Back Again!

JamCam043
Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

This is me after talking to BT on the phone for 2 hours every day for the last week! Hazel phoned them again this morning when the drivers disc from BT turned up. It had a whole list of things to reconfigure before we could use it. As she was idly waiting for yet another helpline in India to arrive she typed in a variation of "user names" and one actually worked! Hooray! Magic Fingers Jones strikes again! So happily we are back online though have a great distrust for BT and still thinking about changing. But for now we its all sorted thank goodness. Its surprising how those little everyday tasks like checking emails and blogs etc. can rule your life! So glad I don't have to go to the library aagin to do it as they are tripping over one another down there and you don't feel comfortable with people next to you making snorting noises and rustling papers etc. Very distracting!
So what have wee been up to this last week besides being on the phone all the time? Well, went to town a few times but no great bargains. Borrowed "Serenity" DVD from the library that was fun if rather confusing. Makes me wonder what the failed series was like? Anybody see it? Firefly?
Have been collecting the Ealing Comedies fromm the Daily Wail (fit for rabbit bedding) everyday. A terrific free DVD everyday last week including The Ladykillers with Alec Guinness. Billy Liar with Tom Courtney etc. More next week. Sadly you can only pick them up at W.H. Smiths.
The weather hasd been great so Hazel and Archie have been outside in the garden alot. They just showed me the first crop of Rocket in a pot which tastes great and will add a zing to our salads.
A busy weekend ahead with Archie off to a birthday party tomorrow and then a boot sale. On Monday an exhibition and another boot over at Runcorn.

Broadband Down

Sorry for delay in adding to this blog as BT have blocked our Broadband signal for some reason ( sheer stupidity?) and have been three days trying to get them to turn it bcak on again - well, actually its more complicated than that! I tried to configure a wireless router for the new PC and thats when it all went pearshaped. Ive taken the whole useless Linksys mess back to Dixons! Worthless peice of junk!
So I imagined I'd altered some settings when the signal went so phoned the BT "Helpline" (hah!) who passed me along the line and round in circles for a good few hours, getting no where. So thats it in a nut shell. The curse of technology.
Hopefully it will be on when I return home but doubt it. So if you dont hear from me for a while you'll know the reason why.

Busy Weekend

Doing what? Well, firstly a walk into town yesterday to get some toothpaste and eggs. To remember I had to keep this image of eggs being scrubbed by a toothbrush to make them shine in my head. It worked. Also got some cheap DVDs from the old newspapers - mostly "Carry On" films and some ancient sit-coms that got made into films at the hieght of their popularity like "Are You Being Served" and "The Likely Lads". They seemed mildly amusing at the time but I'm sure they will seem quite cringe worthy now! Hazel and Archie spent some time in the garden. Later we treated ourselves to a take-away curry from the "Up The Khyber" or whatever it's called over in the next village. Very nice it was too. We cooked the rice ourselves to save some money.
The boot sale today alas, was cancelled so we drove roun d the country lanes for a bit and saw two red London double decker buses! Old "Routemasters" that have juts been retired from service ( except for tourist purposes). I expect they sold them to collectors and they were off to an old vehicle fair of some sort.
We had a bag of old stale bread so stopped off at Shakerly to feed the ducks, geese and swans. Walked round the lake once and headed home for a late breakfast or was it a brunch? Hazel took the old PC to the tip in the afternoon on her way to pick up her Mom and sister to bring them back here for tea and fruit tart they had made. Also they took the oppertunity to see Archie's new animation which is completed and looks very good. Alas can't show it hear yet as its being entered for the Music festival or whatever it's called part of the Cornerhouse Film thingy in October. They also had a look at the new PC as they are thinking of getting one too.
Amused by the Vox Box that Hazel and Archie recorded for the BBC's "Politics Show". Hazel was sure they would edit her rant about "gardens and bird feeders" out but they included it and Archie's anti nuclear stance!
Granma sorted through some of Hazel's postcards she bought at Crewe last week. She collects them too and picked a few out to take home. One of my finds above.

Eat More Fruit

Another of Archie's animations he made recently and uploaded to YouTube and his BLOG. He played the nifty guitar music on this too.

A Rainy Day in Crewe

Just back from Crewe where we dived into shops trying to stay out of the rain. Luckily it stopped after a while and the sun even came out. Most of the flea market was under cover so able to get a few bargains including some old postcards and photos from a nice old couple who were selling them for 10p each. Hazel bought 60 and I only got 21 but wish I'd gone back for more. I expect some will turn up on Flickr later on today or tomorrow. Also found some cheap DVD's of Laurel & Hardy films in the Pound Shop including Flying Deuces and Toyland.
Archie bought himself some Lego. Archie missed breakfast this morning so had a cheese pasty from the bakers. When we got home I assumed he'd had enough and so didn't cook him a veg. burger and he was most upset that I'd left him out! I'd forgotten he was a growing lad!

Rotten Thursday- Good Friday

Happy Easter to all. What have we been up to these last few days? Let me think?.....Err ummm? Oh yes, it was a busy day for Hazel on Wednesday when she had to take the rabbit to the eye clinic, Archie to the vets to have his nails trimmed and Granma to the .... no wait a minute, I've got that all wrong? It was Granma to the vets to have her bottom scraped, Archie to the eye clinic to have chipped tooth fixed... not it was the rabbit to the dentist to have her teeth pointed at and errrr.... my memory is terribly bad these days! It wasa busy day anyway and all those jobs got done. Good job Hazel had the car to do it.
Archie has been working on his latest animation and it's looking good. About two thirds done. They have been in the garden and weeded and seeded. I walked to town yesterday and didnt get much in the bargain department. Being a 4 day. I got my haircut though so lucky the place was empty. The barber was playing on his PSP. A new game called "Short Back & Sides". Felt a bit drafty round the old lug-holes when I came out. My old Dad would be pleased though. My hair was a constant source of displeasure to him. He often called me the Wild Man of Borneo! (amongst other things!)
I've been working on some collages- some for the Viv Stanshall yahoo group. The one above is quite old but thought it appropriate for Easter. Nice and sunny here so hopefully going out for a walk later.

Roman about in Chester

Archie wasnt keen to go to Manchester with Hazel as she was busy with her exhibition and so we went to Chester instead , by train,which I was surprised by as he knows I like to traipse round all the charity shops and Archie hates that! We did have a nice walk down by the river though and a picnic lunch on a bench by the Roman gardens. Later we climbed up past the ruins and the reconstruction of the under floor heating to see the remains of the colloseum which looked more like a badly designed roundabout and gravel pit. Then along the city wall to the cathedral and back to the town centre. We took a few photos which can be found at Flickr. Didn't find many bargains though Archie did find a book of hundreds of different chords for the guitar - one per page. He also bought an expensive Futurama comic to read on the train - which took about 10 minutes.

Hailstones like gall-stones.

Just a bit about the boot sale today in Verdin Park. The day started well with lots of sun despite being a bit nippy. We got to the boot sale around 9 a.m. and luckily there were lots of cars and lots of junk to look through. Found some lovely old sepia photos and negatives in original "Illingworth's Film" paper wallet from the 50's I think. All for 50p. Archie got a few things too from the same stall - a letter from the Tax Office dated 1943 ( goodness knows why he wanted this?) and a nice old crinkled telegram from 1962 wishing members of Dublin branch of BLC Films a Happy Christmas!
Hazel got a few metal objects including a primitive light meter reader and brass film cannister. See them at her blog HERE.
I found a recent compilaton on the Disky label of some Bristish Comedy songs and sketch's by the likes of Frankie Howard, Norman Wisdom and Max Miller. Some I have already but others are new to me. A DVD of the "Last of the 1948 Show" with John Cleese, Marty Feldman etc. I watched a bit of it this afternoon - it was pretty awful! Still it was only 50p so that's o.k.
I tripped over a childs pushchair and nearly went flying. Pretty muddy in the park and cars had churned up the turf pretty badly. Also got a bag of Pritt Stick glue sticks for a quid which is very cheap as they cost over a pound each usually. 5 in a bag. So all in all a good mornings booting with lots of bargains. As we were driving home the rain came down, so lucky with the weather too. Later on when Hazel took her Mom and sister the heavens opened and huge hailstones pelted down and drove all the punters away.

Archie has been making good progress with his animation for the Cornerhouse. It's looking great, even though we say so ourselves. He worked on it again this afternoon and even found time to do some hoovering and cleaned the rabbit out!
Hazel took a plant over to the new neighbours and said they seemed very nice. The man of the house was laying a new floor in the conservatory.

Move It

Lots of moving going on this week. Our good friend Art Nahpro is moving down in Sussex to a lovely house , deep in the countryside. Also our neighbours Andrew, Sara and their two kids are moving to a bigger house in a nearby village. Hazel volunteered her box packing services and helped out yesterday. I did my bit by going to the chippy round the corner for the lunch which we ate at our place. The new neighbours have moved in now and confusing us by having a blue car each which will clash horribly with all the other blue cars in the street - we won't know who's is who's if anybody asks to move them etc.!
Archie is happy now he has broken up for Easter and has two weeks to continue with his latest animation for Easter project from the Cornerhouse. He had to choose a song in a list of new bands from Manchester. Its looking great so far but can't tell you much about it yet.
Hazel is aching all over from her box packing today. She's been in the workshop again - finishing off some work for this exhibition at the MMU.
I've been doing some collages for Scrapiteria ( one above) for the new theme of Stars at Home.

Rainy Sunday Boot Sale

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Originally uploaded by wastedpapiers.

The only boot sale was at Anderton in the community hall and the small field outside didn't find much just a double CD by Russ Noble - "Russ Noble Goes Global" that used to be on Radio 4 a few years back before he became a big name on the comedy scene. Hazel got some plants and a very substantial metal propelling pencil with lots of dents all over it. Archie got the bargain of the day with a stack of 10 " Horrible Histories" for 10p each. All looked brand new but smelled of cigarettes he said. Hazel took her Mom and sister later on and they got three bags of wool and nick nacks.
This afternoon we saw "Ice Age 2 " at the Regal that was fun though not quite as clever as the first one.
Then back to Granma's house for tea and biscuits and a view of their finished jigsaw. I helped Archie break it up and pack it away.

The Little Dot We Live On

A fine sunny morning so had a pleasant walk into town early to get a few things - black face soap, nail through finger, fake blood, rubber pencil, rubber fried egg etc. The library sale came up trumps with an old Richard Thompson CD and one by Vic Chessnut for a quid each. Also a video of Bob & Margaret animated by Alison Snowden and David Fine. I always enjoyed there brand of english humour ( though David Fine is from Canada I think).
I didnt find any pound coins super-glued to the pavement this year or fake dog turds. Quite an uneventful walk really. I got some bread that had no mouse traps inside and some sticky labels for Hazel's " String Too Short For Use" badges that she's just had made by Mark Pawson for her exhibition at MMU.
We tried to trick Archie as he came down for breakfast at 11 ( he needs a good sleep ) we said that we'd eaten all the bagels. He wasnt fooled though and found them in the bread bin. He spent a very long time in the bathroom and we discovered later he'd changed over all the labels on the shampoo and soap etc. to get us back.