Now that's what I call a stroll

It has been all but 4 years since I last updated my walk down life longs highway. I made a decision this week to try and continue my meager scribblings to at least catalogue this stage in the journey.

I have six weeks ago undergone a total knee replacement to my right knee and despite the rather tight schedule the left knee is planned for January 2k11. No cause for sympathy here though, I'm in a win win situation. My knees are so shot with Osteoarthritis I have been unable to do much at all this last year, especially ride my motorcycle. I have developed Rheumatoid arthritis so knee joints will also prevent them being attacked to any huge degree, see? win win! If the left knee goes as well as the right then I will be riding again by Easter.

I am sorting my thoughts on the whole operation thing and I'm sure I will be able to offer some words of wisdom on the proceedings, but as the gym nuts among us say "There's no gain without pain" how true.

A quick visit

Since my last scribblings I have been ensconced in the development of a company website. Interesting in only that its amazing how pickety and fiddley you become when you bare your all to the world. Some of us put on a better show than others, natural advantage and all that. Some just get on with their lives, interacting with the rest of the world as we steam on by, with no intention of ever docking save for supplies and repairs. Little things you check and redo check and redo are still so unsatisfactory in the light of a new day that you wonder why you even bothered to start the night before. I see the perfectionist in my darling every day, and with a wry smile oft think, I wish was I thus dedicated, only to realise that in fact you're worse and better all in one.





Having paid a visit to the Matriarch the other morning, 0045 to be precise. I was relieved to find her fast a bo bo s in bed, giving it large. Giving it very very large actually. Thankfully. Her trusty hound to one side and her feline ginger whinger on the other offering what ever protection well fed, sleeping, comfortable pets do at that time of the night. I got a cursory once over as I shouted up the stairs the time worn classic, "are you awake" knowing full well that there is only one answer to such a barked request..." of course I am now" I smiled to myself..... Good! Then we're both up aren't we? She had retired from the Jungle early, way too early to be normal as the tpm always gave her a roll on the drums approaching midnight. This night she had not been available since 2200 hours. And had not rolled out the news of her indecently early retirement. A fruitless call to the first born left us none the wiser and so a trek was deemed neccesary.

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A short 25 minutes for me or close to an hour for the tpm. As he had journeyed upon a similar mission last time at 0300 recently following a received drum roll from the matriarch which then proved to be unobtainable, (she had put the phone under the pillow, accidentally pressed quick dial and then proceeded to give it large give it very very large once more.) I volountered, Pelo the hero! Or was it "Pelo the hero" I volountered. All's well that ends well, I do like a night drive..... in freezing fog, straight from my warm, cuddly hotty adorned sick bed. I s'pose its recompense for all those dirty nappies. But fear not the tpm and I are certainly getting some mileage out of it this week. Whereas mileage seems to be somewhat of a major a problem to the rest of the pack.



Our visit, the Matriarch and I, to her sister in Leeds following a rather savage RTA will be followed up tomorrow, to check on their recovery and hopefully espy a new charabang for them which will be suitable for their future transportation requirements. Don't you just hate it when someone says you know a bit about cars? "Oh indeed I do.... always take a mechanic along" ...Ohhh I see you want me to come along in that capacity? (Is my life not riddled with enough guilt, without talking family into buying a lemon that any fool could see was unsuitable, if for no other reason than the citrus burn to your eyeballs. ) "Of course I'd be happy to share my knowledge about all things automotive with you" (Always take a mechanic along) Done that, right what's next.


Is that the roll of the drums announcing tiffin'?.. I do believe so, can't decide on which jungle delicacy to have today, smoked trout or freshwater shrimp, ho humm....... Or maybe a silverback butt (y)

Now I've Seen It!

It has been some time since I have managed to tickle these keys and point some prose into the blog. I have been I must admit inundated with requests for technical support and answers to problems which were not readily at hand. But after a week of struggle and strife and sacrifice I have at last Seen the Light. I have always adopted the KISS approach to problems. Keep it simple stupid! (or Keep it Stupidly Simple if you are of a delicate disposition tpm). In the end it often the easy problem which is the culprit. Why did I go looking for the complicated, overlooking the simply obvious? I do simple really well. I am told. tpm

My light turned on and I realised that I was caught between the Blogs, the old and the new and so was everyone else that I had been researching. There isn't a problem with inserting code and script its soooh very very easy that I can't believe I overlooked the obvious, again. I now just need to master the blog archive to make sure that all is safe and recoverable, what can I tell you I am a geek. The writing may be substandard but the data is safe! And I'll fight for the right to keep it so. I am now moved onto updating my business webpage whilst I am in the mood although I do find that colour clashes and conflicts and complimentary arrangements are not really my strong point. What is wrong with black and white. (keep jade out of this please) I am able to discern what doesn't work but as for what does is anyone's guess. So no constructive criticism here, you'll just have to take it on the chin or in the pudding basket.


My virtual loveerrr goes from strength to strength in her battle against the northern elements
(of which there really are a few quite rare / raw /choice elements!) and has crossed the pond with such a pace that she never even got to paddle with the little one's, quel domage! cherie, I'm sure there will be time on the way back.

I will be here waiting, brew in hand!

Hiccups at the Mill

My last post was dedicated ta "Trouble at Mill" which they call Google. I was an unimpressed and peeved at the efforts seemingly required to set things up which then proved to be totally fruitless. However within a couple of days having abandonned all thoughts of further messing both the web site and the blog redirect both came up as they were supposed. The package is working and all is right with the world. I received a very nice email from Google asking me if everything was working and could they close the call, "of course you can my fine fellow" why the hell didn't you say it was a widespread problem anbd we are giving it our best endeavours to make it work. I'd have sighed and gone away to play with some other toys in the interim. Still
job done and working so far. Thankyou Google

Now for some serious editorial comment.....
Yesterday was my birthday, very nice it was too. I was lunched with the snoring matriarch

and my elder sibling, teapot, who still managed to present a tepid libation infused with the leaf. This would not be an unusual state of affairs were I rendering technical first aid to the PC and its
various communication devices, {pc tea}, everyone in the industry has experienced this blight at some point or other. But when visiting for afternoon tea to receive such an offering to accompany one's birthday cake made specially by mrs. teapotmeister and retrospectively designed in the shape of the bikini atoll, (more later perhaps, when it is fully consumed) was verging on a tragedy. Upon questioning the teapot as to why this should be the case he blamed me for not drinking it quickly enough. I, explaining that a 2 gallon bucket doesn't just pour into a 4 pint bladder, (It is noted that his preferred vessel is a china mug of minute proportions, something he is well used to, minute proportions I mean.) He went off in a huff to make a fresh one. So suitably fed and refreshed, armed with Iced Banana Cake galore I returned to the arms of my loving wife and kids.We have 9 in total, it was a tough job but somebody had to do it (2 little putty tats and 7 ickle fishes adopted from my cousin) We dined heartily on Ribs and Chinese washed down with a Seis cents soixante quarte bierre blanc our tipple of the moment. By which time I was pooped and retired a year older than I had risen.

Today I am back to looking for HTML,Web stuff and all nice fings to play with to enhance both the website and the blog. Now things are right with the world of Google I am in the mood to play. My loverrrr in this virtual world Wife In The North has begun to publish herself in earnest and I hang off every word that floats across the screen before my very oculars. Her quest has tested my meagre internet knowledge to its limits and beyond but in an effort not to disappoint, am I not there 24/7/365 searching for the answers to an ever increasing number of increasingly more complex questions, trying to satisfy her as she gets more and more demanding. High maintenance is a phrase that springs to mind, but the obvious pleasure that ensues a success, such whoops of joy and "how cool is that?" make this a schedule to fly with. I wish her well with her quest, and offer her my undying support.

Ah You have MAIL.....! Time to get back at it, TTFN (tata for now)

Google Apps for your Domain and Blogspot Problems

I have spent the best part of three days trying to set up the Google Apps For Your Domain.

It has been an infuriating journey to hell and back. I absolutely loved the idea of Google offering all they were for my Blog and then to host my web site, everything looked great, they talked a really good fight, in print. You couldn't actually get to talk to anybody or even write to anybody, its all automated with seemingly no follow up.

Read for yourself the topics being posted and going unanswered

Having spent hours and hours overcoming the blogger probs with someone else publishing at this domain and then the web site not loading or linked with Google I finally at 0200 hours got the both working and went to bed. Next morning I received two emails via the link on my website so I know it was working first thing in the morning, as was the blog redirect. An hour later when I go to check neither is working, the pages just hang for both. There is no 404, no kiss my butt or anything useful at all. I started again all day fiddling, reading and re-reading the less than explicit help files, by 0100 the following morning, this morning that is, I had once again, I thought, reset everything (actually to where it was the night before but hey I'm thorough,) and was working on both again. Later this morning when I arose to admire my handywork guess what.... absolutely NOTTEN!! you are correct.

I've been trying all day and still no joy at 2130 i posted message on the support groups complaining and asking for others experiences, miraculously and for one attempt only the web site popped up. No sooner had I queried why this should happen so soon after a post than it was gone again.

Looking further through the topics it seems that Google just haven't got the setup, or the support staff to even try and deal with these errors which have no error codes to help isolate problems. Companies with nearly 400 email users are down, websites won't load, and the blogger community are struggling to point their blogs to domains they have purchased soley for that purpose because of what Google have offered. My advice to those considering progressing further with Google is wait! or else you'll end up taking a domain name and your blog somewhere else where you might have to pay to host it. If you knew that was the case would you have registered a domain in the first place or would you just have kept blogging happily?

See my post here and browse around the others while your there

I will update my blog when I have more news on the state of play but rather than waste time, playing with Google, until they tell me what's what, I will spend my time researching better ways of blogging with other sites and perhaps hosting my website elswhere. It truly is a shame, it could have been so good!


Tip of the day ....................................

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WAIT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I'll be Back" (but with HTML)

I have journeyed this week to visit the Wirralian tpm. An entertaining day on several fronts. Especially when served by a purported expert on the leaf with several cold and undrinkable libations. He of course blames the proximity of the pcb, rodent, keyboard and monitor for the faux pas but as an IT professional I can assure you that the single minded dedication and total concentration to the task in hand would never allow that to happen…….too often….occasionally….perhaps.

Just over a week ago I was hospitalised with some virus which had laid me low with stiff and aching joints, hardly able to stand let alone walk without the aid of crutches. I was discharged with orders to rest and to take the magic mushrooms as prescribed.

I am to find myself engaged on this blog, not because I wanted to cry out to the world but more to assess the technicalities of the blogger program to enhance the visual effect for family friends already so involved. It has become the grail. I want to create my own templates, my own pages, my own heads and bodies and tags. Only a slight hiccup in the proceedings I don’t do and never did want to do CODE. Where am I recuperating? Correct! with my head in HTML, Dreamweaver and the like. What is more embarrassing is the fact that my sage-like but technically inept sibling walks through the code pages changing this and that at will with such alacrity, and with such total abandon that I am left reeling and reconsidering my career options. I doubt..., I do..., I need to see the finished display to understand what’s going on, call me Thomas if you will but that’s the way it is. ..........and as we all know “It is what it is”

So now I find myself hanging my shortcomings around my neck like a medallion for all to see. I am to get to the library and find a Dummies guide to HTML and as is the way with geeks, I will master the code problem, gain another qualification and drop it. It will have no interest to me save as a distant memory of another battle between a stupid machine, designed by man, made by man for the use of man. “Sky Net” will never rule this domain. I know that I shoud be able to multi-task but I just cannot read and write at the same time, so I'll be back!

The weather looks as if it’s set for the week so I'll have to don my waders and make some inroads into the ether if this blog is to ever take off.

Even with my best intentions I have not prepared this little edict as well as I would have liked. But have spent more time playing with templates and page elements for both myself and family who seem also to be gripped with the need to confess to their everyday tribulations. I believe that they may fly a lot higher than my over meagre bulk will allow me so to do, but with scholarly exercise and purging of the grey matter I maybe able to soar a little at least for a while.

I, since my amalgamation with blogger , have taken an imaginary, pen lover, I never lacked imagination,

“Wife in the North”. Her plight touches me deeply, alone! with a house full and possessed with such a passion for the society life so recently given up after so many years of participation therein. I will I’m sure be able to offer solace and understanding from afar even if only in the chocolate department. We shall see how the story unfolds.

I am further associated with a Wirrilian TeaPotMeister (A tea swilling Scouser to you and me) who demands it hot, steamy and always freshly brewed with two Dolly Partons every mug. I’m not surprised at all that his partner prefers to drink
naught but soda pops.(A quick shake, the ringpull and the fizz, soon gone, but no tanin to clean up afterwards) The effect of his medication is somewhat uncertain but he purports to be partaking of the infusion regularly. He prefers not the drawstrings of the modern bag, perhaps as well, as I fear the implications of letting him loose with rope and twine whilst thus sedated. But I’m sure that when brewed he will mash to a full bodied mature blogger, not quite like Yorkshire Tea, I hope, (a little bitter for some tastes) but more an English breakfast tea type. I will risk it with a biscuit, will you? www.teapotmeister.blogspot.com