Upgrades

I recently upgraded my I-Phone to OS4.0 and I strongly recommend that if you have a I-Phone that you do the same. There seem to be many advantages not least of which is the ability to tidy all those apps into neat little folders.

However, as ever, there is always seems to be a downside to most things I do and this time it was the inability to use my I-Phone as a tethered modem to my laptop (thus restricting my blogging activities). Updating the blog just by I-Phone is very tedious and wears my fingers (and patience) out. Apparently I had incompatible version I-Tunes on the laptop for my newly upgraded I-Phone. Easily solved methinks, I’ll just upgrade my laptop, but of course I now couldn’t use my I-Phone to connect to the internet in order to download the I-Tunes upgrade.

            We are in Henley. I am convinced that Weyward Lady is on a piece of elastic. We always seem to land up back in Henley. Not that we mind. Henley upon Thames must be quite the most beautiful riverside town on the Thames if not the most beautiful riverside town in the UK or maybe even the world. Anyway off I go, laptop in hand, into town in search of the internet. It was not my to stop people in the street and ask "Excuse me, but have you seen the internet?" so I had done a bit of investigation and I went straight to The Catherine Wheel which boasts free Wi-Fi.

“A pint of Brakspears and may I use your Wi-Fi?”

“There you are Sir, a nice pint of Brakspears but I am sorry to report that we do have Wi-Fi but it is broken. You could try The Three Tuns across the road”

So I down my pint and cross the road.

“Good afternoon, do you have Wi-Fi, yes, excellent. A pint of Brakspears please”.

“There you are Sir, a nice pint of Brakspears but I am sorry to report that I am new here and do not have the password. You could try the library, behind Waitrose on the other side of town.

So I down my pint and cross three roads.

Luckily the library does not sell beer. However having joined two different queues and a half an hour later I found out that they only had internet via a network and I had more chance of watching England win the FIFA World Cup than being allowed to plug my laptop into their network.

            So, thoroughly despondent,  I decide to give up.

On the way back to the boat I find myself passing my most favourite pub in Henley The Bell in Bell Street and, as you can imagine, by this time I was thirsty again.

“A pint of Brakspears and I don’t suppose, by any chance, you have Wi-Fi?

“Yes we do have Wi-Fi but I have to log you on. It’s not really for public use. “

“Fine” I say but my laptop refused to see the Wi-Fi. It turns out that the guy behind the bar used to run an internet café so although he really knew what he was doing he couldn’t fix it.

“Why don't I download the latest I-Tunes on to my laptop and transfer it over to you via a flash drive.” he offers.

“That’s really kind of you I say. Can I buy you a drink? Yes, excellent and I’ll have the same again.”

So he downloaded the latest I-Tunes and gave it to me on a USB drive which I plugged into my laptop and transferred the file. I don’t know why, but before I removed his drive I asked the guy to check that I hadn’t left any part of the file. It transpired that I-Tunes was still there, intacta and I had downloaded his weekly order spreadsheet!! I knew I should have gone to Specsavers!

Anyway, finally, after several roads crossed and several pints of Brakspears consumed, the upgrade worked, the I-Phone is now connected.

‘A Swingbridge Too Far’ blog is back in business. Watch this space!                                                                                   

Part Two

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water we have beaten you to it. Well on the water rather than in it.
Apologies for absence from this blog but POS jumped ship in Henley just before the start of Henley Royal Regatta leaving me alone with just Wayward Lady for company. Please note there is no 'a' in that sentence! If I could give you an hour by hour report of everything that happened I would, but to be honest a day by day report would be a struggle. Henley Royal Regatta and recall don't really fit into the same sentence. Suffice it to say, everyone tells me I had a great time!

Assisted by a very good friend we cast off from Henley on Saturday morning and was back on our moorings at Pyrford on Sunday evening. Part one of our adventure was over.

The following weekend was Classic LE Mans and that really deserves a blog of it's own especially the part where we came home on a low-loader. And before you say it neither the car nor me was Piston broke! It was just that the car developed a nasty case of incontinence, easily rectified later at home but not so easily at the roadside in France when it happened.

Anyway it is now then 2nd august and we are off again. This time our travels will be restricted to the Upper and Middle Thames. I don't suppose anything funny will happen and there will be nothing to 'blog about' but we shall see.
So please wish us 'Bon Voyage' and keep logging in for the next chapter of 'A Swingbridge too far' Cap'n Ed and POS