“We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works.” ― Douglas Adams

I seem to have experienced a run of bad luck recently when it comes to household systems and technology, and just when I thought my troubles were over, up crops a new issue. Since June there’s been a problem with the central heating system - necessitating the replacement of a motorised valve, a toilet cistern that wouldn’t refill after flushing, and Matthew’s shower scaled up and non-operational. There has also been the ongoing issue with a squeaky wheel on my car, but despite visits to two different garages/vehicle repair shops, no one can find anything wrong with the vehicle. (It made it to Scotland and back, last month!)

Yesterday morning, thinking my troubles were behind me, I logged on to Blogger, in order to access my dashboard, to discover I was denied access. I’m talking about my own site here, the one I post all sorts of articles that come under the beer, pub and travel banner, but the browser I use – Firefox, would not let me in. You can see the message below.

The problem seemed to start after I set up my new Samsung Galaxy, mobile phone, purchased the previous weekend. I experienced all sorts of trouble trying to sync my contacts across from the old one, before Mrs PBT’s – who’s rather more tech-savvy than me, came to the rescue and said I had to save the contacts, on the old device, to the sim card, before installing the card in the new phone. That worked, but now I’m looking for a music app that will work off-line as well as when connected to the net, and one that will enable me to listen to the umpteen MP3 files copied onto this PC, from my extensive CD collection. Physical music is making a comeback, don't you know, and it's not just vinyl I am referring to.

It was an interesting process buying the new device, and despite a faultless four year run from my Xiaomi Mi 9T, I wanted a phone, with a decent camera, good memory and plenty of storage – the latter was important as over the 4+ years I had with the Mi 9T,, I managed to completely fill the 64 GB memory with photos, MP3 files and all the other stuff that accumulates over the years. Work colleagues had recommended a Samsung, and as I’d owned one previously, it seemed a good suggestion. Unlike a lot of tech geeks, I didn’t want the latest version or top of the range model, although I did want a phone that was slightly larger than my current.

So last Sunday, I took the bus over to Tunbridge Wells and pitched up in the O2 shop. It was far busier than I imagined it would be, so they were operating an appointment system. I consequently left my details, and the staff advised they would text me in an hour or so. Time for a beer, I thought, even though the original plane had been to go for a drink after completing my purchase. Fuggles was the nearest pub, as well as the most convenient and there were a couple of people I knew in there, as well.

Not knowing quite how long it would take for O2 to call me back, I thought I’d better stick to smaller measures than pints, so I ordered a two thirds – government approved, glass of Paulaner Oktoberfest. I then sat down for a chat with a friend I know from CAMRA. Despite its strength the beer slid down remarkably quickly, so I decided to push the boat out with a half of Wally Winker’s Death by Chocolate, from Westerham Brewery, as I’d heard good reports about it.

I’d only just sat down to enjoy my drink, when the text from O2 came through. I necked the beer down as quick as I could, before heading back to phone shop. I took the precaution of calling in at the Gents at the RVP on the way, as I knew the sales process wouldn’t be quick, and I was right. I was served by a pleasant young lad who, although obviously a techy, (it goes with the territory, I suppose), knew his stuff. I did have to tell him to slow down on a number of occasions, but in the end, he made a sale, and I got what I wanted, a shiny, new Samsung Galaxy A55 5G on a 36-month contract. I didn’t’ get the phone out the box until I’d bought a suitable case, plus screen protector, and that’s where my troubles began.

Leaving this issue aside, it’s worth mentioning that also in Fuggles, and sitting at the bar, was another West Kent CAMRA member, who works for a well-known Hop Factoring group, whose roots are in Southern Germany, but have sites in the US, Australia, China, Bavaria, plus the UK. The group’s UK offices are based in Paddock Wood, a large village formerly at the centre of the Kentish hop growing area, and is where this particular character works.

He had recently returned from a visit to the United States where along with a group of colleagues, they had witnessed part of this season’s hop harvest. Talk about nice work if you can get it, but there’s more to come as the group was due to make a rare visit to Samuel Smith’s brewery at Tadcaster. As well as being tantamount to the Holy Grail of brewery tours, long-serving company chairman, Humphrey Smith is due to step down by the end of the year. Like others, I look forward to hearing about this visit, although given Humphrey’s reclusive nature, his disdain for modern technology, plus his views on a whole host of different topics, I don’t expect we’ll be seeing any photos!