New Cell Phone Battery - A Challenging Job.

All the newer cell phones have "non replaceable" batteries. Of course the makers do this to force you to buy a new phone when the battery dies from continuous recharging. Good for them, but not good for you or the environment. They try to make them impossible for you to fix. This should be illegal! Here's what I learned from doing Wendy's phone, my second phone this year.

The replacement of the battery by professionals could cost more than your used phone is worth. You can do the replacement yourself but it is not as simple as my pictures and YouTube videos would have you believe.

 Everything is well stuck together with 3M's best double-sided tape so you need a hair dryer or heat gun to soften the glue.

The screws are the easy part but they are hidden by fragile glass and plastic covers. Don't over heat them or bend them too much when you pry them off. Don't toss the phone if you break something. New parts are readily (and cheaply) available on Ali Express where you can get a battery for less than $20 CAD but you'll need to wait a month or so as they come from China and clear customs. I ordered extra pieces ahead of time just in case.

 

If you bend the battery it could explode or burst into flames so be careful. Mine started getting really hot so I threw it into the kitchen sink just in case. It's still outside on the cement porch just in case.

Don't use the supplied 3M sticky tape to re-install the battery. The battery has no where to go and the tape is just to discourage you from removal. After all, batteries never used to be glued in anyway. Forego the tape and you will have an easier time next time if you have to do this awful job again in a few more years. Email me if you need advice... and good luck!

NOTE: The first phone I took apart a month ago, I broke the screen because I stupidly missed one small screw holding the back on. This caused the screen to bend and crack. Then I had to pay for a new $100 screen from Amazon Canada. I could have got one for less than half that cost from Ali Express but couldn't wait a month or so.

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A Drive To The Park

 My "Artsy" pics for today:

A Purple Aster

White Heath Aster

Sundrop, Evening Primrose

White Aster

When we do get out for a drive, it's nice to go during the week when the parks and things are less busy. Today we visited Springbank Park and snapped pictures of some pretty weeds.

NOTE: Wendy and I spent some time Googling the flowers and named them as best we could. I take no responsibility for their accuracy.

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Summer Is Fading... House For Rent

 

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Last Day? Turning the Pool Heater Off Again.

 Goodbye beautiful Summer...

Wendy snapped this picture of "Tim the pool boy" on possibly our last day of swimming in the pool this season.

Although the outside temperature only got to about 75F, the pool heater showed that the pool water temperature was 90F going into the heater and 96F OUTPUT (after the heater)

Wendy likes the water warm but we can't do anything about the weather, so every good thing must end as I turned off the heater. I'll turn it back on if the outside temperature approaches 80F again. Fingers crossed.

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Starting To Look A Bit Like Fall

 Click the picture to enlarge my 'artsy' pic for today

Looking west towards the setting sun over the golf course.
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Maybe The Last Days Of Swimming In Our Pool

 

This year Fall came on fast as temperatures plummeted from the eighties seems like only a week or so ago (thirties celsius as they say in France) down to the fifties and sixties. This week they may rally again to nearly eighty according to the weather man, so I turned the pool heater back up to ninety in anticipation our last swim of the year. It's only money as the the gas meter sings in glee.

 

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Modern Romance (In COVID Times)

From and old 2012 wedding picture.

 I made the final artsy gif from a not-so-great picture taken eight years ago.

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September Harvest

 

Below is the original pic, taken near Hyde Park at a roadside stand.

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Artsy Leather Rabbits

 

Just for fun, Rabbits on leather, my 'artsy' pic from my imagination for today.

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"Walnuts? I Didn't Eat Your Walnuts." - LIAR!

 This Grey Squirrel has  been caught brown-handed.

 We have the evidence. The walnut juice stains everything, squirrels included.

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Shooting The Sunrise Across the Street

Remember, you can click on any picture and enlarge it.

I've mentioned before the spectacular results you can get when you point your camera into the sun.

Today I looked out the front door at the beautiful grasses and hostas growing in the front lawn of our neighbours across the street.

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How Cute Is That?

 Here's "Bingo" the star of my latest video.

This little guy visits every day. Even Benz seems to be alright with him as long as the screen door is kept closed.

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"Bingo" The Nutty Chipmunk.

My latest blockbuster video. By Tim 2020.

Tireless training renders amazing results as Bingo does back flips for peanuts. No animals were harmed making this video. 

Tricia's New Car

 

Yesterday, Tricia brought her new car over to show us. I love the exotic Aegean Blue Metallic colour! Very sporty looking!

Oopsy...

Daisy!
 

 

These delicate flowers are very tiny.  CLICK HERE to read more.

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Who Needs Them?

 UPDATE: As of Monday September 14 the number of world-wide COVID cases has gained another million since last week. 29,000,000 cases. A million new cases every week, but at least the curve is flat.

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SCRAC (Squirrels, Chipmunks, Rabbits and Coons)

 Wendy says:

The plants look healthy but the fruit is very scarce. I hope we get at least one red tomato this year.

It wouldn't be so bad but the little beggars take the tomatoes before they ripen, and they don't even eat them all.

I don't think he even likes tomatoes, but he steals them. It's really our fault for feeding him peanuts.

The fur on his chin is darkened from eating Black Walnuts.

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'The Good Old Days' - Please Learn From Them!

 I never owned one of these (luckily) but remember the old tape cameras? I did have a Sony Handicam Hi8 from nearly 30 years later,  around 1995 or so. Somewhere I have stored away all my old tapes. I'm sure they hold many memories but they are probably lost forever in antiquity since the camera is gone and there's no way to play them back.

Here's an Ad from 1967. It's a Sony!  So portable!  But you didn't even get colour for that price - $1250. Big bucks in those days. Half the price of a new car at the time. I wonder what the resolution was? It weighed nearly as much as 2 bags of potatoes and you might get 1 hour out of the battery. 

Now your camera (or phone) fits in a shirt pocket and is a hundred times better.

That reminds me. Speaking of technology that has become obsolete... Those old tapes had a limited lifetime. You know that if you've ever had an old tape player 'eat' your tape. They dry out and mess up. 

FRIENDLY WARNING:  But did you know that all our modern, little, memory chips like the ones in your camera, cell phone and even your hard drives also have a limited life? Do you know that eventually all these memory devices will, in a few years - DIE? They lose their micro electrical charges and your images and data will disappear like a fleeting dream. And you just know you won't have the same cell phone in 3 - 5 years. 

That's why, if you value your memories, you should constantly back up your devices and chips to MORE THAN ONE PLACE. I back up to two separate drives, one on my PC and one for storage in the basement. I'm also considering using the cloud as well. Don't ever think your treasured memories are safe in any one spot. (even the cloud) Remember... S**t Happens! And when it does, there is no going back.

Lets all learn from the days of tapes and records - nothing lasts forever.

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More Of Our Driving Excursions...

 Look up; way, way up.

Our first stop on our Sunday drive was to the now abandoned War Veteran's Hospital grounds adjacent to our newer Parkwood Hospital overlooking 'the ponds' of Pond Mills. I remember when there were 'cottages' on this property, away from the main hospital, set up as wards where treatment of severely wounded and psychologically affected veterans from World War II would spend their last days. CLICK HERE to read more about this place.

 

 The administration building is falling into ruin. It's a beautiful building and has a gorgeous view of the ponds. It even has a bowling alley and it would appear the owner (Parkwood Hospital) paid to put a new roof on it.. Too bad some service club or non-profit can't use it before it is destroyed.

The city saves some of the strangest places, designating them as 'heritage sites'. Surely this fine old structure deserves some contemplation. I suppose that since the hospital owns it, it's immune to criticism.

Out in Komoka, now a suburb of London, we came across this beautiful 1935 Auburn 851 Boattailed Speedster. It was parked in front of what used to be the Little Beaver Restaurant. I had to circle back for a picture.

I enhanced this photo to more resemble the one I used to own when we had the condo in Sarnia/Point Edward. Those were the days! What a beauty! I always enjoyed this sporty car but could never go too far since I had no top for it. If rain was imminent, we had to scurry back home.  CLICK HERE to see my old Auburn. 

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The Mustang Drive In, My Artsy Pic For Today

Inspired by a picture taken on my Sunday drive:

"The Mustang Drive In"

 Do you remember going to the drive-in, smuggling buddies in the trunk, or 'bumper jumping' the couple 'necking' in the car ahead. The show started at dusk so you had to get there early, although you weren't missing much if you came later since the feature movie always started after dark. Of course the intermission and a trip to the snack bar was another highlight of the evening. Maybe cruise the main drag after and then head to the A&W for a Mama Burger and root beer.

We were out for a drive on Sunday, a rather rare occurrence since I've only used a tank-and-a-half of gas all year. In our quest for a self-serve roadside fruit/veg stand we drove by the revived Mustang drive-in theatre and I had to stop and take a picture or two. I know of 3 Mustang Drive-Ins. One here in London, one in Belleville/Picton/Quinte and one in Guelph. There is apparently one also in California.

My Recent Original Picture

 It was nice to get out of the house and with the cooler weather of late we didn't need to run the a/c and drove along with the windows down. What a treat!

 

And this scene exists only in my mind.
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