30/03/2007 by Peter Miller.

As previously mentioned, several times I think, I have had trouble with my motorcycle battery.  The original one went flat and would not charge up.  The optimate bike battery charger I used told me it was duff or the charger was duff. So I thought to myself I had better buy a new battery then I can check both the battery and the charger.

A little while later my brother came round to borrow our optimate bike battery charger, I could not find it. I thought to myself have I chucked it thinking it was no good. I said to him I would have to buy a replacement (for the one I assumed I had lost). 

So, I buy a new replacement charger (care of the wonderful ebay) and I also purchase a new battery for myself.  When the new battery charger arrives I charge the new battery.  Bingo!!! its all going great guns.

A week goes by then my brother phones me and tells me he has found the original charger in the boot of his car.  He borrowed it a week or so earlier, due to drink no doubt,  it was forgotten that he had already borrowed it.

Then, my new bike battery keeps going flat. I re-charge it on several occasions.  In the end I decide to phone the shop where I purchased the battery from and tell them it is a duff one.  I do this and they say bring it back and we will replace it.

(Are you following this so far)

Today, I decide to take off the battery and take it back.  Once the battery is off the bike I have a quick look at the contacts.  It appears there has been some arcing on them.  I think to myself this cannot be right.

The photo below shows 2 battery contact points, into these slide 2 metal blocks and the battery terminals connect to these.  The little metal blocks are a loose fitting, they should be tight to give a good contact.  I look at my old battery and notice there are 2 spare screws attached to it.  HA HA!!! I think to myself if I take them off and screw them to the new battery, then put the battery back on the bike and re-attach the battery contacts all will be well.

Suprise suprise all is fantastic, starts first time and sounds like a lion purring, purrfect I think to myself.

I also think to myself, what an arse I am.  I am a qualified engineer and did not spot this.

So what is left to do.  I know I can try charging the old battery with the new charger and would you believe it, it worked.  Now I have a new battery, a new charger and a few quid less in the bank.

C’est La Vie  (that’s life).  Check out the urban dictionary’s take on this. http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=C’est+la+vie 

What a Prat (me I mean) http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=prat  

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28/03/2007 by Peter Miller.

Technology is a good thing, yes!, I appreciate that but sometimes it can be so frustrating.

As you may remember I have had trouble with electrical items and my internet service down for 2 weeks.

Just as I thought it was all Hunky Dory (is that spelled correctly) another problem arises.  For the passed 4 days my website service provider has been out of order, this has really added to my frustration but now after calls, emails and apologies it is all in order again.

So all is very happy and wonderful again now and I can continue to upload photos of the Miller clan for posterity and also start to bore you with my travel photos.

Apart from digital photos it is amazing how many ordinary film photos one amasses over a short period of time, well about 30 years to be exact.  I have hundreds to sift through, it will give me chance to have a clear out.

BT finally came through with an official by letter apology and even sent me a couple of bottles of wine, they did not last long.

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21/03/2007 by Peter Miller.

Had to delete one of my posts today, for the second time this week this particular post has notched up 43 comments.  These are the kind of comments you can do without as most of them related to viagra and other drugs, eg anabolic steroids.

So it looks like I have been spammed, lets hope it is an isolated incident.  Don’t mind being spammed with next weeks lottery numbers or the key to eternal life, if anyone has these please feel free to contact me and comment on this post.

Say No To Spam

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19/03/2007 by Peter Miller.

Hi there, 

I have a few hits from Knebworth, Norfolk and Bonnybridge, Falkirk, who are you???.  Would love to know. 

Regards

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15/03/2007 by Peter Miller.

Ok, I was going to have a whinge and moan about my internet service which was down for what I consider to be a long time.  Two weeks to be exact.

I changed my mind, I will have a mild whinge.  It basically took this long for BT to even recognise I had a problem.  I was told to check the usual stuff, you know, cables, firewall, filters, is it turned on?, your router is no good.  So, I tried another router, according to them that was no good either.

Stress building, I took the router back to PC World, they changed it (best luck, I think).  I came back home with it, I met my neighbour on his drive.  “Steve is your broadband OK?” I said, “no mate, the whole street and surrounding area is down”.

Blood beginning to boil, I contact BT again with my fresh information.  To cut a long story short, many phone calls later and much pulling out of hair they finally admitted it, “yes Gov”, it’s not your fault, there is a problem at the exchange.

One and a half weeks later a BT Broadband Engineer (apparently only one of five of his particular ilk in the UK) comes out and finds the problem has been caused by “third party” interference which has caused a circuit to overload (including mine in my head I mean).

Someone had an electrical fault which spiked the whole neighbourhood.  So, now it is working and so is my new router which cost me extra money to replace. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

Since it came back on last week:

• Our kettle has blown up
• My Motorbike would not start, flat battery
• Our lawnmower burnt out
• A hinge snapped on the tumble dryer door, rendering it useless
• My car failed the MOT
• And to top it off I went to move our bird nesting box and discovered it had been taken over by the Worlds biggest snail population

There were tons in there, no doubt all starved to death because their exit had been blocked by an overfed snail wedged in the hole the birds should normally use.

All in all not a bad 2 weeks

Oh yes, check the pictures of the snails

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10/03/2007 by Peter Miller.

Hi there, will let you know what has been happening for past 2 weeks, not much actually, my internet service has been down, it’s been quite stressful trying to get it back.  Full story will follow. 

Oh yes look out for the nesting box with complimentary snails

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