ABC Wednesday 5: N is for...

...Niggling Nuisance

How apt we're at N this week and I can use the words Niggling Nuisance to sum up my blogging situation at the moment. Last Friday the graphics card on my PC gave up the ghost: it's incredibly hard to blog anything when you're staring at a blank screen :(

NAH's come to my rescue and rigged up the spare laptop, so I can continue talking to you. It belonged to my late father-in-law, is at least 6 years old and limps along. The internet grinds to a halt every time the fan switches on, which is every few minutes. That's just about bearable if I don't spend too long online, so my apologies for not getting around and visiting you all as often as I usually do.

The most frustrating thing for me is the complete lack of access to my pictures, so various posts I've planned are stuck in limbo for the foreseeable future. Luckily, I had some articles pencilled in for the winter months which I've pressed into service this week because I'd either uploaded the image already or I could re-use some of my published photos: I try not to do the latter if possible, but right now needs must. I also have some photos in my emails, like the one kindly sent by Mark which I used for Monday's post. These will help to keep things going for a little longer.

So apologies for not taking you back to Westonbirt for more glorious autumn colour; or telling you about various garden visits I've made recently; or walking you past more public planting and some of the quirky things I've found over the summer. The results of my air-pot potato trial and showing off my apple and pear harvest will also have to wait. However, I'll still be endeavouring to write something for you daily and hopefully it won't be as picture-lite as this post!

But really in the scheme of things my woes are pretty minor, hence why I'm calling my situation a niggling nuisance rather than a disaster. Please bear with me whilst I try to resume normal service ASAP :)

Breaking News: And Now for something Nice! I have a guest post on that marvellous new blog today, which concerns something very close to our hearts: Encounters With Remarkable Biscuits, telling you all about A Bit On The Side ;)

For more Narratives on the subject of N (and more than likely with lots of pictures too), do consult the ABC Wednesday blog.

Comments

  1. Anna21 October 2009 at 08:51

    Oh no VP - lots of nashing of teeth I would imagine :(
    Hope that you are able access your photos before long.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anna21 October 2009 at 09:01

    Need more coffee - meant to say gNashing of teeth :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Esther Montgomery21 October 2009 at 11:12

    Bet it rattles you all up and you feel different all day. I'd feel very annoyed and bereft and disconcerted.

    I've begun responding to memes. I'm doing them as a group and over several posts. Hope this is ok.

    It begins here

    http://esthersboringgardenblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/starting-on-memes.html

    Esther

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous21 October 2009 at 11:33

    Oh poor you, VP. Not having access to the photos is disconcerting. Thanks for the tip of having some loaded for future posts, something I never do in advance but will start doing now. Can't wait to read your biscuit story! :-)
    Frances

    ReplyDelete
  5. CanadianGardenJoy21 October 2009 at 11:35

    VP girl ... I feel for you .. even with my relatively new lap top , when that fan hits things do slow down .. might be ALL of the pictures I have on here too .. not to self .. must transfer to a disc SOON ! .. the thing of not having access to your pictures ( can make us CRAZY !) .. good luck with getting back to normal .. well, as much to normal as possible ??
    Joy ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Esther Montgomery21 October 2009 at 11:42

    The fan - I have that trouble too.

    There are two things which help with my laptop and may with yours . . .

    The more that is stored on it, the sooner the fan kicks in. So when the fan starts working over-time, I delete as many files as I can or move them onto memory sticks.

    The other is I that I always prop its back legs on something so the laptop tips forward enough to let more cooling air flow underneath it without slowing me down with my typing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Helen/patientgardener21 October 2009 at 12:22

    How fustrating I was without access to my photos for the last couple of weeks due to the new kitchen so understand what you are suffering. My son's laptop cuts out as well but we have found that the key is to keep the vents clear. In his case, these are on the underneath of the laptop so he tilts it against a book so the ait can circulate better and it seems to work. Phone me if you want me to explain that better!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Rose21 October 2009 at 13:48

    In the grand scheme of things a malfunctioning computer is just a niggling nuisance, but not looking at the "grand scheme" for the moment, it's darned frustrating! Hope you can get it repaired soon, VP!

    As for me, I had NO time to do an ABC post today:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Victoria Summerley21 October 2009 at 13:51

    Never mind, VP, you are just as entertaining without pictures. A bit like Radio 4!

    ReplyDelete
  10. our friend Ben21 October 2009 at 14:10

    Ack, poor VP! But here's a simple way to keep the old laptop from overheating and having to deal with the slowdown and fan noise: Set it on one of the wire cooling racks cookware shops sell for cooling biscuits/cookies. This will raise the laptop about an inch off your desk and allow air to flow under it and cool it. I have one that's just a few inches wider than my laptop, so it fits neatly on my computer desk. The fan never comes on!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Carrie21 October 2009 at 14:28

    Ohhhh, computers are EVIL!! I've only just got back to full flow after my battery cable went poof! Thank god for Amazon and their speedy delivery. No graphics card - that is the ultimate nastiness.

    Ah biscuits, I love that blog, technically I am Carrie, plain, but there hasn't been room to publish them all yet, haha.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Plant Mad Nige21 October 2009 at 16:08

    Clearly, you need a Mac computer.
    Or do you already have one?

    Niggling is exactly the right word. Niggling nuisances are like tiny thorns embedded in your fingers, or a splinter you can hardly see, let alone tease out with a needle. A gash with stitches is surely less painful, plus, you get scads of sympathy.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Katney21 October 2009 at 18:06

    Ah, yes. Been there done that and back in business thanks to my dear son-in-law--one of the techie nerds of the family of techie nerds I belong to and the most willing of them to offer assistance.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nell Jean21 October 2009 at 18:31

    I hope you get your computer nuisance woes solved really soon.

    We have server problems and printer problems and the resolution is taking what seems like forever. We're sitting here waiting for the delivery of the second new card for the server to replace the first replacement which was misordered from the store. A refurbished printer to replace the non-functioning one is also for delivery, after they sent ink cartridges twice and it still didn't work. We could be frolicking in the city if not for such inconveniences.

    We'll both be back on track soon. Hold that thought.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Joanne21 October 2009 at 21:58

    Niggling nuisance a bit like a bad back when you want to garden then.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Gail21 October 2009 at 23:16

    I am so very sorry to hear about your computer! it would make me very cranky! I don't think I could go cold turkey! As an aside, I've had my own blunders with blogging recently! Now I am off to read encounters with biscuits! They've been delicious stories! gail

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tumblewords:22 October 2009 at 05:23

    Sorry about the niggling nuisance. I can surely relate - the fan went out on my desktop machine last week and I was stranded until I found a local shop tech with a replacement. Seemed like forever!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Roger Owen Green22 October 2009 at 11:25

    we all know what it's like. bummer.

    ReplyDelete
  19. VP22 October 2009 at 21:12

    Yippee, everyone - it's all fixed! Thanks for your good wishes and concern, it's helped lighten a trying few days :)

    Esther, PG, OFB - thanks for the laptop hints and tips :) It could have been much worse, when we were wireless, it used to crash after half an hour!

    Nige - the last time I used a Mac was 11 years ago at the charity I worked for. Great kit, I especially liked the steaming hot cup of coffee icon which used to appear instead of the eggtimer if the computer thought you were going to have a particularly long wait for something!

    And everyone who's recounted their own woes - I hope they get sorted out soon and hurrah for techie sons, son-in-laws, engineer hubbies (in my case) etc etc. :)

    ReplyDelete

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