A little cooler today, and bit of cloud around. There was no football so we had a quiet day. the Silver Vixen was focussed on a pattern that she was cutting out. The Gorse Fox spent time on the computer. A new version of the Family Tree Maker software had been released so he installed that and then spent a while checking through the various hints and tips that were showing up on Ancestry. Several new facts emerged and he was able to correct a couple of omissions.
In the afternoon he headed over to see Old Bill. The computer from which he had recovered files the other day was now ready to be wiped and repurposed. It didn't take too long. One small USB stick and twenty-five minutes later the old Dell Inspiron was running Ubuntu Bionic Beaver.
Just over three weeks until Cousteau-Cub is back home for a visit. We are all looking forward so much to seeing her.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Crowned
Another glorious day. We have been so lucky with the weather this year, and today we got another day of wall to wall sunshine.
We started the day with an early Amazon delivery. (This makes a change as Amazon usually seem to catch us on their return journey and deliver late in the afternoon or evening). It was only a multi-USB charger, but with watches and phones and tablets to charge, the Gorse Fox was planning to replace the old charger he had by the Silver Vixen's side of the bed. Cables were rationalised, tidied, bound up and run neatly as the new charger was put in place. We'll see how well this works out, over time.
We headed out late morning. Driving over the Downs, through Petworth and on to Chiddingfold. We found a parking space among the Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Teslas, and other exotic vehicle outside the pub. Betty and Barney Rubble were already waiting for us in The Crown, so we went straight to our table. We had a lovey lunch. The Gorse Fox started with halloumi, then had fish and chips (as did the Silver Vixen). This was quite spectacular as the waitress struggled in with a fillet of fish the size of mature whale shark. It was absolutely delicious.
We spent the next few hours sitting and chatting. In fact it was gone five o'clock before we stirred. Barney and the Gorse Fox went out to the car. The Gorse Fox is lending him his compressor and we needed to transfer it between the cars. Then we all said our goodbyes (set up some potential dates for our next meeting) and headed back home.
We had a fairly normal evening of TV but we rounded this off by watching a documentary-come-autobiography of Eric Clapton, called Life in 12 Bars. Absolutely engrossing.
We started the day with an early Amazon delivery. (This makes a change as Amazon usually seem to catch us on their return journey and deliver late in the afternoon or evening). It was only a multi-USB charger, but with watches and phones and tablets to charge, the Gorse Fox was planning to replace the old charger he had by the Silver Vixen's side of the bed. Cables were rationalised, tidied, bound up and run neatly as the new charger was put in place. We'll see how well this works out, over time.
We headed out late morning. Driving over the Downs, through Petworth and on to Chiddingfold. We found a parking space among the Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Teslas, and other exotic vehicle outside the pub. Betty and Barney Rubble were already waiting for us in The Crown, so we went straight to our table. We had a lovey lunch. The Gorse Fox started with halloumi, then had fish and chips (as did the Silver Vixen). This was quite spectacular as the waitress struggled in with a fillet of fish the size of mature whale shark. It was absolutely delicious.
We spent the next few hours sitting and chatting. In fact it was gone five o'clock before we stirred. Barney and the Gorse Fox went out to the car. The Gorse Fox is lending him his compressor and we needed to transfer it between the cars. Then we all said our goodbyes (set up some potential dates for our next meeting) and headed back home.
We had a fairly normal evening of TV but we rounded this off by watching a documentary-come-autobiography of Eric Clapton, called Life in 12 Bars. Absolutely engrossing.
Friday, September 28, 2018
Matt paint
Overcast start today but it did brighten up nicely by mid-morning.
The Silver Vixen was scheduled to head across to LA and watch Ellie for a couple of hours. The Gorse Fox was planning to do some work on the windows seat so wouldn't be going with her. He started, however, by updating the OS on his watch after upgrading his phone to IOS 12 overnight. All of this seems to have gone well and he hasn't noticed any problems during the day. If it all remains stable, then he'll upgrade the devices for the Silver Vixen.
Next he had a play with the TV. He wanted to see if he could connect a USB drive to the unit and download some Amazon Prime TV shows to the drive. This was not a success. There appears to be no option to download the shows - only to stream them. He'll have another look another day.
Out in the garage the widow seat was beckoning. The doors needed fitting and the whole unit needed some sanding down. The fitting of the door was not easy. This always seems to be the thing that gives the Gorse Fox the most trouble. The unit was manhandled onto its back so that he had gravity working in his favour, and after a couple of tries the doors were in situ. It then took some quality time with a belt sander to get everything to fit. Even now, the door aren't perfect, but they are pretty good.
The Gorse Fox sanded the unit down ready for a final coat of paint. That, however, is where he stopped. He is concerned that the chalk furniture paint that he has been using is just too flat and matt. He needs to discuss with Urban-Cub and will probably end up re-finishing it in satin or gloss.
Got a message from Barney Rubble. We plan to meet with them tomorrow in Chiddingfold. As Barney is intending to build his shed next week (when he has finished the quantity surveying for the materials) he wants to borrow the Gorse Fox's compressor. He doesn't need the nail gun (he has one of his own), but does need the compressor. The Gorse Fox dug it out from the corner of the garage and cleaned it up. he just needs to remember to put it in the car in the morning.
The Silver Vixen was scheduled to head across to LA and watch Ellie for a couple of hours. The Gorse Fox was planning to do some work on the windows seat so wouldn't be going with her. He started, however, by updating the OS on his watch after upgrading his phone to IOS 12 overnight. All of this seems to have gone well and he hasn't noticed any problems during the day. If it all remains stable, then he'll upgrade the devices for the Silver Vixen.
Next he had a play with the TV. He wanted to see if he could connect a USB drive to the unit and download some Amazon Prime TV shows to the drive. This was not a success. There appears to be no option to download the shows - only to stream them. He'll have another look another day.
Out in the garage the widow seat was beckoning. The doors needed fitting and the whole unit needed some sanding down. The fitting of the door was not easy. This always seems to be the thing that gives the Gorse Fox the most trouble. The unit was manhandled onto its back so that he had gravity working in his favour, and after a couple of tries the doors were in situ. It then took some quality time with a belt sander to get everything to fit. Even now, the door aren't perfect, but they are pretty good.
The Gorse Fox sanded the unit down ready for a final coat of paint. That, however, is where he stopped. He is concerned that the chalk furniture paint that he has been using is just too flat and matt. He needs to discuss with Urban-Cub and will probably end up re-finishing it in satin or gloss.
Got a message from Barney Rubble. We plan to meet with them tomorrow in Chiddingfold. As Barney is intending to build his shed next week (when he has finished the quantity surveying for the materials) he wants to borrow the Gorse Fox's compressor. He doesn't need the nail gun (he has one of his own), but does need the compressor. The Gorse Fox dug it out from the corner of the garage and cleaned it up. he just needs to remember to put it in the car in the morning.
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Summer's Swansong
The Gorse Fox could get used to days like this. A cool night but a cloudless sky when the sun came up. It has remained cloudless all day and has been very warm.
We had the usual start to Thursday with some household chores and the delivery from Ocado. Once all of that was dealt with we set off into the sunshine. Parking in town we strolled down to the pier.
A few fisherman were tending their boats and a pile of lobster pots was stacked on the pebbles. The glorious weather had brought out the visitors and there was a steady stream of people wandering along the promenade in both directions.
We headed eastwards.
It was a lovely warm morning and we made the most of it heading along past the seafront properties, past Butlins, and round the corner to The Lobster Pot.
It would have be silly to get that far and not pop in for a coffee, so we stopped. Realising it was lunchtime, the coffee we both ordered their seafood salad and enjoyed a lovely relaxed lunch in the sunshine.
Finally, the car park timer beckoned and we dragged ourselves away and headed back along the prom. There was a delay at one point where the traffic was being held as a film crew filmed a car rigged with cameras, and towed behind a camera truck for some TV show that is under development. All very interesting when you see them working on it.
We're back home naw and enjoying a quiet afternoon. The Gorse Fox has upgraded his Mac to the latest version of Mac OS (Mohave) and has also upgraded one of the MacBooks. He'll see how it works out before committing to the other MacBook. So far it seems ok on the Mac known as Condor.
A few fisherman were tending their boats and a pile of lobster pots was stacked on the pebbles. The glorious weather had brought out the visitors and there was a steady stream of people wandering along the promenade in both directions.
We headed eastwards.
It would have be silly to get that far and not pop in for a coffee, so we stopped. Realising it was lunchtime, the coffee we both ordered their seafood salad and enjoyed a lovely relaxed lunch in the sunshine.
Finally, the car park timer beckoned and we dragged ourselves away and headed back along the prom. There was a delay at one point where the traffic was being held as a film crew filmed a car rigged with cameras, and towed behind a camera truck for some TV show that is under development. All very interesting when you see them working on it.
We're back home naw and enjoying a quiet afternoon. The Gorse Fox has upgraded his Mac to the latest version of Mac OS (Mohave) and has also upgraded one of the MacBooks. He'll see how it works out before committing to the other MacBook. So far it seems ok on the Mac known as Condor.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Wow
Wow! What a day. Again it was chilly over night, but we have had wall to wall sunshine, without sight of a single cloud, since the sun came up. The temperature is hovering around the 20C mark and is 10 degrees hotter in the Orangery (even with the doors open).
The Silver Vixen had Pilates this morning - as is usual for a Wednesday, and the Gorse Fox set off for football soon after she left.
We had a couple of new boys at football today. One was the son of Runaldo and he turned out to be a very good footballer (though clearly much younger than the rest of us). The other was Suntan Barry from Worthing. The Gorse Fox is used to playing with him, as he is a regular on Tuesdays, but he is new to the Arun group.
The game started well with some wonderful passing play and a some classic use of "triangles" as we moved across the pitch. The Gorse Fox was playing for the "oranges" today and despite our slick play it was a quite a while before a goal was scored. To make matter worse it was the "yellows" who scored. We redoubled our effort and by half time we had pulled ahead, with a 2-1 lead. The second half was harder work as we were a man short, but despite that, we managed to pull further ahead. Finally, with just a few minutes remaining, the Gorse Fox cut through the middle onto a loose ball and scored his goal for the week. (He had been cutting things a bit fine).
The Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox are now enjoying a quiet afternoon.
The Silver Vixen had Pilates this morning - as is usual for a Wednesday, and the Gorse Fox set off for football soon after she left.
We had a couple of new boys at football today. One was the son of Runaldo and he turned out to be a very good footballer (though clearly much younger than the rest of us). The other was Suntan Barry from Worthing. The Gorse Fox is used to playing with him, as he is a regular on Tuesdays, but he is new to the Arun group.
The game started well with some wonderful passing play and a some classic use of "triangles" as we moved across the pitch. The Gorse Fox was playing for the "oranges" today and despite our slick play it was a quite a while before a goal was scored. To make matter worse it was the "yellows" who scored. We redoubled our effort and by half time we had pulled ahead, with a 2-1 lead. The second half was harder work as we were a man short, but despite that, we managed to pull further ahead. Finally, with just a few minutes remaining, the Gorse Fox cut through the middle onto a loose ball and scored his goal for the week. (He had been cutting things a bit fine).
The Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox are now enjoying a quiet afternoon.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Cold start
It was another cold start but it was bright and sunny and the temperature soon climbed up the scale. In fact it's over 30C in the Orangery this afternoon.
The Gorse Fox had football this morning. We managed two hour-long sessions again this week. Hopefully that will become the norm again now that summer is over. In the first hour the Gorse Fox played for the reds... and we won two games and drew one. This meant that we came top of mini league for the day. The team was very strong and all good ball players so it was really fun to play.
In the second hour the Gorse Fox wasn't so lucky... a totally different team and though we worked hard, we lost all three games. No goals from the Gorse Fox today.
The Gorse Fox had football this morning. We managed two hour-long sessions again this week. Hopefully that will become the norm again now that summer is over. In the first hour the Gorse Fox played for the reds... and we won two games and drew one. This meant that we came top of mini league for the day. The team was very strong and all good ball players so it was really fun to play.
In the second hour the Gorse Fox wasn't so lucky... a totally different team and though we worked hard, we lost all three games. No goals from the Gorse Fox today.
Monday, September 24, 2018
Nearing the home strait
Originally he hadn't intended to paint the inside, but decided, in the end, that it would be better painted. Also, being white, it would be easier to see what inside.
The last major task, for later in the week when the new hinges arrive, is to rehang the doors. Then it'll just be a matter of getting the whole kit and caboodle across to Urban-Cub and Pistol Pete.
By the way, those hinges on the lid are perfect. They help raise the lid when opening, lock it open, then slow the descent when closing so that fingers can't really get caught in it.
Paint
Another chilly start and, again, the central heating kicked in overnight.
We were up and out early for a couple of appointments, but back home by mid morning. The Gorse Fox changed into his work clothes and headed out to the garage. The mouldings are now fixed to the doors and a first top coat of paint is applied to the insides of the window seat. The Gorse Fox is waiting and hour or so now before he can close the lid and get the outside coated.
We were up and out early for a couple of appointments, but back home by mid morning. The Gorse Fox changed into his work clothes and headed out to the garage. The mouldings are now fixed to the doors and a first top coat of paint is applied to the insides of the window seat. The Gorse Fox is waiting and hour or so now before he can close the lid and get the outside coated.
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Autumn
Well it's the first full day of autumn (astronomically)... it's pouring with rain and cool enough that the central heating has kicked in.
The Gorse Fox woke during the night and had one of those moments. One of those moments when he realised that he needed to make some changes to the window seat. Some hardwood edging was needed to finish off the raw plywood ends and some form of moulding was needed to make the doors look a less plain. The morning dawned (with its rain) and the Gorse Fox headed off to Wickes and got the relevant supplies. As he writes, the edging is now installed and he is waiting for the glue to go off before he starts on the moulding. Once that's done he can return to the painting (though he is considering a new set of door hinges!)
The Gorse Fox woke during the night and had one of those moments. One of those moments when he realised that he needed to make some changes to the window seat. Some hardwood edging was needed to finish off the raw plywood ends and some form of moulding was needed to make the doors look a less plain. The morning dawned (with its rain) and the Gorse Fox headed off to Wickes and got the relevant supplies. As he writes, the edging is now installed and he is waiting for the glue to go off before he starts on the moulding. Once that's done he can return to the painting (though he is considering a new set of door hinges!)
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Friction
The Gorse Fox has now fitted the new friction hinges/stays to the window seat. They were a bit fiddly, though he did find some online instructions. The problem was that the lettering in the diagrams was tiny and was not scalable (why oh why don't people use scalable vector graphics for diagrams!). In the end the Gorse Fox used a bit of trial and error. He did need to add an extra wooden spacer to the framework, but he had half-expected that. Once that was in place it was just a matter of getting the angles right and siting the friction unit at the right level. Once that was done, it was easy.
Paint is still a bit tacky so the top coat will have to wait until tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in the house, the Silver Vixen seems to have emptied all her clothes into piles across the bed, the floors, and goodness knows where else. She seems to be having one of her two-monthly re-organisations (and associated clear outs). Jasper is hiding under a pile on the bed and the Gorse Fox is staying clear before he ends up on a hanger in a wardrobe somewhere.
Paint is still a bit tacky so the top coat will have to wait until tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in the house, the Silver Vixen seems to have emptied all her clothes into piles across the bed, the floors, and goodness knows where else. She seems to be having one of her two-monthly re-organisations (and associated clear outs). Jasper is hiding under a pile on the bed and the Gorse Fox is staying clear before he ends up on a hanger in a wardrobe somewhere.
Paint
Back to the project today.
Morning was spent sanding down the filler that the Gorse Fox used last weekend, then after a good clean up, the primer/undercoat was applied. Urban-Cub's windows seat is (finally) on the home stretch. The Gorse Fox has to wait for a couple of hours before he can start on the finish coat(s)... and still has to install the new friction stay/hinge. It would have been useful if they had provided any instructions with the hinge, but no. The Gorse Fox is going to have to try and find some guidance online or work it out from first principles with some scrap wood.
Morning was spent sanding down the filler that the Gorse Fox used last weekend, then after a good clean up, the primer/undercoat was applied. Urban-Cub's windows seat is (finally) on the home stretch. The Gorse Fox has to wait for a couple of hours before he can start on the finish coat(s)... and still has to install the new friction stay/hinge. It would have been useful if they had provided any instructions with the hinge, but no. The Gorse Fox is going to have to try and find some guidance online or work it out from first principles with some scrap wood.
Cousteau-Cub
Today is Cousteau-Cub's birthday. The Gorse Fox and the Silver Vixen look back over the years and think of all the joy she has brought us and wish that we could be with her for to celebrate this anniversary. She is an inspiration to us all and we hope that she has a fabulous day.
Friday, September 21, 2018
G-Force
The G-Force were on duty again today. Ellie woke at a comfortable seven-thirty and we eased ourselves into the day. After breakfast we had the usual session of play and running around looking for mischief (Ellie that is, not G-Force).
The Silver Vixen had a parcel to return, which meant a trip to the Post Office. That's just a bit too far for little legs so we tucked Ellie up in the push chair and headed out into the sunshine. Though it was bright and sunny and even warm where sheltered, there was a very strong and blustery wind. This prompted the Silver Vixen to hit the internet on our return and see if she could find a suitable foot-muff for the pushchair as winter approaches.
Ellie slept for a couple of hours after lunch and then played for the rest of the afternoon until Urban-Cub arrived to collect her.
The Gorse Fox noticed an article in the paper identifying an Indian restaurant in Chichester as having come second in the country curry awards. He shared the news with the Sonning Crew. Plans are afoot to visit and try them out.
The Silver Vixen had a parcel to return, which meant a trip to the Post Office. That's just a bit too far for little legs so we tucked Ellie up in the push chair and headed out into the sunshine. Though it was bright and sunny and even warm where sheltered, there was a very strong and blustery wind. This prompted the Silver Vixen to hit the internet on our return and see if she could find a suitable foot-muff for the pushchair as winter approaches.
Ellie slept for a couple of hours after lunch and then played for the rest of the afternoon until Urban-Cub arrived to collect her.
The Gorse Fox noticed an article in the paper identifying an Indian restaurant in Chichester as having come second in the country curry awards. He shared the news with the Sonning Crew. Plans are afoot to visit and try them out.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Limelight
It was another grey start. Not as blustery, and still quite warm. The Silver Vixen was out early as she had a an appointment. The Gorse Fox had a leisurely breakfast and then awaited the nice man from Ocado. As it happens the Silver Vixen was home just before he arrived.
The morning was spent doing admin until Pistol Pete arrived with Ellie. Then we switched into G-Force mode.
While the Gorse Fox was preparing Ellie's lunch an article came on The Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2. It was a discussion about recent problems with the railways and whether they should be taken back as British Rail. The Gorse Fox texted in: "There is NO circumstance that is so bad that it warrants a return to British Rail". Having got that off his chest he got back to cooking. The phone rang. It was the Jeremy Vine show - Would the Gorse Fox be willing to speak on air? No, he's cooking lunch for his granddaughter. So he then asked a bit more about the statement. The Gorse Fox enlightened him and thought no more about it. As the half hour slot came to end Jeremy Vine read out the text and associated comments, identifying the Gorse Fox. It was good to know that (for a change) the Gorse Fox got the last word.
Ellie had a brief nap during the early afternoon, then once she was up and about again, the Gorse Fox took her for a walk to the lake so that we could feed the ducks. She now knows the way and strides ahead as we clutch our bag of bird seed. She was much more positive about throwing the seed this time and the ducks clearly enjoyed their feast.
The morning was spent doing admin until Pistol Pete arrived with Ellie. Then we switched into G-Force mode.
While the Gorse Fox was preparing Ellie's lunch an article came on The Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2. It was a discussion about recent problems with the railways and whether they should be taken back as British Rail. The Gorse Fox texted in: "There is NO circumstance that is so bad that it warrants a return to British Rail". Having got that off his chest he got back to cooking. The phone rang. It was the Jeremy Vine show - Would the Gorse Fox be willing to speak on air? No, he's cooking lunch for his granddaughter. So he then asked a bit more about the statement. The Gorse Fox enlightened him and thought no more about it. As the half hour slot came to end Jeremy Vine read out the text and associated comments, identifying the Gorse Fox. It was good to know that (for a change) the Gorse Fox got the last word.
Ellie had a brief nap during the early afternoon, then once she was up and about again, the Gorse Fox took her for a walk to the lake so that we could feed the ducks. She now knows the way and strides ahead as we clutch our bag of bird seed. She was much more positive about throwing the seed this time and the ducks clearly enjoyed their feast.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Blustery
It's been another blustery day; there were a few short showers, but nothing of note. It's certainly been lovely and warm, despite the wind.
The Silver Vixen disappeared off to Pilates soon after nine and the Gorse Fox left soon after to get across to football. We had a 5-v-5 turnout today but that was soon wrecked by a new chap pulling up with muscle strain. That left 5-v-4 and we were up against it. At half time we were 4-1 down (though the Gorse Fox did score the goal). In the second half we shuffled the deck slightly, but still managed to lose by about 6-3. It was a good fun game with some nice football all round and some good banter.
Back home the Gorse Fox was full of good intentions - briefly. Then he sat down for a bit and that sort of blew the afternoon's plans.
The Gorse Fox did spend some time looking at how to extract health data from the iPhone. It seems that it is all very fine having data being gathered, but you need to be able to use that data or show it to health professionals if needed. There was no clear guidance in the iPhone app, but the Gorse Fox did find a companion app that extracts the data you select and dumps it as a CSV file that you can then manipulate.
The Silver Vixen disappeared off to Pilates soon after nine and the Gorse Fox left soon after to get across to football. We had a 5-v-5 turnout today but that was soon wrecked by a new chap pulling up with muscle strain. That left 5-v-4 and we were up against it. At half time we were 4-1 down (though the Gorse Fox did score the goal). In the second half we shuffled the deck slightly, but still managed to lose by about 6-3. It was a good fun game with some nice football all round and some good banter.
Back home the Gorse Fox was full of good intentions - briefly. Then he sat down for a bit and that sort of blew the afternoon's plans.
The Gorse Fox did spend some time looking at how to extract health data from the iPhone. It seems that it is all very fine having data being gathered, but you need to be able to use that data or show it to health professionals if needed. There was no clear guidance in the iPhone app, but the Gorse Fox did find a companion app that extracts the data you select and dumps it as a CSV file that you can then manipulate.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Cancelled
It was a very dark and blustery morning as the remnants of hurricane Helene battered parts of the country. Here on our part of the south coast it wasn't too bad, but it one of our garden pots was blown over.
The Gorse Fox headed off to Worthing for his football. Finally we got back to two one-hour sessions for the first time in weeks. The Gorse Fox likes the extra hour as it's a really good workout and by then the games open up a lot more. In the first hour he played for the blue-bibs We managed a draw and two wins. We did have an extra man, but he was a newbie who had never played before. By the end of the three games he was beginning to find his feet, but wasn't the greatest of assets in the first couple of games. The Gorse Fox did manage to get a goal in the second game. In the second hour he played for the red team. This, again, was played out as a draw and two wins, and again the Gorse Fox managed a goal.
The Gorse Fox's car was in need of petrol. He decided to go careless (though did have them with him just in case). The idea was to use Apple Pay from his watch and use the Apple Wallet for the loyalty card. It was very much an experiment... but it worked pretty well. Sainsbury's don't have scanners in the petrol station that will read the loyalty card off the phone (so they typed in the card number); they do however have the NFC scanner needed to use the Apple watch or phone to pay. Very easy and very impressive. At least The Gorse Fox knows that he doesn't necessarily have to take his wallet out with him when shopping for fuel.
Auntie Margaret came to visit in the afternoon. She is always interesting company as she regales us with stories from the wider family and from the past. We had a lovely few hours drinking tea and munching through scones, jam, and clotted cream.
The Gorse Fox decided to check one of his statements at tea time. He noticed a rogue transaction. In fact it was one of the rogue transactions that had triggered the problem when we were away in Guernsey. The Gorse Fox got on the phone to Santander. It took nearly half an hour to sort out, but the credit card has been cancelled, yet again, and we await a new one. To be fair, there isn't a risk this new one was compromised - it's that the rogue transaction had been set up as a recurring payment and got carries across automatically. It has now been flagged as fraudulent so won't be carried across to the new card. It was interesting to hear that the new card with take 5-10 business days to arrive, but that payments from the Apple phone and watch will be valid as soon as the card is sent out (even before the Gorse Fox receives it).
The Gorse Fox headed off to Worthing for his football. Finally we got back to two one-hour sessions for the first time in weeks. The Gorse Fox likes the extra hour as it's a really good workout and by then the games open up a lot more. In the first hour he played for the blue-bibs We managed a draw and two wins. We did have an extra man, but he was a newbie who had never played before. By the end of the three games he was beginning to find his feet, but wasn't the greatest of assets in the first couple of games. The Gorse Fox did manage to get a goal in the second game. In the second hour he played for the red team. This, again, was played out as a draw and two wins, and again the Gorse Fox managed a goal.
The Gorse Fox's car was in need of petrol. He decided to go careless (though did have them with him just in case). The idea was to use Apple Pay from his watch and use the Apple Wallet for the loyalty card. It was very much an experiment... but it worked pretty well. Sainsbury's don't have scanners in the petrol station that will read the loyalty card off the phone (so they typed in the card number); they do however have the NFC scanner needed to use the Apple watch or phone to pay. Very easy and very impressive. At least The Gorse Fox knows that he doesn't necessarily have to take his wallet out with him when shopping for fuel.
Auntie Margaret came to visit in the afternoon. She is always interesting company as she regales us with stories from the wider family and from the past. We had a lovely few hours drinking tea and munching through scones, jam, and clotted cream.
The Gorse Fox decided to check one of his statements at tea time. He noticed a rogue transaction. In fact it was one of the rogue transactions that had triggered the problem when we were away in Guernsey. The Gorse Fox got on the phone to Santander. It took nearly half an hour to sort out, but the credit card has been cancelled, yet again, and we await a new one. To be fair, there isn't a risk this new one was compromised - it's that the rogue transaction had been set up as a recurring payment and got carries across automatically. It has now been flagged as fraudulent so won't be carried across to the new card. It was interesting to hear that the new card with take 5-10 business days to arrive, but that payments from the Apple phone and watch will be valid as soon as the card is sent out (even before the Gorse Fox receives it).
Monday, September 17, 2018
Garage
It was a lovely day again - a little cool to start with, but it soon warmed up.
The Gorse Fox spent much of the morning in the garage. He was trying to get a little further on the window seat (yes, remember that). The problem was that one of the doors he had fitted was not a good fit. He tried using the belt sander to improve matters, but it just would play ball. In the end he cut a complete new door and fitted that. This fits a lot better, but there is a little give in the hinges so it binds slightly as it's closed unless you lift it gently.
Once the new door was in place the Gorse Fox set about the various blemishes and screw recesses with filler. The instructions say this needs to be left for 24 hours - so it's now setting up.
With all the woodwork complete for the day, the Gorse Fox started on a clean up of the garage. He is not the tidiest of workers and it took quite a while to getting everything squared away and the floor swept. It's all clean now, so when he starts to paint there should be little risk of any dust being deposited in the wet paint.
Talking of paint, the Gorse Fox headed to B&Q after lunch. He needed some more multipurpose primer and undercoat and some of the chalk paint in which the unit will will be finished. He also picked up a couple of door knobs while there. With a note from DPD that they plan to deliver a parcel tomorrow (which should contain the friction based soft close stays) the Gorse Fox is all set to get this project finished.
The Gorse Fox spent much of the morning in the garage. He was trying to get a little further on the window seat (yes, remember that). The problem was that one of the doors he had fitted was not a good fit. He tried using the belt sander to improve matters, but it just would play ball. In the end he cut a complete new door and fitted that. This fits a lot better, but there is a little give in the hinges so it binds slightly as it's closed unless you lift it gently.
Once the new door was in place the Gorse Fox set about the various blemishes and screw recesses with filler. The instructions say this needs to be left for 24 hours - so it's now setting up.
With all the woodwork complete for the day, the Gorse Fox started on a clean up of the garage. He is not the tidiest of workers and it took quite a while to getting everything squared away and the floor swept. It's all clean now, so when he starts to paint there should be little risk of any dust being deposited in the wet paint.
Talking of paint, the Gorse Fox headed to B&Q after lunch. He needed some more multipurpose primer and undercoat and some of the chalk paint in which the unit will will be finished. He also picked up a couple of door knobs while there. With a note from DPD that they plan to deliver a parcel tomorrow (which should contain the friction based soft close stays) the Gorse Fox is all set to get this project finished.
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Beach life
There's another Sunday with no football. The Gorse Fox is disappointed, but the blow is somehow lessened by the fact that we had a lovely morning again and took a stroll in the sunshine along the beach to The Lobster Pot for breakfast. The whole Crew were involved and as we enjoyed our coffee and eggs we enjoyed the sunshine and the entertainment.
Entertainment? you ask.
Well yes. We had the joys of a yapping puppy that was slowly driving people mad (no names to protect the innocent) and an elderly chap in a Prius that decided to drive right in among the tables then try to do a three point turn when he realised he was in the wrong place. The three point turn was not going to work (without crushing several tables, chairs, and their occupants). People yelled and he stopped. He was ushered out in reverse and promptly swerved backwards all over the road. Clearly driving in reverse was just beyond the very limit of his ability.
We parted company with the Crew and headed into Chichester. We wanted to look at some things in John Lewis and have a bit of a mooch around the shops before heading home. The Silver Vixen found some solar lights that she had been seeking in one of the stores. The best part was that they were about one third of the price she had seen them elsewhere. They are now proudly hanging on the pergola where the hanging baskets had once been.
Entertainment? you ask.
Well yes. We had the joys of a yapping puppy that was slowly driving people mad (no names to protect the innocent) and an elderly chap in a Prius that decided to drive right in among the tables then try to do a three point turn when he realised he was in the wrong place. The three point turn was not going to work (without crushing several tables, chairs, and their occupants). People yelled and he stopped. He was ushered out in reverse and promptly swerved backwards all over the road. Clearly driving in reverse was just beyond the very limit of his ability.
We parted company with the Crew and headed into Chichester. We wanted to look at some things in John Lewis and have a bit of a mooch around the shops before heading home. The Silver Vixen found some solar lights that she had been seeking in one of the stores. The best part was that they were about one third of the price she had seen them elsewhere. They are now proudly hanging on the pergola where the hanging baskets had once been.
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Brushed off
Mr Brush the decorator arrived on time this morning and set about the finishing coat of paint for the front of the house. He has done a brilliant job and the Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox are very pleased with his work. He has done well out of this as Two Hats has asked him to do their house and Old Bill has also asked him. The Gorse Fox should get commission!
The Gorse Fox spent the morning in the garage. The gas struts were not going to fix themselves. They were a little fiddly, but he fixed the two 50Nm struts then tried the lid. It opened easily and stayed at 90 degrees without any problems... but when trying to closing it the fall was dampened at first but then when it got to about 45 degrees it crashed closed. No ideal with little fingers around. The 50Nm struts were replaced with a pair of 80Nm struts. These actively helped raise the lid (which was a good thing). Again, they held the lid open but when you tried to close it it took a sturdy pull to get it started and again the fall was dampened util it got to about 45 degrees, but again the lid crashed closed.
Plan B was needed. The Gorse Fox returned grabbed the scales and weighed the lid - 6.9Kg. This was spread across an area of 50 x 134 cm. He calculated the torque required for the stays. 173Kg/cm. New stays were ordered. Next task was (is) to get the belt sander on the window seat and prepare it for painting. The problem is that that needs the garage doors to be open and that will risk the sawdust to carry out onto the new paint while it is drying. Sanding will have to wait.
The Gorse Fox spent the morning in the garage. The gas struts were not going to fix themselves. They were a little fiddly, but he fixed the two 50Nm struts then tried the lid. It opened easily and stayed at 90 degrees without any problems... but when trying to closing it the fall was dampened at first but then when it got to about 45 degrees it crashed closed. No ideal with little fingers around. The 50Nm struts were replaced with a pair of 80Nm struts. These actively helped raise the lid (which was a good thing). Again, they held the lid open but when you tried to close it it took a sturdy pull to get it started and again the fall was dampened util it got to about 45 degrees, but again the lid crashed closed.
Plan B was needed. The Gorse Fox returned grabbed the scales and weighed the lid - 6.9Kg. This was spread across an area of 50 x 134 cm. He calculated the torque required for the stays. 173Kg/cm. New stays were ordered. Next task was (is) to get the belt sander on the window seat and prepare it for painting. The problem is that that needs the garage doors to be open and that will risk the sawdust to carry out onto the new paint while it is drying. Sanding will have to wait.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Celebrate good times
The Gorse Fox explained that we would be going out with the Sonning Crew to celebrate the birthday of Two Hats. We seem to have got this down to a fine art. We all gathered at six then strolled along to the bus stop. A bus turned up immediately (the Gorse Fox thinks it was waiting round the corner for us, and once it saw us it came along to collect us). We were in Chichester about 10 minutes later and took a leisurely stroll along East Street to the cross.
The plan was to have a drink in a suitable hostelry, then dinner. The Gorse Fox says "suitable hostelry" as the one chosen on a previous trip laid on a bit of a fight as entertainment. This was not suitable. We did consider revisiting it to see if there was any fighting going on, and if not, starting some... but decided against. We actually dropped in to Trents. This is a nice little pub on South Street. The Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox have eaten in their before and quite liked it. We weren't disappointed, it was quite quiet and there was plenty of room to sit and chat for an hour before we headed off to eat.
Dinner was at Cote Brasserie, about 50 yards up the road. We were shown straight to the same table we occupied during our last visit. The menu seemed to have changed a little, but the choice was excellent. We all enjoyed a really good evening, some wonderful food and some fine wines. At the end we settled up and strolled down to the bus station where we had about ten minutes to wait before we grabbed the bus home.
The plan was to have a drink in a suitable hostelry, then dinner. The Gorse Fox says "suitable hostelry" as the one chosen on a previous trip laid on a bit of a fight as entertainment. This was not suitable. We did consider revisiting it to see if there was any fighting going on, and if not, starting some... but decided against. We actually dropped in to Trents. This is a nice little pub on South Street. The Silver Vixen and Gorse Fox have eaten in their before and quite liked it. We weren't disappointed, it was quite quiet and there was plenty of room to sit and chat for an hour before we headed off to eat.
Dinner was at Cote Brasserie, about 50 yards up the road. We were shown straight to the same table we occupied during our last visit. The menu seemed to have changed a little, but the choice was excellent. We all enjoyed a really good evening, some wonderful food and some fine wines. At the end we settled up and strolled down to the bus station where we had about ten minutes to wait before we grabbed the bus home.
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