Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 23rd April 2024.

23rd April, 2024.

It’s officially official: it’s both Tuesday … and payday … 

Hopefully … ?

I’ll have enough cash for a haircut.

But … ?

Am very aware I council tax payments start this month: so may have to wait until next month, when my benefit payments increase.

That’s frustrating: I’m getting shaggy!

~≈®≈~

One possible source of help?

Is that I may — may — be due some money.

I said — in yesterday’s post — that my landlord had been forced to compensate a tenant in Hertfordshire, after setting service charges at too high a rate.

Mine were £194 a month for last tax year: and £21 a month for this.

So … ?

I gave Clarion, my landlords, a call to highlight this.

And got told they’re ‘putting the process in motion’ for me.

I think I won’t get a thing: or that this year’s charges will go up.

But … ?

At least I’ve raised the issue.

~≈®≈~

Additionally?

I’ve due to have a hearing about my application for PIP, for Personal Independence Payments.

I’ve asked the relevant office when that hearing will be.

And been told — yesterday — that my case is “Ready To List”: and that, once a hearing’s been booked, I’ll be told by post.

The sooner that happens?

The better.

I’m not exactly what you call patient.

~≈®≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 26-4-2022: The Bard’s Baptism

26th April, 2022.

It’s officially the case: I have nothing to do, today.

Beyond making a couple of phone calls.

Oh, and job hunting, Teaser writing, and possibly watching a film.

We’ll have to see.

I’ve got access to the recently released The Batman, and to Spider-Man: No Way Home.

We’ll have to see.

But just as a thought?

Spider-Man: No Way Home is two and a half hours.

The Batman’s five minutes shy of three hours!

You have to ask, don’t you?

With films that length, how is your bladder capacity?

~≈🦇≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 24-6-2021: Midsummer.

24th June, 2021.

Yep: I’ve officially had polyps removed.

Which was … um … fun!

Especially when you consider where the camera was, and what the medical team were doing with a … you know … thing!

At any rate … ?

The procedure went well enough: rapid, and relatively painless.

The worst part of it … ?

Was the trip home in the ambulance.

Due to an accident on the A127?

A thirty minute trip home took two hours.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Paul Nikolas Nak Downie (@mrcuddy2977)

Hey ho!

~≈‡≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 30-10-2020: The Reign of Henry Tudor

30th November, 2020.

I’ve possibly mentioned this before now: I’m something of a Terry Pratchett fan.

I have been, ever since I read The Colour of Magic, back in the day.

And … ?   His diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer’s was something I felt deeply upset about.

His support for assisted dying?   Something I found hard to accept: but, eventually, came to agree with.

The fact it’s still illegal in the UK?   Is understandable.

But something I believe should be changed.

The reason I mention this … ?

Is the news I’ve seen float along my timeline, today: the people of New Zealand have voted in favour of a law that allows for Assisted Dying.

Granted, the UK’s had issues with referendum, over the past few years.

But I think we could learn from that.

~≈🤔≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 1-1-19: May Day

1st May, 2019: May Day.

Yes: it’s … 

A concerning day … 

I’ve a dentist’s appointment, today.

One I can’t cancel, on this short notice: as, inevitably, I’d get charged.

One I can’t afford, at the moment.

On the other hand … ?

I do know my sisters are heading for my seriously ill stepfather’s, today: and can’t guarantee they can get me back in time for the appointment.

As a result … ?   I’m not going to be able to go: today.

He’s … not necessarily got long.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen him: since a few years after he and my mother divorced.

As you can imagine … ?

I’m quietly hoping he lasts a bit longer … 

Estrangement can only go on for so long …

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 6-7-2018: Richard 3rd, AGAIN!

6th July, 2018.

Yep, it’s a Friday.

Yep: it’s ALSO a day off.

Yep: I’ve manage to tape Humans: and have it ripping as we speak.

~≈§≈~

Moving on, and keeping an extremely straight face?

I’m no legal expert: I’d defer to Old Peculiar regular, and recovering lawyer, Debbi Mack: who understands phrases like pro bono* and tort.

But I’ve had half an eye on the news that the EU parliament is to revise EU copyright law: in ways that seriously affect the way the internet works.

If I’ve understood things correctly?   The two contentious parts of the regulations would means restricting what a person could link to: link or embed.

It would make my position as a blogger, very difficult, to give you an example.   Again, if I’ve got it right, it would make the movie and tv reviews I write, difficult, as I couldn’t find a trailer or scene on line, that I could embed into a post.

That’s something I’d rather not go through, frankly.

The relevant decision of the EU parliament, yesterday?   Was simply to delay things until September.

All I can hope?   Is that the law is not passed.

I’d rather have a free hand in what I show you.

~≈§≈~

The Daily Teaser — 23-4-2016: The Bard Is Back

Well, it’s now officially World Book Night.

Well … 

Literally, the day of it.

And … ?

Well, I am, as ever a volunteer for the scheme: one with copies of SJ Parrish’s Treachery to give away.

Quite how I balance that, with the fact I’m working 3 ’til 10, I really don’t know!

~≈Ÿ≈~

The Daily Teaser — 12-6-2015: All The World’s A Globe …

Well, that was an entertaining Thursday … 

Did I tell you I’d lost an external drive?   Complete with a LOT of backed up media: AND family photos.

Frustrating!   But I’m starting to reconstruct the TV collection: which will be tedious, and expensive.

The photos will be harder.   The fact is … ?   I’m going to a local computer repair shop.

One that’s charging an eye-watering amount of money for data recovery.

But?

But, I got the refund through from Amazon, on Tuesday just gone: and managed to get a 2 terabyte sized internal drive.   A drive I’d originally wanted, to store those lost photos and series.

Waiting for it, yesterday?   Much as I’d love to say it was fun, it wasn’t.   It was VERY frustrating.

‘Cabin Fever’ doesn’t even start to describe how I felt, by the time the delivery man turned up.

I’ve ALSO got enough spare cash to pay the fee the shop wants: or, at least, put down a LARGE deposit.

That means I can start on the slow process of reconstruction.

That’s going to be fun … 

~≈Ì≈~

The Daily Teaser — 23-4-2014: William Shakespeare

It’s official … 

It’s World Book Night … !

And you know what that mean’s, don’t you?

It means it’s Free Book Time …!

AHEM!

Just so you know, World Book Night’s been going since 2011: the idea is to encourage reading for pleasure.

The charity that organises it has a list of books, each year: and arranges for multiply copies to be given to a horde of Givers — volunteers like me — who hand them out.

Be warned … 

You COULD get lucky … !

~≈Â≈~

The Daily Teaser — 27-11-2013: Shakespeare’s Shotgun

Oy … Vey … 

We NOW have a functioning aerial.

Ahem … !

If you’ve been following me for the past few days, you’d’ve probably realised that my building’s communal aerial has been out of action for a week.

Thankfully … ?   Well, thankfully, and after a couple of days hanging around, waiting for a cherry-picker, the aerial’s been fixed.

We can safely say it’s now working: APART from in three flats.

I’m thankful.

But having gone through a week’s blackout … ?

I know I’ve complained to our landlords.   And given the Complaint’s department’s email address to as many of my neighbours as I could find.

Not that I think we’d get some sort of compensation.   But I do think some form of goodwill gesture on Circle Anglia’s part, would ease a lot of tensions.

~≈€≈~

At ANY rate, let’s get a move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi* putting in her answers: and along with asking me about the BBC’s iPlayer, also scoring four out of five.

Let’s see how she — and you — do with today’s Shakespearean questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the ‘How To,’ License and video … 

Q1) 27th November, 1582, saw the Marriage License issued: for William Shakepeare’s wedding to whom … ?

Q2) More to the point, how old was Will, when his happened … ?

Q3) More to the point, how old was his bride?

Q4) Six months later, Mrs Shakespeare gave birth to her and Will’s eldest daughter: prematurely, at a guess, as shotguns hadn’t been invented.   What was the daughter’s name?

Q5) Finally … in his will, Will willed his second best what to his wife … ?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 26th November, 2003, saw the last English flight of which supersonic plane … ?

A1) Concorde.

Q2) 26th November, 1944, saw the birth of singer, Jean Terrell: which band was she a member of, between 1970 to 1973 … ?

A2) The Supremes.

Q3) 26th November, 1949, saw India’s Constituent Assembly present what … ?

A3) India’s first Constitution.

Q4) 26th November, 1953, saw the House of Lords vote to allow commercial TV, in the UK.   What’s the name of the UK’s main commercial terrestrial TV channel … ?

A4) ITV.

Q5) Finally … 26th November, 1965, saw the launch of the Diamant-A rocket, from a facility in the Sahara Desert.   Which European country launched the rocket … ?

A5) France.

I’ll leave you with this line, from the man, himself† …

“The course of true love never did run smooth.”

Lysander, Act 1, Scene 1, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, by William Shakespeare.

And with one of his sonnets …

Have a good day.

*        Oh, I think I’ve managed to find a reference to the global version, here, Debbi.   It’s the Global version you need to look up.   (I should warn you, though, Debbi, the Wikipedia entry on the iPlayer doesn’t say anything about whether it’s been approved in the US, yet: it seems a lot of cable companies were complaining about it.)

†        If you watch the Teaser video through to the end, I’ve made a very bad visual pun about the quote of the day: the line is, after all, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream …