The road to the cottage

Friday, 3 December 2010

Serves me right

Well, the snow came so that was good.  At least now we feel part of the general breakdown of the system ... obviously the ploughs and gritters haven't been through the village and yesterday the weekly rubbish collection which we all religiously put out was still there at the end of the day and there was no hate mail post either.

Having stamped round in the snow a bit, checked that the birds had food and other various snowy jobs, by the afternoon the excitement had worn off, so I decided to tackle my Mac.  Mid August as we were in the process of moving and when I needed access to important emails, my .mac account just disappeared.  One minute it was there and the next - gone.  I twiddled around a bit, but with about a week to go before moving out I didn't have the time to waste trying to sort out the problem, so moved everything to my gmail account and just hoped that all the important paperwork I needed ended up there.

Yesterday in a moment of rare stupidity genius, I thought that if I put in the install disc and reinstalled the system, saving all the other stuff, I would eventually find my .mac account again.  Press all the right buttons, the Mac whirs away and bingo ... nothing.  Everything had gone.  Totally everything.  The Mac has been completely lobotomised.  Oh yes, I have my mac email page back but all mails are through gmail but four years of work have disappeared totally, utterly and completely.  And more importantly, four years of photos.  Gutted.  I am just hoping that somewhere inside my machine they are tucked away and that some brilliant person will be able to find them for me.  The police seize computers and manage to extract information from them, so I am sure someone, somewhere will be able to rescue my 3500 photos ... at what price?  But that will have to wait until 2011.  Apart from that, there is a load of design/artwork that took me hours that has also disappeared in a puff of smoke, and tons of other stuff which I can't remember but will when I need it.

And after all that messing around, any mail sent on my .mac address just gets thrown back in my face - I don't exist, address not recognised, error 20009987333, whatever ... so until the snow melts perhaps I will go to the geeky Apple site and see if there is help to be had.

Stupidly courageously got the car out last night to drive to the pub as I had run out of cigarettes it's the only place where you get a mobile 'phone signal and catch up on the days excitement - who had/hadn't been to work, who had crashed their car, whose heating had broken down, usual sort of stuff.  Funny how 4WD cars are regarded kindly when the weather is rough!  Although down here at least half of the cars are 4WD, so no-one is rude about mine!  I was slightly nervous as the roads through the village are in fact lanes with passing places and stone walls on either side seem to be de rigeur - not ideal on snowy, compacted driving surfaces.  However the motor behaved well and we got there and back without transforming it into a Mini.  GW has to go to town today as he has run out of heart pills (quite an important thing to have around when you need them) so we will see if we get there and back without transforming the car!

7 comments:

  1. I spoke to my mother yesterday. She lives near London and had 7cm of snow on the car yesterday. Unfortunately, it means the day care centre is not open so she's got my dotty dad 24/7 which is all she needs!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Look around on the internet - there are progrmammes which miraculously recover your photos from nothing. I don't understand enough to give you more detailed information, but my partner did this just last year on his own omputer, and got nearly all his photos back. Or take it to a shop and get them to do it for you.

    And it's true about snow - it's great as long as you don't have to do anything. Maybe that's why I like it so much - it enforces shutdown!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello L, I've so enjoyed reading your blogs. Anna gave me the original site when you were writing cuckoos and chocs. I'm Chris, we met a couple of times some years back when you first met new hubby, think it was in Vaugine. Anyway I'm so envious of you having finally moved back to Blighty and I so agree with all your comparisons between being in southern Uk and our European neighbours (please note trying to be polite here!) I read G's notes etc. via fbk and I knew from Anna you were on the move. G will tell you (I sent him the website for my house)that I'm trying to sell my house here, but being as the property market is still at a standstill (more so than UK on account of no one cares to work) that I'm still stuck here in the lovely but freezing cold Luberon. I've just passed my 2nd summer of trying to sell but to no avail. The only thing I've not done to advertise is to walk around with sandwich boards otherwise it's advertised everywhere. It's a bit tough 'cos one's life is on hold. Providing the snow 'disappears' I've a planned return for Xmas thru to late Jan. I'll be zinging all over the place Sussex, Wilts, N.Devon, Worcs and back to Sx.Keep writing your enjoyable slightly cynical chat, makes me feel good to know there are others out there who agree with non customer service here, presentation/choice in supermarkets etc.etc.etc.Much as I like France, an experience I've enjoyed but recognise it's time to call it a day but stuck by the system. I'm hoping 2011 will be my year to upsticks (said that for 2010!) Hope you find your photos! maybe see you one of these days. I'm in touch with Anna on a regular basis and we meet up when she drives south. Take care, and so envious of you!!! My turn next!!! Chris

    ReplyDelete
  4. @ Sarah - hope that the snow has cleared and the day centre has reopened. I should think that it is a God send for your mother and allows her to have some time to herself.
    @ Pueblo Girl - I must look round and see if I can refind my photos; I fear however ...
    @ Chris - yes of course I remember you! We had supper on my birthday which was 07/07/07!! I think things are picking up slowly in England (depends what newspaper you read) but I remember after the collapse of the banks people were saying that nothing would really happen until 2011. So maybe next year will be 'the' year you sell your house! Come and visit us in deepest Dorset in the New Year if you are around the area!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Golly you're up early, I guess huddling up to the aga! A treat I'm looking forward to when I visit my sister in deepest Worcs.also 3 lovely logburning stoves (big old farm house)then we all complain that it's too hot. urrently I've a little blow heater blasting on my feet, rest of the house is an icebox because I refuse to pay 76.5 cents a litre for ch oil, so going without and adding on layers. Rapidly getting like the michelin man but I can still bend my arms!! Xmas will be with my daughter nr Saunton. New house to her as she escaped M'head and M4 corridor in Aug.and I've yet to see where she's living. Would love to call in if I'm in Dorset (know it well from my youth onwards)I'm on G's fbk so search for me there to message me your phone number (safer than here for details) or I can get it from Anna. Have a lovely Sunday and maybe see you early in the NYr before I have to head south again (gets harder and harder to do that when one's heart is not where it wants to be) Keep warm! Chris ps. will stay anon. can't be bothered to sort out registering!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I know when we were wiped out...off?...in
    France I took the machine to a shop where retrieval was promised.

    You guessed it...the so and so wiped everything...if there was anything...off! And expected to be paid! (Scots blood boiling...Ancien Alliance thrown in the dustbin of history!)

    I'm going to buy an external hard drive and back things up...just in case it ever happens again.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh you poor thing, I am absolutely crap at technology (usually called techfeckinology but I'm trying to be polite as it's your place and not mine!!!!)

    When I got the scary blue screen of doom a few years back on my laptop I got loads of advice from techy type people on my blog, also if you google your query I bet there will be some techy person itching to help you, you'll probably make their evening :)

    ReplyDelete

Comments please! Don't be aggressive - I will edit it out!