Here we are at the club learning (?) about Linux!
Thursday 30 July 2009
Wednesday 29 July 2009
Cornish "hotel"
It isn't very nice to write about the shortcomings of a "hotel" that you have just suffered, but it is a good thing to describe what you didn't like so that others may have their say.
We asked for a rwin room, we were given one with three beds, a double and a single bed. Probably we should have quieried the point.When one is a bit tired of travelling and only too pleased to have arrived somewhere one lets it go.
The miniscule bathroom had a door that squeqked, a bit of 3 in 1 would have helped. Space for putting things down were 1, the loo lid
2, a tooth brush holder for 6 toothbrushes
The first night we had a towel for the floor, this disappeared for the second night and we had to do without.
The loo was a bad flusher.
To get to the shower one had to step into the bath. There were no hand grips, so it was a serious balancing act and a dangerous one. To get out one used the door handle as a grip place. I WAS really scared at the prospect of a fall.
We had a snack whilst Herbert had his lunch on th4 first day. Baps with too much salad.
We ate there in the evening, a non descript meal with masses of chips!
That night the locals carroused until 11 pm or so all outside our window. Eventually we slept.
Breakfast was funny, fruit juice, corn flakes and poached egg. Coffee, no toast.
We took Herbert out to lunch so were spared of the Hotel menu,(unchanging). We had a snack yesterday, it was difficult to persuade them to make a sandwich, but they did at last, packing it with salad again.
The wifi worked on ubuntu 9 at first, and then refused. The Asus never worked on the wifi. By installing Mandriva from a Live disk the wifi worked on the Dell.
The hotel staff tried to help but we had trouble getting an address.
I met a NZ family, Peter Davenport and family from Upper Hutt. He had his own business there and was going home on Sunday with Singapore Airlines. His daughter stays in London (Jean).
We asked for a rwin room, we were given one with three beds, a double and a single bed. Probably we should have quieried the point.When one is a bit tired of travelling and only too pleased to have arrived somewhere one lets it go.
The miniscule bathroom had a door that squeqked, a bit of 3 in 1 would have helped. Space for putting things down were 1, the loo lid
2, a tooth brush holder for 6 toothbrushes
The first night we had a towel for the floor, this disappeared for the second night and we had to do without.
The loo was a bad flusher.
To get to the shower one had to step into the bath. There were no hand grips, so it was a serious balancing act and a dangerous one. To get out one used the door handle as a grip place. I WAS really scared at the prospect of a fall.
We had a snack whilst Herbert had his lunch on th4 first day. Baps with too much salad.
We ate there in the evening, a non descript meal with masses of chips!
That night the locals carroused until 11 pm or so all outside our window. Eventually we slept.
Breakfast was funny, fruit juice, corn flakes and poached egg. Coffee, no toast.
We took Herbert out to lunch so were spared of the Hotel menu,(unchanging). We had a snack yesterday, it was difficult to persuade them to make a sandwich, but they did at last, packing it with salad again.
The wifi worked on ubuntu 9 at first, and then refused. The Asus never worked on the wifi. By installing Mandriva from a Live disk the wifi worked on the Dell.
The hotel staff tried to help but we had trouble getting an address.
I met a NZ family, Peter Davenport and family from Upper Hutt. He had his own business there and was going home on Sunday with Singapore Airlines. His daughter stays in London (Jean).
Tuesday 28 July 2009
Tuesday July 29 2009
We took Herbert out to lunch and then went back with him for tea and more chat. He kept dropping asleep because I was talking to him about computers!
We left him at about six pm and went back to the Eliot Arms.
After a spell Ursula took me walking and then we took the car and went to see Brunel's Viaduct. We met people from Upper Hutt and this was fun.
Ny changing the system to Mandriva Spring I have made the internet wireless connection. There seems to be a problem with both computers at this "Hotel"
Good night from St Germans
We left him at about six pm and went back to the Eliot Arms.
After a spell Ursula took me walking and then we took the car and went to see Brunel's Viaduct. We met people from Upper Hutt and this was fun.
Ny changing the system to Mandriva Spring I have made the internet wireless connection. There seems to be a problem with both computers at this "Hotel"
Good night from St Germans
Monday 27 July 2009
To St. Germans to see Herbert Whitby
After 50 years we meet up with Herbert. Here he is with Ursula.We shall see him tomorrow and have more chat, a remarkable man and old colleague.
Sunday 26th July
Left home at 10 am and arrived at Rosemary's house at about 3.30 pm. A reasonable journey with an hour's stop for hot chocolate near Axminster I think. A good chat, a nice happy hour and supper and so to bed. An early morning tea from Peter who went out to play Golf. Breakfast with Rosemary and a view of her pictures of her last holiday.
Off at 10.30 am to St. Germans. Took a picture of the two of them before we left!
Monday 13 July 2009
Herbert Whitby
I knew Herbert from the Nimrod Injector days. He had developed a chain of amplifiers for driving the accelerator. He did wonderful things with them like self exciting the cavity through the amplifier chain. He was quite brilliant.
I used to come down from Manchester to see him and the others in the team. Funnily enough one of the team was later in charge of the PS group when I left Cern. Sadly he died soon after I left.
He was Roy Billinge. On the Nimrod Injector he was rather small fry.
I first knew of Herbert through his neighbour on the Abingdon estate a Gordon and Grace Thomason. We played bridge pretty frequently and once played at their house. We met in great Malvern. He told me of the Spitfire that came to earth in Herbert's garden!
My last recollection of Herbert is hearing that he had been persuaded by Peter Dunn to leave Harwell for what I thought as a stupid idea to generate electricity from a reactor by using thermoelectricity. I called it hair brained and was rather rudely told off by Nigel West.
I met up with Peter on the telephone after John Adlam's death. He "said" that he would come to the funeral but cried off at the last moment using "a funny turn" as his excuse. Peter was a prof at Reading after his Malvern and Harwell adventures. I built a modulator for him once at Malvern.
He too was a bridge player along with John Adlam and Tony Egglington who later rose to dizzy heights in the hierachy.
Such memories I shall share with Herbert when I meet up with him in Saltash before his 102nd birthday in september this year.
As Leo Hobbis says in NZ, Herbert was and is magnificent and I agree!
I used to come down from Manchester to see him and the others in the team. Funnily enough one of the team was later in charge of the PS group when I left Cern. Sadly he died soon after I left.
He was Roy Billinge. On the Nimrod Injector he was rather small fry.
I first knew of Herbert through his neighbour on the Abingdon estate a Gordon and Grace Thomason. We played bridge pretty frequently and once played at their house. We met in great Malvern. He told me of the Spitfire that came to earth in Herbert's garden!
My last recollection of Herbert is hearing that he had been persuaded by Peter Dunn to leave Harwell for what I thought as a stupid idea to generate electricity from a reactor by using thermoelectricity. I called it hair brained and was rather rudely told off by Nigel West.
I met up with Peter on the telephone after John Adlam's death. He "said" that he would come to the funeral but cried off at the last moment using "a funny turn" as his excuse. Peter was a prof at Reading after his Malvern and Harwell adventures. I built a modulator for him once at Malvern.
He too was a bridge player along with John Adlam and Tony Egglington who later rose to dizzy heights in the hierachy.
Such memories I shall share with Herbert when I meet up with him in Saltash before his 102nd birthday in september this year.
As Leo Hobbis says in NZ, Herbert was and is magnificent and I agree!
Saturday 11 July 2009
Our last full day at the hotel Interlaken
We had some more prnts done and Ursula bought another film. We also had the train photos printed to send to the Simons in Meyrin.
Although the hotel has been mostly excellent, there were a number of things that we would advise anyone staying here to watch out for!
Our room was excellent....except for the TV/Computer rejoicing in the brand name of "SmartScreens" which is pure rubbish. The annoying thing is that it functions from time to time when it decides to boot up. The hotel people did try to help. They provided me with a USB keyboard and mouse which worked fire but then replaced it with another abomination off a wireless keyoard and separate wreless mouse which worked at first and later intermittantly.
The room is at the back of the hotel, above the laundry and ktchen, it is also above the "goods in" area and the workshop area if maintenance jobs are going on So we hear the washing up chatter, the arrival of goods in the morning and the noise of maintenance men cutting wood and other things from early morning time.
The bathroom is impeccable except for the liquid soap, also the bath into which we have to stand to shower is extremely dangerous because ot ther siting of the grab rails.
The room safe refused to open after 4 days, so we were oblged to use the safe box at reception.
I explained that coudn't pay by UBS card as it is only good for 1000 Fr per day. I offered a USB
Global Form but after consultaton they said it would cost them 20 SFR so they didn't weant to do it! They offered to take me to the bank, and i accepted. So I had to draw cash and pay my bill that way.
The staff are all very kind and courtious, but the unchanging menu is now becoming rather boring. but the convenience of beng able to just slip downstairs and get supper is exceedingly helpful.
We have had a restful and interesting holiday and hope to return tomorrow to reality in East Preston.
The punch line is as follows. Ursula asked me where her purse was just as we were leaving. I had put it in the safe. I couldn't find it. She then said that she wasn't going anywhere until her purse had been found. The recepionist said "Shall I check your room safe?". Well we thought that we had transferred all to the hotel safe. To our relief and Ursula's delight the receptionist found it in the open safe box in our room, tucked away in the back! So it had been in the open safe for a week or so. Such is the honesty of the room maid and staff.
Although the hotel has been mostly excellent, there were a number of things that we would advise anyone staying here to watch out for!
Our room was excellent....except for the TV/Computer rejoicing in the brand name of "SmartScreens" which is pure rubbish. The annoying thing is that it functions from time to time when it decides to boot up. The hotel people did try to help. They provided me with a USB keyboard and mouse which worked fire but then replaced it with another abomination off a wireless keyoard and separate wreless mouse which worked at first and later intermittantly.
The room is at the back of the hotel, above the laundry and ktchen, it is also above the "goods in" area and the workshop area if maintenance jobs are going on So we hear the washing up chatter, the arrival of goods in the morning and the noise of maintenance men cutting wood and other things from early morning time.
The bathroom is impeccable except for the liquid soap, also the bath into which we have to stand to shower is extremely dangerous because ot ther siting of the grab rails.
The room safe refused to open after 4 days, so we were oblged to use the safe box at reception.
I explained that coudn't pay by UBS card as it is only good for 1000 Fr per day. I offered a USB
Global Form but after consultaton they said it would cost them 20 SFR so they didn't weant to do it! They offered to take me to the bank, and i accepted. So I had to draw cash and pay my bill that way.
The staff are all very kind and courtious, but the unchanging menu is now becoming rather boring. but the convenience of beng able to just slip downstairs and get supper is exceedingly helpful.
We have had a restful and interesting holiday and hope to return tomorrow to reality in East Preston.
The punch line is as follows. Ursula asked me where her purse was just as we were leaving. I had put it in the safe. I couldn't find it. She then said that she wasn't going anywhere until her purse had been found. The recepionist said "Shall I check your room safe?". Well we thought that we had transferred all to the hotel safe. To our relief and Ursula's delight the receptionist found it in the open safe box in our room, tucked away in the back! So it had been in the open safe for a week or so. Such is the honesty of the room maid and staff.
Alpine Garden at Interlaken
We went to the Alpine Garden on Thursday. It was at an altitude of 6,600 feet, Ursula was not well equipped for the temperature so we had to buy her a pullover. I took a pisture of her in it when we got back!
Bern Pictures
These pictures were taken when we went to Bern. The Hotel computer started to boot again!
Saturday 11th of July
We went to Bern on Wednesday and met up with Robert, Arline and Marianne. We had a tour round the Parliament building, a snack lunch in the canteen and then came back to Interlaken accompanied by Arline and Robert. They went back almost immediately to Geneva.
Today is our last full day, we shall have to pack our bags tonight.
Wednesday 8 July 2009
Wednesday 8th July
Happy Birthday Nell! She is in the Scilly Isles on holiday. We are off to Bern to meet up with Arline, Robert and Marianne. We leave the hotel quite soon to catch the train from Interlaken Ost. We may add a picture or two later.
This computer folded once already today, but has decided to boot up again, it is fickle!
This computer folded once already today, but has decided to boot up again, it is fickle!
Monday 6 July 2009
We took these pictures earlier in the week. The room computer has decided to work again, so I have been doing a few things with it. Personally I would never buy a thing called a SmartScreen computer. The wide screen distorts our pictures and makes us look like barrel men and women.
It rained hard in the night and was carrying on at breakfast. I think slowly the weather is improving and after a hot chocolate we might persuade each other to go for a walk!
Saturday 4 July 2009
Saturday 4th July
A lazy day. We were at Ballenerg yesterday and rodein a cart dragged by horses for half an hour. The Harley-Davidsons are here again, solots of noise and motos.
Today the hotelmanager did another fix on his computer. It is a Smart Screens job. We made it work by using USB keyboard and mouse, but he has brought a new wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse.
We shall go down for supper now!
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