Thanks for the memory...

For those of you who haven't kept up with the saga of FastFlashMemory, here's the story...

In mid-December I decided to shout myself some memory for my laptop so it wouldn't struggle with Photoshop, etc. I ordered 2 Gb from the above company expecting it to arrive in the advertised 1-3 business days. It arrived in April, after first going to our old Bristol address (we hadn't changed PayPal and the company used that address) then being forwarded to various others before finally being returned undelivered. It was a very frustrating business as the company didn't seem to care, and Royal Mail couldn't actually tell us where it was at any time even though it was a signature required delivery.

So it finally arrived and I plugged it into the laptop whereupon I discovered that one of the DIMMs was faulty! I therefore sent it back and they promised a replacement in their usual 1-3 business days. Of course you can probably guess what happened next. They sent it to the original shipping address despite PayPal having been updated and our new address given on the RMA form! It didn't take as long this time for it to be returned undelivered, and today a parcel arrived on my doorstep, just 5 1/2 months after the initial order. 

Even now they screwed up: instead of the one replacement DIMM they reshipped the original order of two, or perhaps it was by way of apology for their pathetic service. Either way I now have a spare 1 GB DIMM for a laptop...

The irony, dear readers, is that my laptop died a month ago and still hasn't been fixed (another saga) so I have nothing to plug the memory into!

And cut to Bath

I'm home, and completely shattered. I have not slept before 12 for two weeks, nor woken after 7 and it has caught up with me. I need my beauty sleep as you all well know.

The trip was pretty good overall but with some downsides. I managed to find a great number of matches and met some pretty interesting people. I am happy with my guiding and my ability to do it professionally. I have also made some useful contacts in that regard that may open doors in the future.

I had a good penultimate day with PH being nerdy. He showed me a Bailey bridge still in everyday use (a single-single, just below Portello and Hove Dump). I showed him a part of the line we hadn't visited before where we found plenty of fragments to show that there had been a heavy bombardment of the area, and some weathered trenches and dugouts. Somewhere there in the undergrowth there may still be a concrete pillbox... We then revisited the bridge sites where between us we clarified some misconceptions and I avoided some embarrassment by deleting some mis-matches that could possibly have gone to print

Even the last day was useful as I zipped into Rome for some matches of the Abbey's artworks arriving in Piazza Venezia, visited the aerial photo archives, and later found the perfect gift for J

On the downside there is still a gap, though smaller, in our coverage of the Liri Valley that I am not happy with, and as before our coverage of the American battles is less than ideal. I may have some serious discussions with JP and the publishers to come

What I need to do ASAP is relabel the pics so I don't forget which is which, then get them off to JP.

Anyway, it's nice to be home with J, even if I'm too tired to appreciate it yet.

DIADEM

Last night, 65 years ago, the biggest artillery barrage ever experienced kicked off Operation DIADEM, the Allied attempt to crack the Gustav Line and ultimately capture Rome. Today I'm on my way again to sunny Italy to trace those events in photographs. A minor hiccup last night when Google Earth crashed without saving some work, but otherwise we're on track. Oh, except I'm on a borrowed laptop as mine, for various reasons, has not been repaired. And the memory that was supposed to have been a Christmas gift is still not here. Never do business with FastFlashMemory. Hopeless.

Last week I had my first week in a managerial role, and I think it went quite well. I managed to get some things done, including fixing some stained glass windows that had been bro

ken for over 7 years! I can't take all the glory for the jobs done as most were following up what the incumbent had been doing, but fortunately many came to fruition while I was there. JA and I may not have seen eye-to-eye but I have to give her credit for her high standards for the appearance of OGHS - this school could do with a bit more of that. Of course with just a week in hand I could put off the hard/dirty work, but it was fun all the same (and paid twice what I got at SGN). Hopefully I will see some differences when I get back. Depending on the health of the incumbent I may be asked to cover for longer. I've got plans already...

J says she'll miss me, but I'm sure she'll keep herself busy enough. I know I'll be flat-tack for the next two weeks. The tour group finally got another guide who will be the lead. He's led battlefield tours but not in the Cassino area, so I'll still get a say in what we see, while he does the shepherding. (I think.)

It has been lovely and sunny, though windy for a few days. I hope that isn't summer over then. J has been painting and I have to say I think she has some talent. She does sort of sketchy, almost cartoony paintings with pen and watercolour. (Some samples are on her website I think.) Otherwise she reads, while I do photomatching, etc. La dolce vita.

Update

Some things happen quickly.

The guiding has been confirmed, so now I have to swot up on Anzio in addition to getting material together for the Gustav Line. Yay!

However, J's pimping has worked and I start work this afternoon in a temp role at her school. Hmmm.

Just a moment ago the mailman delivered the fan for my old laptop which I am using until my working one gets fixed. Yay!