Sunday, February 15, 2026
Tesco morals
When paying at a till, I had to use cash, as I did not have a pin number for any credit card. I did fumble a bit getting some small change out of my purse, but I was not aware of any falling to the hard floor. But then I noticed a couple of two pound coins on the floor, and wondered if they might be mine. The cashier insisted that they should be considered mine. Then I found even more coins on the floor, and again the instruction. I think I would have heard if they had all fallen. Anyway, I took them. I think they should have a charity box at hand to deal with this.
I should point out the thinness of the staffing, given the number of customers. But I still prefer my solution.
Martin
Saturday, February 14, 2026
driver's licence to the rescue
Gosh, the security in the banks seem to increased dramatically, and not very intelligently. They must have been hit hard by something.
Just to fix a future meeting, I had to identify myself. All bank cards ignored. Bus pass and library cards ignored. But a driver's licence was ok. How about a little sheet saying what you need to bring to the arranged meeting.
Madness
M
lots of nasty spam
Not quite sure why this is happening now. I also seem to be having network issues. Could be unrelated.
M
WiFi on the blink
Not sure what the problem is. Seems to affect iPad and tablet, but have not tried others.
M
m and s
Just found out that I already had an m and s account, together with strong password.
A bit confused as to when I constructed this. But it may be useful.
Tesco's next.
M
ordering a matrix of folders on android
On very recent Android version, I got stuck trying to arrange a rectangle of folders on the screen. It kept on moving folders that I did not want to move, and other quirks. I slowly realise the moving more than one position up or down was fraught with issues.
Only regained control by
- creating a hole
- swapping neighbours only.
This worked well.
M
First bath since September
Going to have a proper bath for the first time in about six months.
Yes, I did get the odd shower with a nurse or two, but this will be a blissful laze.
M
look and feel of current apps on portable devices
I am realising quite how much some of the standard applications have changed recently. It is all so much more hand gestures, rather than mouse / keyboard control. I like it, but sometimes am at a loss to know what I should do next. The integration with things like PayPal are now massively better.
Running a historic series of devices, is getting increasingly problematic. But that is progress.
I feel Microsoft has lost it completely. Apple are ok in their chunky of the market.
M
found scandals
I am blind as a bat.
It is now the muddy old shoes that I have to find.
M
Thursday, February 12, 2026
fives was likely off anyway
Turns out that Gareth had check likely players and none could make it. And I would not have been up to serious singles. So nothing lost in this
Martin
stopped the beep
The phone was not helpful.
The beeps were indicating there had been calls diverted to the BT message recording service. I think I had assumed that they would be deleted automatically once you had heard them. Anyway delete 2 and the beeping stopped. The phone in the top kitchen did not beep because it is an older handset. This was an added issue in diagnosis.
Peace at last.
The beep is a little cheapskate. Why not a voice saying ' you have new voice messages '? And why so rapid?
M
.
finally got passwords
I have been having difficulty with getting to my passwords, but managed today.
Interestingly I guessed one of them pretty correctly.
It reminded me how it was catastrophic when the phone and keypad layouts were constructed differently. I could not remember which was which.
M
central heating
Slowly getting to grips with central heating.
Reset all timing things. Highlighted the override buttons with red stars on the controllers that matter.
Reorganised the thermostats back to original positions, in study in right hand bookcase, and the landing upstairs.
It may be worth reducing the max temperature on the landing.
I have shut the air control on the stove in the garage, as this is not of use and may have strange effects.
Apparantly the thermostats were found without batteries in the airing cupboard, when I went into hospital. I guess I was in process of changing batteries. I do no know what batteries are in them now, but everything seems to work fine, with screen and communications.
Dont know whatever happened with the strange issues of starting the central heating at the end of four weeks, which I think was last March. Maybe that was hallucinations.
M
abandoned fives coaching
But I got two doses of tamulosin.
Will go to the doctors tomorrow, and ask for a prescription for the local chemist on the ground floor.
M
phone beeping and won't stop
The BT phone thinks the I have something to do. And beeps me every 7 seconds. Only way to stop is basically to take it off charging stand and switch off.
Ok, fine, but what if I have very little battery left.
This is bad design in my books. So I will charge it when I am out of earshot. Brilliant.
M
Password not memorable
In my taxi problem, the passwords on these 'touch and go' cards are by choice impossible to remember, being long, random, and full character set. It would take an age even if you had it written on a piece of paper.
That is the whole point. It can be killed stone dead in an instance.
I had a look at the entry, and was glad to see that I had got it right.
M
M
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
did not get to fives
Due to me not checking my email, I failed to get to fives tonight.
Better luck next week.
Martin
Monday, February 09, 2026
Fives and Old Lodge tomorrow
Looks as if I am blessed with luck. Keith and Gareth are fulfilling my dreams.
M
Left Care Home
Katherine and I went to staplehurst care home for last time and cleared out all my things. Also handed over 20 pounds cash, as repaying the 16 pounds taxi fare, and a bonus, that I had to leave as a charitable donation. What strange strict rules they have.
It feels good to have left, and to be able to help Tricia through a tough stretch.
Quite difficult to clear everything, and we still found things in our final search. Mostly computer leads behind beds. Hope we have not nicked anything of theirs.
M
Bank suggested cash
Went to the bank with Katherine.
Explained my problem with taxi, and basically was told to always have enough cash on one. Not helpful.
My solution of paying when you have good reception is better.
M
Old Lodge
Going up with Keith tomorrow.
Gosh, it seems ages since I went up there.
M
Sunday, February 08, 2026
cannot start my apple mac mini for some reason
as if no power is getting to it. Totally unresponsive
May have to take to apple shop in arcade.
M
visit to care home this afternoon
Objective is mostly to get some supplies of tamulosin, and to pay back the 16 pounds loan for taxi fare.
But will also bring some more stuff home, since I dont think I will be returning to residence.
Tricia seems to be coping with me being around, and that is truely wonderful.
Katherine was delayed and went there directly, so no stuff brought home.
M
fiddled with Central heating
Tried to get the CH timings better. Maybe others have tried to change it when I was in hospital. Anyway it was a bit of a mess.
Summer time and winter time do not help. And the kit has changed a bit, and the controls for the ground floor are different from the upstairs.
Anyway all changed I think. Basically the assumption is that the ground floor needs central heating for breakfast and supper. While upstairs needs heating for waking up, and going to bed.
So mid day is the bit where an override may be needed. The study at the top has gas fires in two rooms always ticking over very gentle, and that can be switch up if needed. On the ground floor, the stove in the garage is ticking over and can be changed. The drawing room and playrooms are more difficult and only the playroom can be bolstered with a fire in the stove.
The boiler is set pretty low, partly for better efficiency, but also to prolong its life.
Stoves in dining room and play room are optional, of course.
I am not quite sure what the problems were when I came back, but the shift from summer time to winter time did not help.
The 10 oclock off for the bedrooms is perhaps generous, and that could be reduced if we get up earlier.
M
Saturday, February 07, 2026
pay at start of journey
I got caught out pasying at the care home for a taxi, as the wireless reception is poor or non existant. So I could not pay by card and had no cash.
Answer either to drive to a place where there is reception, and pay for that journey and the journey back to the original destination
Or the pay, at the starting point, assuming that has good reception.
M
