Pier pressure......

Another piece of Hastings history unfolded this morning with the re-opening of our iconic pier.  With the official opening a month away, it's still a work in progress, and the main Visitor Centre and several of the kiosks will be opening over the next few weeks.

PP and I were down there before the early, as we had special access in order to install our display shelf in the newly opened Hastings Handicraft kiosk, on the west side of the pier.

It was the culmination of a fairly frantic few days, trying to design and build an easily removable perspex front to deter small, sticky fingers and protect the miniatures from being scattered to the four winds by any strong gusts, as the kiosk front is open to the elements.

Who knew there were so many different types/grades/specifications of clear plastic sheeting?  Not to mention fixtures and fittings for attaching it to things.  Then of course it had to be painted then prettified.  It went right to the wire last night in advance of the opening this morning, and we heaved a huge sigh of relief when our protective front fitted perfectly into the shelf opening with micro-millimetres to spare.  It shouldn't blow over and will hopefully provide protection whilst allowing easy access.

I'll be refreshing and updating our display each week and completely changing it every month, so if you're in Hastings over the summer do pop along to the pier and have a look.

Tower House Dolls display of diminutive dolls and tiny toys

From the west side of the pier towards St. Leonards

Reclaimed wood from the old pier has been used to clad the Visitor Centre

BBC film crew and interviewer

Rickshaw rides round the pier and along the promenade

This may take some time...... *sigh*

Try to think of the most soul-destroying task in the entirety of the multiverse.

The one thing that you would rather walk over hot coals whilst juggling an anvil, a goat and a ninja death star to avoid.

It's obvious isn't it?

Changing your primary personal email account has to be The. Worst. Thing. EVER!

I've had the same personal account for forever.  It's a btinternet.com account from way back in the day when the ONLY choice for landline/internet access was the monolithic British Telecom company.

Over the years a plethora of alternative providers have sprung up, and a few years ago we moved from BT to Plusnet.

So far so straightforward.

At the time, BT, in its munificence, allowed departing customers to retain their btinternet email addresses, which was fine and dandy.  After all they'd been fleecing us royally for all the years of their monopoly and we felt we were owed at least to continue using the email addresses we'd had since time immemorial.

Then a few years ago, they instituted a monthly charge of £1.50 in order to keep a BT email account if you weren't a boney fido BT customer. This was a bit galling, but faced with the prospect of having to change to a new email account most of us bit the bullet and kowtowed.

However, last month, I received an email informing me that the monthly fee was rising from £1.50 to £5.

FIVE POUNDS.

FIVE POUNDS!!!!

This was the final straw.  A blatant attempt to blackmail us to change back to BT and a step too far.  As a result, from next month, we are cancelling our BT email accounts and will never darken their door again.

So.

*sigh*

I've set up a new Gmail account and am in the process of changing my email address.

Have you any idea just how many online accounts and subscriptions you have?  
How many newsletters and email updates from individuals and companies?
How many online groups and forums you're a member of?
Ditto official bodies and agencies, banks, financial institutions, insurances, healthcare providers etc etc etc.... all of whom contact you via your email address.

It's mind boggling.

I have spent the best part of TWO WHOLE DAYS moving accounts, changing email preferences, going through the ridiculous rigmarole of having pin numbers sent to my mobile phone in order to access and change account details....

It's driving me mad.

MAD I tell you!

The progress I've made so far is the tip of the iceberg.   I'm trying to do it logically and I'm making careful notes of what I've done so far.  But I'm sure to miss a really important notification and Bad Things Will Happen.

Also, for the next month I'll be running both the old and new email accounts side by side, which is a recipe for chaos and confusion if ever I saw one.

So, here's the thing.

I will be emailing all my personal contacts to let them know of the change.  If YOU regularly contact me via email and haven't heard from me in the next few weeks please contact me to request my new email address.

My business email will remain unchanged, and if push comes to shove, and you need to contact me, use that.

Alternatively, you can reach me via the Tower House Dolls Facebook page if you're not on my personal FB 'friends' list.  Or via the Tower House Dolls website where there's a Contact Us form on the home page.

From now on I'll be using my new email, although I will continue to check the old one until it's deleted.  

There.

Let us never speak of this again.