Sunday was a day I would have preferred not to have experienced and yet I am delighted to have had another day to experience and that there are hopefully many more days to experience with self awareness, full uses of senses and with memory
Later than planned I set off to Newcastle by the Metro to purchase an additional pair of pyjamas having been unable to find anywhere selling the traditional item in South Shields as neither Marks and Spencer’s or British Home Stores has departments catering for the adult male and the enlarged George as the Asda supermarket did not stock the item.
To lessen the boredom of the journey I took with me Summers with Durham, an account of the experience of watching Durham County Cricket from its inception as a First Class County up to winning the Championship title for the first time in 2008 by Tom Wellock the Cricket writer who has seen more days play, home and away than individual and that includes players and club officials. One day I shall get out my own records and then compare his selection of memories with my own. But having said that I doubt whether there will be an quarrel over the days I have also experienced.
At Newcastle I alighted at Monument uncertain if the Haymarket was again open on Sundays after two years of closure for major changes above and below ground. I walked through a budget price store on the same level at the Metro station Piazza then took the escalator to the pavement level, unsuccessful in the pyjama search there although I did notice a good selection of the coffee making, of the kind where hot water is poured over the coffee into a glass container and then a filter is inserted to separate the coffee dregs from that poured into cups. For a couple of years I had used a single cup vessel but once starting with regular attendance at the cricket I had found my three to four cup size appropriate for filling the large vacuum picnic flask when I found the smaller steel version were not as effective as I had hoped. Then I had dropped and smashed the glass on the kitchen floor before relaying the laminated covering of the stone tiles, I searched in vain for a time for a replacement, Wilkinson’s in South Shields and Sunderland were blank but I found one in Jarrow or was it Gateshead? one but at Jarrow or perhaps Gateshead I did. Then over the past couple of days the cap separating the coffee from the metal lid slipped making it difficult to pour and then when I tried to clean the filtering element I could not reassemble. However on return I took time and while I do not think I have put it back together as it was before it works and the coffee should not touch the concave lid
In Newcastle I made my way along the pedestrian thoroughfare passing Fenwick’s’ to Marks and Spencer’s’ where there was a stand with summer and winter pyjamas ranging in price from £10 to £30 for those of thicker material. I made an excellent buy of extra large size with elasticated waist in a dark blue for a price reduced from £13 to a few pence under £10. I am wearing them now and they are superior to the pair I had been using to avoid the oily cream placed on my body before bedtime from staining the bedding. I also needed to buy some cards and these were also in the store and then it time for a salmon sandwich pack and a regular Americano Coffee with a side of cold milk. I was lucky to find a seat at a table as the seats at a counter to one side and been replaced by racks of magazines. I then went on a explore of the prepared processed meats counters and the salad. On a social occasion earlier in the year when celebrating the 70th birthday I had shared a giant platter of meats, olives and salad items which I thought was said to have come from M and S. Previously I searched two stores in London, one in Oxford Street had failed so I was not optimistic of success in Newcastle I was right. It occurs that I should check the internet shop edition later.
I then went to see if the Haymarket Metro station was finished and open. Open it was but finished it was not. nearing completion though. Before entering the station I crossed over the main road where Newcastle University is spending £200 million on developments to match those already undertaken by the University of Northumbria also located in the city and offering 30000 places compared to 20000 for the older institution. Passing by the large university book store it was evident that the new University public access and student reception offices are completed although the there is still work required to finish of the impressive new stone steps to the university central piazza with the ancient student union building on the left and the Playhouse Theatre opposite. The stairs are not in daily use but work is still required on the walkway suitable for those in wheelchairs, with push chairs or who find steps difficult. I was tempted to explore further but decided to make my way home returning around 2pm. It was just as well that the outing was successful because frustration and uncertainty what to do took over for the greater part of the day until late evening.
Earlier the good function desk top computer after the recent crash fright was again exhibiting tantrums despite the down loading of the Vista service pack 2 which had taken ages. Now not one but both the wireless and the cable mouses were behaving oddly and ineffectively. Unfortunately it was sometime before I remembered that the cable unit had been misbehaving badly and forgetting this could have had disastrously consequences.
A couple of days before the security programme notified that it had blocked two programmes which were causing instability, adding they would be permanently deleted until I rebooted. I should have been more alert, found out what this was all about and taken action but I was busily engaged in whatever and forget the warning when I turned the machine for bedtime. Think this was responsible fort he problems which had now arisen I thought I was restore the computer to a previous position and then found that this was this was to when the Vista update pack 2 was downloaded, I did attempted to restore but was told it was not successful, just as well. A little later I was advised that I needed to upload the latest version of a programme which provide support for videos and graphics, I think and this also coincided with a new Microsoft update,
However I am in advance of myself because fearing the worst again as pessimism replaces optimism, reality replaces idealism, with the passing of the decades I decided to use the lap with a keyboard attached- that worked, the loudspeakers, that worked as well and the wireless mouse, which did not, a big clue me thinks. However before I could get going there were 14 vista updates to download and process and a wedge of the latest security latest improvements. Having realised there was a problem with the wireless mouse I checked the boxes of old mouses to find one to fit the lap top connection came across USB linked which to surprise was working and so this led back to the desktop as mouse problems appear to be a contributory factor. And while the wireless did not function the USB connect mouse does. And there are two new symbols on the control panel; page, one for Blue Tooth devices and the other for Nvideo. The net result is a fully function desktop.
Now to DeJa vu in that this morning I set off for a full English breakfast and coffee plus voucher for £1.99 before visit my GP to report progress in the skin condition which eh confirmed although the remedy will be continued over the next two weeks. It is an omen methinks for potentially worse to come although I hope to avoid some of the horrors which others experience.
The highlight of Sunday after was the unexpected win of the Formula 1 Grand Prix by Jenson Button in Brazil. Who because of atrocious weather conditions had sorted towards the back of the grid with his team and rival on the front, Early on in the race there were accidents involving five cars which meant a rapid improvement in his position and this was sustained throughout the rest of the race. His Brazilian team was unable to sustain the lead and worse was to follow because as the race finished he had a type blow out which meant a pit stop and finishing seventh to Jenson fifth position and Lewis Hamilton, the champion last year on the podium third. There is one championship race to come in the oil rich state of Abu Dhabi and no one can gain the points to overtake Jenson which gave him the championship title. Given the failure of Lewis Hamilton’s car earlier in the season his rapid rise up the table was just as remarkable and omens well for rival between the two British based teams next season. In the evening I enjoyed the third episode of Emma which I shall report on when the series has concluded. Saturday’s X factor show suggested the group is not as strong as previous year but South Tyneside’s Joe Edderly pit in another cracking performance although he has several rivals, two in the camp of Simon Cowell, whereas Louis Walsh’s groups are awful with one rejected the first week and one cannot sing but entertain and are young good looking and popular so could survive for a few weeks more and he other a makeshift group of three better than average singers made up into a group and this shows.
Finally I come to games play where my attention has switched from the chess and patience games played against the computer to the shoot them balls of two Luxor games and Mah-jong tile pairing game also set in Egypt and involves a journey across the land collecting artefacts.
I continue to play chess but relaxed rather than the intense attempts to score 101 games at each level. At the moment I am concentrating on level 2 with a current stretch of 50 wins and 67 the maximum with some 800 games played whereas at level 1 the run was 114 games with 654 won out of 670. The maximum run at level 3 is 46 and level 4 50 with 282 and 312 games won respectively. In the first patience game, Free Cell where I once completed the first 10000 games in succession I have won 2018 of 2028 games played with an opening run of 850 and in Spider Spider to indicate a web structure the best run remains 242 with 1096 games from 1121.
And now to Luxor and Luxor rising which are games of multiple levels each at a different location and where there is opportunity to acquire points, lives and assistance to slow the movement of the balls in various colours, the number of which increases with levels, red green, blue level and purple to begin and then white and then black so far, In order to end a level and the sub games within each level making between 80 and 100 games to complete each game, one has to achieve chains of three balls of teh same colour in which instance one can gain a symbol 29of which leads to an additional life or one of additional aids. These have to be collected by falling into the mechanism which releases the coloured balls and where it is possible to switch colours by pressing the right mouse button sometimes. Chains of balls flow across the screen travelling pathways, through tunnels and other obstructions heading towards and exit which reached results in losing a life. With a little practice and attention to what is happening, coupled with the ability to concentrate as they approach the exit, and at the arrival for new chains provide the opportunity slow down the flow and blast away dangerous accumulations, so one eye has to be collecting the aids, it is possible to complete the series of games at the various level until reaching a game with specific levels where its construction is such that one loses multiple lives unless you are able work out how to overcome the obstacle by quick wittedness without making mistakes. The original Luxor game has proved the more difficult because only once have I managed to survive level 5.4 and went onto level 6.6. In terms of points I accumulated over 2 million points by level 5.4 but less when going further which is odd. My main achievement is with Luxor rising where I have been able to proceed to level 7,4 with great regularity acquiring 3 million points, but unlike the original game I have a way to move forward and presently have reached level 10 of the 14 and accumulated 7 million points but I suspect I will not progress further as the number of lives is reducing rapidly. The games are a good way to relax and for mastering a challenge from the comfort and security of home. It does not compare to the five year old child who with his older family members and their parents have completed all the 243 described walks of Wainwright, since the age of two. This appears hard to accept but apparently the family goes walking every weekend which the weather permits and there are photographs at the high spot of each walk to prove the achievement.
Later than planned I set off to Newcastle by the Metro to purchase an additional pair of pyjamas having been unable to find anywhere selling the traditional item in South Shields as neither Marks and Spencer’s or British Home Stores has departments catering for the adult male and the enlarged George as the Asda supermarket did not stock the item.
To lessen the boredom of the journey I took with me Summers with Durham, an account of the experience of watching Durham County Cricket from its inception as a First Class County up to winning the Championship title for the first time in 2008 by Tom Wellock the Cricket writer who has seen more days play, home and away than individual and that includes players and club officials. One day I shall get out my own records and then compare his selection of memories with my own. But having said that I doubt whether there will be an quarrel over the days I have also experienced.
At Newcastle I alighted at Monument uncertain if the Haymarket was again open on Sundays after two years of closure for major changes above and below ground. I walked through a budget price store on the same level at the Metro station Piazza then took the escalator to the pavement level, unsuccessful in the pyjama search there although I did notice a good selection of the coffee making, of the kind where hot water is poured over the coffee into a glass container and then a filter is inserted to separate the coffee dregs from that poured into cups. For a couple of years I had used a single cup vessel but once starting with regular attendance at the cricket I had found my three to four cup size appropriate for filling the large vacuum picnic flask when I found the smaller steel version were not as effective as I had hoped. Then I had dropped and smashed the glass on the kitchen floor before relaying the laminated covering of the stone tiles, I searched in vain for a time for a replacement, Wilkinson’s in South Shields and Sunderland were blank but I found one in Jarrow or was it Gateshead? one but at Jarrow or perhaps Gateshead I did. Then over the past couple of days the cap separating the coffee from the metal lid slipped making it difficult to pour and then when I tried to clean the filtering element I could not reassemble. However on return I took time and while I do not think I have put it back together as it was before it works and the coffee should not touch the concave lid
In Newcastle I made my way along the pedestrian thoroughfare passing Fenwick’s’ to Marks and Spencer’s’ where there was a stand with summer and winter pyjamas ranging in price from £10 to £30 for those of thicker material. I made an excellent buy of extra large size with elasticated waist in a dark blue for a price reduced from £13 to a few pence under £10. I am wearing them now and they are superior to the pair I had been using to avoid the oily cream placed on my body before bedtime from staining the bedding. I also needed to buy some cards and these were also in the store and then it time for a salmon sandwich pack and a regular Americano Coffee with a side of cold milk. I was lucky to find a seat at a table as the seats at a counter to one side and been replaced by racks of magazines. I then went on a explore of the prepared processed meats counters and the salad. On a social occasion earlier in the year when celebrating the 70th birthday I had shared a giant platter of meats, olives and salad items which I thought was said to have come from M and S. Previously I searched two stores in London, one in Oxford Street had failed so I was not optimistic of success in Newcastle I was right. It occurs that I should check the internet shop edition later.
I then went to see if the Haymarket Metro station was finished and open. Open it was but finished it was not. nearing completion though. Before entering the station I crossed over the main road where Newcastle University is spending £200 million on developments to match those already undertaken by the University of Northumbria also located in the city and offering 30000 places compared to 20000 for the older institution. Passing by the large university book store it was evident that the new University public access and student reception offices are completed although the there is still work required to finish of the impressive new stone steps to the university central piazza with the ancient student union building on the left and the Playhouse Theatre opposite. The stairs are not in daily use but work is still required on the walkway suitable for those in wheelchairs, with push chairs or who find steps difficult. I was tempted to explore further but decided to make my way home returning around 2pm. It was just as well that the outing was successful because frustration and uncertainty what to do took over for the greater part of the day until late evening.
Earlier the good function desk top computer after the recent crash fright was again exhibiting tantrums despite the down loading of the Vista service pack 2 which had taken ages. Now not one but both the wireless and the cable mouses were behaving oddly and ineffectively. Unfortunately it was sometime before I remembered that the cable unit had been misbehaving badly and forgetting this could have had disastrously consequences.
A couple of days before the security programme notified that it had blocked two programmes which were causing instability, adding they would be permanently deleted until I rebooted. I should have been more alert, found out what this was all about and taken action but I was busily engaged in whatever and forget the warning when I turned the machine for bedtime. Think this was responsible fort he problems which had now arisen I thought I was restore the computer to a previous position and then found that this was this was to when the Vista update pack 2 was downloaded, I did attempted to restore but was told it was not successful, just as well. A little later I was advised that I needed to upload the latest version of a programme which provide support for videos and graphics, I think and this also coincided with a new Microsoft update,
However I am in advance of myself because fearing the worst again as pessimism replaces optimism, reality replaces idealism, with the passing of the decades I decided to use the lap with a keyboard attached- that worked, the loudspeakers, that worked as well and the wireless mouse, which did not, a big clue me thinks. However before I could get going there were 14 vista updates to download and process and a wedge of the latest security latest improvements. Having realised there was a problem with the wireless mouse I checked the boxes of old mouses to find one to fit the lap top connection came across USB linked which to surprise was working and so this led back to the desktop as mouse problems appear to be a contributory factor. And while the wireless did not function the USB connect mouse does. And there are two new symbols on the control panel; page, one for Blue Tooth devices and the other for Nvideo. The net result is a fully function desktop.
Now to DeJa vu in that this morning I set off for a full English breakfast and coffee plus voucher for £1.99 before visit my GP to report progress in the skin condition which eh confirmed although the remedy will be continued over the next two weeks. It is an omen methinks for potentially worse to come although I hope to avoid some of the horrors which others experience.
The highlight of Sunday after was the unexpected win of the Formula 1 Grand Prix by Jenson Button in Brazil. Who because of atrocious weather conditions had sorted towards the back of the grid with his team and rival on the front, Early on in the race there were accidents involving five cars which meant a rapid improvement in his position and this was sustained throughout the rest of the race. His Brazilian team was unable to sustain the lead and worse was to follow because as the race finished he had a type blow out which meant a pit stop and finishing seventh to Jenson fifth position and Lewis Hamilton, the champion last year on the podium third. There is one championship race to come in the oil rich state of Abu Dhabi and no one can gain the points to overtake Jenson which gave him the championship title. Given the failure of Lewis Hamilton’s car earlier in the season his rapid rise up the table was just as remarkable and omens well for rival between the two British based teams next season. In the evening I enjoyed the third episode of Emma which I shall report on when the series has concluded. Saturday’s X factor show suggested the group is not as strong as previous year but South Tyneside’s Joe Edderly pit in another cracking performance although he has several rivals, two in the camp of Simon Cowell, whereas Louis Walsh’s groups are awful with one rejected the first week and one cannot sing but entertain and are young good looking and popular so could survive for a few weeks more and he other a makeshift group of three better than average singers made up into a group and this shows.
Finally I come to games play where my attention has switched from the chess and patience games played against the computer to the shoot them balls of two Luxor games and Mah-jong tile pairing game also set in Egypt and involves a journey across the land collecting artefacts.
I continue to play chess but relaxed rather than the intense attempts to score 101 games at each level. At the moment I am concentrating on level 2 with a current stretch of 50 wins and 67 the maximum with some 800 games played whereas at level 1 the run was 114 games with 654 won out of 670. The maximum run at level 3 is 46 and level 4 50 with 282 and 312 games won respectively. In the first patience game, Free Cell where I once completed the first 10000 games in succession I have won 2018 of 2028 games played with an opening run of 850 and in Spider Spider to indicate a web structure the best run remains 242 with 1096 games from 1121.
And now to Luxor and Luxor rising which are games of multiple levels each at a different location and where there is opportunity to acquire points, lives and assistance to slow the movement of the balls in various colours, the number of which increases with levels, red green, blue level and purple to begin and then white and then black so far, In order to end a level and the sub games within each level making between 80 and 100 games to complete each game, one has to achieve chains of three balls of teh same colour in which instance one can gain a symbol 29of which leads to an additional life or one of additional aids. These have to be collected by falling into the mechanism which releases the coloured balls and where it is possible to switch colours by pressing the right mouse button sometimes. Chains of balls flow across the screen travelling pathways, through tunnels and other obstructions heading towards and exit which reached results in losing a life. With a little practice and attention to what is happening, coupled with the ability to concentrate as they approach the exit, and at the arrival for new chains provide the opportunity slow down the flow and blast away dangerous accumulations, so one eye has to be collecting the aids, it is possible to complete the series of games at the various level until reaching a game with specific levels where its construction is such that one loses multiple lives unless you are able work out how to overcome the obstacle by quick wittedness without making mistakes. The original Luxor game has proved the more difficult because only once have I managed to survive level 5.4 and went onto level 6.6. In terms of points I accumulated over 2 million points by level 5.4 but less when going further which is odd. My main achievement is with Luxor rising where I have been able to proceed to level 7,4 with great regularity acquiring 3 million points, but unlike the original game I have a way to move forward and presently have reached level 10 of the 14 and accumulated 7 million points but I suspect I will not progress further as the number of lives is reducing rapidly. The games are a good way to relax and for mastering a challenge from the comfort and security of home. It does not compare to the five year old child who with his older family members and their parents have completed all the 243 described walks of Wainwright, since the age of two. This appears hard to accept but apparently the family goes walking every weekend which the weather permits and there are photographs at the high spot of each walk to prove the achievement.
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