14th December, 2025: “The Witch of the Waterfall”.
An Introduction.
It’s not often I duplicate posts: at least, not often I use the opening of one post as the opening of another.
Except it’s something I did, last week: when writing my introduction to my reviews of the firsttwo episodes of The War Between the Land and the Sea.
Ands it’s something I’ve repeated with this weeks two episodes.
Sue me!
Additionally?
It’s not often I complain about Apple.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m something of a Mac fan: I’m writing this on a 2024 Mac mini, using macOS Tahoe 26.2, and Safari 26.2, to write this post.
I had problems, updating to the new versions, last Thursday: when, after the update ro 26.2, my browser would not stay logged into my usual websites, after switching the thing on in the morning.
Then would sign me out when I switched it off.
As you can imagine?
It was very frustrating.
Contacting various people proved little help: including Apple’s community forums.
So?
I contacted Apple’s Support line.
Where an extremely helpful young person managed to diagnose the issue.
All I had to do, it seems, was make a small change to Safari’s preferences: turning off the cross-site tracking option in Safari>Settings>Privacy.
That seems to have solved the problem, for now: although I don’t know what long term issues may happen as a result.
I hope they’re minimal.
But I’m also aware I had that box checked for several years: with no problems.
Why it’s happened with this update?
I don’t know!
~≈🧜🏼♂️≈~
My problems aren’t why you’re here.
You’re possibly here out of curiosity, boredom, or a random social media post.
So, if you’re a newcomer to Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar, I’ll have to repeat what I’ve said in earlier posts.
In other words, say “Welcome aboard”, tell you I write the Daily Teaser quiz, and about films and TV shows I’ve watched.
One of those shows? Is the Dr Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea.
I saw the first episodes, “Homo Aqua”, and “Plastic Apocalypse”, last week, and caught the third episode, “The Deep”, last Sunday.
This post?
Is about the fourth episode, “The Witch of the Waterfall”.
They’ve been around for a while, after all: and my nephew, Jude, is frequently on his.
And was a regular player of the FIFA range of football games: until licensing changes meant the game stopped being manufactured, and was replaced by EA Sports FC.
My nephew kept playing the ‘new’ game: recording, editing and posting, them to YouTube.
So … ?
He was mildly interested to hear that FIFA — football’s world governing body, and the body that licenses the sport to manufacturers — are, once again, going to license the sport out to manufacturers.
Or, at least, licensed it out to Netflix: so it can only be played if you have a Netflix subscription, on either a smart phone, or on some smart TVs.
It’s not often I duplicate posts: at least, not often I use the opening of one post as the opening of another.
Except it’s something I did, last week: when writing my introduction to my reviews of the firsttwo episodes.
It’s not often I complain about Apple, either.
For those of you who don’t know, I’m something of a Mac fan: and writing this on a 2024 Mac mini, using macOS Tahoe 26.2, using Safari 26.2 to write this post.
I had problems, after updating to those versions, Thursday: when, after the update, my browser would not stay logged into my usual websites after a restart.
It seems all I had to do to correct the issue, was to make a small change to Safari’s preferences: turning off the cross-site tracking option in Safari>Settings>Privacy.
That seems to have solved the problem, for now: although I don’t know what long term problems may happen, as a result.
I can only hope those are minimal.
~≈🧜🏼♂️≈~
Me complaining isn’t why you’re here!
No.
So if you’re a newcomer to Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar, I’ll have to repeat what I’ve said in earlier posts.
Tell you I write the Daily Teaser quiz, about films I’ve seen and TV shows I’m watching.
Whether you’re an old timer, or new to this blog?
I started watching the Dr Who spin-off, The War Between the Land and the Sea, starting with the first episodes, “Homo Aqua”, and “Plastic Apocalypse”, last week.
I’ll be doing the same thing, for episodes three and four, this week: and something very similar for the last episode!
I’m usually up early on a Monday: as that’s the usual day for my weight management meetings.
However, it’s off until January 5th: over the Christmas holiday.
I won’t know how my weight’s going for the festivities … but at least I get to sleep in!
~≈🥱≈~
Ever since a recent update, I’ve been having problems with Safari: my default browser.
Due to the updated version logging me out of everything — and I do mean everything! — after I’ve started my Mac, up.
It’s a frustrating thing to have happen: as it adds about half an hour’s work to my morning.
And seemed to be something that the usual solution — clearing caches, history, cookies, or all three! — seemed not to solve.
I didn’t think of re-trying in Safe Mode: although I doubt that would have worked.
But did think of checking on Apple’s Community Support forums.
With not a lot of luck!
Such a lack or luck that I eventually gave in … and contacted Apple’s web-chat based support system.
It turned out that I needed to untick the ‘Prevent cross-site tracking’ options in Safari>Settings>Privacy.
Cross site tracking, so you know, involves a website leaving what’s called a cookie on your system: so that frequently used information can be reloaded, easily, when you re-visit a website.
It allows third parties to track what you’re doing: which can lead to privacy concerns.
But it also allows you to sign into sites more easily, speed up web-browsing and … well, not have a mess when trying to write a blog post!
I updated my operating system, a couple of days ago.
Ever since?
I’ve had issues signing into Blogger.com: and needed to sign into everything, every time I start Safari, after re-starting my machine in the morning.
It’s meant that when I start a post? I can’t upload photos to it, without having to reset God knows what!
The workaround that I’m using for now … ?
Is simply that I log into the site with Firefox, upload photos, then switch back to Safari.
It’s a right royal pain …
~≈🦊≈~
About the only thing I can say for certain, though … ?
Is that is the photo uploading problem only happens, only needs the work-around … when I’m adding the first photos!
The next ones, like the ones of the this morning’s gorgeous sunrises?
Aren’t causing issues … !
Why … ?
If I knew that, I possibly wouldn’t have an problem!
~≈📰≈~
14th December, 2025: 10:53
Just as a revision to this post … ?
I’ve contacted Apple’s Support people.
It seems all I had to do to correct the login issue was to make a small change to Safari’s preferences: turning off the ‘Cross-site tracking’ option in Safari>Settings>Privacy.
That seems to have solved the problem, for now: although I don’t know what long term problems may happen, as a result.
And the burger I mentioned, here, is still cooking.
The chief difference that — right now? — the spuds are in the air fryer.
That’s still not grabbing your attention, is it?
~≈🧜🏼♂️≈~
That’s still a digression: so let me welcome newcomers to Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar, and tell them — you — there’s an associated YouTube channel, and that I write the Daily Teaser quiz, and movie and TV reviews.
Again, that isn’t something I need to remind long term readers, about.
But, whether you’re an old timer, or new to this blog?
Something the Today programme’s been talking is relatively simple.
Is the idea of using what it describes as ‘digital screens’ — laptops, tablets, what have you — for school exams.
I’m in two minds about that.
On the one hand … ?
It could leave students open to accusations of cheating, exam markers open to accusations of interference, give dyslexics even more problems, cost schools and families a fortune in new kit …
And lord knows how many other issues!
On the other hand … ?
I’m left handed.
I’ve always found writing by hand to be uncomfortable at best, painful at worst, and extremely messy.
It left me — ha! — with ink-stained fingers, and messy cuffs.
It was slow, as well. I’m half convinced I’d’ve done better at school exams, had I been taught to write faster.
By contrast? I’ve always found typing — whether on a computer, phone, tablet or an old fashioned typewriter — a lot less painful.
And rapid.
So, yes: while I think problems with this need to be addressed, and addressed from the get-go, I can also see one problem for which this is a very good solution.
Starting with the first episode, “Homo Aqua”, tomorrow night.
Hopefully?
I’ll have this first review — written and video — done by Tuesday: then have my written and video reviews of the second episode, “Plastic Apocalypse”, done by Thursday, 11th December, 2025.
I’ll be doing the same thing, for episodes three and four, next week: and something very similar for the last episode!
The reason I’m starting a day early … ?
It’s December: and Christmas.
So I’m fitting this posts in-between real life and present wrapping …
In the land of the humpty bongos, where the masticating parrots say “YURT” at frequent intervals …
In the land where flolloping mattresses hunt vagrant stewpots, and rentable conkers fly over the lucid purple clouds, where humming birds argue philosophy with ambulatory begonias …
Where large fish point at passing spoof-wangers …
There exists one thing.
There exists an insistence … on a world that makes rational sense.
Rational sense that does not include something that happened, yesterday.
Rational sense demands that the 47th President of the USA does not get a peace prize from FIFA: from the body that organises international football.
It’s one that tells us more and more government departments are adopting Huawei-made PCs, PCs that come equipped with HarmonyNext OS, the Chinese developed operating system.
Including, apparently, in many government departments.
I grant you: being reliant on one operating system isn’t necessarily a good thing.
If there’s an undiscovered bug in Windows 11, word gets around, quick.
But … ?
The Chinese government encouraging Chinese use of the OS — by consumers, companies and government departments — means it’s encouraging those same people to not use Microsoft, Google or Apple products.
All three are American companies: and outside of anyone’s control, but America’s.
The net result?
Is that China is promoting its own digitalsovereignty: promoting the idea that — inside its borders — it’s going to prefer to use Chinese produced technology, that Chinese data stays controlled by China.
Personally?
I’ve always felt the UK should be doing something similar.
After all, the British made Ubuntu Linux has been around for years.
But it’s only recently Britain’s introduced laws to protect the vulnerable in the UK: and that BT has announced its digital sovereignty ambitions.
Which means it’s the day after by regular diabetic retinopathy test: an eye test designed to see if type two diabetes has damaged the nerves in my eyes.
It hasn’t, over the last few eyes: so, hopefully, it won’t show any this year.
I do know I had to had the usually eye drops, when the tests were performed: so my pupils dilated enough for the interiors of my eyes to be visible.
Usually? Things look brighter for some time afterwards, and we’ll have slightly blurred vision for some hours afterwards.
