Various updates

[ffutures]

Calculator - the guy in Italy seems to be pleased it's arrived which hopefully means he won't be returning it.

Laptop - a local firm can fix it - not cheap, but not as bad as I'd feared. Naturally the excess on my household policy plus the amount I'd lose if I lost the no claims bonus means that it isn't quite worth making an insurance claim.

20" iMac G4 - Ready to sell, but I'm going to wait until the New Year so that people hopefully have a little more money. Hopefully the profit will cover the laptop repair.

Network Solutions - just tried to convince me to use them to buy my own domain again. The same one. Which is particularly annoying since I opted out of their mailing list the last time... I think a strongly worded message may be called for.

Crossrail - some more photos of temporary track being made going back a few weeks:







Ducks - some Muscovy (I think) ducks I saw rummaging around leaves in Kensington Gardens, well away from the Round Pond towards the end of November. Not sure what they were looking for.





later - uninvitedcat tells me the "ducks" are Egyptian geese. I never claimed to be an ornithologist, but I should have spotted they were a bit big to be ducks...

Fanfic - still posting Bad Medicine but will have it done tomorrow, I think. Given how much background reading you need to do to understand what the hell's going on I'm not posting it here.

Comments

[uninvitedcat.livejournal.com]

Nice photos! I think the birds are Egyptian Geese (http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/e/egyptiangoose/index.aspx) though.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

Splendid Geese. Never seen those before.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I see them around Kensington Gardens / Hyde Park often and sometimes on the canal, I'd imagine someone imported them as ornamental birds and they've spread.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

It does seem unlikely they'd migrate from Egypt to the UK in the middle of winter, doesn't it. Usually the Geese are heading south at this time of year. :)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Crossrail is coming on.

The Egyptian Geese are very handsome - they tone so nicely with those autumnal coloured leaves.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

All of the current track is temporary, so that they can take in a mobile concrete factory and heavy duty track-laying stuff. Once the trains are running they REALLY don't want to do more track repairs than they have to, so they're building it to last.