It’s a day for catching up, sorting through small jobs and picking up parts. I’d promised to fix a lock for the house, screws, oil, and fat screwdriver to get the cover off. Whereas, in the US, I’d be off to Home Depot or (back in the day) Ernst, here in the UK it’s a trip to B&Q (DIY Store, as the Brits say, rather than an American Hardware Store, but the same idea).
With a bit of help, I found the little machine screws at one end of the warehouse, a can of light oil at the other, and the tools somewhere in between. It’s been a long time since I did minor carpentry, and I’m sort of looking forward to working with my hands and getting a bit dirty again.
I’ve inquired about upgrade through O2 but they only carry one of the phones. Their full replacement insurance has also degraded over the years, from ‘Instant swap‘ to ‘Send it in and we’ll let you know in a week or so what we want to do’. I’m talking with Carphone Warehouse and others now, and like the phones and insurance better.
The two choices remaining are whether to wait a month for O2’s upgrade charge to disappear, and whether to wait for April to see what the spring HTC-11 and OneTouch 4 look like.
The Bluegrass BBQ was a good choice, reminiscent of Blue’s Smokehouse, a personal favorite in Bracknell. Not the portion size or intense bar-b-q flavour that good Southern smokehouses would have, its nonetheless a credible local substitute. The burnt ends were better than the brisket, the burger better than the fries, the craft beers better than the US.