One saga continues, the USB soundcard is still at the repair centre, but on the bright side the called and offered me a replacement that I could use until it does either get repaired or replaced. They loaned me a Miditech Audiolink II one which works exactly the same as mine but it only has 2 connections where mine has 4 and also only one volume control where mine has 2, one for the mics and one for the instruments, which works better that way. Hopefully I'll get mine or a new one back this week.
Second repair this week was the car, Rose once again managed to dink the front right wing, but its only a paint scratch this time, she went to pull into the side of the road, didn't indicate and a guy in that lane decided at the same time to pull out, the cop said it was her fault, although they aren't doing anything about it, just letting insurance sort it as would usually happen in the UK. It's all been sorted and repaired again so will soon have a new car again with all the bits that have been redone, it will never go rusty!! its not on there long enough.
Also, some good news, the sun returned this week and its nice and warm again, so hopefully its going to stay a while now and not go cold again till next winter.

We are still in the grip of UK autumnal type weather here, cold, wet, windy and a lot of fog, a little unusual for here, I cant remember it being this cold last year! or is this just because I turned 65 this year!
After all my gripes about the new Microsoft Windows Live Messenger and installing the old version, I discovered that I was unable to contact anyone who was using the new version! so I have now reluctantly had to install the new version, which once i dug around it a little is not as bad as I first saw, Once it gets customised better its a little more like the old version again. Its first appearance did nothing to warm me to it!

I had been using a USB sound card and input system for my music creation, so that I am able to plug in mic's. guitars, organ etc which over a month ago decided to stop working properly and went on its merry way to create huge whistles and crackles whenever I started to use it to record. We took it back to the place where it was bought in the electronics street and they sent it for repair. that took 2 weeks, it came back, it had at least been tinkered with as one of the indicator lights was not quite in its usual position, but alas it was no different to when it went in. So off we went back again to complain and this time they tell us its being sent off to the factory for repair. After a month it comes back, still in the same condition, I was not amused. However it was now Chinese new year and was unable to take it in as everything was now shut for just over a week. We went back in today and went direct to the original supplier who sheepishly told us that he never sent it anywhere for repair, as they did a test on it on their machine (not using what I use, I have to add) and thought, because it played music back ok, it was fine and thought we were just being 'awkward'. I was a little steaming at this point and went for a wander round the building while Rose tried to sort them out. The upshot of all this is that they tried to recreate the fault but failed, due to their ability to get their equipment to record anything, it has always played back fine, its when you record all the damn noises start. In the end they agreed to actually send it to the factory by fast delivery, and if it cant be repaired (as its now out of date!, only had it for about 8 months) they should replace it, at what cost I have yet to find out. So now I wait, again, but they say it will be around 5 to 7 days before we find out what's going on..I, maybe foolishly, live in hope!! I'll find out next week anyway.