Tag Archives: flat battery

A Valuable Lesson

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I learnt a valuable lesson yesterday when my computer warned me that it was about to run out of battery. I plugged the charger in but the message persisted.

Then the computer went blank.

The first lesson is that when your computer charger starts making funny noises don’t ignore them. They don’t go away and it will eventually stop working. I ignored it for months. It didn’t get any worse, to be fair, but it didn’t improve either.

Of course, to a man who has all his passwords listed and who uses a variety of back-up methods, this is not a problem. You just borrow a laptop from your wife and carry on.

I have my WordPress passwords listed at the back of my diary. My 2014 diary. As you may have guessed from previous posts, I’m not the sort of man who would know where to find his 2014 diary.

As for storage, that’s something other people do. It’s like parachute jumping, I know the theory but I’m content to leave it to other people.

Fortunately, after a night of not being able to access my account, I am now able to run the computer using a borrowed charger.

I am chastened but, to be honest, no better organised.

It’s nice to be back.

Whilst writing, I have noticed that the ability to save posts has returned.

Things are looking up.

The Goat Escape (again)

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First things first – we arrived today with a list of things to do, and the first thing we saw was a massed escape of goats. They had clearly been peckish, and if there’s one thing a goat likes it’s some nice twigs. Things weren’t helped when a flat battery allowed them to climb over the so-called electric fence.

They have much more character than sheep. It’s just a shame that they express this character in making such determined bids for freedom.

It was a busy day yesterday – another 100 salt dough shapes ready for Flintham Show, an improved Wheatsheaf loaf, and an element of panic as we realise there is not enough time. That, of course, is not unusual: there never is enough time.

As you can see, the poppies are coming along nicely, though they do take a lot more salt dough. For one thing, they are bigger than many of the shapes we use, and for another, they need to be thicker to pick up the detail.

The thickness isn’t a problem when you are making biscuits, but when you have to glue them to a stalk it can be tricky, as experience shows they can overbalance or pull themselves of the stalks. I’ve invested in better glue this time!

Salt diugh poppies
Wheatsheaf Loaf
Escaped Goats in the labyrinth
Cookie cutters

We had a look in the mobile bread oven and found it was full of cobwebs and a small barbecue.  Yes, it was a surprise to me too.

One thing we haven’t done is test the oven or dry any wood. That’s because the farmer doesn’t believe in planning and hates using wood to check things are working. Farmers hate spending money, even if, as in this case, it does grow on trees.

When it all goes wrong tomorrow it will be my fault.

Do you know how many colloquial expressions there are for “goes wrong” in the English language? More to the point, do you know how many of them are suitable for use in polite conversation?