Brum was cold, Jessops had its uses and steak for dinner tonight!

31 January 2013

Jessops has closed but it had its uses you know.  Yesterday I went out for the day to Brum on a photo-day.  Normally I would make my way round to Jessops for a look at what they had on display.  Now of course I can't do that and I missed it yesterday.  Which reminds me of another use the store had, well, actually it's the one.  I had a Nikon P4500 that kept failing and we were due to go off on holiday.  I bought an AP and read a short review on a Konica Minolta Z5.  Off I went to Jessops and had a play with one.  Then I ordered one from warehouseexpress.com.  So yes, Jessops did have its uses but very limited uses that ultimately caused it to fail.

Yesterday was a good day photo-wise where I found a number of shots I hadn't done before.  I've not done anything with them yet but will do so later for posting tomorrow.  To be honest it was far too cold to be out really unless you really needed to be out.  No doubt I would have been warmer if I had been walking, but I wasn't, I was using Jan's scooter.  Whatever, I was happy with the day.

More work going on today.  The sparkie was here yesterday but had to come back today to do all the testing.  The pump that has been fitted is not working so it may well have to replace.  It seems that this one isn't the first to fail on installation.  Perhaps it's time to consider a different make of pump!  We have also noticed that once the shower doors are in place they are going to be very close to the lavatory seat.  It might have better if they had swapped the seat and sink to make  more space.  We can ask that the doors are not put up and that's what we will do; after all, it is a wet room so we don't actually need doors.  I'll be pleased when it's all done and finished with; this place is looking and feeling a real mess right now.  We both want to over and done with so we can get everything straightened out! 

Curry Club at Whetherspoons tonight, but we're having steak, egg and really chips here instead.  Really chips?  Yes, you read it correctly; really chips are made by us using real spuds and not the usual frozen chips we normally have on the odd occasion we do have chips.  Having said that, the Iceland southern fired chips we buy are rather nice anyway - but tonight it's really chips!

So HS2 is still going ahead but even more is being planned.  It won't be long before they think up the idea of extending it to Scotland.  But hang on a minute ... if the Scots vote for independence, will they want and will they be willing to pay for it to be expended.  I'm not convinced that it is worthwhile project anyway.  If an hour is saved on a trip from the north to London, what are passengers going to do when they arrive and the find out the meeting or whatever is cancelled?  And is the saving of just one hour really worth the time effort and money to do so?  How many times do hear of people being stressed out because of the pace of their lives?  Saving an hour is only likely to increase that stress. 

In one of the papers yesterday someone claimed that Brunel would have built the line in less than half the time needed for what is claimed for this new line.  Maybe so, but he didn't have to worry about health and safety laws did he?  I wonder just how much extra that lot has added to the final cost?

So Now to find a photo ... OK ...

here's a shot of a tram in Port Soller in Mallorca.  Not really a train but close enough.

And for a funny then ...

Someone keeps spreading topsoil over my neighbour's allotment. It happened twice last week and again last night.
The plot thickens..      

No workers. missing part and last night's telly

29 January 2013

Opps - our paper girl has cocked up again and delivered us a Maily Dail as well the normal Dorktown News.  Ah well, I don't mind getting one for nowt.  But it does remind me of the time when I was driving for Interlink and saw a UPS sign had been altered to read 'COCK-UPS'  Well, I thought it was funny ;-)))

Our happy band of workers haven't shown up yet today.  The guy who has been in here for the last few day's finished around 5pm yesterday and has done as much as he can.  The major stumbling block right now is that a pump that is vital to the drainage of the shower has gone missing.  It was signed for by someone called Laura last Thursday evening.  I was out last Thursday evening having a curry at the Felix Holt in the town centre.  Jan went out last night to see if she could find out where Laura lived.  No one knows a Laura.  I hope they get their fingers and get it sorted sooner rather than later!

An interesting set of programmes on telly last night.  First up was Welch Railways.  I'm not really all that interested in trains as such but this show telling the story of a narrow gauge railway being rebuilt between Porth Maddock and Carnarvon struck a cord.  I wouldn't mind a trip on that one, likewise the one that goes up Snowdon.  As per normal there is the usual objects to it being done at all.  Surely it has to bring in more tourist to the area, especially the train enthusiasts. 

Next up was Despatches on C4; it highlighted the rise in shoplifting from charity shops.  My first thought was, "Why not?  It's rising on high streets across the country so why would charity shops be left alone?"  There is a growing number of people stealing items left outside properties for charity collection and now its hitting the shops themselves.  A reformed thief gave then pointers how to increase their security.  But the top and bottom of it is that where there are items on open display in shops there will be people who steal them if for no other reasons than they can, not matter what the shop.  If you think about though, charity shops are a fairly easy target aren't they?  They are staff mainly by volunteers have little or no CCTV cameras.  No matter what cause they are set up for it is still a pretty low act to steal from them - no matter how low their income is!

Panorama was its normal first class show.  Last night they looked at the scheme to get disabled back into work.  A couple of clients were filmed and in one instances there was a man with depression who was really fighting hard to keep himself under control as he was questioned by the reporter.  It made me wonder if he was pushed as hard as that when meeting his 'advisor' (I use that term very loosely indeed), and he wasn't able to control it, would he be charged with assault if he decked the person interviewing him?  It was clear that he was not suitable for the program he had been put on but that is down to the examination that started it all off. 

The whole program is a sham!  There is a lot of money to be made by get a disabled person back into work but even if the client is doing all they can to get there, if it's costing more to get that person into work than the company will make in doing so, they won't be trying all that much.  They 'parked' as it's termed and left pretty much alone with just the odd phone call so the provider can still claim some money for on-going contact.  It all seems to me to be a typical Tory party money making scheme for people who don't really need it anyway.

Let's find a photo then ...

ah yes, this one is of a Bewick's swan that I got in late May early June a few years ago at Hornsea Mere.  Locals told us that it had been injured at some time while it was wintering in the area and hadn't flown off when the time came.  No idea what happened to after that.

Funny time ...

A respectable lady went into the pharmacy, walked up to the pharmacist, looked straight into his eyes, and said, ‘I would like to buy some cyanide.'
The pharmacist asked, 'Why in the world do you need cyanide?'
The lady replied, 'I need it to poison my husband.'
The pharmacist’s eyes got big and he exclaimed, 'Lord have mercy! I can’t give you cyanide to kill your husband. That's against the law! I'll lose my license! They’ll throw both of us in jail! All kinds of bad things will happen. Absolutely not! You CANNOT have any cyanide!'
The lady reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her husband in bed with the pharmacist's wife.
The pharmacist looked at the picture and replied, 'Well now, that's different. You didn't tell me you had a prescription.'            

Ghosts, a coal mine and 'Out Again'.

28 January 2013

I had a bad night last night.  My arm and wrist were really hurting and I can only put it down to being shaken about and vibrations from using the scooter on Saturday.  It's still hurting fairly badly now but I suppose I shall to put up with it. 

Yesterday I managed to get around 1,000 words written for my latest effort at writing.  This time it's a ghostly crime story with a dash of photography thrown in for good measure.  The ghostly line is based around Arley Colliery as was about five miles outside of Dorktown.  The pit closed in 1968 throwing around 1,200 men out of work.  Take not of that figure; have you noticed that it says nothing about the number of women who also lost their jobs.  Women who worked in the pit canteen and those working in the offices were not counted.   

The initial effect of the closure didn't affect me at all seeing as in 1968 I was in BAOR doing my bit for Queen and country.  My dad had already left the pit having had an industrial injury which left him unable to work underground and there wasn't any jobs on the surface.  Dad said that the rest of the village was devastated by it.  The pit head area is now covered by a small industrial estate.  Anyway, that's part of it.

Coventry was once a car makers city.  Standard Triumph; Jaguar; Daimler; Humber/Roots; BMC; Alvis.  They are all gone now.  The only one left is the London Taxi maker LTI - and they are in trouble.  Industrial relations at all these factories were pretty dire to say the least.  Strikes were regular.  One factory would come out and a lot of the men would walk to the pit and then go back to the factory when the strike was over.  And so on it went.  One day in 1967 I was home on weekend leave and went out to the Jampot (the local working men's club), and while we sat there we overheard three Jag workers planning a strike.  I thought it was a bit of joke but dad said not to keep an eye on the news.  Sure enough later that week it was reported in the papers that the Jag were out on strike yet again.  No wonder they are all gone.

Here's a story from dad ... Our GP at Arley was based on Spring Hill. about a mile and half walk from home.  Dad went off to see him one afternoon and by the time he was finished it was very dark along Spring Hill.  Street lighting was there but it was very sparse, just one small bulb every hundred yards or so.  Well a bulb if the vandals hadn't smashed them!  Anyway, there was dad walking along the road when in between two lamp posts he saw a white triangle shape on the other side of the road; it was moving from side to side.  It spooked him so he started run.  After a few yards he thought, "Come on John, you don't believe in ghosts.  Go back and have a look."  So he did.  Making his way across the road slowly he got fairly close before he heard a really loud 'moooooo'.  It made him jump out of skin but then he saw that what he had seen was an almost all black cow with a white face rubbing its neck against the low trimmed hedge.  Ah well ...

No photos of ghost but I do have this ... 

a big black cow ;-)))

And for today's funny ...
 

A  guy is driving around the back woods of Montana and he sees a  sign in
front of a broken down shanty-style house: 'Talking Dog  For Sale ' He rings
the bell and the owner appears and tells him  the dog is in the backyard.
The  guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Labrador retriever
sitting there.
'You  talk?' he asks.
'Yep,'  the Lab replies.
After  the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says 'So,
what's your story?'
The  Lab looks up and says, 'Well, I discovered that I could talk  when I
was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I  told the CIA. In no
time at all they had me jetting from country  to country, sitting in rooms
with spies and world leaders,  because no one figured a dog would be
eavesdropping.'
'I  was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running.  But the
jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't  getting any younger
so I decided to settle down. I signed up for  a job at the airport to do
some undercover security, wandering  near suspicious characters and
listening in. I uncovered some  incredible dealings and was awarded a batch
of medals.' 'I got married, had a  mess of puppies, and now I'm just
retired.'
The  guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants  for
the dog.
'Ten  dollars,' the guy says.
'Ten  dollars? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him  so
cheap?'
'Because he's a liar. He never did any of that s**t.                 

Weather. Jessops and what's to come

27 January 2013

Why oh why can't the weather forecasters at the BEEB at least try to get things right.  Today would be an ideal day to go off birding but according to the forecast yesterday it is supposed to be wall to wall rain today.  Right now we have bright sunlight and I could have got out.  Tomorrow is for rain again from around midday - but how can we trust it?  we can't!

It was good to get out and we Jan yesterday.  We did a little shopping but mainly it was just so we could out together for a couple of hours.  However, I did buy two magazines; AP and Computeractive.  AP is a regular buy while Computeractive is an occasional buy.  AP has a rather long article about the closure of Jessops camera shops.  Jessops have been in trouble for quite some time and those of us who have been keeping an eye on things are not all that surprised that they have finally hit the brick wall.  Their problems were many but first began when the aggressively bought up a lot of smaller retail camera chains and shops with the attendant effects on their finances.  

They also had problems when it came to ordering and delivery of kit for customers.  Part of that was because of the small size of many of their shops.  Being so physically small they couldn't carry a large stock of kit.  I was in the Dorktown shop one day and a rather irate customer came in asking where his new lens was.  He had ordered and paid for it weeks earlier ready for a holiday he was due to leave on three days later.  The staff couldn't say if the lens would be delivered in time.  He cancelled but couldn't get his money back because they didn't have that much in their till.  I was there looking at buying a new company camera that day; I left and bought one from  Dixons instead.

The level of their customer service was so variable.  The best one I went to was in Bolton; the worst was in Dorktown.  The Coventry branch was good with friendly knowledgeable staff helpful; the city centre branch in Brum was appalling.  The staff there didn't have clue what they were talking about and were trying hard to sell Nikon gear as opposed to whatever the customer wanted, even down to telling outright lies!  I prefer to think they were mistaken than actually telling lies - but who knows?  And so it went on until this month.

All of this meant that I was unwilling to do any major shopping with them.  If I needed a new memory card in a rush or a now bag or tripod I would buy from there.  But major items I always bought from www.warehouseexpress.com  where the service was always first class; and usually cheaper too.  Now that Jessops have gone bust customers waiting for orders won't get their gear or their money back.  But what about warranty repairs?  Here in the UK if anything goes wrong with your purchase the first port of call is the retailer, but they no longer exist, so what happens then?  Very sad all round I'm afraid.  Sad but expected.  And perhaps that is what ultimately lead to their downfall.

So now it's photo time ... Seeing as it's still cold out there, here's a reminder of what is to come later in the year ...

This guy was on the beach at Southsea.  I'm not sure if he had had a few drinks under his belt, but I couldn't have been very comfy on those stones!

Funny time ...

A couple are on their honeymoon, lying in bed, about ready to consummate their marriage, when the new bride says to the husband, "I have a confession to make, I'm not a virgin."
The husband replies, "That's no big thing in this day and age."
The wife continues, "Yeah, I've been with one guy."
"Oh yeah? Who was the guy?"
"Tiger Woods."
"Tiger Woods, the golfer?"
"Yeah."
"Well, he's rich, famous and handsome. I can see why you went to bed with him."
The husband and wife then make passionate love.
When they are done, the husband gets up and walks to the telephone.
"What are you doing?" asks the wife.
The husband says, "I'm hungry, I was going to call room service and get something to eat."
"Tiger wouldn't do that."
"Oh yeah? What would Tiger do?"
"He'd come back to bed and do it a second time."
The husband puts down the phone and goes back to bed to make love a second time.
When they finish, he gets up and goes over to the phone. "Now what are you doing?" she asks.
The husband says, "I'm still hungry so I was going to get room service to get something to eat."
"Tiger wouldn't do that."
"Oh yeah? What would tiger do?"
"He'd come back to bed and do it again."
The guy slams down the phone, goes back to bed, and makes love one more time.
When they finish he's tired and beat. He drags himself over to the phone and starts to dial.
The wife asks, "Are you calling room service?"
"No! I'm calling Tiger Woods, to find out what the par is for this damn hole."