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Good evening, Elle!
You may find that the new hardbacks will appear on Amazon in a few weeks.
Keep looking in?
The book I had, "Famous 1914-1918", was in excellent condition, a hardback, and I wondered if it had ever been read.
It was very cheap. (I think it was £25 new)
I have another of Richard van Emden's here, "Teenage Tommy", about a young lad who joins the Royal Dragoon Guards as a cavalryman and served throughout the war.
I have not started it yet.

Hi, Rusty!
Ah, then you still have some unread books to fall back on.......
I have exhausted my supply and am rereading books from long ago.
I shall pre-order some "new" books from Amazon once the paper- back editions are mentioned.
But these will not be out until September and November.
Meanwhile I need to make a selection of books to read now.
At least I have plenty of money now in my Amazon account...so I do not feel guilty at buying yet more books!
I have had a letter from Emma about the ospreys.
She says they are expecting to see another egg by tomorrow, and hopefully a third by the end of the week.
As the eggs should hatch in about 37 days., the chicks can expect to be born by the end of next month.
Quite exciting!
It is feeling very warm here.......we have all the windows open.

Hello, Elle!
Yes, I got Emma's letter, too.
Things going quite well at the loch.
Plenty of books on Amazon.
I am sure you will find something that appeals to you.
I have just discovered that Victoria Pendleton is at base camp on Everest.
She is attempting to reach the summit!
She is climbing with Ben Fogle (I recognise the name, but have no idea why.)
Very risky indeed! They are sponsored by the Red Cross.
It has been mild here today.
Rain forecast for tomorrow, though.

Two eggs at the loch, now!

Ben Fogle is all over the TV in adventure programs, rusty. Originally on Taransay when he and others lived for a year-he was the peacemaker. Since then he's been all over the world looking at people who live in the wildest places, rowed the Atlantic and lots more.

Good morning, Rusty!
A lovely day here, albeit a tad cooler than yesterday.
Great news about the second osprey egg!
I have just watched the video of Lassie delivering it.
My goodness, Victoria is indeed widening her horizons.....
( My fear of heights is so great that I fret about climbing a small hill!)
Ben Fogle is a broadcaster, and adventurer- type who writes for the Sunday Telegraph, and who has also written several best sellers.
He once took part in a programme where he was marooned on an island in the Outer Hebrides.
I think he leads ordinary folk on adventuring holidays/ journeys/ something like that.
He dos some programme called "New Lives in the Wild".
As you can see, I am vague about him at best!
I think a lot of his exploits are televised though...is Victoria going to be on a special programme?

Hello, Rosalind!
Thank you for that!
I wondered if he may have been an Olympian athlete.
And rowing came to my mind!
Summiting Everest is a huge ask, though!
I wish them well!

Good morning, Elle!
Bit rainy here!
Between Rosalind and you, I know all about Ben Fogle now!
Just wondered if I have seen him on TV but the name did not register.
The programme about the Hebrides would appeal to me.
I used to follow Victoria on Twitter, but when she stopped racing and after riding in the Foxhunters at Cheltenham I deleted her from my Twitter page.
(I have reinstated her!)
Last night I looked her up to see how she was, and discovered she is attempting to climb Mount Everest!
The little bit I know is, there is a guide called Kenton Cool who will lead them (he has summited Everest 12 times).
And the Red Cross appears to be their sponsor.
How that works I do not know!
I do not know about a TV programme, but shall investigate later today.

Hi, Rusty!
I found this reference to Ben and Victoria's adventure......
https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/fundraising-and-events/ben-fogle-and-victoria-pendleton-everest-challenge##
I hope it works!
I am doing quite well with today's crossword.........already halfway through.....
I'm finding it very much easier than yesterday's puzzle (which I eventually abandoned!)



Hello, Ros !
Your info about Ben Fogle wasn't there when I started typing!
I didn't mean to encroach.....

Hello, Elle!
Thank you for the link!
A Tweet from Victoria saying they have been blessed by Nepalese holy men (lamas?) as they approach the base camp.
Hope they run into a Yeti!
I have not looked at the puzzle yet.
Tomorrow's is the championship qualifier.
The really good solvers will be doing it against the clock.
While I shall attempt it in my usual "time for a coffee" style!