colincostello

After several months of lockdown I need a haircur. I am now pass the Mad Scientist stage and am well into the Hippie stage. The hair covers my ears and tickles them. It is so long that it gets matted when I comb it. I am tempted to buy an electric trimmer. The front and sides  should be doable but the back could pose a problem.

So I will soon be retiring. Hurray!! There are lots of questions to consider. One of the most important is this. What do I need to do to continue to get Heath Insurance? Do I just carry on with my current Provider or must I consider something else.? Thanks

I recently joined Netflix as they said I could download some stuff. But so far I have had no luck. I downloaded their app to my Windows 10 Laptop and still no luck. No little arrow appears in any of the films I check. Am I doing something wrong?

I have hardly had a drop of alcohol in many months and I am happy to say that I do not really miss it. I live by myself and so drinking alone does not seem a wise thing to do. Drinking is a social activity , to be shared with others down the pub. I mention this as pubs here in the UK are now slowly reopening  , but only if they have a decent outside area. I can see myself going to such an area when the weather is good. What should I order?  Soft drinks do not do it for me. They are expensive and come in small measures. I really want a large glass of something in front of me. The only thing I can think of is non alcoholic beer. Are there any alternatives?

I have never smoked - not even dope

I am fully aware of the hugh cost of alcohol to society. In England we have this thing called binge drinking , where mainly young people go out to get blind drunk. aided by ridiculously low prices. When I see this , I am tempted to give up alcohol all together and this enfoced abstinence has merely  made it easier

There are now free Covid19 tests available in England. There are the lateral flow tests. I would like to get one as I want to return to Berlin soon. Will this test be recognised by Germany  ? Or should I go for the more reliable PCR test? This is more difficult to access , but is more reliable. And what are these 2 called in German ? Thanks

I have not yet contacted the German Embassy yet. Will do so soon. Thanks for the helpful reply

A good question. I hope I get some kind of proof . I would prefer a paper copy , but would go for a digital copy if I had to.

So someone got into my betting account and placed a lot of bets which all lost. I only bet on Sports , but this person placed quite a few bets on some kind of Casino game called Wolf Gold. Note that most betting sites do not just offer sports , but also Casino , Poker and lots of other ways to lose your money. I contacted the bookmaker who closed my account  and began an investigation. They replied recently. They say that the same IP address was used for these rouge bets as for all my other bets. What does this actually mean? They will not accept responsibility for these bets.  They say it was my fault. This is fair enough. I want to know how to avoid a repetition of this incident. Cleary someone has hacked into my IP address. How do I prevent this from happening again? Can I ask them to accept bets only from my computer and no other device? Thanks 

I did wonder why someone would go to all the bother of hacking into my account just to place a few casino bets which could be of no financial benefit to him or her. I can only assume it was just someone who had nothing better to do.

Thanks for all the replies. I will deal with a few now. Red Midge suggests that family and friends may have been responsible. That was my first thought , but as I live alone , I do not see how that is possible. Frau fruit sugests I might have a betting problem. Certainly not. My standard bet is 1 pound. If I feel really good about a bet I might go as high as 5 pounds. Hardly excessive. Furthermore , my account was closed and still is closed . I have not missed it at all. This betting is very much a lockdown activity and as England comes out of lockdown and the days get longer , I am sure my betting  activity will drop sharply. Anyway, it is good for my German  as I listen to the Bundesliga on a Saturday between 15.30 and 17.30. At half time I may place a bet , depending on how a certain game is going.  Mike Melga suggested a 2 step verification process. I am keen on this as it was also suggested by my bookmaker and I am used to this with my bank accounts. I will also restore my computer to an earlier time, to try and get rid of any crap stuff inside my laptop. Finally, I will not leave large balances in my account. At the end of any betting session , I will simply withdraw any money left and the redeposit it next time I log on.  

My printer says I need to replace the ink in it , but when I check I see that only the black ink cartridge is empty. The other 3 cartridges are pretty full. These are other colours such as yellow. So why cant I tell my printer to use these first before buying a black ink cartridge?   

I love the short video above. I can relate to so many of those problems.  For example , my printer says that there is no paper , but I can clearly see there is. I will wait until the library reopens and get them to print for me.. It is so stress free. Changing the ink cartridge just fills me with dread. I am always afraid that I will damage something.

I am getting used to my long hair. I can  run my fingers through it while I am online.  Its really quite sexy. Apart from the tuft that grows at the front. Behing that there is a bald area . Then the rest of my mane. I sometimes look like a unicorn.  

As I go though the streets of Carlisle , I hardly see anybody with untidy hair. Where are they getting it done? It is illegal at the moment. I will soon invest in some trimmer machine and go for a number 1 all over. I will post a photo. Do not eat before veiwing.

If you still feel you need to something more , then contact the Probate Service online and express your concerns and  maybe asked for a freeze on the application.

So I got my first jab the other day and will get the second jab in a few weeks. So how can I use this to get back to Berlin? All the talk seems to involve having a smart phone. I do not have one as yet. I would  rather not have one but if this is the best way to get back into Berlin , then so be it. I want the simplest around. Hopefully a pay as you go. Maybe a secong hand one.  Any advice would be welcome. Thanks

There is another problem. The tests have to be done before I travel but Germany may not recognise their validity. I am sure this has happened before-

I only have an Anmeldung from the Bürger Amt and that is back in my Berlin flat. Maybe I could get an online  copy?

Well done on not giving full power to your sister. My Mum died recently and so I have been through all of this probate stuff. I have 2 brothers  and they agreed to let me apply for Probate but they "reserved power". that is to say , they let me get on with it but still could intervene if they so wished. Nothing from the Estate can de disposed of until probate is granted. Yot sister should not be disposing of any assets at all. She is only allowed reasonable expenses. You only have 5 days from a death to apply for a death certificate so you need to find out why there is this delay.  Probate cannot be granted without a death certificate. Also i recommend going to the UK.GOV site and reading the probate advice there. I found it very useful. Contact the solicitor again to express your concerns about this matter. 

All I got was a small card saying that I had been vaccinated. This is unlikely to be accepted as proof. I am more than happy to self isolate if I have to. So that leaves the question of the tests. I must take them before I fly otherwise the airlines might not allow me to board. Is this correct?

I get  a 300 bag from the Dong Xuan centre in Berlin. About 5 or 6 euros. And it is an interesting place to visit. The milk goes in last. How else can you judge when to stop pouring? Then I get my ginger nuts out. Note that I am refering to my biscuits. And I dunk them . Again I refer to my biscuits.

So I can recently took possession of a 3G phone with some photos I want to keep. I have no idea how to transfer them to my laptop. Any ideas? Stay safe

I may have cracked it. I did not realise that the recharging lead doubles up as USB connecting lead: I made the connection between the phone and my laptop and soon found where Mums photos were, I am not sure if I managed to save them but I sure I can do that soon. .