Month: June 2010

June 30, 2010
A couple of years ago, I planted a thornless blackberry and two raspberry canes. I didn’t expect anything from the the first year, but last year I was hoping for some fruit, but was mostly disappointed.

This year, one of my raspberries is heaving with fruit. The other plant is a later variety, so there is hope for that yet. Meanwhile the blackberry is absolutely covered in flowers and small forming fruits.

June 30, 2010
June 26, 2010
Back in May, I was complaining about the various companies I had asked to quote for my kitchen not listening to my actual requirements. Or perhaps I should say listening to my requirements, but then completely ignoring them. The fact that what I was asking for was probably the simplest solution (with a floor plan exactly the same as my current kitchen) made this doubly irritating.

Then last week, I posted that my kitchen units were being delivered this weekend (they arrived today, and are now safely stored in my garage), so apparently I have resolved my kitchen installer nightmare.

June 26, 2010
I use forum software (phpBB) to run my Board Game group’s website. One of the problems with doing this is spammers trying to sign up to the forum so they can spam it. Although I have safety precautions in place – no-one’s posts are made public until I am sure they are a real person – the sheer numbers of spamming attempts used to make this a chore.

The spammers use automated software to detect the type of forum software a site uses, and act appropriately in signing up. The demonstration of this that I saw was amazingly sophisticated – the spamming software first signs up for a new hotmail/gmail/whatever email account, then goes through a submitted list of likely forums, registering with each one, using that address. It then tests to see if it has posting access – if it does, it posts spam, if not, it then waits for (and responds to) any security/registration emails the forum software sends, all automatically – then having been approved, it posts spam.

June 22, 2010
Following on from last weekend, I spent some time in the garden on Sunday, finally getting two of my raised beds planted up. I now have some mixed salad leaves, red onions, spring onions, and a couple of courgette plants on the way. Not nearly as much as last year, but it is a start, and there is still plenty of space to fill.

After getting the main bed planted, I turned on the soaker hose feeding that bed, and was surprised to see nothing much happen, even after a couple of hours. I knew my water butts were brimming full, so figured something had gone wrong, or got blocked, and had visions of having to vet several metres of pipe and soaker hose, much of which is buried.

June 20, 2010
My kitchen units are to be delivered next weekend, and I need to store them until they are fitted. As a result I spent all of yesterday in the garage, sorting it out.

A couple of years ago, I bought some racking to go out there, but only two racks went up at the time, as there were a a number of big items taking up space – one or two mine, but mostly stuff I had been conned into storing for friends, apparently on an non-ending basis.

June 19, 2010
In 1987, BBC Scotland commissioned a 6 part series from artist and playwright, John Byrne. Originally he was asked if he would write for the series – his reply was that he would do so only if he could write all 6 episodes himself, he would turn in the scripts two at a time, as he wrote them, and he wanted and expected no feedback or comments on his script. Amazingly, BBC Scotland agreed, and so this masterpiece was born.

I remember seeing it when it was first broadcast on BBC1 – it was so popular that it was rebroadcast a few months later on BBC2. Then it disappeared fo 22 years. Apparently, due to an oversight, the BBC had properly obtained the rights to all the songs used in the drama, but not to a version of the title song used in one episode with slightly changed lyrics. As a result, the series was only released on DVD last year – I recently picked up a copy, and have watched it over the last week with great delight.

June 16, 2010
Car went in for service and MOT today. I heard nothing during the day, which – on previous experience – I considered ominous.

In the end, my nerve cracked, and I called them at 4pm, to be told “We’ve just finished, and it’s ready for collection”.

June 14, 2010
Thoroughly enjoyed this – won’t go into the plot, in case folk haven’t seen it yet, but once again there were half a dozen nicely crafted numbers.

I particularly liked the version of “To Sir With Love” – I haven’t heard that since Lulu sang it in the 60’s, and I thought it was rather apt.

June 12, 2010
As my car is currently iffy, I decided not to go to my board-game group’s Second Saturday session, and spend the day in the garden instead.

I actually was going to spend most of yesterday in the garden, but my first job was a quick run to the garden centre – which is when I found my car wouldn’t leave the drive. So a couple of hours wasted on looking at that, and bringing my service forward, followed by doing my shopping by bus/foot, and I didn’t feel like taking on the garden afterwards.

June 11, 2010
is when you book your car in for a routine service and MOT in two weeks time, only for it to develop an alarming engine judder (while stationary, and in Park) almost the following day.

Service has now been brought forward to Tuesday. I hope it won’t be too painful.

June 11, 2010
Earlier this year, I moved to a joint phone and broadband service with Opal. The service has been good, and I had no complaints, until today.

A couple of times when I have come back from a weekend away, I have been surprised to find there were no messages on my answer machine. However, I didn’t give it any thought.