Week of 14th September, 2020

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Monday, 14th September

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Tuesday, 15th September

Ulysses' service and MOT today. I bestirred myself early, and managed to get out of the house just after 09:00, and delivered the car to my tame independent garage a few minutes later. Obviously, that's on 4 wheels, it's the better part of an hour on foot. If I could walk that far, the which I doubt. My sense of balance is not what it was, and my stamina is conspicuous by its absence these days.

Anyway, having left the car to be fettled, I walked down to the relatively nearby Tesco, and the Costa there, where I had breakfast, in hopes of being able to do my downloads and update these pages.

No such luck. For some reason, I couldn't get a 4G connection, or indeed an anyG connection. Data flow was there none. Not with the Huawei Wingle, nor yet with the Nokia. Odd, but possibly due to where I was sitting. I'll confirm later.

So then it was an excursion to the local big shops, via 2 buses. Nothing much of interest there, but while I was hoofing it through the shopping mall, the phone blasted off. It was the garage, "Your car is fixed." Quick that, it's not lunchtime yet, and cheap, as well, at UKP160. So now I have the return schlep.

Eventually, I got there, and sure enough there was the MOT certificate, a pass. So no major expenditures until next year, I hope.

Talking of 4G data connections, I recently saw a post ridiculing one of the anti-5G organisations, by reposting from their Twitter feed. Basically, the claim was that NASA(!!!) had evidence in support of their claims that 5G is dangerous, "10 seconds of 5G exposure will cause unconsciousness," not understanding the context that NASA were talking about 5 gravities of acceleration, not exposure to 5G radio frequencies. The stupidity of anti-5G campaigners, and for that matter anti-vaxxers, knows no bounds.

Next: my ongoing investigation of the possible consequences (for me, and Ulysses) of the upcoming introduction of E10 petrol. I phoned SEAT UK, and their phone slave didn't even know that the change is coming! But one of the mechanics at my tame garage suggested checking with DVLA. I would have thought that the manufacturer would have better knowledge, but any lead is good.

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Wednesday, 16th September

Battle of Britain Day

80 years ago yesterday, the Royal Air Force, in defending Britain against attacks by the German Luftwaffe, scored a dramatic victory in the skies of Southern England. To commemorate this, the BBC ran an edited version of a programme about the events of 1940, presented by actor Euan McGregor, and his ex-RAF pilot brother, Colin. This included a flight experience in a 2-seater Spitfire - Colin learned to fly the type, and Euan sat in for a second flight. There were interviews with Battle of Britain veterans, all of whom have died since the original programme was made in 2010. They were the last of the Few:

Never, in the field of Human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so Few.

Winston S. Churchill

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Thursday, 17th September

I'm going out to Katy's tomorrow, to allow entrance to a plumber - at some point in the day. Currently, that point will be between 08:00 and 18:00, so unless I hear otherwise, I'll be there as soon as possible, with computers and radios complete. And a BlueTooth earset hung on my ear, just in case the plumber gets there before I do.

I've nearly run out of coffee, again. Reordering from Big River is no chore, though. Delivery tomorrow.

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Friday, 18th September

It's lunchtime as I type this at Katy's, and I'm feeding myself with the pizza she left for me. No sign of the plumber as yet, nor of a phone call to say he's on his way.

But at least I've learned that <Fn-Up Arrow> does <PgUp> on a Mac, and that <Cmd-Click> on a link will open that link in a new tab in Firefox, and done the about:config to set that to bring the new tab to the front.

<Later>

No plumber, at all. Net even a phone call to apologise for the no-show. Katy is... displeased. It's 18:15 as I type this, and there's no-one answering at either the plumber, or British Gas. Cue irate phone call tomorrow, when BG claim to be staffing their phones.

And Amazon delivered the coffee. So I can continue my caffeine addiction.

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Saturday, 19th September

A day or so ago, I received a reminder letter from my optician, to make an appointment for my yearly eye test. So I phoned up, and the appointment is made for this coming Thursday, the 24th, in the afternoon.

Katy chased up the plumbing appointment, and received profuse apologies from British Gas. Their contractor let them down, but they offered another appointment this coming Tuesday morning, which she accepted, after consulting with me - since she'll be at school. So that's another schlep to Denham

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Sunday, 20th September

Jane has gone out to Katy's, there to bake apple pies - I think. Baking, anyway. It's all quiet.

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