Tuesday, May 18, 2010

shelter, fibre optics, renaissance


Graffiti in a bus shelter in Groombridge.

A day of tribulation followed by one of rewards  for perseverance.. Virgin  Media come to connect our television, telephone and internet to  their cable system. Fibre optics I think. As usual we have to learn new procedures. Suddenly from only being able to receive a few  TV stations  (we live in corner of the town, and overshadowed by a tree, which prevents analogue signals from relevant transmitters reaching us) we have a vast choice including about five which we want  but couldn't reach before. We also have the opportunity to access BBC iPlayer on the TV, which means we can catch up on BBC programmes we miss. There are snags with using the DVD player. But that is overcome to day. Worst of all the signal from the router does not appear to be picked up by the desktop upstairs. An afternoon of fruitless tweaking leaves me  tired and irascible. But  today all is resolved. Someone on the end of the Virgin helpline helps me track down the ghost of the  program  of a former provider that haunt the computer like a malign spirit not allowing the new program  to take over. So , usually happens in these case, seem to have vanished and technology is again charge.

Frost, in the last three weeks or so, has attacked the new potato leaves. In recent years, frost in the Spring is so rare a thing, that we not recognise the source of the damage at first. It's too early for blight, but having planted so many potatoes  this year, we view the withered, blackened leaves with horror. It is a scene of desolation and disaster.  Fortunlately  I have earthed up the rows protecting most of the tender  shoots; and today in the warm spell,  which has arrived at last, and helped by showers, there are signs of new shoots. Grounds for hope.

2 comments:

Roderick Robinson said...

I like "the ghost of the program of a former provider that haunts the computer like a malign spirit" despite its tendency towards anthropomorphism. There's a dog-in-the-manger quality - if I'm being kicked out then no one else is going to enjoy this little nest I have formed. I'm assuming the five channels you really want include BBC4 - eaily the most viewed channel chez Bonden. How ironic that your problems should be caused by a tree and not some other more obviously inimical entity.

Unknown said...

is, where I am concerned, what doctors call a condition. At least I know when I am suffering from an episode of it and tread carefully. Yes, BBC 4 is one of the channels we want. BBC News is another. It's not just the tree. This corner of Tunbridge Wells is not served well by available transmitters. We still can't receive digital radio here. I will not invent another hostile shade.