Thread 13 - TalkLair: “I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.”

[Kucinghitam]

(Previous thread 12).

Looks like spring has sprung! Tulips, apple blossom and early hay fever are upon us. In the TalkLair, we remain hunkered down keeping cosy and warm, because "something something 'til May is out". The hearth is glowing, the walls covered in dubious artwork, books by non-approved authors line the shelves, rugs are down on the floors (and assorted pets curled up on them).

We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey over there in the corner of the cave…

Happy Birthday to lovely Kasper. And happy Diada de Sant Jordi to any lurking Catalans. I noticed this morning that a neighbour was flying the flag of Saint George and was muttering about it under my breath when I realised the date and concluded that this might be acceptable ... just!

Happy birthday to gorgeous Kasper!

It is also Shakespeare's birthday today. Does this account for Kasper's unique personality?

@VictorianBigot I just realised I missed your question about braces earlier! Both DDs have the overbite problem, I guess that's what they get for being identical twins It's great that you're being offered braces and further treatment, the TMD sounds horrible.

I re-encountered a quote today that made me laugh, being both Victorian and relevant to our modern encounters with gender.

"“I don't know what you mean by 'glory,' " Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't—till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!' "
"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument'," Alice objected.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all.”
― Lewis Carroll

It is also Shakespeare's birthday today. Does this account for Kasper's unique personality?

@Britinme is it really?? Explains a lot!

Kasper is such a sweet little Mr Furrybollox,.

Happy birthday, Kasper, you beautiful boy.

There's been quite a lot of bird activity in the back yard this morning. Both hedge sparrow parents are feeding at least two fledglings. Several starlings have been attacking the fat balls, blackbirds are rustling through the foliage, a few house sparrows have been in and a pair of goldfinches had an extended aerial barney above the wisteria.

Our birds took offence to the winter tree trim and have been largely absent for the past few months, but they're starting to gather at the feeder again. I think we'll have to wait for the leaves to come back before we get the former queues of a dozen or so sparrows waiting their turn.

Yesterday a particularly determined Robin tried to build her nest on top of a pole at the side of our back porch, where we would be forced to walk within a foot of her every time she left the house. At the moment we have no front porch so there isn't an alternative exit. DH removed the strands of dead plants she'd started with and put them near a bush by the fence, but it took two tries before she continued on that this was definitely not a site for a nest.

Cottoned on, not continued on!

This thread is me! And it has made me do a Bad Thing - within 1 minute of reading the post (you'll see which one), I had ordered the item!

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5061656-im-so-cooollllldddd?

DD1 as gone off on her Duke of Edinburgh practice hike/camp this morning. Wot-i-reckon is that daytime temperatures this week are around 5°C colder than they ought to be; nighttime temperatures are possibly worse. There was frost on our roofs (rooves?) as we set out for school this morning, and that's in the suburbs of a major city. I'm seriously fretting that DD will be far too cold overnight in a tent on the moors, wishing we'd bought an Arctic-level sleeping bag for her!

You will 100% not regret it, Kuc, except that you might never get a look-in. They are wonderful (I have the husky one).

you'll see which one

The house in Sydney or the
holiday in the Canaries?

(The blankets are great. I've had one in my unheated office for a few years.)

Well, I've had an expensive morning. We've got a non-electric shower and a few days ago, the grub screw holding the shower head pipe into the wall bracket went missing. I tried various things, without success and thought about trying to get one.

Anyway, it resulted in the feeder pipes spraying water everywhere this morning, as they came away from the wall. I called several purportedly local plumbers, but realised that they were all one of those national service groups.

It turns out that the grub screw was there, but there was no hole in the shower head pipe, just the bracket, so it was held by friction. I found that out after I'd drilled a hole for it, I ended up doing another hole, as there are 2 in the wall bracket, so I hope it'll hold.

£192 later ... the plumber gave me his card and said he'll charge less than half, if I call him direct.

Oh no @SinnerBoy!

Heated throws are ace. I covet the husky one; it was out of stock everywhere when I bought ours and I can’t quite justify buying another.

Kucinghitam · Today 12:35

Yes, these things are sent to try us!

And that sounds really annoying @SinnerBoy but you have reminded me that I need to pay our handy (but expensive) local plumbing company for servicing the boiler.

It was, but what can you do? We've had BG out twice this year for the boiler, luckily, it's on a plan. Last week, on a very cold day and I was very please that we have a wood burner!

Hello new thread! Lovely Kasper as photogenic as ever! Had hail here yesterday too, morning and evening. Weather doesn't look like improving much in the short-term either.

Hello new thread! Not sure how I missed the link but glad to have found the thread thanks to the directions on the old one.

I shall repeat my complaint from the last thread, that a rose thorn jammed into my knuckle and my finger swelled up so much I couldn't use that hand and it really, really hurt a LOT. It's starting to go down now and a bruise is starting to come out. I've been mulling on how a small puncture on one finger joint can totally mess everything up. Forget driving, normal things like getting dressed, getting a tissue out of my pocket or picking up a mug became fraught and painful matters. Humans are really quite fragile, aren't we.

Reading that thread on being cold, I kind of count myself lucky for working outside because when I get home and the house is 15C it feels really cosy. Not for long, though, and we're still lighting the fire in the evening.

@Vegemiteandhoneyontoast , keep a close eye on that hand, I've known two people who lost fingers because of rose thorns - they can be nasty. If in any doubt go and get an antibiotic shot.

Blimming cold here too - I must go and bring the courgette plants I left outside to get some sunlight back indoors for the night.

@DeanElderberry thank you, you're absolutely right. I've had a lot of truck with thorns and they're wicked things so I'm careful around them, but this one caught me by surprise. I've been keeping a very close eye on it and have been keeping the area clean and making free with the drawing ointment. Nothing's come out yet and I can't see that there's anything in the joint, but am being careful anyway. The swelling and pain are going down quite quickly now, which I'm relieved about.