Friday, 29 June 2012

Now you see it. Now you don't.

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Sorry to be away from the blog arena for so long, but my monitor is still playing up.
It appears to be sensitive to temperature, (like quite a few of my body parts), and on hot days, it fires up when I switch it on, but when the ambient is below blood heat, it just will not function. (also….my body parts).
I’ve now reached a point along my old tether, when this is no longer a joke. So, on Monday I pointed the Renault in the direction of John Lewis, and made enquires to the ’technical staff’ about a replacement.   I took all the required ‘ITformation’. (DVI, VGA, UMPA UMPAH, stick it up your jumpa lead!)
He assured me everything was all ‘compatable’ these days.
So, I parted with my hard earned pension and came home ready for some boisterous blogging only to find that the connectors pins were completely different!
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Old connector - top.
New - bottom.
I tried, but I just couldn’t get it to work, so I’ve called in an expert called Frank, who is going to pop round next week, and not only sort out the monitor, but also ‘give me a service’.
He tells me that computers, over two years old, need a ‘service’. (he didn’t mention bloggers over sixty, but I’m sure they’re included in the price?)

Talking of ‘monitors’; I was once a monitor at school. I had to give out the pencils.
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To write with that is. 
Not to stick in strange places!
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Another monitor had to give out the ‘rubbers‘ (now called erasers.) 
And then we had ‘Milk monitors’ taking round small 1/3rd pint bottles of milk.
It’s strange how children in those days thought this an honour to be chosen for these menial tasks. 

Because of all my monitor problems, I’ve been missing out on quite a few of the so called celebrations. Our street party wasn’t a great success I’m afraid.
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And I believe ‘her maj’ was heard to enquire, “Is it all over yet?”
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"Can we come out now?"
“Us pensioners do need our afternoon kips you know?”
Didn’t she do well though? Standing up on that barge, surrounded by water, in the rain, for hours, and not needing to spend …. a royal penny!

I saw this in the news a while back. It made me smile.
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I shouldn’t laugh really as my poor old ‘mince pies’ are not all what they should be.
Loss of eyesight is no laughing matter is it. I couldn’t imagine how I could cope without being able to see. I’ve just had a letter from DVLC advising me that I now need to apply for a new driving licence. There were lots of ’medical’ questions including some on eyesight. 

No worries -my distance viewing is fine actually.
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But it reminded me of an old friend of mine called Len, who one day walked into Ann Summers to purchase some see-through lingerie for his wife. It was a  special birthday you see. He was shown several possibilities that ranged from £50 to £150 in price, the more see-through, the higher the price. He opted for the sheerest item, paid the £150 and took the lingerie home. 
He presented it to his wife and asked her to go upstairs, put it on and model it for him. 
Upstairs the wife thought ‘I have an idea. It’s so see-through that it might as well be nothing. I won’t put it on – I’ll do the modelling naked -  return it tomorrow and get a £150 refund and keep the money for myself’. (trusting he had kept the receipt.)
She then appeared naked at the top of the stairs and struck up a pose.   
Wow!
Len lookup aghast.  “Stone me!” he said. “It wasn’t that creased in the shop”.

Talking of spectacles: I’m always forgetting which ones I have got on. I get to walking about with my reading glasses on, and then wonder why I keep tripping over the back door step on the way to water the tomatoes!
I had thought of bi-focals, but at my last eye-test I was recommended to try these new ultra sensitive, hi-tech, all-singing, all-dancing, top of the range, half price for the over sixties, designer-framed specs.  You’ll be able to see everything with these, they said. 

Worked a treat in Boots the chemist.
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Talking of eyesight reminded me of my friend Howard.
He was telling me that last night his wife was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror. 
She was not happy with what she saw and said to him, 
 "I feel  horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. 
I really need you to pay me a compliment.” 
 Howard replied, "Your eyesight's perfect." 

He’s now staying with me for a few nights!

Wish mine was perfect. 
But these new specs worked just as well in Smiths the other day.

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Now, the trick here is, that those skirts are actually fabric prints!
I thought it was very well done - artistically of course.

Do you know, it has been 28 degrees in the shade here today (Thursday). 
Wes has been flaked out under the Mulberry tree, 
and I have been doing sweet FA. (Fanny Adams).

But down the road at Bisham Abbey, three of the nuns decided to remove their robes because of the heat. Not an unusual ‘habit’ on a hot day. Anyway, about a half hour later, the door bell rang while their robes were slumped over pews at the rear of their wee chapel.
They asked who it is. "The blind man," a voice replied.
The three nuns decided to simply open the door because the poor man was blind. He walked in, looked at the nuns and said, "You’ve nice breasts! 
Where do you want me to install these blinds?"

Sorry to inflict more poor jokes on you, but after I get my new monitor installed next week, and I get this ‘service’ done, I hope you will find that Unc. B’s “Normal Service will be resumed as soon as possible.”

Take care and don’t forget to -
“Practice safe eating - always use condiments.”
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27 comments:

  1. This post has cheered me up more than you will ever know! Thanks for all the jokes and pictures. I told my husband about your computer problems that we have also had and the glasses as he is always losing his. Suggested he read the post while I puttered around behind him. When he got to the pictures of the girls in the bookstore he stopped and said, "Well, I could use a couple pairs of those." Then as he read on, he realized I had set him up in a "gotcha" situation. I needed that! This was way too long but I wanted you to know that he will be reading your blog from now on. Can't wait to hear what he says about that girl on the bicycle. Give Wesley a tasty treat for me.

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    1. Marilyn my dear, I am so pleased to hear that I was able to cheer up both you, and hubby. :)
      I did a blog with poor jokes last time and I though, "Oh I hope I don't put people off visiting."
      I gave Wesley a treat. He likes these new biscuits from Felix.
      It is called a 'Goody bag'.
      Biccies of all different cat flavours! Yuk.
      Cheers....B

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  2. Thats one of the things I love about you Uncle Bernard, is that you never let the facts stand in the way of a good story ha ha
    XX

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    1. Hi Kath. :D
      A good story?
      I'd lost the plot after the first paragraph. As you get older, you see, your powers of concentration seem to fade. I think it is called 'rambling on'?
      Now where did I put my glasses?
      Or worse still - have I taken my medication this evening?
      Cheers....B xx

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  3. Glad you're still on form, wonderful as ever. You do remind me of me. Geriatrics of the world unite!

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    1. Thanks Ken, but I do wish my computer was back 'on form' more often. Cheers.

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  4. Different cat flavoured biscuits - as in, tabby cat flavour, siamese, black cat, angora etc??? Only joking. I'm surprised you didn't take the connector thingy with you to get a part - assistants are so-o-o young these days, a bit like policeman. Bottles of milk in school - in 1939-40 winter the teacher put frozen bottles (with 'mushroom' tops) on the rads to thaw and I've never drunk milk since. Can't imagine why.

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    1. Hi Sylve,
      I noticed that after I had published it. Too late. There is no edit facility on comments.
      My problem these days, is that my brain is going very much faster than my fingers. I sometimes miss out complete words when typing.
      I actually took the computer handbook and the old monitor handbook to show what I had.
      I didn't notice the different connector, until I unpacked the new monitor.
      Cheers...B

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  5. Bernard this blog has got a bit of everything and I love it. Would have commented earlier except every time I type something the little sand timer appears and it whisks it off to outer blog sphere and I have to start again. Blooming fittings and blooming computers. Hope Frank fixes the bottoms soon :0)

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    1. Glad you liked it Molly. :)
      I don't know anything about an egg-timer popping up. I hope it's not a new blogger thingie - giving people only three minutes to leave a comment? :O
      Actually, my PC has (touch wood) been well behaved over the years I've had it. Any problems have been software niggles. I have only had to do a full 'system restore' twice in four years.
      I can do a few things on my own, but deleting unnecessary programs and software, I'll leave to Frank.
      Cheers...B

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  6. You would certainly 'turn a few heads' Lady B. I believe those pictures came from Hong Kong or somewhere like that. Definitely not a 'Made in England' item.
    Cheers....B

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  7. Oh dear Bernard,
    you just know as you start reading each joke what's coming but they still made me laugh.

    Grumpy got a bit excited when he saw the skirts and remarked - whilst wiping his specs - that he was due an eye-test later this month. I think he was having me on, but I can never tell ;-)

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    1. Yeah, I know they are all old jokes, but I throw them in to liven up a otherwise ‘dull and boring narrative’.
      There were six of those printed skirt pictures - I received them on a ‘chain-email’.
      I can email Grumpy the full set when he gets his noo specs?

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  8. Hee hee Bernard that,made good reading. Ah 'monitors'. Yes i remember those days well from school. And the little milk bottles, as our school was overflowing us older ones in the last year at primary were sent to old nissan huts which was our school for a few months until we went to secondary school, the milk along with our dinners were brought to us by van, kind of like meals on wheels before our time!!! The milk was frozen solid so numpty here sat the bottle on the classroom radiator! Ŵell you know what happened! Ugh. Lol

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    1. Ours used to get frozen also. The milk would expand inside the bottle on freezing and push the caps up on a column of frozen milk.
      Cheers....B xx

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  9. Forgot to mention lol did you know that when the queen is travelling and needs the loo it is referred to as 'time to tidy' x

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    1. Well I never. I learn something new every day. :)

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  10. You do make me laugh Bernard, you really do.
    I too, walk around with my reading glasses on and trip over anything and everything.
    I remember when I had to have reading glasses, I was so angry.
    "I'm old now!" I yelled at geoff.I thought only the elderly had them, but of course not.
    LOL

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    1. I'm so pleased to have cheered you up a bit. :)
      All this rainy weather and these grey skies are getting everybody down a bit I think.
      I don't need glasses all the time, one pair for driving and one for computing. The optician said I should really have another pair for reading books etc. but I manage with a pair of those cheapo ones you can get from ASDA. :)

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  11. LOL :-)

    I do hope your computer is fixed up soon. I have had troubles with mine too so I know how frustrating it is when you just want to be getting on with stuff and technology fights back!

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    1. "Touch wood", it is now working well, thanks. The new monitor is a 24", so I can now see all your excellent photos in glorious detail. :)
      The old monitor had a DVI connector, and the new one had a VGA connector. Frank fitted an adaptor which I didn't realise would work. :o
      I'm a 'happy bunny' now.
      Cheers....B

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  12. Is your new monitor a flat screen? When I changed from the old CRT to flat screen, the cats hated it. They used to sleep on top of the old one in the winter and stay warm. Any day I find a new post from you is a happy one.

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    1. Hello Jan. Yes, both the old one and this new one are flat screen.
      I haven't had a CRT monitor for ten years now, although I still have one on an old telly that I use for watching video tapes. My cats have never discovered places like that, although I did have one cat who used to snuggle up alongside the telly.
      Just to make tomorrow a happy day for you, I shall do a post and include in it a wee verse about 'hugs'. :)
      Cheers....B

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  13. I was an inkwell monitor, Bernard - pens/nibs and messiness all over my fingers! You digress so well ... I hardly saw the joins - but I'll be monitoring the situation. Thanks for the laugh and enjoy your new flat-screen. xx

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    1. I remember 'inkwell monitors'.
      Did you have to 'top-up' the inkwells as well? It was like a wee watering can full of ink.
      I have the 'art of digression' off to a fine art Mrs S. Years of practice.
      Cheers....B xx
      (ps For more xx's, see tomorrows post.)

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  14. I missed this one. It must have been when my computer said 'No'.
    I'm glad you have your noo monitor working.
    So did you go for these all-seeing, all-singing, all-dancing glasses then?

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    1. I missed this comment too. :(
      Sorry Foody, I keep forgetting to look back at my earlier posts.
      Yes, noo monitor works well thanks. It is 5" larger than the old one, so I can make do with my old specs for a wee bit longer!
      Cheers...B

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