Today (Saturday) is the first day I’ve had Internet connection for almost a week! So this is just a quick apology to all those people whose blogs I generally read regularly. I’ll do my best to get to everyone over the next week, but I can’t promise to read every post I’ve missed. Thank you so much to all the people who commented on my Caernarfon post of last Sunday. I’ll reply to them asap.
Needless to say, I’m more than annoyed about this – to be honest, I’ve been tearing my hair out, at times. Internet connection is always dodgy in this small village but we’ve only been without it for this long once before. I drove out to a local restaurant (a Brewers Faye) on Tuesday just to check on emails, but I could hardly sit there all day blogging. Besides, there’s only so much lemonade I can stomach!
My Word of the Week posts are now a week behind Heena’s (challenge organiser) so I’ll have to catch up by doing two at some stage. I also missed out on FFfAW, which is the only flash fiction I do nowadays because of time – or lack of it – while I’m writing Book 3. Not to mention other posts I had planned.
Ah well…these things are sent to try us. Here’s one of the roses in my garden which cheers me up:
Millie Thom 
Hey Millie, so good to have you back! 🙂
I know how crazy it can get without any connection!
Best of luck on your book! See you around! 😀
Hannah
P.s. Lovely rose! 🙂
Thanks, Hannah. Yes, it’s infuriating not being able to get online, especially for so long. It’s about time BT got things sorted in out-of-the-way villages like ours. There are a lot of people here who work from home, too. Anyway, I hope to be back to normal in a day or two. 🙂
my sympathies Millie – we have internet problems all the time in our household so I know exactly how frustrating it can be 🙂
Sorry to hear that you have similar problems. We don’t realise how much we rely on the Internet until we’re suddenly without it. Blogging just goes out the window for a while! Thanks, Az. 🙂
Sorry to hear about that, Millie.
Having just purchased one of your books on Amazon, I thought of you when I read this:
http://imysantiago.com/2015/07/02/amazon-a-virtual-marketplace-or-big-brother/
Any thoughts?
Hi Prospero. Yes, my Internet connection is back, at last. About time, too.
As for the link you included … I’ve just read it and found it both interesting and worrying, and can understand how imysantiago feels so angry and confused by it all. I’ve had reviews put on Amazon by fellow bloggers, and I’ve reviewed books of a few bloggers myself. To say that we ‘know’ those people so can’t review their books – purchased in all good faith on Amazon – is just stupid. I would hope and trust that anyone reviewing my books would give their honest opinions. I’m not looking for false praise, as it does no good in the long term. Anyway, thank you for drawing my attention to this issue. I’m not sure what else imysantiago can do, now. Amazon seems to have declared an end to communications. I’d be interested to know of any further developments. He certainly deserves support in this.
What is your crime? I’m a blogger, Sir.
So it would be fine if an author were to pay a small army of people to write and post reviews, so long as the author didn’t know the reviewers?
That’s a little nutty. And why shouldn’t bloggers be allowed to network?
Did I miss something here, Prospero? I read the post quickly, so I must have missed what was said about paying an army of people to write reviews. Paying for positive reviews isn’t right … but, for fellow bloggers/tweeters etc. to write honest reviews if they want to surely is OK. Isn’t that what was the issue? I admit, I’m half asleep at the moment, so forgive me if I’ve got hold of the wrong end of the stick.
That deploying an army of reviewers would presumably be acceptable was my example to demonstrate that their policy is somewhat absurd.
But fellow bloggers writing reviews is in the crosshairs, and that’s the point–hence the reference to Big Brother.
Thanks, Prospero. I’m awake now, so I’ll have a reread. As for Big Brother, I do appreciate what you mean.
Oh – sorry Millie – time to visit Brisbane, we have internet. 🙂
I’d love to come to Brisbane, Joycelin, and perhaps we will do before too long. Nick loved our holiday there, and so did I. I’m glad to hear your Internet is good. This village has got to be the worst place ever! Yes, I’m really narked about it all. I’ll calm down by tomorrow, so don’t think I’m about to blow a fuse. (I already did that on Wednesday!) 😀
Oh Millie, it will work out soon enough. I cannot imagine you ever blowing a fuse. 😉
No, I suppose not. I’ve tried to see things in a positive light this week. The only good thing is that I’ve had so much more time to write my book. Not even being able to check emails is really annoying, though.
Well, that’s good you wrote more. I hope it all gets sorted soon Millie. 🙂
The internet in this village is never going to be good, Joycelin. All places in the country, including small villages, were promised fibre optcis by last year. In this area, they got as far as a larger village a couple of miles away and didn’t bother with us. So Superfast Broadband is evidently not destined for us. We keep the archaic model! Living in the countryside does have its downside – but I love the open land around me. I’m not a city girl … so what can you do but grin and bear it?
I haven’t looked at ant posts I’ve missed yet. I don’t want to miss the next part of the story you wrote almost a couple of weekas ago. I have family round all day today, so I’ll have a look tonight. 🙂
That sounds like Papua New Guinea Millie. Hahaha Millie – my story, don’t stress, tell me I will send it to you – I can write you a letter. 🙂 Everything is possible.
I know how you feel. Hate it when there’s no internet. It makes the entire self feel out of balance, doesn’t it? Like something’s missing? I’m glad you’re back. 🙂
Thanks, Yinglan. You’re right, It throws everything out of balance. We get into the routine of posting, and reading and commenting on other people’s posts, and suddenly we can’t do any of it. I feel so behind with everything now, too. Still, I suppose I’ll get over it, eventually. 🙂
Glad to hear you have internet again. It is so frustrating when you want to use it , but can’t! It happens when you have so much to do too! I’ve had it all along, but it is extremely slow a lot of times and I end up with a lot of wasted time. Love the rose…I believe I see a “tear” of compassionn on it! Nice! 🙂
I know what you mean about ‘slow’ internet, too, Jessie. In this village it’s
ridiculously slow, as well as unreliable. We’re so tempted to move to Lincoln so we can have the choice of providers, instead of depending on BT (British Telecom). That’s a lovely description of the drop of dew on the rose. A ‘tear’ of compassion sounds perfect. Thank you for that nice thought. 🙂
Your very welcome. I just finished talking to our cable company about internet service being so slow…it’s crazy to be paying for service, but not getting the proper service. I called two weeks ago and things improved, however, we are back to square one again! We only have one choice of cable service in this area, so competition is lacking which probably henders the situation. I will see how long it lasts this time.
You seem to be in exactly the same situation as us – only one choice of service in your area. We only have BT here. If we moved into Lincoln or Newark we’d have so much more choice. And like you, we’re all mad we haven’t got the service we’re paying for. I wish you luck with yours, Jessie. We’ll have to keep in touch over this common moan. 🙂
gee! an error again… compassion ..should be
It’s really nice to have a kindred spirit, Jessie. We all make typos – me more than most! 🙂
Lovely rose Millie…missed having you around.
What a nice thing to say, Chioma. 🙂 It’s really nice to be back and ‘connected’ again. I’ve felt totally cut off this week. Hope to be back to normal soon. ❤
I hope so too, looking forward to some great reads.
Technology is a wonderful thing…but only when it works.
How true. I thought I’d be the last person to admit dependence on the internet, but this week’s proven me wrong. Thanks, Francesca.( I hope to get round to doing the Real Neat Blog post this week. That was one of the things I had planned for last week.)
Wow! What a beautiful rose! I’m sorry to hear about your internet connection. Things like that are so frustrating. I was wondering about you this week, now you have answered my question. Will look forward to you coming back to blogsville.
I hope to do your FFfAW this week. I had no choice about anything last week, PJ – nor did Louise. Neither of us could get online all week. It’s so frustrating. Back to normal now, I hope. For how long, I don’t know. 🙂
That has to be extremely frustrating! I was also wondering about Louise. I didn’t see either of you on the blogs this past week.
It’s this village, PJ. It’s only small, and we seem to get overlooked with everything. Other parts of the country have had the Superfast Broadband installed. Everywhere was supposed to be getting it last year, even villages. In this area, it got as far as the bigger village two miles away, on we just got forgotten. Connection here is hit and miss, and very slow even when it’s supposed to be OK. I haven’t stopped moaning about it all week, so I’d better shut up now! Anyway, lovely to talk to you and I’ll be waiting for your prompt. 🙂