Failure to load correctly

In the car on my way to meet Vivien at Verdi's for brunch (hazelnut sundae as usual since you ask) I switched on the radio just as the morning service was starting. They began to sing the old hymn, What a friend we have in Jesus, except it was the wrong tune. 

It took me a moment to work out what was wrong and then I realised they were singing it to the music of Calon Lan, an old Welsh hymn. It was very disorientating.

* * * * *

Our walk this afternoon took us along Swansea bay.

Then back to the library for Husband to do genealogy and me to do some Thessalonians research using real books! When I'd got as much out of the commentary as I could, I tried reading a Welsh magazine aimed at learners. 

While I could understand words here and there I floundered when it came to putting them together into sentences. However I did read most of this story - even though I didn't really understand what it was about. 

Two shillings' worth please

I had cause to go to Davies the Baker yesterday and when I was there I spotted some custard tarts.

When I was a little girl my grandmother would send me, maybe once every week or two, up the lane to Davies the Baker's shop. The shop was on a little side road of terraced houses. The bakery was behind the house and the front room served as the shop. I had to ask for two shillings' worth of cakes and I could choose them.

My favourite was an iced bun but I always put a custard tart in with the mix of five or six cakes. Seeing them in the shop yesterday I had to buy a couple to take home and have with a cup of tea.

Today Davies the Baker's has a large shop and cafe on the main road in Mumbles as well as at least one other branch in Swansea. I wonder if they still use the same bakery.

A mixed day

Tuesday

Church writing group second meeting. Eight of us there. Went well, room v. hot. Meeting afterwards about the quiz and curry night I'm helping to organise. Realise it's not as simple as I thought.

Elder Son brought us our dinner: not-Nigerian chicken and rice. Delicious

Wednesday

Trouble with having a 'holiday' is that it's even harder to remember what you do all day. Janet brought her daughter round in the evening to witness our will and Power of Attorneys signings. Financial already done, this one was health. Incredibly complicated and lots of paper print-out.

Thursday

Early morning (9.30 am) walk with daughter and Louie and Toby. The low mist that had settled overnight lifted as I arrived at Daughter's and our walk was beautifully sunny. Amazing breakers, terrible photos of the sea.

I was trying out the macro setting on my new phone camera. This was taken on normal setting.

While this was taken on macro.

I am either too close, too far away, or too wobbly.

Today has been a mixed day in that I stopped myself saying something that I'm not sure I should, but I also said something in the wrong place. So my 'Think Before You Speak/Write' policy is not working 100% today. 

That said, I am quite proud of myself for deleting the email I planned to send - and that was after I'd modified and softened it several times.

GrandSon3's eleventh birthday today. To celebrate he's going football training as usual. He is football crazy and very determined. We are popping around to see him briefly in between school and off.

Pride, fall etc

So now it seems, unless I have got it wrong, which wouldn't be entirely out of the question, that I have two 365 subscriptions. One is the paid one I got as trustee, the other - well, I possibly installed by accident thinking it was the other one. Or it might just have appeared by magic. Both equally likely.

Just when I thought I'm getting the hang of this, I realised I wasn't at all. The thing is, my free subscription has 5gb of cloud storage - and mine is already full, which seems pretty amazing to me as I didn't know I had it.

So I'm thinking, can I use cloud storage from my other account for personal use? Or will that show to everyone? If I can, how do I do it?

I've just been for a short walk with Husband to clear my head so I'll come back to this tomorrow or maybe the next day or maybe never.

And remember I said I'd worked out his very simple way of transferring photos from phone to pc? Yes? Well, it's decided to disconnect itself. 

I'm going to the kitchen now to do some cooking. Before I throw something. And in the hope that the computer fairy works its magic and makes everything right again by the time I get back.

Techno stuff

First day of my holiday began with me tidying up before my cleaner came. I do more tidying in the hour before she arrives than I do the fortnight in between. Also put in washing, and considered fitness trackers. Not for me but as a present.

Am bemused when I read one such tracker can be used to remotely control your phone to take a photo.

As if that isn't baffling enough I do what I've been half-heartedly trying to do for almost a year: I install Microsoft 365. (I think.) I had it as a perk of being a trustee but haven't been able to work out what it does that is so great - until today! 

There is something called OneNote - yes, you probably already know about it - and I can write and draw on it. In fact it says you use it to replace your paper notebook, after I had googled to find out what it was for. Well, that's not going to happen but I had a fun five minutes doodling.

But on another page it says, Coming Soon! The Microsoft 365 app will become the Microsoft 365 Copilot app with a new URL m365.cloud.microsoft.

Obviously as soon as I get to grips with one piece of technology they're going to replace it.

In other news did you know that it is Mr Webster, of dictionary fame, who is responsible for Americans spelling things wrongly? He took the u out of colour etc. He also had a lot of other crazier ideas that were stomped on otherwise American might have been a completely different language.

If this world in which we live in

Thank you for your advice. I've just found out that it's easy to share from my android phone to my pc. It took me a long way around the houses to get there - and in fact was trying to do something completely different when I discovered the method - but I am happy now.

So here's a picture of ice.

And here's our new bedding.

With our snug Christmas bedding I remembered how much I loved flannelette sheets so looked for some more and chose these. I confess I chose them with Husband's operation in mind: he bleeds easily and, if I can't get the stain out, at least it won't show so much. Have you ever found a washing powder that does what it says i.e. gets out blood and grass stains?

I've fallen for and tried so many different options but none of them really work, even if I use a pre-wash stain remover.

Now all I have to do is go back to what I was looking for in the beginning - how to set up Microsoft 365 since you ask. As a trustee of Zac's I was given a free copy but so far can't work out how to use it.

Maybe I'll tackle that tomorrow.

I was going to title this post Blood on the sheets but realised it sounded a little like an ancient marriage ritual where sheets had to be displayed to all and sundry the morning after consummation.

Oh yes, and one more thing. Monty leading us into a time of prayer htis morning was bemoaning the state of the world and he said, "in this world in which we live in . . ." and after that I don't know what he said because I was trying to remember the song that comes from. I could sing that bit but couldn't get the title for ages.

And one more thing! This morning after church I was asked to give a talk, not until July so I have plenty of time to relax before I panic. Only problem I missed what she said the group was, and also I'm not sure of her name. But I'm sure things will become clearer near the date.

(Live and let die.)

Photoless

I am very tired, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Normally I'd work through it but as we're still hoping that Husband will have his op in late January/early February, and things can only get harder then, temporarily at least, I decided to book myself a week off.

I'd like to say, "In a spa hotel," but that's not going to happen. What is happening is that I'm not going to do my volunteering on Wednesday and Friday, and we're going to eat ready meals or the equivalent all week. (It's the thought of planning food as much as anything that grinds me down!)

I messaged Stu in Zac's early this morning to ask/tell him I wouldn't be in, before I could chicken out and guilt got the better of me.

* * * * *

This afternoon we walked with GrandSon1 and Toby and had great fun breaking ice. I would show you a photo if the connection between my new phone and my pc would work. What do you use most, phones or pcs? 

I use my pc for just about everything so need a good method to get photos from phone to pc. I currently use Phonelink - or would if it would work - but that doesn't share videos either.

Incidentally GrandSon1 is learning Japanese on Duolingo. He will probably be fluent in Japanese before I am in Welsh.

Toads and Bono

Ladies and gentlemen, toad in the hole!

And my Dublin jigsaw. Interesting chats with myself. "This must be a piece of ape. No, wait, it's Molly Malone. Now is this a paw? No, it's Bono's ear."

I've just realised this is a photo of the box but I have completed it, honestly.

* * * * *

In Zac's today it was non-stop and we ran out of food! We had to resort to giving the latecomers pot noodles and cake. 

After two very good days I've not done much today. We just finished watching Elvis on Netflix. I've always loved Elvis and hadn't realised the extent of mismanagement and greed, and the whole tragedy of his life.

One is not enough

And I'm not talking about Maltesers!

Not satisfied with one walk I went for another with Husband this afternoon, a flatter shorter walk over Mumbles Hill. On the way back we stopped at the library for me to return books and pick up the latest from Richard Osman, before we called into M&S for something for dinner. 

We opted for the easy Dine In for £15 offer. 

On the way home I was thinking how I used to have more enthusiasm for cooking and, in fact, for everything. And I realised I didn't have that much life left in which to do stuff. Stuff like make toad in the hole*!

So we're having toad in the hole for dinner tomorrow. 

That said, today has been another good day for getting through my list.

*Toad in the hole is sausages in batter - not individually but in a big dish. I'll show you a photo tomorrow. If it works.

On a wonderful day like today!

It was -1.5 degrees when I got in the car this morning and the steering wheel hurt my hands. By the time I came back from the walk with Daughter and dogs it was 2 degrees and I was roasting in all my layers.

It was a glorious day. If you look very very closely at about the centre of the photo you will see two tiny figures about to go swimming. No wetsuits, just swimming costumes. We could hear their screams from the top of the cliffs.

* * * * *

I'm doing a Dublin jigsaw at the moment and I find myself talking to myself in what I think is an Irish accent. We've been to Dublin and I have to admit I didn't even know they had a zoo, but there are bears and lemurs and tigers popping up all over the place. As well as the Dubliners and U2.