Am-I-Happy

A few weeks ago SueW of Nan’s Farm asked if I was happy using the Blocks editing format

SueW

You are very welcome.

If I remember correctly you were an IT teacher for a while, so must mean you’re more computer literate than most people on here. just wondered Are you happy using blocks?

Me

Hi Sue

First up a brief history of me and Computers.

Initially I was not a fan of computers.  However, after I overpaid a shearer $1,000.00 in 1991 we decided a computer may take some of the hassle out of pay time at shearing and forked out $2,500.00 for a Windows 3.1 computer with a whopping 80 megabyte hard drive.

Soon after I created an Access Database which I was able to update during shearing.    After Dad saw my output, I soon became his shearing paymaster also.

 

Our first web site was published in early October 1996.  The idea was to provide same day wool and livestock market reports.  During the four or five years we were up and running we had views from all over the world.  

To ‘learn’ HTML I drove 100 km each way for informal lessons with someone who did know his way around the internet.   That was the only training I had in HTML.  Only other HTML skills were all self taught.

In 2001 I completed the second of two education degrees which allowed me to teach adults and primary school age children. These qualifications allowed me to be employed by the education department where I was deemed fit to have half of my teaching load in the Information Technology room.

My last six years of employment saw me working in the Corrections Environment in a maximum security prison teaching inmates Certificates I & II in Information Technology.

To continue…

Now I must confess to being a founding member of the ‘if it ain’t broke it doesn’t need fixin’ club.

The old editor fits that category beautifully.  It was in the not broke category

Initially I felt the new editor reminded me of Windows 8.0.  A nightmare!  Not at all intuitive.

However, last week I was forced, to use the new editor (not blocks) and life wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. 

To answer SueW’s,  Are you happy using blocks? question, the answer is a resounding ‘No’.

For example try finding the URL of one of your images.

The old editor took two clicks of the mouse.  

1.) click on image to enlarge it. 

 2) click on button which said ‘copy URL to clipboard’.

I have spent five to ten minute this morning trying to work out how to;

A) find an image URL  and

B) copy it……..all to no avail

At this point in time I would not be able to participate in any post requiring me to paste image/post URLs…..namely my Floral Friday and Birds Weekly posts.

Saturday May 29, UPDATE:  Over the past week I managed to stumble upon the image URL in the new editor.  A simple right click of the mouse reveals 6 options for each photo.  However, there is no indication, that I can see, that says Right click.  (Not that there ever was, I guess) Very, very much like Windows 8.

In other words easy when you know how.

Another problem solved was that of finding the HTML editor.  My greatest use for the code is that I find the old editor changes font size occasionally.   The only way I know how to fix that is via the text/code editor.

 

 

During the past 24 hours I opened my Birds Perched post in the wonderful new editor. 

Click the link Birds Perched or the image to see what is posted.

This wonderful, improved editor is not my cup of tea and I shudder to think how I will fare should it be my only option. 

I daresay that if pushed I will  have to find my way around the new editor and it will be okay. 

However I am not a fan at the moment!!

 

Deleting Spam

Yesterday (Sunday) I noted that there were 580 spam messages in my spam box. 

I said to myself; ‘…self, I said, you had better empty your spam box…In the old editor, it was a quick easy fix.  Select empty spam, wait a while and its done.

In the wonderful new version I had to select the spam folder first, then I clicked on the BULK EDIT button which brought up a rectangular checkbox and APPROVE and DELETE buttons. 

I selected the checkbox, then hit the DELETE button…and a whole 20 of my 580 spam messages disappeared.  This means that to empty my spam folder I had to repeat the above steps another 28 times.  

Between you and me that is not going to happen

Who in their right mind would design this?  Again there may be a way in which all messages may be deleted as in the old editor, however, as yet I ave not found it. 

Just like Windows 8

 

 

 

 

Word-of-Day-Challenge-Borrow

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~~~~~

borrow

take and use

(something belonging to someone else)

with the intention of returning it.

~~~~~

My earliest memories of Roy were at shearing time when he would help out in the shed. 

Roy and his wife lived on 20 acres on the outskirts of our small country town and he would turn his hand to just about anything for work.   He was well known and well liked.

When father-time (and ill health) caught up with Roy and he decided to retire, Dad suggested he hold a clearing sale after he sold his house and land.   A clearing sale is a bit like a garage sale.  Everything the vendor does not want is put up for auction. 

With the assistance of a local auctioneer, Roy reluctantly organised the clearing sale which he believed was a waste of time. 

The sale was held and Dad’s suggestion netted Roy another $2,000 if my memory is correct.  

So, on sale day, Dad was wandering around seeking a bargain, when Roy’s neighbour Stan approached Dad and asked:

‘Frank, how would you feel if your saw your ladders for sale?”  

To which Dad replied, with a laugh;

“About the same as when I saw my old drill for sale I guess.”

True story!

Only the names of the implements have been changed for photographic reasons.

Apparently Roy did have a habit of borrowing from neighbours and, in fairness, it was an era when neighbours did borrow from each other.

 

~~~~~

 

Word of the Day Challenge:…Borrow

~~~~~

WeeklyPrompts-PC-Advantages

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When I was fourteen my parents had a few

Hereford cattle on there farm including one paddock

of 25 mixed age cows, one  of which was a poll.

 That is, it had no horns and was bullied by those with horns.

After a chat with a school mate who was a dairy farmer’s son,

I suggested to Dad that we dehorn the cows.

So our first de-horning day came round.

 We left the polled cow out in a holding yard

happily chewing on a bale of hay.

First cow to be de-horned and let back to the holding yard

marched straight up to poll cow and

gave her head a sharp flick to the left.

Poll cow jumps away in self preservation.

De-horned cow tried same manoeuvre several more times

with poll cow preserving self.

Then the penny dropped.

Poll cow realised there were no horns to hurt her.

The tables turned because she had a lifetime advantage

of knowing how to fight without horns.

 Freshly de-horned cow had no idea

of fighting without her weapons.

We watched in amusement for a few minutes

until we realised that the polled cow was going

to make up for a life time of being bullied.

 Polled cow was removed to the paddock

leaving freshly de-horned cows

to recover in the holding yard.

~~~~~

Weekly Prompt Photo Challenge:…Advantages

FriendlyFriday-COVID-Discoveries

~~~~~

 

About six months ago MGW decided to

purchase a treadmill so we could

exercise indoors come rain, hail or shine.

Now, some say golfing spoils a good walk!

Personally I think walking spoils

a good game of golf and

that is perhaps why I haven’t

chased the little white ball

for around ten years.

Where did that time go?

But back to the Treadmill.

Yes, I am an irregular user of said machine.

Monday before Easter I decided to walk

around the block on the treadmill.

On this occasion though,

I hadn’t made the hundred metre mark

of my 1.1 kilometre walk

before I felt what I thought was a toe nail

digging into its next door neighbour.

I gritted my teeth and kept on keeping on.

And all the while it seemed like that toenail

was getting longer with each stride.

I made it around the block and was

happy that it wasn’t a bigger block! 

My aching knees I carried me from

one end of the house to the other where

I noticed a trail of feathery looking marks on the tiles. 

Could it be? 

Yes it was!

A red liquid was seeping from my afflicted toe.

The pain felt as my blister formed and burst

was absolutely nothing compared

to MGW’s wrath at the mess I had made. 

Fortunately very few of my steps had been on

a very, very pale, coloured carpet.

Taped up and cleaned up I limped back to

treadmill room to find MGW trying to stop

a blood soaked tread from disappearing

each time she wanted to clean it. 

 

So! 

During COVID lockdown 2020,

on that Monday before Easter

I discovered that I could not walk

around the block barefoot on our treadmill.

Even if I was certain that I had done so previously.

~~~~~

FriendlyFriday:   COVID-Discoveries

Amanda                       Sandi

WordPress Editor

Help!!!!!!!!!

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Last night my WordPress Editor switched to the Gutenberg Editor.

Can anyone please help me …with simple steps/instructions

disable Gutenberg and return to the classic editor.

 

I fear it may be the end of my blogging days if cannot return

to the tried and true Classic Editor. 

 

~~~~~

Burial-Mishap

Last Friday, January 20, we had the unfortunate task of burying my mother-in-law after a sudden and unexpected death on January 9.

As is the practise with MGW’s family, and I think it a great idea, there was a private burial at one of Geelong’s older cemeteries followed by a memorial service and afternoon tea at the church my in-laws attend.

Like many city cemeteries, it is close to capacity and the trustees are commencing to reclaim graves.  So some poor soul was dug up and told to move on, to make room for Mother-in Law, who was buried alongside two old graves, concrete lids, headstones etc.

 Personally I am not in favour of the practise (of reclaiming graves) but it seems to becoming more popular as cemeteries near capacity in our larger cities.

MGW, her sisters and father had arranged with the undertaker to remove the sheaf of flowers, which was on the casket, and take it back to the church for the memorial service.  As time came to lower the casket the undertaker appeared from the opposite side and retrieved said flowers.  As he returned to his previous spot, a cracking noise was heard.  Undertaker appears to be a bit tipsy and looks like he is over balancing.  Another crack and undertaker begins a sudden descent and does over balance, landing heavily.

However, he does save the flowers, but not his trousers.  They suffered a severe gash.

Moral of this story. 

Don’t walk on concrete graves constructed in the 1940s.  
At least that is what I assume he did.  My line of sight was blocked by minister and casket.

 

He told us later at the memorial service that news of his mishap had reached the office before he did. 

Nice to have workmates who are so caring!

So, what became of those flowers?  The family decided that they should be returned to Mother-in-Law’s grave.

Guess who won the job?

I can tell you I was on my tippy toes trying to keep as much weight off the soil next to Mother-in-Law, as possible.

 I should also add that these photos were taken three days later.  Hence flowers looking a bit sad and the broken lid securely contained within its walls.

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Politicians

MGW received this either via email or Facebook during the week.

I thought this a good forum in which to pass it on.

As a self-funded retiree, I’m frustrated with Canberra’s continuous fiddle with Superannuation contributions and rule changes

Plus the measure to Re-balance the Pension Assets Test to be implemented on 1 January 2017.

So here’s fair warning to all politicians of any persuasion.  This group of aged voters may be about to make the greatest impact on any Federal election in history.  Ignoring them may be the start of a changed political environment in this country.

Change the Entitlements

I absolutely agree, if a pension isn’t an entitlement, neither is theirs.  Politicians keep telling us that paying us an aged pension isn’t sustainable.

Paying politicians all the perks they get is even less sustainable!  The politicians themselves, in Canberra, brought it up, that the Age of Entitlements is over:

The author is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list.

In turn ask each of those twenty to do likewise. Within three days, most voters in Australia will have this message.

This is one idea that really should be passed around because the rot has to stop somewhere.

Proposals to make politicians shoulder their share of the weight, now that the out politicians espouse that The Age of Entitlement is over:

1. Scrap political pensions.

2. Politicians can purchase their own retirement plan, just as most other working Australians are expected to do.

3. Retired politicians (past, present & future) participate in Centrelink.

A Politician collects a substantial salary while in office but should receive no salary when they’re out of office.

1. Terminated politicians under 70 can get a job or apply for Centrelink unemployment benefits like the rest of ordinary Australians.

2. Terminated politicians over 70 can negotiate with Centrelink like the rest of the Australian people.

3. Funds already allocated to the Politicians’ retirement fund be returned immediately to Consolidated Revenue.

This money is to be used to pay down debt they created which they expect us and our grandchildren to repay for them.

4. Politicians will no longer vote themselves a pay raise.  Politicians pay will rise by the lower of, either the CPI or 3%.

5. Politicians lose their privileged health care system and participate in the same health care system as ordinary Australian people.

i.e. Politicians either pay for private cover from their own funds or accept ordinary Medicare.

6. Politicians must equally abide by all laws they impose on the Australian people.

7. All contracts with past and present Politicians men/women are void effective 31/12/16.

The Australian people did not agree to provide perks for Politicians!  That burden was thrust upon Australian citizens.

Politicians devised all these contracts to benefit themselves.

Serving in Parliament is an honour not a career.

The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so our politicians should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people, then it will only take three or so days for most Australians to receive the message.

Don’t you think it’s time?

Please do this if you can. Australia needs our help.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX Parliament and help bring fairness back into this country!

If you agree with the above, pass it on.