I have a good record of making this day special – normally including a home-cooked meal too! In recent years, I’ve collaborated with David, and we’ve made it a joint event for our two special ladies rolling in a romantic movie courtesy of Mr Sky. However, this year was different – as Lent started on …
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Technology Coaching: We’re Full!
Auto cross-posted from my WordPress Tech Blog: Lucky me! My Technology Classes are now full. We have a full complement of willing Learners for my Monday Laptop Class, Tuesday Laptop Class and Tuesday Tablet Class. If you’d like to be added to the waiting list, please drop-in to the Salvation Army in Rothwell and speak …
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Lent Boy (ish) 2018
It’s Valentine’s Day and whilst most of us are preparing for a special meal and spreading petals around the place, I’m also getting ready for another annual event… It’s earlier this year, and so here we go again… another year… another of my ‘Lent Challenges’! For 2018, it’s now 48 items that I’m trying to avoid …
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Tablet Coaching: Class of 2018
Today, we welcomed another new Class* – Tom, Sue, Chris, Janet & Ann. Auto cross-posted from my WordPress Tech Blog: For the next 20 or so weeks, I will be helping them to get the most out of their Android Tablet. *Not to be confused with the other new Class that started last week
Laptop Coaching: Google Maps
Auto cross-posted from my WordPress Tech Blog: Today, we looked at the power and flexibility of ‘Google Maps’, including newer features such as ‘Bus Timetables’ and ‘Location Sharing’.
Laptop Coaching: Lesson Plans
Auto cross-posted from my WordPress Tech Blog: After last week’s introductory lesson, today, we presented the group with their proposed Lesson Plans. We also took a detailed look at a typical Windows Laptop Keyboard – including the functions of the lesser-known (but very useful) keys. ‘Alt Gr’ key anyone???
Lights… Camera… err, Rickmansworth
Thanks to my good friend Stuart, today was an opportunity for me to wallow in the nostalgia of Film and TV from a bygone age. It was my first visit to the annual Film Festival organised by Renown Pictures (better known to many TV viewers as the Sky 343/Freeview 81/FreeSat 306/Virgin 445 Film Channel Talking …
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Laptop Coaching: 1-to-1s
Auto cross-posted from my WordPress Tech Blog: With some of the Class on holiday this week, we used today’s double-Lesson to offer 1-to-1 guidance for ‘all things laptop’ to the rest of the group – Wendy, Bill, Charles and Dave.
Laptop Coaching: Class of 2018
Auto cross-posted from my WordPress Tech Blog: Today we welcomed the new Monday Class. We’ll be working with Stuart, Ronald, Elaine, Sue and Sally for the next 35 weeks to help them get the most out of their Laptop!
Victoria Sandwich
It was a welcome return to The Olde Victoria – not for a sandwich, but for something far more substantial: Sunday Lunch. The reason? a good catch-up with friends from our working days: Geoff & Rhonda and Paul and Sue. Last time Ann and I were here was back in July last year – surely …
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Rail Watching
It’s been about two-and-a-half years since we last visited York – my Birthday weekend in 2015 – so it was good to visit this fine City again today. As an extra bonus, we met up with Dennis and Sandra who acted as our ‘tour guides’ for the day!We drove over to Peterborough Station to catch …
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Swan Bake
It was off to The Lamport Swan tonight to catch-up with Mags. Unusually, this time, we were without Ian, our partner-in-crime, as he’s recuperating. However, Mags’ hubby, Alan joined us for the first time and more than evened-up the numbers. The last time we were here was in November 2016 for lunch, as part of my …
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Film: Early Man
Val and I went to the Odeon today to see the recently released, Early Man. This was a very family friendly film from Aardman’s Nick Park, who’s been away from our screens since his Wallace and Gromit short, A Matter Of Loaf And Death for the BBC in 2008. The car-park was surprisingly full when …
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Laptop Coaching: Return to the Store
Today, we revisited the Windows 10 ‘App Store’, now renamed the ‘Microsoft Store’ to see what’s changed.
Turkish Delight: Day 3 – Istanbul (Mosque Mania)
The Blue Mosque and The Hagia Sophia are right here on our doorstep, but every day we’ve passed them, the queues have been far too long. As it’s our last full day here in Istanbul, the plan today is to have an early breakfast and try and get to them both ahead of the crowds. …
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Turkish Delight: Day 2 – Istanbul (Turkey on a Bus)
Turkey on a Bus? No, not a packed lunch! Today, we took the easy way for seeing Istanbul – by Bus! – courtesy of Big Bus Tours. The morning trip was the ‘Red Route‘ and in the afternoon, the ‘Blue Route‘. Total cost, just under £30 each and that included both routes (free wi-fi too). …
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Service resumed?
If you’re seeing this, it looks like Mr Google has sorted out the issue where posting Blogs with photos included weren’t posting. Now they are! The Blue Mosque, Istanbul
Turkish Delight: Day 1 – Istanbul (Topkapi Palace and More)
With Istanbul’s ‘call to prayer‘ meaning there was no need for an alarm clock, we woke at around 7.15! Eeek! that’s 4.15am back at home! Oh joy!And to add to the challenges, the weather forecast doesn’t look that good either – but on a more positive note, at least it’s going to be dry. First …
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Turkish Delight: Day 0 – Istanbul (Arrival)
We dropped Biscuit off at Val’s yesterday, leaving us all set for a early(ish) departure from ours. We left just after 7.15 and looking at the volume of traffic on the A14 & M6, we were soon reminded of the ‘joys’ of the daily commute! Next stop was Birmingham Airport and a date with a …
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What! No photos!!! :(
Since 2004, ‘Blogger’ is the platform I’ve used to post to my Blog using the App: Open Live Writer (OLW). Open Live Writer is now maintained by a group of volunteers who donated the App when Microsoft abandoned it a few years back. Yesterday, without warning, after years of flawless service, a major glitch affected …
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Film: The Post
It was off to the Kettering Odeon tonight for 5.45pm performance of The Post. We were very much looking forward to this, given the partnership of Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg (apparently, the first time they’ve all worked together on the same film). The storyline follows the New York Times’ and Washington Post’s …
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Laptop Coaching: eMail (Parts 2 & 3)
Auto cross-posted from my WordPress Blog: After last week’s imaginatively titled Lesson: ‘eMail (Part 1)’, it was inevitable that this week, we’d continue to take a look at this important and regular activity. We agreed with the Group to run a double lesson – one in the morning, and one in the afternoon, in order …
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Tech Alert No. 738 (Sky Q Cabling)
Well, after having my rather gorgeous Yamaha RXA1060 AV Receiver for almost a year – and being super-pleased with it – I’ve discovered that after all that time, I had the main cabling slightly wrong! OK, all the connected tech had worked flawlessly – TV, Blu-Ray DVDs, Phone, Our Digital Music Library and Net Radio …
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The Gang’s All Here (almost!)
Yep, another (very pleasant) excuse to get together with our good friends and neighbours – the return of Tom and Julie from their long break in Tenerife! It was almost the ‘full gang’ except for Rosi who couldn’t make it, as she was poorly with this dreaded ‘flu thing’ that’s doing the rounds. Paul and …
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George and the Flagon
We haven’t been here since we had lunch with Ian and Ann a couple of weeks ago and so It was a welcome return to The George in Stamford today. Today’s treat was lunch with another of our oldest friends – Mick and Jane. We set off just before 11.30 and into some atrocious driving …
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Laptop Coaching: eMail (Part 1)
Auto cross-posted from my WordPress Blog: Today, we began looking at eMail ‘best practice’ in the first of two lessons covering this essential computer-related activity.
Laptop Coaching: Secrets of Google Search
Auto cross-posted from my WordPress Blog: Today, we took the group through the essentials of using Google as a Search Engine. In part two, we revealed a number of ‘lesser-known’ Google-search-methods designed to help them find their answers more quickly.
A Birthday Surprise for Trish
What a nice thought! Rosi arranged a surprise afternoon get-together for Trish who recently celebrated a ‘significant’ birthday. A cunning plan was hatched! We were all to arrive around 3pm, with Trish and John arriving at 3.30, thinking they were just popping-in for a post-birthday cuppa and a nibble! It all went perfectly to plan …
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Twelfth on Twelfth at 12!
More by happy accident than perfect timing, we headed off to Stratford-upon-Avon today with Chris and Gill to see the RSC’s matinee performance of Twelfth Night – actually on twelfth night! Continuing the ‘12’ theme, we sat down for lunch just before Noon! What are the chances ehh? I remember studying this Play at school …
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George and the Flame Thrower
Ian and Ann met us at ours today. We had a long-standing date to take them out for a slap-up lunch at The George Hotel in Stamford in celebration of their birthdays last year. It’s always more than just a meal at The George, and today was no exception……superb food, fantastic service resulting in a …
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