I’m back, I’ve moved.
I’ve left my Hotpoint to rust in the kitchenette.
To put you in the picture: at the moment I can’t access Blogger on my PC.
Basically, I’ve been exiled from logging into my own blog or leaving comments on other blogs with Blogger comments.
Neither Blogger or Orange say that it’s anything to do with them, so I’m not sure if this situation is permanent or not.
In the meantime, I’m over here. Not sure about the template and haven’t mastered how to do things exactly, but it’ll have to do in the circumstances.
I’ll be over here for at least six weeks, because that’s the amount of, er, *notice* Orange expect you to serve before you can move over to another server.
I’ve missed the “communication” side of blogging, because there are very few other blogs where I can leave comments.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s only a minor problem, but it’s been a bit of a pain in the arse over the past week.
… so I’ve got all the self-pitying stuff out of the way. Back to business as (nearly) normal.
Yay first!
I now have that Eno song stuck in my head…
Bah! Billy beat me to it.
Welcome to your home-in-exile. Liking the minimal look.
Yay third!
You could rename the main blog “Betty’s Futility Room” when you get back.
This looks like a show home with really small furniture to make the rroms look big.
Dammit! Billy and Annie both beat me to it.
Hoorah for Eno.
Could it be some sort of browser-related thing? If you’re usually on IE, try accessing the blog through Firefox… or vice versa…
I can feel my agrophobia attack coming on – Where’s tbat party seven?
Can I be the first person to say ‘hairy bumholes’ on your new blog?
We can arrange a prayer fest for you over at mine.
It’s all hellfire and damnation and saving souls over there at the moment.
Billy – hullo and welcome. At least it’s not a James Morrison song though, eh?
Annie – I’m not sure about the minimalist look. I’m more used to clutter and being a complete eyesore. Still, perhaps I’ll start to grow up and post about weighty international political issues now.
Hurph – heh heh, that’s how our house looked before we moved in (well, it didn’t have any furniture in at all, fortunately for the estate agent who was showing us around. Now, if someone brings a couple of bags of shopping in it takes up half the living room space). I know what you mean though, especially if people come over here from my old blog. Everything’s shrunk!
Dive – Yeah, we had Here Come The Warm Jets on the car CD player when we went out for and when I heard that line I thought “ooh, I’ll have to nick that for my WordPress blog”. How vain and pathetic is that? Dunno why your name hasn’t linked by the way – maybe you didn’t type in your blog URL properly.
Mike – this is the thing. We haven’t installed Firefox because, ahem, it looked too complicated. Orange have suggested we ping test Blogger (?) which involves having to get rid of our anti-virus software … which means that, hey presto, we’ll end up with loads of viruses on the computer. I think we’re up to about 1985 with regards to understanding developments in technology. I’ve just got over the shock of not having to use floppy disks anymore! They’ll be inventing portable computers next!
Kaz – I thought it would be more a case of claustrophobia, judging by what Murph said above. We’d better hurry up and get through these Party Seven cans as quickly as possible as they’re taking up valuable space. Anyone fancy a Ye Olde Oake Hamme Sandwiche with some of that yellow mixed pickle on the side?
Tim – well, if you must, but your comment has just come up as a spam mail in the bulk folder of my e-mails. Is h*iry b*mhole a commonly used expression in spam? I’ve had to censor it in case I get spam blocked over here. Anyway, I thought I could at least rely on you to say something about Baudrillard over here but … no.
MJ – I dunno about prayers. An exorcism may be needed. After all, I’ve still got that cough, and some Linda Blair style spewing up of green phlegm might get things moving about better than all the cough medicine I’ve been having.
“Out in the name of Jesus! Come out destruction!
Come out destruction! Come out grief!”
(from The Jezebel Spirit by Brian Eno & David Byrne. See, Brian Eno really does have a song for every occasion.)
MJ – I dunno about prayers. An exorcism may be needed. After all, I’ve still got that cough, and some Linda Blair style spewing up of green phlegm might get things moving about better than all the cough medicine I’ve been having.
“Out in the name of Jesus! Come out destruction!
Come out destruction! Come out grief!”
(from The Jezebel Spirit by Brian Eno & David Byrne. See, Brian Eno really does have a song for every occasion.)
You had the feng shui people over, then? Don’t worry, iy won’t last.
Yay, a solution of sorts, well for a temporary place it’s looking very nice, like one of those superior self catering flats you sometimes get on holiday. I’m glad that you’ve got a work around but grrrr to Orange and blogger.
The reason I’m top of the blogroll is not favouritism. WordPress does it alphabetically.
I’ve tried to get into our Norton firewall to allow Firefox but Norton aren’t allowing me in. Norton are the new enemy.
Arabella – the feng shui people have botched things a bit, haven’t they? I sent a comment twice and can’t delete it and there are a few user unfriendly things I’ve encountered so far. I do hope I can get back onto Blogger, but … we shall see.
Jane – a self catering flat. Hah hah! The sort of place that looks nice, but you notice that theres’s a damp patch on the ceiling, and one of the legs on the bed is a bit wonky. I’m a bit hesitant to blame Orange or Blogger at the moment because we just don’t know where the problem lies. I’ve just read a Guardian article linked from Llewtrah’s that suggests that there are a gang of spammers hacking into Blogger accounts, so perhaps Blogger being unavailable on our PC is down to a security issue connected with that.
Geoff – yeah, I’ll have to remove those brackets so that you’re not top of the list
Norton are the new enemy. You read it here first.
OoOOoooOo loving the new pad!
There was I thinking that it would be a luxury to be able to comment on Betty’s Utility without faffing with cryptograms, and then my comment wouldn’t work. I have never been treated so shoddily. Does WordPress know who I am?
I refuse to help you assemble any Swedish furniture in here.
Wow. Your new blog looks like Facebook. I hope you manage to force the lock on the Utility Room and get back to your old ways. In the meantime, this is lovely.
Oooohhhhhhh. I didn’t know that (being blocked from your blog) was possible! But of course it is. Now I’m nervous. I’m paranoid. Good luck!
Hurrah!! You’re back at last! Now we have (temporarily?) left the Digbeth coach station of Blogging have we pulled into the Old Hill High Street of the literary world?
Blimey I’m last! Well, Firefox isn’t complicated to set up. I have read in the last few days that there are hackers about buggering up peoples access to their blogs. It happened to my pa a few weeks back. Dispense with Norton for the moment. Try installing Firefox as that has a virus stopper thingy with it. Otherwise – hope all well. xx
Lardy – I think it looks a bit too stylish for me. I feel a bit intimidated.
MaxBob – I’ve tried to get them to stop people having to put their e-mail address on here when sending comments but it’s not taking any notice, so we all have our cross to bear. Can’t you have a word with Mr WordPress and tell him to sort things out? I’m sure you must be on first name terms with him!
MJ – perhaps you’d like to take the Hoover around instead? Or find out where that *funny smell* is coming from?
Del – I do hope I can get back to my usual home eventually. There are a few teething problems with the features here. I’ve never plucked up the courage to get a Facebook account. It seems that you virtually have to sell your identity, your house and its contents just to join up!
Clarissa – it’s something I was never aware of until I couldn’t access mine. Now I’ve read a few forums and it’s usually only a matter of days before Blogger unlocks blogs, provided you go to their “contact us” page and tell them what’s wrong. However, I’ve not been able to access my usual blog for over a week and am not sure it’s the fault of Blogger, my service provider, or some computer problem. Grrr.
Reg – I may have pulled into Old Hill High Street, but the coach appears to be lurching when I change gear. I’ll probably be stuck in a traffic jam on the M6 as usual soon. Bah.
Rockmother – Geoff has just warned me that he’s “going to have another go” at doing something about Norton. Famous last words. I’m still not sure if we’re spam blocked. Geoff is able to log in to my blog at work, and Blogger reckons it’s not their problem. Don’t know what to think, although as it’s over a week now it’s getting quite frustrating. Anyway, otherwise, things are tickety boo. Hope likewise with you.
blimey, put up some curtains I can see too much bareness.
And – I was here before Billy but the comment wouldn’t so I gave up.
Ziggi – I’ll believe you. Mind you, we’ve run out of Party Seven cans so you’ll have to make do with a bit of Harvey’s Bristol Cream left over from Christmas.
I’m getting some burgundy dralon drapes run up but at the moment you’ll have to make do with the jadinieres. They’re okay – no one can see anything if you just keep the lamps rather than the lights on.
stick up a few travel posters, maybe, and a big fiberoptic stand lamp. add a mattress on the floor, an orange shag carpet and voila! bettys flipnik caravanserai!
*on a ladder with luminescent stickon stars making constellations on the ceiling*
Hah! When we first moved in, our spare room had luminescent stick on stars on the ceiling. Because it’s the spare room, they’re still there. I have no shame.
I like the idea of the orange shag carpet – well, in theory. I had a shocking pink shagpile rug in 1972 (the only time it was ever permissible to have a shocking pink shagpile rug) and it got some sort of infestation.
God – I would kill for a shocking pink shagpile carpet – sounds fab.
It was combined with a purple, nylon backed carpet. Phew, classy. Mind you, I was eight or nine at the time, so I can blame my parents.
Well Bettster,
My views have slightly mellowed on the old Diana business with age. Live and let live, I say and there are already too few fans of gritty Canvey Island based R&B combo Dr Fellegood in the world without the royal family having one of the most prominent examples of the breed cynically knocked off in a fiendish alcohol/chaufeur/paparazzi-style conflagration.
That said, she was also a Duran Duran fan who tried to sabotage the royal lineage with the blood of a Hewitt ginge, so who knows – perhaps she had it coming to her?
Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say!
L.U.V. on ya,
Bob
p.s. loved the Guy Marks
p.p.s. Loved the Eno reference
Yeah Bob, she turned her back on a good, honest, balls-to-the-wall live band like the Feelgoods and started to drool over the Armani-clad uber-capitalist likes of Duran and Spandau. The biggest rock ‘n’ roll sellout of all time (apart from Gang Of Four signing to EMI of course). I dunno about sabotaging the royal lineage with Hewitt ginger though. Anything had to be an improvement on Charles, surely?
Thanks for mentioning the Guy Marks. No one else likes it. It’s like throwing pearls before swine, it really is.
At least you have readers Bett…
Yeah, but I can’t comment on the blogs I read at the moment, which is getting really annoying. Still, only about seventy five years of our Orange contract to go, then, “hopefully” I should be able to get back onto Blogger. If I’m lucky …
Am enjoying the football/stuff that was happening around the football posts at the moment, btw. Jack Taylor the World Cup final referee was mentioned in our school assembly on the day after the game … because he was from Wolverhampton and was therefore a “local”. Apparently.
Hello Betty. Far be it from me to proselytise for wordpress, but if blogger does remain a pain and continues to stop letting you in and you do have to move over here more permanently, then you can, I think, still take your old stuff with you and lug it over here. You can import all your posts straightforwardly enough and it’ll even bring all the comments along too. By the way, re. commenting on others’ blogs, what happens if you try to log in to comment as ‘other’ rather than your blogger self and enter the info that way instead?
BiB – the problem is that I haven’t been able to get into Blogger at all – even if I click on the home page I get a “this page cannot be displayed” message coming up. The same happens if I click on Blogger comments, so I can’t even sign in under the “other” category! I think I’ll carry on with the old blog if possible, because I find Blogger easier to use (well, I suppose I would do after all this time).
Anyway, we’re hopefully just about to install the new Mac, so I’ll have to see what happens next. Gulp.