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Good evening, Rusty!
Ah.....all's well that ends well, Rusty!
I have just given the boys their tea.....the rest of us have decided that lunch was more than enough for us!
I shall wait until breakfast before I eat again!
Mind you, your peppered mackerel sounded good......!
Yes, I, too, think that Number Two chick and Laddie must be on their way to Africa.... the nest has remained empty each time I have looked.
No confirmatory word yet from the Rangers though.
I hope the chick manages to survive on his own.
I haven't had chance to do any crosswords since Monday.....
I did, however, win the last game of "Sorry"!
Enjoy the time spent with your son.

Good evening, Elle!
The mackerel is smashing!
Yes, I am certain the birds have left for Africa.
Laddie will be fine, but the young chick may struggle.
Had a good time with my son.
A lot of nattering went on.
Very enjoyable!

Hi, Rusty!
Great that you and your son had a good chat.
Daughter and I have had a lot of catching up to do in person......it's definitely not the same talking/ texting by phone!
Tomorrow we are planning a trip to Greenwich.
The boys tell me they have never been to see the Cutty Sark...so we shall take in that, and possibly also the Royal Observatory.
Let's hope for a fine day!

Good morning, Elle!
Fine morning here!
Hope you get a dry day for your outing to Greenwich.
Is there much to see at the Royal Observatory?
The "clock" that we all go by?
I'll maybe explore it on YouTube, later.
This must be my week for being "banned".
I could not get on The Times site today.
Too many "directions" or "re-directions", I think it said, and to try clearing cookies.
So, I deleted the site from my bookmarks, and downloaded it again and all seems well now.
Beginning to feel like a "non-person"!

Good morning, Rusty!
A lovely day here, too. albeit very much cooler.
But I regard that as a blessing!
Dog and I had an enjoyable walk.
You are having a hard time of it!!
Did your clock strike thirteen by any chance?
Maybe the day will improve for you as it develops.....
I hope so.
We are going to Greenwich today.
I had planned to take the boys on board the Cutty Sark - a British tea clipper built in Clyde in the late 1800s and now preserved in dry dock in Greenwich; and fitted out as a museum.
But then I discovered that the price for so doing, for three adults and two children, was just short of £70!
So we shall admire it from afar!
I think parts of the Royal Observatory and the National Maritime Museum, and the Queen's House, are still free to visit, so we shall content ourselves with that.
I think we are leaving about 11 am.......when we've marshalled the troops.....

Hello, Elle!
Nice and cool up here, too.
£70 is a lot of money to visit Cutty Sark!
A "sark" is a "shirt", but you would know that?
And "cutty" is "short".
Wonder why the ship was called that?
I have not heard of the "Queen's House"?
Miss La Bamba leaves her job today and starts Uni soon.
I think there may be a tear or two when she actually leaves her office.
One or two unusual words in today's puzzle.
A good one, though!

Update, Elle!
The rangers at the loch think the second chick has started his/her migration, but say Laddie has not left yet.
They are a-wondering too if the chick is a female instead of the male they originally thought it was.
It is a good bit bigger than its sibling and the female ospreys are bigger than the males.
Another mystery!

Hi, Rusty!
We are home again at last, says she in a heart-felt fashion!
I am utterly exhausted!
We had a very good time though.
Now.....
"Cutty Sark " - yes , a short chemise - was a nickname given to the witch Nannie Dee, a character created by Robbie Burns in his "Tam O'Shanter" poem, after the garment she wore.
The tea clipper was named the "Cutty Sark" as it has "Nannie" as its figurehead.
The children were amazed by the size of the clipper......
It would have been nice if we could have gone on board but the price was far too expensive!
Instead we took them to the Royal Naval College, where they had a great time.
Oh yes, Miss L-B took a gap year after her first year at Uni, didn't she?
Is she going back to continue the same course?
Or is she now going to study a different subject?
How are things with you?
Have you had a good day?

Hello, Elle!
Well done on your day out!
I am not sure if Miss L-B is doing the same course or not.
I have been watching and listening to the nest at the loch to see if Laddie is still here.
But I could neither see or hear him.
Then I went for a walk.
Just a quiet day.

Hi, Rusty!
How did you like the story about how the tea clipper came to be called the "Cutty Sark"?
I thought it rather a good tale?
On board the ship itself, there are many previous figureheads on display..... all of course featuring versions - different shapes and sizes - of "Nannie"!
No, I had just wondered whether Miss L - B might have decided to change route and study something akin to what she has been doing at the hospital........hence my query.
The boys are ready for bed........
".......tomorrow is another day"!
I think we are all spending it with younger daughter and her family.