Your Day (apart from gardening) - what took place? 2023

I haven't been poping on here so much recently, I'm having trouble with my computer. The picture goes blank all the time, or all I can see are lines buzzing across the screen. I think I'll have to take it in to be repaired.

 

Applied to renew my passport 18 days ago and was well chuffed for it to be delivered today. So I have just booked flights for Thailand from the 21st August, returning the 13th September.

Will probably be spending 11 nights in Bangkok as the Mrs and daughter want to spend sometime with family. Been looking for a 2 bedroom condo in Bangkok, plenty to choose from but will probably be staying here.

Refurbished 2 bedroom retreat with Pool Access - Apartments for Rent in Khet Khlong Toei, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Thailand - Airbnb

Has a cool swimming pool, close to the sky train and at £52 per night, it will do us.

 

Wow!! That looks fabulous @gks .

 

Meanwhile in North Wales...

The ombudsman has decided not to investigate a Facebook post from a Flintshire Councillor who called the First Minister ‘Fuhrer’. ‌‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌‍‌‌‌‌‌

 

Don't mention the War.

 

Spent the afternoon in Winchester ,just enjoying the sunshine and browsing the market . We decided to buy lunch 'on the go' and sit out in the Abbey Gardens rather than eat inside somewhere.

And what an unexpected treat we had!!

Sitting on the grass were a group of young people who we initially thought were having their lunch/ picnic in the park like a few others (us included) were doing .The only female in the group began doing a dance routine while doing amazing things with hoola hoops. She kept stopping and sitting back down to chat before getting again. We just thought that they were Performing Arts students on their lunch break from the college.

I got chatting to her, saying how amazing and talented she was. I asked her what the ' poles' were (she did tell the correct name for them..but I have forgotten) that the boys were assembling and adjusting. She explained they were part of another dance routine that was similar to Kung Fu movements. She then said they were putting on a show at the annual Hat Fair that begins tomorrow.
We stayed a bit longer enjoying what we now know was their rehearsals, but unfortunately had to go before the boys got into their full 'swing '
Back home I Googled their name that she gave me....they were brilliant and we got a free preview too. How lucky were we!!!

Ancient Futures - Unlimited Theatre

 

We spent the day in Perth, our daughters two boys last day at school, so a church service with prize giving and children singing and playing guitars. Her eldest won the cup for top worker, the first boy to win it in two decades, Mum and Dad as well as Grandma and Grandad were all very proud, he goes up to high school after the summer, youngest will no doubt miss his big brother next term.

 

Decided on a spur of the moment to spend another day in Winchester as it was the 1st day of the annual Hat Fair..

Hat Fair 2023 line up!


We got to watch some of these performers ,but some are booked for tomorrow too.

Here's the history behind the event.

Winchester Hat Fair - Wikipedia


I only took a few pics early on as they were preparing to start the festival , as it proved too difficult once the crowds built up in the city's old and narrow streets.

Children from local schools waiting very patiently in the grounds of the Cathedral to take part it the opening procession.




And a few acts that I managed to snap before it got too busy.

Angie Mack.
This isn't the girl from yesterday, unfortunately they are doing evening shows tonight ..but it will be way too busy for us.

Serving Sounds.
These guys were brilliant , using items you would find on a bar in a pub which miraculously sounded like instruments they added their own musical backing to famous songs....a lot of Dolly Parton !!

The High Priestess Of Pop And The Disco Druids.
Street disco makers.. trying their hardest to get us all up and dancing. You could also request songs too. Lots of bubble machines filling the air with loads of bubbles.

Some Dancers getting ready.

There were different zones around the city set up for preforming.....this was the list of events in the Square.

 

My grandson, who I have not seen for a few years, visited with his dad. He is starting a course at the Glasgow College of Music and had asked for advice on buying a Larrivee parlour guitar to take back and forward with him. I said he could have mine as I seldom play it (he would get it when I joined the big band in the sky anyway) so he collected it this morning. He is a very talented guitarist as is his brother and my wife's grandson as well.

 

I rarely do anything to the car, that reminds me, must get the peasants at the car wash to give it the once over soon.
But, for some reason I'm losing small amounts of coolant, so bought some of that rad weld stuff a while back and decided to shove some in the expansion tank today, bit dubious as never used the stuff before, then I noticed the rubber had all come away from round the passenger side door, so went round and glued that back.

I had the oil changed a couple of weeks ago but the oil change warning has been getting on my nerves every time I start it recently so had to work out, as I do every year, how to turn that off.
That's me finished with the car for the next 12 months, I dont mind driving them but looking after them is a pain in the arris.

 

I used to love working on cars, then they got all electronic plus my daughter married a motor mechanic. I would rather he had been a painter and decorator but hey ho.
Now my mechanics are limited to checking fluid levels and tyre pressures. I do enjoy washing it now and again, especially if the weather is nice.

 

I worked for the worlds largest car manufacturer at one time, not building the cars, I was an engineer who looked after the robots and machinery that helped make them, quite interesting how a modern car is made. I also owned a hand made Aston Martin and went to see where it was made, not a robot in sight, both had their uses.

 

I couldn't agree more. I never remember to check the oil etc in mine and the petrol gauge pings before I remember to put petrol in it.

My computer has been fixed and updated to windows 11 (whatever that is) No more fuzzy screen and no more lines all over the screen, I have a clear picture now.
It took ages to log in ! I kept doing it wrong, and all my saved 'things' need the password reset (or something) and I can't remember them so have to make new ones. I've put the same one in them all because it's easier to remember

I must try to catch up with some threads now (or maybe later if I can get around to it)

 

With The Child, we started the long planned meal inspiration file. The idea is to put in all the fabulous, often improvised meals we make so that when we can't agree on what to cook, we can just filter by ingredients, method, type or so on. "Have chicken, will cook..."

I love Excel so was also looking forward to giving the promised lesson on fun things to do with Excel as requested by The Child, but we ended up with Google sheets so that the file is browsable on phone. Apparently we can now share the sheet with anyone (just PM me if interested ).

Google sheets doesn't have all the lovely, quirky features my beloved Excel does but is sort of ok.

My favourite Excel file at work goes bright red when anyone exceeds the budget, I very much enjoy my one-up manager emitting small shrieks when she enters a spend and everything suddenly goes red and blinks (Yes, I'm that way inclined )

Anyways, it was an enjoyable morning with The Child replacing a walk to the shopping centre for my badly overdue hair cut, fresh bread and a browse in the charity shops- oh, and we are out of fresh veg too

 

I use Roboform which generates passwords and remembers your login details. When you need to log in to something, it prompts you by displaying a box with Gardenerscorner or whatever, and you just click it and it does the rest. You have to log in to Roboform every time you start the computer but that means only one password to remember.