Even with his little paws, Marty had managed to do the stitches, while Alfie was busy ticking them off on the chart for him.....what a team!!!!!
Sunday, 28 August 2011
Even the "boys" want to join in with the stitching....
Imagine my surprise when i came downstairs this morning to discover that Marty & Alfie had been carrying on with my cross-stitch for me!
Even with his little paws, Marty had managed to do the stitches, while Alfie was busy ticking them off on the chart for him.....what a team!!!!!
Even with his little paws, Marty had managed to do the stitches, while Alfie was busy ticking them off on the chart for him.....what a team!!!!!
Friday, 26 August 2011
Stitching update + A "trip" to South America
Hi, hope that you are all well.
I have been using my few days off productively on the old needlework front, and thought i should show you the fruits of my labour:-
I have been using my few days off productively on the old needlework front, and thought i should show you the fruits of my labour:-
I would love to get the backstitching done to show the detail off better, but feel that it would make more sense to leave it until the whole thing is done.
The "trip" to South America was achieved last night on the ham radio - i spoke to a guy in Argentina on the 17m band! "Yes, so what?" i can hear you saying. Well, i was only using 10 watts (yes, ten watts) of SSB into an antenna that, in theory, should not work. To say that i was chuffed is an understatement.
I've also spoken to a few stations in Spain and the Canary Islands, but the bands have been fairly dead for the last couple of days apart from LOTS of QRN (that is natural interference to those non-hams reading this). I usually have a lot of QRM (man made interference) here anyway, so it has just made matters worse. I'm not sure if there has been some odd sun activity which has caused this, but i have noticed a few other hams talking about the lack of signals too, so it's not just me.
Thursday, 25 August 2011
A few days off....still got something to grumble about though...
At long last i get a few days off work. My boss is now back from his holiday, we have caught up with everything that needed to be sorted, and now i have a few days break.
I would like to say that i have enjoyed the lie-in, but both yesterday and today i have been up almost as early as if i were going to work - must be a habit. I will do my best to break this particular habit i think!
Have to confess that i did fall asleep on the sofa yesterday afternoon for a little while until my phone rang and woke me up with a start. Yes, it was to do with work, but at least it wasn't anyone from the shop phoning me.
One thing that we have noticed over the last few months is just how RUDE more and more people are becoming. Just because we work in a shop does not give anyone the right to treat us as though we are a piece of dog dirt that they have trodden in.
I know that sometimes when you are shopping, the person serving you really isn't trying very hard, or is not giving you particularly good service. If this is the case, then yes, maybe you do have the right to be unhappy. BUT.....when YOU walk into a shop with a face like a slapped ar$e and a real attitude to begin with, don't be surprised if the person you inflict your custom on doesn't treat you like a member of royalty. Don't take it out on them because YOUR demands are either impossible to meet or simply out of order. They are a real person just like you. They might be having a bad day too. They might have other worries on their mind too. At least smile and be civil. That's really not asking much is it?
Some times one has to wonder about the mentality of people. For instance, a customer who is "furious" that the sweep seconds hand on their watch does not EXACTLY line up with the markers - yes, it's not right, but is it REALLY that much of a big deal? If that is the worst problem in that persons life then i envy them!
Or the person who's digital watch is 4 seconds slow but they don't know how to set it themselves, didn't buy it from us and can't remember where they put the manual, BUT, they catch a lot of buses, so it is important for it to be spot on.....
A. Would you take your Ford Focus to a Vauxhall dealer to have something put right on it?
B. It's not our fault you can't find your manual.
C. While on the subject.....RTFM !!! (Read the f****** manual)
D. Just how many buses actually turn up on time anyway?????
Or how about the person who blames us that the fine gold chain that they have worn every day for the last 20 years is now worn out...............do they blame the shoe shop that their shoes wear out too?
One word springs to mind.....................AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
There, i have got it out of my system. For a little while anyway.
So, the next time you go into a shop, remember........
1. Smile. (it's nice and it uses less muscles than frowning)
2. Be polite. (not asking much there)
3. Try to be friendly. (it will endeer you to the person behind the counter, and they will be more inclined to help you)
4. Be realistic in your requests.
5. Don't be an ar$e. (it simply doesn't suit you!!)
Have a good day - i plan too.
I would like to say that i have enjoyed the lie-in, but both yesterday and today i have been up almost as early as if i were going to work - must be a habit. I will do my best to break this particular habit i think!
Have to confess that i did fall asleep on the sofa yesterday afternoon for a little while until my phone rang and woke me up with a start. Yes, it was to do with work, but at least it wasn't anyone from the shop phoning me.
One thing that we have noticed over the last few months is just how RUDE more and more people are becoming. Just because we work in a shop does not give anyone the right to treat us as though we are a piece of dog dirt that they have trodden in.
I know that sometimes when you are shopping, the person serving you really isn't trying very hard, or is not giving you particularly good service. If this is the case, then yes, maybe you do have the right to be unhappy. BUT.....when YOU walk into a shop with a face like a slapped ar$e and a real attitude to begin with, don't be surprised if the person you inflict your custom on doesn't treat you like a member of royalty. Don't take it out on them because YOUR demands are either impossible to meet or simply out of order. They are a real person just like you. They might be having a bad day too. They might have other worries on their mind too. At least smile and be civil. That's really not asking much is it?
Some times one has to wonder about the mentality of people. For instance, a customer who is "furious" that the sweep seconds hand on their watch does not EXACTLY line up with the markers - yes, it's not right, but is it REALLY that much of a big deal? If that is the worst problem in that persons life then i envy them!
Or the person who's digital watch is 4 seconds slow but they don't know how to set it themselves, didn't buy it from us and can't remember where they put the manual, BUT, they catch a lot of buses, so it is important for it to be spot on.....
A. Would you take your Ford Focus to a Vauxhall dealer to have something put right on it?
B. It's not our fault you can't find your manual.
C. While on the subject.....RTFM !!! (Read the f****** manual)
D. Just how many buses actually turn up on time anyway?????
Or how about the person who blames us that the fine gold chain that they have worn every day for the last 20 years is now worn out...............do they blame the shoe shop that their shoes wear out too?
One word springs to mind.....................AAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
There, i have got it out of my system. For a little while anyway.
So, the next time you go into a shop, remember........
1. Smile. (it's nice and it uses less muscles than frowning)
2. Be polite. (not asking much there)
3. Try to be friendly. (it will endeer you to the person behind the counter, and they will be more inclined to help you)
4. Be realistic in your requests.
5. Don't be an ar$e. (it simply doesn't suit you!!)
Have a good day - i plan too.
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Shush! You only need to whisper......
Well hello. Where have I been? What have I been up to?
It has been a hectic few weeks. The shop has been incredibly busy, and that has taken up so much of my time and energy that I haven't been doing much else to be honest. Working 6 days a week, being crazily busy, and struggling to keep my head around everything has seen me feeling very tired. Not physically tired, but mentally exhausted.
I don't know if it is what you would expect as you get older, but my brain simply doesn't work as quickly as it used to. It's a bit like an old pc that could do with a bit more RAM and having the operating system re-installed! Mind you, if that were possible, I would much rather they installed OS-X Snow Leopard rather than Windowz. ;-)
I have been doing some more of the cross stitch, although not as much as I would have liked to. I found it very hard to give it the required concentration, and when I did pick it up found myself either making silly mistakes, or rechecking what I was about to do was right so many times that I didn't get much done.
I have now finished the sky and have started on the lighthouse. I'm pleased with the way it is coming along, I always knew it was going to be a long project, but ultimately worthwhile. By the way, the vertical orange stitching is just temporary to help me work out what goes where!
The other thing I have been doing is playing radio. I have discovered some of the new data modes being used on the ham bands.
Many years ago, several friends and I regularly sent computer programs and pictures via VHF ham radio bands. We discovered a few new techniques between us and had an awful lot of fun.
Here we are a couple of decades later, and things have progressed almost beyond belief. Some of the newer data modes leave me shaking my head and my jaw on the floor. The two in particular that have tickled my fancy are PSK31 and WSPR, which is also known as "whisper".
The thing that has particularly impressed me with these is just how little power needs to be used to transmit these modes. Low power operation is known as QRP, this being judged as being 5 watts or less. When you get into the realms of 1 watt or less, it is known as QRPp. Most ham radio sets have 100 watts of transmit power, and a lot of radio amateurs around the world use an amplifier to take their power up to 1000 watts.
To discover that there are people around the world using these new data modes with very tiny transmit power is incredible. Because WSPR and PSK31 transmit using very slow data rates and are decoded by computer software, it means that the received signals can be virtually inaudible to the human ear and they will still get through, making them ideal for low power operation.
PSK31 is a "live" mode where you type to one another, whereas WSPR is an automatic mode, and this has really gotten my interest. You set your radio to one of the designated frequencies, and leave the software running on the computer. The audio from the radio is fed into the sound card on the computer. The only other thing you need to do is make sure that the clock on the computer is SPOT on time. More than a couple of seconds out can mean the whole thing won't work.
Signals received are decoded by the computer and displayed on the screen, with the call sign, locator and transmit power being used by that station. These are then uploaded to the WhisperNet web site for everyone to see. The idea being that if you have been transmitting you can see who has heard you and their distance from you.
Signals being sent with miniscule transmit power can go a surprisingly long way. I have heard stations all over Europe using powers between 5 watts and 0.02 watts. I have even heard a station in America who was using only a few watts.
The other nice thing about this is that you can leave it to get on with it unattended, and the last couple of Sunday's have seen me letting the radio station receive the whisper signals and upload the results while i have been getting on with other things. Incredible!
The person i have mostly thank for getting me interested in WSPR is Julian Moss, G4ILO. I discovered his excellent blog while Googling a few weeks ago. It is well worth a visit if you are interested in amateur radio - G4ILO's Blog. He has a few articles all about WSPR, and this is how i first discovered it - thanks Julian!
Julian has also recently started another blog called One Foot In The Grave, this deals with his life since he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. It is both heart rending and witty - i urge you to check it out. We all wish him well.
The other website that is an absolute MUST is WSPRNet, where you will find out more about Whisper, what it is, how it works, and more importantly WHY it is being used. It is kind of like taking part in a huge worldwide science project.
I'm off the the Rugby Radio Society's annual "radio show" in Princethorpe in a bit, so i will sign off for now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It has been a hectic few weeks. The shop has been incredibly busy, and that has taken up so much of my time and energy that I haven't been doing much else to be honest. Working 6 days a week, being crazily busy, and struggling to keep my head around everything has seen me feeling very tired. Not physically tired, but mentally exhausted.
I don't know if it is what you would expect as you get older, but my brain simply doesn't work as quickly as it used to. It's a bit like an old pc that could do with a bit more RAM and having the operating system re-installed! Mind you, if that were possible, I would much rather they installed OS-X Snow Leopard rather than Windowz. ;-)
I have been doing some more of the cross stitch, although not as much as I would have liked to. I found it very hard to give it the required concentration, and when I did pick it up found myself either making silly mistakes, or rechecking what I was about to do was right so many times that I didn't get much done.
I have now finished the sky and have started on the lighthouse. I'm pleased with the way it is coming along, I always knew it was going to be a long project, but ultimately worthwhile. By the way, the vertical orange stitching is just temporary to help me work out what goes where!
The other thing I have been doing is playing radio. I have discovered some of the new data modes being used on the ham bands.
Many years ago, several friends and I regularly sent computer programs and pictures via VHF ham radio bands. We discovered a few new techniques between us and had an awful lot of fun.
Here we are a couple of decades later, and things have progressed almost beyond belief. Some of the newer data modes leave me shaking my head and my jaw on the floor. The two in particular that have tickled my fancy are PSK31 and WSPR, which is also known as "whisper".
The thing that has particularly impressed me with these is just how little power needs to be used to transmit these modes. Low power operation is known as QRP, this being judged as being 5 watts or less. When you get into the realms of 1 watt or less, it is known as QRPp. Most ham radio sets have 100 watts of transmit power, and a lot of radio amateurs around the world use an amplifier to take their power up to 1000 watts.
To discover that there are people around the world using these new data modes with very tiny transmit power is incredible. Because WSPR and PSK31 transmit using very slow data rates and are decoded by computer software, it means that the received signals can be virtually inaudible to the human ear and they will still get through, making them ideal for low power operation.
PSK31 is a "live" mode where you type to one another, whereas WSPR is an automatic mode, and this has really gotten my interest. You set your radio to one of the designated frequencies, and leave the software running on the computer. The audio from the radio is fed into the sound card on the computer. The only other thing you need to do is make sure that the clock on the computer is SPOT on time. More than a couple of seconds out can mean the whole thing won't work.
Signals received are decoded by the computer and displayed on the screen, with the call sign, locator and transmit power being used by that station. These are then uploaded to the WhisperNet web site for everyone to see. The idea being that if you have been transmitting you can see who has heard you and their distance from you.
Signals being sent with miniscule transmit power can go a surprisingly long way. I have heard stations all over Europe using powers between 5 watts and 0.02 watts. I have even heard a station in America who was using only a few watts.
The other nice thing about this is that you can leave it to get on with it unattended, and the last couple of Sunday's have seen me letting the radio station receive the whisper signals and upload the results while i have been getting on with other things. Incredible!
The person i have mostly thank for getting me interested in WSPR is Julian Moss, G4ILO. I discovered his excellent blog while Googling a few weeks ago. It is well worth a visit if you are interested in amateur radio - G4ILO's Blog. He has a few articles all about WSPR, and this is how i first discovered it - thanks Julian!
Julian has also recently started another blog called One Foot In The Grave, this deals with his life since he was diagnosed with a brain tumour. It is both heart rending and witty - i urge you to check it out. We all wish him well.
The other website that is an absolute MUST is WSPRNet, where you will find out more about Whisper, what it is, how it works, and more importantly WHY it is being used. It is kind of like taking part in a huge worldwide science project.
I'm off the the Rugby Radio Society's annual "radio show" in Princethorpe in a bit, so i will sign off for now.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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