I was out the front one day this week when a man wearing hi-viz orange appeared in a truck and started putting barriers around the water stop tap in the path. He told me they had 3,000 to do as all water use measuring and billing was "going smart" and they were preparing every house to have a meter that could be read remotely. I then found an email telling me the same thing - so I needn't have bothered to have a meter put in last year (although it didn't cost me anything) and blow-me-down I've recently had letters to say BT are going all digital in this area too - no more home phone plugged into the wall - it will have to be plugged into the broadband home-hub. So no electric = no phone. Whatever are older people without broadband or a mobile phone going to do?
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Eldest Daughter and the Surrey boys should have been here for a few days but they had to cancel due to illness which is a shame but hopefully they'll be able to reorganise. They have such a hectic life with Son in Law often working away overseas, and Daughter working nearly full time as well as running Children's Craft Parties - I know I wouldn't have been able to cope with all that even though I was much younger when my lot were born. H. is now 43 with a 7 year old and a 2 year old and when I was 43 she was 18, son 17 and even youngest daughter was 11, "having them when young" now seems like it was a good idea! (Houses/mortgages were cheaper then too so we could manage on one wage.)
It was odd having 3 days that would have been busy, suddenly empty. I gave the car a much needed wash and got some extra gardening done. I cut back this years fruiting canes on my row of raspberries and wove the new canes between the wires to keep them upright. With more cutting back of the wilderness down the side of the bungalow my garden waste bin is full yet again.
Mmmmmm Figs # 3 and 4! Eaten on Thursday.
Fig number 5 was eaten on Friday and fig 6 I discovered hidden at the back low down and over ripe and when I picked it it shot out of my hand landing on the patio with a squelch.- Annoying . Fig 7 looks ready for today.
Looking for ideas for things to do on my now empty weekend I discovered one of the churches that I'd found locked when visiting have a coffee morning so that would be an opportunity to get in and take some photos and the weather looks OK for the normal boot sale visits.
the putting in of the cable for the rural broaadband is proving something of a nightmare they just keep digging holes outside our gate as we are the first house in the village, putting up barriers then vanishing for weeks
ReplyDeleteAnnoying. cable has been in place for several years here already
DeleteI'm sorry the family couldn't be with you after all - I've watched my daughters & their men this past week, and been glad I wasn't in their situation when I was younger. High powered jobs and preschool/primary-age children seems so demanding. But they've found life-work patterns which suit, and I'm grateful they are such happy families. Following your previous post about figs,
ReplyDeleteI've researched pruning my tree. I hope for some fruit in future years!
Have a good weekend ❤️
I ought to look up pruning mine and maybe start feeding it too ready for next years crop
DeleteMy life seems to be an endless stream of communication from utility companies informing me of changes. One is forcing me to change from quarterly direct debit in full to a variable monthly one. There is no option, just a curt sentence to tell me if I don't like it I am welcome to look elsewhere. Lovely customer care! Not.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand the need for three fold communication either! Email, text message and letter.
It's all about the profit - people don't matter any more
DeleteI keep getting emails from BritGas wanting me to change to a monthly DD, and getting smart meters. The letters are quite threatening. They sent me a reminder that I hadn't paid the quarterly bill, when they didn't send me one. I insisted they send another one. I have just been to the Post Office and paid the latest bill that came on Friday.
DeleteI haven't had that BT letter yet but I knew the digital switch was on the cards. I dread it because I rely on my landline. I do have broadband and a mobile phone but the signal here is terrible. They've no right to switch unless the mobile providers can improve the signal in rural areas.
ReplyDeleteThe letters say to contact them if you don't have a mobile phone signal - but no idea what they will do about
DeleteWhy do we all have to be forced down the same rabbit hole? I'm no Luddite, but personal choice should still be an option.
ReplyDeleteSeems to be no choice on lots of things now
DeleteYes, it was announced quite a while back that all landlines are coming to an end by 2025. I wrote about it. I have wifi but no mobile phone signal which is a bore but I'll adjust when the time comes. Older people like their landlines.
ReplyDeleteMine is hardly used so won't be a problem
DeleteI have no mobile signal in the house and got rid of the BT line 8 years ago. The phone is VOIP, through broadband. I also have internet calling on my mobile phone. It’s okay except when broadband goes down - which it does.
ReplyDeleteThe joys of rural living
We seem to have a good signal here in the village for both phones and broadband- fingers crossed
DeleteEnd of landlines - Keith's alarm pendant won't work then. Not that he uses it. Traveller thanks for mentioning VOIP. Will look into that. I have to go upstairs or along the lane to get a mobile signal.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to faster broadband when the current contract expires and I go back to BT. Of course, I signed up for 18 mths and shortly after that they put super fast to the pole outside the house!
We are currently on a private water supply but will have to go on mains as no option now farmer has retired himself from digging trenches 4 feet deep across his fields looking for the blocked pipe - which turned out to be 8 feet down!
If you have mains and a meter it keeps the costs down when just one or two in the house
DeleteDratted technology! I won't go into my situation as it's long and involved, but it means that a bit more independence will be taken from me. My mil had a navy blue face flannel and on a visit to us once I noticed that it had left a blue mark on my white basin. Came off with some elbow grease. When I worked in a branch of a big building society, to work out a mortgage, we would take the husband's full salary not including overtime and half the wife's salary as it was expected that at some point she would get pregnant. Times have changed in many ways.
ReplyDeleteMortgage based on one and a bit incomes would hardly buy a garden shed now!
DeleteI changed to all white towels a few years ago for practical reasons but sometimes yearn for a splash of colour! Enjoy the car boot sales and coffee moe ing and hope the family will be able to visit soon. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to getting rid of the layer of dust everywhere although I'll have to keep the navy hand towels for now
DeleteA neighbour gave me a huge basket of figs, I've shared them around but still have loads in the fridge, all ripe - still it's a nice problem to have :-)
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
How delicious. My one or two a day is a treat
DeleteI got rid of my landline many years ago. We only kept it so that (now late) husband's pacemaker could be checked remotely. The tech to do that required a landline. I'm wondering how it's done now, some new tech, I suppose, for housebound patients. But I pity rural residents with poor signals.
ReplyDeleteMany places have poor mobile signals - I worry about the elderly
DeleteOne of my sons lives and works abroad, but regularly keeps in touch by phone. He rings on my landline as the cost to my mobile would be astronomical. I would hate to lose his lovely calls.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure when they will be changing all parts of the country to plugging into the hub - it's the end of the month here
DeleteGetting rid of the old analogue phone lines would be more bearable if they forced the mobile providers to make Wifi calling available on all mobile phones. That would let those of us with broadband but lousy mobile reception have a good calling service. I've switched to a mobile with Wifi calling but unless I wanted an iphone (no!) the choice was pretty limited. You need to check your mobile provider to find if they offer it and which phones they support. It's all a bit of a bore, and it seems that communication is getting harder when it should be easier.
ReplyDeleteLuckily the mobile signal seems to be OK here but it will be a problem for many
DeleteThe problem with mobile signals in rural areas is often caused by local people objecting to phone masts being erected as is the case where I live.
ReplyDeleteThat's annoying
DeleteThat is horrible! It is a disservice to take service without considering the practicalities! If an area does not have good cell service, it doesn't seem fair at all to take what they have away.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what help they will have for people with poor mobile phone service
DeleteCell service is iffy due to the distance and trees between me and the signal tower. When/if broadband is via satellite everyone will have access. H and her family have busy lives. I hope everybody gets well soon.
ReplyDeleteI hope the family will get here sometime.
DeleteSo sorry you lost one of your figs. We still have landline plug ins for our phones here in my province. However it is getting very expensive as most people are going with using their cell phones only.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Only one fig lost so no big deal! more to eat coming along
DeleteWe are 'almost Luddites' and find the constantly changing technology difficult to keep up with. We did away with our landline some years ago when our elderly parents had died so the only calls in were spam.
ReplyDeleteI took very expensive red towels back to the shop when they just wouldn't stop shedding. When the shop assistant looked sceptical I simply took one and shook it - red fluff settled on the counter and I got my refund! Since then I've bought one towel and checked it washed properly (no shedding or fluting at the bottom), and then gone back and bought a set. Voila! Pretty towels and no problems.
I'm sorry your family couldn't come. I look forward to hearing about the church you visit.
I'm hoping my ensuite will be dust free with white towels!
DeleteThe politically-led drive to electric everything is, I fear, another policy which in time will prove to have been short-sighted.
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago we had the "do you think we might have to move from here when we are older" conversation and decided that whilst Bag End is far from perfect it has both gas & electric AND a woodburner which gives us a lot of backup for heating & eating. Modern houses are all-electric and I don't care how well-insulated they are, days without LX in a rural area can happen.
It was being without electric for more than 24 hours in winter that made me add a wood-burner here. Although since then they have upgraded the transformer so perhaps the electric won't go off so often.
DeleteAll the 300+ new houses in Bacton have those air source heat things - and underfloor heating downstairs - I just can't imagine they will be very warm in a really cold winter
For years now I’ve bought all my towels from charity shops.
DeleteI’ve been able to get brightly coloured ones that have either stopped shedding through the passage of time - or never did!
We have cell phones now. One home phone we had through a phone company quit working. My husband at times will answer me when I call him when I'm not home. A friend gave me figs last tear and they are still in the chest freezer. I will use them soon for jam or cookies . We've got smoke in the air since Saturday afternoon. A bit worse when we left a restaurant. Plants need to be watered. Sorry about no family visit. Hope they grt to be with you soon.
ReplyDeleteWe've not had a home phone since we left Berkshire many years ago and just use our mobile phones instead. North West Water wrote to us a few weeks back to say that we are going 'smart' too, no choice for anyone in town. And at the flat in Wales we have to have compulsory Smart meters installed for Gas and Electric. The powers that be are taking control.
ReplyDelete