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Jun. 9th, 2011 11:47 pmInstalled the new Internet Explorer 9 last night, but after working fine for the first few minutes, ever since then it's been extra super slow loading pages (if it loads them at all). So I'm back on Firefox.
Drove to Southampton with all the unwanted CDs I didn't sell at the boot sale, a few DVDs and loads of VHS tapes, to flog them at the Cash Generator shop I'd seen advertised on TV. Took the box containing the CDs and DVDs first, and after waiting in a queue for a while was seen by a friendly lady. She took a look at my vinyl copy of The Pogues' Red Roses For Me, bizarrely said "Wasn't Marti Pellow of Wet Wet Wet the lead singer of the Pogues?" and offered me 50p. Fine by me. She then said they paid a flat rate of 40p for DVDs and 20p for CDs.
"Are any of them singles? We don't buy CD singles," she said, so I had to weed all the singles out while she examined my ID and registered me as a seller on their database. That still left 40 CD albums, counting a 5-track EP by Nerina Pallot that she generously agreed to count as an album.
I asked her if they were interested in VHS tapes. "I'm afraid not, because they're hard to sell," she said. At least I was saved any more walks carrying boxes from my car to the shop. Decided it wasn't worth trying to persuade her to make an offer for my VHS tape of The Office (UK) season 2 autographed by the five main cast members.
The lady printed out a form for me to sign, explaining "When you buy something you get a receipt, so this is our receipt," and did a quick pitch about the other services they provide - "We offer the best rates of exchange for euros if you're going abroad" and cashing cheques.
Back home to unload, then on to Catisfield for pétanque with the Gosport French Circle. I mentioned to Chris and Marie-Ange that I'd never played; they said that for most of the Circle, this was the one and only time each year that they played. Martin and Paul gave us a quick explanation of the rules before we started. It's a similar principle to bowls, though with metal balls about the size of a tennis ball which you lob, rather than roll, aiming to be nearest to a little wooden ball called the cochonnet (piglet) - and knock your opponents' balls out of the way.
I was on Chris and Marie-Ange's team with Martin and Jennifer; we triumphed 7-6 in a hard-fought semi-final, then won the final with a 7-0 whitewash. I got in a couple of decent shots. The measuring tape had to be used several times, prompting Marie-Ange to observe how in France kids play pétanque in the street at 3 am and "are ready to start World War III over one millimetre".
I was immediately attracted to one of our opponents in the final, a lady I'd never met before called Sally - so much so that, without thinking, I cheered when she lobbed in a good opening shot to what turned out to be the last end. None of my team appeared to notice, and if they had I'd have had the excuse that we were 6-0 up. When she took her second shot I found myself encouraging her with "Come on babe".
Alas, I didn't get to sit on the same table as Sally at the post-match supper. Her table regularly burst into gales of laughter; I observed to the others on my table, "They're having a merry time." After the meal, the raffle (won by Martin for the second month in a row, prompting calls of 'Fix' - it was I who pulled out his winning ticket tonight and it was fair and square) and the presentation of certificates to us of the winning team, I loped over to Sally's table and managed to say a quick hello before we all dispersed. When I introduced myself as a new member, she said she wasn't a member but comes to the social events as she's a friend of Sue. I asked whether she'd be at the Quatorze Juillet dinner; she said no, next time would be the Christmas party.
So, assuming she's single - something I can hopefully elicit subtly from Sue at the dinner - I have six months to think out a way to woo her...
Drove to Southampton with all the unwanted CDs I didn't sell at the boot sale, a few DVDs and loads of VHS tapes, to flog them at the Cash Generator shop I'd seen advertised on TV. Took the box containing the CDs and DVDs first, and after waiting in a queue for a while was seen by a friendly lady. She took a look at my vinyl copy of The Pogues' Red Roses For Me, bizarrely said "Wasn't Marti Pellow of Wet Wet Wet the lead singer of the Pogues?" and offered me 50p. Fine by me. She then said they paid a flat rate of 40p for DVDs and 20p for CDs.
"Are any of them singles? We don't buy CD singles," she said, so I had to weed all the singles out while she examined my ID and registered me as a seller on their database. That still left 40 CD albums, counting a 5-track EP by Nerina Pallot that she generously agreed to count as an album.
I asked her if they were interested in VHS tapes. "I'm afraid not, because they're hard to sell," she said. At least I was saved any more walks carrying boxes from my car to the shop. Decided it wasn't worth trying to persuade her to make an offer for my VHS tape of The Office (UK) season 2 autographed by the five main cast members.
The lady printed out a form for me to sign, explaining "When you buy something you get a receipt, so this is our receipt," and did a quick pitch about the other services they provide - "We offer the best rates of exchange for euros if you're going abroad" and cashing cheques.
Back home to unload, then on to Catisfield for pétanque with the Gosport French Circle. I mentioned to Chris and Marie-Ange that I'd never played; they said that for most of the Circle, this was the one and only time each year that they played. Martin and Paul gave us a quick explanation of the rules before we started. It's a similar principle to bowls, though with metal balls about the size of a tennis ball which you lob, rather than roll, aiming to be nearest to a little wooden ball called the cochonnet (piglet) - and knock your opponents' balls out of the way.
I was on Chris and Marie-Ange's team with Martin and Jennifer; we triumphed 7-6 in a hard-fought semi-final, then won the final with a 7-0 whitewash. I got in a couple of decent shots. The measuring tape had to be used several times, prompting Marie-Ange to observe how in France kids play pétanque in the street at 3 am and "are ready to start World War III over one millimetre".
I was immediately attracted to one of our opponents in the final, a lady I'd never met before called Sally - so much so that, without thinking, I cheered when she lobbed in a good opening shot to what turned out to be the last end. None of my team appeared to notice, and if they had I'd have had the excuse that we were 6-0 up. When she took her second shot I found myself encouraging her with "Come on babe".
Alas, I didn't get to sit on the same table as Sally at the post-match supper. Her table regularly burst into gales of laughter; I observed to the others on my table, "They're having a merry time." After the meal, the raffle (won by Martin for the second month in a row, prompting calls of 'Fix' - it was I who pulled out his winning ticket tonight and it was fair and square) and the presentation of certificates to us of the winning team, I loped over to Sally's table and managed to say a quick hello before we all dispersed. When I introduced myself as a new member, she said she wasn't a member but comes to the social events as she's a friend of Sue. I asked whether she'd be at the Quatorze Juillet dinner; she said no, next time would be the Christmas party.
So, assuming she's single - something I can hopefully elicit subtly from Sue at the dinner - I have six months to think out a way to woo her...
