Heart attack

Thursday, February 06, 2020

Fibre Broadband Installation

When I lived in Eaglestone, for several weeks I had to endure the roads and paths around the estate being dug up for the installation of fibre broadband. But it seems the whole process is going to be repeated, now that I've moved to Oldbrook. As I write this on Monday morning, the merry sound of drilling is going on outside the flat. I took out Alfie about an hour and a half ago and as I came out of the front door I almost got strangled by a length of wire or is it cable, which was stretched across the door. I don't quite understand how this new cabling works. I have conventional broadband which comes into my flat via a telephone line. I'm intrigued to know, is this new fibre network separate from the telephone system? It can't surely be separate, because so much will use what is actually an older type of connection, more likely wire of some sort. The fibre system must join it for part of it's journey.It's continuing. The drill is very close. I wonder if it's going to come through the front wall of Dexter House and straight into my flat. I assumed that this business was finished. I'm not sure whether the rest of the estate has been completed or whether it's just this block.

12.20. The fire alarm has just gone off. I'm never always sure whether it's a test or whether it's because there's a fire somewhere in the block. If you've followed these blog posts, you will recall that there were an early-morning fire emergency and we had a fire engine call. It wasn't a serious matter, I think someone burnt their toast and set off the alarm. The only problem when the fire alarm is tested is that it makes me jump and it sets off Alfie barking. It was a test, fortunately.

(Wednesday) It's getting lighter, earlier and earlier each morning. I have been going out with Alfie around 7.30a.m., but now it's light enough to go out by around 7.15, which suits me.

Yesterday I was at Camphill, as usual, in the drama workshop. I was there early, by at least 8.35, and some of the residents came into the foyer, where we usually have our breaks. Some were in the theatre, so we began to get the chairs out for the usual session which starts the day, each resident as well as co-workers and volunteers tell how they are feeling and what they expect from the day ahead. As some of the residents weren't coming to the morning session, Tao said that we would be rehearsing 'Stranger Danger during the morning and then in the afternoon probably doing some work on 'Treasure Island.' As it turned out those residents who hadn't appeared during the morning didn't turn up so we did rehearsal during the morning and then after lunch continued with where we'd finished at lunch and completed the scene after lunch and then we did something new. Because Teo is going to be away on holiday for 3 weeks in later February we needed to have something to work on, so it was suggested that everyone nominate a film they liked and had on DVD which could be viewed and then used as the basis for improvisation. So everyone told what their film was and then, once the entire group had finished, we had to vote for which film, and after the votes were counted, a gradual whittling-down process began, rather like the method used on television for such shows as 'Strictly Come Dancing,' which eventually got the choice down to two films, which ended up being 'Oliver!' and 'The Sound of Music.' It will be interesting to see what improvisations can be created from each of these films.

(Thursday) It's cold and frosty this morning. The first real frost of the year. The car has a layer of ice on it, although it doesn't bother me because I'm not going out in it today.

The broadband installation was completed a few days ago. I think they were just wiring this property and leaving the points in case people decided to sign up to the service. As I already have broadband via the telephone line to my flat, I won't be signing up as I'm satisfied by my provider, which, incidentally, is Sky.


No comments: