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"What have you eaten" Parallel Chat

Where is everybody?
I was looking forward to @Antje77 English adventures, @Annb Scottish isle tales and various others

I'll have to lead by example and tell about about our US adventures. Its 5 years since we last visited, pre t2 diagnosis.
We stayed in an outlying suburb of Chicago which could have been a suburb almost anywhere except for the amount of traffic. They don't seem to learn here about petrol saving. Everything, absolutely everything is a car drive away. It rare to find a road with a pavement for pedestrians, and even worse all the new developments are designed around car use.
Food wise there are some low carb/keto alternatives but most are highly processed and full of suspect ingredients.
In restaurants it's OK to ask for substitutions but you still get quizzical look when you ask to hold the toast/potatoes/fruit. Soft drinks, the larger the better, are de rigour still.
Our adventures were curtailed by getting Covid.

Then we moved north to Milwaukee to stay with a long lost cousin. He took, us for cocktails and oysters on a Monday lunchtime. My low carb country bumpkin head got very confused!

Then we had a few days to ourselves house (well dog and cat sitting really) in a posh area a bit further north. It was nice to be back to long walks in the countryside although dogs have to be kept on a lead and only in designated areas.

Now we are back south to Chicago sitting a cat in a lovely house. Very cold so exploring on hold for a day or 2.
 
I've never been to the northern part of the US but. from your impressions @MrsA2 , I don't think I would like it very much. I was (many years ago) in Texas - very briefly. Just long enough for the cargo ship we were on to load with liquid sulphur in Beaumont. I liked the wide open spaces (not a place to walk around; everything too far away for that) but not the stressful lifestyle, even way back then.

The Western Isles is exactly the opposite of the America you are describing and that's why we chose to live here. As someone once said: the concept of manana is far too urgent for us. Never do tomorrow what could be left for the day after. It's ideal for procrastinators and encourages even the most harassed amongst us to relax a little. Not that life here is perfect; not these days and in fact never was for one reason or another but still, for most it is quite refreshing. That is changing, of course, under the influence of TV, internet and modern life but so far, so good.
 
MrsA2 said:
Where is everybody?
I was looking forward to @Antje77 English adventures, @Annb Scottish isle tales and various others
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I struggle with the forum on my phone, so during my holidays I wasn't as active on the forum as usual (although I snuck in quite a bit of off topic adventures in the main thread :angelic: ). And when I came home I had developed a nasty cold which lasted a week, so not too interested in doing anything really.

But be sure I had an absolutely amazing holiday, loved every part of it except making right turns!

Your own adventures sound pretty good as well, and I'd say yes to a monday lunch of oysters and coctails any day! :hilarious:
 
We like holidays that have a mix of places and house sitting. Let's us live like the locals.

Today we took the "L" train (the elevated light train system) downtown remembering all the movies with car chases under the tracks and Geroge Clooney in ER (Well I did, hubby didn't ;))
We went 103 floors up the Willis Tower (used to be the Sears Tower) then a good walk round a park and sculptures.
We couldn't order lunch at Nandos as the only system was online and not only did it not let you not want a drink (all cold and sugar laden) but it refused our credit cards as "alien".
Sometimes America is too all American
 
After 3 days of very cold windy days of 5°, its suddenly shot up to 23° less than 48 hours later
Gone from 5 layers of clothes to just a t-shirt!
Due to be the same for our last few days, yippee, as it was too cold.
Doing lots of walking. They don't allow building right on the lakefront so some nice open spaces and views.
And the downtown city centre has some stunning architecture.
 
Ginnie, the St Bernard, is a very clever girl. Whereas Banksie, the NewfieX, is calming down and content to watch and wait for his chance to get out and wander around the village, Ginnie can open doors and let herself in and out of the house. All she has to do is hold down a handle with one big paw and either walk backwards or push forward - and she's through. Alistair has to try to find some door knobs to replace the handles currently on the doors. Although Banksie realised before Alistair or anyone else did, that Ginnie had come into season again, there is no indication that she is in pup again, and we are all hoping that she isn't. There aren't so very many people who want a potentially huge pup these days - and last time she had 17 of them! Last time she was a good, but reluctant, mother. But who could blame her with so many getting in her way and pushing her around?

We definitely have starlings nesting again in the eaves above our kitchen window. Crazy birds - it's far too late in the year.
 
Doggie update:
* Banksie has gone to live in Stornoway with Em's big sister.
* The remaining pup was to have been kept and looked after/trained by Em's brother (16) but that input hasn't materialised. He was given an ultimatum about 5 weeks ago to start working with the dog, but hasn't done anything. So the pup is going to join his sibling in Uist to join the household of the SSPCA inspector there.
* Ginnie is staying until it is clear that she isn't pregnant again. If she is, she will stay until her pups are 10 weeks old then she, and they, will be rehomed. If she isn't she will be rehomed in a few weeks.

Sad, but necessary. DIL looks as though her health issues are going to be long term, Alistair has a shoulder and knee injury which means he can't walk the dogs so they would have to spend their days locked in the pen that he built for them a few weeks ago. That wasn't fair to them. So, the decision has been taken. Em's brother isn't very happy just now and being as bad tempered about the whole business as only a teenage boy can be. Em is upset but she is content that she will be able to visit Banksie from time to time. I have congratulated them on making a sensible decision about the dogs at last. The house is too small, their time too restricted and their health not adequate for the task. It's lovely to have dogs as part of your family, but you have to be able to give them the best life possible.

Alistair says that, once they have repaired all the damage that the dogs have done to the house, garden and fences, they might consider getting a much smaller dog - one that Em can take for walks; perhaps a beagle or something similar. Big dogs are lovely, but not in their situation.
 
Sounds sensible decision @Annb
We love dogs but won't have one of our own (or not yet) because of the commitment.
We have cats, and get our doggy fixes by looking after various ones at various times, then handing them back to the owners.
 
The last of Ginnie's pups has been rehomed - he went to join his sibling in Uist yesterday. So they are left just with the St Bernard now. They think she is in pup, but are not sure yet. Time will tell.
 
Annb said:
Doggie update:
* Banksie has gone to live in Stornoway with Em's big sister.
* The remaining pup was to have been kept and looked after/trained by Em's brother (16) but that input hasn't materialised. He was given an ultimatum about 5 weeks ago to start working with the dog, but hasn't done anything. So the pup is going to join his sibling in Uist to join the household of the SSPCA inspector there.
* Ginnie is staying until it is clear that she isn't pregnant again. If she is, she will stay until her pups are 10 weeks old then she, and they, will be rehomed. If she isn't she will be rehomed in a few weeks.

Sad, but necessary. DIL looks as though her health issues are going to be long term, Alistair has a shoulder and knee injury which means he can't walk the dogs so they would have to spend their days locked in the pen that he built for them a few weeks ago. That wasn't fair to them. So, the decision has been taken. Em's brother isn't very happy just now and being as bad tempered about the whole business as only a teenage boy can be. Em is upset but she is content that she will be able to visit Banksie from time to time. I have congratulated them on making a sensible decision about the dogs at last. The house is too small, their time too restricted and their health not adequate for the task. It's lovely to have dogs as part of your family, but you have to be able to give them the best life possible.

Alistair says that, once they have repaired all the damage that the dogs have done to the house, garden and fences, they might consider getting a much smaller dog - one that Em can take for walks; perhaps a beagle or something similar. Big dogs are lovely, but not in their situation.
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They might like to consider a dachshund. That's what son's family added to their zoo and the dog is as daft as a brush but a very affectionate wee beastie. Grandson says he takes it for a walk but it is, in fact, the dog who takes him for a gallop! I can see Em with one of them.
 
maglil55 said:
They might like to consider a dachshund. That's what son's family added to their zoo and the dog is as daft as a brush but a very affectionate wee beastie. Grandson says he takes it for a walk but it is, in fact, the dog who takes him for a gallop! I can see Em with one of them.
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I did suggest a dachshund and he would consider that, but first they have to get the house and garden repaired - and that will be after Ginnie has her pups, which is looking to be more likely as the days go on. But this time, if they do get another dog, one of the first jobs will be train it to walk on the lead and to heel. I do like dogs to be well trained. If I could get him to do it, I'd ask Neil to take on the training - that's another thing he's pretty good at. Maybe it's something to do with being very stubborn and refusing to give in but patient with it.
 
My exceptionally busy week was getting a bit much on the other thread. I was suffering a little with vertigo at night but just needed to turn carefully. When I was moving about, it wasn't really bothering me. This lurgy seems to be a mix of vertigo and norovirus. Hubby recovered sufficiently to travel and I believe it was just starting to niggle at me (but hadn't taken hold ).

I couldn't believe the number of appointments I'd managed to arrange together. The Eye Pavilion worked out well as the day after the pre op appointment arriving I got another letter to say that they would schedule the surgery within 12 weeks. Whether that is 12 weeks from now or 12 weeks from 7 December, I don't know. It will be one eye first then a wait for the second eye. Still after 14 months waiting I'm finally getting somewhere.

The dentist, I'm private for that as you just cannot get an NHS appointment. I was dreading the cost but all my teeth were fine (even the one that made the sideways journey). That left the bridge that just would not seat due to the roaming tooth.

After 3 X Rays and 2 impressions, there was a 3rd bite impression to do where he wanted me to bite down on the back teeth. I could do it fine until he sprayed the silicon- stuff along the teeth then, for some reason I couldn't! I was pushing my bottom jaw forward for some unknown reason. I knew what I had to do and what I was doing wrong but, 5 attempts later I still couldn't get it right. He did decide on a few more practice bites and finally on the 6th attempt, we got it. Cost was £100 and he's estimated another £350 for the other appointments and the new bridge. I expected a lot more than that. I was trying to persuade Hubby to gift me my new teeth for Christmas but he's not having it! He can't believe how happy I am with the cost. Last bridge lasted 10 years too.
 
MrsA2 said:
Ginne is a St Bernard , yes? Any idea what the father is? (assuming she is in pup)
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The father is 1/4 Alsatian and 3/4 Newfoundland. Last time (her first litter) she had 17 pups and they have all been found homes - some having to go as far as the English midlands. They will all be big dogs and the number of people who want such big dogs is limited. DIL sold most of them for around the £1000 mark which seemed to be an awful amount to pay for a cross bred pup. But, by the time they had all been microchipped, vaccinated and checked over by the vet, and then transported to their new owners and damage to the house and garden repaired, there was no profit in it. The second time she conceived was a mistake - they had been advised to allow her to come into heat once more before having her spayed, but the father dog knew she was in heat before they did! Bad mistake. And it was the final straw that made them realise that they couldn't cope with such big dogs in such a small house and garden.

1667343486852.png
Banksie (Newfie X the dad), Ginnie (St Bernard mum) and Bella (now departed Lab) - she gives some idea of the size of the other two - she wasn't exactly tiny herself.
 
I have always hankered after a smart watch, the only thing thta has put me off getting one is the rubbish wrist straps. I came across a Fossil Gen 6 smart watch with a stainless steel band on Sunday, and after a bit of research on prices, I got it from the Fossil shop at a good price.

It arrived yesterday arvo by express mail from Sydney.

FTW4059_main
 
Riva_Roxaban said:
I have always hankered after a smart watch, the only thing thta has put me off getting one is the rubbish wrist straps. I came across a Fossil Gen 6 smart watch with a stainless steel band on Sunday, and after a bit of research on prices, I got it from the Fossil shop at a good price.

It arrived yesterday arvo by express mail from Sydney.

FTW4059_main
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Looks good. Can't wear a metal strap myself but they certainly look better than some of the cheap ones you see around.
 
Annb said:
Looks good. Can't wear a metal strap myself but they certainly look better than some of the cheap ones you see around.
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I always have bought watches with metal bands, I do not like idea of a piece of pig skin for a strap to hold a watch on.
 
All this talk of puppies and treating oneself...
Heard today of the 3rd friend of mine to get a new puppy - all poodle crosses of one type or another and all as cute as can be

Memo to self: I must resist, I must resist, I must resist, I must resist
 
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