Hopefully back on line

(Posted on all my major blogs)

Yesterday, after some 33 days of being without my internet connection, I was put back on line. Several errors were found at the connections outside our premises and also in the Gateway.

The first thing I did after getting back my connection was test my speed. I pay for a 8 M line, but I was shocked to find my upload and download speeds were less than 500 kbps.

Additionally, I have a fixed IP and I found that the IP that I was using was not mine.

Thirdly, all my computers are connected to the internet through a Router. i found that if I went on to connect my router, I lost the internet connection.

Lastly, during the last 7 years I have used DHCP to connect to the internet. I have not used PPPoE. I found that I was unable to connect using DHCP and my own Fixed IP but only through the PPPoE which was assigning me the random IP.

All these problems has made life continue to be difficult as I am using just a single computer to connect to the internet.

I have a backload of about 6 weeks of work. With this situation I will only be able to catch up by the end of April.

I have lodged my complaint with my ISP .- and hopefully I will get some action by the end of this week.

Please bear with me till I get back into full swing.

Silent prayer

Today, I said a Silent Prayer for my mother Ammachi), who would have celebrated her 94th birthday, had she been alive.

Ammachi (Senior Student) when she graduated in 1934 from
Women's Christian College, Madras.

She passed away in 2000, a few months after I spent some quality time with her.

I also said a Prayer for my late aunt who shared the birthday with my mother, Langfordammachi, who suffered tremendously in silence as she cared for my Godfather, Mr. George Matthan, my father's eldest brother, when he was ill with Parkinson's Disease.

Only God gave her the strength to care for him as she did. Each time I went to visit my Godfather, she was there smiling and talking about us but never about herself. But I knew deep down the tremendous battle she was going through.

As we now tend Annikki's mother, I realise how much greater was her pain than I had imagined.

A trying three weeks

When Annikki's mother came home from her interval care in the Old People's Home in mid February, we were a bit worried about her physical strength, as the new home she was sent to did not have correct instructions to try to keep her mobile and ensure her muscles stayed active.

In the morning of last Monday, The third day after she got home, when Annikki took her to toilet, we found that she had no energy to hold herself upright.

Annikki then had a terrible scare as her mother was fainting while Annikkki was feeding her. With great presence of mind, Annikki acted quickly. As I was around, we tilted back her chair to ensure that blood flow to the brain was maintained. We managed, with a great deal of difficulty, to get her back to bed, lifting her heavy body onto the bed.

A little later in the afternoon, while in bed and when Annikki tried to feed her some liquids, she threw up the food she had eaten earlier that day.

Annikki was quick to call the ambulance to admit her mother to the hospital via the emergency wing of the hospital. Intravenous drip was already administered before the ambulance left home.

After an investigation, it was decided to hospitalise her. She was treated with antibiotics till the flu / influenza attacks were brought under control.

She was finally discharged, two weeks after she was admitted. We brought her home.

However, the next morning, it became evident that she was extremely weak and that we, at home, did not have the equipment or skills to look after her in that state.

Luckily it was time for her interval care, so we took her in to the Nursing Home where she is now in the care of nurses.

Hopefully she will recoup her strength so that when she gets home in another week's time, we will be able to continue her care at home.

This is a very difficult time for Annikki as she has cared for her mother on a night and day basis over the last six and a half years. I have helped with all the outside home work, shopping, etc., and also with the heavier work of physically lifting her when required.

Let us hope that she will be well enough to resume her stay in her home that she knows and loves.

Annikki launches her new blog

I have been off blogging because of a problem with my ethernet connection, making me use my 56 kps internal modem rather than my 100 Mps ethernet.

No fault with my Mac.

The fault lies with my Internet Service Provider, and hopefully this will be resolved this week.

I have the proud privilege to announce a new blog by my better half, Annikki.

It is a world's first - The Mobile Snowman / Liikuva Lumiukko.

Her site is devoted to her winter passion, creating objects out of snow and ice. This has led her to a new art form - Snowmen that movee.

Her partner in this venture is our grandson, Samuel (11) who has had the passion to promote the idea and help Annikki develop it.

I had featured a few stills of her idea on this blog. Now it has bloomed into a site of its own, including a video clip which has been posted on YouTube.

The quality of the video taken by me is not ideal. I hope I can improve the quality and produce a movie of this concept.

My thanks to Vishwanath Mallabadi, a professional photographer here in Oulu, who has taken some better videos, which I am using to create a movie.

Congratulations Annikki and Samu. This is a truly unique development in art and play which children and adults all around the world (where they have access tto "snowman snow") will truly enjoy.