Im working Fri/Sat, then Spring Cleaning Sun/Monday. As good a way as any to keep warm.
I have plenty of outdoors jobs to do...patio washing my own and two friends extensive patios but too cold at the mo.
Dog walking extra miles to keep me out of the pub is a good idea and will save a good few beer tokens.
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Would like to garden .. too cold. Greenhouse only (heated).
Would like to beekeep - too cold. Bees doing nothing - just staying alive.
New droplinks on Yaris
Upgrade this pc from XP to W7 Pro 64.. and reconfigure HDDs so to speed it up.. (Raptor HD)
Wash house windows - downstairs only... too dangerous up if snow on ground.
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>> reconfigure HDDs so to speed it up..
You might want to look at one of the solid-state cacheing options for Win 7 from the likes of Crucial and OCZ. You add a small SSD and some software that configures it as cache for your main disk, so frequently accessed stuff is served at SSD speeds.
If you already have a large chunk of decently specced spinning rust, adding one of these is cheaper and gives faster results than moving to a Velociraptor disk.
Another option here is one of the Seagate Momentus XT 2.5" disks. These have flash cache built in. I find that my laptop using one of these is significantly faster to boot and load software than my desktop with a Raptor in it.
I reckon cached rust is the right way to do it.
Last edited by: TeeCee on Wed 27 Mar 13 at 08:57
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Thanks for the tips TC..
Onto it.
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I plumbed a Crucial Adrenaline kit into my machine last night. Very simple to do.
Results are as expected. I booted it a couple of times to get the cacheing started. Now it boots so fast that the Win 7 login screen jingle gets cut short as everything finishes resolving itself before the music finishes(!) Disk lamp activity in the boot/login cycle has gone from nigh-on solid throughout to the odd few flickers.
I have the Coretemp widget running on the desktop. A noticeable side-effect is that, immediately after login, all four cores are now maxed out. That would suggest that they're now getting everything they need to resolve the desktop and perform all the other post-login activity as fast as they can physically handle it..........CPU upgrade next.
I did a few quick tests too. Fired up Word, Excel and a few other things a couple of times and then rebooted. Accessing the same programs after reboot was very, very quick. Far faster than it was on the Raptor behind the scenes before the cache went onto it.
So far so good. I reckon it's going to be blistering once it's had a couple of weeks for the cacheing algorithm to tune itself.
Having both this setup and also a Seagate Momentus XT hybrid in my laptop, I'm firmly convinced that hybrid setups offer the best price/performance without compromising capacity you can get right now.
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"washing my own and two friends"
Quite a few housewives on this street I'd like to wash with too. I should rent a Hot Tub for the summer.
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Thought of going somewhere but dropped the idea due to cold weather.
Need to sort out the garden.
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I'll be making sure I've got enough coal and logs in or I'll have to fire up the central heating, for the first time in 2 years.
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Our teen girls skiing for 7 days from tomorrow. Be the first time in almost 18yrs we've been without both of them. Going to be so relaxing.
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Driving around New Zealand in a camper van, SWMBO has kindly organised kayaking, glacier walking and zip-wire excursions plus a visit to some glow worms or something, I expect to return to work somewhat more tired than when I left and then need to work the rest of the year to restore our finances.
Had to be done I guess, two weeks of enforced intimacy for us all away from the WWW, I have to admit to having some trepidation about being at the head of a long queue of frustrated car drivers stuck behind the behemoth I'm driving but hey ho.
Last edited by: idle_chatterer on Wed 27 Mar 13 at 09:50
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Self employed. Life will go on exactly the same, though I might fit in an oil change on the car Sunday.
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Meeting a college friend who is visiting from the USA.
Just seen the Sun shining through very dirty loung window, so, cold or not, must wash it. Cars could do with a wash as well.
Make house child-friendly for short stay of grandchildren next week. (Note to self - must buy some more Araldite to repair breakages after they have left.)
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Off to Great Malvern next week.
If spared.
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No plans - Mrs RP is working lates most of the weekend. Normally would be going somewhere on the bike but the weather is too cold
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Kids and grandkids coming on Sunday for a meal....don't know how many yet.
Will go for a walk on Saturday like I've been doing every day....no angina now !
SWM still very protective so that's me in the warm lounge with paper and telly....it's a tough old life !
Happy Easter to all.
Ted
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Finish up today for ten days holiday.
So will be trying to do 5 days work today and 5 on my first day back!
Heading down to Bishops Stortford for a wedding next week.
And typically, I wake up this morning sniffling and coughing so looks like a few miserable days ahead!
Oh and will need to do end of month figures as well!
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I hope to tidy the garden but the weather has been horrible this year.
Also changing the Discone for a slim jim (if anyone knows what they are) on the side of the house.
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We are having a "duvet day" tomorrow. Apart from walking the hound, all four of us will spend the day together, indoors, eating, drinking, playing games and watching films and generally doing nothing remotely strenuous or taxing. Due to work commitments, we've spent next to no time as a family for weeks now, and it needs correcting.
I believe I'm being dragged to Ikea on Saturday unless I can get out of it :-(, then Legoland with the kids on Easter Sunday, and perhaps a day in London on Monday. Then I'm off work next week to take care of the kids while SWMBO is at work all week, during which time we will drive down to Cornwall Tuesday morning spend a couple of days with friends at a holiday cottage in Bude. Do some crabbing, a bit of walking and touristy-bits, and head back probably Thursday morning.
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Sort of related to this thread, but it made me laugh: tinyurl.com/bvwfgb3
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Changing my car! Spur of the moment decision as I drove past my local Ford dealer. Trading my 09 KA for a 07 Focus convertible Lots more road tax - £215 v £30, slightly worse fuel consumption and £100 a year more insurance. No real impressions from the test drive but the boot is vast, even with the roof down, Two Samsonites would fit in easily. The boot is divided horizontally by a net roller blind which has tobe pulled out from behind the rear seats and locked in place; if it isn't locked and 2 micro switches closed the roof won't go down. Just more to go wrong really!
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You only live twice Melders - enjoy!
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Thanks Dog! My last one was a 320SL 20 years ago so I acquired the taste but no longer have the cash to feed it! Hoping for a warm Spring/Summer.
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My first car was a convertible Herald, I had an MGB roadster later, I quite fancy a convertible now I'm an old geezer.
:)
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Right that's it, stuff it ! Just got back in again after the thick end of a 400 mile round trip again today for the third time in a four day week. Motorways horrible today. Lots of "accidents" ( aka some twonk runs into someone and ruins everyone's day )
Usual bank holiday grockle factors. Roofboxes are the latest "must have" apparently. Why in the name of the wee man does anyone need to take their entire wordly goods away with them for a long weekend eh? Cars have never been bigger. Surely to goodness there's enough room for a couple of days luggage? Sheesh..
Then there's the driving. If they're not weaving about between lanes changing from 90+ mph to less than 50 mph and back again in space of a couple of miles then they're tailgating each other, performing all the above without checking their mirrors ( not that they'd do much good because despite the ruddy roofbox the thing is filled to the gunwhales with carrier bags full of god knows what ) and singularly failing to use any form of indication so that those of us who might be interested in avoiding them could have slight clue as to their next random move...
I've just parked my car on the drive. It's not moving until Tuesday unless we suddenly have an urgent need ( or more accurately "she" does ) to visit some godawful shopping centre or the weather warms up enough to strap the bikes on the roof. Then I'll consider moving it.
Bah !
As you were. Happy Easter !
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Re driving, Humph. One has to wonder to wonder why some people even bother to use M ways and dual carriageways. I was on the A1 near Stamford, long straight Southbound. There was a large low-loader carrying 3 Merc Artic prime mover units. It had to pull out to overtake some mimser in an old Corsa, and achieved it with ease, about 15 mph speed differential!
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>> Is it Easter, then?
>>
No, it's Easter bow.
Hur Hur
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Ended up on the Greyhound Retail Misery in Chester this afternoon - only went into one shop though...A55 was hell westbound.
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Tomorrow, nowt.
Saturday, off to York for the day with the youngest. Model railway exhibition. Can't persuade eldest to come, as he has urgent lacrosse to attend to.
Sunday, offload boys on their mother.
Monday, day to myself. Time for some track laying.
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Windows 7 loaded.
An easy experience after XP.
Can't find drivers for my 13 years old Mustek 1200 UB scanner - but I knew that before I started.. New scanner it is then.
Now about the garden...
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Where does all the money come from? The High Street and shopping malls are bemoaning the weather as people won't be out spending money with them. Beeb has just reported that there are virtually no flights or holidays available to Tunisia, Majorca or the Canaries or skiing resorts. I understand the motive but I don't know has the cash to splash
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>> I've just parked my car on the drive. It's not moving until Tuesday unless we
>> suddenly have an urgent need ( or more accurately "she" does ) to visit some
>> godawful shopping centre
Hmmmm. Been a while since she has been to the Oaks I think?
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 29 Mar 13 at 09:03
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Off to Center Parcs Sherwood for joint family break with sis's family. Grandmother's treat for the grandkids.
Too cold to cycle or do much but sit in and hope the wildlife is entertaining.
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I'm off to get sausages now.
I just heard mother-in-law shouting to the kids. "Only fish today!"
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Granddaughters birthday today she got some nice presents from Poland from the other grandparents.
Stopping in today missus wanted to go out shopping looking for a new bed.Don't know why this bed is fine by me.
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Just had a day aimlessly cruising up and down Wensleydale in Mrs H's C3 and a nice fish & chip lunch in Leyburn.
Get home to a text from friends inviting us for a beer in the next village. Not necessarily to see our smiling faces but to borrow our copy of 'Skyfall'. We will cycle; it's not too cold for us hardy Northerners.
Mrs H working Sat & Sun night so a subdued Easter Sunday. There are, however, simnel and choccy cakes for me and the Lad to scoff.
Last edited by: hawkeye on Fri 29 Mar 13 at 19:09
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Busy day at work today, and busy in my local. Tourists, but not as many as normal.
Work again tomorrow, them maybe train to Ribblehead Sunday and circular over Whernside & Ingleborough. Monday another circular walk from my front door, Austwick, Clapham, beer & curry.Then work again.
Im pretty sure that next month its my turn to get lucky with the P Bonds so an austere Easter as needs must.
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Doing much this Easter? - madf
