Argos

Jan is feeling very poorly with a running noise, hacking cough and tight chest.  I’m very sensitive to her needs and know she must keep her fluids up and exercise.  Hence she has been making us cups of tea and takes regular walks to the local shops for essential supplies.  Of course I’ve been ensuring she makes maximum use of all this physical activity by carrying home the heavy bags.  I’ve also agreed to her cooking dinner tonight.  I know she realises just how lucky she is to have me!

Meanwhile I see on the BBC News that the UK now has 500,000 unresolved immigration cases and at the present clearance rate it will take 37 years to clear the backlog <link here>.  Maybe I can save a four figure sum by not applying and paying for a visa.  I’d also be a good future citizen by not contributing to the backlog!  After all, in 37 years I’ll be long departed!

Now to the ongoing saga of the Mio PDA.  Having discovered yesterday the maximum size memory card the Mio recognise is a 2Gb SD card and we didn’t have one, I did more searching on the internet.  As we don’t have an address it was pointless purchasing one online.  The cheapest source was Argos where they had a two pack for £7.99.  Moreover the Rugeley Argos store had one left in stock.  It’s important the card is an SD rather than the higher speed SDHC as the latter will not be recognised by the Mio.  It’s one of the problems when you buy old technology!  The other problem is old technology can frequently be more expensive.  A more modern SD card with greater memory and faster speed would actually be cheaper.

It’s the first time I’ve purchased from Argos and it’s very similar to Screwfix.  Pick your item from the catalogue and write down the number on a slip of paper.  Take the paper to the counter and pay.  Then go to another counter to collect.  The problem occurred when I couldn’t remember the internet catalogue number and had to look it up in the store catalogue.  Then I noticed the picture showed the cards were SDHC rather than SD.  They were of no use to me so I walked away.  Back on Waiouru I looked at the online Argos catalogue which showed them as SD.  This time I wrote down the catalogue number and walked back to Argos where I was able to buy the last blister pack in the shop.

Yes… they are SD rather than SDHC so the shop catalogue has the wrong photo.  I’m now in the process of transferring data from the laptop to the SD card which is fitted to the Mio which has recognised the card.  I’ve also checked the maximum size card our old Pentax Optio 550 digital camera will accept.  Apparently the maximum size card it will accept is a 2Gb SD card so the 2nd card may have a home.

It’s been interesting to watch the actions of other boaters as the mercury rose during the day.  Most decamped to the towpath or sat in the open in an effort to find a cool spot.  We’ve not been forced outside and stayed inside Waiouru.  I guess that’s a testament to the quality of the insulation and the design of the ventilation.