Monday Meeting

The day has been dreich!  
On top of this I had to saunter down to the museum for a meeting regarding the next few exhibitions and other matters.  This meant sitting around a table being informed except when one talked about the garden and the need for water and another spoke about the new Water Butts.  this was exciting and one kept speaking and the other takes ages to explain in a roundabout way a straight line.
Then he discussed pictures on walls of the Hall and an exhibit on the Civil War even though there is almost no material in this area to display.
Back to exhibits and one or two spoke, one or two dozed and I merely wrote 'HELP!' on the paper provided and pointed to it every time certain people spoke.  My own dig at our partners elsewhere was shot down by the boss who had a wonderful political answer to my point.  

So it was back home to the laptop which had been running all day reinstalling Win 10 supposedly.  This time (Fourth time) I had accepted there would be losses and scraped out what I could from the 'File Explorer' which worked and installed the programme alone with no files or apps retained.
It worked well enough so the brute is working and much has been reinstalled alongside.  It does mean hundreds of links from my museum work have been lost but I will just have to find them all again I suppose.  Ho hum.  There again I have to reinstall several useful items such as 'Avast' & 'Malwarebytes' etc. 
I'm not one to complain.

Hopefully this will be the sight when I wander out tomorrow.  The wind however is howling from the southwest bringing half the Bay of Biscay with it.  This pleases the farmers and the ducks but does nothing for me personally. 

You will note I have nothing to say, just like the folks at the meeting however they kept on saying it.
Had I been a local councillor I may well have enjoyed the use of precious time, however I live in the real world and just wished to be at the other meeting I was missing for this!  Oh JOY!

Twighlight

I was sitting on my bed in the west wing watching football as night began to fall.  When allow as quiet I noticed the sun glimpsed through the leaves on the trees across the road and was temped out to snap a picture or two. 
Sunday evenings are quiet, no kids as homework keeps them locked indoors and only a dog walker or two passed by.  So I took a few pictures of the sky, not much else worth taking and rushed home to see them.

The problem is that on this laptop I do not have 'Live.com' as Microsoft have ended this.  The photo gallery was excellent and made playing with the pictures relatively easy.  However on Win 10 they have replaced this with 'Photos' and it is not easy nor that good.  I must look for something better so I can do things with the pics.  Very frustrating and annoying also when you consider they have taken all my pics from everywhere they could find and added them to their 'Photos' whether I liked this or not.  The power grab of these people knows no end.

 
Transferring them to add them to Blogger was not that easy, I suspect there is a way and I have not yet fund this but I did not enjoy the palaver swapping things over.  Good job I'm not one to complain.  
Tomorrow museum for meeting re new exhibition, fiddle with broken laptop, hoover and read books...

Something Different

Having got fed up screaming at the laptop I laid it aside today only working out how to remove lots of stuff from its inner depths.  This I managed and discovered lots of old photos some of which I quite liked.

Twice this week I have been out late.  On Monday I met with the men at the Liberal Club staying out till nine at night!  Gosh!  I must say walking home the hundred yards I was impressed by the light sky at that time of night.  I love Spring! 
Last night I was forced to visit the museum again for a quiz night that almost never happened.  Too few booked up and a scramble was made to force people to round up family and friends.  We managed to obtain four teams and sat through several bottles of wine rounds of various questions.  I managed OK on the history and Geography rounds but was somewhat lost on the Science one and as for the Eurovision round count me out!  I switched that of forty years ago and feel better for it.  A jolly good night out I thought and wandered home after nine thirty again impressed with the sky.  I might have taken a picture if I had my camera but not having it I couldn't which was a shame.  Spring skies are wonderful.
The number of questions varied and we failed the history round only managing 12 out of 15 there, we must answer for this on Tuesday as we ought to get them all right!

The day has been mostly spent in watching or listening to the football.  I am almost beginning to look forward to the end of the season so I can have my Saturdays back.  Within a week I will be wishing football was back again however.  Once I am free from football I might get out and about as the weather might improve somewhat.  While it rains lightly and annoys the farmers it is almost always cloudy and there is not enough sunshine for my liking.        

I know this is an old picture but leaving the museum last night the sky was again like this but not so light.  Twilight, when the streets are quiet, is a fascinating time of day.  The weather is reasonable, the sky good, the occasional bird still chirps its warnings to possible opponents and the world is at its best.  Our civilised world, with traffic on the roads and in the air passing by all too often makes us long for green grass and silence.  A stream of rushing water at such a time can be a wonderful way to relax the mind after a day of noise and excitement.  This does not mean we do not wish to return to said excitement soon enough but we need these moments to refresh the head as it gets cluttered with worries.  Some like to pretend such moments are 'spiritual' but they fool themselves as this is merely the mind relaxing in the creation God has provided for us to refresh and recreate our minds, how we need this.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Still not working, still now working, still not working....

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

(old picture...)

AAURGH Continued!

Having contacted Microsoft the chap helpfully offered a link that would reinstall Win 10.
This however needed to be downloaded to a memory stick of at least 5GB, naturally the only blank (and it had to be blank) stick I had was 4GB.  A slow trudge to Tesco led to another £7 leaving my pocket, I smiled at this, and returned to spend hours downloading (quick) the relevant link and then applying (slow, oh so slow) the link to the hurt laptop.
 Hours passed.
Eventually after many false starts the start screen appeared, I logged in and waited.
It didn't work.
I lunched badly, siesta'd well, then started again.
This time I amended things slightly and waited.
Hours passed.
The machine trudged to a finish, I needed to shave again by this time, and the result appeared, 
no difference, it still didn't work.
Tomorrow, with less hair and a very frightened neighbour, I will try again one more time with a couple of different ideas.
I'm not one to complain...

Outside the sun is shining.
Inside is darkness and gloom.
Outside pretty girls skip past half naked.
Sadly so do men who ought not.
I sit by laptop urging a response, to the laptop, not the girls.

Win 10, Microsft, AAUGH!!!!

Last night on my new laptop Microsoft decided to add an update.  Fine, it was late, I was tired, I switched off and slept.  This morning making use of the old laptop, the one on which I keep the details and links for the Great War research, and indeed much else, I began to clear up the links and consider what to put over to the new laptop.
This took all morning, searching out old links many of which had died since I kept them, removing duplicates and sorting the hundreds of much needed links into a sensible order.  It was fun rediscovering links to trials at the Old Bailey in times past, archaeology sites from the past and little used but important links to battles and individuals that might be required any day now.  It is to be regretted that so many sites no longer exist, just as it is regretted that I cannot mind what they were about!  However I cleared out many and placed a lot in better files, including links to the villages round the town and one in particular that I need to do some research on.
Then it happened.
"Windows needs to restart your computer" said the message.
Simple enough and as it was lunch time I switched off and let it update.
Update it did and took its time about it too!

After my unhealthy lunch, after my siesta, after I had a smile on my face I switched the old laptop back on and awaited the update process.
It went through the blue screen update message "Please wait while...etc" and then after a short eon it offered the Microsoft Upgrade message, you know the one, slow writing that stays for ever and moves off while the "Don't switch off ..."type messages run through.
While waiting I read 'War & Peace,' the entire Bible, got married, had three children and when I returned it was till updating!
Eventually it ceased.
The screen flashed once or twice, on the left of the screen the 'Recycle Bin' and several other folders appeared, though smaller and not int he right order.  One or two items appeared on the toolbar at the bottom but after another short eternity nothing else!
Nothing!  Not a thing!
All was gone.  All my research, all my links good and bad, four years of work (I use the word loosely) lost or at least unobtainable.  I muttered strange words and despaired a bit more.
I waited, I was getting good at this, I waited again, and much later pressed buttons but nothing worked, 'Start' didn't, only 'File Explorer' worked.
I logged out.
I logged in.
Same result.
So after more hopeless pushing and many rude words, some despair and a bang of the head on the wall I switched off completely hoping this would restart the brute.
It didn't.
I returned to the wall and bounced my head off it to the neighbours annoyance, it was his wall too!
I left a question on the Microsoft Community site, it might get answered one day.
Suddenly I found an opening. 
I fiddled with the right click on the search button (Search didn't work) and chose 'Toolbars' and then 'Deasktop.'  Suddenly as I clicked on the wee chevrons a long list of things appeared.  All was still there, trapped inside the machine.  But how to get to out?  'Control Panel' then select a 'restore point.'  Easy!
er, about a short lifetime ago I did this and the laptop is restoring itself to 5/7/17 blasted Yanks I mean 7/5/17 (why do they have the date wrong?) and as I write it is finishing!

It failed!

Everything is still on there, I can see that. 
It is the OS that has gone, the very thing they are supposed to be updating!   

Monday Mump

Some time ago the small hut next door to us, used by many local organisations, was condemned because it contained asbestos.  Eventually this was sold at auction and nothing happened.  Nothing continued to happen for some time until a neighbour informed me the building had been sold once again, at a small £50,000 profit to the original buyer.  Nice for some.
Eventually plans appeared to create a three story dwelling rising high enough to block the sun and allow residents to peer into one anothers windows.  
This would not do!
I, alongside others, put in loud and well written objections. 
Our landlord had a fight on his hands as they would be on his land and he was not happy about this.  He as a retired lawyer knew what to do.
Eventually, at local council speed, the plans were blocked.
All went quiet and quite suddenly new plans appeared and were approved and I cannot recall if we had time to object. The new plaans allowed an ugly two story building, garage on ground floor with four 'Studio flats' above.
Nothing happened.
Nothing happened for some time until one day men arrived and knocked down the hut with what I thought was little care for asbestos removal.  Maybe this was a ruse?
Later men began to clear the ground.
Eventually men began to dig holes and progrees was made.
However they did not know, and were not happy, about the sewage pipe from other neighbours house.  This ran right across their site.  Tee hee, he was not happy but thought it funny.  Therefore plans had to be altered.  
Much later concrete was poured into the holes previously dug and the alterations to sewage attended to.
Lorries carrying those gray 'Breeze Blocks' so called because they allow the breeze into your house arrived and dumped them.  One man was seen to be busy mixing cement and mortar and laying a line of said bricks in appropriate places.
Then it appears they knocked down other neighbours fence in the belief it belonged to this property, the trees beside it also were theirs they thought.  Other neighbour helpfully awakened them to the situation as it happened to be, his trees, his fence, your money ta much.
Nothing has happened since.  
Other neighbour has contacted the builder and received promises but no action.  He wrote, he called, he gets nowhere.  He believes the builders company has gone bust or just got fed up with the whole thing and dumped it on the developer, whichever greedy little Tory he happens to be.
We are left wondering what will happen.  
Will a builder appear, will the site lie like some half developed for years?  Will it be sold off to another chancer?  We cannot tell but stand back in amazement at the efficient manner in which housing is developed in the nation.

I love blue flowers.
I know not why but I love blue flowers more than most other colours, bright and cheery though many be.  These small beauties, and blue flowers it appears to me are mostly but not all small, are found in a box outside another neighbours door.  She has spent all her money on alcohol and flower boxes and very pretty they look.  The number of letters that lazy postmen shove through my door for her making me walk round there to pass them on indicate how many people are chasing her for cash.  Her use of a maiden name fooled some but not all I note.  Maybe if she took all the empties back and got twopence for each she could clear her debts, but maybe not...

 

Sunday Again

Sunday without politics was in my mind today.  However I did manage one or two comments on the papers early this morning.  The 'Daily Mail' and it's readers really are not interested in facts are they?
However I put all this aside for better things and hobbled to St P's to find the stand in preacher talk about social justice.  This no doubt inspired by his many years experience of social inequality and the sloth amongst previous churches when it came to taking action.  It may also be inspired by the Archbishop of Canterbury's round robin letter reminding people to vote as this was a duty not to be avoided.  This may stop short of telling you who to vote for but a reading of the 'Book of Amos'  shows how important social justice is to God.  He created all people and cannot see why we do not 'Love our neighbour.'
There are many Church of England churches where he would be asked to leave for offering his thoughts.  Most Evangelical would agree, but whether any actually appreciate what is required is hard to tell.  Some do great works while others sit on their hands a wee bit.  However the book does say 'Faith without works is dead.'
I of course listened intently, and now sit on my hands...

Nothing else has happened.
Life is boring.
The sky spends its time being covered in gray cloud and has done for weeks.
It's cold.
The footballs rotten.
My dinner was worse.
I accidentally got involved in an argument re Independence on a railway site on facebook.
My tea is awful.
Heart of Midlothian fell to another defeat.
This was not on TV so I could not see it!
Radio is awful.
It was awful when I woke at four this morning, it was awful when I woke at six.
It was still awful at 7:15 when I rose.
My knees hurt again.
I am not getting out and about and I am therefore bored!

I was happy when I rose this morning... 

The Result

This result has been repeated all over England & Wales.  The Labour & UKIP vote collapsed, UKIP racists voting for the original right wing party, the true blue Conservatives, and those disgusted with Labour also rushing to vote in the same Conservatives!  What does that say about this nation?
Note the numbers eligible to cast a vote in our constituency, 14,367!  Look how many cared enough to vote,  3741!  Certainly County Council elections are not interesting but even so that is appalling when you know these people sitting at home will be the first to grumble.  The fact the Tory vote would have won even if the other candidates joined together speaks volumes about this area.  The two other town constituencies were giving similar results.
In spite of cut backs, tax increases, stealing from the weak and poor people still voted for the Tories, I cannot understand why.

  
According to the media the Conservative Party swept Scotland, the SNP have been humbled, yet the story in final results appears somewhat different.  While the SNP did not sweep all before it many successes were recorded and while the Conservatives have 161 gains that almost equals the 160 losses suffered by Labour, Lib-Dems and 'other.'  The SNP gained 6, that is not bad.
Again those unionists not voting Labour now vote Conservative, why?  Do they really think they will make them better off?  
It was pointed out that just before the EU referendum an announcement concerning a royal baby appeared, on the day before the Council vote the English queen calls an emergency meeting just to tell us Prince Phillip is 'stepping down' in August!  'Emergency Meeting' for that?  A 95 year old is slowing down and this is an 'emergency?'  The pages of arselicking in every paper and all over the media must have influenced many small minds as they went to vote.
The English queen interfered in the Scots Referendum also, the EU referendum and now the Council vote.  I think it is time she abdicated for not following the constitutional role.  She can take Greek Phil to the races, shes been taking us in for years.

   
The sky has been gray for several weeks now.  Rarely does the sun shine and when it does I am found inside!  This state of affairs is poor and I have not been out and about for months.  This is wearing me down and I can understand those folks in northern Scandinavia who go mad during the six months of darkness.  Six months of summer light is brill but cold, bleak, darkness, no thank you!

Vote!

I have done my democratic duty and voted for one of the losing candidates in the local County Council election.  I know he will lose as the Conservatives and their unthinking lackeys dominate this area.  
The Polling Station is in the museum which is helpful as our boss takes the role of Presiding Officer.'  I spoke to him this morning, he had plenty of time to talk, and discovered that he could expect over two thousand people eager to vote today.  I asked how many had arrived by then, around eleven O'clock, and he reckoned just over forty people had voted.  There are of course postal votes to be added but how many dozen of those would arrive?  The town is divided into three for County Council voting and the total eligible constituents in our third is 14,367.  I suspect the count will finish early.
With the voting beginning at seven in the morning and continuing until ten at night the boss will have had a tiring day.  How he eats I did not dare to ask, I did offer to make him tea, but I suspect he will be off tomorrow!  Actually the suspicion has come too me that this vote will not be counted until tomorrow, to save costs I assume, which makes sense with so small a vote.  
June the eighth will of course see the General Election and a far bigger turnout of Conservative voters desperate to vote for the party that lowers their taxes.  The fact that that party has raised them continually behind their backs as they have done since time began has been ignored by such sheep and the cross goes to their man, who I can tell you will be grateful but really not be interested in them, his eyes are on promotion!      

Unless there is a major controversy few people care who runs the County or Local Councils, they just want good folks to get on with it and leave them alone.  However such an attitude ignores the fact that these voters, non voters that ought to be, are the first to complain about local taxes, housing, roads, hospitals and any and everything else.  When asked why they didn't vote they say "It makes no difference."  This is true and the reason it makes no difference is that you DIDN'T VOTE!
Local Council elections are more likely to draw crowds if there is a dispute.  Many around here are grumbling about vast housing projects that are being dumped on their doorsteps, often in 'Green Belt' areas.  This does bring folks to vote, I note no election for local Councillors is happening at this time when plans are being considered, and this can see people removed from their comfy seat.  This will not happen with this vote.
It must not be said all Councillors are bad, corrupt or self seeking, though many are, some do want to change the world, some wish to learn the ropes and go on into parliament, some dream of high office, many just wish to improve their local area and these ought to be commended for their work.
The public at large however remain skeptical of Councillors motives and many stories of corrupt behaviour do not lessen these fears.
Anyway who wishes to spend days arguing about the siting of Public Lavatories or Street Signs?  And who wishes to spend many days discussing local issues with members of the public?  Not me!

 

Quiet Tuesday

My view, almost all day today.
Certainly people came in, two to donate, two to browse, one to ask re a query, two to visit the exhibition.  
Not exactly busy today.
However the good news concerned the girls replacing things in the renovated kitchen ensuring my supply of tea will resume promptly.  Surely that is a good thing?  Of course no-one can find anything now.
The highlight of the day was the chat with a couple donating stuff and with the chap later donating a book relevant to the Americans who once blossomed around here.  Good stuff to receive. 
Otherwise it were a bit boring, just what I required today.
My women behaved magnificently as always, I got a bit stale cake with my tea after they finished, they worked hard all day leaving me to deal with the hordes of people not coming in.  I managed that and the one phone call for someone who was not in!  I scrambled through that one.

This is one of the creations people come to see.  Somewhat spoiled by not changing the filter on the camera actually and creating a kind of yellow light rather than the proper one but it leaves a nice pic I say.  This small camera does not work light the proper one.  

The early morning saw the sun appear for a while so I took advantage and wandered about the garden.  These orange things (I forgot to look for the name) in our organic garden are doing well and in real life give a bright colour to the place.  One lass does all the garden, she belongs to an organic society and ensures plants are tended properly.  The results are excellent and there is a wide variety of colourfull plants at all times, even in winter it is a decent show.   On occasions she runs classes for kids and they go off with plants and instructions how to make them grow.

"Wash me with Hyssop and I shall be clean," the well known biblical phrase from the psalms.  This refers to the once a year 'atonement' when the High priest went into the Holy of Holies and used Hyssop to spread the blood of the sacrifice over the ark as a means of propitiation.  This was the first time I had ever seen Hyssop regarding it as something found only in the middle east.  How little I know.  Jesus today stands before God the Father pleading our case in similar fashion using his own blood of his sacrifice, no Hyssop required.  This has been there for a while yet I never saw the plant as I was walking with my eyes closed, I note only the coloured things.

 
The sky above was blue, the wind a light breeze, a visitor mentioned how nice it was and I thought 'How long will it last?'  Within 30 minutes the clouds came over!  I do not foresee a long hot summer ahead, just a normal one.

No news as always, just elections in France, local elections here on Thursday and Theresa May hiding from everyone while her yes men hide behind her and blether their election slogans, most of which mean nothing.  Weeks of this to come yet...

Sunday Snooze

I have been in snooze mode all day.  While in St P's this morning I listened attentively to Colin but could not stop my mind drifting onto lesser things.  He spoke well but my mind kept wandering all over the place.  It has not yet returned.
I keep finding days like this partly because I try to lose weight by eating less and when I eat less my head dies.  My beer belly does not however.  I really need a better breakfast to see me through the day until evening.  Today I woke about 5:15 and desired urgently a pizza!  This has not happened before so unless I am pregnant I must not be eating properly.  Chips are required to make my mind work by that appears too easy an option early in the morning.
Keeping this hulk going while losing weight may be beyond me.  

The 'Strong and Stable' Kim Jong May has made an appearance in Scotland.  The Tory media inform us Scotland is turning to the Tories so the Dear Leader ventures to meet her people in a village hall in Crathie.  
"Where?"
Crathie!  It is the village where the Royal Family of benefit scroungers go to visit church when staying for three months at Balmoral Castle.  What they do there is a mystery but there it is.  The Dear Leader went unannounced to the village hall, the notice said a 'Children's Party' had booked the hall, and no press were allowed and no questions from the invited guests (all party members).  Instead of being interviewed by the media Ruth the leader of the Scottish Tories asked Kim Jong May the questions she was told to ask.  The great one then fled back to Englandshire.  She avoided Edinburgh, the capital city, Glasgow, the largest population, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth, Dunfermline, Kilmarnock etc but managed to visit an obscure village where the locals were not told she was arriving.  
Indeed the country is turning to the Conservatives.   

Tomorrow is a bank holiday, the May Day Holiday Mrs Thatcher banned because it was too Communist.  The Labour Party reintroduced it when they returned, at least that is how I remember it.  Thatcher did not like people enjoying themselves when they could be working for low wages in poor conditions.  Not that much socialism will appear around here tomorrow.  Those who can have gone away already, those who can't will do little bar sit around eating or visiting the shops, I suspect they will be open.  Socialists working therein might get extra for it but I doubt it.

Morning Cycle

The rolling English countryside early in the morning sun is a grand sight, however if a developer gets his way this grand sight will turn into 1600 houses, plus Doctors Surgery etc.  The old railway walk will descend into just another litter covered backyard for thousands more people.  Since arriving here 21  years ago the population has grown from 30,000 to 40,000, the need for homes and the greed of developers would increase it by 30,000 more if they could.  The fightback appears to be holding at the moment, the first plan was turned down, the new one has faults and hopefully will not go ahead.  There are areas where such housing could be placed, this however is not one of them.

One man who would be happy is the farmer who I presume lives in this house.  He has been trying to sell up for years and who can blame him?  Farming is a hard life and easy money from the EU will end soon with no replacements on offer, even from a Tory Party that relies on farmer Jones and his vote, so selling the land for housing makes sense to him.  He will move far away I'm sure. 
The farmer requires a decent deal but housing will go against the needs of the locals for green space, and this development will join the town to the village and destroy the appeal for those living there.  Quite what the answer to this can be I know not.  
Just a wee bit further up the line they collected money to buy the land and use as a nature reserve, with added facilities for those health freaks looking for a place to exercise.  This is a good idea but money is not available for the land the farmer wishes to dump.  If only I had become the Billionaire I was meant to be...

Avoiding me at a distance were several horses.  The field here often has a horse or two, head down and uninterested in passersby, and I note rarely the same horses.  Maybe he trades them, hires them or just offers a field to feed them in. I don't know why?  The rabbits seem content with their arrival and look down their nose at the camera from a great distance, which is why there are no pictures of them.  This is the edge of the village which will be attached to the 1600 houses if greedy developer gets his way.  

  
The idea of rising early and cycling appeared a good one late last night, this morning it took on a different hue.  However my knees need the exercise so off I went, immediately unhappy about it, and in spite of the early morning traffic, the pain, the chill, I kept going and got some way up the old line before my knees began giving me their opinion of it all.  
The aroma early in the morn of the vegetation, the birds singing while hidden in the trees above, the glimpse of blue in the sky, all made for a delightful start to the day.  A dog was keen to make friends, the owner well she was less keen, while one other dog walker informed me the old industrial estate will soon be 125 houses, including flats!  I must agree with housing there as the place was almost empty of companies and gypsies were moving in, and that means vast amounts of rubbish left behind for others to clear.  Housing of the right type in the right place can be accepted.

Bluebells abound at the moment and it is a pity I am too far from the woods where they cover the land.  Yesterday I was shown pictures of woodland that was a mass of blue from one end to the other.  All I found were the poor wee things outside my door.  

Blossom is beginning to fail.  The bright white on some trees has fallen and these lovely red ones are turning a slight pink shade.  These are not long for this world so now is the time to picture them until next year.  The park was originally a house belonging to one of the rich folks who gave much to the town.  The gardens were very well organised, whoever planned them distributed a variety of trees around the place and after a hundred and more years some are beginning to fail.  The council have cut down several that were diseased or dangerous and have begun planting new ones in appropriate areas.  This blossom is quite new and is flourishing happily, hopefully all the others will do so also.

Home to find carpetlayers in the hall hammering away all day.  Just what my tired mind wants to hear.  However I fed them tea, once only in case they stay too long, and while doing this broke the kettle!  Since buying it there has been problems and now it has failed.  The bin for this and back to Tesco later for a new (cheap) one.  Yesterday I had to go there to replace the iron which died, the water dripped out the bottom alarmingly, and now more money is to be spent.  I wish I could survive as well as the Crows who I found feeding themselves in the town centre this morning.