2017 So Far

Wow, what a year it's been, huh? Holy cow! It's been windy, rainy, snowy, melty.

Sunny, cloudy, dark and light.

There's been fly-tipping in our local town.

What a tumultuous year so far - and it's only beginning!

our view on a misty morning

But seriously, I am incensed at politics in both the US and UK, and I am about to go cold turkey and quit reading or watching the news at all. That'll show 'em! If politicians give a damn about my opinion (they don't), they'll be sorry I'm not watching their fake news, platitudes and Twitter regurgitations. But I don't want to sully my pristine blog with politics. I want to talk about something important, which is - is anybody blogging anymore?

abandoned chapel near us

I've become very dilatory about blogging - and especially about commenting - since I drank the Instagram Kool-aid. I'm doing this post because I wanted to practice writing again using all ten fingers to type instead of just thumbs. (Actually, I just use my right index finger to text, hunting and pecking on the phone keyboard. Is that a typical old lady thing? How do you text - fingers or thumbs?)

near the abandoned chapel

So I'll throw in a few photos here, because I have loads. And I'll encourage you all to ignore the news and politics and instead have a shot of vodka and play a game of Scrabble. Spring is just around the corner!

spring lamb on butcher shop sign in Llanidloes

door in Llanidloes

door in Winchelsea

church window in Winchelsea

London!

Val

The Not So Insta Gram

I have to get this out of my system. I promise if you let me rant now, I will reward you with pretty pictures, wine and chocolate chip cookies. But first I have to tell you that BT (British Telecom) has still failed to connect our broadband internet service. Hashtag that!

#BTfail

We were told a month ago that there was a fault with the ‘underground line’ to our house, and yes, we were told that the engineers who do that work ‘are very busy’. Since then, Mr. S contacted BT several times and been told lie after lie after lie, some told with Indian accents by people who take ‘personal responsibility’ for making sure this would be sorted out.

#BTbullshit

Finally, Mr. S contacted our Member of Parliament as well as the chairman of BT. We have been assigned a person who is responding personally, mostly to make excuses. However, as of today we have the landline telephone hooked up! That’s progress!

However, we were told it will take five to seven days to switch the broadband on!*$!#&%!

#BTWTF

We use our smartphones to do a reasonable amount of stuff – emails, Instagram, Facebook – and we’ve set one up as a wifi hotspot so we can use our computers in a pinch. That’s a real data drain, though, so I’ve been Instagramming rather than blogging, and my Muse Fondue Facebook page is slumped in the corner like a ventriloquist’s dummy.

But now I’m sacrificing my data ration to bring you – ta da! – pretty pictures from Wales! Almost all of these have not even been on Instagram – they are exclusive to the blog. Don’t you feel special? I hope you enjoy them!

The orangery at Powis Castle

Plunge pool at Powis Castle - looks inviting, no?

View from the orangery

Leighton church doorway with finger (I did it on purpose, natch)

Llanerfyl church doorway

Bishops Castle street

Bishops Castle square

Montgomery Castle ruins and view beyond

And for those of you who also want wine and chocolate chip cookies, send me your address and I’ll, um, put them in the post.

Val

Days of Wine and Roses and Instagram

Ah, the wine...

On our Memorial Day holiday, I went out to one of our favorite wineries with my mom and sister.

A friend of ours, Inoke, was entertaining. This time he wasn't solo - he had two women with him. Inoke is a good performer - deep, soulful voice and an engaging and friendly manner - but these women stole the show!

Teresa Cunningham sang a little, but mostly she rocked the sax.

And Vilma Halstead was totally working the congas.
 

Fortunately, they're playing together a lot this summer, so I hope to see more of them.


Here are the roses - in my top.

I wore this a couple of weeks ago and stockpiled a few photos. I haven't been taking as many selfies lately. I guess I was feeling a little bored with it, so we'll see how things go from here.

 
The necklace is a little locket I was given by my parents when I was about 12. It's brushed gold and engraved with a V, but I've rubbed it so much it's more shiny than brushed!

What AM I looking at?

The skirt is from Christopher and Banks, and you've seen it before, many times. The top and belt are secondhand, so I'm linking up with Secondhand First at Citizen Rosebud.

When I met Bella and Joni in Seattle, they both said I should get on Instagram. You have to have a smart phone, and my phone is not too bright, so I signed up using my husband's phone. Then I went to my PC to see my account, but I could only view - I couldn't comment or add pictures. I did some Googling and found out how to run the Instagram app on my PC, so I asked my personal tech guy (Mr. S) to help me - I knew it wouldn't be straightforward.

Here's what we had to do:

We downloaded and installed Bluestacks, the platform to run apps on a PC. But before we could make it fully functional we had to install NET Frame. But before we could install NET Frame we had to scan for malware. We did that, we installed NET Frame, we installed Bluestacks, but then all we got was a black screen within the Bluestacks frame. Mr. S did some more Googling to find out how to get rid of the black screen and found out we needed to update the video card, NVIDIA. But to do that, first we needed to update Java!

One hour and five different programs later (!) I had Instagram functioning on my PC. I followed a few people and left a few comments, then signed out because, quite frankly, I was tired of being on the computer by that time! I only went back to see Instagram the other day.

I opened Bluestacks to access Instagram, but to use it now they say I have to purchase their App Player Premium (it's only $2, but still) or download their sponsored apps.

To be honest, I don't think I'll be doing Instagram, at least not until I get a smart phone. The weather is good, and I don't want to be spending that much more time online. I'd rather be outside drinking wine!

scarf was a gift from Bella

Are you on Instagram? Do you use it a lot?

Linking up also with Visible Monday. Which picture to use...

Val