A very Happy Christmas to you all

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 14:15:35 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"]He was taking the micky that we are so behind and outdated here. He also asked why we can't buy parking tickets and taxi fares with a card or a mobile?[/quote]You can certainly use a card for parking tickets (even in Birmingham!) and taxis with a phone with Uber!

Its 6 years since my daughter was in Japan for a season as a ski instructor, so things may have changed, but she was amazed that for such a technologically advanced nation, phone and internet coverage was very poor outside of Tokyo, certainly in the mountains.

And I couldn't get DAB radio coverage when driving in Austria and Germany so we're not alone in lagging behind.

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Bob Russell — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 13:29:23 GMT

We are using Tesco mobile as a hotspot at the moment. It is pretty much as fast but there is a strict limit on the amount of data without heading into silly money.

With this experience we would live with mobile internet if it was unlimited data. I have been surprised how good it is considering we can barely make phone calls on our mobiles at home.

It is surprising how quickly you can use up 16GB of data is used up!

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Clive Ansell — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 13:16:42 GMT

I was talking to a Norwegian recently, who lives about 1 1/2 hours from Oslo out in the sticks. He has no landline at all and uses the 4G wireless mobile network for everything, with a fast enough internet speed for live streaming of films ect. He carries a 4G box device with him, so can login from anywhere.

He was taking the micky that we are so behind and outdated here. He also asked why we can't buy parking tickets and taxi fares with a card or a mobile?

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Bob Russell — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 12:44:29 GMT

We have been forced to give up with our existing phone line and number as OpenReach cannot change the postcode!

New line and new number some time in January!

Technology is wonderful!

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Kate Richardson — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 12:42:56 GMT

Virtual hugs to you all from me as well, hope your other daughter still managed to have a good time x

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Clive Ansell — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 12:14:17 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"][quote user="Clive Ansell"] Not missed a beat since being with Zen since September, including at times streaming 3 films at the same time, 2 laptops, 2 desktops, and having up to 12 devices linked via wifi to the router at times[/quote]It always confuses me how different providers give a differing standard for essentially the same product when they all have to use the same infrastructure to deliver the service be it copper wires, cable, satellite or phone masts. Or am I being over-simplistic on this?[/quote]

Capacity and speed of their servers along with throughput of traffic I would guess

Up until September we were with BT, and they always blamed the old and creaking infrastructure that is unable to keep pace with demand, and that once fibre internet comes along all we be a bed of roses. As I say, since being with Zen, it has been perfect so far.

Neighbours are with Virgin and use their new super fast fibre optic broadband, which uses their own and not the old BT/GPO cabling - they have endless problems with speed and lost connections = rubbish.

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Bob Russell — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 09:45:26 GMT

Sorry to hear that your Christmas was a nail biter, Arlo. Pleased that it was relatively crisis free.

Obviously the best of wishes for the future!

Actually we had a really good Christmas, just one near punch up between our daughter and her aunt! Melodrama and attempts to find a taxi on Christmas day!

All far better than the TV!

Happy New Year!

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Martin Atkinson — Fri, 29 Dec 2017 08:53:47 GMT

[quote user="Clive Ansell"] Not missed a beat since being with Zen since September, including at times streaming 3 films at the same time, 2 laptops, 2 desktops, and having up to 12 devices linked via wifi to the router at times[/quote]It always confuses me how different providers give a differing standard for essentially the same product when they all have to use the same infrastructure to deliver the service be it copper wires, cable, satellite or phone masts. Or am I being over-simplistic on this?

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Clive Ansell — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 19:12:48 GMT

[quote user="Bob Russell"]I am just hoping for a half sane Christmas as OpenReach incompetence means we are going to be without a home phone and horror of horrors no broadband!![/quote]

I hope you got the half sane Christmas you wanted.

On the subject of broadband, give Zen a try

www.zen.co.uk

I've been very impressed with them. The 3 previous providers, Sky, Virgin and BT have all been sh1te with slow speeds, dropping connections, exponential price rises, and dreadful customer service. Not missed a beat since being with Zen since September, including at times streaming 3 films at the same time, 2 laptops, 2 desktops, and having up to 12 devices linked via wifi to the router at times

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 16:39:54 GMT

[quote user="Clare Tapsfield-Wright"]There is nothing I can do or say except to tell you we care and to thank you for letting us know. It must be a comfort to know that Emily is not distressed but this must be harrowing for you. I hope you get some moments of peace and consider yourself firmly hugged please. [/quote]

Thanks old fruit. Feeling duly hugged! And yes, huge comfort to think that she is not obviously upset, either by the symptoms or the constraints it puts on her (she hasn't expressed any sense of being fed up of being in bed for nearly a month now). So on that basis, I'm going to look forward to the fact that we've got lots of friends coming over for New Year's Eve, open the most enormous bottle and plunge in!

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 12:28:42 GMT

There is nothing I can do or say except to tell you we care and to thank you for letting us know. It must be a comfort to know that Emily is not distressed but this must be harrowing for you. I hope you get some moments of peace and consider yourself firmly hugged please.

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 11:18:52 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news Arlo but my heartfelt best wishes are with you and Emily.[/quote]

Nor am I! But thank you. Means a lot.

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Martin Atkinson — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 10:56:23 GMT

I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news Arlo but my heartfelt best wishes are with you and Emily.

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Arlo Guthrie — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 10:35:49 GMT

Thank you all for kind words ...

[quote user="Anthony Dennison"]

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Behind the scenes here at VetSurgeon Towers, Ladbrokes once again offering evens that we're going to wind up spending it in hospital,[/quote]

Hope you avoided it Arlo![/quote]

By the skin on my teeth! Emily descended into a vegetative state about ten days before Christmas, and we didn't know whether she was heading towards the pearly gates, or whether this was the new baseline. Anyway, Christmas was really lining up to be the worst on record until she started coming back to us at 11:30pm on Christmas Day.

Still pretty gaga, but has been making slow progress since then. Now reasonably confident she might return to 'normal', but it's quite heavy going because she's having more seizures at night (sometimes falling out of bed, which is getting harder to deal with as she gets bigger!)

[quote user="Anthony Todd"]Arlo,I hope there are better times ahead and I still think you'll find the best combo of drugs sooner or later.[/quote]

Thanks Tony, though I don't share your optimism. We're not trying drug combos any more. Side effects too great. Only (very small) hope lies in development of new drugs.

Hey ho ... the great thing about epilepsy (top of my list of top one great things about epilepsy), is that she rarely shows any sign of being in any distress.

And hopefully she'll be well enough for us to hold Christmas again sometime before the tree comes down (though at this rate, that could be some time in March).

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Anthony Todd — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 19:01:48 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]Sounds like[/quote]

Got to be, could only be MA, thank goodness he isn't into mountain climbing, country conquering, Olympic canoeing or government toppling...

But I'd miss him 'cos Clive taught him and me a lot of what we argue about, so be thankful.

Arlo,I hope there are better times ahead and I still think you'll find the best combo of drugs sooner or later.

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 13:32:25 GMT

[quote user="Anthony Dennison"]spent Boxing Day in A&E after fracturing my wrist playing rugby in a charity match. Extra annoying as it happened in the first minute of the match and I had planned a boozy day![/quote]Sounds like me fracturing my collar bone 1/2 hr into the maiden voyage of my new bike; or my radius 10 minutes in to a ride (all I cared about was the damage to the bike and the injuries ruining the ride) or comminuted fracture of my tibia on the first run of the first day of a ski trip (I had to spend the whole week in traction in hospital while everyone else was enjoying the best snow conditions for years). The pain and ongoing inconvenience and impact on work were afterthoughts.

More seriously now you've had time to think about more than missing a good game of rugby and a few pints with the lads afterwards, how bad was the fracture and how have they/are they going to fix it?

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Anthony Dennison — Wed, 27 Dec 2017 13:15:40 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Behind the scenes here at VetSurgeon Towers, Ladbrokes once again offering evens that we're going to wind up spending it in hospital,[/quote]

Hope you avoided it Arlo! I spent most of Christmas Day in work, overly busy considering the date! Then spent Boxing Day in A&E after fracturing my wrist playing rugby in a charity match. Extra annoying as it happened in the first minute of the match and I had planned a boozy day!

A&E was so busy I had to sit on the floor!

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

bob lehner — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 09:43:26 GMT

Best wishes to Mr G and family and hope it is peaceful.

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Niall Taylor — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 07:04:42 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]A quick post to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Christmas...[/quote]

And a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and everyone on this fantastic list. I hope things improve with your daughter and you're able to enjoy something approaching a normal family Christmas together.

With best wishes,

Niall

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Michael Woodhouse — Sun, 24 Dec 2017 02:12:33 GMT

[quote user="Arlo Guthrie"]Sorry, let me go and pour myself another one ...[/quote]

At 20 past 8 in the morning 2 days before Christmas? I like how you party

I had mad Friday and Christmas eve to enjoy myself but working 25/26th. Then off for new year.

Merry Christmas

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Clare Tapsfield-Wright — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 20:53:28 GMT

[quote user="Dinu Catilina"]

Arlo Guthrie so where is my romanian Craciun Fericit? Brexit hits hard, hahaha

Merry Christmas everyone!

[/quote] Dinu , sorry to hear about the cracked ferret but do have a good one

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Joyce Whitehead — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 20:35:12 GMT

Merry Christmas to all, and thank you for all the hard work behind the scenes Arlo. I hope you all get a peaceful Christmas in the best way possible and avoid hospital.

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Dinu Catilina — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 20:29:39 GMT

Arlo Guthrie so where is my romanian Craciun Fericit? Brexit hits hard, hahaha

Merry Christmas everyone!

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Jill Butterworth — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 19:27:58 GMT

Happy Christmas xx Thank you for all the interesting discussions and heated debates ;)

RE: A very Happy Christmas to you all

Evelyn Barbour-Hill — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 14:32:49 GMT

Merry Christmas to all of you.

Big to Emily and nice thoughts to her brother (?) and sisters and her parents, hoping you spend Christmas Day at home together.

Nadolig llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd dda.