Thursday 24 January 2019

Error 400 - The Remote server returned an error - Live Writer and Google Photos Problem.

There seems to have been a problem come up with Live Writer once every year or so but which has, thankfully, always been solved after a day or two.  I have always found it to be the most brilliant way to edit blog posts before publishing, with millions of bloggers using it all over the world. I am lost without it and so are they.

However, it is a programme that Windows decided not to develop/update any further a few years ago and so problems have occurred over that time when Google (???) have changed some of their codes/workings (???, forgive me, I am not a techie).  About 2 years ago after a huge problem left bloggers who used Live Writer up the swannie without a paddle, a team of very clever people took on Live Write to create Open Live Writer  and all has been well ...... until on 16th January (2019), when Google did something connected to Google Photos and/or Picasa which left bloggers once more unable to post from OLW to Blogger ......including me.

Finding out what was happening was a nightmare, so I added my problem to GitHubb and Blogger Help 

https://github.com/OpenLiveWriter/OpenLiveWriter/issues/786

https://productforums.google.com/forum/#!topic/blogger/nJbedfynH7o

There has been one fix, but so far its having problems and as it's only a temporary fix until March, we'll all be scuppered again anyway

However, I through github I have found a work round, I'll not bore you with the details, see below. just in case if helps anyone else.


It's not as slick as just being able to use OLW but after a week or so I think it should become more comfortable. I can no longer add a copyright to my pictures, but that's something I can sort out in time.

I, as well as a many others users find editing on Blogger hard to manipulate, which is why we love OLW so much.  Along with many bloggers I am now wondering how long it will be before Google gives up on Blogger and stops updating it or tweaks something else that makes it too almost impossible to use.  I think, when I have time, I need to start looking for a new free blog platform, before I fear the inevitable happens!

Poundland Sale!

Is it me or has this been a phenomena that has just passed me by over the years ……since when has Poundland had a “proper” sale?  Yes, they have had reduced products after Christmas but never to my knowledge like this!  I recently joined the Poundland Appreciation Society on Facebook and that’s when I saw people posting their 50p/25p “bargains” and I got curious.
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My nearest two Poundlands are in Worcester and are not, to be honest, the best, but there again, they are not as bad as the Portobello Road one near Marc, which believe me is dire!  Anyway, when I nipped into Worcester I only really picked up 4 boxes of the wooden Christmas jumper, hat and mitten tags (above) for 25p a box …… not bad for  a total of £1. I think individually they will look brilliant on a card or perhaps strung together for bunting.
Poundland Peg Photo frame
Then when I saw that people were posting the aperture picture frames that I had used at Christmas my mind went into overdrive thinking of Easter, Home Sweet Home, Valentines Day, Weddings etc.  A trip to Wolverhampton, to see Lu, not just to go to Poundland, proved pretty fruitless.  The things I bought were full price because there was very little in the sale and the items that I’d seen people paying 50p/25p for were still full price, so I don't know what was going on there.
Poundland Photo Frame
I got two picture fames (above) that I thought I might be able to do something with later on in the year plus two tag calendars (below)  that I think could be turned into advent calendars perhaps? 
Poundland Tag Calendar
As I said the sales shelves were totally pants, but I did have a little ruttle through the personalised gingerbread house decorations and did manage to find two blank ones that I can write Iris and Bertie on with a permanent marker (at the moment Iris and Bertie are not names you can ever find) but they were 50p each not 25p as I’d seen everywhere else.   So a bit of a boo to Wolverhampton there.
Poundland Gingerbread House tree Decorations
But all was not doom and gloom over the weekend because on Sunday Lu and I went over to the retail park in Tamworth as we like the John Lewis there and there is a place that does the most wonderful roast pork sandwiches, with crackling, stuffing and apple sauce that we have been drooling about since our last visit.
Poundland Aperture Photo Frames
In the Poundland there I found my frames but they weren’t marked down so I only took four with Easter in mind.
Poundland Cactus Vases
I found two of the cactus vases that I really really wanted (new stock, so £1 but soooooo worth it) and some bathroom plaques that were reduced to 25p each.
Poundland Bathroom Plaque
Now normally I would have given these a wide berth, but after a comment online  where else would you get a frame for 25p? The lights went on, all I need to do is cover the middle with white card and they will be perfect for Iris and Bertie’s works of art to then give as presents to doting nannies, aunties and uncles!  I got six, but will probably regret not getting a few more.
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Anyways ……. I got to the till and asked the lady if the aperture frames were full price or if they’d been reduced to 25p …….. OMG they had ……. and at that price it would have been rude not to want to get some more  especially as I already had a lady in mind who was desperate for one (or more) of my Christmas frames after seeing one at my stepmums. So while poor Lu went to put what I had already bought in the car, I headed round the shop again, but could I find them, could I as heck as like.  I was crestfallen because now I was  in full Fiddle Fart mode.  Then as I stood where I thought I had originally found them I looked up and saw a box on the storage shelf marked ….. erm ….. aperture frames and would you believe it, there was a shop stool stood standing right next to me, it was meant to be. I climbed up, reached the box down and opened it …….. to find ten black and ten white frames, well finders keepers, the white ones were mine! £2.50 the lot.
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I was so chuffed and as the days have gone on I have had more and more ideas of what to put in them. 
Poundland Christmas Hanging HeartsIMG_0347
I am not sure about these hanging hearts (25p), they will get painted, but I am not sure if the string will come away easily to re-string them individually …… time will tell.
I believe that most stores have now all but got rid of all their Christmas stuff, in some shops they put what was left by the check out for customers to take for free.  The household items are still reduced, but stock is dwindling. 
Poundland London Tree Decs
But a most excellent start to the crafty year, even if I had to hunt around to find some of my bargains.