The saga of the mobile phone continues and not just with mine! After getting the phone working finally, I had problems getting on my home wi-fi. I got on to Virgin media to explain and it turned out that my router was not picking up the phone. So I was told to turn it off and restart to get it to pick up the wi-fi.
Which I did. And then the bloody phone would not turn back on! I tried it for ages, but without success. As you might have guessed after all the problems I have had, I went up the wall. I phoned to try and get some technical assistance and all that was said was that they would take the phone away, and check it out and see if it needed repairs.
As I had only had the phone nine days, and only had it working for three, this was not acceptable, and I asked to be put through to cancel the contract. In the meantime the phone restarted and luckily I have had no problems since.
And then more problems with my partners phone. I gave her the old phone as it was bigger than her old one. and replaced her SIM card from her old one into my old one. Does that make sense? Then of course I had to download Facebook onto it. Oh Facebook did not like that! Because it is a new phone they blocked it and I had to eventually get onto here account via my computer and verify it. What a mess around.
And as she does not use email much, we had to set up a new email account to access the Play store to download FB etc.
My swearing and blood pressure went up yesterday I am sure!
Thursday, 28 April 2016
Am I ill?
Well am I? My doctor said I should stop driving straight away. Yes, really that will happen as well. For those who might think I am being selfish, I will explain.
A couple of weeks ago I had a 'funny' turn while I was in town and felt quite unwell for the rest of the day. I had stopped taking aspirin that I had taken for years, on advice because I have been having stomach problems. As this was the only change I had made in my medication, I decided to restart it, and have had no further problems.
Well yesterday I had an appointment about a scan I had on my hip, as I had been having some pain there. (oh the joy of getting older!) That was no problem, just wear and tear, but I then mentioned that I had restarted Aspirin and the reason why.
You would think I had passed out on the spot.She arranged for blood tests, ( I had them today) and a heart trace that will happen next week, and has also arranged to get me a check up with the cardiology unit in our local hospital! And then she said I should stop driving until it is sorted. I also had a blood pressure check and my heartbeat checked. Both were fine, so I think she overreacted.
I have had no problems at all since the last one a few weeks ago, and have been driving since. But I guess they have to cover themselves and I cannot blame them with the culture of blame we have today.
I was going to go back to driving buses a couple of days a week, but that is out I am sure. If I even felt for a minute that I was a danger in any way, I would not drive, but I feel fine, and will continue. We have plans anyway for this weekend, and more of that in another blog.
A couple of weeks ago I had a 'funny' turn while I was in town and felt quite unwell for the rest of the day. I had stopped taking aspirin that I had taken for years, on advice because I have been having stomach problems. As this was the only change I had made in my medication, I decided to restart it, and have had no further problems.
Well yesterday I had an appointment about a scan I had on my hip, as I had been having some pain there. (oh the joy of getting older!) That was no problem, just wear and tear, but I then mentioned that I had restarted Aspirin and the reason why.
You would think I had passed out on the spot.She arranged for blood tests, ( I had them today) and a heart trace that will happen next week, and has also arranged to get me a check up with the cardiology unit in our local hospital! And then she said I should stop driving until it is sorted. I also had a blood pressure check and my heartbeat checked. Both were fine, so I think she overreacted.
I have had no problems at all since the last one a few weeks ago, and have been driving since. But I guess they have to cover themselves and I cannot blame them with the culture of blame we have today.
I was going to go back to driving buses a couple of days a week, but that is out I am sure. If I even felt for a minute that I was a danger in any way, I would not drive, but I feel fine, and will continue. We have plans anyway for this weekend, and more of that in another blog.
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
A working phone
At last! After all the phone calls and frustration, the SIM card finally arrived and I managed to fit it in to start the phone going. I say I managed, but have any of you tried to fit a 'nano sim' card in a phone? The bloody thing is so tiny, my big fingers had a job holding it, and Sony have made the place you fit the damn thing in a pain.
There are two small trays to pull out, one for the SD card and one for the SIM. The cards do fit in obviously, but what a fiddle! I dropped the bloody thing on the floor several times, and it is so small I thought I had lost it for good!
But at last it is in and working, and it works well. The main thing you notice is the camera. With 21 mpx front facing and 13 mpx 'selfie' camera, this really is a good phone for camera work. Nearly as good as my main camera, although of course for serious work I would prefer to use that.
A quiet day today as the weather is just plain weird. Sunshine all morning, and sunshine now as I write, but then we get sharp bouts of rain, sleet, snow and hail all mixed together. Not something I enjoy being out in these days.
But at last it is in and working, and it works well. The main thing you notice is the camera. With 21 mpx front facing and 13 mpx 'selfie' camera, this really is a good phone for camera work. Nearly as good as my main camera, although of course for serious work I would prefer to use that.
A quiet day today as the weather is just plain weird. Sunshine all morning, and sunshine now as I write, but then we get sharp bouts of rain, sleet, snow and hail all mixed together. Not something I enjoy being out in these days.
Monday, 25 April 2016
Still waiting
I am still waiting for this bloody SIM that I have been posting about. I was promised it on Saturday, and was told that it would be posted through the letterbox so there was no need to wait in. So we went out for the day, only to get a 'sorry we missed you' text later that day.
My blood pressure went through the roof, and as soon as I could I got on once again to Virgin mobile to tell them they could stuff the phone and I would cancel the contract. They said that they would take £15 off my bill and promised to send the SIM by post to arrive today. My patience has been tested to the limit now, and if this bloody SIM does not arrive they can stuff the contract where the sun does not shine.
On Saturday we went out to Merthyr for a few hours. The sun was shining and it was just to get a bit fresh air. Not that Merthyr has that much of it! Just a walk around and a bit of shopping and lunch to get out of the house. The day before was damp and miserable and we stayed in most of the day.
Then out to lunch on Sunday as we do nearly every week. All that cooking and washing up for one meal is not worth it. Find a nice pub and let them serve you these days is the way to go.
And that is about it for today. I have a funeral to go to this afternoon, or at least I will be driving my partner there and waiting for her. It is her ex and the children's father, so I am just doing the taxi work and waiting. I did not know him so there is little point in going in.
Have a nice day all!!
My blood pressure went through the roof, and as soon as I could I got on once again to Virgin mobile to tell them they could stuff the phone and I would cancel the contract. They said that they would take £15 off my bill and promised to send the SIM by post to arrive today. My patience has been tested to the limit now, and if this bloody SIM does not arrive they can stuff the contract where the sun does not shine.
On Saturday we went out to Merthyr for a few hours. The sun was shining and it was just to get a bit fresh air. Not that Merthyr has that much of it! Just a walk around and a bit of shopping and lunch to get out of the house. The day before was damp and miserable and we stayed in most of the day.
Then out to lunch on Sunday as we do nearly every week. All that cooking and washing up for one meal is not worth it. Find a nice pub and let them serve you these days is the way to go.
And that is about it for today. I have a funeral to go to this afternoon, or at least I will be driving my partner there and waiting for her. It is her ex and the children's father, so I am just doing the taxi work and waiting. I did not know him so there is little point in going in.
Have a nice day all!!
Thursday, 21 April 2016
The Queen at 90
I don't suppose by any means that I will be posting about this occasion, but I thought that I would put my words in on this.
So, our Queen has reached the grand old age of ninety years old. And still she looks as if she could carry on for years yet. My mother reached that birthday three years ago, (she passed on last year) and had needed a stick to help her walk for several years. The Queen needs no stick and on the 60th anniversary of her reign stood for hours as the flotilla passed by. She has over twenty years on me, and I certainly could not do it.
She certainly has been a steady influence in the country over the past 64 years of her reign, but then all the TV programs have already put that many times.
Are you a Monarchist or a Republican? For me, I am a Monarchist, as I believe this country is far better off with the Royal family than without it, even on just a monetary basis. Would we get the millions of visitors without the Royal family and the castles and history that we have? We certainly do not get them for the weather!
And it is of course not the UK that celebrates her birthday. There are 53 countries in the commonwealth that also pledge allegiance to the Queen, although of course several are looking to become a republic as the years go on. Australia and New Zealand have had referendums on this and both have turned the idea down. Jamaica is also going to decide soon I think, and I would imagine that after the Queen passes on or passes the Throne to Charles that will speed up. It is my belief that only the allegiance to the Queen herself is keeping the commonwealth as it is.
So, I would be one hundred percent sure that the Queen or anybody to do with her will read this, but for me anyway,
So, our Queen has reached the grand old age of ninety years old. And still she looks as if she could carry on for years yet. My mother reached that birthday three years ago, (she passed on last year) and had needed a stick to help her walk for several years. The Queen needs no stick and on the 60th anniversary of her reign stood for hours as the flotilla passed by. She has over twenty years on me, and I certainly could not do it.
She certainly has been a steady influence in the country over the past 64 years of her reign, but then all the TV programs have already put that many times.
Are you a Monarchist or a Republican? For me, I am a Monarchist, as I believe this country is far better off with the Royal family than without it, even on just a monetary basis. Would we get the millions of visitors without the Royal family and the castles and history that we have? We certainly do not get them for the weather!
And it is of course not the UK that celebrates her birthday. There are 53 countries in the commonwealth that also pledge allegiance to the Queen, although of course several are looking to become a republic as the years go on. Australia and New Zealand have had referendums on this and both have turned the idea down. Jamaica is also going to decide soon I think, and I would imagine that after the Queen passes on or passes the Throne to Charles that will speed up. It is my belief that only the allegiance to the Queen herself is keeping the commonwealth as it is.
So, I would be one hundred percent sure that the Queen or anybody to do with her will read this, but for me anyway,
- 'A Happy Birthday your Majesty' !!!
Commonwealth Countries
Post office stupidity
You juts could not make it up. Two days ago I had a bill from the Post office credit card I had. I don't use the card and had cut it up some time ago. I thought that I had cancelled the account, but it appears not. I owed a whole 0.08p on the account!
So I phoned the Post office to cancel the card once and for all. The young man I spoke to assured me that he would cancel it, as soon as I had paid the eight pence! Well I went online to my bank and sorted that out a few minutes later, and that was it, the account was closed.
But of course it is never that easy with cards is it? In the mail this morning, a brand new shiny credit card from the Post office renewed for the next three years! As I have said, you just could not make it up! Now I will write a nice letter to them with the card cut in half, (or more) and tell them what they can do with it, Piece by piece if they like.
The sage of the mobile phone is still ongoing, and once again I am waiting for Yodel to turn up, this time with the SIM for my new phone. As I write this, it is 11.00 am, and two days ago he turned up at 3.00 pm, so I guess I am due for a long wait.
My brother and I are trying to buy a car or two by auction and sell them on for a profit. I say try, and we are either getting outbid, or the cars are not going to turn a profit, so it is not worth it. So far we have lost out on three, but he still gets these links and we still are going to try.
We went over to his place yesterday for a nice afternoon lunch outside in his garden. On a nice sunny afternoon, it was a very pleasant way to spend the day just sitting and chatting. Retirement can be boring, but on days like this, not quite so much., Below my brother Martin and his wife Mandy, and then me and Denise.
So I phoned the Post office to cancel the card once and for all. The young man I spoke to assured me that he would cancel it, as soon as I had paid the eight pence! Well I went online to my bank and sorted that out a few minutes later, and that was it, the account was closed.
But of course it is never that easy with cards is it? In the mail this morning, a brand new shiny credit card from the Post office renewed for the next three years! As I have said, you just could not make it up! Now I will write a nice letter to them with the card cut in half, (or more) and tell them what they can do with it, Piece by piece if they like.
The sage of the mobile phone is still ongoing, and once again I am waiting for Yodel to turn up, this time with the SIM for my new phone. As I write this, it is 11.00 am, and two days ago he turned up at 3.00 pm, so I guess I am due for a long wait.
My brother and I are trying to buy a car or two by auction and sell them on for a profit. I say try, and we are either getting outbid, or the cars are not going to turn a profit, so it is not worth it. So far we have lost out on three, but he still gets these links and we still are going to try.
We went over to his place yesterday for a nice afternoon lunch outside in his garden. On a nice sunny afternoon, it was a very pleasant way to spend the day just sitting and chatting. Retirement can be boring, but on days like this, not quite so much., Below my brother Martin and his wife Mandy, and then me and Denise.
Tuesday, 19 April 2016
A mobile mess
As I wrote yesterday, I have decided that my present mobile phone is not suitable, and had ordered a new one.I was told that it would be delivered today and of course waited most of the day for it. It finally turned up at about three this afternoon.
I got unpacking it to get it going, and of course the first thing you do is to transfer your SIM and memory card into it. (Or at least I do as I want to keep the same number) But no, it is not that easy. I was told that I could transfer my old SIM and that would be no problem.
It turned out that it would be a problem after all as the bloody SIM would not go in. I managed to get the memory card in after some fiddling, (and actually checking the instructions properly!) but the SIM this phone takes is a nano or micro SIM. And of course this happened to be the only bloody phone that did not come with one!
So on to Virgin mobile to explain the situation, and the nice young lady there said yes we can send one out, but it will not come for another 24 hrs. A complete waste of a day again. Why cannot they get these things right in the first place?
So, what else did I do today? Apart from some housework, nothing. A boring waste of a day again, all for a bloody phone.
I got unpacking it to get it going, and of course the first thing you do is to transfer your SIM and memory card into it. (Or at least I do as I want to keep the same number) But no, it is not that easy. I was told that I could transfer my old SIM and that would be no problem.
It turned out that it would be a problem after all as the bloody SIM would not go in. I managed to get the memory card in after some fiddling, (and actually checking the instructions properly!) but the SIM this phone takes is a nano or micro SIM. And of course this happened to be the only bloody phone that did not come with one!
So on to Virgin mobile to explain the situation, and the nice young lady there said yes we can send one out, but it will not come for another 24 hrs. A complete waste of a day again. Why cannot they get these things right in the first place?
So, what else did I do today? Apart from some housework, nothing. A boring waste of a day again, all for a bloody phone.
Monday, 18 April 2016
Phone upgrade day
Today I decided to upgrade my phone. Nothing special about that, but I have only had my present phone for less than six months.
I use Virgin mobile for my phones, and on the whole have had no problems with them. I changed my phone just under two years ago for a Samsung mini S4. As a phone it worked well, but of course these days we all use our phones for so much more don't we? I soon found that using Facebook or checking out the web, reading emails was a bit to much for my eyes, and as I am a bit hard of hearing, the sound was not that good.
So a few months ago I bought my own phone just changed over the SIM card and used that. I bought a Doro Liberto 820. This in particular because it was supposed to have a clear sound and as a largish phone would suit my needs. As around £200, it was not the most pricey either. If you need a simple to use phone, this is not to bad, but check out below.
At first I was pleased with the phone. The sound is certainly very clear and the icons are easy to use. But as the months went on, certain things began to niggle. For one thing it has a small internal memory, so it quickly became full and I had to delete a few apps. Not what you expect on a modern phone.And it is quite slow. When you have finished with an app and want to get back to the menu, it takes ages to do it. And it also does not have a 'call blocker'. With the amount of nuisance calls we all get these days, I would say that is vital. In the end I had to download a security app to block calls.
So as the contract was up in just a short time, I called Virgin to see what they could come up with. After looking through the options, I decided on a Sony Experia M5.With a 5" screen, 16gb of internal memory, and a 21mpx camera, I decided that would do for me. I still have to see what the sound is like and when it comes tomorrow it will get checked out. But these days I seem to use them on loudspeaker anyway, so it should be OK. If you are interested click on the link for a review. I will be paying a similar amount to my old phone, so I hope it suits me.
So what else have I been up to today? Denise had to go home as she was not feeling well, so caught a bus to town with my son. A bus you say! Well he has a prepaid card, and I have a free bus pass, so what the heck, why not. I bought a new fleece jacket as mine had gone home, and then we went for a bite to eat. We chose somewhere that neither of us had been before, the Cozy Club in the Hays area of Cardiff. And very nice it was as well. With a 'retro' look, the food was delicious and not badly priced either. And that really has been that. Not to busy a day, and now I am going to sit down and catch up with some TV.
I use Virgin mobile for my phones, and on the whole have had no problems with them. I changed my phone just under two years ago for a Samsung mini S4. As a phone it worked well, but of course these days we all use our phones for so much more don't we? I soon found that using Facebook or checking out the web, reading emails was a bit to much for my eyes, and as I am a bit hard of hearing, the sound was not that good.
So a few months ago I bought my own phone just changed over the SIM card and used that. I bought a Doro Liberto 820. This in particular because it was supposed to have a clear sound and as a largish phone would suit my needs. As around £200, it was not the most pricey either. If you need a simple to use phone, this is not to bad, but check out below.
At first I was pleased with the phone. The sound is certainly very clear and the icons are easy to use. But as the months went on, certain things began to niggle. For one thing it has a small internal memory, so it quickly became full and I had to delete a few apps. Not what you expect on a modern phone.And it is quite slow. When you have finished with an app and want to get back to the menu, it takes ages to do it. And it also does not have a 'call blocker'. With the amount of nuisance calls we all get these days, I would say that is vital. In the end I had to download a security app to block calls.
So as the contract was up in just a short time, I called Virgin to see what they could come up with. After looking through the options, I decided on a Sony Experia M5.With a 5" screen, 16gb of internal memory, and a 21mpx camera, I decided that would do for me. I still have to see what the sound is like and when it comes tomorrow it will get checked out. But these days I seem to use them on loudspeaker anyway, so it should be OK. If you are interested click on the link for a review. I will be paying a similar amount to my old phone, so I hope it suits me.
Sunday, 17 April 2016
Late birthday treat
Both myself and Denise have our birthdays in March, mine exactly one month ago, and Denise ten days after me. So we were on our cruise when we celebrated our birthdays.
My brother and his wife decided to treat us for a special Sunday lunch when we got back and today was the first time we had been able to get together to arrange it. We were taken to a lovely pub and restaurant called the 'Ye Old Ferrie Inn' in Symonds Yat in the Wye valley, about fifty miles from Cardiff.
This really is a remote place, down a small country lane. If a car is coming the other way one has to move over.
The food there however is delicious. Most of us chose a Farmers plate, which was a kind of 'Ploughmans lunch' with Ham, Cheese, Terrine, pickles, salad. Really filling and worth every penny. Denise chose the Chicken Sunday lunch, which she said was wonderful.
And then on to desserts, where two had home made ice cream in three different flavours and the other two had sticky toffee pudding, which they said was wonderful. All in all a great lunch and a place to go back to again.
Below is myself and Denise, my brother Martin and his wife Mandy, and just a photo of the river next to the pub.
My brother and his wife decided to treat us for a special Sunday lunch when we got back and today was the first time we had been able to get together to arrange it. We were taken to a lovely pub and restaurant called the 'Ye Old Ferrie Inn' in Symonds Yat in the Wye valley, about fifty miles from Cardiff.
This really is a remote place, down a small country lane. If a car is coming the other way one has to move over.
The food there however is delicious. Most of us chose a Farmers plate, which was a kind of 'Ploughmans lunch' with Ham, Cheese, Terrine, pickles, salad. Really filling and worth every penny. Denise chose the Chicken Sunday lunch, which she said was wonderful.
And then on to desserts, where two had home made ice cream in three different flavours and the other two had sticky toffee pudding, which they said was wonderful. All in all a great lunch and a place to go back to again.
Below is myself and Denise, my brother Martin and his wife Mandy, and just a photo of the river next to the pub.
Saturday, 16 April 2016
Flower show
Today we went to the RHS show in Cardiff's Bute Park. It was very nice day out, with plenty of colour and huge amounts to look at. We took a nieghbour of Denise, Brenda, who is 88 years old. She maybe getting on in years, but she can still walk around well! Better than me I think. My back was aching after a couple of hours, but she seemed to be fine!
Plenty of photos taken of course and you can see just a few of them here, or on my Facebook link or on my Flickr link here.
As can be expected, the prices for food were above board, but that is always the case in these places were they have you trapped. For instance £3 for a small latte and £2.50 for a tea. It cost £8 to park the bloody car nearby. Not the fault of the RHS, but it was for a cancer charity, so you don't mind quite so much.
We managed to go around until about one o'clock, and my that time, I at least needed to sit down and have some food. More the sit down than the food! Fish and chips was the order of the day, and very nice it was as well. Fighting for a seat was the main problem, but we did manage to get one eventually.
After dinner we wandered around the bits we had not seen, and the shops etc. I bought some cheeses from one of the stalls with some unusual flavours. Now I have to get some cheese biscuits to go with them!
The show gardens were splendid but there were only a few of them. They do cost a fortune in money and time to put together I guess, and perhaps Cardiff is not one of the biggest like Chelsea.
And now for a few photos, I hope you like them.
Plenty of photos taken of course and you can see just a few of them here, or on my Facebook link or on my Flickr link here.
As can be expected, the prices for food were above board, but that is always the case in these places were they have you trapped. For instance £3 for a small latte and £2.50 for a tea. It cost £8 to park the bloody car nearby. Not the fault of the RHS, but it was for a cancer charity, so you don't mind quite so much.
We managed to go around until about one o'clock, and my that time, I at least needed to sit down and have some food. More the sit down than the food! Fish and chips was the order of the day, and very nice it was as well. Fighting for a seat was the main problem, but we did manage to get one eventually.
After dinner we wandered around the bits we had not seen, and the shops etc. I bought some cheeses from one of the stalls with some unusual flavours. Now I have to get some cheese biscuits to go with them!
The show gardens were splendid but there were only a few of them. They do cost a fortune in money and time to put together I guess, and perhaps Cardiff is not one of the biggest like Chelsea.
And now for a few photos, I hope you like them.
Make of the last one what you will!
Thursday, 14 April 2016
Welsh Cakes
This morning I decided to make some Welsh cakes. I had not done this in some time, but I was at a loose end and they are lovely for a small bite.
In the end I made about thirty in two batches. I use an 'American griddle' to cook them. You can put eight to ten Welsh cakes on at one time, and they cook evenly.If you are interested in the recipe then check it out below.
And that is what they should look like when finished.
I have also started a Bara Brith off. This takes longer as the fruit has to soak in tea for several hours before baking. Once again the recipe is below. Both are easy to make and taste great. Just the reason I make them! I am definitely no Great British Bake off contestant, but now and again I like to make a little something when I am at a loose end.
In the end I made about thirty in two batches. I use an 'American griddle' to cook them. You can put eight to ten Welsh cakes on at one time, and they cook evenly.If you are interested in the recipe then check it out below.
And that is what they should look like when finished.
I have also started a Bara Brith off. This takes longer as the fruit has to soak in tea for several hours before baking. Once again the recipe is below. Both are easy to make and taste great. Just the reason I make them! I am definitely no Great British Bake off contestant, but now and again I like to make a little something when I am at a loose end.
And below is what it should look like when finished.
I usually add in some Marmalade and a drop of whiskey to the tea while it soaks up the fruit, or maybe some all spice etc. Anything really it is a flexible menu. It is made without butter and would suit those with a dairy intolerance.
And what more to add to the excitement today? More bloody shopping again, this time to get few meals for my son in work. He takes a microwave meal most days into work. And then we went into Cardiff centre and had a bite to eat in Tortilla in Caroline street. . This time we had a Burrito and very nice it was as well. I did not want it spicy, and you can have it as hot or mild as you want. I will go there again, as you get plenty for your money.
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Once seen, never forgotten
Are you a fan of the TV show 'Holby City' on the BBC? I have watched it for years and the co program Casualty. OK, so it not for all, but I generally get to like certain programs and keep to them.
So as on all these programs long medical words are used which mean nothing to most of us and situations occur that could not possibly happen in real life. That's fair enough, it is a TV program not real life. But last night they bought in a situation that gave me the shivers, and possibly most of the male sex along with it!
A man was bought in that had 'snapped' his penis in a sexual adventure with his wife. Personally I did not know it was possible, but it seems it is. The solution by the surgeon was a 'degloving' procedure. Now, do you know what a penile degloving procedure is? No, neither did I, so stupidly I decided to Google it and find out. After all Google knows everything.
And I did find out. I am not even going to put a link on here. If you want to know, Google it yourself. Suffice to say, that after seeing it, the image will never leave me! Ugh! Ladies you may smile at this if you bother to look, but just imagine if it was done to your bits.
Luckily for this poor guy he was fixed up in another way and was of course healthy and with all his working parts. Even Holby could not get way with doing that!
So as on all these programs long medical words are used which mean nothing to most of us and situations occur that could not possibly happen in real life. That's fair enough, it is a TV program not real life. But last night they bought in a situation that gave me the shivers, and possibly most of the male sex along with it!
A man was bought in that had 'snapped' his penis in a sexual adventure with his wife. Personally I did not know it was possible, but it seems it is. The solution by the surgeon was a 'degloving' procedure. Now, do you know what a penile degloving procedure is? No, neither did I, so stupidly I decided to Google it and find out. After all Google knows everything.
And I did find out. I am not even going to put a link on here. If you want to know, Google it yourself. Suffice to say, that after seeing it, the image will never leave me! Ugh! Ladies you may smile at this if you bother to look, but just imagine if it was done to your bits.
Luckily for this poor guy he was fixed up in another way and was of course healthy and with all his working parts. Even Holby could not get way with doing that!
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
A quiet day
So what has been happening today? Well like a lot of days not a lot! Denise is not here today, as she is out with a friend. I will be picking here up later. I have had the exciting time of doing some shopping with my son. Oh I tell you the thrill of wandering around Asda.
And I have just updated my new web site a bit. It was, even I thought a bit rushed and not very good. But I had paid for it and just wanted it out there. So I have dropped on page and updated another and on the whole I think it looks pretty good. Or at least good enough. I will keep it up for a month or two and see if I get any traffic. If not it will have to go. The address in case you would like to look is Dragon Foto.
Yesterday we booked a short break min the Peak district in June. There was a good deal on TravelZoo for two nights for two people for £99 including breakfast and cakes on arrival. It seemed a nice deal so we booked it up. The only issue was that the hotel rooms were booked up in June so I paid another £30 for a 'superior' room. This is at the Charles Cotton hotel. It still will make a nice break and we will probably visit Chatsworth house while we are there. I have been before and if you are up that way, it really is worth the visit.
And I have just updated my new web site a bit. It was, even I thought a bit rushed and not very good. But I had paid for it and just wanted it out there. So I have dropped on page and updated another and on the whole I think it looks pretty good. Or at least good enough. I will keep it up for a month or two and see if I get any traffic. If not it will have to go. The address in case you would like to look is Dragon Foto.
Yesterday we booked a short break min the Peak district in June. There was a good deal on TravelZoo for two nights for two people for £99 including breakfast and cakes on arrival. It seemed a nice deal so we booked it up. The only issue was that the hotel rooms were booked up in June so I paid another £30 for a 'superior' room. This is at the Charles Cotton hotel. It still will make a nice break and we will probably visit Chatsworth house while we are there. I have been before and if you are up that way, it really is worth the visit.
So what else to do today? Well the sun is shining and the house is empty. Not a loat I should think. I might put some music on and have a quiet read. Oh the excitement!
Have a nice day all.
Sunday, 10 April 2016
A new web site
At last after a load of messing around, I have built up my own photography web site. Whether it will gain any traffic is a moot point. I have decided to give it a go, with the hope that I can make a small living out of my hobby.
The site is dragon foto. I had tried several site builders but they were simply to over complicated. Then I came across GoDaddy, and on the whole it seems fairly easy to set up a simple small site. I still need to work on it, and if you check it out, it will be fairly obvious that it needs work but it is out there at least.
On Friday my car was in for service, so we dropped it off and went into Cardiff. We had not visited the museum in years, so decided to go in. Before that we went into the City Hall next door. For those who have never visited the lovely city centre in Cardiff, it is renowned as one of the finest in the UK.
The City Hall of course is no longer used for council business, as that is now done in Cardiff Bay. But it is a lovely building, and now is mainly used for Weddings and special occasions. It is free to go in and wander around and admire the lovely Elgin Marble statues. Just a couple of photos below.
And then on to the museum next door. They have done a lot to this place, and if you have not been in, it is definitely worth the look around. Once again a few photos from inside.
The site is dragon foto. I had tried several site builders but they were simply to over complicated. Then I came across GoDaddy, and on the whole it seems fairly easy to set up a simple small site. I still need to work on it, and if you check it out, it will be fairly obvious that it needs work but it is out there at least.
On Friday my car was in for service, so we dropped it off and went into Cardiff. We had not visited the museum in years, so decided to go in. Before that we went into the City Hall next door. For those who have never visited the lovely city centre in Cardiff, it is renowned as one of the finest in the UK.
The City Hall of course is no longer used for council business, as that is now done in Cardiff Bay. But it is a lovely building, and now is mainly used for Weddings and special occasions. It is free to go in and wander around and admire the lovely Elgin Marble statues. Just a couple of photos below.
And then on to the museum next door. They have done a lot to this place, and if you have not been in, it is definitely worth the look around. Once again a few photos from inside.
Thursday, 7 April 2016
Photo shoot
So, yesterday was the day I actually got paid for taking photos. Not a fortune, but I just want to get out there, and this might be a small start.
I took a good few, and took them both in JPEG and RAW. But it turns out that my version of Photoshop does not support my camera as it is out of date. I then downloaded a trial version of Lightroom from Adobe, which is a cut down version of Photoshop. It certainly does the job and I will probably pay for it, as it is not over expensive.
I have also started a small website, or at least paid for three months. I have not managed to build it yet, as my email has gone down and I have to wait for the link that will come via email.
But when it is done the link will be www.dragonfotos.co.uk So if you fancy having a look in a week or so, please do.
Below are just two of the photos taken yesterday. Do you think they have come out OK?
I took a good few, and took them both in JPEG and RAW. But it turns out that my version of Photoshop does not support my camera as it is out of date. I then downloaded a trial version of Lightroom from Adobe, which is a cut down version of Photoshop. It certainly does the job and I will probably pay for it, as it is not over expensive.
I have also started a small website, or at least paid for three months. I have not managed to build it yet, as my email has gone down and I have to wait for the link that will come via email.
But when it is done the link will be www.dragonfotos.co.uk So if you fancy having a look in a week or so, please do.
Below are just two of the photos taken yesterday. Do you think they have come out OK?
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Just another day
So what has been happening? Well nothing out of the ordinary I guess. My lovely partner has come over to stay for the night and will be coming back tomorrow for the weekend. That is enough to brighten my week up anyway.
We had been given a meal break by my brother and his wife for Christmas. This was on Riverboat dining cruise. And we had booked it for May, and attached a break in Birmingham to make it a weekend. But it turns out that is the weekend that my son will be flying away on holiday to Ibiza for his holidays. And the dog cannot be left alone for the weekend of course.
So yesterday was spent trying to reorganize that break. I managed to cancel it in the end, and now have to book another weekend instead.
Also I was given a balloon trip by Denise for my birthday which was wonderful of her. Something I had always meant to do but had never gotten around to. That will take place at the end of May. More of that as the time comes.
And I have treated myself to a driving experience through Groupon at Llandow racing circuit. I get to drive an Aston Martin around the circuit three times. This is at the beginning of May and I will post on that again. I had given one to my niece a a birthday gift, and thought it might be fun to have a go myself. She gets the Ferrari, but I don't think I would fit in there!
And today I am going to take some photos for someone that they will use on a website. I have put an advert in on Gumtree to take photos, just hoping for a bit of work now and again. I have a lovely camera and now I have not got to work, I thought that this might be interesting. I have another session booked on Saturday afternoon as well, so it looks like this might work.
Well apart from waiting in now for someone to measure up my back door for replacement, that seems to be it. I have an x-ray today on my hip as I have been having some gip with it. I thought at one time it might have been my kidneys, but they have ruled that out. Now I guess it is just old age and arthritis, but we will see.
We had been given a meal break by my brother and his wife for Christmas. This was on Riverboat dining cruise. And we had booked it for May, and attached a break in Birmingham to make it a weekend. But it turns out that is the weekend that my son will be flying away on holiday to Ibiza for his holidays. And the dog cannot be left alone for the weekend of course.
So yesterday was spent trying to reorganize that break. I managed to cancel it in the end, and now have to book another weekend instead.
Also I was given a balloon trip by Denise for my birthday which was wonderful of her. Something I had always meant to do but had never gotten around to. That will take place at the end of May. More of that as the time comes.
And I have treated myself to a driving experience through Groupon at Llandow racing circuit. I get to drive an Aston Martin around the circuit three times. This is at the beginning of May and I will post on that again. I had given one to my niece a a birthday gift, and thought it might be fun to have a go myself. She gets the Ferrari, but I don't think I would fit in there!
And today I am going to take some photos for someone that they will use on a website. I have put an advert in on Gumtree to take photos, just hoping for a bit of work now and again. I have a lovely camera and now I have not got to work, I thought that this might be interesting. I have another session booked on Saturday afternoon as well, so it looks like this might work.
Well apart from waiting in now for someone to measure up my back door for replacement, that seems to be it. I have an x-ray today on my hip as I have been having some gip with it. I thought at one time it might have been my kidneys, but they have ruled that out. Now I guess it is just old age and arthritis, but we will see.
Monday, 4 April 2016
Cruise excursions
I will make this the last post of our trip away on the cruise ship. I don't want to make you any more bored than you are with this blog.
So, excursions from the ship. P&O cruises do there own excursions of course when you get to a port. And I have put the link there for those who might be interested. We had booked with Planet Cruise, and they had a link for excursions to cruising excursions.
The first post of call was Madeira, a pretty little island. We were met by a driver and mini bus for the tour which was meant to last four hours. It turned out that these trips were not that well booked as most of the time no more than six were on the bus at any time in any of the tours. But we had a run around and stopped for a bit of shopping etc which is part of all of these trips. So what did I think of Madeira? Well it was nice enough, but I would not bother going back for a holiday. As with all these trips the islands were volcanic and all would go up into the mountains. Below are a couple of photos from the trip.
The next stop was La Palma. On this one it seems that we were not offered an excursion, and as the ship was quite close to the main town we just walked in and had a look around. As you can see from the photos below, it is pretty enough, but just a small town. Would I go back? No thanks, it was not that special.
After that we stopped in Tenerife.I have been there before on the other side of the island, near Los Christianos but this time most of the trip would be into the volcanic area and Mt Teidi. I found this fascinating and enjoyed the whole trip. I had been to the area before the last time I was here, and this time I had a better view coming from a different part of the island. Would I come back? Definitely, I like Tenerife and enjoyed the whole trip around it.
After that the next stop was Gran Canaria, another very pretty island but not with quite so many hills and mountains. We were taken to a botanical gardens and given forty five minutes to look around. It would have taken most of the day for a true look at this very pretty little place, but it was very nice anyway. And then onto a small village called Teror which was well worth going to and I could happily go back again. So all in all, a very enjoyable trip, and would I go back? Definitely, it is well worth seeing.
For the next one it was Lanzarote. The trip was to the 'Fire mountains'
Denise did not want to come on this one as she had seen quite enough of mountains by this time, and had been up there on a previous holiday. For me it was a very enjoyable day. We had a guide who spoke excellent English and had in fact lived for a time in my home city of Cardiff. The tour included a trip around the extraordinary area of volcanic lava and after that to a vineyard. You can see from the photo below that they grow the vine in a very unusual way, protected from the wind by small curved walls. With no natural water on the island, they have to get theirs from desalination. All in all a great and very interesting trip. Would I go back? Maybe, but I am sure that Denise would not want to.
And for the last for anyone that has had the fortitude to read this far, Lisbon was the last stop on this trip before heading home. This was a day and a half sail from the last stop. Lisbon is of course the capital of Portugal and once again we had a very informative guide who really knew her stuff. A VERY busy city, and as someone who has driven in many parts of the world, I would not want to drive in that city! They have many churches and this trip took in quite a few of them. To be fair the churches are in the main very beautiful and worth the visit. We were also taken to a shop that specializes in the small custard tarts they make there, and believe me they were fantastic! Also a few of the other well known sights, and once again a very worthwhile trip. Would I go back? Probably not, but I did enjoy the time there.
So to end. All in all a very enjoyable cruise. I have seen places that I had not been before, and met some lovely people. Would I do it again? Well no, as I said in an earlier post. Just because I prefer to get somewhere quicker and get on with the holiday. But for those who like the relaxation and the excellent service, this would be a great holiday. But I am glad that I tried it.
So, excursions from the ship. P&O cruises do there own excursions of course when you get to a port. And I have put the link there for those who might be interested. We had booked with Planet Cruise, and they had a link for excursions to cruising excursions.
The first post of call was Madeira, a pretty little island. We were met by a driver and mini bus for the tour which was meant to last four hours. It turned out that these trips were not that well booked as most of the time no more than six were on the bus at any time in any of the tours. But we had a run around and stopped for a bit of shopping etc which is part of all of these trips. So what did I think of Madeira? Well it was nice enough, but I would not bother going back for a holiday. As with all these trips the islands were volcanic and all would go up into the mountains. Below are a couple of photos from the trip.
The next stop was La Palma. On this one it seems that we were not offered an excursion, and as the ship was quite close to the main town we just walked in and had a look around. As you can see from the photos below, it is pretty enough, but just a small town. Would I go back? No thanks, it was not that special.
After that we stopped in Tenerife.I have been there before on the other side of the island, near Los Christianos but this time most of the trip would be into the volcanic area and Mt Teidi. I found this fascinating and enjoyed the whole trip. I had been to the area before the last time I was here, and this time I had a better view coming from a different part of the island. Would I come back? Definitely, I like Tenerife and enjoyed the whole trip around it.
After that the next stop was Gran Canaria, another very pretty island but not with quite so many hills and mountains. We were taken to a botanical gardens and given forty five minutes to look around. It would have taken most of the day for a true look at this very pretty little place, but it was very nice anyway. And then onto a small village called Teror which was well worth going to and I could happily go back again. So all in all, a very enjoyable trip, and would I go back? Definitely, it is well worth seeing.
For the next one it was Lanzarote. The trip was to the 'Fire mountains'
Denise did not want to come on this one as she had seen quite enough of mountains by this time, and had been up there on a previous holiday. For me it was a very enjoyable day. We had a guide who spoke excellent English and had in fact lived for a time in my home city of Cardiff. The tour included a trip around the extraordinary area of volcanic lava and after that to a vineyard. You can see from the photo below that they grow the vine in a very unusual way, protected from the wind by small curved walls. With no natural water on the island, they have to get theirs from desalination. All in all a great and very interesting trip. Would I go back? Maybe, but I am sure that Denise would not want to.
And for the last for anyone that has had the fortitude to read this far, Lisbon was the last stop on this trip before heading home. This was a day and a half sail from the last stop. Lisbon is of course the capital of Portugal and once again we had a very informative guide who really knew her stuff. A VERY busy city, and as someone who has driven in many parts of the world, I would not want to drive in that city! They have many churches and this trip took in quite a few of them. To be fair the churches are in the main very beautiful and worth the visit. We were also taken to a shop that specializes in the small custard tarts they make there, and believe me they were fantastic! Also a few of the other well known sights, and once again a very worthwhile trip. Would I go back? Probably not, but I did enjoy the time there.
So to end. All in all a very enjoyable cruise. I have seen places that I had not been before, and met some lovely people. Would I do it again? Well no, as I said in an earlier post. Just because I prefer to get somewhere quicker and get on with the holiday. But for those who like the relaxation and the excellent service, this would be a great holiday. But I am glad that I tried it.
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