Adieu to the East Preston Silver Surfers

TO THE EAST PRESTON SILVER SURFERS COMPUTER CLUB

I have received a wonderful letter from your secretary on your behalf, almost a testimonial which would help if I needed to apply for starting a new venture. Thank you all very much. I am flattered and hardly know what to say!

The club is in excellent condition, has a strong and capable team running it, so having done very little to help for the last year or so, I felt it time to leave room for another President, and I am sure that such a person can be found.

As you all know, my interest is in Linux and not Microsoft. It would be hard for me to help with Vista and Windows 7.

Without the early help from Paul and Brian, I could not have made much progress. They, the founder members, the Village Hall committee and Local Council support, all played a very important role. The lottery funding made the acquisition of equipment and services possible. Alma Barker, Dave Hughes, Sheila Young, were there too at the beginning. Our committee has expanded and the Trustees watch over the club finances. I in turn am proud of them all and only too glad to have been there at the moment of the club's “big bang”.

I gratefully accept the offer of becoming an Honorary Member, and promise to look in from time to time. With my grateful thanks and my best wishes to the club ..

.Your First President

60th Wedding Anniversary

Because our wedding anniversary is Dec 28th and a very inconvenient date for a party we decided to hold it last week end. 39 family and friends came here and we had a little lunch together. There were our 4 children, 5 grand children. one great grand daughter (Hollie Stock). Cousins and others and two of Ursula's friends > One from the age of 2 or 3, and one from adolescence when Ursula and family were evacuated to Kings Lynn during the war.

We had a cake cutting ceremony and a group photo

Here are some photos!

Computer Housekeeping

As a result of looking at a friend's computer, where he had PC Linux as the Operating system, I decided on a massive clean up on the PC s at home.

I had inherited two from Eric. I had also the disks for XP and Microsoft Office from him. I made a new installation and had great problems with first, sound: then wireless access: and then printing.
The sound I cured with an IMic sound device, it plugs into a usb port and works straight out of the box. Skype now functions well. The printer is on my network and I had a bit of a struggle!

On another I have just installed Debian as a dual boot with Mandriva Spring.

I found another PC in the garage and again Mandriva Spring was installed and is working well.

Eddie's old Tiny runs Mint, but there are problems with wireless.

The Dell laptop gave more trouble with wireless so we installed Mandriva Spring and it runs well.

Talk Talk download speeds vary from 24 KB to 500 kB dependant on the time of day.

For those interested in Linux go to http://www/linux.org/ Everything you need is there for your
enlightenment!

Greengage Jam

When I was about 5 years old, my brother David went to the Royal Masonic School at Bushey. I remember being told about the school tuckshop and what could be bought there. So as he was leaving at the beginning of one of his terms I remember saying, "get me a pot of greengage jam and I will be pleased to come to school to joine you!"

I don't know how I had heard of greengage jam or how the weekly pocket money was distributed or much about the tuckshop. But children have a way of finding out about the nice things on offer!

I must have mentioned it to Christina who is with us now. She went out and bought some greengages and made jam last night. We had some for breakfast, it was delicious. Here is a picture of Christina at breakfast with the jam!

To Nymans Garden later on. Heard a talk about the house followed by a visit. The gardens were magnificent. Lunch followed by my sit down with Olwen allowing Chis and Mum to do more garden prowling.
Then to Olwen's house in Findon Valley for tea fpllwed by more tea at home. An interesting day altogether!

Yuesday 18th August

Despite loding the Bramley apple tree last year, we still get some from the younger trees. Christina is here for a week and has been doing her share of gardening, apple pulp making and generally helping and cheering us up.

These are James Grieve apples which are eaters and cookers.

12th July 2009

We had Wilma, Gillian,(my Goddaughter), and her two young ladies to lunch today. We took them to Angmering to the Spotted Cow. After a nice lunch we returned home for coffee. We left Mum and Wilma at home and they drove me to the beach and after parking the car we sauntered on to the shingle.

It was a bit blustery and we walked a bit and as you can see I took some photos. Alas Emily's photo didn't come out so I shall ask her for one to include later.

I slipped on the pebbles and cracked my head on a bit of the breakwater timber. Gillian was simply marvellous and gave me first aid, doing all the correct things. The girls helped too and the the paramedics came soon and took me under their wing. I was taken to Worthing A&E where after a while I was fixed with glue and some tapes. On the way to the hospital there was a gridlock on the A259 because of an accident. There was a rather bumpy crossing of the central reservation as we went to the other side of the road. I had to hold on tight! Alas after I had called a taxi to take me home, my wound started to bleed again so I went in for a second attempt to glue me up. I arrived home at about 7.30 pm with a fairly sore head! Ursula was pleased to see me in one piece and gave me much fussing!

Gillian and the others went home rather late and we were relieved to get their "arrived home " from Wilma later.

Another of my 9 lives gone but so I was wonderfully aided by Gillian and her two marvellous daughters.

I write this on the 13th when I was well enough to go to the club and deliver my little talk on Linux. John Boutal helped me setting up as his mother had driven him down for that express purpose.

I was able to ring Gillian at Wilmas this morning and wish her a happy birthday, and of course thank her for being such a dear. My head does not bother me and in a few days I shall be as right as rain!

!st August 2009

The annual East Preston Flower Show took place today. The Horticultural Society organise it and this year the weather spoilt a lot of the fun.

I spent some time yesterday finding some potatoes to exhibit. Finally chose 5 big ones and took them down before 10 am to put on display. I put them on the Sunny Jim tray.

The winner had 5 beautiful white potatoes with what seemed like indelible ink markings at the end of each potato. Very striking, indeed it won exhibit of the show. I wish that I had taken a picture of them.

Sadly the judges hadn't even turned my card over for people to see. I expect I had violated a rule by using a metal tray.

I heard from Prim later that it was the stewards who should have turned my card over, the judges had obviously decided that my potatoes might have been the biggest but were not good enough for any comment!

We had a cup of tea and a cake and heard the usual list if winners read out. They are certainly an energetic crowd of gardeners and all the exhibits (except for mine) were simply wonderful.

It is very unusual to have a rainy day for the show, and we were very unlucky!

I am adding to yesterday's blog because today Sunday I found a massive 5 lb courgette in the garden. I should have put it in the show, and it might have given the judges a nasty shock! Never mind...I am not able to give enough time nor attention to the serious business of competing against such a dedicated crowd of people.

I am sorry if I have given the impression of having my one entry ignored.