Printer wars........

So.

I worked till late yesterday evening, finally completing all of the component packs for our August Kit of the Month.  Which only left putting the finished touches to the instruction booklets and printing both the booklets and the pattern sheets.

We have two printers in the office.  One is a fairly elderly all-in-one print/scan/copy inkjet which has been recalcitrant from day one.  We have a hate/hate relationship and I always approach it with dread.  It has been downgraded and is generally only used for scanning and copying, as it's print quality is dire.

The other is a dedicated high-quality printer which I use for our instruction booklets, leaflets, flyers etc.

Perhaps it's all my fault.  By creating a two-tier system, I engendered a hotbed of dissention and one-upmanship between the two printers.  I lavish care and attention on the high-quality machine, (which will henceforth be known as the Good Printer)lovingly changing its cartridges, cleaning its nozzles and rollers, loading it with the nicest paper.

This is obviously noted by the other printer, (which will henceforth be known as the Bad Printer) who huffs and puffs, endlessly shuffling its cartridges and blinking its warning lights, jamming paper at the slightest provocation and sometimes downright refusing to scan, or copy, or even, if it's got a right strop on, printing, which is surely its raison d'etre.

It's been on the printer equivalent of death row for some time now, and only the fact that it sometimes cooperates has granted it reprieve after reprieve.

However that may be about to change.  I spent the best part of an hour today trying to persuade it to copy one image of the kit pattern.  Nothing taxing.  Just a black line drawing on white paper.  Perhaps it thought that such a menial task was beneath it, as it sulkily churned out page after page of blank paper.  Or mostly blank with just enough inky black streaks to render the sheet useless for anything other than scrap notepaper.

As if this wasn't frustrating enough, the Good Printer became possessed with the Bad Printer's malevolent spirit, and when I tried to print a draft copy of the completed instructions, it came over all mardy and joined in, printing three sheets in quick succession with only 2" of print on them, then juddered to a halt, announcing that it had an unidentified error.

The fact that this was completely out of character for the Good Printer led me to believe that the Bad Printer must have something to do with it, and indeed, while I was running a diagnostic problem to find out what was wrong, the Bad Printer could only be described as sniggering.

It was most definitely shuffling its cartridges in a sniggery way.

Fortunately, following a thorough troubleshooting schedule, the evil influence it had exerted on the Good Printer was completely exorcised and I was finally able to complete the instruction booklet print run without further incident.

The whole episode has worried me though.  I simply can't work with two unpredictable printers so I'm a bit jumpy and will be on the lookout for any further deviations from their designated function.

Working weekend.....

After the increasingly sultry heat of last week, the past few day's fresher, cooler temperatures have come as a welcome relief.  It's quite breezy here today, and intermittently sunny, with clouds scudding across the sky.

However, I have to disdain any outdoor delights today as I'm ensconced in the workroom, trying hard to complete our August Kit of the Month for release on Wednesday.

It will go right to the wire......

Incidentally, because we're exhibiting in the online Mini Miniature Show on 17-20 August, as well as offering a miniature toy workshop over that weekend, (the workshop will be announced on the website on 1st August) there won't be a September Kit of the Month. 

However our October offering is already underway, and during November/December we will be releasing a very special range of festive kits to coincide with our 2012 Miniature Advent Calendar.

Best go and get on then....

Camping tales........

So.

We have had an absolutely lovely impromptu camping break, taking advantage of the summer's first properly glorious weather this week.  We'd originally booked three nights but added a further two in a bout of devil-may-care extravagance.

Small Dog had what can only be described as mixed fortunes.  She does love going away in the caravan and embraces the camping life with gusto, but during this trip she had a few misadventures.....

The first occurred on our second morning, as she was scrabbling to get out of the awning and velcroed her face to the bottom of the zip.  I had already unzipped the door and was wondering why she wasn't racing outside.  Instead she was pawing at her face and seemingly unable to move.  I initially suspected that she'd caught an insect but closer investigation revealed that her whiskers and fur were firmly enmeshed in one of the little Velcro tabs.  She did manage to free herself before I came to her aid, leaving a small chunk of face fur still attached to the Velcro.

I tried VERY HARD not to laugh......

The second misadventure wasn't the slightest bit funny, and happened on one of the days we went to the beach.  I'd taken Small Dog down to the sea for me to have a paddle and her to cool her paws, which she did more or less willingly.  On the way back up the beach I spotted a large dog, off its lead, bounding across the shingle towards us.  Before I could react it was on us, pawing Small Dog, knocking her over in the process.  I quickly picked her up out of harm's way, but the dog kept jumping up and trying to bite her, jaws snapping.  At this point Small Dog let out an ear-splitting yelp and I tried to hold her up higher while the kept dog leaping up me from all directions at me, almost knocking me over too.  By that time one of the group who owned the dog had arrived, apologising and saying that the dog was 'only a puppy' and wanted to play. I won't repeat my riposte here but I was really angry and shaken up. 

All along the beach there are signs exhorting people to keep their dogs on leads but a sizeable minority ignore them and let their dogs rampage around uncontrolled.

Only last Sunday, a few miles from where we live, THIS happened, and in May this year there was a similar incident in Hastings Country Park which left a pet dog dead after it was attacked by two vicious, illegal dogs.

I'm seriously considering the purchase of an electric cattle prod, or pepper spray for Small Dog's (and our) protection while we're out on walks.

And......relax!

How appropriate that in this Olympic week we achieved a world record today.

From arriving on site to being fully set up in exactly 1 hour 30 minutes.  Coincidentally this was also the time it took for Small Dog to get thoroughly tangled in her camping lead, almost get into two fights with dogs 5 times her size, chase a rabbit and roll in something disgusting.  She's obviously channeling her inner Montmorency.

Weather is sublime, not too hot with balmy breezes.  PP has just mixed us one of her mystery cocktails.  The mystery usually centres around whether you'll get your sight back after two days, although they do tend to contain at least three of your five-a-day in addition to unspecified alcohol so it's not all bad.

Cheers......

A Place in the Sun........

It's a sad indictment of our summer thus far that waking up this morning to wall-to-wall sunshine should be such a rare treat.  Not only is the sun shining fit to bust today, but apparently it will continue to do so for the rest of this week, hence our last minute decision to indulge in some impromptu camping for a few days.

Such is the devil-may-care life of the self-employed artisan *cough.... yeah right!*

However, just so my guilt chip doesn't go into overdrive, I'm taking some work with me.  Whether or not any of it gets done remains to be seen but should the overwhelming desire to review this month's invoices, work on the 'currently in production' new kit instructions, forward planning lists etc, prove too much for me, I will be able to give in gracefully.

Just finishing packing the last few bits and pieces which is being made exponentially more difficult by the fact that every time the front door is open, Small Dog races out, makes a beeline for the caravan and leaps in, settling herself at the furthermost point at the front of the 'van.  This point is, of course, incredibly difficult to reach, being hemmed in by chairs, BBQ, windbreak, wine cellar box etc so I have to clamber over a mountain of stuff to reach her, while she feigns deafness and pretends not to hear me calling her out.  I must have brought her back indoors half a dozen times this morning and my patience is wearing thin.

Both car and caravan are packed to the gunnels and I am supremely confident that we will be both drought AND famine resistant at least for the next few days.  Having had the foresight to chill the fridge down overnight, we will arrive on site with ice cold beers to hand, ready for the rigours of erecting the awning, which is a prime spectator sport for fellow caravanners.  To be brutally honest, if putting up a caravan awning were an Olympic sport we'd be unlikely to be selected for Team GB but we do like to enter into the spirit of the thing..... it's not the winning it's the taking part that counts.

Small Dog will oversee proceedings from the shady comfort of her camping chair, alternately pretending she doesn't know us and frequently raising her small, furry eyebrows at our ineptitude.

With luck, by mid-afternoon, we'll be all set up, awning in situ, BBQ at the ready, cold beer in hand, stretched out recliners soaking up the sun watching the world go by.

Sometimes, in the moment, life doesn't get any better than that.....

Scorchio......

Normally, by this point in the 'summer' we'd have had several outings in our little caravan.  Last time we were out was for the Jublilee weekend which ended in chaos.

Since then it's been raining almost non-stop and our front garden's like a sponge so taking the caravan away has not been an appealing prospect.  However, this week, for the first time in ages, the weather forecast is set fair, so we've booked an ad hoc few days away.

I'm trying really hard NOT to feel guilty.  I'm going to take my laptop and some workboxes and will probably possibly do a bit of work.

So this afternoon we've been cleaning and packing the 'van which necessitated getting into the shed up the garden to retrieve porch awning, camping chairs, windbreak, Small Dog's chair, BBQ etc etc etc.

As designated 'retriever' I had just managed to get right into the back of the shed and was hoiking stuff out when out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving.

Fast.

It was so fast I hardly had time to react before something brown and furry scuttled out of a box and nearly ran right across my sandal-clad bare feet.

My initial thought was HUGE TARANTULA until reason belatedly kicked in and I realised that spiders don't have tails.

However, in the nanoseconds between my initial thought, and reason kicking in I simultaneously leapt UP and BACKWARDS, all the while screaming like a girl.

Obviously, the small furry, scuttling thing was immeasurably more scared of me than I was of it and it scurried to the back of the shed and disappeared.  By that time my heart had stopped fibrillating of its own accord and I was already feeling foolish for such an overreaction.

Small Dog, who had been mooching about outside during the fracas, popped her head round the door to see what was occurring.  Her being a boney fido ratting terrior and all, I thought she might come to my aid and intercept any renegade rodents, but she declined my invitation to investigate, made her excuses and left.

I've had to have a glass of something reviving to steady my nerves........

Weather woes........

You might have noticed that quite a lot of this blog recently has been dedicated to our abysmal weather.  If you live here in the UK you will, I'm sure, empathise, as no region of the country has escaped the howling gales, torrential rain and endless cold, grey days.

However, I'm pleased to report that I have it on good authority that things are set to change.

Apparently our woeful weather of late has been caused by the jet stream settling much further south than is normal for this time of the year.  But in the next few days it's expected to track northwards, taking the wind and rain with it and finally allowing our summer to flourish.

I've just checked the forecast for early next week and IF it's correct it will be scorchio...
For instance next Tuesday we will have a high of 74 and it will be, and I quote "sunny and delightful".

YAY!!!!

So, all other things being equal, we're hoping to snatch a few days away in our little caravan, enjoying the great outdoors with Small Dog, who is giving the whole idea a firm paw's up.

Anyone for Pimms....?