So you do the research, talk to the specialists, have a few tests ( could I handle it at my age??). Then the flip side, if we don’t will we always regret it later…. you only live once, then of course there is the cost not just at the outset but for years afterwards…… then you think bollocks to it all………….

300bhp ish, 3.4 litre engine handles like a total dream, loads of extras, PCM, Sport Chrono, Park assist, Bi-Xenons, Bose Sound system, sounds and goes brilliant- I love it to bits. Will post a few more pics when I have prepped them. Enjoy.

The details of this error seem to point to the F Secure Firewall I run ( the 2008 version in my case) However even disabling this failed to resolve issues (if only to debug- I strongly recommend you don’t disable security measures to enable messenger apps!)

I found various purported solutions to the problem but none worked for me.

Remove any custom themes from Vista (ie. Windowblinds) - I don’t use this so not applicable to me.

Delete the contacts directory in the Windows live folder (you can find this in Vista by going to your user profile folder (usually C:\Users\<your login name> and then ensuring you have set “show hidden folders” go to App Data\Local\Microsoft\

In here you will find a Windows Live Contacts directory- you can either delete it (or like me if your less trusting of such advice- rename it to something like Windows Live Contacts.bak)  and then try your messenger again.

This has apparently worked for many users- but alas not for me. In case you are worried the program recreates the directory if it cannot find it- like so many microsoft programs.

So you can then persevere with trying to find your own solutions- if you get it sorted be free to comment on it here, but in my case I chose to uninstall it and try to get back to an older version. These are a bit more tricky to find as any normal searches for them turn up the latest problematic one.

I found the last version ( I think its the last version 8.5.1302.1018) - it looks Ok to me - here ( be warned there are a lot of Shareware apps using the messenger name that appear when you search in Google) . While they may be harmless I have a degree of concern that other apps use similar names to confuse users and may ultimately end up with you either a paid for program you did not want or possible spyware or malware you did not ask for.

This link takes you to the 8.5 version on microsoft.com

Anyway- there were three bands on the bill, missed the start of the initial warm up act, they started before the queue to get in had dissapated. They were a band called Logan, a local outfit by all accounts and from what I heard of them- dead excellent. Will definitely be looking out for them. There website is here. 

The next “act” up was Hot Leg. Jeez! I have been to a fair few concerts in my time and I have been to a few that were less than briliant, but usually at worst a band gets no reaction. This is the first time I have seen a band boo’ed from the first song. Hot Leg were seriously crap!  Hot Leg are fronted by former “The Darkness” front man Justin Hawkins. I was never a BIG Darkness fan  but they had some catchy AC/DC alaike riffs and were obviously popular with mainstram radio etc, and never took themselves too seriously. But this was appaling- I still don’t think they take themseleves seriously- but then neither can anyone else. Listening to the shrill ups and downs of Hawkins and his flatulent guitar breaks that seemed to speed up and slow down, it was soooo BAD.

He was like some 70’s glam star who wasn’t even very good then! At one stage they asked the crowd to wail along ( whoo oaah) getting no reaction he then said- it’s OK you can use the word boo like ( booo oooh)- it really was this bad and cringe making!

This was bad, they told the crowd you can down load their latest single from their website free. They should be paying you to take it. You can check out their website here if you really must, if only to see how sad they really are. Be very careful when looking for the website- use this link, don’t guess at it like the usual .com address type thing - thats a pr0n site! ( yes I guessed the url thats how I know! :-)) Do you think they chose this name deliberately for this reason?

After a long set up time the headline act Alter Bridge came on, they were excellent. My son was with me at the concert and its the first time I have seen or heard him sing along to anything in his 13 years! I have to say I think the sound set up was not terribly kind to the band- it sounded a bit screechy at times, and while I am not averse to loud- it was maybe a tad too loud for the size of the place- my ears are still screaming now, usually the day after it starts to fade before I am out my scratcher.

None the less the bands set was brilliant, they played most of the songs (maybe all) from Blackbird and a fair few from One Day Remains, plus one other song I had not heard before- it might be new or maybe its an original pre albums song- I dunno. But the crowd were bouncing, and singing along. Myles Kennedy is an awesome vocalist and guitarist and of course band leader Mark Tremonti is outstanding on the lead guitar.  Backing up on Drums and Bass Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall were solid. 

A couple of outstanding parts were when they played the slower “In Loving Memory” and at the very end when Myles played a bit slide guitar to “The Lemon Song” the Led Zepp classic before rolling into Rise Today.

Excellent.

Hot Leg were just so bad though!

I got hold of a utility called ShellExView from Nirsoft which allows you to see which shell extensions are running on your platform and to selectively disable them. Be warned disable them one at a time and only those you suspect. If your not sure ask a PC savvy friend!

Anyway working chronologically backwards- ie newest first I noticed an Icon Handler extension supplied by Arachnoid Biometrics Identification Group Corp. Disabling this restored the icon function onthe start button.

Unfortunately I see no easy way to uninstall this as it has no entry in the Control Panel. Looks like a manual/ registry hack job for later.

I need to look into if there is a fix for this first though. Perhaps an updated driver for the Transcend USB stick.

Bacardi Mojito…. the original mojito

I mean- thats it? how much time and effort does it take to come up with a catch phrase that crap?

Hardly likely to etch itsself in our conciousness like “the futures bright….” or “the real thing” is it.

Jeeez!

When I hurt my arm last year though I slowed down what I was doing at the gym, then the amount of travel I am doing for work increased… and you get the picture- you don’t eat right yadda yadda yadda- fat b@stard!.

I weighed myself about two weeks ago and was 13 stone 4.4 pounds- never been this weight in my life so decided I needed to drop two dress sizes and get down to something more realistic. Did a quick look on the nhs website at their bmi calculator and figure I need to be down to  (at most- preferrably below) 12 stone 3.

So over a stone to lose.

I have been doing the “special K diet”  eating two bowls a day- it is actually quite filling I have to admit- with a bit fruit- strawberries/rasperries etc, and it seesm to eb working. This weeks trip to Dublin did not help-  but i stayed off the Guinness (not that I drink much of anything at the best of times) and had fruit for brekkies  and a salad or sandwich  for lunch. So I did nto expect to lose much but hoped I would not gain any weight while away. I also made it to the gym every day.

So hopefully these results so far come out right, here- lost 5 pounds ish so far, and alledgedly would look better than before in a tight red swimsuit!

While I was awaiting, said bag, a guy came in that I was sure I recognised but do you think I could recall his name. Then he was joined by Steve Cram- the former athlete. Fortunately they didn’t spot me so I never had any hassle having to sign autographs.

Anyway it continued to bug me for ages after who was the mystery celeb, all I could tell people was- I am sure he was on the Holiday program on the BBC occasionally as one of those guest celebs who goes on a free holiday at licence payers expense with his family. A few colleagues asked me what he did- that made hima celeb- and then it struck me- I had no idea at all! I knew he had an unusual name though…..

It was about 4 in the morning in bed when it came to me- he was Rowland Rivron- still could not have told you what he did though- just that he was “famous”- had to look it up on the web.

Anyway- on the way back came back through T5- check in was straightforward though have to say the signage round the place while not actually inaccurate is prone to taking you miles round the place - take the signs to the “South Lounge” (BA’s guest lounge) As you come though security its actually on your right but the signs tell you to go left- past all the upstairs shops, then down an escalator and then all the way back again to effectively where you came from a floor lower. Even once you get their its a bit of a maze to get in- you almost think they don’t want you there! Its worth persevering for though as its really rather nice- beats Squeezyjet travel any day of the week.

They even do hot meals and its really huge in the lounge itself- and all free (well in the price of a business class ticket).

An observation though about T5- it has to be the only shopping centre in the world that Aircarft pull up outside at! I have been to Dubai and its world famous duty free and some others- but T5 takes the biscuit for actually looking far mor elike a shopping mall than the rest, it has a Harrods, A Gordon Ramsey restaurant, PC World, Nokia shop, toname but a few- basically load sof high street names but it does not look like a duty free type airport shopping area- its really like a shopping mall.

Anyway was OK, and almost surprisingly my bags made it through to Edinburgh too.

The Gillies Hill area is deemed to have both historical and environmental importance, being that it hosts a large range of flora and fauna on a rocky outcrop overlooking the village of Cambusbarron. Following the march last year, the expansion of quarrying did not take place but there is nothing really to stop it doing so and in so doing destroying what has become a hugely popular wild area for walking, biking, and wildlife watching.

We support the campaign to save the hill and hope you will too. You can learn a bit more about the campaign at the save Gillies Hill website.