Remember this post a few days back....the howling gales overnight and all that? Well what we didn't realise until the following day was that both bikes, that's Eloisa and the VFR, had been blown right over and were lying forlorn and broken on their sides.
The parking spaces here can't be seen from the flat and so it wasn't until we returned from a shopping expedition that we noticed something amiss....handlebars looking skyward, handlebars aren't supposed to do that!
Sure enough, closer and rapid inspection revealed both bikes had been blown clean over. The sight of a bike on it's side is always a bad one, somehow it's always a sight that seems very wrong, damage to man or machine is usually the result and this was no different, though thankfully under the circumstances of course, only damage to machine resulted.
That must have been some wind! Eloisa is getting towards a quarter ton in weight. She of course escaped almost unscathed, tough as she is, only a bent pannier, the VFR however was another story presenting badly scraped fairings, a snapped brake lever, bent peg, broken indicator and a distinct lack of petrol left in the tank!
Ugh!
It's amazing how easily and quickly you can pick up something so heavy under the 'Oh shit my bikes down' scenario!
But it could have been worse, both only missed hitting the car parked next to them by inches reducing the repair bills or any insurance claim significantly.
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Over a bridge
One of the many things I love about living where we do is something really simple, the fact that I can walk just a few hundred yards over a bridge across the river into town...no car needed! :o)
It may not be the retail hub of the world but it has everything necessary on a day to day basis, it's pretty and it's civilised, the short walk is lovely and the numerous swans and other waterfowl along the way are a bonus, yet so close to town, once inside the flat, with the river running by it's side, you would never know from the peace and quiet that so close by was the hustle and bustle of a small market town.
It may not be the retail hub of the world but it has everything necessary on a day to day basis, it's pretty and it's civilised, the short walk is lovely and the numerous swans and other waterfowl along the way are a bonus, yet so close to town, once inside the flat, with the river running by it's side, you would never know from the peace and quiet that so close by was the hustle and bustle of a small market town.
Monday, 3 March 2008
Bill who?
As is the way when one has very limited funds everything presents itself for renewal, case in point, my anti-virus subscription very inconveniently was due to expire tomorrow. Ugh.
I have always run Nortons, not because I think it's particularly good, in fact it's a pain but over the years it has done what it says on the box and not once have I fallen victim to anything nasty, so I stuck with it. However, the renewal cost, as the annoyingly frequently occurring reminder kept informing me was a little over £50.
Every penny counts to my bank account right now so I decided an alternative had to be found and whilst I was considering if I dare risk AVG I came upon something unexpected as I did the grocery shopping....Tesco AV at a mere £20!!
Now, my computersnobbery common sense screamed at me not to go that route but my financial situation fought it well and won and I went home clutching the disk in my hand.
It transpires that Tesco AV is actually Panda Platinum, which whilst it may not be 'top notch' stuff it has protected my fathers system for years without a hitch and he has never had a complaint. Things were looking up.
Installation was easy, none of the faff that Norton always seems to require, the only hitch was in registration....hey, ain't that supposed to be the easy bit with legit S/W? ;o), but three attempts later it worked and all appeared to be hunky dory.
There is of course always something isn't there and in this case it was the bloody usual problem....VISTA/I.E. Wouldn't you know it. Perhaps it's time to rethink the long resisted change to Firefox!
The problem: On trying to open the Blogger dashboard, it just wouldn't, the whole machine became manic with constant attempts to open the page and then abort the action and just about every change to every setting failed to rectify the situation.
And then a shot in thedesperation dark.....
The solution: I had Blogger set as a 'trusted site', I removed that protocol and hey presto, it was happy to open it!!! FFS.
Of course, Firefox had no issue from the word go....I really must reconsider my allegiance to Bill!
I have always run Nortons, not because I think it's particularly good, in fact it's a pain but over the years it has done what it says on the box and not once have I fallen victim to anything nasty, so I stuck with it. However, the renewal cost, as the annoyingly frequently occurring reminder kept informing me was a little over £50.
Every penny counts to my bank account right now so I decided an alternative had to be found and whilst I was considering if I dare risk AVG I came upon something unexpected as I did the grocery shopping....Tesco AV at a mere £20!!
Now, my computer
It transpires that Tesco AV is actually Panda Platinum, which whilst it may not be 'top notch' stuff it has protected my fathers system for years without a hitch and he has never had a complaint. Things were looking up.
Installation was easy, none of the faff that Norton always seems to require, the only hitch was in registration....hey, ain't that supposed to be the easy bit with legit S/W? ;o), but three attempts later it worked and all appeared to be hunky dory.
There is of course always something isn't there and in this case it was the bloody usual problem....VISTA/I.E. Wouldn't you know it. Perhaps it's time to rethink the long resisted change to Firefox!
The problem: On trying to open the Blogger dashboard, it just wouldn't, the whole machine became manic with constant attempts to open the page and then abort the action and just about every change to every setting failed to rectify the situation.
And then a shot in the
The solution: I had Blogger set as a 'trusted site', I removed that protocol and hey presto, it was happy to open it!!! FFS.
Of course, Firefox had no issue from the word go....I really must reconsider my allegiance to Bill!
Sunday, 2 March 2008
Spot the similarity!
Ok...one is Tilly aged five weeks in a state of temporary collapse and the other a somewhat rarer and more famous cat, the new Amur Leopard cub at Marwell zoo but they both seem to have a similar approach to resting!
Saturday, 1 March 2008
It's 4am....
....it's howling an absolute gale outside, the windows are rattling, stuff is crashing around outside, the trees are blowing wildly and I can't sleep!
Ok, to be fair my week of unemployment hasn't been particularly tiring and I don't feel I need the sleep in a big way but somehow it just seems 'not right' to be up and about at this hour on a Saturday morning!
More importantly I am creeping about like a fool trying not to wake 'himself' who has worked very hard all week and needs the sleep....why is it that at this hour even the kettle boiling sounds like Mount Vesuvius erupting and placing a cup on the worktop is reminiscent of gunfire?
Looks like there's only one thing for it, the quietest thing available to me is to sit here and surf for the next few hours....
Tough life! ;o)
Ok, to be fair my week of unemployment hasn't been particularly tiring and I don't feel I need the sleep in a big way but somehow it just seems 'not right' to be up and about at this hour on a Saturday morning!
More importantly I am creeping about like a fool trying not to wake 'himself' who has worked very hard all week and needs the sleep....why is it that at this hour even the kettle boiling sounds like Mount Vesuvius erupting and placing a cup on the worktop is reminiscent of gunfire?
Looks like there's only one thing for it, the quietest thing available to me is to sit here and surf for the next few hours....
Tough life! ;o)
Friday, 29 February 2008
Today....
....life feels good!
Good in a way that I thought too often over the past few years it would never be again. Good in a way that feels real and is rooted somewhere deep inside me, is part of me. Not the fleeting good of instant gratification, of jumping up and down in excitement but of feeling I have got to a moment in life that I struggled for and worked hard to get too, through times that I wouldn't wish to see again. A gentle kind of good.
Life is about dreams and challenges. Not the dreams of winning the lottery, owning a car to die for or a palatial house but more achievable hopes and dreams, about setting ourselves realistic, if at times still seemingly very difficult goals, that even in the harsh light of reality, life might just allow us to live. To always dream of the unattainable is to usually fail, to fall short and face disappointment.
We can't escape ourselves, no matter how far or how fast we run nor how much we deny our own psyche, the person who inherently we are always accompanies us, all our fears, all our preconceptions, misconceptions and difficulties remain intact. We can only learn acceptance of who we are and continue challenging ourselves, but within that acceptance we can learn to see our real and very personal achievements and to feel pride in them.
I don't doubt life will throw me many more a curved ball, that I won't fall at many more fences or that there are those who cannot for the life of them imagine that with no job, finances with much in common to those of a church mouse and still with a long way to go I couldn't possibly feel good about life right now, but today I do.
It may be momentary, life is about only moments but I can truly say I would rather feel as I do at this moment than win the lottery or drive a Lotus.... because ultimately for me, life is about those rare moments of happiness that come from struggle and achievement in the smaller things that are very personal to each of us, for it is those smaller personal mountains we face and the allowing ourselves to feel and accept that are really what life is all about and what matter most.....
Good in a way that I thought too often over the past few years it would never be again. Good in a way that feels real and is rooted somewhere deep inside me, is part of me. Not the fleeting good of instant gratification, of jumping up and down in excitement but of feeling I have got to a moment in life that I struggled for and worked hard to get too, through times that I wouldn't wish to see again. A gentle kind of good.
Life is about dreams and challenges. Not the dreams of winning the lottery, owning a car to die for or a palatial house but more achievable hopes and dreams, about setting ourselves realistic, if at times still seemingly very difficult goals, that even in the harsh light of reality, life might just allow us to live. To always dream of the unattainable is to usually fail, to fall short and face disappointment.
We can't escape ourselves, no matter how far or how fast we run nor how much we deny our own psyche, the person who inherently we are always accompanies us, all our fears, all our preconceptions, misconceptions and difficulties remain intact. We can only learn acceptance of who we are and continue challenging ourselves, but within that acceptance we can learn to see our real and very personal achievements and to feel pride in them.
I don't doubt life will throw me many more a curved ball, that I won't fall at many more fences or that there are those who cannot for the life of them imagine that with no job, finances with much in common to those of a church mouse and still with a long way to go I couldn't possibly feel good about life right now, but today I do.
It may be momentary, life is about only moments but I can truly say I would rather feel as I do at this moment than win the lottery or drive a Lotus.... because ultimately for me, life is about those rare moments of happiness that come from struggle and achievement in the smaller things that are very personal to each of us, for it is those smaller personal mountains we face and the allowing ourselves to feel and accept that are really what life is all about and what matter most.....
Thursday, 28 February 2008
You get what you pay for
Among all the rushing about, getting settled into the new abode, looking for a job and general sorting out I made haste to the optical 'supermarket' that messed up my glasses a couple of days back. Having had a real optician mark up the
offending lenses with the correct information as to how they should have been centered for my eyes prior to my visit and having played merry hell with them for a half hour, they had little option but to admit defeat and give me a full refund....though not with much grace or attempt at customer service I might add.
So all should be well wouldn't you think?
There is a down side though,isn't there always particularly in my current job-less state. To have the correct glasses made up, even with none of your designer frame malarkey, is going to cost me something in the region of £400!
I have a slightly odd problem with one eye, I already knew that, hence previously I always had to have expensive lenses but this time I was hoping to 'get away' with the cheap crappy version......it's not going to happen!
I knew it before I ever set off on this wild goose chase but I tried to kid myself.....you only ever get what you pay for.
Mebbe I'll just keep squinting at the fuzzy bits for now!
offending lenses with the correct information as to how they should have been centered for my eyes prior to my visit and having played merry hell with them for a half hour, they had little option but to admit defeat and give me a full refund....though not with much grace or attempt at customer service I might add.So all should be well wouldn't you think?
There is a down side though,
I have a slightly odd problem with one eye, I already knew that, hence previously I always had to have expensive lenses but this time I was hoping to 'get away' with the cheap crappy version......it's not going to happen!
I knew it before I ever set off on this wild goose chase but I tried to kid myself.....you only ever get what you pay for.
Mebbe I'll just keep squinting at the fuzzy bits for now!
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Looking without seeing!
Against my better judgement I chose to buy my recent new glasses from one of the 'supermarket' opticians, the decision made purely from financial consideration....bad, bad decision!
I know that one only ever gets what one pays for and I know that the last time I went this route many years ago it was a small disaster, it's looking like this is a repeat performance.
Having worn varifocals for years a new pair shouldn't have proved too difficult to adjust too, but a week on I was still tripping over and still struggling to see anything without a deal of aggravation, more concerning a week on I certainly shouldn't still be suffering a nasty persistent pain behind one eye!
Patience worn through, yesterday I sought advice from a 'real' optician, who actually bothered to check the centering of the lenses (unlike the original providers)....oh, surprise surprise, one lens has been made with the centering completely out of alignment with my eye! Hence I am trying to see through a piece of lens that may as well belong to someone else. "No wonder your eye is painful" was the opticians response, "they need re-making".
So, here begins the fight, I've lost faith, perhaps I'll let the original supermarket guys have one more try if, which I doubt, they can convince me they have any idea what they are up to but I suspect that I'll ultimately have to fight the refund fight and learn what I already really knew....that if one needs glasses one should go to a well qualified optician, not a chain of "turn em over in a flash, market share merchants"!
I know that one only ever gets what one pays for and I know that the last time I went this route many years ago it was a small disaster, it's looking like this is a repeat performance.
Having worn varifocals for years a new pair shouldn't have proved too difficult to adjust too, but a week on I was still tripping over and still struggling to see anything without a deal of aggravation, more concerning a week on I certainly shouldn't still be suffering a nasty persistent pain behind one eye!
Patience worn through, yesterday I sought advice from a 'real' optician, who actually bothered to check the centering of the lenses (unlike the original providers)....oh, surprise surprise, one lens has been made with the centering completely out of alignment with my eye! Hence I am trying to see through a piece of lens that may as well belong to someone else. "No wonder your eye is painful" was the opticians response, "they need re-making".
So, here begins the fight, I've lost faith, perhaps I'll let the original supermarket guys have one more try if, which I doubt, they can convince me they have any idea what they are up to but I suspect that I'll ultimately have to fight the refund fight and learn what I already really knew....that if one needs glasses one should go to a well qualified optician, not a chain of "turn em over in a flash, market share merchants"!
Sunday, 24 February 2008
The tale of Prince Albert!
So, probably the last tale from the white van is of an 'incident' on Thursday morning.
When I first applied for the job they went to great pains to ask me to convince them that I could cope with my particular 'clientele'....the previous four women who had undertaken the job had shot through in a matter of weeks, or less.
Selling sandwiches from a van might not seem a particularly concerning occupation on the face of it but the round I did was in the main to building sites, factories and brick works. All my customers, with the exception of two, were men, and oft times men with little or no finesse, absolutely no idea what political correctness is and even less understanding of the meaning of the phrase sexual harassment!
As a consequence I ran the gamut daily of crass jokes, innuendo and outright suggestion but whilst they knew pretty quickly that I was 'up for a laugh' and perfectly capable of being one of the lads, they also learned just as quickly that there were boundaries which they weren't gonna be allowed to cross. In short they could say what they wanted but touching was out. Hell, if you had ever seen me at 6 in the morning in my very 'non- haute couture' uniform I can only say that those that tried must have been somewhat desperate!
There was one guy in particular. I was used to him, kinda felt sad for him, his life had been a tale of horrendous happenings that had culminated in a serious head injury as the result of an RTA. He had a big alcohol problem and he was volatile to put it mildly, though in an odd way he seemed to think I was his friend, maybe because I listened to him talk of his troubles often.
On Thursday, as usual, he came telling me his latest tale of woe. Apparently last weekend he had the not very bright idea that to have a Prince Albert piercing might be a cool idea, ok he was probably so drunk he would barely have noticed it being done but subsequently it seems it had become infected.
I tried without laughing to sound concerned and offer suggestions as to what he might do about it....like go to the bloody doctor, but he was not convinced and without a byyourleave or an excuseme proceeded to show me the 'offending item'!!
Oh lovely!....I have encountered more pleasant experiences and sights before breakfast in my time but he looked a little confused at my comment that maybe I wasn't the best person to be showing this too and the idea that it might be just a little inappropriate was completely lost on him!!!
When I first applied for the job they went to great pains to ask me to convince them that I could cope with my particular 'clientele'....the previous four women who had undertaken the job had shot through in a matter of weeks, or less.
Selling sandwiches from a van might not seem a particularly concerning occupation on the face of it but the round I did was in the main to building sites, factories and brick works. All my customers, with the exception of two, were men, and oft times men with little or no finesse, absolutely no idea what political correctness is and even less understanding of the meaning of the phrase sexual harassment!
As a consequence I ran the gamut daily of crass jokes, innuendo and outright suggestion but whilst they knew pretty quickly that I was 'up for a laugh' and perfectly capable of being one of the lads, they also learned just as quickly that there were boundaries which they weren't gonna be allowed to cross. In short they could say what they wanted but touching was out. Hell, if you had ever seen me at 6 in the morning in my very 'non- haute couture' uniform I can only say that those that tried must have been somewhat desperate!
There was one guy in particular. I was used to him, kinda felt sad for him, his life had been a tale of horrendous happenings that had culminated in a serious head injury as the result of an RTA. He had a big alcohol problem and he was volatile to put it mildly, though in an odd way he seemed to think I was his friend, maybe because I listened to him talk of his troubles often.
On Thursday, as usual, he came telling me his latest tale of woe. Apparently last weekend he had the not very bright idea that to have a Prince Albert piercing might be a cool idea, ok he was probably so drunk he would barely have noticed it being done but subsequently it seems it had become infected.
I tried without laughing to sound concerned and offer suggestions as to what he might do about it....like go to the bloody doctor, but he was not convinced and without a byyourleave or an excuseme proceeded to show me the 'offending item'!!
Oh lovely!....I have encountered more pleasant experiences and sights before breakfast in my time but he looked a little confused at my comment that maybe I wasn't the best person to be showing this too and the idea that it might be just a little inappropriate was completely lost on him!!!
Saturday, 23 February 2008
'Moving' on
So, the days of the white van are over, there are one or two more tales from that nasty but occasionally amusing era I will likely regale you with in the near future but for the time being they can wait, it's the weekend and I have other fish to fry (no Lisa not carp! ;o))
Ok, let's be a little more specific here.
Yesterday was quite a significant day in my little life, for more reasons than the demise of the white van.
The job having been dispensed with in relative silence, because once my notice had been given my delightful employer decided to relegate me to the status of persona non grata,(not surprisingly there was a very definite lack of 'goodbye and good luck' speeches) the true purpose of the day got underway.....that of moving house, which might go some way to explaining my sudden state of voluntary unemployment. Really, though it might surprise you I am not quite mad enough to ditch one job without another to go to with no good reason, the reasons just couldn't be blogged until all interested parties were personally informed.
So, 'post employment' I loaded my little car with all my worldly possessions, there are not many, I have moved so often over the years I have learned to 'travel light' and much was left in Scotland never to be seen again, bid au revoir to my parents and hit the motorway en route for a new home and a new life near Cambridge.
Those of you who read this regularly or know me well may draw your own conclusions from the geographical location and will very likely draw the correct conclusion, but I will say no more other than on Monday, the full time occupation of finding a full time occupation begins in seriousness and today a new phase in my life is beginning.
:o)))
Ok, let's be a little more specific here.
Yesterday was quite a significant day in my little life, for more reasons than the demise of the white van.
The job having been dispensed with in relative silence, because once my notice had been given my delightful employer decided to relegate me to the status of persona non grata,(not surprisingly there was a very definite lack of 'goodbye and good luck' speeches) the true purpose of the day got underway.....that of moving house, which might go some way to explaining my sudden state of voluntary unemployment. Really, though it might surprise you I am not quite mad enough to ditch one job without another to go to with no good reason, the reasons just couldn't be blogged until all interested parties were personally informed.
So, 'post employment' I loaded my little car with all my worldly possessions, there are not many, I have moved so often over the years I have learned to 'travel light' and much was left in Scotland never to be seen again, bid au revoir to my parents and hit the motorway en route for a new home and a new life near Cambridge.
Those of you who read this regularly or know me well may draw your own conclusions from the geographical location and will very likely draw the correct conclusion, but I will say no more other than on Monday, the full time occupation of finding a full time occupation begins in seriousness and today a new phase in my life is beginning.
:o)))
Friday, 22 February 2008
The end!
Finally, having endured it for almost fifteen months, today is the last time I will ever have to haul this confounded van (yes I'm hiding in a country lane right now blogging from my phone) and it's contents around the area. Six hours from now I get to hand the keys to the white van from hell back to the employer from hell and consign the whole unhappy episode to the list of memories I'd rather forget! :-) Six hours.... and counting!
Thursday, 21 February 2008
In miniature
It seems the usual internet bugs that apparently follow me around various parts of the country over the years have found me again and rendered my internet connection D.O.A. Joy! So... For the next day or two I am reduced to opera mini and my phone. Don't be expecting anything in much depth! .... And don't cheer at the back! ;-)
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Can I see what?
Anyone who has ever had the doubtful pleasure of paying a small fortune for new varifocal glasses will understand when I say, that far from feeling the money was worth it because suddenly everything has become clear, instead I am stumbling around like a fool with a serious case of nodding dog syndrome looking for all the world like I should be making haste back to the opticians!
Ack!
Yeah, I know, it takes time and all that but still....ack!
Ack!
Yeah, I know, it takes time and all that but still....ack!
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