A Boombox? No! This is a retro iPod dock!

If you remember, I cleared my room out, and I found some stuff. Including this:

Its a rare object to find these days. But we all have one. Lurking. In dark cupboards. In attics. Garages. Sheds. Left, maligned and ignored by the march of technology. Most of us have rejected them for streamlined space saving iPod docks, or upgraded to systems with that little usb port on top.

Cassette decks?? Qu-est que c'est?

In fact I have met a child who wasn't entirely sure how you got a round CD in that square slot.
At first, that made me cry with laughter. Then I was was left feeling old. Very Old.  yes I remember tapes and how shuffle wasn't an option, and programming / playlisting was only achieved by a mix tape. The ever present worry that the machine would go crazy and mangle the tape and winding the tape back to the beginning or moving it forward with your fingers because F.F or REW. would cause the machine to tape munch. Walkmans were the worst. And the only way to get your albums on there was to spend 40 odd mins playing the album on to the tape to record it.
(Remind me that 3 mins on a slow connection to download from iTunes is fantastic next time I start bashing one of the Bennet family)

However before I got my mucky mitts on my first MP3 and later my iPod and its dock, this:

and its 3 predecessors, (even then technology and I were mortal enemies, "WHY *bashes* WONT *bash, bash* WONT *bash* YOU  *BASH* WORK??!!! Hang on, it shut. but now it wont open!!!!! *further bashing, prising and hysterics*)

I have now just about worked out that beating technology is about as effective as talking to a brick wall.

Now the eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed something amiss in the 2nd photo.

Spotted it?
Yeah?
Thats right, usually wires hanging out of the Tape Deck aren't a good sign.

But this wire is attached to this:

(priorly a resident of the Wheelie bi....sorry.. dads car... till the tape deck decided it didn't like it and wasn't going to work)

And thus with this simple device, I have reclaimed retro.  In all its metallic silver and royal blue glory.
Just slide it into the deck switch on the machine. Switch on the iPod and Boom! Ok so I've had better volume and quality. But only since we stopped using tapes xD

Retro without the fuss of actually going back to the glory days. These days even CDs seem like faff.

Having just done a mental inventory, I seemed to have a thing for metallic blue and silver boomboxes. 3 different brands and styles but the colour never changed.

My brothers however is pearly white and silver, whilst mum always had black ones... odd.

If you've been outside lately you might notice its a bit breezy.
Apparently its going to get worse. Much worse.
According to the weathermen we have a hurricane headed this way.
so its gonna get wet and windy. EXTREMELY wet and windy.
Which is why we had to wind proof the back garden this morning.

Any Gardening related activity is anathema to me.
Except planting Geraniums in a non functioning outdoor loo just for.
Anyone who knows me well enough should be well aware of my dislike of anything insecty, buggy, sluggy, creepy or crawly.

This mornings set activity thus displeased me.

As was ever predictable, at roughly 11.45 this morning the peaceful suburban quiet was rent in two.

As the MOST GINORMOUS SPIDER I have EVER seen, (outside the zoo) scuttled out from under the water butt lid.

The last time I saw one that big it was behind my curtain tie back, with its tentacle like legs wrapped around the centre of the aforementioned tiebacks.  Sleeping was difficult that night. Especially as my mother took the  time to mention spiders usually live in pairs.

Spiders aside.

This morning brought me to the following conclusion:

It is indeed possible to have too many plant pots.

We have a plant pot for every size and stage of plant.
In the plural.
We had semi submerged plant pots.
Plant pots held together only by their contents.
Plant pots that also doubled as Snail farms.

I don't want to see another plant pot for a substantial period of time.

Now I'm going to chase a flying insect out.

Bethxx