Watcha Doing? Version 2015 Showing 1,601-1,650 of 3,365

[Sandra, Moderator]

Good luck, Sarah!

[Sarah]

thanks guys. it took me 13 minutes to get there including locking up the boat and unfolding bike. so I decided to carry on cycling to Bath and miss out the first bus ride. it took me 41 minutes total for the cycle part. annoyingly I left my bike lock keys at home along with boat keys. fingers crossed it didn't leave them on the bank or in the lock on front door. after bike ride, the train takes 10 minutes then bus from Bristol to work is 20 minutes but once I get a bit more practice in will cycle instead of the bus journey - there is just a big hill which doesn't appeal.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Great work Sarah!

[Stephanie]

Way to go, Sarah!

[Sarah]

Thanks guys. I quite enjoyed it. carrying the bike up and down the stairs at the station was no fun though.

[Peggy]

Don't they have the thingies on the side so you can push your bike up (or down) while you walk next to it on the stairs? I think all Dutch trainstations have it.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

But the Dutch are so accommodating towards bikes. It's unfortunately not the norm, but not sure specifics of Sarah's station obviously. Never heard of these thingys, and no way an Aussie station would have them :(

So. What's your wildlife count Sarah?

[Janice, Moderator]

Good for you Sarah. I'm impressed.

[Sarah]

no such luck Peggy.Bath answer Bristol are big cycling cities as well. they are both listed buildings though so may explain lack of facilities?! Who knows.

wildlife count: Countless ducks (male and female), a heron, various dog breeds with their human owners, a Swan nesting, a herd of woolly cows but they're not wild. I think that's it. I was mainly looking at the floor as I rode but as I get more familiar I will be able to look around more.

[Sarah]

oops. I meant and not answer. stupid phone.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

You have woolly cows! I love woolly cows!

[Mariab]

Sarah wrote: "Ack! Cycling as part of my commute to work for the first time today. Feeling a little scared. Mainly that I won't make it in time to catch the bus, to then catch the train, to then catch another bu..."

I hope all went well with your ride! biking is sooo good for the health

[Sarah]

Mariab wrote: "I hope all went well with your ride! biking is sooo good for the health"

That may well be but it's not good for my arse! I can hardly walk today and I have to cycle the same route again. At least I don't have to cycle back from the station as my partner is picking me up (same as yesterday). We're basically in the middle of nowhere so I have no option but to get back on my bike. So much for easing myself in gently to this cycling malarkey!

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Ah, DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness) means you were doing amazing things for your body. Even if you are walking like you have a pole up your arse, or waddling like an oversized duck, you did good dammit!

[Peggy]

You'll get used to it Sarah. And like Rusalka says, it means you did good!

[Sarah]

Hmmm. I'll take your word for it.

my wildlife count wasn't amazing during the cycle ride but when we moved the boat over the weekend we saw a spotted woodpecker (not sure whether it was a greater or lesser), buzzards, song thrush, rabbits, grey squirrel, heard an owl of some kind, and a pair of jays.

[Peggy]

Sounds wonderful Sarah. I love spotting wildlife, I still get super excited about seeing a squirrel or a rabbit or a falcon or a mouse or other animals that aren't a daily sight.


I'm supposed to go to a conference tonight until Friday, but I left work feeling ill yesterday and in the evening it got much worse, and now I still don't feel very good. I wanted to work a bit from home today, before leaving for the conference, but I don't think I slept more than three hours last night and I'm so tired. Got so many things to do that I feel guilty not working, but maybe I'll just go read or sleep for a bit anyway.

[Tasha]

Sarah, I'm really impressed with your riding skills! I don't think I would ever try doing that with all the other transportation along the way while needing to carry the bike along? Do you have to take the bike on the train/bus or can you lock it up somewhere safe before getting on the next transport? I love when my muscles are sore the next day since it means they got worked out! It will get easier on your body soon enough.

We often get a herd of deer grazing in our yard, they were here yesterday. I love to see them but I hate that they eat up my garden!!

[Lisa]

Peggy wrote: "Sounds wonderful Sarah. I love spotting wildlife, I still get super excited about seeing a squirrel or a rabbit or a falcon or a mouse or other animals that aren't a daily sight.


I'm supposed to ..."

Sorry to hear you are feeling ill Peggy. Get well soon!

[Lisa]

Tasha wrote: "Sarah, I'm really impressed with your riding skills! I don't think I would ever try doing that with all the other transportation along the way while needing to carry the bike along? Do you have to ..."

That's amazing about the deer herd in your yard Tasha! Not so good about them eating up your garden though. We have a badger that's been coming to our garden at night for a few years now and he sometimes digs up the grass looking for worms and slugs. You can always tell when he has been because of all the holes in the lawn! It's great to know he is around though. We get foxes sometimes too.

[Tasha]

Oh sorry, I missed that Peggy was not feeling well. I hope you feel better soon!

Lisa, we get foxes too, lots of little wildlife around here. Not badgers though! I love hearing about the wildlife that is common to others, it's all so different.

[Peggy]

Deer in your yard?! That is amazing! I can imagine it's not nice when they eat things, but wow, that it happens is so cool!

In the Netherlands a wolf was recently spotted, for the first time in 80 or so years that it's back in the country. Very exciting! It's in the north, nowhere close to here, but there was footage of it walking in residential areas, not scared of people (or completely unaware of the danger they can be) at all. I think the only other larger wild animals we have are deer and boars, but they are so shy you never even see them, let alone them visiting built-up areas.

[Rusalka, Moderator]

For the record, those descriptions are how I feel like I move a day or two after exercise.

I've never seen a grey squirrel. Nice to know there are some still around. Deer in your front yard sound pretty amazing Tasha. And a badger! I've always wanted to see a badger. Foxes though, *shudder*, evil sons of ... reminding myself they are pretty and native over there, and not evil, killing, death machines of destroying and chaos they are here.

Hope you feel better Peggy! Hope you get to your conference.

[Sandra, Moderator]

Peggy, I hope feel better soon. Probably the stress you are going through is doing this trick on you.

We have bunnies, squirrels and raccoons in our backyards. Deers are common in the area, and actually from time to time a bear is spotted. The bunnies love our tomatoes and strawberries...

[Stephanie]

Hope you feel better soon, Peggy!
Hope the riding gets smoother for you soon, Sarah!

We get raccoons where I am at sometimes. Some gray squirrels and Deer as well. We get lots of different birds since we have a bird feeder :) and we have a wild golden retriever living with us ;)

When we lived in Omaha, NE we saw bunnies (which our dog was very excited to see), black squirrels, swans. We lived next to a business park that had a really nice pound to walk around :)

[Rusalka, Moderator]

Hang on. Grey squirrel. I meant red.

I do like squirrels but I must have only seen (and chased around) grey ones.

Too confusing, time for bed. Night all :D

[Berit]

Peggy, hope you're feeling better super soon!! Wildlife, we get coyotes and snakes., So you can't let your cats or small dogs out of the house at night, because of the coyotes. I can hear them going crazy sometimes at night,, A couple times well out on a walk we have seen them basically roaming the streets, but I think they are more scared of us and we are of them.

[Janice, Moderator]

One of the things I miss now that I live in the city is the wildlife. Last week, I went back out to my old community for a funeral and there were "my geese". There's a dugout along the highway and I always watched for the geese to arrive in the spring and then watched them all summer. I called them "my geese" like I had some ownership in them. I learned from a friend that everyone in the community claimed them as their geese.

I was back out to the community on Saturday for Easter at my son's. My granddaughter came home with me for a sleep over and we were treated to seeing a calf moose grazing along the highway. Mamma Moose couldn't have been too far off.

[Mariab]

Get well Peggy.
And firts of all. You cannot work effectively if you are ill

[Cherie]

I hope you are feeling better today too, Peggy.

Sarah,
When I was going to college, I worked at a small electronics factory. One of my classes was at 11am and the company I was working for, let me take time off to go to school twice a week and make up the time after hours. The parking at the small community college was practically non existant and cars snaked along the side streets in the residential neighbor hood adjacent to the college for miles. There was no hope of ever getting to class on time if I only depended on my small pick-up truck, because I still had to walk for miles. I bought a used 10 speed bike to help resolve the problem. On the days I had class, I put the bike in the back of my truck before I went to work. At the college, I would drive around until I found a parking spot - it did not matter where, get my bike out of the back and ride to the campus. There was a convient light post right next to the building that my class was in and I could lock it up, and go to class. I did it for four months and it was the best investment of time and money that I ever made. Today, I swear I could ride my bike to work faster than I can drive because of all of the traffic, but it is not safe. If they ever make the needed road improvements, I might try it in the summer time. Riding in the cold and rain is no fun but I admire people who have the ambition and resolve to do it.

[Berit]

Last weekend we were at UC San Diego visiting, this is where I believe my son is going to go to school next year :-) anyways they were doing construction on bike pass, because they have such a problem with people on bikes running into pedestrians, I guess there are a lot of people on bikes, probably for the very reasons you mentioned above. I think finally public transportation is getting a little bit better and Southern California.

[Cherie]

Berit wrote: "Last weekend we were at UC San Diego visiting, this is where I believe my son is going to go to school next year :-) anyways they were doing construction on bike pass, because they have such a prob..."

Portland is a very big bike town. Don't hear about too many bikes running into pedestrians, but there is a story about a bike rider getting hit (usually hit-and-run) by a car almost every other day.

What I hate are the idiots on skate boards on the road. Especially the ones who wear dark clothes at night and think they should joy ride in the street when it is raining! I almost hit one last night on my way home from the market.

[Berit]

Yes, we have skate boarders everywhere! I know at the beach there are separate paths for pedestrians and bike riders as well, I guess at a campus with a bunch of kids on bikes they might run into someone not looking where they were going :-) I just thought it was interesting that that's what they were in the process of constructing.

[Tasha]

Berit wrote: "Peggy, hope you're feeling better super soon!! Wildlife, we get coyotes and snakes., So you can't let your cats or small dogs out of the house at night, because of the coyotes. I can hear them goin..."

I've heard coyotes here a couple of times. Once this year and once a couple of years ago. They are here but we don't ever see them. I'm so glad to hear that they are afraid of people though, I was really concerned that they are becoming less scared. I do keep an ear out for them at night but haven't heard anything in a while. They are beautiful but I don't really want to run into one!

[Berit]

My friend and I ran into one when we were walking a month or so ago. He ran off when he saw us. She had picked up a big stick and I picked up a rock, not quite sure what we were going to do, fortunately we didn't have to do anything. They say to make noise and appear unafraid, it's not like I live in the middle of nowhere, I live in the middle of a big city, but there are a lot of hills and they lived here first.

[Cherie]

Berit, was the bike pass on campus? I did not pick that up. I can understand wanting to or needing to the seperate the bikes from the walkers, but where does it end? People need to watch out! Soon there will be skate board over passes. I do not have a problem with them in the bike lanes or even on the sidewalks. I am sure it was just a matter of not thinking and not paying attention when the kid rode out in front of me last night but it scared me within an inch of my life.

[Berit]

Yes, it ran all throughout the campus. I completely get where you're coming from with the skate boarders, They skate anywhere on the sidewalk, in the streets, through the parking lots, it's a wonder they don't get hit more than they do.

[Peggy]

Lol, coming from a country that has more bikes than people and where cycling is the #1 mode of transport, I find all your cycling-stories very interesting.

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm going to have to skip the conference though. Bummer, I never get sick for more than a day and even then it's more like a blegh-feeling. I was so proud of being able to say that I can't even remember the last time I had the flu or was sick at home for more than a day, must have been in high school, at least 13 or 14 years ago, but now I have to start counting all over again.

[Sarah]

@Cherie. Sounds like you did indeed save a lot of time, effort and stress with using your bike. It has made a big difference to my travel time I think.

Annoyingly yesterday, one bus wouldn't stop for me and another one told me I couldn't take a fold up bike on the bus. I had a bit of an argument with them and she let me on (the bus was totally empty). So I guess I will need to either lock it up at the train station before I get the bus up the hill, or cycle up the hill. I'm not ready for that hill yet though.

I think people need to use common sense with sharing spaces anywhere, city or countryside. I think we are all too quick to get a bee in our bonnet about "them other people". I've noticed it a lot along the canal towpaths recently. When it's nice weather, there are boaters, walkers, dog walkers, and cyclists all sharing the towpath. Cyclists hate the walkers, walkers hate the cyclists, boaters hate the walkers who stare in their windows, etc etc etc All this frustration makes people not be as helpful (or as friendly) as they could be when sharing a space. Yesterday a guy would not move to the side to let me pass and I wasn't even on my bike, I was pushing it (and I had no where to move to as there was someone passing by me too) so we both came to a stop face to face.

Sorry you are still not feeling great and had to miss the conference Peggy. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Anne (Booklady)]

Peggy wrote: "Lol, coming from a country that has more bikes than people and where cycling is the #1 mode of transport, I find all your cycling-stories very interesting.

Thanks for the well wishes. I'm going t..."

Peggy, a speedy Recovery to you.

[Anne (Booklady)]

@Tasha -

Saw 1 coyote today running for cover as it started to rain. Heard many before that. I'm grateful that my kitty cat has no desire to go outside. =)

[Peggy]

Thanks Sarah and Anne.

It's strange that they wouldn't let you take the fold-up bike on the bus Sarah. Isn't that what those things are for? When they're folded up they're no bigger than a suitcase, and I can't imagine a driver telling someone they can't take their suitcase on board.

The thing you say about people being less helpful and easily frustrated, I think it's everywhere unfortunately. A few days ago I was on a train, and they announced that at the next station, we had to switch to another train which was already waiting for us. Rush hour, so pretty busy, and I was one of the last people out of the train. When I got out, there were a few people waiting to get into the train we were coming out of, somehow they didn't know they needed to get into another train and that the one they were trying to get into would not go anywhere. Apparently none of the 40 or 50 people who left the train before me took the effort to tell those people.... and there are so many of these little things.

Some better news, to get back to our favourite topic of the weather: we have two lovely days ahead of us! Sunny and around 20 degrees! Not that it's much use to me right now, but spring is obviously here and that's nice. I think the weekend is going to be a bit colder and maybe a bit of rain, but next week should be better again.

[Sarah]

I know Peggy. I just checked the bus operator's website and they state they are allowed on as long as they are stowed safely in the designated luggage area or if the busy is not busy, where the pushchairs/wheelchairs would go. They do state that they may refuse if the bus is busy or if your bike is really dirty. Shame the bus drivers don't know this policy. I've saved it to my phone so I can whip it out if any of them refuse me in the future.

Yes the weather has been glorious here too. I hope you get to enjoy it a bit Peggy despite feeling under the weather. Only downside with the nice weather and Spring, is hayfever!

[Stephanie]

I hope the cycling gets better for you Sarah:) Hope you feel better soon Peggy:)
I don't know why people are so rude these days:(
The weather here has been stormy the last few days! We had thunder so loud last night that it woke my hubby, me and the dog up. Blake, our dog, got nervous from it and went out to the living room and grabbed both of his ducks(stuffed toys) and brought them both to bed with him. He climbed up on our bed and laid down between us by our heads with his ducks :)
It is supposed to be stormy the next few days but nice this weekend. We are planning to go into DC this weekend at some point and check out the cherry blossoms trees. It is the cherry blossom festival there I believe :)

[Peggy]

I love cherry blossom trees! I want to go to Japan some time when they are all in bloom.


I was just rummaging through a drawer and found a 15 euro book voucher I forgot I had. How is that possible? Off to the bookshop this weekend!

I just got a message from someone I don't know asking me a question about Outlander. He had heard it glorifies corporal punishment on women and wondered if that is true. I replied to him and told him my opinion and that I could describe the one scene in which this happens, and he asked me to do that, so I did. And now he has sent me a very long message about his experiences with spanking (not in a bad way!). Just as a boy and his experiences as a journalist in Lebanon and how spanking of women is regarded there and asking my opinions.

It's interesting how you can have such conversations with people you don't know..

[Janice, Moderator]

That is a bit strange, Peggy.

Interestingly enough, that scene is the only scene I remember from Outlander. I will be reading the book again soon, and I wonder what my reaction will be this time. I was outraged the last time.

[Janice, Moderator]

I was at the bank today and there was a young family there. Dad was off to the side with the baby while Mom and the toddler were at the teller. The little girl had about 3 $20 bills in her hand and she was holding them out to people in the line up. She made her way over to her father and was finally able to find someone to take them from her. So cute!

[Berit]

Peggy, some random guy you don't know at all, asked you about spanking? That is not a little odd, I think that is extremely odd!

[Tejas Janet]

Sounds like interesting conversation, Peggy. Just don't give out your personal info ;)

So yesterday I had endoscopy and colonscopy, partly routine, partly due to g.i. tract troubles.

When I first woke up from anesthesia, I asked if I'd told them where the buried treasure was - which I vaguely recall asking but have no idea why.

And supposedly also asked the doctor if he signed my fanny. I'm so embarrassed!

[Peggy]

Ahw, that's cute Janice!

Hm yes, maybe it is a bit weird. I'm often not so sure anymore. There are many weirdo's on the internet but also lots of lovely people (like in ylto!) and I don't want to be paranoid.

About the scene: I forget a lot that happens in books, whole books in fact, and I still remember some Outlander details because it isn't that long ago that I read it, but this scene I can remember vividly too.