The lifeboat.

The photo above shows my lifeboat this week. I have been banging on about refurbishing, rather than recycling old computers for some time; I have now put this into practice. My Mum's old G4 Apple iMac Mini had seen somewhat better days - it was at its' end of life, with no further updates or applications available for its' venerable version of OS X. I have breathed new life into it, installing Yellow Dog Linux 6.2 onto it. I have added a new keyboard, mouse and flat screen monitor to the equation, and this week's Maggot Sandwich is being compiled using the five year old and formerly outdated Apple computer. The reason for the title of this week's Maggot Sandwich submission is that my main Apple iMac has had to undergo some fairy extensive remedial surgery. Some weeks ago I installed Adobe anti virus for Mac, mainly to protect people using Windows computers from malicious attachments, potentially forwarded from my Mac. Anyway, the application was an utter pile of poo. It was slow, badly written, full of bugs, and generally not up to scratch. I uninstalled it, thinking little more about it at the time. I was not to know that the software fatally injured my Mac, borking a number of vital system files. The end result is that I have had to hose the best part of a Terabyte of data from the machine, nuke to the operating system installation and start from scratch, reinstalling data from backups. This has taken a couple of days and I am still not quite up to speed, but it is getting there. The old machine running Linux has proved invaluable as a second line reserve; my virtual lifeboat in a time of need. I have found much solace in a word coined by those nice people at Viz Magazine; it is not rude in any way whatsoever, but if said or shouted with enough conviction, it sounds like it should be. The word? Kingbast! What a splendid use of the English language.

The photo above, courtesy of a CCTV feed acquired by the News Shopper, shows some of the ne'er do wells riding horses in and out of the Cross Keys pub - the story made not only the Metro, but the Sun as well! You can read more about the sorry incident by clicking here. These are not true travellers, a people who traditionally love and respect animals; they are just a bunch of feckless yobs using the traveller label. The Cross Keys has now lost its' licence and is closed for the foreseeable future. I can only wistfully hope that Young's, Fuller's or Shepherd Neame take the place on and turn it into a decent venue serving real ale and proper food. I am however not holding my breath! The Cross Keys is in a conservation area, and could do with a sympathetic internal makeover, as currently the interior of the place is lamentable. You can read about the place here. By way of an aside, the map below shows the legally permitted drinking ages around the world, country by country. Click on the map for a larger view. I do these things so that you don't have to.

After a few wild guesses, no-one was able to figure out where last weeks' photo of yours truly was taken - it was in the pantry section of the Dial Arch in Woolwich, last weekend. Better luck next time.

Pewty Acres is about to go an extensive makeover and refurbishment; I have decided to invest some cash in doing the place up. The first thing to get professional attention is my central heating; I am having the existing radiator system high temperature power flushed, then a new high efficiency boiler, a new digital timer, thermostat, filtration unit and corrosion preventer unit will be installed by Swale Heating at the end of the month. It is not a cheap undertaking, but I think the end results will be worth it. Once this has been done, it will be time for new double glazed windows and doors, followed by some new carpets and flooring for the kitchen and bathroom. Interest rates are currently so lamentable, it is preferable to invest money in my property, rather than tying it up in pointless savings.

Above is a promotional video produced by Swale Heating, which gives a good idea as to what they do; I have to say that so far, my dealings with them have shown the company to be professional and efficient. I will report further once the heating upgrade work has been completed in a couple of weeks' time.

I see that a public minded individual has set up a website dedicated to Erith - you can view Erithtown.net by clicking here. You can read more about the enterprise by clicking here.

I see with satisfaction that finally the wicked witch is dead; the lamentable and gaffe prone Sarah Kennedy has finally been axed from the early morning breakfast show on BBC Radio Two. Her meandering and confused delivery, and general bewilderment as to where she was, and what she was doing on an almost daily basis have finally come to a conclusion. I am pretty much convinced that she was drunk on air on a regular basis, and it would appear that I am not alone in that conclusion. You can read more about the whole situation by clicking here. Her replacement, Lynn Parsons seems to be far more suited to the job.

The main video below is an excerpt from the BBC TV series "Coast", shown earlier this week. It features veteran Radio Caroline DJ Tom Anderson revisiting the wreck of the M.V Mi Amigo, which sank in 1980. Apparently one of the conditions of Tom appearing on the programme was that the BBC would make clear that Caroline did not end with the sinking of the Mi Amigo, but went on in strength with the Ross Revenge and continue on land via satellite and internet broadcasts to this day. The Beeb reneged on this deal, and the article seems to infer that it all ended with the sinking. Tom was of an earlier generation of Radio Caroline presenters, and thought I met him on a couple of occasions, I could not say that I knew him - I was but a callow youth at the time. Watch the clip below and see what you think; feel free to post a comment with your own thoughts and feedback.