You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Janice, Moderator
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Oct 11, 2014 08:38AM
When are you planning to go to Spain?
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It's a dreary day here - and I'm all cheerful and loving it! Fall is by far my favorite time of year. Maybe because it's such a relief after the long, hellish (imo) summers of Texas. It perks me right up - and I can bake and use the oven again - LOL. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, you Canucks out there!
Happy Thanksgiving to the Canadians! :)
Madeira is actually part of Portugal :) We're not going for a while yet, last week of January.
Happy Thanksgiving Canadians!I've been doing the things I have been putting off. I mowed the lawn yesterday. Mainly as I lost the duck. He hid in the long grass and I couldn't find him. It was up to my thigh... but I realised if I couldn't find the duck, what else could be lurking in there, and then I thought of brown snakes... it's mown now.
If I can get motivated today, I will clear out some of the front yard a plant some red sunflowers I got. The front yard is a bit of a dustbowl, as we got a landscaper to do it up. He spent half a day on it and then scarpered with our money. Just successfully got a court order to get him to pay us back. So in the meantime, I think sunflowers, and then pumpkins are a good plan for out there until we find someone trustworthy to do it up as we planned.
I'm also experimenting and making pulled pork today. No idea what I am doing. But I found a recipe for tortillas made from cauliflower instead of corn, so I thought I would give it a go and if they fail, slow cooked pork will make it all better.
Peggy wrote: "Madeira is actually part of Portugal :) We're not going for a while yet, last week of January."Oops! What kind of weather will you have in Madeira at that time of year?
Rus, did you wear protective steel waist high boots to mow that lawn? Just the thought of snakes in the grass, especially those very poisonous snakes, gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Nah, the lawn mower and my swearing are loud enough to make anything run away. Snakes hate noise and vibrations. Well, everything besides the duck, who decided to stand in the middle of the lawn I was mowing on a tree stump and squark at me. I had to chase him away in the end, as he wasn't going anywhere. The chickens had enough sense to bugger off, and they are usually the belligerent ones.
Hahaha :DJanice, it should be 15-20 degrees there in January, and quite sunny although also some chance of rain. I read somewhere that it's always spring on Madeira, but in summer temperature can rise to 30 as well. Perhaps it just never gets worse than spring :) I'm already looking forward to escaping winter for a week, even though we're having an incredibly nice autumn so far. Lots of sun and 18-20 degrees.
When we had a back garden, we used to let the grass grow waist high too. Mainly because we were lazy but I quite liked the wild look and it always attracted lots of birds, insects, butterflies, mice etc. and I do like nature. But I think I'd keep it VERY short if I was in Oz. I know the snakes don't like the vibrations and would have been out of there at the sound of you Rusalka but what about the spiders?!? I'm looking forward to having a huge front/back "garden" on the canal and not having to do a thing to it!
We don't have funnel webs here, red backs live in sneaky places, and white tails live in the house. In the grass is just jumping spiders and wolf spiders and others. They won't kill you. You learn to prioritise :P
Ah I see! Well that's good! Are there scorpions?
'just jumping spiders and wolf spiders'... I don't think I have the laid-back attitude to spiders that Aussies have, even if they're not dangerous!
I don't mind spiders...if I know they won't kill me. We have a huge spider living in the flat at the moment which comes out from under the sofa and scurries across the room. The other night I was down on my hands and knees with my face up to it saying to my partner "come look at this!" The spiders in the UK this autumn have been much bigger than usual but thankfully all harmless. I wouldn't get that close if I knew they'd bite or kill me though! I am much more jumpy when I go to Thailand as I am not familiar with what is poisonous and what isn't.
Same here with spiders being bigger this year. I don't like them though, we had one running across the floor some weeks ago and all I do is scream and run for safety ;-) I don't mind the small ones, but the bigger ones, eek!
I hadn't noticed the spiders being bigger - I haven't seen many of them. Lots of spider webs on my washing line outside though! I don't mind spiders, even the big ones - although I'm sure I'd think differently if I lived in a country which had dangerous ones!
Huntsmans are the ones that get me. They aren't dangerous, really, but are huge and live in your house. Photo in spoiler - If you don't like spiders, then don't click (view spoiler)
No scorpions though. That I know of, probably some in the desert.
It's the legs that get me. And I know it's irrational as they won't kill me, and others will. That is bothers me/annoys me more!
I read the because it's been so warm here over the Summer, there has been more prey around for the spiders plus they haven't had to seek shelter as early as usual as it's been a warm Autumn too. So we are seeing more of them than usual for this time of year and they're bigger. Not as big as that one though Rusalka!
You are braver than me Sarah! I could never get that close to a big spider! If I knew there was one somewhere in my house I would not go into that room until it was caught and put outside. I can deal with small ones but big ones? No way! I actually got bitten on the toe by a spider in South Africa a few years ago. I was volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation centre and got bitten in bed in the middle of the night. I didn't see what did it but the rangers and medic who looked at my leg were convinced it was a spider. My whole foot and ankle became really swollen and turned bright red and I found it really painful to put any weight on it the next day. It also made me feel a bit sick initially. Luckily it wasn't poisonous but it still flipping hurt!
Ah gosh, I don't think I've come across a spider bigger than my hand! That probably would freak me out - especially one so solid as this one. He's not a wispy daddy-long-legs type!
I don't tend to put the spiders outside if I find them in the house - I just leave them be! But moths and flying things have to go as I don't like the thought of them getting tangled in my hair! So they are caught and put outside. Mosquitoes die! That bite sounds painful Lisa!
Spiders in my house mostly just sit on the ceiling, and walk around a bit. I leave them be too. I quite like watching them. Haven't seen one for a while though.
Really looking forward to a nice Sunday Lunch at the pub in about an hour! No cooking or washing up for me!
Unless they are poisonous, or look vaguely nasty (black, spindley are the ones we can't tell) they get put outside. Although that guy took a lot of bargaining between Lexx and myself on who would do the honours. From memory it was me and an ice cream container.Oh yuk Lisa. Sounds like one of our white tails. I got bitten by one on Boxing Day a few years ago (26th Dec for non-UK/Aus folk). Made my thigh swell up into 3 levels of infection/swelling. I was okay (although had to have antibiotics) but was glad it wasn't on a smaller place like a foot or hand.
Has anyone seen this article and footage of a guy on one of the Channel Islands who found a tube web spider in his garage? It is huge and it's fangs....eeks! Apparently they are normally found in parts of Europe but have started getting into the parts of the UK now.http://metro.co.uk/2014/08/22/man-fin...
I saw that article Lisa. It's amazing what finds it's way here. I watched a program a while back about alien invaders in the UK which talked about animals which had been discovered here that shouldn't be. Sometimes because of the exotic pets trade and people letting them go while others come in food/veg imports. From what I recall there were scorpions living in the sewers in London!
Ooh, I hadn't heard about scorpions living in the sewers in London! It wouldn't surprise me though. Who knows what may be lurking down there that has come across on cargo ships? I don't actually mind scorpions, wouldn't get too close in case they were poisonous but they don't creep me out like spiders do.
*snicker* oh you all crack me up.EVERYTHING is poisonous until it proves otherwise. This should be the default!
*shiver* I'm getting out of here...I actually never used to kill spiders (and I still try not to) but after having kids, I felt like it became a need if I couldn't get the spiders out of the house for whatever reason. I do worry about them biting the kids or even just walking over them while they sleep.
I think I may have fainted though if I had that one in my home, Rusalka!
Lisa, my son did get bit once but it wasn't nearly as bad as that, yours is the nightmare I try to avoid! ;)
Talking about large bugs this year, I'm seeing huge black crickets this year in the house. Never saw these before and now they are all over!
Bah, whatever doesn't kill them (the kids) makes them stronger.
Ew, spiders :( not a fan of them after living in my friends basement where they had a TON of hobo spiders :( the bugs we have here are mostly just annoying..stink bugs, blah. We have the occasional cicada which are cool looking.
Are we talking about spiders in welcoming Halloween?
I do love the spider-web shaped salt and vinegar crisps that Marks and Spencer sold for Hallowe'en a couple of years ago! :-)
Gail wrote: "I do love the spider-web shaped salt and vinegar crisps that Marks and Spencer sold for Hallowe'en a couple of years ago! :-)"I remember them Gail! I think they are doing vampire shaped crisps this year and some chewy, gummy sweets called Scaredy Cats'.
Ah, I was just wondering after posting that what they were doing this year. I know I'm far too old to get excited about novelty crisps and sweets, but I always do - I'll have to go and buy myself some! :-)
I bought these really cute pumpkins for my grandkids yesterday. They're coming for supper tonight. One has purple hair glued on top and the other a striped "cat-in-the hat". They have sweet little faces painted on them.For myself, I bought 3 bottles of wine.
I have read all post about spiders, critters & co.We have here a lot of them (tropic has the highest rate in every species, included politicians ;-))
I saw the most of you are afraid of big spiders, but the small ones are those to be afraid of. Because only the small ones need (and have) poison enough to kill or put in great danger a person/child. I know the big ones look impressive, but that precisely is the intent, because they don´t have the weapon of dangerous poison, (although if they bite, they have a range of minor poison, that can go from annoying to painful).
I intent not to kill spiders, because they eat the fly-critters (mosquitoes and co.), who are the real danger for human being.
We do have scorpions, little ones, who appear sometimes in the bathrooms, and medium ones, who lives in more bushy places)
I have had also a mini snakes (thin like a strand), which are very useful, then they eat ants and termites
Well I went from being fully booked today at work to half of my clients cancelling on me! It must be the rain! Well it means I don't have to go in until much later. So I can waste my time on here and I might be able to get some more reading done too.
Sounds like a great surprise! Enjoy the time. :)
I had a nice weekend. I went to a friend's on Saturday to quilt. Sunday, I had my kids over for Thanksgiving Dinner. We had non-traditional meal of pork tenderloin roast, mashed spuds/gravy, carrots, brussel sprouts, salad, and I broke down and baked... apple/rhubarb crisp, served with ice cream. Yesterday, I went back to my friend's and sewed some more. I'm going to pay for this weekend because now I must put my nose to the grindstone to meet deadlines. I'm actually a bit scared.
Got corn all chopped, piled, and covered this weekend. Now i was hoping to get some of that corn ground turned and plant my wheat this week but weather doesn't look cooperative. But that tractor has a cable in port so I can plug my phone into the radio. With next week being the toppler maybe it will all work out. Get some books oistened and get my wheat planted
I know in another thread we've been talking about things that scare us etc. and Travis you talking about sorting your corn out reminded me of the films Children of the Corn - I think I watched them as a teenager and I remember them freaking me out and corn fields took on an air of eeriness for a while after that.
I never see them. But i get black bear occasionally rolling around in my field. Literally they roll arou d so you find these random crop circles. I always walk to the center of the field to check the corn. Leaves makr it so you cant see plus the corn can be 8-14 ft tall so it can ve clostrauphobic at times. I always get deep in the field and imagine I hear bears growling at me. Coyotes will let you walk almost right to them but they always run away. Thesr are what spook me when I'm in the field
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