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Hi, Rusty!
I have just been looking in on Lassie....again no sign of Laddie...no doubt he will be perching in a nearby tree.
Have you read today's blog "All about Hatching"?
It is very interesting, telling of how the chicks behave before they hatch....and how Lassie can tell when they are nearing the end of their incubation time.
Each chick has a temporary little tool - the "egg tooth" - attached to the end of its beak and it is with this that the chick cracks the blunt end of the egg in order to get out.
Well worth a read!
I have no cousin to phone tonight!
She is visiting her daughter.
Btw...I thought Ronan would have been rated higher? or should that be lower...I don't understand these betting terms?

Hello, Elle!
Yes, I read the blog.
Very interesting.
Paddy makes a book on the likelihood of each contestant winning, in Paddy's opinion.
So, in the case of Ronan, Paddy does not rate his chances of winning as highly as you do, hence the higher odds.
Elle, the less you know about betting terms, the better.
Gambling is a mug's game, and the odds are against you winning.
You will miss your chat with your cousin!

Hi, Rusty!
I am having great trouble in staying awake.....too many late nights and early mornings, methinks!
The trouble is , I cannot sleep for a long period.
If I go to bed early, I am awake by about 3 or 4 am.... a tad too early to get up even for me!
I think I need a coffee....and maybe a shortie biscuit?
I see you have been answering Everyman clues....
It was a good puzzle today, I thought.
I enjoyed it.
We have a funeral to attend tomorrow afternoon.
Once upon a time, it was weddings!
Oh, the passage of time.....
oh dear.....I definitely need that coffee!

Hello, Elle,
They say not to take coffee before you go to bed.
It may keep you from sleep?
This is my day of rest from puzzles.
I just try and answer the odd one on the forum.
I see there is a thread on AnswerBank welcoming Scorpiojo back to the fold.
She has been off the forum for some time and is a prolific solver.
Yes, we will all be going to funerals.
I hope it all goes off smoothly tomorrow.

Good morning, Rusty!
It is a lovely day here - very warm already.
I appear to be having computer problems..... it took ages to connect this morning...for a long time I've just had a blank screen.
Modern technology is totally beyond either me or my husband when we run into problems!
He is no better at this than I am!
I have unplugged everything and started again... it is working for now...but very slowly?
Anyway, let's see how it goes... but panic not if I "disappear" without warning!
I've got a few chores to do this morning..... and then of course the funeral mid- afternoon.
How about you? What are you up to today?

Good morning, Elle!
Great weather here!
What like is your broadband speed?
Could be on a go-slow.
Have you tried unplugging the router or hub for a couple of minutes?
Other than that I have no idea.
I have a couple of things to attend to, with one eye on the loch seeing as a hatch is imminent.
Finished my puzzle earlier.
I thought it was on the easy side today.

Windows 10 is doing a huge update, elle, but my computer tells me it is doing so. The screen did go blank for a while. It must drive those who depend on them for work bonkers! Took about 40 minutes and then I had about 6 screens of "Will you allow Microsoft to.....?) to all of which I said no.

Hi, Rusty!
My word, this is like getting blood from a stone - or some such saying!
I have unplugged and re-plugged everything in sight!
Now, from what I can gather, the computer had a new (automatic) update last night......
I am assuming that this is the cause of the problem?
I have attempted to install "System Restore" to twenty -four hours before that update, but after waiting all this time, I am told that this "restore " cannot, after all, be completed.....
It doesn't tell me why!
So I am back to 'Square One'!
The computer is now working but very slowly
The printer, however, is not being recognised...so no crosswords!
I am at a loss as to what to do next...all was okay yesterday!
I guess 'leave well alone', and be thankful for small mercies, for the time being?
Consultation with daughter urgently needed this evening!
I must go and get changed for the funeral.....

Hello, Ros!
I am sorry, I have only just seen your post!
I must have been typing (slowly) whilst it was arriving!
Whatever has happened to the computer seems to have occurred overnight?
Anyway, I'll have to put it on hold for now, as we are going to a funeral.
I'll try again to sort it when I return.....

Hello, Elle!
The update would appear to be the culprit?
I am afraid I have no idea, other than to make sure the "time" on your computer is correct?
If not, that can cause problems.
As you are heading out for a while, why not switch the computer and hub/router etc "off", until you come back?
Worth a try?