Monday, September 22, 2008

Miserable Monday - Internet problems

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Just as well I have some pictures from yesterday's Canal Walk because today has not been good.

This family were having a great time and shouted "Yes" with great gusto when I asked if I could take a photo.

Not a good day in computer terms. This morning I installed the AVG 8 update and ever since have had great difficulty getting onto the internet. Maybe a firewall is preventing my access. I am preparing this on the big PC in the Office which, touch wood, seems relatively problem free. Bungus can't get on the internet at all either - over the phone we've tried everything including a 'system restore' but all to no avail. His Danny will be able to fix it but that could be weeks.

So, if you notice an absence of Bungus-wisdom, he isn't ill or anything, just temporarily out of touch...... Re my problem, tomorrow I'll uninstall AVG 8 and start afresh, and ring their technical department - they are always helpful - nice firm.

John rang this morning and they are finally devoid of live-at-home children. Laura in Newcastle, Philip sharing a house with a pal, and now Alannah off to Leeds University. I've asked John to ask Alannah to give me the occasional update on her English Lit. degree course. Lucky girl. Mind you, I wouldn't really like to start all over again - I'm happy enough in my 70s messing-about.

Picture 2 is either a 'speckled wood' or some sort of 'fritillary' or other ? but I am willing to yield if someone on the 'lepidoptary desk' knows better.

I won't bang on about it, but I wouldn't have stood a chance of this shot without my 70-300 VR because I was roughly 15 feet away.

Y continues to forge ahead with her laptop. Apart from finding the 'Strictly come Dancing' website she has now discovered the treasure-trove in 'help' menus. Google-Mail 'help' is particularly ..well ..... helpful !.... This is why Sergie and Brin are multi, trulti, millionaires I suppose.

Picture 3 is especially for Reg. Again, testing my new lens. I just swivelled round until I thought I saw it in the viewfinder, and clicked. I have cropped it and I know it should be sharper, but this is new territory for me.

Real cordon bleu cookery at lunchtime. I did Sausage, Egg and Chips with a couple of battered onion rings. Plus.... I had Tomato Ketchup on mine. How upmarket can you get ?

Pudding was some left-over stewed apple and cold custard. Bungus's Bramleys are ripe and we are invited over to collect a bag-full and have soup and a cob while we are there. We are looking forward.

Comments

reg ..... Thanks for the VR advice. I think I knew the VR mechanism doesn't stop motion in the object. But, misreading the instructions led me to think that, if the object was moving one needed the 'active' setting. I have now grasped that the setting is for when the photographer him/herself is moving. Thanks.

4 ticks ..... I love your 'poetic paragraph' about yesterday's quote - we all dash about too much to enjoy our immediate surroundings I'm afraid.

You will enjoy Jill, as a fellow knitter. To my knowledge she is very well-informed on the subject....... Apart from recipes, we could perhaps publish the occasional knitting pattern but, from a man's viewpoint they always look fiendishly complicated and unintelligible. I suspect they contain, in code, much sisterly criticism of men !

p.s. I fully accept that the last sentence is 'old-man sexist' and there are male knitters and women who hate it.

Talking of 'composing a picture in watercolour'. ..... It would give me great pleasure to publish one. So, if you like the idea, please scan/photograph one and e-mail it to me..... It will increase your Art-footprint because I have readers all over the place. As far afield as The Isle of Man and West Virginia.

Jill ...... I'm sure 4 ticks will enjoy your blog comments and visiting the sites you mention. I don't know if you are still associated with 'yarnstorm' but, I have made that a live link for 4 ticks' benefit anyway. (So give it a click Mo - it's always so colourful).

I'm sure you could get Fentanyl on the internet but I guess it would be illegal. It's morphine basically and a controlled drug. Mine arrives with a red C.D sticker on it and I have to sign for it. Well worth the trouble though !!

I haven't read the Telegraph 'pigs trotter' recipe yet and it doesn't sound much good anyway. If it is that hopless Xanthe Clay I won't bother to read it - it always seems doubtful whather she actually cooks anything at all. She was the 'expert' who said in February to get a 6lb leg of fresh English spring lamb ! To paraphrase Churchill "some Spring, some Lamb !"

I haven't forgotten the potato & bacon bits recipe. It must be in my Boulestin - '101 ways to cook potatoes' but I more or less just cook it. If I can't find the official 'french named recipe' I'll write down from memory what I actually do.

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I shall now retire to my internet-free bedroom boo-hoo ! I can always listen to the radio and have a read.

Quotation time ....................

"There will be a Rain Dance on Friday night, weather permitting"

George Carlin

Sleep tight - catch you tomorrow

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After they've fixed Bungus's they can come and fix mine



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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't heard of AVG 8, or any earlier versions, so had to google it. The website I looked at, vnunets (?), said I could downlaod it for free. Tempting but I've got Norton 360 which came at a discounted price when we bought the laptop. Anyway, there is a forum on the website and it seems people have been having different problems with AVG 8. Might be worth a look but you've probably got it sorted by now.

Sorry to hear Bungus has been having technical problems. Hopefully they will soon be sorted and we can enjoy his wit and wisdom once more.

I had an e-mail from incy wincy; he keeps referring to me as a NEMPH judge but I'm not. I took my name off the judging list years ago though I do some judging if asked nicely, and if I like the club, and if I'm in the mood. Generally I don't enjoy it very much though.

We had a lovely sunny and hot morning this morning but we've had heavy rain this afternoon. I hope we leave it behind; we are fed up with wet weather this year.

We fly back tomorrow morning. I've got 6 rolls of film to develop and many darkroom sessions to undertake. I hope the negs turn out as I imagine them to be.

See some of you soon.

Rob

Anonymous said...

I am not keen on Xanthe Clay's recipes either, mind you her name puts me off for a start.....there's more again about trotters and offal in the paper again today, how we shall soon all be eating it. Not in this house we won't, I would rather have very small amount of proper meat and lots of veg than eat kidneys, liver, tripe, heart etc,etc. Or fish or eggs. My grandmother used to do a stuufed heart for my grandfather - the rest of us had something else.... (we lived with my maternal grandparents for some years, that's why they feature so much in my childhood memories).

That was a cheerful family photo of the people in the boats, I do like water to look like water.

I hope Bungus gets back on line soon, do tell him he is sorely missed! You are having problems because you buggered about with yours - Bungus is having problems because he didn't......

We spent a large part of the afternoon watching the Labour Party conference and shouting at the tv...what a waste of time! though I did turn the heel of a sock, that's probably more useful than anything that happened there.

I enjoyed the first part of a serial on ITV last night - 'A Place of Execution' - very well done.

Shall look forward to your personal recipe in due course.....

Anonymous said...

As GM suggested, I e-mailed one of my paintings this afternoon so watch out for a series of them to come.

Bungus's PC, get well soon.

Rob & Elaine, looking forward to having you back, we might get our sausages & mash. I've promised to do the dessert. Sorry, not trifle have promised something else.

Nice picture of a spotted wood, we get lots of them here, they like our Hypericum by the veranda and have been regular visitors for many years. Water Boatman, my parents had an extremely large water butt outside the back door which caught the rain water from the drainpipe. There were all kinds of pond life in it, Water Boatmen too. Mother used the water, which she always boiled first by the way, for washing our hair. Our locks always shone beautifully despite having been washed with Lifeboy toilet soap.

Went for a swim this morning, after a short time in the pool everyone else left and Himself and I had the whole place peacefully to ourselves. Most unusual. Mind you, he splashes a lot when he swims.

Must get on with my tatting.

Anonymous said...

4 ticks - are you really tatting? I was taught to do that many years ago, when in hospital, by the occupational therapist (I was her favourite patient, prepared to have a go at anything). She reckoned it released tension, in my case it seem to relieve a lot of sweat, the white cotton I was using turned grey.....I did master it, but it did not appeal to me, couldn't see much use for the finished product? Has tatting moved on in the intervening years? Can you now tat with thicker thread? What are you doing with it? Talk amongst yourselves, the rest of you.....