It's not over until it's over

A slightly warmer pleasant day of clouds and sun. I woke up feeling that I still hadn't got to the bottom of what had caught the problem June had with her computer. We went for a walk for an hour around the park after breakfast and then cooked lunch. I rang to check if all was well, and learned that when June switched on her laptop, another Yahoo notification popped up. I thought I'd eliminated this possibility but had not been successful as I'd omitted to clear the browser cache containing a contaminated cookie.  I googled to find out if others had experienced the same issue, and discovered the Yahoo search engine is used to transmit an actual virus via Chrome hiding in a Yahoo search tab, not necessarily detected by the Windows Defender anti-virus system. Heaven knows why. I told her to switch off until I found a work-around solution.

The web provided instructions for removing this virus from Chrome, involving a reset of the browser removing all cookies and the full browsing record, then it re-starts as if from new after a few first use steps. If only I'd found this yesterday! I phoned June and told her this, realising it was too much to expect her to reset her Chrome browser, but maybe Tim from the Boys Club could oblige when he got in contact with her, but I had another idea. 

As guardian of her Gmail account I created a user with her details on my Chromebook. The browser will synchronise its settings across all devices with the same Gmail account. I could then perform a Chrome browser reset that would reproduce itself on her computer and leave her free of this pernicious vulnerability. In preparing, I discovered that switching between search engines in the top search window is effected by pressing the space bar before typing. Thursday morning she did ten searches and in just one had touched the space bar accidentally causing Yahoo to be used, with distressing consequences. Changing the internal setting from space bar to Tab key reduces the risk of this accident. So I did this as part of re-setting Chrome. All this I did after lunch and then told June she could switch on again. 

The synchronisation process worked but required completion as if from new on her laptop. Meanwhile, the virus laden cookie was still throwing up a notification. This was so disconcerting, she couldn't face completing the Chrome set up process, so I emailed Tim the director of the Boys' Club and explained all that I'd done in detail, and asked him to visit of finish the job in person. It was clear he didn't need to run any diagnostic tests if my instructions were correct. A few hours later, he made a brief visit, and in a few minutes the job I started was completed. And the nightmare was over.

Meanwhile, Clare and I went into town for a free drink and a piece of cake in John Lewis', as Clare has occasional free treats with her JLP loyalty card scheme. Then I bought  a Samsung Fitbit Versa 3 smart watch. Since the demise of my classic ancient Casio watch last week, and the strap breaking on my Huwaei step counter device whose display is hard to read without specs I felt it was time to get something new to combine both functions with a decent readable display. It was eight times more expensive offering more features than I'd ever need, but could be configured to serve the purpose, so it doesn't attempt to run my life for me, and the fees from doing two funerals paid for it. It was fiddly to set up but I got what I wanted from it and nothing more, eventually. The package even includes a spare strap!

Before the Eurovision song contest we spent an enjoyable hour watching a 1980's Simon and Garfunkel life concert. It was so pleasant to the ear in contrast to the two hours that followed. The performances were brilliantly executed from a technical standpoint, but the use of such bright flashing coloured lights and strobe effects I found so distressing I couldn't watch for long, and listened to two thirds of it from the middle room while I finished my sermon for tomorrow. So many songs which sounded similar and derivative, little that was ear catching and original. I liked Spain's entry because it was original and so Andaluz in character.  I doubt it will win, as it wasn't catchy run of the mill pop ear candy. I wish we'd stayed listening to the second hour of Simon and Garfunkel;s concert. But then I may not have finished tomorrow's sermon. An early start in the morning.

Chromebook unexpected demise

Another cool and cloudy day and a return to Monday morning household chores after breakfast. At last I got around to dealing with three months worth of unopened mail, sorting out the junk mail from routine newsletters bank statements, and occasional cards and letters. Much to recycle, some yet to file away. Car insurance renewal cost is fifty quid extra. We talk of getting rid of it, but life could be problematic without one, even though we don't use it much.

Then after lunch we did need to use it to get to back to back appointments with Kay our osteomyologist. I booked an appointment with her when I was still in Spain. Clare sent her a message early this morning and fortunately Kay was able to fit her in as well. Kay's house in Newport is at the top of the hill in St Julian's and it would take half a day to get there by public transport instead of a couple of hours. As ever, I found the treatment beneficial, except that I was tired when we got back, and ended up not going to Caerphilly to Emma's licensing as Ministry Area Leader. Whether by car, or by train or bus from the city centre, the trip would have required more energy than I had left, and pushing myself hard isn't a good idea after treatment. There was a message on the answering machine when I got back from John at Pidgeon's asking if I'd be free to take a funeral in three weeks time.

I went to use my Chromebook to check some data and found it was almost drained of power. I plugged it in and it displayed signs of a faulty power connection. I swapped the charger to a different socket, and then tried another charger of the same kind, but the same result, with the power indicator flashing and the screen brightness fluctuating in the way it does with a power supply fault. Both chargers worked perfectly with my other laptop. 

The only conclusion I could come to was that the input socket or the power regulator on the device motherboard is now broken. Once the battery drains, the Chromebook is dead. With only fifteen minutes charge left, I had to find out how to return the device to factory settings to remove all my accounts and data from it. I did it, but with very little time left to spare. I can take it to Davey at Tourotech and ask him to give it to his mate who recycles electronic waste. It came out of the factory in Taiwan in November 2018 and I bought it in June 2019, just under four years ago. It was a nice machine to use and of quality build - superficially. Owain is still using an seven year old Chromebook I bequeathed to him when I bought the Asus. Now I have to check out what's available of an equivalent specification.

After supper I watched the final couple of episodes of 'Those who kill', then completed work on the Morning Prayer video for Thursday and uploaded it to YouTube. 

Teatime Gridlock

Another grey Monday morning, with housework to do after breakfast, and then digital housekeeping with new booking dates to add to the calendar, and a clean-up of my Chromebook for optimal efficiency and speed. The trouble with doing this is that you have to re-enter all your Google account sign ins and jump through their security hoops, which is time consuming. So, better to do this when I'm not eager to get on with work.

There were photos in the news of two Banksy stencil graffiti work which have appeared recently on walls of bomb damaged ruins in a town outside Kyiv. One depicts a young gymnast dancing, the other is of a young lad in judo dress throwing a large man wearing a black belt with Putin's face. An amazing political artistic statement, bound to give Ukrainians the encouragement and recognition they need to persist in the costly struggle to liberate their country. President Zelensky visited the newly liberated town of Kherson today for a morale boosting speech and photo opportunity, declaring this victory was the beginning of the end for the Russian invasion. A bold and risky gesture to make considering that the city is within range of front line Russian artillery.

Banksy and his team give such an imaginative prophetic insight into contemporary moral and social concerns, often mocking the art world's obsession with wealth and status. The ancient prophets were poets of the word, using the language of metaphors, conjuring up images to make their point. Banksy and co just use images that speak louder than many words. What a gift to our image conscious era.

We had mussels with cauliflower and rice for lunch, then I went for a walk in the park before driving to Newport for another osteo treatment by Kay. I left in what I thought was good time and drove as far as the junction with Cardiff Road on Penhill. The traffic was heavy but moving, but stopped completely just as I was about to turn right in the middle of the road, with another car in front of me, both of us blocking the traffic flow both ways as a result. There was no alternative but to drive straight on, turn around as soon as I could and rejoin the traffic queue, this time turning left. This way I lost ten minutes, and arrived at Kay's place ten minutes late. 

Traffic congestion locally is getting worse with commuters to and from the centre and the Bay needing to go through Llandaff to get to new suburban housing estates now being occupied on the north west of the city limits. There seems to be no infrastructure improvement plan in place to alleviate the growing traffic problem. Additional rail capacity from Radyr is said to be coming, but this won't meet all requirements for people living several miles from the railways station there.

Anyway, the treatment and conversation with Kay did me good and I was back home in time for supper. I started watching a couple of programmes about Ancient Egypt after we'd eaten, but missed part of the first after falling asleep, relaxed by the treatment. Cue for early bed, I think

Adaptor dearth

I did the big weekly grocery shopping outing this morning and cooked lunch while Clare was out at her study group. I've been looking for adaptors for USB-C to USB2 devices lately, without success until I called into Touro Tech computers in Wyndham Street. Here they sell tine dongles which offer a USB B female socket into which a variety of cables and devices can be plugged. I need this as the new Asus Chromebook only has USB-C ports and a micro SD card port. Very trendy 'state of the art' stuff but to hell with legacy compatibility. But, where there's a will there's a way.   

I spent the afternoon, preparing a suitable handover document for HSBC in relation to Amanda's Injury Trust fund, which was set up in 2010 with Owain and I as Trustees. It's time to hand this responsibility over to her son James as he's now come of age. One less thing to worry about. Before Christmas, when I was quite ill and wondering what my chances of survival were, this was the kind of concern which lurked at the back of my mind. How difficult would it be for her if were to die unexpectedly? Running out of years forces you to think about responsibilities to others of this kind. So glad I no longer have responsibility for running parish affairs, and am still free and well enough to do pastoral work. It's all I was ever keen to do actually.

For the second day in a row I walked over five miles, grateful that two idle days over the weekend hadn't set me back in terms endurance. I didn't go out until Clare left for choir practice and I was over two hours walking, with stops to take photos, as ever. The long shadows of evening across the Fields in the hours before a golden sunset were inspiringly beautiful.

  

Sale bargain Chromebook

Clare was afflicted with a sore throat and cough over the weekend, and I followed suit yesterday. It meant we both spent the day lying low, foregoing an invitation to a Friends tea Party at RWCMD, to welcome the new College Principal. Even so, I made an effort to go out and walk as usual, aiming to increase my daily distance from four to five. 

Despite the onset of the virus, I managed five and three quarter miles, down to the Bay Wetland area to take a few bird photos. I walked part of the way back from the Millennium Centre, rather than stand around waiting for a bus, then picked up a number six bus, half way along Lloyd George Avenue to Central station, and a perfectly timed 61 bus from Westgate Street. I didn't feel exhausted after, which says something good about my general state of health, as the wound continues to dry out. I just wish my surgeon could see this, as it doesn't reflect what the MRI scan of nearly two months ago reported. I still haven't heard anything. It's as if I don't exist, a repeat performance of what happened before operation number two.

I celebrated the Eucharist with five others at St Catherine's this morning. After lunch I went into town and bought a new high spec Asus C302CA Chromebook, discounted from its original £450 to £300, in the John Lewis summer sale. It is, to my mind worth paying for something with a 10-12 hour battery life, HD touch screen and superior back-lit keyboard. What's so super about Chromebooks is being able to log into your Google account, and within minutes be looking at a clone of your familiar customised display layout. Plus, the newest devices run Android apps, so those you have installed on your Android phone can also be installed, if wish, on your laptop. Dull sameness for some people maybe, but for others desirable convenience and consistency. I wish I could persuade my sister June to give Chromebook a go. There's nothing new or unfamiliar needing to be learned.

Pleased with myself for walking over six miles today. I noticed, passing by the station that a large sign saying 'BBC Wales' has been mounted on the top right hand corner of Number 3 Central Square the Beeb's new HQ, currently being kitted out and moved into by Llandaff based staff. Official opening is in September. The last time I took a picture of the building end of February, there was no sign, so when this happened is a mystery. Curiously it doesn't show up in the media coverage I have so far googled.