Sunday, May 31, 2009

Sunday Rest Day - Did lots - 74F - Wind returns

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Decided to show you a collage of the Sat/Nav's box plus the gadget in operation.

First things first. We had a leisurely morning. Although Y was earlier I didn't actually get dressed till noon by which time Y was scrutinizing the Garmin Sat Nav and its instructions. Such devices no longer scare her and she is now willing to keep pressing knobs and clicking buttons till something happens.

I cooked pork-chops for lunch and for pudding Y made a blackberry and apple crumble and custard. Both courses were lovely.

In the afternoon we decided to take the Garmin for a spin and made the unwise decision to select somewhere we knew the way to i.e. Newstead Abbey. All was well and we were approaching correctly when the lady announcer told us to turn right about a mile before we should. We were shocked and critical. Then later we realised that the device didn't know we usually go to the Mansfield Road entrance and was directing us to a geographically nearer entrance.

Our return journey was more satisfying because, on being told to turn left at some lights I deliberately drove straight on. The SatNav was quick to announce 'recalculating' and thereafter gave us an accurate turn-by-turn instruction to get home. Our score = at least 9/10, I suppose. It is rather unnerving to realise that a satellite way up in the sky can actually see your vehicle and know what it is doing. It gives you good warning when you are to turn, and then tells you again when you are say 50yards away. Also, spookily, it sounds strong warnings if you dare to exceed the speed-limit !

The device seems happier with post-codes than addresses, but maybe there are intricacies to learn !

I realise all this is already known to most of our readers and I apologise if I have bored them. But I am writing for posterity !

The final picture is another bottle-top lens view of the patio and some orchid leaves. I've flipped it upside down to make the content more understandable.

Talking of the Orchids, I have just watered ours and then I took particular care with Betty's. It is a relief to say they still look fit and healthy, as do the scented-leaved geranium plugs I potted up for her. I guess they return sometime next week and my responsibility for the plants will cease. Not that I really mind because they are such excellent neighbours.

The weather has been super again and, when I spoke to David this morning, it was good to hear their holiday weather has been like this throughout. David has certainly got the interest-in-words gene. They had been talking canoe/kayak and the word capsize occurred. Like him I can see no logical link between the size of someone's hat and turning upside down in a boat.

All suggestions will be gratefully received !

The wind has got-up again today (16 mph ENE) - quite enough to blur flower pictures !

My replies to your comments

Bob..... I don't intend to stray into 'Sports Desk' territory.

Good for you - going to the pictures. What a good idea to show films in Village Halls. We haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire - the clips and the reviews didn't appeal. I'm surprised though that Egmanton is a place where you could lose the Village Hall.


Rob .... Great Haiku ! Congratulations - they flow from your pen.

Didn't know Garmin sponsored anything at all. Perhaps Middlesborough now need it more than ever.

Y will be speaking to Lach's Gran during the week. It will be fun to hear her opinions about the Summer Camp.

Just the weather for your Caravanning. Don't know how long it is scheduled to last though !

I haven't given up on 'pinhole' photography - it is the traditional problem of 'hours in the day' and being so busy when you retire. A pleasant enough problem though !

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Quotation time .....

"The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off"





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4 comments:

bob said...

Capsize:.
Overturned-ship ... Poseid’n / nosedip / pi**ed-on (neo-anagrams) ... my cap at Chesterfield,(6 7/8) ... cap-size.

Friday’s ‘Village Venture’.
Got lost on RETURN from Egmanton. I didn’t like the narrow-laned route we took going there (via Kirton) and was (correctly) sure of a better way home but (incorrectly) took a left turn, nearly ended up on far side of A1 at Normanton but eventually reached Laxton via Moorhouse.

Put out my tomatoes in troughs today.
Rather as I tend to do, they went very limp in the sun but will no doubt, like me, perk up.

Rob:
You are not alone. I lean in your direction.
Although disliking Ferguson and being not altogether devoted to Ronaldo (will he stay?) I too would have preferred ManU (and Everton) to have won.
Perhaps Utd shouldn’t have parted with Saha?

Reg said...

I think you know my thoughts on Sat Navs alright for reps (Commercial Travellers) who have to find strange new places every day. If you want to test it try to come to our house, it will you probably send to the sewage farm, the other side of the 610, most of them do. Is it programed to find pubs with good chip butties?
I see changes are afoot at the Hayley, is it Y's doing/ Their was members vote last year for no under 18's, majority of about 85%. looks like the managment are sneaking in under 18's on Saturday afternoons. Thin end of the wedge?
Democracy?

jbw said...

I agree with Reg in that sat-navs tend to be used where they are not really necessary and are used by many people simply because they do not know how to read a map. Once when I asked one of my passengers who was holding the map how far it was to the next village gave the answer - Not far, it's about an inch!.
Using the Post Code to fix your destination is very hit and miss because of the area that individual codes cover but if you can either set the destn using the street address of navigate so that the cursor is on the destination and setting that as a 'Landmark' you can then be sure that it will take you to exactly the place you want to be. They can be helpful in busy towns when you as driver are expected to read huge numbers of confusing signs, road markings, box junctions and other traffic as you can concentrate on driving and just listening to the voice.

Unknown said...

Reg: Honestly I would never have approved 'under 18s splash time' at Hayley - one of the reasons I wanted to join was NO KIDS! (I know, I know, Graham and I have ten grandchildren whom we love dearly BUT ........). If there really was a NO vote last year, someone is pulling a fast one - you ought to protest.

P.S. Who was lucky then to join Hayley at the precise moment when they reduced the off-peak fees?

Satnav: I am totally enchanted by it though I don't actually talk to the lady director as Graham does .... She took us on a most wonderful route to Carsington Water today - idyllic Derbyshire countryside.