Scargill

How long have we had websites now 20 odd years? You’d think Sky could get theirs right.

I went into the Sky website today to change our account – we have so many online options now it is hard to justify the sky package.

So off I went with my username and password – neither of which would work (I have this stuff all detailed in case I forget ).

So after finally getting the username and password sorted I went into Sky website.

Clear enough -  click this link to cancel HD and boxed sets ONLINE, yes?

You have to wonder.

In a historic, democratic vote of 17+ million brexiters against 16+ million remainers, Britain voted to leave the EU.

One could say we can’t fight it – that is democracy – but then we democratically elected the Conservatives and that hasn’t stopped labour supporters actively opposing anything the Tories so. Indeed in terms of eligible voters, well under 40% voted Brexit.

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We’re there – at last – and all is well – check out http://www.bedrock.es

Here we are, once again all ready to start the unfeasibly long trip to Galera for the summer.

I must say I am looking forward to this – between the snow, rain, hailstones, expensive beer and Comrade Corbyn I really need a break from the UK. Had my last supper (last Indian probably for months) the other night in Hexham and very nice it was too). As everyone’s parts freeze here in the Northeast, temperatures are running up to 22c mid-day in Galera though the forecast says a tad cooler this coming week, probably 20c. Time will tell.

I say we’re “ready” – that’s probably overstating it a little. Yesterday’s painting job came to a grinding halt when thumping great hailstones came from the heavens so the door needs a little work on it. I just started sealing the bath and I’m wishing I’d left it alone.

3 cats, a computer, TV and a boatload of ancillaries including the new fridge need packing into the car before our early departure on Tuesday. There won’t be much room to breath. One route is as bad as the other – but the plan right now is to take the A1 route.

By Tuesday night we should be in Portsmouth where we stop-over, then onto the ferry first thing Wednesday, a LONG trip and the food on the ferry is DIRE unless it has changed in the last 4 months – do we’ve bought a mini-fridge to take with us – it’s good for 4 cans of pop and a few sandwiches.

That takes us through to Thursday morning at which point we alight at Bilbao and start the drive down to Galera.

With luck we’ll be there mid-to-late evening. So much to do, I have a new battery for my solar panels and a new nail gun to fix up the Pergola. That and a little repair work (ALWAYS) and some white paint are priorities as is getting around to see everyone.

Over to www.bedrock.es for the summer.

You don’t really get any better than this – while elsewhere in the world idiots are chopping heads off and blowing themselves up –  this – one of the finer products of the 20th century sung by a master.

This is our new cat Chloe. She’s very friendly and currently looking after 5 kittens. We’re keeping Chloe – that is providing the boys don’t have her for breakfast and up to now they are being reasonably nice.

So now for those who’re not keeping up – we have Simba, Ruffy and Chloe and right now 5 fantastic kittens, however by the end of the week I expect they will have all been re-housed so we’re enjoying them while we can.

It’s been a busy week, apart from a slight lull at the start of the week as everyone recovered from the shock of seeing Brussels in pieces.  I’ve been working on code, blogging about some new computer boards I’ve been sent for review, finishing off Maureen’s shed and starting to get stuff from the hold in Hexham back up here – the plan being to get everything here before we clear off to better weather next month for a while. I’m hoping my new hi-tech radar movement sensors will arrive in the next couple of days or so – help make the place a little more secure (apparently these can even sense movement on the other side of a thin wall!)

Chloe doesn’t know it yet but she’s coming with us to Spain!

Usually when I’m away on business I have very little time to myself. Lucky then that this particular job over on the east coast of Spain happens to straddle the weekend. Well, not THAT much luck I guess as I agreed to come over here knowing fine well I’d get a weekend to myself.  Yesterday I went off to the coast as it was a sunny day and got some great photos you’ll find over at the Bedrock site.

Today the sky was clear first thing and so the day is likely to be even better.

And so – once I get some breakfast down me I’m off on another adventure. No shortage of new things to do here as I’ve never been to this part of Spain before and up to now just checked out three coastal towns – which are very pretty. Time to get the map out and see what I can find today. Check our the Bedrock site for more.

Maureen has been stopping with our friends Aidan and Helen – sadly the price of flights to get here just for the weekend started creeping up last week and just kept on going. Still, an adventure on your own is better than no adventure at all.

Pretty bleak back in Blighty and has been since Maureen and I came back in November, however this week I’m in Spain, south of Barcelona doing some interesting contract work.

Make no mistake, it gets cold at night down at the coast here near L’Ametlla De Mar– but the sun makes up for a lot and there is nothing remotely like frost.  From the villa the sea is clearly visible.

I’ve been here since the weekend working on a hi-tech project, this part of which is due to end next Friday when I return to the cold. No mobile phones here (at least, not for THREE users) but the WIFI is ok and now that I’m using LocalPhone that’s almost as good as having a signal.

Maureen is hoping to visit this weekend but the flight prices just keep going up – but checking regularly. Certainly plenty to see here in the local villages – up to now I’ve only been at night so I’m short of pics. Perhaps at the weekend I’ll get time to go enjoy the sun and the view.

Up sharp this morning, no-one around, well, no people around – not a sound indeed. Very pleasant.

A happy new year to everyone looking in. It has been a quiet holiday, I have done a LOT of writing on the technical blog and I have quite a few samples of various kinds of equipment on the way to review as the blog goes from strength to strength.

We’ve been here in the UK in some of the worst weather on record though in Bellingham we’ve missed the worst of it by some way. Looking forward later this month to meeting friends from Spain who are over here right now and generally getting the house ready for our return to the sun in April. Maureen has had flu over the last week and so we’ve not been anywhere other than visits to friends.  I’m taking the opportunity to learn – in particular to get stuck into the technology surrounding the “Raspberry Pi” and more advanced computers such as the Radxa Rock Pro – but that is all detailed on the blog.

As the evil results of religious extremism start to look like they may plunge us into something approaching another world war, understanding the dangers of religion becomes more and more important – and yet, one of the best documentaries on the subject “The Root of all Evil” which was produced by the UK and Richard Dawkins in 2006 seems to have just about disappeared off the map.

Worse, not just disappeared but it has been deliberately removed by YouTube – and that is a worry considering the amount of pro-religious nonsense available via that channel.

Thankfully I found these.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpqpkw_root-of-all-evil-the-god-delusion-part-1_shortfilms

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpqpkw_root-of-all-evil-the-god-delusion-part-2_shortfilms