Gave up on the Steam train.

There was a steam train coming through Bath this morning to Bristol. I had thought about going over to Keynsham Station and getting some pix.
When I looked out I changed my mind.
Went up to Morrisons just after 8 and took some pix through the windows. Then on a spur of the moment decision I decided to look down to the beach. I hadn't checked to see the time of the tide but it was full tide at 9 a.m ish

Only just over a 12 foot tide but with the wind behind it it was quite splashy.

I sheltered from the wind blast using the hedge at the top of the rise and managed around 60 pix.

There were some folk who had - very foolishly - left their cars parked there. They will find they have a very good infilling of salt all around the cracks and joins of their cars. Salt? It will play hell with the areas they just cannot get to with a freshwater hose.
Odd how the colours have disappeared, looks almost like a monochrome pic except for the flags and cars.
When it had got to the highest I gave up and went back home. Booked in the Smart Idiot for an MOT tomorrow afternoon and idled the rest of the day.

What a difference a few years can make.

I was talking to someone that I had always thought of as a Clevedonian a few weeks back and mentioned Marks’ Hill, a name commonly known and used by my family.

They looked at me a bit puzzled, and I said to them “You know what I am talking about don’t you” They grinned a bit and said “You can’t catch me you know. It’s the little bit of Hill Road where Marks the chemist had his shop. Now it’s called Marine Hill”

I then patiently explained that whilst Ben Marks the chemist took the business on from his father Fred, he, in turn had been apprenticed to the chemist by His father who ran a little tea shop and café at the very beginning of Hill Road.

This had caused the hill now known as Park Hill getting the name Marks Hill.

“I suppose you don’t know where Coombe Hill is” I asked them.

“Highdale Road” was the answer. “No” I said “Only the bottom part of Highdale Road was Coombe Hill, Then the top part of it ran up through the firwoods to what was later called ‘The Arches’ and then up to the farm when that was built”

Highdale Road started from the other end; from Chapel Hill and couldn't be reached from Coombe Hill until they cut through the rocks where the little bridge went across the road.

When that was done they stopped calling the bottom part Coombe Hill and it all became Highdale Road. That was probably when Stewart Cottage was built. They had a double purpose in doing that. first the stone they quarried out could be used in building the houses and second they opened up a way to East Clevedon.”.

It made me think of the changes that had taken place in Clevedon. Hallam Road as an example was intended to be called Osborne Road, Woodlands Road was originally proposed as Woodland Road. Even in later years when the development off of Northern Way took place the Eastern part was intended as Regent Park – Clevedonians however insisted on adding the ending s to it and it finished up as Regents Park.

So life goes on, I wonder what we will be called in a few years time, Clevedon-by-Bristol? 

The stupidity of some people.

A week or so ago I had £59+ taken from my PayPal account. Quite legally: -- the need to take it was not legal.
I have been a member of AVG antivirus Free for a few years.
After one attack I decided to purchase a full anti-virus account. It served me very well and saved my bacon a couple of times by warning me of contaminated Email with trojan horses hidden in them.

It cost me £59+ and was worth every penny of it.

When the time for renewal came around I was quite happy to pay for it back in August to renew in September.
I was not so happy to find in November they had deducted another £59+ via PayPal.
I told them of it by Emailing to them, and it was instantly repaid to me. However it was repaid into PayPal that meant if I re-drew the cash I would have some deducted for handling.

Since then I had another request. to which I sent a short sharp note.

For Christ sake get yourself sorted out.

My anti-virus DOES NOT expire in 7 days. I paid the renewal back in August/September.
Any more of this and I shall cease to be an AVG customer. Probably take up the matter with CNet as well.

I like AVG and the way it looks after any virus problems. WHAT I DO NOT LIKE is being chivvied by you for renewals when I have already paid.

I have only just taken up the matter when you took £59+ from me by using PayPal. and last week had it returned. 

What is the matter with these people?

Does one department not speak to another?

Can they not read simple messages?

Are they blind, deaf and daft?

Or is it simply a scam to see if they can extract hard earned cash from their customers?

Had an Email from Jessops'

Checking my Emails Thursday and found I had got one from Jessops at Cribbs Causeway.

Thank the Lord that some firms do take notice of what customers ask them to do.

Because of my deafness I had requested of the young lady that was serving to Email me rather than ringing. When I checked my mail mid-morning I found a message telling me that my SLT A77 was waiting for me at Cribbs Causeway.

Horrible day of misty rain; not heavy, but bad enough to be a damned nuisance. Off I went on the 2.20 bus. Bus was full of shoppers but after a couple of stops I managed to get a single seat where I prefer sitting.

Made my way to Jessops' shop and had the camera returned to me. I have been lost without it for almost 2 months. I had the SLT A55 as a stand-by but it was not the same.
Paid a whacking £493 for the repair and overhaul. It was worth it because a new replacement would have been over £1,000 They had put a new control board unit and a new top complete. It is now more or less a new camera.

When we were coming back the bus driver got mixed into driving down the Portbury Docks road and had to turn at the large round-a-bout and get back up to the interchange again. Then almost in to Portishead he stopped to take some passengers on from a broken down X6 double decker. Result I was around 20 minutes late getting back.

The chap who had been working on the bathroom had gone but I managed to take a few pix with the Tamron extra wide angle lens.

Tiling had been finished but grouting needs doing now.

Won't it be lovely to be able to have a shower. I can't quite figure out how it will be set up but the 'wet-room' will stop the risk of falling.

Then Danny knocked and told me that the concrete had been laid on the set-up at the back and they are coming again today to do the last strip.

Job is finally finished. How nice to be able to have a shower with really hot water with a bit of power behind it. 
Now I have to wait for them to come again to re-model my kitchen. 

It makes me wonder if my Gods have forgiven my transgressions after all.

Do they know?

If they do know why can't they understand?

A work crew turned up yesterday to remove what is left of my old shed.

Only half of it remained after Martin's attempt to build new ones.

I had asked for the loan of a tarpaulin to cover what is left of the contents. Ian Sansum Alliance Housing Manager had in turn asked the surveyor, who probably thought bugger it. 

As a result no tarp had been lent to me. My stuff that had been crammed into the half shed that remained; had to be removed out into the weather when they came again this morning..

The remaining slabs of the patio after the removal of the odd things from the shed half, - a rushed occasion -  could then be taken up.

Levels taken and the concreting job put under-way. The rushed removal of my things meant that until the job is finished presumably they will have to stand out in the rain.

Although I did take my electric 50 foot cable and reel into the flat where it will be safe from water infiltration.

Why is it that inter-communication with Alliance is so hard with SOME departments.