Google

All my computer and phone equipment is Apple. 

All my blogging is done on Google: Blogger, Google App, Gmail, and Chrome. 

I have multiple Google Mail accounts because I've always found it easier to have separate accounts for personal (family and friends) and personal (public), buying, travelling, blogging (for 3 separate blogs) and so on. This separation has worked exceedingly well until very recently.

Last week I noticed that Rhymes With Plague had a transparent grey layer across it. I could not access it for comments.

I opened it in Firefox and by signing in at the comment stage using  my Google Eagleton account. I was able to  comment. However ,  I had to go though verification hoops before I could do that and if I have to do that every time it will be tiresome. 

It would appear that Google now wants to synchronise every account on the same computer and 'owned' by the same person for the purpose of giving the user a better and more targeted service (including adverts when you use Google search).  In other words making sure that it knows as much about you as it possible can.

So far I haven't managed to sort out how I might ever use my iPhone and presumably my iPad to comment on blogs easily. 

The problem seem only just to have arisen. Is anyone else having any problems.

A Walk in the Rain

As is so often the case these days my blog posts are not exactly frequent: I'm not a YP, a Cro or a Rachel. I've actually had a strange month so far. When it started I had a single day in Glasgow booked at The Beatson and a few days  arranged down with Anna to enjoy some Glasgow life. I had three blog posts on what I consider interesting topics to be worked upon. Then everything altered. I've damaged my shoulder and that resulted in doc, physio and x-rays appointments.  Then there came calls arranging for me to have my uretic stent replaced in Ayr.  So I am now in Glasgow and, having had my pre-op, I am isolating until I go in for my op tomorrow. 

Today it has rained constantly: mostly very heavy drizzle that soaks you through without you noticing. Yesterday we walked 3 miles along the local canal. It was a very boring stretch in indifferent weather. Today we decided to walk round Hogganfield Loch. It's in a splendid 48 hectare park in the North-East of Glasgow. It was raining that fine drenching rain that soaks you before you've realised it. We were well prepared.

Mute and Whooper Swans

The rain eased off at the end

A Week Enjoyed

Another week out of Blogland and another 'selfie' blog post (sorry Bob). 

We have known each other for just under half a century. We came to the Island in the '70s - her husband and I to work for the local authority. For both of us it was short term. However, neither of us left.  Both of us stayed until our retirement. All of us loved and have very strong Island connections.

John and Sue left the Island after his retirement because their children had left the Island and Glasgow suited their travelling lifestyle better than Lewis. 

Sue and John were two of my closest friends from day one. Sadly, John passed away two years ago. We have shared half a century of experiences, fun and heartache. So when Sue came to stay for a week there was no shortage of things to occupy our time. We met mutual friends and had friends in for dinner. Sue went into town and met many of her own friends.

In fact I could write several posts arising from the visit (and may well do so). I should also get into the garden. However the weather today is vile - viscously heavy squalls coming through in between moments when butter wouldn't melt in Zeus's mouth. 

I also have an appointment with the optometrist. Actually I confess that I was not sure what the difference was between an optometrist and an optician. Apparently opticians are technicians who fit eyeglasses, contact lenses, and other vision-correcting devices. Optometrists are eye doctors who examine, diagnose, and treat patients' eyes.

Bye for now.

Yesterday's tomato crop:

Sod's Law

Being brought up in Liverpool we called it Murphy’s Law. However I read recently that anything referring to anyone that might in any way be taken to be derogatory is no longer allowed. Sod doesn’t have anyone to defend him (or was Sod a ‘her’?) so that’ll have to do unless you can come up with something better.

Today the peninsula on which I live has no electricity. That means there is no cellphone signal at my home because I get my signal from a local repeater mast. I have no idea if the wifi is off because…. This is where Sod plays his part.

My house can be reasonably independent of the electricity supply on a short term basis because I have a generator. My mains supply board has a Big Switch which switches the house supply off from the mains supply and allows the generator supply to take over. 

Every now and then I check the generator and run it for a while. I did this a week or so ago as soon as I got the first (of 4) letters from the electricity infrastructure company warning me that there would be no supply from 0900 until 1700 today.

This morning I went out early for my walk in the Castle Grounds and some visits and didn’t return from town until lunchtime. I turned the key of the generator starter and it refused to start. It was still refusing to start some time later and has consistently refused over the hours.

If next time I try it, it starts first time (as it usually does) I shall be less than amused.

Fortunately it’s been a pleasant afternoon and I’ve been in the garden and cut the grass.

I’ve not played bowls since the start of the season for various reasons but I decided that if the weather stayed good this evening I’d go and have a game before the season ends. The sun’s gone in and it’s clouded over but as I write this I’m still optimistic that the electricity will return so that I can post this and go off and play bowls.

Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll read some blogs too.

PS I’ve had plenty of coffee and soup because I have a gas camping stove for emergencies.