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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
I'm planning on going for a walk soon , the rain's coming down a bit heavier now though..So the walk may be a short one
At last the thirsty earth is getting a drink and tanks are beginning to fill
Added later...
Well it hasn't stopped raining all day (The tanks hopefully are full ).... I went for a walk in the rain, got soaked to the bone, nice and refreshing a natural shower ...However some storm water drains were becoming blocked with leaves and twigs, so if and when the heavy rain arrives no doubt they will overflow the possibility of more flooding...Plus the winds have picked up...
Welcome to Global warming...Climate change.......There's plenty more in store ....
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
edited January 2018
I'd be happy if we had a summer in any way resembling... a summer....!
I can't help thinking that accurate as it may be climatically, global warming is specifically something of a misnomer....
This little bloodsucker has taken up residency in my bathroom ( one of many at this time of year)
As long as she stays there and don't come buzzing around my head for a feed when I'm about to fall asleep ...I don't mind the silent ones having a feed on my blood in order to reproduce ...live and let live I say ...It's just the smug ones who brag(buzz) about it, that can be somewhat annoying
0
silverIn the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.USA, Left coast.Veteran
Wow @Bunks...All my time in Oz I never experienced it that hot....Mid to high 30s was the tops for me in Sydney...Stay cool and don't melt like the bitumen.... I use to think Melbourne was a much cooler(as in weather) place than Sydney...
We don't get the humidity in Melbourne though @Shoshin so you could argue Sydney is worse.....usually it's a hot northerly wind that makes us so hot and why we're so susceptible to bush fires. Speaking of which:
A lasting memory from my childhood is running across the street in barefeet in summer and actually feeling the road soft under your feet from the heat. You'd end up with black tar on the soles of your feet. Painful but fun...
This is what first drew (pun intended) my attention (It connects to the last photo's bottom end)...For some reason it was the squiggly cloud, (low centre) that more or less said to peripheral eye consciousness "Hey look at me!"...
It's amazing what one can see when one looks up...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so they say
Hmm I wonder what it would look like if members from different parts of the globe took photos of the sky above them (morning daytime evening nighttime ) at the same time as each other and put them on display...
Sunny clear blue skies, cloudy skies, dark rain/storm clouds, moon lite skies....
And to top it off have a simple caption that connects the mind to the above skies....
Amazing I bet (But then I'm easily pleased )
Just a thought
Oh no! Not Henry Ramsey too.....when will it all end? I think not for a while, there are a lot of messed up men out there who think they can treat women like dirt!
I was watching a doco on youtube on the origins of the English language...
The origin of our modern word "Body" comes from the old English Banhus "Bonehouse"
Well I'll be a bag of bones
2
silverIn the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.USA, Left coast.Veteran
@Shoshin said:
I was watching a doco on youtube on the origins of the English language...
The origin of our modern word "Body" comes from the old English Banhus "Bonehouse"
My new neighbours (well they have been living next door for almost a year) have started a farm
Two chickens, a worm farm (worm farm in the black plastic boxes)
Plus a bee hive
They have gone away for a week and have asked me to look after their livestock ...
The chickens will be free range once they get use to their surroundings, however one of them is already free range almost every morning when I look out the deck door the biggest chicken is wandering around outside the coop , I have fun and games trying to get it back into the enclosure...
And just as I'm writing this I look out onto the deck and spot this little feller
A gecko
I think it's a young one...about 20 cms (8inches) long...
I'm reminded of my first week in Australia (fresh out from the concrete jungle of south east London) a group of us were taken on a trip to a farm just outside Sydney... I remember it was bloody hot, there was a fallen gum tree that I was sitting on and somebody must have bumped it, then all of a sudden it came alive, a gigantic goanna (iguana monitor lizard ) that had been lazing in the sun, blending in with the greyish trunk of the gum tree (well camouflaged), it ran towards me, and boy you should have seen me move.... Usain Bolt had nothing on me
Surprise Surprise after around eight hours the sun finally reached the spot where the gecko was lying, then the gecko started to move..
First this..
Then this
However after it slowly moved around the post, there was a sudden burst of speed and it dropped to the grass 6 feet below...
0
silverIn the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.USA, Left coast.Veteran
Great pictures of your little visitor, @Shoshin. I wonder if he had any idea it was 6 feet to the ground. He looks well fed.
Thanks @silver , I'm not sure if it knew but it did land on all fours and after a while (once the sun's rays reach where it landed) it took off, and by the time I went down to feed the chooks , it had disappeared....So from what I gather it fared well
Working to try and turn anger into compassion (for myself and all involved!) at present.
A number of us have been adversely affected by the toxic behaviour of an individual recently.
Practical steps are being put in place to solve it but now the emotional side needs to be worked on.
May all people affected (including the perpetrator) find peace and happiness.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
@Bunks: Breathe in, breathe out. Deep. 2 to 3 times.
Then ask yourself:
What exactly, right here, right now, in this moment, is happening that is doing me wrong?
I can be angry, if I choose.
I can also be calm, if I choose.
Which would be better for me?
Which would achieve more?
I breathe in, and I am calm.
I breathe out, and I let Peace in.
What happens when two trains meet on the bamboo railway ...
3
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
I do enjoy Sunday mornings. I often watch spiritual interviews on the TV early on, with my coffee and while I read a bit. Today the topics were near-death experiences and the life of an adopted doctor whose only knowledge of his background was that he came from Beirut.
Even though it’s not Buddhist it gives me a very peaceful feeling. It’s like all kinds of slightly deeper spiritual expression feed the inner me, even if it happens to be a Christian church service (as long as it isn’t a commercialised song-and-dance effort).
The only thing is to shake off sleepiness and try and be mindfully aware in these morning hours, that can be a bit of an effort.
I have changed my user name to Dairy Lama. The last Dairy Lama died in an unfortunate accident, he got trapped in one of the freezers in Tesco - though at least he spent his final hours surrounded by the ice-cream he loved.
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
@DairyLama said:
I have changed my user name to Dairy Lama. The last Dairy Lama died in an unfortunate accident, he got trapped in one of the freezers in Tesco - though at least he spent his final hours surrounded by the ice-cream he loved.
I take it you were 'SpinyNorman' before, and @LInc changed it for you........?
@DairyLama said:
I have changed my user name to Dairy Lama. The last Dairy Lama died in an unfortunate accident, he got trapped in one of the freezers in Tesco - though at least he spent his final hours surrounded by the ice-cream he loved.
I take it you were 'SpinyNorman' before, and @LInc changed it for you........?
Yeah, I felt like a change. I've been using the Spiny ID since the old e-Sangha days, when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
PS Congratulations to our new moderator!
3
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
IT's gonna take some getting used to... But then again, you've always been a closet Gelatorist...
Yeah, good news, isn't it?
Two old birds in charge of the nest....
Being irritable, irritated, moody, not so much ... Meditation and writing is an unraveling of any such tendencies as we know ...
One day we realise that we are following a Path/Way/Means to less of the lesser and more of the [insert known/experienced benefits ...]
Comments
Good luck @Shoshin - batten down the hatches......
...Or be battered
Thanks @Bunks ....
I'm planning on going for a walk soon , the rain's coming down a bit heavier now though..So the walk may be a short one
At last the thirsty earth is getting a drink and tanks are beginning to fill
Added later...
Well it hasn't stopped raining all day (The tanks hopefully are full ).... I went for a walk in the rain, got soaked to the bone, nice and refreshing a natural shower
...However some storm water drains were becoming blocked with leaves and twigs, so if and when the heavy rain arrives no doubt they will overflow the possibility of more flooding...Plus the winds have picked up...
Stay safe lovely @Shoshin ?
Thanks @Hozan
At the moment it looks like the island is going to miss the heaviest part of the storm.....fingers crossed
Eleanor Storm has been a killer here in Europe.
The last couple of days have been terrible...
And in the UK, she's being dragged off kicking and screaming, holding on with her vicious temper until the last.
We had Eleanor to visit too. She was quite rude I thought.
Welcome to Global warming...Climate change.......There's plenty more in store ....
I'd be happy if we had a summer in any way resembling... a summer....!
I can't help thinking that accurate as it may be climatically, global warming is specifically something of a misnomer....
This little bloodsucker has taken up residency in my bathroom ( one of many at this time of year)
As long as she stays there and don't come buzzing around my head for a feed when I'm about to fall asleep ...I don't mind the silent ones having a feed on my blood in order to reproduce ...live and let live I say
...It's just the smug ones who brag(buzz) about it, that can be somewhat annoying 
Little?!
Everything is big on the island... Including the mozzies
Found out John Lewis department stores are run as anarchist workers co-operatives ...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-40796891/carne-ross-the-diplomat-turned-anarchist
Off for some anarchy in the UK shopping in the next few days ...
Well the power's back on, but more stormy weather on the ways...so more power cuts no doubt....
The aftermath of the storm (well it's not quite finished yet)
At little Oneroa Beach yesterday afternoon...
Storm surge
This morning on my way to work....A close call for the people in this house...
You're welcome to some of this @federica! It's officially a stinker.....not much a man can do but stay inside, sip iced coffee and watch cricket
Wow @Bunks...All my time in Oz I never experienced it that hot....Mid to high 30s was the tops for me in Sydney...Stay cool and don't melt like the bitumen.... I use to think Melbourne was a much cooler(as in weather) place than Sydney...
We don't get the humidity in Melbourne though @Shoshin so you could argue Sydney is worse.....usually it's a hot northerly wind that makes us so hot and why we're so susceptible to bush fires. Speaking of which:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-06/bushfire-emergency-carrum-downs-house-damaged-by-fire/9308170
A lasting memory from my childhood is running across the street in barefeet in summer and actually feeling the road soft under your feet from the heat. You'd end up with black tar on the soles of your feet. Painful but fun...
I'd swap Melbourne summers for Auckland summers any day
Yes true...Do you live near to where the fires are ? If so stay safe...
Today was around 22
Nice! No, I am on the other side of Melbourne.
The temperature has dropped to about 25c in the last hour so much relief!
Just as a contrast, 7 degrees C, somewhat windy and with occasional spats of rain here.
That’s fresh! Where are you again?
@Kerome 's in the Netherlands
Wherever he is, he's 4 degrees warmer than we are - !
Head in the clouds
Last night's cloud formation as the sun was setting...(Puffs)
And this afternoon's walk I saw the Mares' tail (which looked like brush strokes)
^^ Reminds me of those paintings by Bob Ross... who made it look so almighty easy....
This is what first drew (pun intended) my attention (It connects to the last photo's bottom end)...For some reason it was the squiggly cloud, (low centre) that more or less said to peripheral eye consciousness "Hey look at me!"...
It's amazing what one can see when one looks up...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so they say
Hmm I wonder what it would look like if members from different parts of the globe took photos of the sky above them (morning daytime evening nighttime ) at the same time as each other and put them on display...
(But then I'm easily pleased 
)
Sunny clear blue skies, cloudy skies, dark rain/storm clouds, moon lite skies....
And to top it off have a simple caption that connects the mind to the above skies....
Amazing I bet
Just a thought
Oh no! Not Henry Ramsey too.....when will it all end? I think not for a while, there are a lot of messed up men out there who think they can treat women like dirt!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-11/two-more-women-accuse-craig-mclachlan-of-sexual-misconduct/9318784
I was watching a doco on youtube on the origins of the English language...
The origin of our modern word "Body" comes from the old English Banhus "Bonehouse"
Well I'll be a bag of bones
Yep...I know they're in here somewhere...
My new neighbours (well they have been living next door for almost a year) have started a farm
Two chickens, a worm farm (worm farm in the black plastic boxes)
Plus a bee hive
They have gone away for a week and have asked me to look after their livestock ...
The chickens will be free range once they get use to their surroundings, however one of them is already free range almost every morning when I look out the deck door the biggest chicken is wandering around outside the coop , I have fun and games trying to get it back into the enclosure...
And just as I'm writing this I look out onto the deck and spot this little feller
A gecko
I think it's a young one...about 20 cms (8inches) long...
I'm reminded of my first week in Australia (fresh out from the concrete jungle of south east London) a group of us were taken on a trip to a farm just outside Sydney... I remember it was bloody hot, there was a fallen gum tree that I was sitting on and somebody must have bumped it, then all of a sudden it came alive, a gigantic goanna (iguana monitor lizard ) that had been lazing in the sun, blending in with the greyish trunk of the gum tree (well camouflaged), it ran towards me, and boy you should have seen me move.... Usain Bolt had nothing on me
Surprise Surprise after around eight hours the sun finally reached the spot where the gecko was lying, then the gecko started to move..
First this..
Then this
However after it slowly moved around the post, there was a sudden burst of speed and it dropped to the grass 6 feet below...
Great pictures of your little visitor, @Shoshin. I wonder if he had any idea it was 6 feet to the ground. He looks well fed.
Thanks @silver , I'm not sure if it knew
but it did land on all fours and after a while (once the sun's rays reach where it landed) it took off, and by the time I went down to feed the chooks , it had disappeared....So from what I gather it fared well 
This is Britains smallest wild bird. So tiny - my first captured picture ... just before flying off ...
Goldcrest - notice yellow/gold crest ...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldcrest
Working to try and turn anger into compassion (for myself and all involved!) at present.
A number of us have been adversely affected by the toxic behaviour of an individual recently.
Practical steps are being put in place to solve it but now the emotional side needs to be worked on.
May all people affected (including the perpetrator) find peace and happiness.
@Bunks: Breathe in, breathe out. Deep. 2 to 3 times.
Then ask yourself:
What exactly, right here, right now, in this moment, is happening that is doing me wrong?
I can be angry, if I choose.
I can also be calm, if I choose.
Which would be better for me?
Which would achieve more?
I breathe in, and I am calm.
I breathe out, and I let Peace in.
Hope this helps.
Thanks @federica - it does.
... meanwhile ...
What happens when two trains meet on the bamboo railway ...
I do enjoy Sunday mornings. I often watch spiritual interviews on the TV early on, with my coffee and while I read a bit. Today the topics were near-death experiences and the life of an adopted doctor whose only knowledge of his background was that he came from Beirut.
Even though it’s not Buddhist it gives me a very peaceful feeling. It’s like all kinds of slightly deeper spiritual expression feed the inner me, even if it happens to be a Christian church service (as long as it isn’t a commercialised song-and-dance effort).
The only thing is to shake off sleepiness and try and be mindfully aware in these morning hours, that can be a bit of an effort.
I have changed my user name to Dairy Lama. The last Dairy Lama died in an unfortunate accident, he got trapped in one of the freezers in Tesco - though at least he spent his final hours surrounded by the ice-cream he loved.
I take it you were 'SpinyNorman' before, and @LInc changed it for you........?
Yeah, I felt like a change. I've been using the Spiny ID since the old e-Sangha days, when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
PS Congratulations to our new moderator!
IT's gonna take some getting used to... But then again, you've always been a closet Gelatorist...
Yeah, good news, isn't it?
Two old birds in charge of the nest....
Just saying, NB folks come to mind often in my "regular" life
@lobster
Waking up IZ plan!
Being irritable, irritated, moody, not so much ... Meditation and writing is an unraveling of any such tendencies as we know ...
One day we realise that we are following a Path/Way/Means to less of the lesser and more of the [insert known/experienced benefits ...]
We iz plan.