Sunday Musings Before My Birthday

~ beetleypete

Thw weather continues to act strangely. Snow during the week, then freezing temperatures followed by heavy rain. Now we have 14C today, and there are flying insects over on Beetley Meadows. The forecast for next week is yet another return to Winter. I suspect it is going to be some weeks before things settle down.

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Ollie continues to scamper around and play with other dogs. Earlier today he was chasing about with Henry, a happy little black Poodle. Then they were joined by a Yellow Labrador for a while, and were running in circles. When Ollie is fit and well, it makes me happy.

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I am breaking tradition next week by having a very quiet birthday on Thursday. Just an evening meal at a restaurant, and a subdued celebration.

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We are still discovering things on the new car. Yesterday I found out that it does not have an alarm, and what a mysterious switch with a red light was for. (Adjusting the door mirrors remotely) I also discovered how to have a permanent indication of the range in miles available from the existing fuel. I have always found that to be more useful than the normal fuel gauge. The user manual contains no information about the large multi-function screen that includes the radio and satellite navigation, as well as many other features. This appears to be because it is not fitted (or an option) in most countries where the model is sold. It would have been nice if they had included a user guide for those of us in the countries where it is fitted!

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It is going to be busier than normal next week. Due to the ongoing strikes by school teachers, we will be looking after our 8 year-old grandson from Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday evening. No doubt he will enjoy playing with Ollie for a while, until he returns to his electronic games and You Tube videos.

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Most of Sunday has already gone here, but I hope you enjoy what is left of yours.

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71 thoughts on “Sunday Musings Before My Birthday”

  1. It’s wonderful that Ollie is feeling chipper. I think your new car sounds a bit too fancy for me (technology is not my best friend.) If I were a teacher I don’t think I could leave the children in order to go on strike. Best to you, Pete.

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    1. I will tend to ignore the technical stuff on the car, but Julie likes it.
      I support the strikers, as they have not had a decent pay rise in years, and are expected to do so much more than teach classes now. They also face annual performance reviews based on the exam results, as well as being overwhelmed by new rules on political correctness. The kids don’t mind, as they get two days off. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. What is happening with teachers is terrible, and wrong. Elementary school kids love the days off. My preschoolers need me, so I’m looking at this with a narrow lens, not seeing the big picture. If I were teaching older children, forced to put testing as what matters, I’d strike, too. Oh, technology is now being ‘forced’ into our curriculum. I hate it, and it’s wrong. Best to you, Pete.

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  3. Good for Ollie and I hope you both (sorry, the three of you) enjoy your grandson’s company. And happy birthday. The subdued celebration would fit my taste perfectly. I have also discovered that half of the time these days you need to download the manual of anything online, so that might be an option, but not a handy one when you are trying to use the equipment in the car… Have a good week, Pete.

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    1. He cannot come over now, as he and his baby sister have heavy colds. We don’t want to catch anything from him, so he is going to stay at home.
      The current online manual is the same as the paper one, but the dealer is happy for me to call in any time with things I don’t understand, and he will show me.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  4. Happy, blessed, upcoming birthday! Speaking of cars, I was driving one day when it began to rain, and thought I turned on the windshield wipers when I actually only turned them on to wipe once. I had turned the handle the wrong way. LOL! Up for this, down for that, forward for something else, and down twice for something else. Geez!

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    1. I just drive it like it’s an old car, but every so often lights or ‘info messages’ pop up, and I have no idea what they mean. After reading the book from cover to cover, I have sorted some of them out, but I agree it is a long-term learning process, David.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  9. Canines at play have a soothing effect on me as well….Every car has its personality so it will take a little time….I truly hope you have a great birthday….Be well my friend chuq

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  10. (1) This week in Las Vegas, the highs will be in the 17°-21° C range, with partly cloudy skies.
    (2) Shouldn’t the poodle’s name be Henri?
    (3) Did you hear about the deaf nonagenarian who also expects to have a quiet birthday?
    (4) My luxury vehicle has AM/FM radio, a cassette player, and power windows. That’s it.
    (5) Being away from school and video games might be a good thing for your grandson. Might I suggest a few instructive walks in nature, a visit to a museum, or an excursion to a historic site?
    (6) I went for a nice long walk in the park here in Las Vegas.

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  12. You usually have a few days celebrating your birthday, what’s up? Glad to hear Ollie is doing so well. You will find out anything at all about your car on youtube. People kindly upload videos showing you how things work.

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    1. Julie cannot get the time off this year, as she is going to Turkey with her daughter on the 20th. After a full week of celebration last year, it won’t hurt to have a quiet one this year. And the weather forecast here isn’t looking too good for later this week. (‘A chance of disruptive snow and ice’. )
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  13. Your opening line stuck a chord with me. “The weather continues to act strangely.” I thought, it is something the Right-Wind doesn’t like–things being strange. therefore I am wondering why they haven’t passed a bevy of laws prohibiting climate change, e.g. strange weather. May you have a happy birthday, even it is subdued. Warmest regards, Ed

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  14. Weather here changeable too as we now in autumn – 30 degrees yesterday burning sun, today 15 & rain. Both me and my boy who lives with me have had colds & are both flying up north (island) at the end of the week for my 70th. Not as far up as where the cyclone damage is. Nice to see you have a happy dog & a happy car in charge of you. Teacher strikes looming here too. We March on.

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  16. Pete, great news about Ollie…we continue to have massive rain and snowstorms in California – much needed but not all at once! I was in Napa Valley, heart of the wine country and had another hailstorm hit me, a week after one in Beverly Hills! Wild stuff!

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    1. We have ongoing stikes by railway workers, nurses, teachers, doctors, and others. They want fair pay rises, and they are not about to gve in. I am with them 100%! We have a government led by millionaires, earning £300,000 a year, including expenses. They have no idea what it means to be ‘ordinary’, Cindy.
      Best wishes, Pete x

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      1. Is inflation big in England? I know in the States, we are feeling like all products are twice as expensive since Covid. The civil servants should be compensated generously. They are the heart of a society.

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  21. Your week sounds dandy. I have to hand it to you, I don’t care for all the gadgets in vehicles. I prefer the days when we hand-cranked windows down, there were bench seats in the front, and when you opened the hood (bonnet) you KNEW what and where everything was within a matter of minutes. Rant over. Happy upcoming birthday.

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  23. Our clocks went forward and although I did get up at the same time as normal, it feels wrong. Why must we do this. We ask the same question twice a year. Nice to hear that Ollie is having fun. Have you tried looking up a manual for your car online? It seems to me that every appliance I have purchased in recent times have their manuals online, including my car. Generally I can’t decipher them.

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    1. The paper manual is very good, but every page has the waiver, ‘Dependent on country and model’. I will have a look online if anything else foxes me. Our clocks don’t go forward until the 26th, and it will take time to get used to losing the hour.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. I have always had a really ‘big birthday’, Jack. At one time I would celebrate on and off for the whole month of March. Then in the 1990s I sensibly dropped it to one week, which lasted until I was 70 in 2022. If I make it to 80, I will have a special week in 2032.
      Sorry you didn’t get any visitors, at least I always have Julie to celebrate with.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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