Windows 10 insisted that there was a fatal hardware error and that an I/O device had failed or become disconnected. Fearing the hard drive had died we checked that with the appropriate software (thank you internet), but that appeared sound. Perhaps it couldn’t read the DVD, so next we cleaned that, still no joy.
So with Windows 10 refusing to play ball we decided to switch back to the previous version we’d upgraded it to, Windows 7. We’d probably lose our free upgrade to Windows 10, but at least we’d have a working PC again. Still no joy, Windows 7 insisted that the one or more drivers it needed to install were missing. Helpfully there was no indication of what drivers were needed, so we didn’t even know what to look for or where to start looking.
We were on the verge of binning it when we remember it had shipped with what is probably the most unpopular version of windows of all time, Visa. In desperation more than hope we chucked the Visa disc in, it performed a faultless install. Windows 7 then upgraded over Visa without a peep about missing drivers. Windows 10 still refuses to install, having previously run faultlessly on a machine it insists is more than capable of running it, but my sons Steam collection runs happily under Windows 7, so he’s not complaining.
It was no better this Bank Holiday. I’d planned a trip to a reasonably obscure Welsh hill along quiet A roads, assuming all the holiday traffic would be on motorways. There was only one small flaw in my plan; the particular route I’d chosen took me past a very large Bank Holiday Steam Festival and attendant traffic jam.
Switching to plan B I reprogrammed my SatNav for the shortest route to the nearby Shropshire Hills AOB. This eliminated the traffic by taking me down roads far narrower than any I experienced on my Scotland’s North Coast 500 journey, minus any passing places. After an ‘exhilarating’ trip I arrived in the blissfully tranquil Clun. I didn’t encounter a single walker on my 12 mile hike around the Clun valley, although I managed to come away without a single photo of Clun’s most striking feature the ruined Norman castle.
I’d planned to end my walk at the castle, enjoy a late lunch amid the ruins and snap a few photos. However by the time I arrived I was in urgent need of the ‘facilities’ at the bottom of the hill. Having availed myself of these I decided to climb back up, snap the castle and have lunch, only to discover I’d dropped my camera in the aforementioned facilities when I reached the top. So it was back down the hill again to reclaim it. Thankfully a family picnicking at the bottom of the hill had found it, so it was quickly recovered and their young son suitably rewarded.
It was at this point I decided not to emulate the Grand old Duke of Wellingtons 10,000 men and march back up the hill again, choosing instead to rest my feet by the calm waters of the river Clun, watching life pass me by, before heading home.
Talking of things not going to plan, I’ve been working on a few short story ideas of late, but the one that’s appeared on the blog ‘Death Wears a skirt ’ isn’t one of them. It’s a very silly story that popped into my head and demanded to written when I was thinking about something else. My sense of humour might not be to everyone’s taste, I shock myself on occasions, but I dare say I’ll replace it with something else in soon enough.