The lack of data posted so far this year was not due to lack of content, rather due to requirements to be involved in other things, Now a brief moment of tranquility, so will attempt an update.
Just before Christmas, I got the new iMac and it was all I could do to get it running and using all the features I wanted. Well, now it is the main system and seems to be pretty good. The operating system I (inadvertently) chose is the absolute latest and named Ventura, which is Mac's way of merging the iPhone operating system with the desktop one - basically by making the desktop more like a ´phone. Not sure it is the way forward, but what do I know? Some features are very clever (minimising a window or application moves it into a half-hidden limbo just off the screen), which makes for easy and fast access to stuff when you want to get back to it. The major downside is that initial startup of any app seems to be very slow. It could be due to the way I have things set up, but difficult to tell - and I have always been a "if it works, don't mess with it" sort of guy (see Steele´s Law re increasing complexity of addressing non-essential tasks).
Anyway, it is good - and using the old keyboard means easy to use.
The old iMac is now on a side unit and not really in use, but had I had been thinking of having a high/low setup whereby I could stand at one machine and sit at the other. Of course the logical solution would be a desk which goes up and down - of which Ikea has a few.
So the new Mac was leading me towards an office renewal - something which G has been requesting for some time.
I went through a few iterations before I came up with the solution of ditching the oak writing desk (with its 8 drawers full of absolutely essential stuff) and replacing it with a pair of Ikea drawer units (with 6 HUGE drawers which would take everything and more). We accordingly went scouting in Ikea and I spotted a proper PC desk with a pull-out side section which took my fancy too (decided raise and lower stuff is quite costly for what is basically a table). Anyway, I was in the middle of redrawing the office plans, when the new neighbour got in touch and asked if I could get her a couple of chairs which she had been coveting for months but never found in stock - but had just seen available in the online Malaga store . As her husband and son were here for a few days, I ran up a quick order for my office and her chairs and threw in a couple (ok, 3) stackable units on which I thought I could place the PC. Hmmm. (Note to self, never try to cut out the planning and do quick and dirty orders from Ikea). )
The good thing about having two strapping lads next door was that they helped me move the old desk downstairs (and, even better, commandeered it for their mother as a work station!). The good thing about Ikea deliveries is that they carry everything to the room of your choice . so everything went in and out without any real effort from me. (Bad thing about Ikea deliveries is that they charge 10% of the total price, seemingly irrespective of size etc,).
Sooo - half empty office furniture-wise, but over-stuffed office with delivery boxes. Luckily, I quite enjoy assembling Ikea stuff, so it was more or less therapy.
Effect of quick order became apparent as box units were too big to allow PC on top, so even considered returning unopened ones. Good news was that the desk actually had a wiring tray built in, thus eliminating at a stroke one of G´s major dislikes of my office (ok, all the wires are still there, it is just a just hidden tangle).
The reason the neighbours were down here was that he had decided at a couple of days notice to come and cut the trees - and expected me to organise skips, lorries, cranes, etc at the same short notice. Not easy, but the advantage to us of the "pruning" was huge, so on with it.
Eventually I had to use the local guy who used to help at the house below, reasoning that he had a small plant hire business and knew the difficulties of getting equipment in and out of there. He had actually quoted for the whole of the work about 9 months ago, but Peter thought it too dear and decided to do it himself.
Turned out that the guys were only down here for 3 working days and I honestly thought it would take more than a week to get the trees done. I was just hoping they would start by taking all the tops off, so that we didn't need such a large cherry-picker for any follow up. (Sourcing a 18-20m picker at short notice had proved beyond me, hence Danny).
As it transpired, the picker was almost a day late arriving, so we only had two days to get at the trees, but in the meantime the lads had used my ladders, ropes and other tools to make inroads into the lower branches. And when we actually got the picker - well, they cut the whole lot down in one day!
.......... and this is the result. A fantastic view uninterrupted by pine trees.
Danny did his stuff and came and went with skips full of branches and trunk and I helped where I could (but had all but destroyed my knees by the amount of running up and down the road coupled with hanging onto ropes as large sections of tree were cut adrift - oh and humping Ikea stuff around the office).
We have only waited twenty three years for this - all it needed was a new neighbour who wasn't a total ass.
As for the desk - well that is perfect. The drawer units took everything from the old desk (ad much more) and the cubes units ended up being mounted on the wall (thanks for that idea G) and actually look and work well.
New view, new office, new PC (and the raise lower issue will be solved by getting a small scissor unit for the desk top - which seems a far more elegant solution than an electric table top)
Now a new iPhone, but setting that up that is another matter and for another post)
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