The Joys Of Technology

I had all sorts of plans for today, apart from the usual laundry and housework.  After talking to DD3, and finding out about the huge amount of school work that needs to be submitted at various points this week, I suggested that it might be useful if she takes her tablet into school so she can type up the work in school, save it to her Google Drive account and then continue it at home. It seemed like a logical idea, but it then led us down a veritable rabbit warren :-)

First of all, we had to enable her new phone to access the internet, which is something we have never bothered to do before, and to say it was like pulling teeth was an understatement. It was by no means a straightforward procedure, involving much web-searching to find the exact way to set up a new APN for that particular pseudo-Android operating system phone and then add all the mobile phone operator's codes. Only after two and a half hours has it all been configured and working properly so it can act as a tethering hotspot for her tablet.

By the time everyone has now been fed lunch and a mountain of laundry pegged out on the line to dry, the day is well advanced. I haven't actually managed to do any of the things I had originally planned, but at least I have the satisfaction of having taken on a technological task without disturbing The Hubster from his fence painting and I have succeeded!

 Victory is mine - and DD3's, of course!

The Queen's Birthday

                                     Happy 89th Birthday to Her Majesty The Queen :-)

Celandines and Poetry

I was out walking the dog this morning and

 found a veritable carpet of dear celandines :-)

                  To The Small Celandine

PANSIES, lilies, kingcups, daisies, 

Let them live upon their praises; 

Long as there's a sun that sets, 

Primroses will have their glory; 

Long as there are violets, 

They will have a place in story: 

There's a flower that shall be mine, 

'Tis the little Celandine. 

Eyes of some men travel far 

For the finding of a star; 

Up and down the heavens they go, 

Men that keep a mighty rout! 

I'm as great as they, I trow, 

Since the day I found thee out, 

Little Flower!--I'll make a stir, 

Like a sage astronomer. 

Modest, yet withal an Elf 

Bold, and lavish of thyself; 

Since we needs must first have met 

I have seen thee, high and low, 

Thirty years or more, and yet 

'Twas a face I did not know; 

Thou hast now, go where I may, 

Fifty greetings in a day. 

Ere a leaf is on a bush, 

In the time before the thrush 

Has a thought about her nest, 

Thou wilt come with half a call, 

Spreading out thy glossy breast 

Like a careless Prodigal; 

Telling tales about the sun, 

When we've little warmth, or none. 

Poets, vain men in their mood! 

Travel with the multitude: 

Never heed them; I aver 

That they all are wanton wooers; 

But the thrifty cottager, 

Who stirs little out of doors, 

Joys to spy thee near her home; 

Spring is coming, Thou art come! 

Comfort have thou of thy merit, 

Kindly, unassuming Spirit! 

Careless of thy neighbourhood, 

Thou dost show thy pleasant face 

On the moor, and in the wood, 

In the lane;--there's not a place, 

Howsoever mean it be, 

But 'tis good enough for thee. 

Ill befall the yellow flowers, 

Children of the flaring hours! 

Buttercups, that will be seen, 

Whether we will see or no; 

Others, too, of lofty mien; 

They have done as worldlings do, 

Taken praise that should be thine, 

Little, humble Celandine! 

Prophet of delight and mirth, 

Ill-requited upon earth; 

Herald of a mighty band, 

Of a joyous train ensuing, 

Serving at my heart's command, 

Tasks that are no tasks renewing, 

I will sing, as doth behove, 

Hymns in praise of what I love!

William Wordsworth

Comic Con March 2015

The Big City hosted another Comic Con in March, so DD4 and I went for a day of fun on the Saturday; DD3 was going on the Sunday with a group of her friends. As befitting the capital of Wales, our national flower, the daffodil, was in evidence even on the lamp-posts...

The queue was enormous, even for the folk who had pre-bought their tickets. We were in the queue for those who had missed the deadline for pre-buying tickets. Yes, I know.....but it was actually quite fun standing in the queue, admiring people's costumes and laughing at snatches of overheard conversations.

Seeing a NYPD police car certainly is not normal for this area!
Neither was seeing the De Lorean car from "Back To The Future" when we got inside. It was impossible to get a really good snap of it due to the crowds.

I loved this costume from Doctor Who - he had put a huge amount of work into it

 and very graciously posed for me to take this photo :-)

And lots of general shots 

of  cos-players...

This costume was HUGE!!

The obligatory light sabres...

And Mickey! Darling Mickey!

And a not so darling Freddy Kruger...

Jeff Rawles, who played Cedric Diggory's father in Harry Potter

And this wonderful pair as Gepetto, Pinocchio et al!

We had a blast, as did DD4 on the Sunday. 

Looking forward to the next one already :-)

Bright Week

                                                            Christ is Risen!

I cannot believe it has been a month since I last posted, but it has been a very busy month, not least with western Easter and Great and Holy Pascha :-)