Aparagus and Electrics

Sunday, May 11, 2008
Snork Maiden
Le Depot

After a good start, the day went a bit downhill. Al stressed and grumpy on the phone, plagued by a list of unreasonable requests from me and badly behaved email. I haven’t been receiving any because when Al turned my computer on, Entourage gobbled it all up off the server; he’s used to Mail which apparently doesn’t. He’s now heroically attempting to pick out my personal emails and forward them to me.
All this has happened because we decided that I would take my old 12” so as not to put the newer, bigger one at risk. But the envisioned seamless transfer of Entourage from one machine to another didn’t quite happen that way, probably because the old one has OSX 10.3 and the newer one 10.4. This bears out the feeling that computer companies don’t really give a stuff about the end user, so long as the boxes keep walking of the shelves. (I hear you PC users sniggering but I have heard that you have your problems to with XP and whatever followed it.)
Anyway, more importantly, I have 2 outstanding boat problems – motor and electrics. The good news is that the engine is probably fine – just needs filter and oil change, but I am not sure whether Dominique, the yard proprietor, has done any of this already. It’s only a couple of hours work for me – less for him, so that’s OK. The electrics problem is not affecting the engine. It is affecting everything else, though. I have the panel pulled out and have had a look at the connections, but can’t see anything obvious. I have tried the meter and the needle remains unmoved by electric voltage or my distress. I have a phone number for a French electrician. I’ll try him in the morning. He will be busy; it’s that time of year. If I do locate him, he could fit our Navtex as well. (So we can pick up weather forecasts at sea.)
Tomorrow I will dry the bilges out (oh joy) and maybe work on the assumption that the oil change hasn’t been done. I think all the spares are still intact.
Jenny is listening to ‘His Dark Materials’ from a disc of MP3s. Determined to frustrate, the iTunes refuses to import any other way than one at a time. Also listening to Guardian Podcasts. I am aware that our frustrations are vanishingly small compared with what is happening in Burma, the hungry parts of the world and the UK where the Government seems to be running in with the judges over exporting people to be tortured. Seems that some are more equal than others. Sorry to be on a downer. I am grateful to be me. About to get into my very cosy bunk – maybe with a cup of tea.
I biked down to the sluices this evening. Some are working and some are old and disused. There was a creepy one where the water rushes through from the marshes; the sluice gates creaked and moved slightly and the iron walkway looked like it could give way at any time. The whole of this area is artificially drained. Hope there are no Tsunamis.

For those of you who like asparagus, it was yummy. Grown by the chap who sold it and irregular sizes - not a bit like the supermarket sort. Ate it with mayo and will search for some more tomorrow. There's a sweet little market hall but sadly, less than half full with a supermarket wither end of town.

And the electrics are all better too.