We've Detected a Problem With Your Cookie Settings

No doubt the main reason I’ve not written the myriad blogs I’ve planned on the many lectures, exhibitions and events I’ve attended is because I naturally must devote most of my time to finding a job as well as juggling finances to eek out my few remaining pounds for a little bit longer. But I’d find it easier to dash a few quick things off (and possibly spare you these endlessly long ramblings) if I could just update Blogger on my main computer.

But 99.8% of the time, I cannot, and I don’t understand why not. I’m usually quite clever with computers, too. But even though iGoogle and the Google News page will show that I’m signed in, if I try to access the posting area of Blogger, I get an infuriating Google Accounts error page.

“We've detected a problem with your cookie settings,” it proclaims in a faux gentle yet intensely annoying way. It tells me I must enable cookies, clear my Internet cache and cookies, and adjust my privacy settings, but I feel no compulsion to trust them to Google. Why does Google require this when everyone else manages fine? And yes, I’ve added the various Google URLs as trusted sites. Nevertheless, I’ve tried--numerous times--everything the error page has suggested (though I don’t want to be as lax as Google wants me to be), even in a moment of mad desperation switching off my security software to see if I could gain temporary access to my blog that way. Nothing worked.

Yet about twice that I can remember, I’ve been able to access my blog without problems. But that seems to have just been a happy fluke.

So if I want to post something, I have to save my pictures and other files on a USB stick or cramped NAS drive and dig out an ailing retired, unreliable laptop, fire that up soooo slowly and, once it’s finally working, I can usually post the blog from there. But it’s a massive pain. Why can’t I just use my main computer? They both use Windows 7, the same security package and internet browser (the latest IE). Unusually, I found no suggestions online that helped. Am I seriously the only one with this infuriating issue? Am I doing something remarkably stupid?

I don’t expect many people read my stream of consciousness rants so I doubt any of this matters, but it would be lovely to have the convenience of convenience. Answers on an e-postcard (or comment) if you can help. Thanks muchly.

Normal Service to be Resumed Eventually....

Okay, I’m rubbish again. I’ve updated neither my website nor blog for ages. That’s because every waking moment, I am struggling to meet work deadlines, apart from the few events I’ve attended for the sole purpose of ensuring I have at least two hours now and then when I’m not working. Plus, you really shouldn't just live in London and not live in London; there's so much going on. I have in mind to blog on those events, or review them on my music website http://www.aboutlastnight.org.uk/ when they’re concerts (eg Spandau Ballet at the O2), and in many cases, I’ve scribbled down some thoughts that just need a bit of attention before I can post them. I so envy these people who don’t seem to have an office job who can sit and blog every day, or those who are more together who can fit in both.

When I get a chance—and some I hope to post this weekend though I've brought lots of work home as well—I will add some things that might not be quite so timely now, but will be there in case anyone is interested in my talking about some of the wonderful plays I’ve seen in the past few months (Endgame, A Doll’s House, Duet for One, Waiting for Godot, Arcadia, a few Stoppard adaptations of Chekhov), some other events (Barry Humphries as Sir Les Patterson and Dame Edna Everage with an orchestra at the Albert Hall, Margaret Atwood reading from her new novel in a church while Roger Lloyd-Pack, Diana Quick and others act out scenes, Horseman’s Sunday or the Blessing of 100 Horses—an annual church service on horseback, Cart Marking in the City etc) and book signings following excellent talks (John Banville, Joss Ackland, Michael Palin, Dara O’Briain, Griff Rhys-Jones, and Alan Whicker [without a talk]), and the Save The Rhino event at the Royal Geographical Society with Stephen Fry and Mark Carwardine, though sadly the latter was kept from us by swine flu, but the former held the fort admirably, talking about their recent Last Chance to See series, and I hope both are feeling a bit brighter soon and that the latter is not overwhelmed by this Twitter storm (though it’s mostly love for him, which I trust will help).

Incidentally, Blighty is showing the first part of Stephen Fry’s brilliant and enlightening documentary Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive at 10pm on Sunday, 1 November; I highly recommend that you try to see it.

….And more from me later, for anyone sufficiently patient to trouble themselves with a return to this site! Thank you and apologies again.