YesBut clean-up your act.

Mrs YesBut accumulates kitchen gadgets. You know the things I mean, advertised on TV as the chefs answer to grating cheese, or the ultimate lettuce dryer. In the kitchen cupboard we have food processors, fruit blenders, bread makers, rice cookers. Used once then stored as they take too long to clean, compared to conventional kitchen utensil’s.

I have to hold my hand up, I am equally delinquent, with computer program downloads. I see a write-up for a program or a Google widget and I download it. And there it sits collecting cyberspace dust and clogging up my computer.

Its worth taking some time to review the programs on your computer and asking are they necessary? When was the last time you used them? If you don’t use them get rid of them.

But before starting take the precaution of saving the programs installed, then if anything goes wrong you can undue your actions. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore > Create a restore point. Simple!

To get rid of unwanted programs Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > Change or Remove Programs. And remove unwanted programs - but be cautious be sure you know what you are removing. But if anything goes wrong use System Restore to get back to the previous status.

Having said that, I am going to advocate downloading another, albeit small program. Its worth looking at the programs that start-up when you switch on your computer and continue to run in the background. If a program isn’t required, then why run it?

If you go to http://www.mlin.net/ you can download a program written by Mike Lin, which allows you to see which programs run when your computer starts, and allows you to select which programs you require. I wish it was that easy to persuade Mrs YesBut to get rid of all her unwanted kitchen utensils.

Memorial day - 8

Without doubt my favourite memorial in Victoria Embankment Gardens, London, is for the Imperial Camel Corps. It consists of an exquisite two foot high statue of a camel and rider. The bronze statue stands on a six foot high stone base. Carved on the base is:

To The Glorious And Immortal Memory Of The Officers NCOs And Men Of The Imperial Camel Corps.
British, Australian, New Zealand, Indian Who Fell In Action or Died Of Wounds And Disease In Egypt, Sinai And Palestine.

1916 - 1917 -1918

A bronze plaque lists the names of the fallen.

The Allied forces were evacuated to Egypt after the failure of the Gallipoli Campaign. Egypt which was then under British rule, was threatened by the Ottoman armies in Sinai and the Senussi confederation of tribes in its Western deserts.

In an attempt to suppress the tribes in January 1916, four companies of camel mounted infantry were formed from volunteers from Australia. The campaign was a success with the Senussi forced into submission towards the end of 1916. Indeed the camel companies had been so successful that a further fourteen companies were formed. Six companies were drawn from Australian Light Horse units, six British companies from Yeomanry mounted units and New Zealand personnel formed two companies. The companies were eventually organised into four battalions.

Because they were cheaper to purchase only male camels were used!

In 1917 the Corps took part in several battles for Gaza, suffering heavy casualties After Gaza, it took part in the attack on Jerusalem. After the capture of Jerusalem the corps was withdrawn for rest.

In May 1918, under General Edmund Allenby, the army in Palestine was reorganised. As a result both the Australian and New Zealand companies were remounted on horses. Their camels were given to the Arab forces under the command of Emir Feisal and T.E. Lawrence “Lawrence of Arabia”


(In 1921 Britain ensured that Feisal was selected King of the newly created country Iraq, which he ruled until his death in September 1933)


Part of the Corps 2nd Battalion took part in action in Jordan in August 1918.

The Imperial Camel Corps was formally disbanded in May, 1919.

Click her to see YesBut’s Image of the day.

YesBut watch the birdie

People have been kind enough to complement YesBut’s photographer on the photographs published on YesBut’s Images, and have asked how he goes about getting the shots. He tells me it’s very simple in London point the camera in any direction and you get a good photograph. Whether it’s a building or tourists. Tourists!! Last week I was walking north along Tower Bridge; three women were standing across the entrance to the stairs down to St Katharine’s Dock.

“Excuse me you are blocking the stairway, I would like to get past”.

”It’s alright we’re on vacation”.

Tourists are totally oblivious of other people.

Back to YesBut’s photographer, he says he has more difficulty, when not in London. He had a particularly difficult time when visiting Holland - not the place to go to photograph mountains! But he sees it as a challenge. He says since he has been looking for things to photograph he has become more observant, and also has improved his reflex actions. Reflex actions? Yes, when there is a dearth of things to photograph, every opportunity must be taken - it’s no good saying, “I’ll come back later” - later rarely comes.

Talking about lost opportunities, today is the last day to post a caption for the photos posted on YesBut’s Images on 21st to 27th July.

So put on your thinking cap and think up captions.

But your participation doesn’t end there. It’s up to you to select the Caption of the Week. Your vote of the best and runner-up caption should be posted on YesBut’s Images blog by midnight Sunday 29th July.

To remind you of the rules:

• Visit the blog and review the captions for the postings 21st to 27th July inclusive.
• Select your wining caption and runner up
• Post your choices on the blog (some times contributors submit more than one caption each day; so please clearly identify which caption you are nominating).
• Voting will close at midnight GMT Sunday 29th July.

First nominations will be given 2 point, 2nd nominations 1 point. The caption having the highest total of points will be awarded the “Caption of the Week Award“.

Results will be posted on this blog and YesBut’s Images.

Join in the fun cast your vote even better post a caption - click here.

YesBut remember Sod’s law of plumbing.

The horror photo on the left is the innards of a lavatory cistern. The over-flow from the cistern has been dripping for a couple of weeks, (I tell a lie, more like months and for the last month more of a dribble than a drip). But I’ve been procrastinating, I hate tackling plumbing repairs because they always go wrong.

But solving a dripping - OK dribbling - overflow is relatively simple:

• Shut off the water supply
• Remove the end cap on the valve
• Remove the split pin
• Remove the plunger
• Change the rubber washer
• Reassemble and turn the water on.

Simple, simple simple.

But, and there is always a but when it comes to plumbing, because we live in a “hard water” area, the valve was covered in hard limescale, which could prevent the removal of the cap. Soaked the whole thing with scale remover for a couple of days. Then picked up courage, armed with a Mole wrench I attacked the cap. Would you believe it, unscrewed without an effort. Joy of joy, this is one plumbing job which would be care free.

Went to turn off the water, but couldn’t shut the stop valve fully off - but that shouldn’t be a major headache. Went to pull out the split pin, and damn damn damn it broke. The limescale was welding the split pin rock hard into the valve.

There was no alternative but to remove all the gubbins (a good technical term!). Now the fact the water wasn’t tuned off completely became a pain in the butt!!. Because as soon as I unscrewed the gubbins from the supply pipe out flowed the water. Cry for help for Mrs YesBut to bring towels and bucket.

Left Mrs YesBut in-charge of catching the water while I got a hammer and nail to remove the broken split-pin. That done I removed the plunger, damn damn damn would you believe it, it needed a ¾” washer and the one I had was ½” diameter.

Changed my cloths and went to the plumber supply store. Bought a ¾” washer, it cost 10p (20 cents). Yes all this rigmarole over the replacement of a rubber disc costing 10 measly pence!!!!

Got back, Mrs YesBut doing a magnificent job collecting the water. Got everything reassembled in quick time and reinstalled. Figures crossed I turned on the water. Damn damn damn damn and double damn the connection between the gubbins and water supply was leaking - not much, one gentle drip every 10 seconds. Not only that, but damn damn damn, even with a new washer the ball valve wasn’t sealing. “To hell with it” decided to leave it over night to see if the dripping would stop.

It’s surprising how quickly a gentle dripping can fill a bucket!

Next day, still dripping. Decided the only thing to do was buy a new ball-valve gubbins. Back down to the plumbing store. One of those old stores which has little draws of washes, screws, pipe-fittings. Unlike the modern D.I.Y. supper stores which sell things in plastic bags - you have to buy a bag containing 6 screws when you only want one. In the little shop you can buy single items.

“Hello my friend, back again”
“The washer didn’t work, I need to buy a complete bottom feed ball valve”
“OK my friend” placing a plastic gubbins on the store counter.
“No, I want a brass valve”.
“Brass valve! The last time I sold a brass valve was to Noah when he built the Ark. Don’t make them any more”.

Bought the plastic gubbins. Got home had Mrs YesBut standing-by with bucket. Installed the plastic gubbins - great it worked. Damn damn damn, treble damn, it was dripping at the connection to the water supply pipe. Undid the connection, redid the connection, still leaking. Undid the connection again, redid the connection, still leaking. . .What a pain.

There was only one thing to do, apply the Plumbers Golden Rule - if at first you don’t succeed put a bucket under the drip and come back tomorrow.

Click here to see today’s image of the day.

YesBut its a new world

About a month ago I started posting a new blog YesBut’s Images. Why did I start a new blog? Mainly as the result of David McMahon, who posts authorblog, suggesting I should show more of my photographs. But I could have done that on this blog. By starting a new blog, I could post a selection of photos independent of the content of this blog. But the driving reason for starting the blog was, because I had to! Just like mountaineers need to climb Everest, so too I have a creative desire that I must satisfy - I know, I confess, unashamed egotism!!!

About a year ago I bought a very cheap digital camera. Which I carry about everywhere I go. My life has changed since acquiring it. I no longer go for walks, shop or go to meetings. It’s not that I’ve stopped going out, the opposite I go out more, but now going shopping is a secondary activity, I am primarily looking for things to photograph - much to Mrs YesBut’s annoyance.

There she is walking down the street talking to me, but I’ve stopped 200 metres behind to take a photo of a reflection in a window. She doesn’t stop, and I have to trot to catch up, I get a scowl as a reward. I hear mutterings about toys for small boys. “Yes dear“.

Looking through a 3x4cm LCD camera screen, has changed my perspective of the world. It’s true, when you really get into looking, as opposed to just seeing, things around you, everything changes. Colours become more vivid. Shop widows reflect a distorted world. Paving stones form patterns. There are straight lines, angles, curves, shapes, solids, translucent reflections, so much more to see that previously went unnoticed. So much I never noticed before. "That’s beautiful". "Look how the light strikes the water". It’s a new world.

How things have changed with the development of computers and digital cameras. Before, people had cameras, photographs taken, films processed and photos put in albums or left forgotten in draws. Taking a photograph is now only the start of the creative process. Photo editing programs allow pictures to be cropped, colours changed, images distorted. Now every photograph taken has the potential of being a good picture, irrespective if it is out of focus, or whether the camera was held at an angle. More mumbles from Mrs YesBut about spending too much time in front of my computer. “Yes dear“.

Enough typing lets create an image.


Click here to see image of the day.

Methods to increase traffic to your blog

As promised yesterday I present to you YesBut’s public relations department’s think-tank team's inspired analyses and “methods to increase traffic to your blog”.

There are three interrelated key factors that must be considered.

Look at the photograph on the left and you will see a map of the recent hits on this web site. It highlights the first of the key factors. If you blog in English then your readers are going to come mainly from the UK and USA. O.K. there are three computers in Australia - one owned by David McMahon, the other by ozlady and the third by someone with an interest in surfing. Forget about New Zealand, it hasn’t got electricity no need any computers. Seriously you are going to get the majority of hits from the UK and USA - remember this when considering the relevance of the blog content.

The next factor is persona. Persona? Some bloggers post under the guise of being a cat or dog. Fact the world is divided into:

• People who love dogs but hate cats.
• People who love cats but hate dogs.
• People who hate both cats and dogs.

So if you blog as a cat you are going to alienate two-thirds of the potential readers. Therefore the character you assume is important. If you post as a young mother and housewife interested in sport, you are going to attract readers with the same interests.

What character should you assume? Be yourself - even if it results in narrowing your potential readership, it is better to communicate with like minded people, who you feel comfortable with.

The third key factor is the relevance of the subject. In my own case I didn’t take into account the first key factor. A large number of my blog entries refer to British politics - consequently they are of no interest to readers in the US, and lets face it, UK politics is of little interest to the Brits! That accounts for the low number of hits!!!!

Do as I say not as I do!

You might be interested in only blogging on one specialist subject - that’s O.K. But remember the broader the coverage of the subject, more likely you are to attract an additional readership. If you blog about the design of chairs, you are likely to appeal to more readers if you write about British and American chairs.

The final and most critical thing you must do to build a large readership base, is so important it deserves a dedicated blog entry and that will be posted right here tomorrow.

So bookmark this page and return tomorrow.
In the mean time remember the three key factors:

• Know your likely and your target readership
• Know what image of yourself you want to project
• Know your subject and tailor it to suite your targeted readership.

Click here to see YesBut's Image of the day

YesBut’s think-tank strikes gold

Last week David McMahon in his blog answered the question asked by Owatalk “Could you please tell me how to increase traffic to my blog?”.

David started his reply with “Mate, they'll be giving out Nobel Prizes (and marketing awards) to the person who cracks the one-step method of getting 100 hits a day.” He then went on to provide some useful tips.

Since reading the blog I’ve had members of YesBut’s public relations department think-tank team work on the question day and night. I am not one to readily give praise, but on this occasion I have to admit they have done a brilliant job of analysing all the factors and coming up with some inspired suggestions.

I must apologies, but unfortunately due to time constraints their solution cannot be posted today. However I promise “methods to increase traffic to your blog” will be posted tomorrow.

So bookmark this page and return tomorrow,

YesBut softly softly

Following a number of incidents which have resulted in the Police incurring bad publicity, The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Ian Blair, has order his officers to exhibit more of their feminine side.

Click here to see the result.

YesBut thinking aloud - what is conscience?

Click here to see YesBut’s Thinking Aloud latest posting - What is conscience?