13.12.2022 '1984' to the left and right.

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Tuesday 13th -3C/26F. The house is really cooling down now. Upstairs 13C/55F. Lounge 11C/51F , Kitchen 9C/49F, Bathroom 5C/41F. I shall have to light the stove early. If I can drag myself away! I have already replaced my sandal slippers with the sheepskin. The sandals were lethal outside on the ice and snow. Zero friction!

 Up at 6.10 after I heard a loud thump outside. Car doors slamming at a distance have been completely eliminated by the new bedroom window until now. Nothing visible outside. A heavy footed bird on the roof? There are lots of large birds of prey drifting around between perches.

 I practised with my hearing aids on the TV last night. Voices are suddenly intelligible without subtitles. No need for high volumes any more. A win!

 Listening to well recorded YT videos of classical music suggested that the left aid is set slightly too high relative to the right. It is also pushing the higher frequencies too far forwards. Violins were not very natural on the left side but were fine on the right. Manageable but open to adjustment.

 The aids adjust for head shadowing and rotation. Which is interesting. Both aids are controlled by the rocker switches on either side. I believe they use Bluetooth communication. The right side controls the output [volume level] of both in small steps. The left switch mutes both. Handy in an emergency if a loud noise arises. 

  I still need lots more practice to be able to find the aids in a hurry. Let alone fine adjust them. They are far smaller than my [untrained] fingers can agree on. It is best to use opposed thumb and finger to squeeze the switch through the pinna. Rather than trying to tilt the switch with an exploratory, probing fingertip. Fortunately there are rewarding beeps. To confirm my initial clumsiness has paid off.

 Individual adjustment of frequency response and balance are still beyond my reach. An app [what else?] on a smart phone can work wonders apparently. Which means I'd have to invest in a smart phone too. Not such a bad idea as I expand my social contacts. Not to mention needing a microscope to read SMS on my Nokia Flip.

 Though I'm definitely looking for a smaller format/screen size than standard. I certainly don't want an "iTablet" jammed into my jacket or jeans pocket! Particularly anything carrying the iSlave, rotten apple logo. Genocidal Sly '1984' Jinping may just have lost a few million low paid, repetitive jobs. As his transparent propaganda makes piss poor PR outside his lifetime dictatorship fairyland. 

 Too much bullshit. Even for his besotted rotten apple handlers and profiteers in the West. They would buy Apple toys from Hitler's SS. While happily paying in sacks of gold teeth! Just as our local politicooze went on buying oil and gas from Adolf '1984' Pootin.

 I now have clear bird calls! I could even find birds in overhead branches. This has evaded me until now. I couldn't hear well enough to locate them. It is surprising how much sound is needed for visual spotting. 

 Unfortunately I disturbed two birds of prey this morning. They were hundreds of yards away. Holding down distant trees but the birds still moved away. I feel sorry for them. Having to move when they may be hungry and need to conserve energy. The roads were mostly clear except at the junctions.

 Back to stoking the stove. Stripped to the waist. Shovelling logs on as fast as I can manage at my age. I am even throwing on the scraps and flakes of wood from the last trailer load. Anything to boost the flames. Brunel would be proud!

 Dinner was cheese on toast. I haven't had it for ages. No tomatoes. So I had tomato soup and a roll. The picture was out of focus. Because I was splaying with macro camera settings and forgot to put them back to normal.

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