Friday, July 10, 2009

Fine Friday - 63F - Sunny spells - 3mph NW wind

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Just the one picture today, taken on the old Casio. Poor old thing, it is about falling apart, literally. I had to put in new batteries and then hold the camera tightly together to enable this snap. It has been reliant on strong rubbers bands for some time, to make it usable, but that ruse doesn't work anymore. So, if the picture falls short of the usual standard on this blog I apologise.

The purpose is to illustrate the angled viewer which I purchased from my Hong Kong e-bay person Miss Wongrm. As before the original transaction was slick and the item arrived 8 days later - nicely packaged and in good condition. Most important of all, it works ! For those of us with bending problems it enables flower pictures for instance which wouldn't previously have been possible.

I have tried to put the garden in order for while we are away and have fed things that need feeding. Derek coming in daily to water indoors and he is also going to look after our outdoor tomato plants and things. I planted the new herb Savory which Nat Trst Colin had sent me a cutting of. The cutting came via Jean and she had wrapped the rooted end in a wet tissue and it looked very healthy. Fine white root hairs and a green and white growing tip.

I've sorted out most outstanding computer jobs and I still have tomorrow if other things crop up. I must download some podcasts onto my MP3 player to listen to whilst away.

Y went down town to meet Joan B for afternoon tea at some classy place near Byard Lane. Although they didn't have it, the official afternoon tea was over £15 per person - rather expensive in my opinion. However they enjoyed themselves and bumped into Tracy.

My responses to your comments

Bob ..... A pleasant meeting indeed at Wetherspoons - and such good value. They seem to be able to keep their beer prices down and it makes one wonder why others can't. ergo Reg's e-mail report from WoW of the prices in tourist Peak District.

Tackle some flatpack furniture! The challenge would do you good.

Yvonne ..... Your suggestion of Tim Berners-Lee as your second choice for the Trafalgar Square plinth is inspired. Although a Knighthood was accorded, other recognition must surely come. Order of Merit or even Companion of Honour when suitable vacancies occur.

I have made his name a link to the excellent BBC potted biography.

Jill ..... Tim Berners-Lee is a fairly self-effacing sort of chap. Although he could have patented WWW and thereby been in the Bill Gates class for millionaires, he chose not too, feeling as a scientist that he would contribute the idea for the benefit of all mankind. The last phrase isn't overblown at all because the contribution the Internet has made to life on the planet is immense.

Re Ikea flat-pack assembly. We have already used this service - when we bought our present dining table and six chairs. And it took the two experts over 2 hours - had I done it, I would by now probably been on chair 3. But I did a Billy bookcase and I thought the chest-of-drawers within my range. Which it was - just !

Nice of you to give such a complimentary reason for Millicent's 'no body' stance.

Shame your irony was lost on the waste people. Shame about the blackbird though. If we had had three rats Y would be close to being 'sectioned' by now.

Anonymous Peter G ...... How my cufflink arrived under the rear seat is a mystery. I think I must have taken a jacket off and the cufflink had become entangled in the sleeve. When I took my shirt off at bedtime I discovered it was minus one cufflink. Neither of us thought to go and look in the car. As you say though - it is great to have it back.

I think you are quite right about the availability of drinks at Thaymar - it was just a matter of asking. Y's point I think was that we shouldn't have needed to ask. But the Thaymar lady was very busy and under a little stress, with all those people.

My chest-of-drawers does look good and, I think, with its acquisition, I am supposed to become a tidier person. Perhaps ! I'll certainly try.


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Quotation time .....

"The very rats Instinctively had quit it."


All being well there should be a blog-post tomorrow.

But if I get bogged-down with packing .................


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3 comments:

bob said...

Second post?

With your newly acquired expertise perhaps you should be yclept Mr FlatPack (which reminds me that after Ralph had been emasculated I called him either ‘Flat-Pack’ or ‘Sad-Sack’).

I think you’re really quite proud of the Casio photo.
I take it the viewfinder converts SLR into sort of Rolleiflex?

It’d have to be a VERY special occasion to pay £15 for afternoon tea, although Betty’s was £5 two decades ago (I couldn’t afford to treat Sandra too!)

Not just Wetherspoons. Walking down Leeming Street I saw Yates’s had good offers also.

We’ve no room for flat-pack furniture – even UNassembled.

Yvonne:
The ‘Sun’ and ‘Mail’ have a lot to answer for!
(the idea that only foreigners’ get council houses was recently blown out of the water).

Perhaps it should be renamed ‘caterpillar flu’?

Jill:
I had to look up Berners-Lee too.
I’ve an old copy (my mother’s) of ‘Enquire Within Upon Everything’ which supposedly inspired WWW.

Perhaps Bill Ivory is only dustman who would appreciate any old irony?

AnonPeterG:
Thanks for recapturing days when discovery under back seat of cufflink (or more extreme adornment) would have been no surprise.

Jill said...

OK, Tim Berners Lee can go on plinth - I feel I should have known that, and I hesitate to admit this, but I didn't know www. stood for anything, now I know it means world-wide web.....

G, Ro has assembled several Billy book-cases - they are A Good Thing to start off with! It's things with drawers, or large things like wardrobes, when you need someone (or two) to support what you are trying to screw something in to. We've also got arm-chairs with very springy wooden frames, which were quite difficult.

We've had two chaps and their lorry here this afternoon, sawing four tree stumps down (or slightly below) ground level. We were quoted anything from £800 to £1200 for digging out stumps and re-turfing. So we'll get Martin to turf round them - or possibly over them? Poison of some sort has been put into drilled holes, possibly that means we can't turf on top, so we'll stick a tub on them or something. Levelling all the stumps cost £100 cash, and two lots of tea and biscuits....

Have a great time next week, lucky you with someone to look after garden. Are you allowed to take laptop?

Anonymous said...

Peter G.
Just a wish that you both have a great and safe holiday. By the time you get back I hope to have been to London for the conferring on my new Order of Mercy award. There will be no need to bow - just salute!!!
Peter G.