First world problem: I'm having toast and pate for lunch but had to switch off the air-con otherwise my meal would have gone cold before I could finish it ...
Cardiff had the hottest night apparently. I can well believe it.
Down the road in Zooport it was hot and humid too. We lay there, not touching and wishing we had our old Super King size bed which we could just about see each other on (can’t squeeze one in our smaller house if we want wardrobes).
The roads were wet this morning so presumably it rained overnight. I did some housework early, before it got too hot.
Hotter than ever today but apart from putting the washing out I have not been outside. U3a French was cancelled and I opted out of a Come and Sing Evensong in the city. Although the church would have been cool, the bus journey would have been unbearable.
Much as I appreciate the comforts of home and a decent cooling fan, a week of Not Going Out ( if you don’t count the day I spent at the car dealership in Tuesday ) is getting very dull. A friend who lives in an upstairs flat has been spending time in our ancient church to keep cool.
We had thunder and lightning, with a little rain, during the night, but I wasn't aware of it.
Same here. I have a vague feeling that I woke briefly at about 2:30, but I must have gone back to sleep. My nephew in South Queensferry posted some excellent lightning footage on the family What's App, and I was almost sorry I'd missed it - although I wouldn't have relished being kept awake in the middle of the night.
There were more flashes and rumbles in the morning, and it grew so dark it might have been 4 pm in December.
In other news, I'm a bit broken. I bought some new shoes and decided to wear them to work, and by the time I got there, my heels were torn to ribbons and looked like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
I had brought a couple of Compeed plasters with me, but they were fighting a losing battle. More have been bought, along with those leather thingies that you slot inside the back of the shoe, but I'm not sure if they'll work. I'm cross, as they cost rather more than I usually pay for footwear.
Hopefully the shoes will wear in if give them time @piglet I bought some padded heel grippy things from Boots for the ballet flats I bought recently and something like that might work.
The service this morning was mainly inside for which I'm very grateful as the flag raising bit outside was flipping hot. Evensong this evening was beautiful as is the cathedral it was in. Afterwards we were invited the Dean's rather splendid house for a glass of wine, though I was good and opted for elderflower cordial. As my husband is away I took a friend as my consort. It was hard to drag her away as I think she was aiming to ask the Dean for a guided tour of his house and garden.
Tomorrow is a fairly quiet day, though I am helping out at our local Repair Cafe in the middle of the day.
Difficult Relative has just phoned me to rant at me and to tell me I am a despicable person. The entertaining bit was her claim that I am blind to my husband's faults and that I pander to him due to my excessive wifely devotion.
I don't think anyone else has ever discerned this excessive wifely devotion before. It's certainly not a fault of which I was aware.
The day started hot, but noticeably less humid than the previous two.
Late morning I became aware that the air indoors was comfortably cool, so opened the french doors to investigate (even being able get them open during the day has been impossible this week), and found the sky overcast and a pleasant breeze blowing.
It did heat up again by late afternoon, but not enough to make the bedrooms uncomfortable. We have had thunder rumbling around for about half an hour, and it is now raining, so maybe I won't have to water the tomatoes in the morning.
Highlight of the day - a phone call from the hospital with an appointment next week for a pre-op assessment for my second cataract. Yesterday it was exactly a year since the first was done.
Lowlight of the day was tripping over the doorsill in my excitement to reach the phone when Mr RoS said who was calling - now have a grazed elbow, swollen knee and bruised foot. No doubt all my joints will be stiff in the morning from the jolt of the fall.
A hot and sticky night in Arkland the Clammy, enlivened by a noisy thunderstorm with lightning and rain at the usual time of 4am, though thunder was rumbling around for much of the hours of darkness. Not so humid now, but still hot (80F and rising to 86F this afternoon).
I arose very early (well, 830am) and took myself off to Tess Coe for more Essentials, as BEER (non-alcoholic!), Bread and Ham. I completely forgot to pick up any Salad or Watercress, but perhaps the village Co-Op will have some tomorrow.
The heatwave is making me feel very weary, with achy muscles - every movement is tiring, anyway, these days, but I'm fortunate inasmuch that there's nowhere I need to be, and nothing I need to do, unlike those of you who have to go to w*rk, or who have other commitments.
Here in the Wilds of Wiltshire things are a bit more comfortable, with a nice breeze. Temperatures in the house have fallen below 30 degrees for the first time in days.
Yesterday afternoon and this morning we have been helping to set things up for this afternoon's fete - putting up gazebos, hanging bunting, setting out tables and chairs. I am on duty in the Tea Tent. Not to be confused with the Cake Tent. I was guilty of that confusion this morning (This is supposed to be the busiest tent, why is no one else here helping?) and ended up hanging around in The Wrong Place for a while :rolleyes: .
Several people have made appreciative comments about how nice it is that we are new and getting stuck into village life, so that's been affirming for us .
Our Place has its Summer Fate Fete next Saturday, by which time the heatwave will probably have abated. People put in a huge amount of hard work to make it a success - it usually is, and, as well as attracting at least a few of the otherwise indifferent neighbours, raises some much-needed £££ to pay the bills...
I had planned to go to the village show of the village where I goto church but at 29 degrees it is too hot, especially as it would be a long walk from the car park. I got decently dressed to walk into town earlier but also decided it was too hot. So another day of doing Not A Lot.
I’m not sure about church tomorrow as there is a weird tradition of having a Remembrance ceremony before the Feast Day Service, with robed choir. Even if it is a bit cooler, it is still too hot to be standing outside in choir robes.
A weird tradition, indeed, but there must be a case for allowing you choir members to do your duty in street clothes - light and appropriate summer attire, that is...
Cooling down here, not that you'd notice. My parents are arriving later, so I'll have to go and pick them up from the Gare du Nord. I vote to come back with Mister Uber. They were meant to arrive on Thursday but delayed their journey on the train companies' advice.
I've just spent three hours helping out at our Repair Cafe. It was much quieter than usual, maybe because it is still hot here or maybe because the other Repair Cafe in town was yesterday. We all had a nice time anyway and a few things did get repaired which is good.
I now intend to do nothing much other than take the washing in that I hung out this morning before (fingers crossed) we get a bit of rain and print off my speech for tomorrow's event. Oh and if it doesn't rain I guess I'll need to do a bit of watering.
Not much more stiffness & aches from yesterday's crash-landing than usual in the mornings, so yesterday more good than bad.
Quite a bit of rain overnight, but the cool start soon burned away and the morning became hot again. Managed an overdue visit to the post office to sort out some banking stuff, and to the nearby gift-shop to buy a dozen greetings cards for the summer crop of friend & family birthdays before the heat became unbearable.
Since lunch it has rained, and the afternoon has become cool once more, but that may not last.
I recall a 40C midnight Mass at St Frank’s where quite a few of the women were in knickers and bras under our robes. During the sermon some of us escaped to the friary garden via the sacristy and divested ourselves of robes in attempt to cool off for 30 minutes before going back to sing the anthem.
Last night (well, this morning) I finally got a full sleep for the first time since the heatwave began. When your body and mind is tired but it's too hot to drop off is miserable.
Tea for me is a "too good to go" proscuitto Pret baguette.
I recall a 40C midnight Mass at St Frank’s where quite a few of the women were in knickers and bras under our robes. During the sermon some of us escaped to the friary garden via the sacristy and divested ourselves of robes in attempt to cool off for 30 minutes before going back to sing the anthem.
A friend of mine who was a minister in the Detroit area, one told me that at the rehearsal of a couple who had been very demanding, they insisted that she should robe for the service - in 100F heat. So, as her private revenge she wore her robe and not a stitch else!
When we were doing choir weeks in various cathedrals where it was hotter than comfortable, I cut the collar and shoulders off an old white shirt of David's and put that under my cassock with a Cathedral tie and just undies and lightweight trousers, which worked well enough.
I was still Too Hot, but that's because I come from Northerly Parts™.
I've had a lovely afternoon at my niece's with nearly all the family, eating and drinking too much in almost perfect weather, and hearing about her husband's exploits in Boston with the Tartan Army.
I’m told it rained last evening by a friend who lives nearby but I saw none of it.
I arrived too late to join the Remembrance service outside at the war memorial this morning but in time for the main Communion service. Robes were worn, with just a summer dress plus underwear underneath. Far too hot.
This year very few of the uniformed groups turned up and only one Scout Master stayed for the main service, though to be fair it was not geared to them this time. Because we are in vacancy, HC is less frequent so needed to be scheduled. The priest’s wife played the organ and their two teenage children were there. The older boy joined in, but the younger, a girl, sat and sketched. She is very talented.
Yesterday’s village show was well attended. I’m seeing my granddaughter this afternoon so will hear what she thought of it. Too hot for me to go.
Nice and sunny earlier on here, although it's clouded over now, and got rather blustrous.
There was CAKE and bubbly after church to toast a retired priest (who fills in when Rosie's away) and his wife, who are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary - well done them!
I think the excesses of yesterday afternoon (food, drink and heat) have caught up with me: I've been ridiculously sleepy today and achieved nothing but laundry and snoozage this afternoon.
Supper will be fishcakes with green beans (the latter because use-by date).
Not so hot today which made it quite pleasant for the Armed Forces Day Parade and Veterans lunch that was on in our Market Place and Town Hall today. My speech seemed to be well received which is a good thing as I know very little about the armed forces and had to get advice as to what to say. The civic service at the minster was also rather nice. We had a very enthusiastic reading of the psalm which I really enjoyed and the music was good.
I came home and have done sod all ever since. Tomorrow morning I'm going litter picking ahead of our town being judged for East Midlands in Bloom which will be considerably less stressful than today.
Sound like a busy but successful event @Sarasa ; well done!
It's been a very busy weekend for the Nens, being involved in setting up for the village fete, helping on the day and clearing up yesterday, and a good step towards feeling more a part of things here. I had some really nice conversations with people while we were all on our knees cleaning one of the marquees.
Yesterday afternoon Mr Nen, bless him, also pushed through his tiredness barrier and mowed the meadow lawn so that looks a lot better now. I need to get out and do the edges at some point. He is off today attending the funeral of a very old friend. I'm grateful for a bit of time to myself and have a reading and journalling agenda.
It started writing in the moment I stepped out on our dog walk.
So when I got back I googled " is it good for you to walk in the rain?"
The answer was cheering and motivating for next time!
Yes -
Cleaner, Fresher Air: Raindrops attract and clear away pollutants, dust, and allergens . This makes the air crisper and easier to breathe.
Mood and Energy Boost: Rainfall produces negative air ions . Inhaling these ions is believed to increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, which can relieve stress and boost serotonin.
A Sensory Experience: The earthy, pleasant smell of rain (called petrichor) is calming to the human brain.
I had a nice time litter picking this morning. I didn't know the lady I was picking with, but it turned out we'd corresponded over an event she was running. She is a social historian so she was pointing out interesting things in town I hadn't noticed. After that I went and picked up the dormouse I made at a clay workshop in May. The tutor had done a cracking job at making my dodgy effort look presentable. I think I'll sign up for another one later in the year.
Husband is due home from his jaunt to Manchester shortly so I probably ought to go and sort out some lunch.
The edible dormouse was farmed and eaten by the ancient Romans, the Gauls, and the Etruscans (usually as a snack), hence the word edible in its name. The Romans would catch dormice from the wild in autumn when they were fattest. The dormice were kept and raised either in large pits or (in less spacious urban surroundings) in terra cotta containers, gliraria, similar to contemporary hamster cages. They fed these captive dormice walnuts, chestnuts, and acorns for fattening. The dormice were served by either roasting them and dipping them in honey or stuffing them with a mixture of pork, pine nuts, and other flavourings. It was, however, very important to upper-class Romans that the dormice be separated from other products of the hunt, like the large game, for presentation purposes.
Perhaps you could make a Clay (or Terra Cotta) Pot for Dormice at your workshop?
BEEF STROGANOFF for Lunch today, though...
A lovely Sun-Shiny summer day in Arkland the Estival, with a sensible high of 74F, and a nice westerly breeze. Tess Coe has been achieved - very much busier than it usually is on Mondays, but apparently Another Local Superstore is closed this week for a re-vamp...
Today is payday for me so I can get some ice cream....naturally AFTER the heatwave has ended! The weather is so much more comfortable now but hoping for some rain.
There is a path outside my window (I live on the first floor, so on the ground below) between the building and the stream that runs past, and there's a family of magpies that regularly gather there (parents and I think 2 or 3 babies) and they are so cute and funny to watch and listen to. The babies are fledglings so are like smaller squeaker adults, and are always playing with each other and chasing each other around.
We are no fans of magpies, and not just because of their squawking! During the last week or so we've been delighted to see a hedgehog in our garden most evenings. This afternoon, to our surprise and horror, we saw a magpie attacking three baby hoglets on the lawn. We scared the bird away and carefully carried the hoglets into a safer place. Fortunately they seem to be unscathed.
We are no fans of magpies, and not just because of their squawking! During the last week or so we've been delighted to see a hedgehog in our garden most evenings. This afternoon, to our surprise and horror, we saw a magpie attacking three baby hoglets on the lawn. We scared the bird away and carefully carried the hoglets into a safer place. Fortunately they seem to be unscathed.
It's not nice, but magpies have to eat and feed their young too. Hedgehogs are endangered because of human behaviour, not magpies. Hedgehogs themselves eat plenty of baby animals, they're just baby slugs or other things we don't think are cute.
We also get the local swan pair and their six babies swimming past, which is very exciting for everyone.
Magpies are evil! We have few garden and song birds hereabouts. It’s mostly gulls, pigeons and magpies. The latter live on the young small birds.
Mrs Sioni’s late b-i-l was a part-time gamekeeper and reckoned magpies were a greater menace than foxes to any game chicks. He got no pay, but a bonus was paid for each pair of magpies.
I refer to magpies as the orcas of the bird world. We have several magpies and beautiful jackdaws bickering around the feeders, though the starlings can also be very noisy. This makes it very difficult for smaller birds to get a look in. But I have just bought a new squirrel proof feeder, the squirrels having accessed the previous squirrel proof ones and bitten through the plastic, and this one is much larger and appears to be more effective with lots of little birds going in to get suet pellets and neither the squirrels or the magpies can get in. Today there was a pair of coal tits and several blue tits. There are separate feeders for the bigger birds.
A quick log into work with admin this morning and an afternoon of sewing. I’ve also done some background reading for my next studies as my application for a Masters in Classical Studies was accepted last week. It is no longer necessary to know Greek and/or Latin for classical studies these days so it is far more accessible for working class students and it is also seen as more cross-faculty. As my usual history field is early modern I am doing preparatory reading. The course includes study of disability and Roman funerals so right up my street and I’m considering doing a dissertation on Roman funerals.
I saw one of our local magpies in the tree outside my flat the other day, and another (or maybe the same one) the next day as I was going to work. I bade them both good day, and added "what a fine fellow you are"; I know they're not the best behaved of our feathered friends, but as BF said, you can't deny that they're handsome!
It's a bit like discovering that an actor/rock singer/whatever who makes you go weak at the knees turns out to be a 24-carat ratbag.
Pleasantly warm (although a bit humid) in West Lothian, and I made it to work, to Tessie's and back at lunchtime, and home without getting rained on.
Magpies are evil! We have few garden and song birds hereabouts. It’s mostly gulls, pigeons and magpies. The latter live on the young small birds.
Mrs Sioni’s late b-i-l was a part-time gamekeeper and reckoned magpies were a greater menace than foxes to any game chicks. He got no pay, but a bonus was paid for each pair of magpies.
No non-human animal is capable of being evil. Animals do not have a concept of evil but act on instinct. Magpies are a native part of the food chain - gamekeepers meanwhile persecute raptors and breed hundreds of pheasants for rich Americans to shoot. Why is it OK for a sparrowhawk to eat smaller birds but not a magpie?
Comments
Hedgehog duty completed. We had three tiny babies arrive, mummy had died. They almost jumped in the food. 💕🐾🦔
Down the road in Zooport it was hot and humid too. We lay there, not touching and wishing we had our old Super King size bed which we could just about see each other on (can’t squeeze one in our smaller house if we want wardrobes).
We haven't seen our garden hedgehog since the heatwave began. We're worried.
Might s/he simply be sheltering somewhere safe and shady?
Put shallow bowls of fresh water out and dried cat food (poultry, not fish).
You could also contact your local hedgehog sanctuary. They are always looking for places to release recovered hogs.
That's what we're hoping.
Thanks.
Hotter than ever today but apart from putting the washing out I have not been outside. U3a French was cancelled and I opted out of a Come and Sing Evensong in the city. Although the church would have been cool, the bus journey would have been unbearable.
Much as I appreciate the comforts of home and a decent cooling fan, a week of Not Going Out ( if you don’t count the day I spent at the car dealership in Tuesday ) is getting very dull. A friend who lives in an upstairs flat has been spending time in our ancient church to keep cool.
There were more flashes and rumbles in the morning, and it grew so dark it might have been 4 pm in December.
In other news, I'm a bit broken. I bought some new shoes and decided to wear them to work, and by the time I got there, my heels were torn to ribbons and looked like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
I had brought a couple of Compeed plasters with me, but they were fighting a losing battle. More have been bought, along with those leather thingies that you slot inside the back of the shoe, but I'm not sure if they'll work. I'm cross, as they cost rather more than I usually pay for footwear.
Scampi and chips for supper, for a change.
The service this morning was mainly inside for which I'm very grateful as the flag raising bit outside was flipping hot. Evensong this evening was beautiful as is the cathedral it was in. Afterwards we were invited the Dean's rather splendid house for a glass of wine, though I was good and opted for elderflower cordial. As my husband is away I took a friend as my consort. It was hard to drag her away as I think she was aiming to ask the Dean for a guided tour of his house and garden.
Tomorrow is a fairly quiet day, though I am helping out at our local Repair Cafe in the middle of the day.
I don't think anyone else has ever discerned this excessive wifely devotion before. It's certainly not a fault of which I was aware.
North East Quine, polishing her wifely halo.
Late morning I became aware that the air indoors was comfortably cool, so opened the french doors to investigate (even being able get them open during the day has been impossible this week), and found the sky overcast and a pleasant breeze blowing.
It did heat up again by late afternoon, but not enough to make the bedrooms uncomfortable. We have had thunder rumbling around for about half an hour, and it is now raining, so maybe I won't have to water the tomatoes in the morning.
Highlight of the day - a phone call from the hospital with an appointment next week for a pre-op assessment for my second cataract. Yesterday it was exactly a year since the first was done.
Lowlight of the day was tripping over the doorsill in my excitement to reach the phone when Mr RoS said who was calling - now have a grazed elbow, swollen knee and bruised foot. No doubt all my joints will be stiff in the morning from the jolt of the fall.
A hot and sticky night in Arkland the Clammy, enlivened by a noisy thunderstorm with lightning and rain at the usual time of 4am, though thunder was rumbling around for much of the hours of darkness. Not so humid now, but still hot (80F and rising to 86F this afternoon).
I arose very early (well, 830am) and took myself off to Tess Coe for more Essentials, as BEER (non-alcoholic!), Bread and Ham. I completely forgot to pick up any Salad or Watercress, but perhaps the village Co-Op will have some tomorrow.
The heatwave is making me feel very weary, with achy muscles - every movement is tiring, anyway, these days, but I'm fortunate inasmuch that there's nowhere I need to be, and nothing I need to do, unlike those of you who have to go to w*rk, or who have other commitments.
Yesterday afternoon and this morning we have been helping to set things up for this afternoon's fete - putting up gazebos, hanging bunting, setting out tables and chairs. I am on duty in the Tea Tent. Not to be confused with the Cake Tent. I was guilty of that confusion this morning (This is supposed to be the busiest tent, why is no one else here helping?) and ended up hanging around in The Wrong Place for a while :rolleyes: .
Several people have made appreciative comments about how nice it is that we are new and getting stuck into village life, so that's been affirming for us
I’m not sure about church tomorrow as there is a weird tradition of having a Remembrance ceremony before the Feast Day Service, with robed choir. Even if it is a bit cooler, it is still too hot to be standing outside in choir robes.
Cooling down here, not that you'd notice. My parents are arriving later, so I'll have to go and pick them up from the Gare du Nord. I vote to come back with Mister Uber. They were meant to arrive on Thursday but delayed their journey on the train companies' advice.
I often garden in light overalls with just my pants underneath.
Brain bleach is over >> for those who need it.
I now intend to do nothing much other than take the washing in that I hung out this morning before (fingers crossed) we get a bit of rain and print off my speech for tomorrow's event. Oh and if it doesn't rain I guess I'll need to do a bit of watering.
Quite a bit of rain overnight, but the cool start soon burned away and the morning became hot again. Managed an overdue visit to the post office to sort out some banking stuff, and to the nearby gift-shop to buy a dozen greetings cards for the summer crop of friend & family birthdays before the heat became unbearable.
Since lunch it has rained, and the afternoon has become cool once more, but that may not last.
Tea for me is a "too good to go" proscuitto Pret baguette.
I was still Too Hot, but that's because I come from Northerly Parts™.
I've had a lovely afternoon at my niece's with nearly all the family, eating and drinking too much in almost perfect weather, and hearing about her husband's exploits in Boston with the Tartan Army.
Today is perfect weather so far. Sunny and 20⁰ The garden needs some rain.
I arrived too late to join the Remembrance service outside at the war memorial this morning but in time for the main Communion service. Robes were worn, with just a summer dress plus underwear underneath. Far too hot.
This year very few of the uniformed groups turned up and only one Scout Master stayed for the main service, though to be fair it was not geared to them this time. Because we are in vacancy, HC is less frequent so needed to be scheduled. The priest’s wife played the organ and their two teenage children were there. The older boy joined in, but the younger, a girl, sat and sketched. She is very talented.
Yesterday’s village show was well attended. I’m seeing my granddaughter this afternoon so will hear what she thought of it. Too hot for me to go.
There was CAKE and bubbly after church to toast a retired priest (who fills in when Rosie's away) and his wife, who are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary - well done them!
I think the excesses of yesterday afternoon (food, drink and heat) have caught up with me: I've been ridiculously sleepy today and achieved nothing but laundry and snoozage this afternoon.
Supper will be fishcakes with green beans (the latter because use-by date).
I came home and have done sod all ever since. Tomorrow morning I'm going litter picking ahead of our town being judged for East Midlands in Bloom which will be considerably less stressful than today.
It's been a very busy weekend for the Nens, being involved in setting up for the village fete, helping on the day and clearing up yesterday, and a good step towards feeling more a part of things here. I had some really nice conversations with people while we were all on our knees cleaning one of the marquees.
Yesterday afternoon Mr Nen, bless him, also pushed through his tiredness barrier and mowed the meadow lawn so that looks a lot better now. I need to get out and do the edges at some point. He is off today attending the funeral of a very old friend. I'm grateful for a bit of time to myself and have a reading and journalling agenda.
So when I got back I googled " is it good for you to walk in the rain?"
The answer was cheering and motivating for next time!
Husband is due home from his jaunt to Manchester shortly so I probably ought to go and sort out some lunch.
The Romans used to eat Dormice...
Wikipedia explains:
The edible dormouse was farmed and eaten by the ancient Romans, the Gauls, and the Etruscans (usually as a snack), hence the word edible in its name. The Romans would catch dormice from the wild in autumn when they were fattest. The dormice were kept and raised either in large pits or (in less spacious urban surroundings) in terra cotta containers, gliraria, similar to contemporary hamster cages. They fed these captive dormice walnuts, chestnuts, and acorns for fattening. The dormice were served by either roasting them and dipping them in honey or stuffing them with a mixture of pork, pine nuts, and other flavourings. It was, however, very important to upper-class Romans that the dormice be separated from other products of the hunt, like the large game, for presentation purposes.
Perhaps you could make a Clay (or Terra Cotta) Pot for Dormice at your workshop?
BEEF STROGANOFF for Lunch today, though...
A lovely Sun-Shiny summer day in Arkland the Estival, with a sensible high of 74F, and a nice westerly breeze. Tess Coe has been achieved - very much busier than it usually is on Mondays, but apparently Another Local Superstore is closed this week for a re-vamp...
There is a path outside my window (I live on the first floor, so on the ground below) between the building and the stream that runs past, and there's a family of magpies that regularly gather there (parents and I think 2 or 3 babies) and they are so cute and funny to watch and listen to. The babies are fledglings so are like smaller squeaker adults, and are always playing with each other and chasing each other around.
It's not nice, but magpies have to eat and feed their young too. Hedgehogs are endangered because of human behaviour, not magpies. Hedgehogs themselves eat plenty of baby animals, they're just baby slugs or other things we don't think are cute.
We also get the local swan pair and their six babies swimming past, which is very exciting for everyone.
Mrs Sioni’s late b-i-l was a part-time gamekeeper and reckoned magpies were a greater menace than foxes to any game chicks. He got no pay, but a bonus was paid for each pair of magpies.
A quick log into work with admin this morning and an afternoon of sewing. I’ve also done some background reading for my next studies as my application for a Masters in Classical Studies was accepted last week. It is no longer necessary to know Greek and/or Latin for classical studies these days so it is far more accessible for working class students and it is also seen as more cross-faculty. As my usual history field is early modern I am doing preparatory reading. The course includes study of disability and Roman funerals so right up my street and I’m considering doing a dissertation on Roman funerals.
Handsome birds, but a bit too intrusive for my liking. @Heavenlyannie 's description of them as Orcas seems apt!
It's a bit like discovering that an actor/rock singer/whatever who makes you go weak at the knees turns out to be a 24-carat ratbag.
Pleasantly warm (although a bit humid) in West Lothian, and I made it to work, to Tessie's and back at lunchtime, and home without getting rained on.
Cold meat, quiche and salads for supper.
No non-human animal is capable of being evil. Animals do not have a concept of evil but act on instinct. Magpies are a native part of the food chain - gamekeepers meanwhile persecute raptors and breed hundreds of pheasants for rich Americans to shoot. Why is it OK for a sparrowhawk to eat smaller birds but not a magpie?