What have you been doing today?

[Harry Bloomfield]

Saw lady friend off on train, picked up some more milk, then got home to find laptop was again offering Win10 to Win11 upgrade.

I let it try to go ahead, fully expecting it to suggest near the end, that it could do it - but not this time, it did it. Last time, before doing a full Win10 reinstall, it complained of some problem, the work-around for which involved installing from CD, which my laptop lacked - so I gave up on the idea. So far, all good, not much different from 10, but I read it directly supports Alexa, so worthwhile for that, if it does.

 

[Mottie]

Work this morning. Finished early as my student completed his assessments correctly at the first attempt - forming and flaring a brake pipe, pressing a bearing into a hub and testing brake fluid so we had a cuppa and watched a bit of the Top Gun film on the work Firestick before he had to go back to school. Called in to my mates house in East Ham, had another cuppa and a chat, left him and called round my mums. Had another cuppa and another chat. Got home and just made it to the toilet before my bladder burst like a water bomb!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Saw lady friend off on train, picked up some more milk, then got home to find laptop was again offering Win10 to Win11 upgrade.

I let it try to go ahead, fully expecting it to suggest near the end, that it could do it - but not this time, it did it. Last time, before doing a full Win10 reinstall, it complained of some problem, the work-around for which involved installing from CD, which my laptop lacked - so I gave up on the idea. So far, all good, not much different from 10, but I read it directly supports Alexa, so worthwhile for that, if it does.

Except Microsoft Store still wouldn't open, just as before, so unable to download Alexa to even try it. A few weeks ago, similar problem downloading WhatsApp, I managed to get it from 'elsewhere' - I just need to remember where 'elsewhere' was for the copy of Alexa download.

Win11 seems all OK, so next I tackled getting my network printer re-set up again with Win11 - my printers have not been installed or available, since I reloaded Win10 a few weeks ago, I just couldn't be bothered to work out how to do it.

 

[conny]

I got that Win 11 upgrade when I logged in tonight. Immediately kicked it in to touch. Win 10 is good enough for me.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Yea I'll wait a year or something until they've ironed out all the bugs

 

[securespark]

My middle lad is in IT and he says Win 11 is appalling. Luckily, my PC says it's not suitable so I'm safe from the sneaky upgrades!

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My middle lad is in IT and he says Win 11 is appalling. Luckily, my PC says it's not suitable so I'm safe from the sneaky upgrades!

I'm not seeing it so far, as being that much different to Win10, no obvious problems apart from MS Store still not working, but then it didn't with 10. This is on my most recently bought laptop...

My older laptop, which I upgraded by replacing HDD with an SSD, became the much faster, more usable system, but is not suitable for Win11 - something about the CPU not being up to spec..

I did read something about Alexa working directly with Win11, hence wanting to try it - but it seems that may have not been correct. What does work is a cut down web based version of Alexa. I was using Alexa, by loading it into the Bluestacks Android emulator, when I needed it, but even that option is gone - when I try to load Alexa in Bluestacks, it says 'not compatible.

 

[Mottie]

Dog walk this morning and all 4 cocker pups from the last litter 5 months ago were back together again and it was as if they'd never been apart. Woody, Douggy, Rea and Pippa.

Then over the allotment to dig over a few beds. Found some extremely small carrots!

However, I found enough multi coloured carrots to have with our roast tonight - red, white, golden and of course orange.

 

[Mottie]

So much rain last night! On my way to my regular dog walk, I drove through running flooded lanes and every ditch in the places I walk that are usually dry were full to the top and running quite fast. The dogs practically had a swim in a field!

Came home and had a moan at my bank about a call back that never materialised regarding a query on my business account and they gave me a hundred quid compensation without even asking! They even asked if I would like it in the business account or my private one! Had to laugh at the reference they gave on the payment into my bank:

Next, on to Thames water to discuss the paltry offer of £150 compensation for my drain blocking over Christmas. According to their charter, £150 is the minimum payment so I’m not accepting that for the inconvenience we suffered. Was promised a call back from them but of course, that didn’t materialise. Neither did the promised call from the planning dept to update me on when our drains are being replaced. I am going to have to get back on to them tomorrow. I’m sure these big companies think you'll just give up because you don’t have the time. They don’t know just how much time I have on my hands……

 

[crystal ball]

Walk through the woods to the local Buddhist centre for a bowl of tomato & basil soup, trip Aldi for some basics, pulled into our crescent to see a police van outside our house and our neighbour opposite being carried out to an undertakers private ambulance

 

[Mottie]

Walk through the woods to the local Buddhist centre for a bowl of tomato & basil soup, trip Aldi for some basics, pulled into our crescent to see a police van outside our house and our neighbour opposite being carried out to an undertakers private ambulance

That’s a shame. We've lived in our house since 1990. The houses were built in the early sixties. Not many people move from them by choice and had been in them since newly built including our neighbour opposite and Mrs Motties aunt who lives just 6 doors down. Those two plus one more up the road a bit are the only original owners left now. It must be true what they say about women outliving their husbands as it’s always been the husbands that go first. We've seen quite a few of our neighbours carried out of their homes in the time we’ve been here.

 

[Mottie]

****ing irresponsible dog owners!

Just got back from a dog walk in Thorndon. A dog walker warned us that a Muntjac deer was in the area and to watch out in case our dogs went for it. A few months ago the lady that I walk with had to take a Muntjac to her vets to be euthanised as it had been savaged by dogs. Anyway, next thing we know, an owner is shouting at his two dogs that are chasing this Muntjac. I ran after them for some distance, one of the dogs stopped but the other kept on. The deer tried to go through a fence but it only got its head and little horns through and couldn’t go forwards or backwards and the screams from the poor thing as the dog moved in were blood curdling. Luckily the dog ****ed off when I got near - I had a big branch and was going to whack it one. I was left with a trapped and bleeding deer - its face was bleeding when I think the dog had bit its face and ear. It was exhausted - and so was I. I managed to free its head and horns from the fence and thought I would be making another trip to the wildlife hospital when it got a second wind and ran off. I tried to hold on to it but it was bloody strong. Ended up with a few cuts and grazes but I don’t remember how I got them. I hope it makes it. <fingers crossed>

 

[conny]

Sadly, when deer become stressed, either through attack, entrapment or collison with something such as a fence/car etc they will find a safe, quiet place and simply pass away. I had to move a muntjac to the side of a road a few years ago after the woman driver in front had hit it. It had bounded out of a hedge and she said she had no chance to avoid it. Put a pair of gloves on and thought I could just scoop it up to lay iy down on the grass bank. Not a chance! Although it looked quite small it was a heavy, solid animal. Often see them, (and others such as badgers, foxes, squirrels etc), lying in the gutters of the country roads. Often they have been passed over by lorries and such which are too big to move out and avoid them. About 3 weeks ago there was one laying in the centre of a busy road, (quite dead), and vehicles were swerving around it. I called the police, (999), as it was clearly a danger to traffic. Parked my car in a position to block it from being hit from my side of the road and spent 20 minutes or so directing traffic around it. Police arrived and 2 officers picked it up and laid it on grass verge for the council to collect it. When I drove past a few hours later it was gone.
Unlike the magnificent stag that was killed shortly before Christmas about 2 years ago. It had been moved on to the edge of an open field but lay there for about a month before being removed. By which time the wildlife had been at it and it looked a very sorry sight. Had a lovely large set of antlers on it, which surprised me that some flyboy didn't nick.

 

[Mottie]

Sadly, when deer become stressed, either through attack, entrapment or collison with something such as a fence/car etc they will find a safe, quiet place and simply pass away.

Yeah, it was pretty stressed. After the dog had gone, I tried to calm it by stroking it and each time I stroked it, it screamed. It did calm down after a few minutes and let me stroke it without screaming, I hope because it knew I wasn’t going to harm it. I heard today that three park rangers attended the area to look for it but I don’t know the outcome.

Anyway, todays find less than 50 yards from where the deer was yesterday……a buzzard wing! It can be a hard, cruel life being a wild animal.

 

[Mottie]

According to their charter, £150 is the minimum payment so I’m not accepting that……..

Managed to get them up to £200 which is my yearly sewerage charge plus an extra £20 for not replying quicker. Apparently, it’s not 'compensation', it’s just in their charter that sewage entering your property entitles you to a full refund of sewage fees with a minimum payment of £150 and a maximum of £1,000 per event. Better than a kick in the *******s I suppose but I just want my drains sorted proper. They have no idea when the drain will be replaced. Had a call from the 'customer solutions centre' and they said as it is a major job (replacing 39m of drain plus two manholes for 6 houses that entails having their gardens and patios dug up), they have to apply for funding for it! The funding application ‘wasn’t successful' in the January budget meeting as they had two higher priority jobs so going again to the Feb budget meeting but theres "no guarantee" of success! Had them come round today and carry out a dye test - all okay so far and has been since 28 Dec so fingers crossed it stays that way until fixed.