Rain, rain, and more rain.
I had provisionally planned to go off model-flying last weekend, but it rained, and the weekend before, and the week before that when I was nominally on holiday.
At least rain mostly goes away when it has stopped, unlike snow.
(And unlike those poor souls in Cumbria, whose homes are six feet under.

When are town councils going to realize that areas marked on the map as flood plain - FLOOD when the river gets too high. And when are the mad builders going to realize that a nice flat field next to a river is flat because.......

One month and three days, and it will all be over for another year. Maybe I can get through the traffic in town, then! (And that's on foot!)

Tags: and more rain., christmas, model flying, rain
Current Music: raindrops keep falling....

This is just so that my reader won't think I've forgotten about lj!
Had a lot to do recently as the Christmas rush has begun at work, so we are putting in more time. Another four weeks, and it will go deathly quiet!

One of the temp agency labour brought a head-cold in with him, and kindly passed it on to me. (and others). I had a day of itchy nose and sneezing, two days of runny nose, and a day with a headache. Doreen caught it off me, and ended up with bronchitis, and had to have a course of anti-biotics to get rid of it. She's almost ok again now, bus still has a harsh cough. She's had her first annual anti-flu jab, and will be getting the one for swine flu as soon as the stuff becomes available.

When you consider - in about four weeks it will be her 'first' anniversary, although not one she wants to record. According to her Doc at the time, she shouldn't be here now, but is downstairs as I batter the keys, making a batch of Christmas cards for 'her' hospice, as a thank-you for keeping her going, and giving her a will to fight on. I may have put it in before, but she only went, in the first instance, because she heard that there was a crafting group there, and she hoped to learn a few techniques that she couldn't master. Now she is instructing the instructor!

Oh, don't forget to look up -
http://www.authonomy.com/ViewBook.aspx?bookid=13423

as there are now two books to read!

Tags: anti-virus, books., christmas cards, flu

That was one rough weekend, and I'm glad it is over.
It begins a long time back, really, about a year ago, our sixteen year old cat, Suki, began to lose weight, at round about the same time as Doreen fell ill, really, so we assumed that Suki was 'coming out in sympathy'. She had always been a picky eater, needing constant changes of food brands to please her, as well as the usual stuff of bits of chicken, tuna, or whatever was on the family table. Then - this last month she began to ignore everything put in front of her. She was still drinking water, but not eating, apart from an occasional nibble. So the vet took some more money off us, and took a sample of blood from Suki, which came back normal, just low on proteins, which was to be expected as she wasn't eating! Her weight fell off dramatically, of course, and nothing we could do would coax her to eat. The vet had given her a general booster and a steroid injection, and that helped a little, because for that day she ate a little, but then went backwards again. We had no choice other than have her put down, which happened last Friday morning. I had to go to work afterwards, of course, as you don't get time off for the death of pets. Then on Sunday, Missy Underfoot disappeared! She, as have all the others, is free to come and go as she sees fit, through the day, and normally comes in every couple of hours demanding to be fed again.
She went out on Sunday at about 1030, and didn't come back for lunch, or tea, despite several rain showers. So I donned shoes and coat, and went looking, expecting to find a squashed corpse at the side of a road somewhere, but nothing......
Then, at about 2300 she wandered in, looking rather perplexed, and began playing merry hell because the food dish was empty!
Where she had been is anyone's guess, but either she got shut into someone's shed or garage, or she had sneaked into someone's house, and got shut in, because she was dry, albeit cold.
On Monday, she didn't stray beyond the garden, so she must have learned her lesson! Today, she's asleep on the bed, behind me, as I batter the keyboard.

Tags: cats, lost and found, vets
Current Music: they seek him here, they seek him there...

If is wasn't for the last minute -
nothing would get done in time.

Tags: last minute, ponder, silly thought, time
Current Mood: thoughtful

Vince, closely followed by Tom. I've known Vince for about fourty-five years, and tend to look on him as a second Dad.
Tom I've known a little less long, but (and I have to be careful, he reads my lines!) we seem to be closer, somehow.
At present I see little of either of them, due to my circumstances, (no I'm NOT locked up!) but know I only have to call, and they will be there for me.
What more can a person ask?

Tags: best friend, bff, writer's block
Current Music: When I'm sixty-four

(for a change!)
Talk of timing - she is booked in at the Vet's tomorrow (Monday) to have her love-life truncated. Today, Sunday, she began to come onto 'heat' for the first time!
All the doors are shut and locked, to keep her in, Toms out, and to prevent any neighbours accidentally letting her out/them in!
The cruel bit is - we aren't allowed to feed her after 1800 tonight, and she is used to being fed on demand (about ten times an hour!). So, she is most annoyed three times over!
Suki is also protesting, but we cannot feed one and not the other, so they are both on starvation diets tonight!
Guess who is NOT in their favourite books!

Tags: cats, diets., vets
Current Mood: sympathetic
Current Music: Set me free, why don't ya!

Just a brief comment this time - for those that are interested, Doreen's ct scan shows no change. next visit is December.

Tags: cancer
Current Mood: cheerful

It was just a tiny water droplet. This particular droplet was dangling from the corner of the cabinet, poised and ready to drop floorwards, where it would presumably have joined its uncounted predecessors, had it not been intercepted by a searching fingertip.
'Dad!' My son Chris called out, 'The water-heater is leaking!'
I untangled myself from the computer keyboard, mouse, and assorted radio microphone wires that surrounded me, and went to investigate.
Sure enough, a new droplet was forming in the corner of the cabinet, and the carpet beneath, what I could get at for all his 'junk', was damp. 'Don't worry about it.' I replied. 'It is probably the wind blowing the rain in through the exhaust vent.' (It had been raining heavily, and blowing hard, for a couple of days.) A handy container was positioned where the droplets fell, and left it to get on with it. After all, I was in the middle of drafting a letter to a friend who didn't have a computer, so I needed to get it done and posted, to catch the Saturday collection in a few hours time.
Letter completed, printed off, enveloped, stamped, and ready for posting, I went into Chris's room, to check on what he was doing (and to check on how full the container was). It was - full, that is! Two pints or so of water in less than half an hour. Perhaps the heater really WAS leaking! Then, it was now turned midnight, and to call a plumber out at the weekend would be financial suicide! The container was replaced with a large plastic bowl for the night.
On Saturday, the leak appeared to have stopped, so the bowl was emptied, and replaced, just in case. It didn't rain on Saturday, (well, not much!)Sunday was warmish and dryish, and the heater remained dry.
Then on Sunday late afternoon - it began dripping again, but from several places at once.
A quick excavation of the surrounding assorted bits of Chris's computers, bags, boxes, and unmentionable rubbish that should have been evicted a month ago allowed access, and a screwdriver persuaded the three screws that held the outer cabinet to the gubbins inside to let go. The 'cinder-tray', intended for catching the cremated remains of spiders and stray flying insects was full of water, which was seeping through the corners, where the casing was folded but not welded, and through the perforations where the pipework for the water inlet, outlet, and gas pipes, were clamped.
With the water removed, and a torch illuminating the dark recesses, I watched for where the leak could possibly be, but wasn't. All the gland-nuts were tight, and the pipework in the heat-exchanger seemed intact. There was no visible leak but sure enough, a new puddle was beginning to form in the cinder tray. My probing screwdriver tried a few possible sources for tightness, but they all were, and still the leak leaked invisibly. I had to concede defeat.
On Monday, before work, I dug out the telephone book, and looked for plumbers. Page after page of them were listed, so I picked a few at random, and then raised the telephone. The first one was booked up for a fortnight, emergency or not. The second one couldn't come until the following weekend, and suggested I turn the water off until then. I won't report my comment.
Number three could come out immediately, but as I was going out to work that was no good, and Tuesday wasn't practical either,we agreed on ten-o-clock on Wednesday.
Ten came and went, as did eleven, and twelve was rapidly approaching when the plumber turned up. He studied the white box on the wall, and agreed that it was leaking. Then he borrowed my screwdriver so he could remove the casing, (I had replaced it, to keep the fumes out of the bedroom!) and peered inside. Of course, it wasn't leaking at that particular time, and remained more or less dry, having dripped itself to mere dampness.
We (I) turned the hot tap on, and let it run, then turned it off again on his call. 'Yes'. He agreed, 'It is leaking where you said it was.' (The main gas pressure control valve). 'There is nothing I can do, because it is too old to get the parts.' He poked about some more with my screwdriver, and got a fine spray of water from a seemingly solid pipe. 'I'll have to condemn it, because if that water gets into the gas pipe, it can cause an explosion!'
'Yes, ok, I'll have to see about getting it replaced, then.' I accepted the decision, the heater IS about 20 years old.
'The thing is, I'll have to shut it off, and seal the gas pipe.' He said.
That would leave us with no hot water, and Doreen is disabled. I pointed this out.
'Sorry, but that's the rules!' He said. 'Now I've seen it, I can't pretend I haven't, and if it goes pop, it will be me that gets it in the neck.' (spelled a**e)
So we had no hot water, except what we could boil in the kettle or pans, for that day, night, and the next morning. We had to let him sell us a new heater, fitted, etc, or have no hot water at all until whenever.
He rolled up on Thursday morning, and began removing the old unit. Of course, the gas AND water had both to be shut off at the main valves for the duration. Four hours later, he was preparing to fit the new heater, then came downstairs to see if I had a nut (this size) anywhere about, as he was one short. A rummage in my box of odd nuts and bolts found one that fitted, and he 'borrowed' a few washers as well to match up the sizes with the other three already in situ. He claims that when the previous heater was fitted the person only used three nuts, and not four, to attach it to the flue and exhaust pipe.
With the heater finally attached, he began connecting the pipes again. He had to manufacture a 'Z' bend in the water feed pipe, as the existing pipe and the new one didn't line up. Then he found that he had cut the vertical leg an inch short! Further checking found out why. The water pipe wasn't supported underneath the floorboards, and was free to move up and down. A new piece of copper pipe was cut, that necessary bit longer, and then he found that our gas pipe was a different o/d to the new one. Well, it would be - our house was made in feet and inches, and the heater was made in metrics! Of course he didn't have a suitable coupler, and had to go and find a plumbers merchant that did.
Luckily I had warned work that I might be late, because.....
Pipes finally connected, he began doing pressure checks at the meter, and found that the pressure was dropping fast. There was a leak somewhere.
'Perhaps it is because you haven't turned off the pilot light on the gas fire?' I suggested. That done, the pressure was stable.

So now Doreen and I are £825 poorer, but we have a hot water thingy again. The wall we WERE going to build will have to wait a while longer.
I considered asking him for a refund of £50 each for a nut and three washers, and the use of my screwdriver, but decided against it, in case when the thing settles, it leaks a bit from all the joins in the pipes.
I should have been a plumber, because he charged £50 per hour labour charge, most of which he spent clanging pipes, and rattling a spanner inside the old metal cabinet, from what I could see. Yes, I could have fitted a new heater myself for nothing, but as I don't have a 'corgi' accredition thing that says I am qualified to cut up a copper pipe, it would have voided the house insurance.

Tags: leaks, loadsamoney, plumbers, water heaters
Current Location: precarious
Current Mood: pissed off
Current Music: Money, money, money, it's not funny..Abba.

Well - we crawled out of bed at 0730 gmt, and by 0830 were heading out of the door for the bus-stop. We arrived at the Warrington terminus at a few seconds after nine, and in the Police parlance - proceeded - to the Hospital, on foot and wheels, to catch the shuttle-bus to Halton. So far so good!
(Apart from the trivial fact that we got rained on!)
At the Hospital, the shuttle-bus was already there, but not going anywhere. A mechanic had armfuls of engine innards scattered across the road behind the bus, and was muttering incantations that delicate eyes do not want to read. The gist of them was - this thing is broke! I gathered, from the graphical commentary, and the amount of muck that was being excavated, that either the bus had been 'knobbled', or the fuel was particularly filthy. The result was, the fuel lines, the filter, and the injectors were comprehensively clogged up!
So - we 'repaired' into the foyer, out of the rain, to see what might happen next.
Eventually, a replacement 14 seater minibus rolled up, and after a lot of umming and arring, because we had a wheelchair, and the m/bus was not equipped for such, took us and two others to Halton. We had to jam the chair in between the seats, near the back, and I had to wedge it there with my foot.
Apart from the obligatory hanging around waiting, Halton was a non-event.
Then - we tried to make the return trip!
The shuttle-bus was still broken. In it's place, a 22 seater midi-bus was struggling to cope. Again it was not geared up for wheelchairs. On this return trip there were twenty-six pax, and two chairs, and their pushers. Now - you cannot get thirty bodies, and two wheelchairs, into a 22 seater.
After a conference with the Hospital damagement, the 'walking wounded' went in the bus, and us two chair and pusher teams had taxis ordered. We got back to Warrington Hosp before the midi-bus, without passing it, so it must have taken a less direct route!
As it was STILL raining, we caught a local bus back to the stop near home, and got rained on some more on the last few hundred yards of the journey.
Now all we have to do is wait some more, until Her appointment with the Doc in a fortnight. (Fortunately at Warrington!)

Tags: dead buses, hospitals, rain.
Current Location: dripping dry?
Current Mood: cynical
Current Music: If I had ANOTHER hammer....

Well - to paraphrase the old line, - I've started, so I'll have to find something to continue with -
We have decided to rename Missy Underfoot. She is now known as V2! Why? Well - it is self-explanatory really - you don't hear her coming, but by heck you know when she has landed! She has invented a new game which involves hiding behind something - ie a chair if inside, or a plant if out, - and waiting for a victim, then she pounces, dashes up, gives them a smack on the leg, then runs off at high speed!
Laundry and an airing rack do not belong together any more. The laundry has to be scattered haphazardly about the floor. This makes drying rained-on washing a bit of a problem, as they can end up dirtier than they were before they were washed. (That makes it seem like I have dirty floors! (Well, I do, because I just don't have time to vacuum and scrub every day, and the house is for living in, not a showroom!))
Over the last week, she has discovered the delights of the caterpillar, too! She finds nice big fat ones, and brings them in to play with. After patting them around for a while, she leaves them for me to take back out again. Only one has been damaged, so far, by accident, when she first invented this game, and she bit down a bit too hard when it wriggled. The ones she brings in are possibly 'Peacock' larvae, as they are about 3" long, quite fat, dark brown in colour, with two 'eyes' near the head end, which are similar to the 'eyes' on the wings of the mature insect. Quite where she finds them.....
I had to take our old cat Suki to the vet today, too. We noticed that she was carrying a paw when she sat, although she seemed to be walking ok, then on closer inspection, we found that her claws needed trimming. One had grown so much, and not been worn down as she doesn't go out much any more, that it was piercing the pad. Thirty seconds of work, £12.50 please, thank-you. If I'd had proper clippers, I could have done it for free, apart from the scratches I would have suffered. Instead - the vet got those! I got rained on again, too, for the third time today. The first two times I was in town, paying bills, and looking for a few bits and pieces I needed.
We are off to Halton hospital tomorrow, for Doreen's CT scan. We will have to catch the bus into town at 8.30, to get us there for nine, so we can walk/wheel to the local hospital, from where we can catch a shuttle-bus to Halton for 1100. Then the same in reverse to get home again. The taxi (cab) fare would be about £30, each way, so that's out. Doreen has finally got her disabled bus-pass,(it has ONLY taken eight months!) so she can go for free, but her engine (me) still has to pay full fare. I think that's a bit unfair, as without my wheelchair pushing skills, she wouldn't be going!
What else?
Oh, yes. Model building/flying. None of that happening! I HAVE bought some glassfibre resin and hardener, ready for re-inforcing a scale glassfibre kit fuselage for an aircraft called a Discus, BUT I couldn't find any 1" wide woven glass bandage. Plenty of chopped strand mat, but that is no good for this job, where I want narrow strips! I ended up on e-bay, and found a roll on there for £8, in Northumberland. (A bit too far to walk!) (Yes, I know I don't 'do' kits, Tom, but when they are end of line, accurate scale, and 1/4 price....some things are too good to pass up). This particular brand is renowned for it's eggshell fuselages, which tend to shatter if thumped on a rock, so I intend to do some internal strengthening before I put the rest of the innards in!

This here pc decided to play silly sods last week, too. It began by going V E R Y slowly on e-mail, then it refused to open my Firefox browser, and I had to use the clunky, advert-riddled MS internet explorer browser. THEN it refused to operate that, too! I checked for updates, but without an internet connection... So, I tried a system restore from a point three weeks back. Nothing. So I went back another three, and - nothing!
Lots of head-scratching, re-booted the modem and routers - nothing. Ran the broadband medic facility, which came back with no fault found! It just wouldn't darn well work!
I then deleted Firefox, ran defrag, c-cleaner, defrag again, and tried reloading FF. Nothing. Borrowed the neighbour's pc, and sent myself a test email, which I couldn't read because the client wouldn't open. Scream rant rave shout hit things. That didn't work either, but then it never does! Deleted FF again, turned off the firewall and anti-vir, re-downloaded FF, which worked ???, but it still wouldn't open! When I clicked on the Firefox icon the little cursor arrow would flash a few times, then nothing else happened.
SO, I deleted FF again, ran c-cleaner to remove any lingering fragments, then de-fragged just in case, then another dose of c-cleaner. then shut it all down before the window became damaged by flying missiles.
One week later, after several more attempts, I loaded FF again, for the n'th time, and got a totally different start-up screen - Welcome to Firefox - etc. Firefox worked, e-mail worked, my forum accesses worked! I can only assume that NTL had put the plug back in, or kicked their server, or something.
What else? It is raining again!

Tags: c-cleaner, caterpillars, cats, computers, defrag, firefox, laundry, rain, system restore
Current Location: up to the neck in spams
Current Mood: happy and sad, at the same tim
Current Music: anvil chorus, or if I had a hammer