We have some blue skies at present - but there's no real heat in it as the sun keeps hiding

ooh if your's is as bad as that - it does sound as if it's seen better days

My HD isn't that big - but it was OK and using the external for Aperture mens that photos do NOT fill up my HD .

My HD is tiny by modern standards - 160GB and it has 55GB still free.. My portable external is a 500GB so it should last me for a while

AG - a suggestion -- I run my Aperture Library on its own dedicated portable external drive. OK it's not big enough for ALL your photos but these are getting bigger all the time

Oh I think it's time to hibernate

Gwyn - how are you doing with the little one and the mutt ?

The advantage I find with the disposable Lithiums is that they are generally available - both here and elsewhere in Europe - great when you are travelling One spare set of batteries should be all that you need then.

That way you don't have to remember to pack the battery charger and look for the adaptor for a plug

It's somewhere in the handbook - around page 39 I think - that I found

taa - I can see a little this morning Hope it lasts .

Temp still not high enough considering we are now into July - but then the School holidays have started so what can we expect

Duracell - emergency use really

Which batteries were supplied with your Camera ? - mine came with Energizer Lithiums and I have found these very satisfactory - about 1000 shots with each set

I have plenty of Hybrio batteries which also work - but since I find the Energizer Lithiums so good I just use them and take one set of batteries with my when away.

now now - what would Mrs Spider say

I'm in your shoes there Gwyn , I can understand the dog taking a defensive attitude and barking if it felt threatened but to actually have a go at a young child - that is NOT on .

We had this to sort out with our silly mutt - he was a typical Carriage dog - objected to moving things [ not humans ] moving towards him . We had to explain to the very local kids that when they were on bikes , and saw us approaching it would be a good idea to stop Once they [ and their parents] realised why he saw approaching bikes as a danger to HIS humans they were quite happy . He was never ever out on his own and always attached to us by a lead.

Now if he had ever had a go at a child on a bike it would have been the last thing he ever did.

Poor kid How old is Merlijn ?

hopefully your friendly mutt will be OK with him and will build up his confidence in dogs again