Have a super day everyone...


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Good evening from Macedonia, we arrived in Skopje on the bus this afternoon to a rain shower, and a much cooler air for a change, it's has been very pleasant walking around the old bazaar here this evening. 

Macedonia is on first impressions a lot poorer and generally a lot more litter around in the streets, than Bulgaria which was very clean and tidy, by comparison. .....the people on the other hand seem more friendly.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




We are staying in the old town by the ancient bazaar and mosque, which will wake us up to the call for prayer in the morning. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




I didn't sleep very well last night, so will have an early night and hopefully catch up.

Enjoy your day...

Skopje old town



​


----------



## SeaBreeze




----------



## Buckeye

My car thermometer said it was 118 F this afternoon.  Toasty!

(Phoenix area)


----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## connect1




----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good afternoon to you all, we are halfway through a day in Skopje, not the most attractive of capital cities, Lisa has branded it the ugliest city she has visited, taking over the top position from Berlin which she hates 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




There are a few gems here, a beautiful mosque dating from the 15th century, and a memorial building to Mother Theresa, who was born here. I will post some photos on the Travel thread. 

We also came across a Craft Brewery restaurant, where we will have dinner later 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]



[FONT=&quot]

​[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]​


----------



## SeaBreeze

Good Morning!


----------



## merlin

Good morning to you all, have a great Wednesday, it's cooler here than in the UK at the moment, which is a relief because we don't have AC there, being normally a much cooler country.

These satellite photos show how our once green and pleasant land has become brown 
















 ​​


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


----------



## Wren

Morning everybody,


----------



## Ferocious

Good morning to you too, Wren, and of course to all the other lovely people hereabouts........


----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning to you all, we are in the middle of a National Park called " Mavrovo" it borders Albania, which would be easy to stray into, but the Albanians don't mind if you do evidently.
The place we are staying at is a new restaurant with rooms, called "House of the Mijaks" and is built in the traditional Macedonian style, it's situated high in the mountains, so it's cool in the low 70s and the air is fresh, the area very peaceful. 

We had a good dinner on the terrace last night, and afterwards retiring to bed, I started to write a post and fell asleep laptop in hand, 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ...... Lisa rescued it, then on and off I slept some 10 hours until 6 am. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




This morning we are visiting the nearby 11th century monastery and a walk in the forest to a famous waterfall, then we drive down the Albanian border to lake Ohrid which is shared by Albania.

Have a great Thursday 


*The **House of Majiks*[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

​[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]

​[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]


​[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]​


----------



## merlin

*New*Last nights dinner....





​



​



​



​





​​*The view from the terrace*


​​
​
*New*Last nights dinner....





​



​



​



​





​​*The view from the terrace*


​​
​


----------



## Wren




----------



## connect1




----------



## Pappy




----------



## merlin

Hello from Ohrid in the south west of Macedonia, we love this place and could easily spend a week here chilling out 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




, our host said she has a lot of visitors from the UK, you can fly here direct from London for £26 ($35) crazy price really 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Lisa has been swimming in the lake, the water is warm and clear, and we have also walked around town and just had a great dinner.
The journey here through the mountains was spectacular, though the thunderstorms and heavy rain made driving a tad difficult with flooding and poor visibility, but we made it here to be met by sunshine.

A few photos of our day..


En route














​​The view from our balcony, which I just took..







​







​







​







​​

The restaurant







​







​







​​

Pork with mushrooms and peppers







​​

River trout dish







​​

A spot of cupboard love 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








​


----------



## merlin

Good morning from Ohrid, we woke at 5:30 am to perfect peace, I just took this photo from our balcony of the sunrise across the lake, the mountains in the background on the right hand side of the photo are in Albania, in fact around one third of the lake belongs to Albania, where the border runs through it.

Have a great weekend..


----------



## Wren

Another beautiful sunny day !


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good evening everybody !


----------



## merlin

Good evening from Ohrid, a place we have come to love so much, we have spent the day exploring the fort and several churches and museums................. we ended up in the middle of some cultural festival involving many countries from the Balkans and beyond, I have taken a couple of videos and many photos, but it's late now so I will only post a few of the lake and a church.

Have a good weekend...

Here are a couple of the lake viewed from the fort, which look exactly like real life, a soft moody blue magical effect...















The most photographed church in Macedonia, "Saint John the Theologian" ....


----------



## connect1




----------



## Wren

Enjoy the weekend everybody


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Enjoy the weekend !


----------



## merlin

Good morning all, we are getting ready to move to our last destination in Macedonia, before we return to the UK next Tuesday 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




  though it will good to catch up with everyone at home ...

Here are a few photos and a couple of videos from last nights festivities..

Our dinner was at the same restaurant but this time accompanied by dogs, I had one by my side 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 after an hour the dogs left and the cats arrived, it seems to be an arrangement 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	






























































































​


----------



## merlin

A couple of videos


----------



## Pappy




----------



## SeaBreeze

Sweet dreams...


----------



## Wren

Good morning all


----------



## Ferocious

Wren said:


> Good morning all
> 
> View attachment 54336




"Hmmmm.....'purrusing' the papers again I see, eh Puss!"   :bigwink:


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


----------



## terry123

Good Sunday morning to all!


----------



## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning to you all !



A mystery, meandering path to where I wonder?

Lovely picture Vega_Lyra.......and good morning to you too


----------



## Vega_Lyra

Ferocious said:


> A mystery, meandering path to where I wonder?
> 
> Lovely picture Vega_Lyra.......and good morning to you too



A path to gaining wisdom and joy.


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## Pappy




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## Buckeye

Good Morning All - Things have cooled off a little bit here in the Sonoran Desert.  Currently 90F at 6:45 am.  High 104.  Headed to the nearest Whole Foods store later today.


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## merlin

It's 9pm here and we have just walked back from a great restaurant, that plays various genres of music from the 60s through to the 80s, it's very atmospheric and it's our second evening there. 
I am drunk on life and beer so will wish you a goodnight before I fall asleep.

I hope your weekend is going well....


 ....a few pics from the museum we visited 










​


















​


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## Wren

Good morning everybody


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


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## chic

Good morning.


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good morning from Skopje, sorry I didn't make it on here yesterday, we drove back here via Lake Matka, which is evidently the oldest man made lake in the world, it has several underwater caves, but one which can be accessed only by boat, so we went on an hours trip up the lake, surviving a rainstorm in the middle of it, the boat was open so no shelter, it was all very enjoyable though and we dried off quickly.

A bit later this morning we go to the airport to catch our flight to Vienna and then another one to London....... see you later in the UK.

Have a good week...

Here are a few photos taken on the lake and in the cave, which was very pretty.....[/FONT]


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​[/FONT]

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​[/FONT]

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​[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




​[/FONT]​

[FONT=&quot]
After the thunderstorm the lake took on a magical quality with the resulting mist produced...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




​

[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]Plus of course the inevitable bride we come across wherever we go 

[/FONT]
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## Keesha

Goodnight! :love_heart:


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## Wren




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## Furryanimal

Wren said:


> Good morning everybody
> 
> View attachment 54356


Good morning on somewhere that's working!


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## Wren

Furryanimal said:


> Good morning on somewhere that's working!



Long may it continue or I may start to think it’s us !! :dunno:


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## Pappy




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## merlin

Hello from Vienna airport, which is strangely deserted  




  it's very hot here as well, at least outside it is, in the 90s, it seems most of the world is roasting. 
Hope you are managing to remain cool


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## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon to you all !


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good afternoon to you all !




Good morning Vega_Lyra and everyone else too......crumbs, August already.


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## RubyK

HAPPY AUGUST 1ST.



upload image direct link


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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening folks, I am finally back home and feeling completely disorientated, not surprising I guess after all this travel. I should be back in the real world tomorrow hopefully, and will catch up on here, I hope you are all well 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




A couple of photos of a deserted Vienna airport yesterday, it's the fourth time we have been there and it always seems quiet.[/FONT]


[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	














[/FONT]​


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## Wren

Good morning all


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## Ferocious

Good morning, Wren, if you've got the kettle on, a nice cup of tea would be nice......oh, and a piece of hot buttered toast too....

Good morning everyone, I'm sending you all a big smile.........if you've not had your breakfast, why not nip round to Wren's, she makes a smashing cup of tea.....:bigwink:


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning everyone !





Excuse me!!!!  Can you just twist your 'ead round the other way, this girl wants to get out of the tub.........k:


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## Vega_Lyra

:smile-new::wave:


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## Pappy




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## RadishRose




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## Ferocious

RadishRose said:


> View attachment 54446



"Fred....FRED, will you give it a rest, will you change your pyjamas, they all think you are one of them and they'll want to come and kip in the tent next." :bigwink:


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## merlin

Good evening all, the heatwave has returned to the UK and I am exhausted by it, have spent most of the day lying around and chatting to Cathy who is off work this week. 

I am going down to spend the weekend with Lisa tomorrow, Katya and James are going for an 80 Km walk over three days in Devon.

Here are photos of our last supper in Macedonia, it was a lovely restaurant and the food was great, especially the fried zucchini, we have had them three nights running and these were the best.




















*A Macedonian traditional roast with three meats and veg..*​







*A baked apple dessert *​



​


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## RadishRose

Oh my, how delicious! Looks like my favorite tomato salad and I love fried zucchini. The pot roast looks glorious.

Watch out for the heat Merlin. :love_heart:


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning everyone !




Good morning Vega_Lyra, what a lovely picture, I'll have my cup of tea outside on the bench....


Good morning everyone, time to get yourselves into gear, or perhaps out of it.......


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## Pappy




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## Wren




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## Ferocious

Wren said:


> View attachment 54574




Hmmmm, I don't see her, so Wren must be in the briny having a swim,  I'll just write in the sand......

"Thanks for the picture Wren, have a good day."


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning , friends !


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning , friends !




Yes, that could be me.....the Cheshire cat.....sleeping off the Cream.....:bigwink:

Thank you and enjoy your weekend too...


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## Pappy




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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]Good evening to you all, another perfect summers day though a tad hot in the sun, I together with the two cats of the household, have spent most of it sat in the shade of the old oak trees in the forest adjoining Katya's garden, here are a few photos I took from my chair...

The cats Lika and Misha..
[/FONT]

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[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]


*A tiny pond which is home for a large frog I discovered when he popped out, but sadly I didn't catch him on camera....*[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]





[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]


*The back of the house*[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]






[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]*Lunch on the patio a piece of cod in beer batter each.... I cooked a couple of very rare steaks for the children, which seems to be their favourite*

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



[/FONT]​[FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]I hope you are enjoying your weekend as much as we are 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/FONT]


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## Wren




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## connect1




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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


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## Ferocious

Good morning everyone 
Some of you will be sipping coffee just about now, but me,  I'm on my second cup of tea and listening to a lovely piece of meditation music which was sent to me by a friend. I have to say that it really does have a soothing effect and somehow makes my tea taste better.........slurp.......ooooooh.....lovely.


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## Pappy




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## merlin

It's yet another hot sunny day here, with not a cloud in the sky, so nothing to do but sit in the garden and watch the day unfold    










Have a good Sunday..
















​


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## SeaBreeze




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## RadishRose




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## connect1




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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning and a happy new week !


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning and a happy new week !




Good morning, Vega_Lyra, you are an early bird, is that you in your lovely greeting picture? 


Good morning everyone, may your hearts be light, may your aches be nil........and most important.....may your cupboard be well stocked with tea for when I come round......:bigwink:


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## Wren

Morning all, hope the week goes well for you :goodmorning:


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !


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## Wren




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## Pappy




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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


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## Pappy




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## merlin

*Post by Terry on 6 minutes ago*

I have just been playing with my new camera, the old one died just before our recent vacation, it takes time lapse videos so I just took the sun going down in the garden/yard











​


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## Falcon

Merlin,   I like your expression,  "Watching the day  UNFOLD" !    Very descriptive.   Thanks  for that.  (John)


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## Wren

Good morning all, have a great day


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


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## Pappy




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## merlin

Hi everyone, I have been gardening all day again, it's the small section at the bottom of the rear garden/yard, because we are on a hill the garden slopes down in three sections. It was overgrown with buddleia bushes and weeds, but is a lot more manageable now, hopefully. I will trim the hedges tomorrow, if my back recovers, it's a tad painful at the moment, I am not as young as I used to be  





I hope you are all having a good day,
A couple of photos of the garden, plus a lot of bluebottle flies appeared while I was digging, I must have disturbed a nest ....  




















​


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## Wren




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## Wren

Ferocious thinks I’m running a cafe ! Here you are, just for your cheek


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## Ferocious

Wren said:


> Ferocious thinks I’m running a cafe ! Here you are, just for your cheek
> View attachment 54878





Oooooooooooh ta, Wren.....lovlee-jublee............Slurp


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning everyone !



I do like a nice view, but I enjoy it so much more if I have somewhere to park my bum.....this fits the bill perfectly.....thank you Vega_Lyra


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning everyone !





Stunning picture, thank you Vega_Lyra....... and good morning


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## Pappy




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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !
Enjoy the weekend !


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## Wren

Morning all, enjoy your weekend !


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning !
> Enjoy the weekend !



What superb locations, I could almost just step into these pictures and go go a stroll.....thank you Vega _Lyra


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## Ferocious

Wren said:


> Morning all, enjoy your weekend !
> View attachment 54916



Good morning Wren, that cuppa tea yesterday tickled me tonsils smashin'.....any chance of another of your lovely amber nectar please.....and a round of hot buttered toast would be nice too.......


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## Pappy




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## Ken N Tx




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## Wren




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## Ferocious

Morning Wren, I wish for you to have whatever kind of day you want.....

Ken, you'll need to buy some tea if I'm to come calling...


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## Pappy




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## merlin

I spent most of yesterday at the annual re-enactment show where Cathy's partner performs and runs a replica WWII pub that he made himself, being a builder I guess he found it reasonably easy, all his profits go to charity. The pub is transported all over the UK to various shows during the summer season.

I did post some photos last year but here are a few I took yesterday, the weather was dull and cloudy, but at least it didn't rain.
I ended up drinking rather a lot of Pink Gins in the pub, so eventually got a lift home with Cathy and slept till 6am this morning 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	








*Cathy, her son Oliver and partner Mike*

​

































​​


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## merlin

A video I took of a storyteller who researches real life people from the early 20th century and presents a monologue of their life, he has presented some of his stories on the BBC....


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## merlin

*New*The event takes place in the Spetchley Park estate near Worcester, home to the Berkeley family for 400 years with a manor house set in 4,500 acres of parkland and gardens, here are a few photos of the ancient family church and gardens..
























​​The orangery with some bougainvillea and jasmine plants








​


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## connect1

*Good evening *


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## SeaBreeze




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## Wren

Good morning all, have a great week :goodmorning:


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## Ferocious

Wren said:


> Good morning all, have a great week :goodmorning:





Good morning to you too, Wren, there's plenty of tea in the pot, help yourself.....

Good morning everyone, yes, I know, it's Monday again, enjoy your week....


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## Pappy




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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]I spent this morning getting the car fixed with a new airbag, after a recall from Nissan, it was hilarious really, because having dropped the car off, and being told it would be ready by lunchtime, I decided to come home on the bus a 10 mile journey, having just got off the bus in Worcester I received a phone call to say it was ready, they had fitted it in earlier, so I got on the next bus back [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot] at least I have a free bus pass ...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Have a good Monday and week ahead.....


[/FONT]


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## Ferocious

Has everyone slept in, or am I up too early........gulp......g-g-g-good morning all, enjoy your day......


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## Wren

Thanks for the wake up call Fero, have a good day all


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## connect1




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## terry123

Good morning! Tried to make coffee and no cold water. Left message at the complex that I had no cold water. Maybe there was a planned outage and I did not get the message.  Its usually not off long so will lay solitaire for a bit.


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## Pappy




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## Vega_Lyra

Good afternoon !


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good afternoon !




That is one fantastic picture Vega_Lyra, thank you for sharing, but please, tell us what the location is, some of us might want to go there.....


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning everyone !
Another drop of beauty and tranquility, for an imaginary autumn stroll


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## Wren




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## Pappy

Good morning from Sylvan Beach. They are working on the canal this morning.


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## Wren




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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


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## merlin

I woke this morning to a grey damp miserable day, but it has since become sunny and pleasant, I am meeting my daughter Caroline for lunch at a restaurant called Bodega's one of three Mexican ones in Worcester. We went last year and enjoyed the atmosphere and the food.

Cathy, Mike and Oliver my grandson are in Holland, after an overnight drive plus a train ride with their car in the channel tunnel. ................. so I am on my own until Monday morning now, I will enjoy time chilling out.

Lisa in the meantime flew with her family to Dubrovnik in Croatia yesterday, for a 10 day beach holiday, which for me would be a nightmare 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 they are enjoying it though, and it's in the 90s which Lisa loves. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Have a great Thursday!

*Lisa's three grandchildren*






​​Lisa & Katya


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## merlin

[FONT=&quot]The rest of my day went well, I walked into the restaurant in Worcester, it's about a mile and half, all down hill 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




We had a light lunch of Burritos with pork and a beer 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 ....... 

I hope your day is going well.... [/FONT]



[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]​


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


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## Wren

Morning all, enjoy your day


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning !



WOW!!!!! 

I want to go there. 

Thank you for posting this gorgeous picture.........and good morning Vega_Lyra


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## Ferocious

Wren said:


> Morning all, enjoy your day
> View attachment 55284




Good morning, Wren, oooooooooooooooooooooh, a nice cuppa tea, just what I wanted......any chance of a piece of toast......:bigwink:


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## Wren

Good morning everybody


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## Ferocious

Good morning to you all, have a 'gooder' than good day, tread on a few toes if you must, but make sure you have your running shoes on......:bigwink:


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning !


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## terry123

Morning all.  Not looking forward to another 95 degree day.  Will October EVER get here!!!


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## Ferocious

Oops


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning !




What lurks at the end of this path I wonder....the trees look very suspicious, and those leaves are keeping quiet too, would we fall into a vast chasm if we ventured further, is there a Troll with a cricket bat ready to pounce and biff us on our nappers? Tread carefully my friends, Vega_Lyra is tempting us to follow this seemingly beautiful walkway, perhaps her plan is to pinch my bar of toffee.........


Of course I'm joking, lovely picture, VG.....good morning and thank you. :hatlaugh1:


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## merlin

A good morning or wherever you are in your day, I am all alone this weekend, Caroline and her family are in Cambridge, Cathy family and dog are in Amsterdam and Lisa is in Croatia with her family so I am free to misbehave as much as I like 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Have a great weekend everyone





​


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## Wren

Morning all, time for breakfast, have a happy Sunday,


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## Vega_Lyra

Good morning to you all !
Enjoy a Sunday stroll !


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## Ferocious

Wren said:


> Morning all, time for breakfast, have a happy Sunday,
> View attachment 55399



Good morning, I'll have to just use my fingers, Wren, another cup of tea would be nice though.......slurp.....


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## Ferocious

Vega_Lyra said:


> Good morning to you all !
> Enjoy a Sunday stroll !




Hmmmm......could this be the source of some fine wines I wonder, and such a pretty vista too.......nice picture Vega_Lyra, thank you for posting it


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## RadishRose

Good Morning


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## Ferocious

RadishRose said:


> Good Morning
> 
> View attachment 55407[/QUO
> 
> 
> Now that looks like a window I've looked out of many years ago, though that pretty girl wasn't there (more's the pity).
> 
> Lovely picture, Rose.


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## SeaBreeze

This thread is continued here, thanks.  https://www.seniorforums.com/showth...Good-Evening-Good-Night-2?p=876010#post876010


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