Bits and bobs

today we had some sunshine, the first time we saw the sun for a week, it was refreshing to see it. It made me go out and do a little gardening but to be honest, the ground is not quite dry enough to do much digging.
 I ordered some gardening gear and yesterday it came by post. In it was a surprise gift of a few packets of seeds. 5 in all to be precise. One of them were Turnip seeds. That bought back to me a few years ago, probably well over 10 to be more honest. It was my Mother who saw some turnips in a local Supermarket. She told me she wanted some, I tried to put her off but she insisted she wanted them. I did manage to get her to only have a few.
 The next week when I went over to see her, she admitted to me that as a child she liked turnips but now she didn't enjoy them at all.
 This morning I saw the Postman and asked if he would like them as I had no use for them at all. He has a very very large garden. He asked me if I had any other seeds from the Company. I told him I had cress, cauliflower carrots and raddish besides those turnips. Anyway he took them and will grow them but I will not ask him for a turnip at all.
 Yesterday in my T.V. paper there was a supplement  selling all sorts and one was a USB stick which plugs into the Computer and then through the Internet you can access thousands of radio and T.V. programmes. I noticed that it needed an operating system of Windows XP Vista  and  Windows 7. No mention of 8 so I went online and sure enough it looks as if Windows 8 does not support this. It was the same with my ISP when it came to setting up my mail. It too didn't support it. I only hope that Windows 8 is an awful more successful than Vista which to be honest was a bit of a disappointment.
 Still we can't have everything a little sun  today but the forecast is not that brilliant though and it doesn't talk of it getting much warmer and on Friday we are into March. Roll on Spring. More soon.

Election

It was while the announcer was giving all candidates that bought back to mind another one many years ago. This was for the By Election at Eastleigh in Hampshire I think.
 It was the candidate who was standing as BBC(Beer Backy and Crumpet. It makes me grin but not as much as that did many years ago.
 It was when the gang of four started the SDP. (Social Democratic Party) Incidentally they eventually amalgamated with the Liberals, hence the Liberal Democrats
Anyway the gang of four was started by, I think Bill Rogers, David Owen, Shirley Williams and Roy Jenkins.
 Roy Jenkins had an affliction and couldn't pronounce is Rs. It was Woy.
 Anyway at the General Election  there was a young student who stood or tried to stand against Roy Jenkins.he stood for the SDP also but this time Students Double Grant Party. Unfortunately he wanted to stand as Woy Hawwold Jenkins. He obviously didn't know that Roy's middle name was in fact Harris.
 The returning officer refused to admit his application to stand as he thought there would be confusion between him and Mr. Roy Harris Jenkins.
 I still grin to this day because I thought it was a very witty thing to try to do.
 I wonder if the guy is still around today?No Students Grant now in fact Students fees. How the Country has changed.
 What doesn't seem to change is the weather, once more it has been a dreadfully cold and dull day. Roll on Spring. More soon.

Meter reading

This morning I gave my meter reading for solar power, obviously it was not good at all.
  I did learn something though. Each quarter my Fit (Feed in Tariff) provider send me an e-mail requesting me to send my readings. To be honest they sent e-mails a little early actually after12 weeks. I naturally thought hey wished the readings immediately so I complied.
 This morning I informed the guy on the other end of the telephone that last year it had in my quarter the first 2 weeks in March which was far better than the last week in November and the first 2 weeks in December.
 He then informed me that I could phone in my readings at any stage after receiving the e-mail. He told me that if I wished I could read it only once a year. So now I will read my meter every 13 weeks.
 It is funny how you find out these things.
 these last couple of days has been very cold indeed. In fact this afternoon I went to plant out my Broad Bean plants as they have been in their pots for well over a month. Altogether there were about 48 plants and after planting them my hands were frozen. So much so that after I washed them in warm water they were swollen.
  I also bout more fruit trees as I had no apples at all last year, only a hand full of cherries but a few more plums. I also have bought a Peach Tree. Don't expect any fruit from them this year but hopefully next year will reward me with some tasty fruit.
 I also bought some Cambridge Favourite Strawberries. As I have a machine that makes slightly frozen fruit  into a sort of Ice Cream, I thought strawberries would add to bananas, plums and any other fruit you can freeze. I think Cherries once I have stoned them will be very nice. Mind you stoning them will be a bit of a chore.
  Let's hope the weather gets warmer soon it seems to ba a long winter. More soon.

I'm getting forgetful

I can't believe that it is Wednesday already this week and I haven't written a thing.
 Today my mate came and bought me some seed potatoes, naturally I gave him some to set in his garden. He would never buy any for himself. But to be honest there was plenty for me to set which I did set my Arran Pilot as soon as he went home. I like to get them in a little earlier than this to be honest. They are not outside but in my polytunnel and greenhouse, so there is some protection from this poor weather we have had this winter.
 Also today came a parcel of trees which I hadn';t expected, yes I had an e-mail informing me that they had been dispatched but the e-mail was not sent to me until this morning. They were well wrapped up so after I had undone them I let them soak in water for some time, in fact a couple are still in soak tonight.
 I did plant 2 of them though, now tomorrow or the next day I expect more plants and another tree so I will be fully employed for a day or so.
 My mate bought my watch back, we still can't believe just how much they wish to charge for a repair, mind you my mate has also told me that Car Park charges are going up in East Lindsey by about 25% this season.
I certainly am pleased that I have retired because I am sure this will affect the businesses in Skegness and Mablethorpe. Time will tell.
 Next week we are into March and I don't know if it is me but I think this winter has been a dull cold affair. Normally we get a short spell of mild weather but not this year. The good thing is that this last week has been dry although the ground is still sodden. I wanted to plant my broad bean plants out but the soil is still too wet. Maybe another week or so then hopefully the weather will improve.
 My mate did manage to remove some of the apps from Windows 8 but he agreed with me that to turn off the computer is a bind and once you are into apps it is not easy to leave them. I did tell him that the term for all the apps is menus. I heard that on Argos shopping channel. The man also said that tower computers are very rare now as all seem to go on these Lap Tops this is so that they can move from room to room. Once again no thought is given to us old folk who need a screen large enough to see. Well I do as I have poor eyesight. More soon.

More about gas

It was a comment mde to me by my American friend that got me thinking. He had never had gas in his home.
 Now I had gas until I was about 10 years old but it didn't end there.
 As readerts will know I worked on the railway. To be on the footplate you had to start at the bottom, that was to be a cleaner. Cleaned of locomotives that means, however each person had to take turn to work in the Time Office. This was where the hub of the work was organised. the running Foreman was there and the man in charge of repairs also the Time clerk. It was his job to see that the men signed in on time for duty. Anyway we all had to work there from time to time and noe of the jobs was to turn on the lights when it got dusk. In the summer, they didn't bother it was only during the winter months.
 You had to find where each light was, some were electric and a switch might turn 6 or so lights but many were gas. I was issued with a metal pole with a hook on it so I could pull the gas lever on the lights to turn them on. This by the way was in the 1950s.
 What we had also were the old fashioned telephones, the ones you would see in the 1920s. they were only used for communications to the signalbox. There was a hearing piece which was connected to flex so you could hold it to your ear. There was a sort of speaking area in front of the box. To get the signalman's attention you would turn a handle fast for a few seconds. This was on the side of the box.
 When I think of it I laugh because this was the sort of telephone that was in use in the 20s.
 Believe it or not they were still in use right up to the time when the Loco was closed, that would have been in the late 60s.
 I wonder what my American friend will make of that.
I shouln't think he knows what a gas mantle is. Anyone who went holidaying in a caravan in the 50, and 60s will certainly know what they were. I wonder how many people ruined the mantle trying to light them. You certainly had to take care when lighting the gas mantle. To be honest though, they certainly gave out a good light. They were happy days. More soon.

continuing

While  I was at school the Biro was introduced. the pens were about 8" long with no top mind you we still had to use the old fashioned pen and nib with the ink being in a well on your desk. it was not too long though before we were allowed first to use a fountain pen then eventually a biro pen. by now they had been mass produced and had a top to them too.
 When I came out of the Army I thought about transport and after 3 years in 1960 I purchased a van. Only a van because it was far cheaper than a car. I guess there would be around 150 loco men at Grantham and there were only 3 vehicles there most of the time. Bicycles were plentiful.
 In the late 50s the transistor radio came into it's own. before that music or anything broadcast could only be heard from a fixed wireless.
 In 1960 I purchased a reel to reel tape, or tape recorder as it was known. I bought one of the most expensive recorders around. A Ferrograph,  the popular expensive model was by Grundig but there were cheaper models around.
 the next thin was the cassette and tapes s9o that one could tape music and take it around and listen to it at ones leisure.
 It was not until Pirate Radio came into it's own that the BBC started to realise that it must do something to modernise. Hence the old Light Programme Home Service and the Third Programme  changed. The third Programme stayed generally as it was but there were new stations. Radio One with pop music and records. The only records played prior to that was Housewife's Choice, and Two Way Family Favourites. What would the youngsters do now if it was like that?
on the heels of cassettes the Video Tape Recorder came into being, after a few years C.D's and Computers also appeared. Now I can't follow the speed of progress. What I can say is this. my mate was talking to a man at the local Night School he was teaching the basics of the computer. He mentioned to my mate that he was dreading the new Windows 8 being introduced. He  hoped it would not happen. When my mate told me I did tell him that I was on the web a warning for anyone considering purchasing a new computer with Windows 8, it would be advisable to read the leaflet attached. I didn't read it as I have the said Windows 8 installed. I suppose that eventually it will be good but as I am not a youngster I do find it hard but I do persevere. More soon.

Thinking

It was while I was struggling over this new computer that my mind wandered off into the past.
 If anyone had told me that we would have this technology I, and almost all of my peers would have not believed it.
 For a start, I was born in a fairly modern house, it had only been buitt about 8 years. It did have a back boiler system which meant we had hot water whenever we had a fire. Coal open fires of course. We did not have electricity though, but we had gas in each room except the bathroom. Yes we had a bathroom too.
 Gas was the dominant feature in those days. All street lighting was by gas. We had progressed from a gaslighter man they were on a timer so went on at dusk.
 Of course during the war, we had no street lights at all and to walk on pitch darkness is very hard indeed. one soon loses ones bearings
 Most homes in those days had little or no electricity and the wireless(radio) was battery operated. Two batteries were needed, one large one and a small one. together with an accumulator. an acid glass container which had to be recharged each week the cost being 6d. The batteries lasted about 3 months and cost a lot of money. I have seen my Mother heat the battery in the side oven just to see if it would make it last a few days longer. Of course it didn't.
 During my youngest years my Father was in the Army out in the Burma area fighting with Orde Wingate and the Chindits so I really never knew my Father as I was over 8 years old when he came home for good.
 ven after the war, times were hard, everything was on ration. I can remember going with my Sister who was 4 years older than me, going to the coking plant, this was where they burnt coal to make gas and the coke was sold  to the public. Coal was on ration to the general public so my Mother sent us to get coke. We used to take the pram and get a man to load it up for us. Anyone who has handled coke will know it is very light so the size of a1cwt sack is huge. But really that was part of growing up.
 Parents in those days had it hard too. Monday was washday, it didn't matter if it was sunny or pouring with rain it was still wash day. It was an all day proceedure. Hard to believe now but the firat thing was to get the copper on to get the water boiling. then it was firt washing the coloureds. We had like most of other a dolly peg and this was used to aggitate the water to clean the clothes. Aggitate by your own efforts. After washing the water was changed after the clothes had gone through  the mangle the clothes were then rinsed and again mangled. then they could be pegged out. The water in the copper would by then be boiling and all the whites were put in. My Mother used Persil for the whites and Rinso for the coloureds. A reckits Blue bag was dipped into the clean water so tha when the whites were taken out the blue in the water would make them look whiter. After going through the mangle, out they went to be dried. It was heaven help us if it was raining, there would be a few clothes horses filled to capacity and if we had a fire, then they would be round there to dry as soon as they could. many a time, drying clothes went on until late on the Monday evening.
 Tuesday was always ironing and airing day. There was a day set out for some task each week day of the week.  I can remember that Thursday was alwys polishing the linoleum in the bedrooms and Friday was black lead day.  No wonder you didn't see many obese women about in the days of my youth.
 I can't recall seeing a Helicopter until the 50s. All we saw were bombers ans fighter aeroplanes during the war. After it was back once more to bi- planes. We used to call the sea planes. heaven alone knows why.
 In the late 40s we moved house and had electricity. Only a live and neutral, no earth at all but we could then purchase an electric radio.
 Cars were still scarce. Each factory had about 6 spaces for cars and about 200 bicycly racks. It was a sight for sore eyes to watch the cyclists coming out all in a hurry to get home when the hooter sounded. How times have changed.
 To cut the grass one used hedge shears. It was a hard job and as children we had to do our bit to help. It took ages to cut the grass.  Now people moan about cutting grass with an electric lawnmower. Mind you I do not have any grassed area at all.
 Telephones were a luxury and when I eventually left the Railway in the mid 60s I had to use the public telephone becaued noboby aroud had a telephone. In fact when I went into business in the late 96 early 70 we had a telephone but we were on a Party Line, shared with the local Fish Shop. This was because there were not enough lines to let us have our own phone. It was about 5 years later when we both had our private phone lines. Mind you, we did get a discount for sharing, it was about £1 a quarter. There was a button on the phone and you pressed it and if you got the dialing tone it meant you could get a connection. If not you could hear the other part talking to whoever they were talking to. To be honest, in all that time it only  happened once.
With traffic being so light there was very little need for traffic lights and paying to park a car was unheard of.
 Petrol seemed to saty at the same price for ages it was about £1. for 4 gallons.
 I had better post this now as just now all went black. Oh dear, I must have hit a wrong button. Anyway I will continue tomorrow.

Too early

Well I guess I was far too early in setting some seeds. Although my broad beans are up and looking well aso my peas I sent in the guttering are thriving they are more or less at a standstill. mind you I am not surprised at all because the weather along the East Coast has not been good at all. Tghis morning was a classic example overnight sleet and snow froze and the paths were treacherous. I will not go out in such weather and it was not until just after 11.00am that the ice started to go. It did in the sun, My solar panels were covered  in icy frozen snow until around 10.30.am. Unfortunately soon after the sun went in and all we saw was a little hazy sun at times. I know this year is much worse for solar production as I am well down on last years figures. I only check my solar generated once a week and check it on last years generated figures. At no stage this year have I reached the weekly target I attained last year. I am not complaining though as it did far better than I had expected last year.
 Ont thine that the experts say that is totally wrong is that even on the dullest of days you will still get some solar production. Last year I had one day where I did nothing, this year I have had around four days at zero.
 To cap it all, my mate who has a good south facing system did in fact have one day where he produced NOTHING at all. He was so disappointed, all I told him is now he knows how I felt when I had my first zero.
 Still we are now into February and the mornings are finally getting lighter and the evenings, when it is not snowing are light until near 5.00pm.
 I don't know if it is the weather but Wilco has had very few seed potatoes this year and they were very late indeed. My mate has been calling regular since early January when the assistants kept telling him thay would soon be in.
 My Pal who live in Chesterfield told me that he bought his seed potatoes from B&Q in early January. I bet he has not set them yet though. More soon.

Forgetful

I guess that I am getting forgetful as these last two days has seen me forget to write on my blog.
 To be candid, I have spent many hours trying to find thing on this Windows 8 computer and have not even come near to mastering it yet.
 The other day I inserted a C.D. It took me ages to find where it was and when I finally found out and displayed the contents, it informed me that the C.D. was corrupt. Nonsense really as it had worked perfectly well in the old computer, However I did erase the C.D reformat it and then put something on and that works perfectly well. These things are sent to try us.
 the other week I asked my mate if there was a jellers who repaired watches in his Town. He told me that there was a place who took in repairs but they sent them away to be reapired but first there would be a price before the repair was done.
 I had a Seiko automatic and it had a certain sentimental value but it wanted cleaning as it would only go for a while then stop. Also the glass was a little scratched.
 I explained all this to my mate nad he duly took it to the said jewellers and she told him that the estimate of the repair would be back in about a week.
 The other day he rung me and asked if I was sitting down. I knew what was coming but didn't quite expect the price to be as much.
 The cost was over £50. My mate immedfiately responded by saying that you could by another automatic for less than the repair. The woman assistant readily agreed. My mate then told me that he had taken a watch he had himself to get it repaired but as soon as she told him the cost of mine decided to keep his in his pocket.
 Looking online, watches are so cheap thesedays it makes one wonder how these watchmakers/repairers make a living. More soon.

Names

It was the last delivery of my medication by  a new Man that I thought about names.
 He was a fairly dark skinned man who was very nice. He introduced himself to me and shook my hand, his name was Ruben, he told me that he would be delivering my medication from now on. I then found out that the last guy had suddenly left stating that he couldn't carry on any longer. He thought it was domestic trouble. He then told me that it was good news to him as he lived in Mablethorpe and had travelled daily to Boston which is over 30 miles away. Let us hope that he is settled in his new job.
 regarding names, I forgot, whilst I was in the kiosk on the seafront there a man carrying a very young child, the youngster couldn't have been more that a year old and had his leg in plaster. I asked the youngster what his name was, of course knowing that he couldn't answer. I suppose the man carrying him was his Grandfather as he was getting on. He told me his name was Mustapha  I just replied "Oh my god! He's going to get his leg pulled as he gets older".The man laughed but I had a woman working for me who had severe asthma. She laughed so much that she had to receive first aid.
 Another unusual name was told to me many years ago.
 We lived on a private rented estate. these days it would be called a Housing Association but this was a Company from Nottingham that built about 300 houses in the 1930s. Although they were fairly modern, we had no electricity at all in the house, neither did the majority of houses built on the estate.
 There were quite a few Railway Drivers on the estate and one of them was this mans Brother who had an unusual name. The Drivers name was Fred, a common name but his Brother who lived on the same estate but much nearer to us was known as Seppy.  My late Father always  called him by this  name. One  day  I asked him if this was a nickname, he then told me that his name was in fact Septimus, this was because he was the eighth child born, hence Septimus. Although I have heard of many unusual names before and since but none so unusual as that man had. More soon.