Now I really did it :((

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s!

@missy so far my new camera is smarter than me but I’ll get there. I used to shot 35mm cameras completely manual but it was too long ago. And I did see Seymour again last night. Makes me smile because of my dad. Dinner with our friend was really nice. He came over to our house afterwards so we visited for hours. Lovely pictures from your ride. Mmm ice cream and your friend has a gorgeous view!

@Austina thank you - I am practicing with my camera. Tonight I shot the same image but switched aperture so I can get an idea where each lens is the sharpest; that should help. Sorry to hear Pilates reminded you later what you did; and I bet the heat doesn’t help. Who was it that said if they were meant to touch their toes the floor would be covered with diamonds? Rats for vile weather. We are hot and dry right now. Sunday we thought the AC had quit; turned out the thermostat in the hall just needed a new battery - don’t know if the AC really quit or not but Marty got it fixed. How exciting about them starting on your lot. I hate to hear about the mix up of the hoops at Costco. Glad they checked the diamonds. I hope you find something similar sometime.

@canuk-gal that is great you got together with your family. Happy Birthday to your sweet mom. Sorry it is so hot there and I bet that made scrubbing and cleaning your mom’s house even more tiresome; I hope your soreness goes away quickly. Glad your area got some much needed rain. Hope work isn’t bad for you.

@bling_dream19 good point about diamond testers. I hope you are doing well.

I’ve been testing my camera. I headed out to both parks last night and took some pictures. The sun was pretty high so I didn’t have the best lighting for it but got some picture I like. That lens is pretty heavy for my little camera so I am debating sending it back. Sadly it doesn’t work to return to Kohls (to Amazon) because if says I’d have to pack it and ship through UPS. Don’t know if I’m going to return it now or keep it. It takes some nice pictures but it is a bit heavy for a handheld lens. After my photo “shoot” I stopped at the gym and Marty and I went out to eat after he was done. I must have picked the wrong restaurant though; we opted to set on the patio and it was over 95 minutes to get one hamburger and a double cheeseburger. Two tables that were seated after us got their food so I spoke up (Marty hates when I do that). They ended up comping the meal which was not my intent or necessary but that was pretty poor.

Laters,
Marcy

This is one of my favorite pictures last night - I had to shrink the size so I could post it here

 

[canuk-gal]

Hi NIRDI’s!

@missy so far my new camera is smarter than me but I’ll get there. I used to shot 35mm cameras completely manual but it was too long ago. And I did see Seymour again last night. Makes me smile because of my dad. Dinner with our friend was really nice. He came over to our house afterwards so we visited for hours. Lovely pictures from your ride. Mmm ice cream and your friend has a gorgeous view!

@Austina thank you - I am practicing with my camera. Tonight I shot the same image but switched aperture so I can get an idea where each lens is the sharpest; that should help. Sorry to hear Pilates reminded you later what you did; and I bet the heat doesn’t help. Who was it that said if they were meant to touch their toes the floor would be covered with diamonds? Rats for vile weather. We are hot and dry right now. Sunday we thought the AC had quit; turned out the thermostat in the hall just needed a new battery - don’t know if the AC really quit or not but Marty got it fixed. How exciting about them starting on your lot. I hate to hear about the mix up of the hoops at Costco. Glad they checked the diamonds. I hope you find something similar sometime.

@canuk-gal that is great you got together with your family. Happy Birthday to your sweet mom. Sorry it is so hot there and I bet that made scrubbing and cleaning your mom’s house even more tiresome; I hope your soreness goes away quickly. Glad your area got some much needed rain. Hope work isn’t bad for you.

@bling_dream19 good point about diamond testers. I hope you are doing well.

I’ve been testing my camera. I headed out to both parks last night and took some pictures. The sun was pretty high so I didn’t have the best lighting for it but got some picture I like. That lens is pretty heavy for my little camera so I am debating sending it back. Sadly it doesn’t work to return to Kohls (to Amazon) because if says I’d have to pack it and ship through UPS. Don’t know if I’m going to return it now or keep it. It takes some nice pictures but it is a bit heavy for a handheld lens. After my photo “shoot” I stopped at the gym and Marty and I went out to eat after he was done. I must have picked the wrong restaurant though; we opted to set on the patio and it was over 95 minutes to get one hamburger and a double cheeseburger. Two tables that were seated after us got their food so I spoke up (Marty hates when I do that). They ended up comping the meal which was not my intent or necessary but that was pretty poor.

Laters,
Marcy

This is one of my favorite pictures last night - I had to shrink the size so I could post it here

Gorgeous picture! Sorry your meal was quite tardy....

Is there an equivalent camera in a lighter weight? I am not you, but I find, the less I have to pack/carry is easier on my neck/back/pocket health. That said, my mechanical watch is 20x the weight of my quartz. Love them both. KWIM?

 

[marcy]

@canuk-gal thank you. The lens that came with the camera is lighter so I can use it. I totally get the less we have to carry on our neck, back or pocket the better. Great watches are worth the weight! Glad you love them both.

 

[missy]

GM girls!

@marcy that is a gorgeous photo. I am sorry the lens is heavy though and I think sending it back is best. If it is heavy now it will probably only continue feeling heavy and you might not reach for it as often. It was expensive so get what you want and don't settle. Darn dinner sounded a bit drawn out and I am glad they comped the meal at least. Though I know that wasn't what you were looking for. I hate it when service is less than good.

@Austina aww sorry about the diamond earrings and I hope that Costco figures it out and can get you a gorgeous pair. They really sound beautiful. Costco rocks. And I am almost sure they are real diamond and it is the tester that is at fault. But better safe than sorry.

@bling_dream19 yes it truly is strawberrylicious. Looks like no strawberry ice cream today or tomorrow though...stormy days are here for the next 2 days. From Elsa. 50 mile wind gusts and many many inches of rain. They are predicting power outages too. Fingers crossed power remains on and everyone remains safe.


@canuk-gal glad you had a wonderful get together with your mom. Long overdue and let's hope the family get togethers can continue on a regular basis now. Fingers crossed.

@Slick1 hope your week is going well and glad you are finally into vacation mode and relaxing and enjoying.


Hi to everyone else.
We had a good ride yesterday but it was warm again. Ice cream helped perk us right up and Jimmy made a table for us inside as it was really too warm to sit outside.


So finally we are planning fun events and have things to look forward to. It's been a long pandemic and it is nice to plan things. Jimmy has had it in his head for a while now for us to spend a whole day together doing something fun. To that end he put me in charge of planning a NYC outing with us and him and his girlfriend. He would like to see To Kill A Mockingbird and I have to check out those reviews. He is letting me chose the restaurant and wants me to chose the seating and plan the whole day. This won't be til Autumn/Winter.

I started thinking though wouldn't ballet (Nutcracker) be a more sure thing to enjoy? I don't know if J or S like the ballet though and he did seem to want to see that Broadway show. I am so picky about seating though. I checked the show and so far no front row mezzanine aisle seats are available lol. I am laughing because J knows me already and knows I am super picky which is probably why he wants me to plan all of it. Sweet of him. I just find it difficult to sit still for that long (I think I have ADD) unless the show is riveting. If anyone has heard anything about the NYC production of To Kill A Mockingbird please let me know. No matter what we end up doing it will be nice though because the company is wonderful and let's face it after not planning any outings (but medical appointments) for so long doing anything will be lovely.

Onto the main event. Ice Cream. Yummmmm.
At our personal table inside.



Hope everyone enjoys a sweet day safe from the stormy weather. Stay cool girls. XOXO.

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Car all sorted and it gave us the opportunity to have a look at the Hybrid Sorento which is also on our shortlist.

I think one of the reasons Adam changed his larger SLR Canon was what you’re experiencing @marcy. He found it that with all the lenses etc., it was just too heavy to cart about everywhere. I’m with you in waiting an extraordinary amount of time to be served food. I’m happy to wait while it’s cooked fresh, but an hour and half is waaaaay to long. I hear you on not expecting anything other than an apology, because I’m sure restaurants are used to people complaining just to get something for nothing. One of our friends, a lovely elderly Canadian lady is a travel agent, and she told us she has one client who always comes back and wants to complain, even when everything’s been fine, just so he can get something off the next cruise.

A trip to the theatre with friends and a meal sounds absolutely lovely @missy. Just my 2 cents worth (I’m picking up the lingo already ), if that show has been particularly mentioned, then I’d stick with that even though you‘d rather go to the ballet, assuming of course, you’d like to see the show too. Isn’t it great to be planning fun things again? Sue asked this morning if we fancied going out for brunch on Saturday for Colin’s birthday, and of course, we said yes!

Just had my orthodontist appt, and he’s really pleased with how things are going, and said keep on doing what I’m doing as the results are speaking for themselves.

Hope all the lovely NIRDIs are doing well, it can’t be Friday tomorrow already?

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

NIRDI shout out!!!!!!!!

@Austina weird about the earrings. Tho they sound lovely.

@missy your friend J sound like a wonderful person. Hope you can GTG for something fun--besides ice cream!!!

I have been riding these last two days--and walking. Seeing neighbors and chatting. Rode to the market for some groceries today. Had the best Rueben sandwich and a dollop of potato salad at my favorite deli. mmmmmmm

We have been having thunderstorms and they are wild. The noise! The skies!!!

Keep well, friends. Had some unwelcome news this week and I am upset. It was wonderful to hear from my sister on the phone today--she is so compassionate. I'll take any healing vibes anyone wants to send.

cheers--Sharon

 

[mrs-b]

Sorry to be MIA recently. Had a few things going on.

I bought a diamond heart advertised on LT a few days ago - meant to be 2+ctw, 21 x 10 point diamonds. Arrived last night. The diamonds are 2.2mm each - so roughly 4 points each, .88ctw.

Sigh. Never been ripped off on LT before, but this will be the first.

This is apropos of nothing, of course, but had to tell someone!

 

[Slickk]

Hey all! Just a quick drive by!
@mrs-b that is not cool! Did you email the seller? Is it someone from PS? Sorry that happened and hope you are feeling well!
@missy glad you will have a fun day with friends in NYC. No review of the show but I’m sure it’ll be a fab day if you plan it! Remind me to have you plan for me next time we head in Hope you still have power. That was some rain today!!! It poured buckets here.
@MamaBee hope you are doing ok. RIP sweet Bailey. So happy you got your Ashlee back and you love it! I just love it with the Tiffany bag band!! Any combo looks fab.
@marcy nice picture with your new camera! You take the prettiest pics! I hope work is calm and peaceful!
@Austina glad the car worked out and your orthodontist is happy with your results thus far. Hoping your plans for your new home are coming along well! So exciting!!
@canuk-gal shout out back at you and yay for riding and walking! Sorry you had sad news…sending warm wishes over the miles.
Hi @bling_dream19 I hope all is well with you and yours!!

I hope I haven’t missed anyone. Sorry if I have.
I have been really enjoying this time off. I needed it so badly! Unfortunately, I’m still not feeling well at all when the weather changes, but I have to live with it. Wondering if the vaccine has anything to do with the flare up. Someone on the vaccine thread mentioned AI problems after vaccination..
I have been indulging myself with long walks, sleep and Netflix and oh boy, I just finished Sex/Life on Netflix! Hot hot hot!! I am happy I watched it solo!!
Have a great Friday ladies! ((Hugs)) to all!!
Leaving you with this because I relate so much to it!!



And how about a few pictures of my garden! I’ve been pretty busy in there as well… it’s a little haphazard but I love it!


My favorites - Coreopsis


And the magnificent Yuccas!! I had 17 of them bloom this year!!

 

[canuk-gal]

Hey all! Just a quick drive by!
@mrs-b that is not cool! Did you email the seller? Is it someone from PS? Sorry that happened and hope you are feeling well!
@missy glad you will have a fun day with friends in NYC. No review of the show but I’m sure it’ll be a fab day if you plan it! Remind me to have you plan for me next time we head in Hope you still have power. That was some rain today!!! It poured buckets here.
@MamaBee hope you are doing ok. RIP sweet Bailey. So happy you got your Ashlee back and you love it! I just love it with the Tiffany bag band!! Any combo looks fab.
@marcy nice picture with your new camera! You take the prettiest pics! I hope work is calm and peaceful!
@Austina glad the car worked out and your orthodontist is happy with your results thus far. Hoping your plans for your new home are coming along well! So exciting!!
@canuk-gal shout out back at you and yay for riding and walking! Sorry you had sad news…sending warm wishes over the miles.
Hi @bling_dream19 I hope all is well with you and yours!!

I hope I haven’t missed anyone. Sorry if I have.
I have been really enjoying this time off. I needed it so badly! Unfortunately, I’m still not feeling well at all when the weather changes, but I have to live with it. Wondering if the vaccine has anything to do with the flare up. Someone on the vaccine thread mentioned AI problems after vaccination..
I have been indulging myself with long walks, sleep and Netflix and oh boy, I just finished Sex/Life on Netflix! Hot hot hot!! I am happy I watched it solo!!
Have a great Friday ladies! ((Hugs)) to all!!
Leaving you with this because I relate so much to it!!



And how about a few pictures of my garden! I’ve been pretty busy in there as well…


My favorites


And the magnificent Yuccas!! I had 17 of them bloom this year!!

Take care dear friend. Rest as much as you need and admire your beautiful flowers!

 

[MamaBee]

HI:

NIRDI shout out!!!!!!!!

@Austina weird about the earrings. Tho they sound lovely.

@missy your friend J sound like a wonderful person. Hope you can GTG for something fun--besides ice cream!!!

I have been riding these last two days--and walking. Seeing neighbors and chatting. Rode to the market for some groceries today. Had the best Rueben sandwich and a dollop of potato salad at my favorite deli. mmmmmmm

We have been having thunderstorms and they are wild. The noise! The skies!!!

Keep well, friends. Had some unwelcome news this week and I am upset. It was wonderful to hear from my sister on the phone today--she is so compassionate. I'll take any healing vibes anyone wants to send.

cheers--Sharon

Big hugs @canuk-gal <3

 

[missy]

Bucketloads of healing vibes to you dear @canuk-gal and gentle hugs.

 

[mrs-b]

Much love and warm supportive thoughts your way, @canuk-gal. ox

 

[marcy]

Keeping you in my thoughts @canuk-gal Big hugs coming your way

Marcy

 

[marcy]

Will post tomorrow but here is my sunset picture tonight - GRRRRR to Marty decided to use my camera today. He changed a bunch of my settings and didn't tell me so all of my lake shots tonight were HORRID!!!!! And my sunsets were light. Plus he got dust in my viewfinder that I can't get out. I was totally a Gordon Ramsey when I got home.

 

[missy]

Happy FriYAY lovely ladies.

Ahh beautiful sunset photo @marcy
I am sorry Marty messed up your settings though. Men.
Hey it's FriYAY woohoo. Hope you have a fun easy day and are looking forward to a lovely weekend. Hugs.

@mrs-b grrr I am so sorry about that loupe troop scam. Did you pay with a credit card or PayPal? I hope you have recourse and can get your money back. How are you feeling? How is David? Sending continued healing hugs your way.

@Slick1 beautiful photos. I am so glad you are enjoying your time away from work and I am very sorry you aren't feeling 100% well. I hope with each day you feel better. The change in the weather affects me too and especially the barometric pressure. Sheesh it is pouring buckets here at the moment with wind gusts that are scary. Supposedly Elsa should be leaving around 10AM today...we shall see. I am finding the meteorologists are quite inaccurate so far this summer. Saying it will rain and no rain happens. Saying it will be clear and it rains all day. And so on and so forth. So I hope the storm leaves by 10AM but will not be surprised if it doesn't. Have a wonderful FriYAY. XOXO.

@canuk-gal I hope today things are brighter and you are feeling well. Big hugs and continued healing vibes. XOXO.

@bling_dream19 sweet friend hope your week has been wonderful and your weekend even better. XOXO.

@Austina hope yesterday was a good day. Glad the car is all sorted. And yes you are quite right. I should leave the play he chose and just find us good seats. But now I realize the fall is supposed to see increases in the delta variant and I am concerned about going out and being in a theater for hours. Oy what do I do? J and S are looking forward to it as were we but wouldn't it be foolhardy to make plans when Covid might be on the rise at that time? And wearing a mask in the theater is not a good option. I cannot comfortably do that and enjoy the play. What a dilemma. Why didn't I think of that when J asked me if we would join them and could I plan the day? Oy to the vey. I hate disappointing people but safety has to come first. Now I have to tell Greg as he has no clue I am thinking this way.

Glad your orthodontic appointment went well. Woohoo you go girl. Healthy and pretty teeth rock.

Hi to everyone else. Big hugs. Elsa should be leaving this morning and then we shall see how the day shapes up. Yesterday we ran errands and also got to try on new glasses but didn't buy any new glasses. Resisting my impulse to buy more at this time because I have about 50 pairs lol.

OK the rain is coming down very heavily and I am holding my breath our power stays on...have a wonderful FriYAY girls. XOXO.


Yesterday as we left the house to run errands we saw Kevin Smith. Some of you might remember who he is. He wrote and starred in the movie Clerks in the 90s. Anyway he is from our area (lives in LA now though) and haha we spotted him at the local deli yesterday. We had driven a block past him when I decided I wanted to go back and see if I can get a photo from the car. I do not get star struck but I thought it would be fun to share a photo with you girls. But by the time we did he had put his mask back on so this is the best I could do. You will have to take my word for it that this is Kevin Smith.



He's in the red blue and white oversized shirt.


Hope there is lots of YAY in your friYAY! ((((Hugs)))).

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI's!

@missy the lens isn't too heavy for me but seems to be a bit much for my small camera. As Marty said it's not the right tool for the job. I will get it packed up and sent off this weekend. How fun to plan a day out with Jimmy and his girl friend. Sweet. Speaking of sweet that ice cream looks fabulous. LOL to "men". I thought of hiding the battery to my camera before I left today. I once again heard the "suggestion" last night I should always use a tripod and shot my images in RAW. Umm it's my camera and I'll do what I want with it. Sorry you are getting so much rain and sadly I am painfully aware of all the rain out there because of baseball games being postponed. Cool to see Kevin Smith.

@Austina nice to get a change to check out the Sorento Hybrid. Glad the car is all sorted out. Yes, I am with Adam some of those lenses are very heavy. We put my old Pentax K1000 as a decoration in the Man Cave and it has a Vivitar Series 1 Zoom Lens on it - I swear that thing can be used as a weapon it's so heavy! I am sure there are people that do complain to try and get something free or a discount; I rarely say something but that was a bit much. Good news the orthodontist gave you a good report card!

@canuk-gal healing vibes coming you way.

@mrs-b that is too bad about the heart diamond ring. I'm guessing it didn't have a return option? Does LT monitor transactions that might intervene for you? I hope you are feeling better.

@Slick1 today is actually very peaceful and quiet at work - I hope it lasts all day. Thanks. Glad to hear you are getting in much needed and deserved R&R. Your garden is gorgeous!

We are just having heat and wind here now. Not much else going on with me. I hope to get some pictures tonight with the new lens after making sure my camera is set up as expected. I should go to a funeral for an uncle tomorrow but it's a 2 plus hour drive so don't know if I'll go. My sister and BIL are going for sure so one of us will be there. Sometimes I just can't handle another funeral.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

GM girls! Happy Caturday Saturday.

@marcy gotcha. Yes seems best to send it back and get the exact lens you need that will work best with your camera. Hahaha yes isn't it always like that. Men mansplaining to us. They enjoy their tools and I guess a tripod qualifies? Anyway we have to do what we have to do and they like to feel useful. It was cool seeing Kevin Smith. Turns out he was here because he is opening up a podcast theater. Interesting. I have never listened to a podcast and well, I have no intention of doing so. LOL it just doesn't appeal to me. But cool he's opening one for those who like them. Hope you are having a quiet and enjoyable weekend. And taking lots of gorgeous photos. XOXO.

@Slick1 hope you are having a lovely weekend enjoying your freedom. And family. And feeling well. Hugs.

@bling_dream19 oh yes that is right up my alley. I love whimsical dresses and other clothing that is fun to wear. Enjoy. Hugs.

@canuk-gal thinking of you and sending hugs.

@mrs-b I have been awake for hours. Hope you had a good day yesterday and hope we can catch up. XOXO.

@springerspaniel hope your weekend is going well. XOXO.

@sarahb ouch that looks so painful. Big healing hugs to you. Hope you are enjoying a good weekend.


We had a lovely cycling day yesterday and it was on the warm side but not as hot as it had been.
Hoping to cycle again today and then if the meteorologists are correct we have about 10 days of cra**y weather ahead.

Leaving you with a few photos from yesterday.

Ice cream yummmmm




Flooding wasn't too bad given the amount of rain we had from Elsa and the day before.






Monmouth beach always floods. This really isn't bad at all compared to how it usually gets after a big rain.

And it was a gorgeous day. Crisp blue skies and seas.





Enjoy a wonderful peaceful weekend girls. XOXO.

 

[missy]

In honor of Caturday Saturday.





Sir Tommy. So handsome. So sweet.

 

[bling_dream19]

Happy Caturday everyone!
Thinking about you @canuk-gal
Love and hugs to all and nirdi shoutout!
Giggling about Caturday because my niece went through a cat phase and let's just say, she didn't go through it alone lol!

 

[junebug17]

Hi all! Been fairly busy lately, dh took some vacation days so we spent time at the beach and pool and treated ourselves to some meals out. We've also been getting together with my sister and bil, and dd is here now, so the days have been pretty full. We're going back to NJ tomorrow; none of us wants to leave!

@canuk-gal, I'm happy you were finally able to visit with your mother, must have been great for you and your family. So sorry you've gotten upsetting news, sending good thoughts to you.
@mrs-b, I'm glad you've been feeling better recently and I hope you're still doing well. I'm glad your reaction after going to the dentist was temporary, must have been scary. Sorry about the inaccurate description on the jewelry piece, so frustrating.
@Austina, sorry about the issue with the earrings and I do hope it can get straightened out. Disappointing but I'm hoping for a happy ending. I hope they get started on your house very soon. It's great you're making good progress with your aligners.
@missy, thank you for your very nice comments about my ring, I really appreciate them. Very sweet pics of Tommy, it's nice to see him. Very cool you saw Kevin Smith, funny how he's so recognizable in that sweatshirt. Good luck with your decision on the DXA.
@MamaBee, thinking of you.
@Slick1, sorry you're not feeling well, take care and rest up. Your garden is really beautiful.
@bling_dream19, thank you for your kind words on my ring, nice to share with people who understand! There's a tendency to sometimes put ourselves last, glad you're spending time focusing on yourself.
@marcy, Happy 30th Anniversary, I'm sorry I'm late! Love that you went back to the gazebo you were married in. So glad you're enjoying your new camera. Your pictures are gorgeous. I'm glad Seymour brings back good memories...I still think of your dad whenever I see a squirrel dangling from my bird feeder. I've been noticing on PS that pics get bigger and are better resolution when you click on them so I can really appreciate how good your pics are.

Be well and take care everyone!

 

[missy]

Happy Sunday girls! We are right in the thick of summer. Long warm days filled with a carefree joy only summer can bring. I remember with fondness the long days of summer when we were little and the days went much more slowly then...somehow summer is speeding by and I just want to capture the joy and freedom and hold onto it for as long as possible.

@bling_dream19 we are still in our cat phase haha. Luckily our new mailman (our previous and adored mailman retired during Covid) is a cat lover as well and he has 3 FIV+ cats that he and his wife rescued and are thinking about adding another. Anyway whenever he comes by he says hi to Oliver and Tommy. The two who are always in the front window when he delivers the mail. It is very sweet to see. Hope you and your niece never outgrow the cat phase.

@junebug17 sounds like a wonderful relaxing time in SC. So glad you got to spend time with your sister and BIL and DD too. And yay for beach and pool and eating out. Life is back to being sweet again and fingers crossed it stays that way. Safe travels back to NJ.

@Slick1 one more day of decent (hopefully) weather. Fingers crossed. Hope you are enjoying a fun weekend and enjoying the nicer (for now) weather.

@canuk-gal hope all is going as well as possible. You are on my mind.

Hi to everyone else. We had a fun day cycling yesterday. It always take us longer than expected because we are always running into people we know or don't know who want to chat with us. We ran into another recumbent cyclist who was chatting with us for 30 minutes. He's an interesting fella. Started recumbent cycling due to a disease he has and then he loved it so much he decided to continue and not go back to his regular upright bike. Sounds familiar. Then there is Steve who got us hooked on solar power for the bike and we always run into him and his dogs. Who he bikes with lol. Very sweet. Then there is sweet Yvonne who is a wonderful woman who loves cycling too. And there are so many others along the way when we see them we stop and say hello and chat for a bit. Of course we always have an (almost) hour long break for ice cream because we are always chatting with J and S and J's staff. It's very nice though because after all we have all gone through stopping to smell the roses is very welcome.



That's D in the background who always insists on giving us free goodies. Greg enjoyed a gluten free macaroon yesterday with the ice cream.

The beautifully long days are filled with sweetness and friends we have made along the way and I am hoping this loveliness can continue. Next week I have a few appointments I am trying not to worry about but well you can guess how that's gong haha. Luckily the days are fun and help keep my mind off any unpleasantness as much as is possible.

Wishing all of you a happy and fun summer Sunday. Stay safe and enjoy. Big hugs from me to you.

 

[mrs-b]

Hallo all!

@marcy - can we look forward to some photos soon? I'd love to see your photography! How is Marty feeling? And is it still hot and windy there? Thinking of you.

@missy - Sir Tommy is SO handsome! How are all the feral doing? And Snowflake? I hope all is well there. I'm looking forward to a catch-up chat! I'm so glad you've enjoyed your time with friends and I'm thinking of your appts next week. ox

@canuk-gal - how are you feeling? I know you had bad news, and I'm hoping you're managing to hold up. Have you had the motivation to get out on your bike? How is work going?

@bling_dream19 - from everything I know of you, I can *totally* see you as someone who joins in on a cat obsession!! How are you enjoying all your new jewels? Do you have a list of pieces you want, or are you just 'buying them as I see's them!' sort of thing? How is your mom? Sending big hugs to you!

@Slick1 - the garden is looking lovely! But I'm so sorry you're not feeling well. Like you, I've heard plenty of rumors of both Covid and the vaccine setting off AI. Not good. I hope things turn around for you shortly.

@MamaBee - how are you? And how is D, S, your mom, and life in general? How is D adjusting to the loss of Bailey? I'm so sorry for the loss of your little dog. Hugs to you! On a much brighter note, I definitely think it's time for a 'MamaBee's Collection' thread!

Happy Sunday, @Austina! I've been MIA for a week or so - can I get a catch-up on the car situation? Did you choose one? I saw you mention liking the Sorento - is that on the list of possibles? Waiting impatiently along with you for more movement on your house-to-be! And well done you for working on picking up the lingo - tho I will always regret leaving a country that uses terms like "pants!" and "minging". Love British slang. As Australians, we overlap a lot in our slang and general expressions, but we've lived in England twice now, and there's a more distilled, specific collection of colloquialisms that we always enjoyed and made us laugh! I hope all is well with you; how is Kim going with Bertie's training?

As for me, lots of news. Found a new spine surgeon and will see his PA on Thursday. You have to be triaged by her, so hopefully she'll pass me straight through quickly to him. I'm back to wearing a back brace and taking pain killers (the improvement was short lived) and I want to get this addressed before I......

.....relocate to LA! Tim is signing a lease for me on an apartment out there this coming week. I won't be moving out till September, tho Robert (David's brother and my best girlfriend, Wendy's, husband), with whom I'll be sharing, will move in earlier. Winter always sets off my Crohn's something fierce, and I'm *really* trying to dodge it this year. And everything has been so boring for so long now, Tim and I decided to go bi-coastal again, tho the townhouse will be mostly for me. I've been madly buying up rugs and bits and pieces, and trying to decide which paintings I intend to pilfer from Boston. I'm looking forward to the change very much and being able to come and go as I please. I'll probably do this for 3 years, then we'll relocate back to Australia and Tim will retire. Robert will only be with me until they reopen the Australian borders and he can move permanently to Australia, but that's at least a year off, as Australia has no intention of reopening for at least a year or longer.

My new rings should be done by the end of this coming week and I'm unspeakably excited! This will be my *last* e-ring iteration/upgrade/HG ring. I made 2 other rings to go with it as well, so it's the full set. I've also had my cluster upsized; it was meant to be a 6.75 and when it arrived was closer to a 6.25. I've also had some gorgeous pearls set into my Victorian bypass ring (rose gold) and I think that will be gorgeous. I was going to push forward with a few more projects and finish the whole thing, but new apartments have sucked my funds dry, so I'm back to being "half a dozen projects away from finished...." Actually, 4: my cluster earrings re-set, a diamond necklace, a mosaic diamond and spinel locket and a sapphire and diamond gloria-floria. Tim will probably give me the GF for Christmas. The rest will just have to wait.

Tim bought Eleanor a set of Dr Who dvds the other day and intends to load them onto our NAS system, ready for her to stream. I asked her to paint 'Tim' a card with a Dr Who theme, which she did. But, of course, it's for her, and we'll give it to her when we've loaded the episodes, then wrapped the dvds, this evening. Here's a photo of the card, plus one of my birthday card from her last month. The star is gold glitter.





Love to you all - NIRDI shout out! <3

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

NIRDI shout out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thunderstorms woke us up this AM, luckily I went back to sleep. The day turned out to be warm (22C) and humid and I cycled around while my DH watched soccer. We rode earlier yesterday as the high got to be 31C. Saw coyotes, a billion geese, and deer along my way.........

@junebug17 yay for good visits!!!!! Sometimes we just want to stay at the party place!!!

@mrs-b much success with your new surgeon. And with your new digs!

@missy nice to catch up and chat. Funny we also ran into an old acquaintance yesterday and had a good wag. He is a nice man.

@marcy are you taking any vacation this summer? It will be busy for me covering others' vacation, starting this week.

@MamaBee hope you all are doing well.

@bling_dream19 what's on your jewellery radar??????

@Slick1 hope your vacation is getting off to a good start!

cheers--Sharon

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI’s@

@missy yes men do love their tools and mansplaining to us; I haven’t mastered all of my camera yet but I probably know more about camera settings than he does - it’s just all the fancy auto settings I never worried about when shooting on a completely manual camera. I haven’t been happy with the exposures on landscape pictures at all - so after reading and watching assorted videos I turned off some of the auto highlight and tone corrections and that seemed to help. I only took pictures of my clean car today. That is interesting about Kevin Smith; I don’t listen to podcasts either but I thought they mostly were just downloaded so don’t get the idea of a podcast theater but I am no expert on them. It’s fun to see a celebrity anyway. I’m not awestruck but a break in the monotony of the day. Mmm ice cream. Gorgeous pictures from your ride. Hi Tommy! My sister found a cat with kittens under their porch. The mom has a collar so she is going to find out if any neighbor is missing a cat and if not call animal control. Hopefully the collar has info on it. Summer is speeding by - I can’t believe it is almost the middle of July. Good luck and best wishes for your appointments this week.

@bling_dream19 I hope you are doing well. How is your mom doing? I hope both of you are enjoying your gorgeous jewelry.

@junebug17 sounds like you’ve been totally enjoying life. Very nice. Thank you for the anniversary wishes; I totally chuckle too about my dad and his battles with the squirrels. They are smart critters for sure. Pictures are sure getting huge. I open mine at actual size and one was like 68” wide by whatever the length; I’m like - huh? That is massive! I am pleased with flower shots and just pictures around the house but most of my landscapes from our parks are low contrast and not very saturated but I think I have that fixed. I can always adjust the exposure setting but trying to figure it out without adjustments; just making sure one of the dozens of settings are correct. I found my old Kodak photography book that I used years ago so will study it; I can always go manual on my new camera too. Jewelry shots are awful so far; they camera picks up so much they go in to the stone. I haven’t worked on that much yet.

@mrs-b - how are you doing? I hope to be getting past the testing phase and get some pictures for you ladies. The only ones I took today was of my clean car. I went about testing the camera without thinking it through. I have 4 lenses so I try multiple modes and settings on all 4 camera of the same thing and then can’t remember which set are on which lens. I get a general idea of what works well but my control photos didn’t help much if I can’t remember which lens I used as #2 and #3. Yesterday I went from smallest focal length to largest; that way I remembered. Marty is still coughing occasionally but he still thinks it is allergies. He has an appointment on the 26th for his shoulder. I worry if he has surgery on it he will rush his recovery and end up causing problems but we will see on that. LOL that you brought up “pants” I learned that one when I joined PS. I hope the new surgeon gets you fixed up and how exciting to move to LA for the winter. Sounds like you’ve got everything planned until you can move back to Australia. Sweet. I love hearing about your upgrades and jewelry plans. My next sapphire is in the camera case - ha ha. Love the paintings by Eleanor.

@canuk-gal darn that a thunderstorm woke you up. Glad you were able to get back to sleep. We had high winds (shocking I know) the other night and I found one of our rocking chairs knocked over on the deck. Nice you got in a long ride and got to see assorted critters.

My weekend went by too fast. Spent time taking “test” photos, going through the dozens and dozens of different settings in my camera. I was going to go test the new settings today but didn’t feel like venturing out. I finished a book this weekend, we went to local parks both Friday and Saturday to take photos and watched some TV. I’ve been on a cracked tooth diet this weekend. I thought it cracked on my at work Friday but then I couldn’t find it or feel it again so I didn’t call the dentist. Just in case when I got home I made a grilled cheese sandwich and the first bite quickly identified a problem with a tooth. So it’s soft food for me. For breakfast I made myself a piece of toast and an egg, Canadian bacon and cheese omelet but all of it was too chewy for me. I did get 1/2 of it down. Marty was grilling one of his favorite sirloin cap roast for lunch so I had him grill me a hamburger and I made a bag of those steam and mash potatoes because mashed potatoes and ice cream are the easiest thing to eat. I can eat cheese too; I cut up some strawberries in small pieces and was able to eat them. Wish me luck getting in to the dentist tomorrow.

Take care.
Marcy

 

[missy]

GM girls!

@marcy I am glad you are getting to know your new camera and lenses and I have no doubt you will become quite an expert in all the settings and how to take beautiful photos. I hope your sister finds the cat's owner and I hate when people let their indoor cats roam free outside. So many potential issues doing that for the cat and for wildlife etc. Oh no about your cracked tooth (and lol cracked tooth diet). I wish you lots of luck in getting an appointment today with your dentist. Hopefully they leave room in their schedule for emergency appointments. Sending bucketloads of healing vibes your way. And yes, darn the weekend going way too fast. I am hoping this week goes fast for different reasons, LOL.

@canuk-gal I am glad you got to ride yesterday and isn't it amazing seeing all the wildlife when we ride? Coyotes, dear and geese. I never tire of that though I have never seen a coyote before. I don't think I have anyway. Foxes, yes. Coyotes, no. Though this city girl wouldn't probably know what one looks like IRL lol. Sorry the thunderstorms woke you up. We are getting lots of thunderstorms this week and today and I do not care for thunderstorms. Oh well. Stay safe and enjoy your Monday.

@mrs-b yay for your Ca townhouse and escaping the bitter winter and keeping your Crohn's in remission. And happy you found an excellent spine surgeon and yes let the PA send you straight to the surgeon. You are definitely needing to go to the head of the class with the surgeon and no more waiting. Fingers crossed. Wow Eleanor is very talented. I am in awe. Please tell her how beautiful we think her work is. Just beautiful. And I am excited for you getting your newest bling soon. Yay for blingalicious joy that is coming to brighten your week. And I am keeping you in my thoughts this Thursday (and every day) and sending bucketloads of healing vibes your way.

@bling_dream19 did you get to wear your new dress yet? Hope you had a great weekend.

@Slick1 hope you enjoyed a lovely weekend and are looking forward to a nice week.

Hi to everyone else. We had a lovely ride yesterday. Cloudy and coolish and I loved the temps. This week isn't looking cycling friendly unfortunately but it's OK. Not sure of our plans today. Errands perhaps. Nothing too exciting. That is OK in my book. Have a lovely day and enjoy. XOXO.

Meet Henry. One of the ferals we see along our cycling route.




and our ice cream of the day from Sunday. It was the strawberry balsamic. It's good. Better than it sounds.




Have a happy Monday lovely ladies.

 

[Austina]

Hello lovelies

Awww @canuk-gal sending lots of good thoughts and wishes your way, and a virtual hug. Hope things are improving for you.

I saw a thing on FB today @marcy and it immediately made me think of you. Someone had found a way to stop Seymour and his pals getting at the bird feeder. It was the usual pole with the feeders on either side, but they’d put a slinky attached to the top of the pole, so every time Seymour climbed up and reached the slinky - boing, he went straight down again Sounds like you’re getting to grips with the camera and I know you won’t let it outsmart you. How’re things going at work?

Lovely photos @Slick1, and I’m glad you’re resting especially as you’re feeling under the weather. I hope the weekend has brought some respite. I‘ve been reading a lot about Sex/Life, someone mentioned a particular scene in Episode 3!!! Sounds like it‘s rather naughty!

Ugh bummer @mrs-b, do you have any recourse over the misrepresented item? Sorry to hear your back is bad again, but sounds like you’ve got lots to look forward to when you decamp to Ca. Eleanor is really talented and the cards are beautiful. I think the last time I watched Dr Who was when Peter Davison was the Dr, I didn’t like any of the Drs after that. We’re hoping to get a progress report on the house tomorrow, but not holding our breath. Yes, the Sorento is definitely on the list, we’ve been very pleased with the 2 Sportages we’ve had, so although I’d initially said I wanted something different, I’d be happy with that. We’re still going to look at the Mazda, they don’t sell the model we’d be interested in here though.

Safe travels back to NJ @junebug17, it sounds like you’ve been having a thoroughly lovely time away.

Don’t work too hard @bling_dream19 and take care. Continuing good thoughts for your Mum and her recovery.

Awwww @missy, that beautiful purry face, what a handsome boy. You look like you’ve had as much rain as we’ve had recently, although we’re apparently in for a heat wave later in the week. Glad you got out yesterday for a ride and awww Henry looks very regal. Have fun whatever today brings.

We had a busy day Friday getting all the cleaning done so we could have a relaxing weekend. We met Sue and Rob for Colin’s birthday breakfast on Saturday and it was lovely doing something different. It did rain most of the day, but Colin wanted to see a big rugby match, so we wouldn’t have gone out anyway. Adam and Kim FT and we chatted for quite a while, then had a lovely dinner and watched Midway (again). We did get out for a walk yesterday, and it was really pleasant, but today is rather muggy and it looks like we’ll be in for more rain later.

We’ve just got back from a walk and a visit to the garden centre, we saw a really sturdy parasol and base last week, and went back today to order it.

Gardener’s here tackling the bushes!

Have a great day you lovely ladies

 

[missy]

This is for @rainwood.
Did I do it right?
I tried the automatic way. Not sure i did it correctly.



Sweet dreams!

 

[marcy]

Hi NIRDI's!

@missy the camera has preset levels for sharpness, saturation, color, threshhold, etc that you can adjust to your liking; I just have to find them all and tweak them per mode I am using. My old manual 35mm had NOTHING - I set my ISO, Shurtter Speed and Aperture, manually focused the picture and it was done. I learned over time what shutter speed and aperture worked the best for the situation. I'll get there. Marty keeps saying to shoot in raw and then correct them - nope I don't want to spend the time doing that. I hope you week goes fast and well for you. Hi Henry! Mmm ice cream. Great picture of clouds and the ocean.

@Austina the slinky is a great idea. Based on the series I watched thought I bet that Seymour won't give up and will figure out a way to outwit that slinky. Those 2 shows were called Daylight Robberts (I think( and the squirrels always won. Work is about the same. We are all back in the office. This is our least busy time of year so errors and issues are not as frequent. Sounds like you had a lovely weekend including meeting some friends for breakfast. We just watched Midway recently as well. I watched the new Tomorrow War on Prime yesterday. It was good.

I am done with all my work already. Yay for MLB All Star Break. I do have a dentist appointment at 11 today. Woo hoo! It works out well the receptionist there likes me. Hopefully this only needs a crown not a root canal. We will see. I had V8 juice and a lightly toasted piece of sourdough. I'm hungry too! I should be able to eat some cheese this afternoon and maybe some ground beef tonight. Thank goodness for mashed potatoes and ice cream. Oooh maybe I'll go get a dish of cake batter ice cream from Cold Stone after the dentist.

Have a great day.
Marcy #manualcameraswereeasiertouse

 

[rainwood]

This is for @rainwood.
Did I do it right?
I tried the automatic way. Not sure i did it correctly.



Sweet dreams!

Perfect!!! In all ways.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

@marcy broken teeth seem to be contagious....my sister just told me she needs a crown!

cheers--Sharon