My apologies
By balcony
9 comments
My apologies for not posting or commenting on people’s blogs/photos, etc. Since my main computer went West some weeks ago I struggle to use the tiny one my brother gave some weeks before that happened. I still haven’t been able to afford another bigger one. I’d prefer a desktop computer over a laptop as I’ve been accustomed these last 15 years to using one. I have a desk I still use that came as part & parcel of a deal from an electrical retailer in town. We got it as part of a packet when we bought our first PC; a printer was also included. We felt it was a deal too good to miss so we bought it; the PC came with the newest Windows OS, XP, preinstalled!
This week MC has launched its latest Windows OS (10) I need to save up & get myself a new one with Win 10 preinstalled on it!
I haven’t been writing blogs either because I have all my old photos “locked up” on the HDD of the old computer! I’m now starting to build a new collection of photos on this tiny laptop. I now make sure all my photos are also stored online (in the “cloud” as the term is used nowadays!)
This computer has Windows 8.1 installed on it & I’m still learning some of its “peculiarities”! LOL!
Another reason is that I’ve hardly been down to the allotments much this last month & haven’t got much to write about. I find that I spend a lot of time naming my photos & storing them on the computer. I must have them named & put into folders so I can find them easily when I want to post a photo in a blog. I’m still struggling to find where they end up when I want to post them! It’s not nearly as easy as Win XP! I hope Win 10 will better at letting me find them when I want to find them to post in a blog.
We still have our son & wife with their little 2 year old daughter staying with us. They are trying to find a house for themselves but it is very difficult. Our son has now been working for the last 6 weeks but his wife finds it impossible to get work! She has sent her CV to 100s of places but most often she never gets a reply – something that frustrates her tremendously (& us as well!). She has been to several interviews but often she never hears anything more or she isn’t accepted. Her spoken English is not very good & she still has quite a strong Spanish accent. Nevertheless, according to my brother, who has lunch with us most Sundays, she is improving!
Our little granddaughter is picking up English words & expressions & has very little Spanish accent. I try to speak to her mostly in English even though I know she can’t understand everything I say to her. Playing with our two older English grandkids is a help to her & she really adores our oldest granddaughter, Kirsty, who is 8 years old. Unfortunately our younger, (4 year old), grandson, James, doesn’t get on very well with her.
The last day of July is almost over. What a contrast the last week of this month has been compared to the first week of the month, especially the 1st day of July when we had the hottest day on record for many places in the UK, at least since 2013. Here it has been a poor month, like it has been over most of the UK. It seems that August will start on a warmer note but by the end of the first week of the month the cooler weather, with showers, will be back! At least temperatures are expected to remain close to the norm for early August.
Perhaps during August I will be able to post more often. Nevertheless I still try to read people’s blogs even if I don’t post. I often read them on my phone but find the screen really too small to write blogs on. It’s one thing to write short texts or comments on one of the messengers but its quite another to make up blogs!
Happy gardening to everyone & may August be better for us all! :-))
31 Jul, 2015
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Comments
Don't worry about not commenting Balcony. We all have periods when we can't for one reason or another.
I hope however, that you'll be able to get a new computer soon.
I must be honest - I prefer a desktop one myself.
It's all very well (and essential in Britain) to speak English, but I do hope your grand daughter will never loose her Spanish language and accent. It's part of who she is, and also an advantage.
It's good to be multilingual :o)
1 Aug, 2015
Hi Balcony
Good luck with getting back in the groove with computers etc. Lately I've taught myself filming little movies, and I've trained myself to regularly save everything externally from my laptop... photos, files, movies... all there on back up.
It will be useful if your grandchildren have knowledge of other languages. I hope your son's wife finds work soon.
Maybe keep a look out for new businesses planning to start up, and try to apply before everyone else !
Yes... strange weather this summer... too much drought, then a week of rain and then very cold for mid summer... better this weekend though. :o)
1 Aug, 2015
My hubby uses a desktop, daughter and I use laptops, Sherryl is a legal secretary so flitting to different computer setups is second nature to her, however hubby still struggles on our laptops, his language gets very colourful when he is using one of ours for some reason and I have never mastered his setup, I simply cannot use a mouse, its completely alien to me and I worry in case I do something wrong, mind you because I don't touch it I cannot be accused of anything, I even refuse to clean around all his bits and bobs, its like Spaghetti Junction around his desk, lol.
I've just downloaded Windows 10 so I am having fun at the moment, its not all that different actually, I know for a fact that there were lots on 8.1 that I had never got used to and I was forever losing things, I guess I never will now, lol...I have a stylus for my phone, if my arthritis is playing up I have problems hitting the little squares and end up writing a load of mispelt words, it works on my tablet as well, I most certainly would not want to write a blog on it..
Hope your family find their own home soon and also that your daughter-in-law manages to find a job, we will catch up soon Balcony, thankyou for letting us know you are ok..
1 Aug, 2015
Good to hear from you again Balcony. It seems to have been the time for computers to die - Fran's and mine and now yours...I have taken the plunge from PC to laptop but have it on the old desk with a proper keyboard on the keyboard shelf - I can't be doing with fiddling about with a laptop keyboard. I did try having it on my lap but got horribly stiff neck and shoulders. And as for doing without the mouse - a complete no no!
Its sad that your family is having trouble finding both a new home and a job. Lets hope that when both do turn up they will be just what is wanted. It must be so dispiriting to make so many applications with no results. The little girl is at an ideal age to learn English - the brain has a special facility for learning language which sadly disappears at about age 7. Best wishes to all of you.
1 Aug, 2015
We had a friend of my son's over this week from Spain. She is Scottish with a Spanish husband. Her little girl aged four is bilingual but it took her mum at about a year to be employable in Spain. Once you are in the country learning the language speeds up tho'.
I am writing this on my ipad using the stylus from my phone. Our main computer gave up the ghost recently too, but we decided on a holiday instead of a new computer......it is on the list. :0)
1 Aug, 2015
Thank you all for your encouraging comments! :-)) It's one of the things that make GoY such a great gardening forum! :-))
\
I do have my photos backed up but on the 2nd HDD! As the computer won't start up all my photos are still save & sound on the HD but unavailable to this mini-laptop. A great many are stored in the "cloud". I have easy access to them but before I can post any on GoY I have to first download them again! Therefore it's much easier to build up my library of photos again from scratch. Most photos I use on the different forums I post on are some of the most recent I've taken. Only very occasionally do I want an older photo so it's not too much of a problem. Now I back up even more of my photos to the "cloud" so none are lost.
1 Aug, 2015
Your daughter in law may be more successful aiming for part time work at a country pub that does meals. It is
unsocial hours, evenings and weekends usually. They have to employ students who tend to be difficult to manage at times, fooling about and excitable. Might prefer an older woman. Not to much talking to do in English, just have to learn the menu, and smile ! Tips are shared with the kitchen staff, and tax free.
2 Aug, 2015
Thanks Diane. :-))
3 Aug, 2015
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Latvian in the flat, and English outside the flat.
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